Good Press

Food News Roundup

2012-01-12T11:37:00.003-05:00

Hostess files for bankruptcy

NEW YORK (AP) -- The maker of Twinkies, Sno Balls and Wonder Bread is trying to lose the fat.

Hostess Brands is hoping to cut its high costs as it heads back into bankruptcy protection for the second time in less than a decade.

Hostess has enough cash to keep stores stocked with its Ding Dongs, Ho Hos and other snacks for now as it battles rising labor costs and increased competition. But longer term, the 87-year-old company has a bigger problem: health-conscious Americans favor yogurt and energy bars over the dessert cakes and white bread they devoured 30 years ago.

Last year, 36 percent of Americans ate white bread in their homes, down from 54 percent in 2000, according to NPD Group. Meanwhile, about 54 percent ate wheat bread, up from 43 percent in 2000. MORE

Romania's "Meatball King" dies

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP (AP) -- Meatballs are not taken lightly in the Balkans. Recipes are prized. Favorite restaurants and chefs are endlessly debated. The merits of regional variations can fuel an argument as sizzling hot as a grill itself.

But only one man in Romania was known as "the Meatball King" - Ion Oita - and his death has left a swath of mourners far beyond the small confines of "The Hunchback," his eatery in northern Bucharest.

Brazilian best-selling author Paulo Coehlo, Romanian soprano Mariana Nicolaesco and President Traian Basescu are among those who have eaten at his nondescript restaurant. All were drawn by its hefty claim to fame: some of the best meatballs in the Balkans.

Co-owner Oita, after years of welcoming politicians, writers and fashionistas through his doors, was found hanged in a restaurant annex Dec. 5 at age 64. Oita allegedly killed himself over the outcome of a court case involving his son, who has used a wheelchair ever since a car accident. His death was top news across Romania. MORE

What can a cookie do? Give someone a happy birthday

2012-01-10T10:40:00.008-05:00

Last year, my 7-year-old planned a surprise birthday party for me because she learned that I had never had one.

She secretly plotted with her aunt who helped her shop for decorations and food. And she got her father to rent a social hall and invite my friends. She wanted to make me feel special on my birthday.

This year, my little Girl Scout is working to make a lot more people in our community feel loved on their birthdays. She had the means to throw me a party with all the trimmings -- cake, ice cream, balloons, matching plates and cups, banners and streamers, veggie and fruit trays, games with prizes.

She realizes that not every mom and dad can give their children the kinds of parties she has or the party she gave me. We have talked to her about how our local food pantry gives groceries to the needy.

Her Girl Scout troop's service project is to donate a birthday-party-in-a-box to the local food pantry. We are going to include all the elements of a birthday party -- cake mix, frosting, candles, decorations and games, a gift card for ice cream -- things that people with no money for food would like to give their children but can't -- in boxes we wrap and donate to the town food pantry. Then when volunteers hear of someone with a birthday, they can give them the box.

She is living the Girl Scout Law in part by doing her best to be considerate and caring.

So I want to help her all I can. She has a personal goal to sell 1,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to earn a Kindle. The troop's goal is 2,500 boxes to pay their way to Washington, D.C., for the Girl Scouts Rock the Mall singalong in celebration of Girl Scouting's 100th birthday.

Girl Scout cookies cost $3.50 a box in our council this year. The top-selling Thin Mints, Samoas (coconut-caramel-chocolate) and Tagalongs (chocolate-peanut butter) are back along with Do Si Dos (peanut butter sandwich), Trefoils (shortbread), Dulce de Leche (caramel chip), and Thank U Berry Munch (cranberry-white chip that tastes like Cap'n Crunchberries cereal.) The new cookie this year is a crisp zesty lemon half-moon covered in powdered sugar called Savannah Smiles in honor of Girl Scouts being founded 100 years ago in Savannah, Georgia, by Juliette Gordon Low.

If you would like to help my thoughtful daughter meet her goals by buying cookies, please contact me at iritnus@gmail.com. You can specify that your order be donated to the food pantry or to American soldiers stationed elsewhere.

New Year's Resolutions For This Blog

2012-01-03T13:44:00.003-05:00

I'm always looking to improve this food blog. It can always get better.
In 2012, I hope to accomplish a few changes to it.

1. Add how long it takes me to prepare recipes to my post. (This was a suggestion from an anonymous commenter.)

2. Post at least weekly. If I can do this for three months, I am eligible to be cataloged on Blogher.

3. Apply to be included on Blogher.

4. Update the design.

That's plenty.

Party Nibbles: White Trash

2011-12-25T19:34:00.001-05:00

This recipe crossed my path at two holiday potlucks. It is yummy and seems easy to make. I also got a giggle at its name.

WHITE TRASH SNACK MIX
3 1/2 cups Cheerios toasted oat cereal
3 cups Rice Chex
3 cups Corn Chex
16 ounces M&M's plain chocolate candy
2 1/2 cups salted mixed nuts
2 cups small pretzels
2 (11 ounce) packages white chocolate chips OR 1 (1 1/2 pound package almond bark)

Dump the cereals, M&Ms, nuts & pretzels in a large bowl.
Melt the white chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler. Melt very slowly, stirring occasionally, being careful not to burn the chocolate.
Dump melted chocolate over the rest of the ingredients and fold over and over until you have well-coated hunks and chunks.
Spread the whole mess out on parchment paper and set in a cool place until it sets up, then break it into pieces.
Store in zip-top bags or air-tight containers.

Variations abound and I've seen Golden Grahams cereal, raisins and mini marshmallows.

Christmas Candy: Peanut Clusters

2011-12-24T22:16:00.000-05:00

This recipe is the newest I have added to my Christmas candy repertoire. My friend Melanie, with whom I attend Taste of Home Cooking School shows, shared this recipe, which is her Aunt Jean’s. She said her aunt does it differently than she submitted it to me and I made it still differently than that. What I have written below is what I did and it was yummy. The combinations of the two chocolates and the almond bark coating makes the candy’s taste is more complex than just “chocolate-covered peanuts”. I’ve gotten swoons from the people I’ve shared it with so far. It is so easy to make because a Crock-Pot melts the chocolate. All you have to do is stir and drop the clusters onto waxed paper.

PEANUT CLUSTERS
1 16-ounce jar salted dry roasted peanuts
1 16-ounce jar unsalted dry roasted peanuts
1 pound 8 ounces white almond bark, broken into chunks
4 ounces Baker’s white chocolate
12 ounces Baker’s German chocolate
12 ounces Toll House semisweet chocolate chips ( you could use milk chocolate)

Put nuts in Crock-Pot, then add white chocolate, milk or semisweet chocolate and German chocolate. Put the lid on and cook on low for 3 hours.
Turn off the Crock-Pot, remove the lid and let set for 15 minutes.
Stir and drop onto wax paper.

Holiday Eating Tips

2011-12-22T12:27:00.001-05:00

Scrapbook Expo posted this on their Facebook Wall. I'm sure they got it somewhere else.

HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare... You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it.
Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Holiday party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do.
This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.
Remember this motto to live by:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate and wine in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Have a great holiday season!!

Restaurant review: The Waffle Hut, So Bad It's Good

2011-12-21T23:31:00.005-05:00

The Waffle Hut in Flatwoods has a lot of characters.

Yeah, that’s not a typo.

We visited twice this fall when we stayed in Flatwoods for a conference. Our first impression was marked by a guy on the phone who sounded like an amateur lawyer. He sat at the lunch counter in the lobby area in front of a coffee cup and a newspaper that I would’ve assumed was a racing form if we hadn’t been hundreds of miles from a racetrack. “That is illegal. I’m telling you that is illegal. Now calm down. Calm down! Listen to me. The cops cannot touch you first. It is illegal for them to put their hands on her first. They cannot lay one finger on her. Now I said calm down!”

It’s dim in the restaurant even when the sun is shining brightly outside. The dark wood paneling and booths suck up the light from yellowed lightshades of lamps resembling old gas lanterns on some walls and hanging from the exposed-beam vaulted ceiling in the main dining room. The wallpaper in the lobby I’m sure I’ve seen on my grandparents’ kitchen walls years 30 years ago. The silverware is wrapped in a paper napkin and slipped into plastic sleeves like an old-time cafeteria.

For a late dinner one night we had breakfast: cinnamon-scented French toast, $3.75; sausage, $2; perfectly crisp bacon, $2; Belgian waffle, $3.75; and three pancakes with bacon, $3.

A tough waitress took our order; a quirky one delivered it, calling it “Frenchie" toast and "pancakies."

Bottomless drinks for $1 are unheard-of anymore. I paid $1.99 for a drink with free refills the other day. The food portions are large. Children can get a meal of chicken nuggets or a hot dog with fries and coleslaw, cottage cheese or applesauce for $3.25.

While we waited for our meal the “lawyer” left but we were entertained by a man who had had too much to drink. He kept losing his way back to his table from the bathroom and his friends had to keep steering him -- but not before he fell into our booth.

We returned the next day for lunch on our way home and had the much-renowned Honey-Dipt Chicken for $5.50. It came with a salad, fries, coleslaw or applesauce or cottage cheese and rolls. A fruit fly came too and would not leave; it was off-putting. The honey batter on the chicken was thin and crackly and nothing to crave. The chicken seemed spindly, not meaty. The waitress was especially surly. And we bothered her for dessert, which was not worth remembering.

We will go back when we’re in the area again and we will order breakfast, which is served all day. It’s a dive but it grows on you. William and Shirley Squires own the Waffle Hut and there’s not another one like it – I can say with relief.

Comfort food: Meat Loaf

2011-12-21T23:14:00.001-05:00

Most people think it’s called comfort food because it makes you feel warm and sleepy and comfortable when you eat it. That’s true. But I think comfort food is also food for which I have all of the ingredients at any given time and I can make easily on any day when I haven’t planned well. THAT is a comfort to me.
My husband got this recipe from his landlady when he was in college in Charleston, WV. I had always made meat loaf with the recipe on the Quaker Oats canister. Once I tried this recipe, I never made meat loaf with oats again. This serves four polite people or two hungry ones. If you want leftovers for cold sandwiches, better double the ingredients and make two. I usually do.

MISS BANKS'S MEAT LOAF
1 pound ground beef or venison
1 1 / 2 slices soft bread
1 / 2 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 / 2 teaspoon salt
1 / 8 teaspoon dry mustard
1 / 8 teaspoon celery salt
1 / 8 teaspoon garlic salt
1 1 / 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Tear bread and mix with milk. Beat egg. Mix bread, beaten egg, meat, onion, spices and Worcestershire sauce. Form into loaf in pan. Bake one hour.

We have a winner!

2011-12-07T09:56:00.003-05:00

Sarah Jones of Sarah's Gourmet Cupboard, who also blogs at Leftover Makeover, was randomly selected today as the winner of the giveaway.

Sarah will receive an apron from Just A Pinch Recipe Club!

Congratulations, Sarah, and thanks for joining the conversation at Good Press. Visit again soon!

Creamed Chicken Over Biscuits

2011-12-06T13:24:00.005-05:00

Six inches of heavy, wet snow is forecast for my corner of West Virginia starting tomorrow morning. Maybe you're heading to the grocery store to stock up and you're wondering what warming comfort food you could make for dinner. When it snowed and stuck around last week, I made this divine and easy Crock-Pot meal: Creamed Chicken Over Biscuits.

My business partner at Mountain Mamas Retreats, Shelley Miller, shared the recipe (aka Italian Crock-Pot Chicken) after a scrapbooking crop we held at our retreat house. There, we served it with an equally easy Brussels sprouts dish brought by a guest. The flavors of the main course and the side set each other off perfectly. We had more creamed chicken than we had biscuits so we served it over rice the second time.

For dessert at the same meal I served vanilla ice cream with hot fudge cake (also made in a Crock-Pot). That recipe is from Taste of Home.

You wouldn't think Italian salad dressing mix would be a key ingredient in this but it's not tart like you'd expect. Shelley strains the broth in the Crock-Pot before she returns the chicken to the crock with the soup and cream cheese. I didn't and the flecks of seasoning weren't too noticeable.

CREAMED CHICKEN OVER BISCUITS
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup chicken broth
1 package Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix
1 can cream of chicken soup (10 3/4-ounce size)
8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, softened

Place chicken in Crock-Pot. In a small mixing bowl, combine chicken broth and Italian dressing mix (I did this in the measuring cup); pour over chicken. Cook chicken until done. (Mine was frozen and took about four hours.)

Take chicken out of Crock-Pot; cut into bite-size pieces.

Add soup and cream cheese to the broth. (Cut up the cream cheese so it will blend faster.) Whisk together until smooth. Put chicken back in Crock-Pot. Heat through (about 30 minutes.

Serve over egg noodles, rice, spaghetti or biscuits.

HOT FUDGE CAKE
1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons baking cocoa, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup 2 percent milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon Spice Islands® pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 3/4 cups boiling water
Vanilla ice cream

In a small bowl, combine 1 cup brown sugar, flour, 3 tablespoons cocoa, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, combine the milk, butter and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until combined. Spread evenly into a 3-quart slow cooker coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. (My small slow cooker is 2 quarts so I allowed a little extra baking time, about 30 minutes, but you could check it at the 4-hour mark so it doesn't over-bake.)

In another small bowl, combine the remaining brown sugar and cocoa; stir in boiling water. Pour over batter (do not stir). Cover and cook on high for 4 to 4 1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean. Serve warm with ice cream. Yield: 8 servings.

Feeling lucky? A chili cook-off, a cookie contest and a giveaway

2011-12-05T20:10:00.000-05:00

Has your chili got game?

Are your cookies cause for celebration?

There are national contests where you can prove your culinary skills.

I've had a little success and a lot of experience entering local cooking contests.

I have won blue ribbons at the Buckwheat Festival and at a small pie-baking contest at the school's fall festival for Blueberry Dream Pie and my mom's butterscotch pie.

Almost four years ago I entered a chili cook-off. I think I had to make 8 gallons of chili and find ways to keep it hot while driving an hour and waiting to serve it. I took at least two electric roasters and a crock-pot. So did the 20 other competitors. All those current-suckers were too much for the mall's electrical system and breakers kept blowing. It's not an experience I have rushed to repeat. The most fun I had was dressing, with my little girl, like cowgirls and ringing dinner bells to draw attention.

I'm more familiar with holding or judging food contests. Being asked to judge the local chicken wing cook-off was my tastiest assignment ever.

When I was a newspaper food editor I had the idea to hold a holiday cookie contest. Readers submitted recipes for their favorite holiday cookies. The staff chose a batch and then asked those bakers to bring a dozen or two to the newspaper office. A group of readers called the Food Panel judged the cookies and determined a winner. The winner was announced and all the recipes ran in the Thanksgiving edition.

Now I am promoting two cooking contests -- in my first post that mentions my recent acceptance onto Just A Pinch Recipe Club's Blogger Brigade. To celebrate that good news, I am having a little giveaway here.

Just A Pinch Recipe Club is a vibrant online community for home cooks to share recipes, cooking tips and coupons. It is holding two national recipe contests and YOU can enter.

The deadline is fast approaching for the chili cook-off; contest entries are due Wednesday, January 4, 2012.
The home cook who submits the best chili recipe to the Second Annual Sporty Snack Showdown will get a home theater system valued at $4,000, just in time for the big game.

You have a little more time to perfect your cookie recipe; the entries in the Cookie Celebration are due by Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012. The best baker wins a trip to Nashville and a $1,000 shopping spree of cooking equipment at The Viking Store & Cooking School!

Entries in both the chili and cookie contests will be judged on creativity, ease of preparation, presentation and pure deliciousness by the Test Kitchen.

Just a Pinch is supplying the prize for my giveaway -- this snazzy apron!

For a chance to win, leave a comment below. For an EXTRA chance to win, follow me on Twitter @CynthiaMcCloud. The contest will run until 8 p.m. EST Tuesday, Dec. 6. I'll use random.org to choose the winner. Make sure you leave your email address (not published) so I can get your mailing address if you win.

Good luck! And be sure to tell me if you enter the cook-off or the baking contest, especially if you win!

Saturday Night Special: Chex Mix

2011-12-04T22:59:00.005-05:00

Saturday night I was cleaning -- wild times, I know! -- and I felt snacky.

I decided to make my favorite version of Chex Mix, which some people think of as a Christmastime treat. I eat it year-round. Especially since I found many variations on the original recipe.

When I was a kid in the 80s, there was the original recipe of Worcestershire sauce, seasoning salt, garlic powder, onion powder and butter mixed and poured over Chex cereal, pretzels, peanuts and sometimes crackers or bagel chips. There was also a sweet version called puppy chow (maybe because Ralston Purina, which invented Chex and then sold all its brands to General Mills), which Chex also called Muddy Buddies. It was made with peanut butter and chocolate and powdered sugar. Besides that the only innovations I saw were GM packaging the cereal with a seasoning packet at the holidays and marketing bags of ready-made Chex Mix, which tastes nothing like homemade.

Until I was an adult.

In the late 90s/early 2000 when giving homemade mixes as gifts was popular, I found a recipe for Goin' Fishin' Munchin' Mix, which incorporated Pepperidge Farm goldfish and some other things in the mix. I made a big batch and gave it to my husband's guy friends.

Two years ago, General Mills, the makers of Chex cereal, held a contest looking for variations on its Chex Party Mix recipe. I tried the Buffalo for New Year's Eve that year. I made the Deviled Chex Mix many times over the following year.

When I went looking online for the deviled recipe Saturday night, I found almost 75 recipes for the snack mix at Chex.com!

There are sweet mixes I want to try: Chai Crunch, Bananas Foster Crunch Mix, Ginger-Honey Crunch, Honey Nut-Cherry Crunch, Tin Roof Crunch, Coffee-Toffee and Hot Buttered Yum.

And there are savory mixes I want to try: Moroccan Crunch, Combo Curry, Chexicago (based on Chicago popcorn flavors that blend cheese and caramel), Chili & Garlic, Chili-Lime, Indian Spiced and Steakhouse.

Among the odd flavors are Margarita Fiesta and Loaded Baked Potato.

Winter is going to be fun!

Here's the recipe for Deviled Chex Mix because I have tried it and I like it. The recipes for the others I've mentioned can be found at Chex.com.

DEVILED CHEX MIX
3 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground chili powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup assorted unsalted nuts, such as peanuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans
3 cups Rice Chex® cereal
3 cups Corn Chex® cereal
3 cups Wheat Chex® cereal
1 cup miniature cheese crackers
1 cup miniature pretzels

In small bowl, mix sugar, paprika, chili powder, curry powder, cumin, coriander, pepper and salt; set aside.

In large microwavable bowl, combine oil and nuts. Microwave uncovered on High about 2 minutes or until fragrant. Stir in cereals, crackers and pretzels until evenly coated. Stir in sugar mixture until evenly coated.

Microwave uncovered on High 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every minute, until mixture is thoroughly heated. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.

Recipe Keeping: The Cloud's the Limit

2011-12-03T23:37:00.000-05:00

When I was in my middle-school home economics class, we got recipe boxes. I was so excited to fill mine like my mom's and grandma's. When I started seriously cooking as an adult, it was obvious a box wasn't going to cut it.

For a while, I printed recipes from the computer or tore out magazine pages and slipped the papers into page protectors and stored them in binders on a bookshelf in my kitchen. That worked to keep the recipes clean while cooking and all in one place. But I got busy (lazy) and started just stuffing recipes in there out of order or just keeping whole magazines.

It wasn't very organized and more than once I bought the ingredients to make something and couldn't find the recipe! Frustrating!

When I got really busy, I would stash the magazines I got from gift subscriptions in tote bags, boxes and shelves until I had a chance to read them. There might be something in there that I needed!

Well, three people and two dogs live in this little house and these old magazines have got to go!

I've decided to take advantage of the technology available to me.

This isn't new to me. For a few years, when I saw something online I liked and wanted to make, I would usually copy and paste and save it to a file on my computer. Or I emailed it to myself.

And I have long thought of this blog as a safe place to keep my favorite recipes. When I can't find the hard copy of something, I search my blog and pray I've recorded it here.

In my latest effort to declutter my house and organize recipes I love and those I'd like to try "someday", I am using . When I see a recipe I would like to try, I pin it. As long as the link doesn't disappear, I can find it again when I'm ready to make it. When the recipe doesn't have a photo -- because that's what you pin -- I have been copying the recipe and pasting it. Unless the recipe comes from a website you can join and save recipes in a virtual box. I am a member of RachaelRayMag.com and TasteOfHome.com -- two sources for many of my favorite recipes. If I see a recipe in any of those magazines, I can go to their sites, look it up and save it there.

How do you store recipes?

Christmas shopping for junk food makers

2011-11-29T21:01:00.011-05:00

I've done quite a bit of online shopping the past 5 days and I noticed several "junky" kitschy kitchen appliances that folks don't need.

What caught my eye about the S'mores maker is the word "old-fashioned". Um, to make s'mores the old-fashioned way you need a stick and a campfire -- I don't see that here.

I assume this next product is popular with people who always want the corner brownie.

Does the manufacturer of the cupcake maker also sell a muffin machine?

I don't know about a muffin maker, but there IS a cake pop maker!

Cake pops are a trendy novelty treat right now. If you're doing it the "hard" way, without a special machine like the one above -- as I've read about it, never having done it -- you bake a cake and crumble it. You mix the crumbs with frosting and roll them in balls. You plunge a lollipop stick into them and freeze them, then you dip them in chocolate and sprinkles or other decorations.

Moving on ...
How many times a year do you make sundaes in waffle cones or bowls to need a special machine to make your own instead of just 1. buying them pre-made or 2. using your regular waffle iron???

Do you really need your waffles to look like circus animals?

Finally, the next products is one that probably someone somewhere needs. It's an attachment for a Kitchen-Aid mixer so it is probably quality. It's a grain mill.

Now, I have never ground my own grain into flour or wanted to. If I was an artisan baker, this might come in handy. As I am just a chowhound, the only time I can think of using this might be in September for the Buckwheat Festival to grind my own buckwheat. But you can buy buckwheat flour so why would I want to? I don't even grow my own buckwheat. Still, this is the most valuable kitchen "gadget" I've seen this holiday season. And I wouldn't return it if I found it under my tree ... . ;)

Happy holiday shopping!

Thanksgiving Morning Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

2011-11-24T10:13:00.004-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

I made my 8-year-old a pumpkin pie smoothie and a Thomas' cranberry bagel this morning before she went to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with her grandmother next door.

PUMPKIN PIE SMOOTHIE

1/2 banana (peeled, frozen, diced)
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
3/4-1 cup vanilla almond milk
Few shakes of pumpkin spice or 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon allspice
Few shakes of cinnamon (optional)
Pinch of cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla
4-5 ice cubes
Sugar to taste -- I added 1 tablespoon.

Combine all in a blender. Serves 2 people.

I can't attribute the recipe because the re-pinner on Pinterest didn't give the original source. However, I added the sugar myself -- it needed something a bit sweeter.

Thinking Thanksgiving: Menu

2011-11-23T16:46:00.006-05:00

I thought I broke the cranberry sauce.

When cooking, I don't usually work from memory or make things up as I go along. And certainly not when there is a holiday meal at stake. I wanted to make the cranberry sauce today and I couldn't find the magazine with the idea I had read. So I risked spoiling the sauce and struck out on my own, using the recipe on the bag of cranberries as a guide.

To the bag of Ocean Spray cranberries, I added 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water, per the directions. But then I wanted to add 2 cups of frozen mixed berries I had. And I felt like the sauce needed orange juice and cinnamon. So in went 1/2 cup OJ and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. I set it to boiling on the stove. It looked like a lot of really runny liquid. I worried for many minutes and tried to calm my fears with the mantra "It'll cook down. It'll cook down."

It cooked down. When I poured it out into a bowl to cool, my husband tasted it and pronounced it good. Whew!

So it is chilling in the fridge, it's flavors melding, for tomorrow when I host my mother for Thanksgiving dinner.

Tonight, before I leave for Thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws', I want to share with you my menu for tomorrow and some accompanying recipes.

Roast Turkey
Traditional Bread Dressing with Herbs
Mashed potatoes (locally grown Yukon Golds and Kennebecs)
Gravy
Sweet potatoes with pecan streusel (my mom's bringing this)
Brussels sprouts with cranberries and bacon
The aforementioned mixed-berry cranberry sauce
Rolls with WV Fruit & Berry pumpkin butter and my Aunt Louie's elderberry jelly
Libby's pumpkin pie
My mom's from-scratch butterscotch pie, which won me a blue ribbon three years ago

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops with Mashed Potatoes

2011-11-22T23:05:00.009-05:00

It was a dark and stormy night -- again! The mid-Atlantic states have seen several days of nonstop rain. This morning, knowing I was going to be gone for most of the day, I put this recipe in the Crock Pot. Everyone came home to a house filled with mouth-watering aroma. I was running late so we made regular mashed potatoes -- not the recipe listed below with roasted garlic and Parmesan. I'll try that next time. There WILL be a next time! Even the 8-year-old said "This one's a keeper!" The pork chops were so tender even she could cut them with her fork. The only negative thing I will say is the "gravy" isn't very thick. But the whole meal was delicious. I added slices of Italian bread with butter and my Aunt Louie's homemade and canned elderberry jelly. Mmmmmm!

RANCH HOUSE CROCK POT PORK CHOPS WITH PARMESAN MASHED POTATOES
6 pork chops, 1/2-inch thick
1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
10-ounce can Cream of Chicken Soup
4 pounds peeled, cubed potatoes
5 Tablespoons real butter
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
6 cloves roasted garlic (directions are below)
1- 1 1/2 cups warm milk
1 Tablespoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, or to taste

Place pork chops, Ranch seasoning and soup into a medium-sized crock pot over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours.

Place potatoes into a large pot of cold water. Place onto stove top over high heat and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, cook for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and transfer to the work bowl of a stand or electric mixer. Mix on low until potatoes are mashed then add butter, Parmesan, garlic, milk, salt and pepper. Season to taste if needed. For thinner mashed potatoes add more milk, slowly until your desired consistency.

Scoop mashed potatoes onto serving plates and top with pork chops and soup gravy from crock pot. I put a little parsley on top to serve.

Roasted Garlic
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place bulb of garlic with skins on, wrap lightly in tin foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove from foil and let cool for 15 minutes. Remove garlic from skins, place in a bowl and mash with a fork until completely mashed. Set aside. One garlic bulb will have around 12 cloves.

I found this recipe at RealMomKitchen.com by way of Pinterest.

Ham and Cheese Sliders

2011-11-21T23:28:00.005-05:00

It was a dark and stormy night, we were returning home from different activities and I needed a quick dinner. These ham and cheese sliders, paired with canned tomato soup, hit the spot. They are so yummy! (Well, my 8-year-old doesn't want the sauce touching HERS next time but her father and I like it!) I think the poppy seeds make them look so elegant they could be heavy hors d'oeuvres at a holiday party. I can see them appearing at a Super Bowl party too.

I found this idea on Pinterest and got the recipe from http://itsallinmyheadstefsblog.blogspot.com.

I made some changes, which I will put in parentheses.

HAM AND CHEESE SLIDERS

24 good white dinner rolls (I used King's Hawaiian Sweet Rolls)
24 pieces good honey ham
24 small slices Swiss cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise AND 1/3 cup Miracle Whip
(Knowing the picky people in my family, I didn't add any dressing. They can add their own if they want.)

Poppy seed sauce (I took the previous blogger's advice and made half this recipe.)

1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 stick butter, melted
1 tablespoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and Miracle Whip. Spread onto both sides of the center of each roll. (I skipped this.)

Place a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss inside of each roll. Close rolls and place them into a large baking dish or heavy cookie sheet. Place very close together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. Let sit 10 minutes or until butter sets slightly. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes. Serve warm.

Sandwiches can be assembled a day ahead and kept in the fridge until ready to bake.

Cinnamon Rolls Cooked in a Waffle Iron

2011-11-20T23:22:00.001-05:00

I saw this on Pinterest. Spray your Belgian waffle iron with cooking spray and let it heat. Place four canned cinnamon rolls on the iron and close the lid, pushing down slightly. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

I worried the rolls would be doughy inside but they weren't.
The only advantage I see to baking the cinnamon rolls this way is that, in summer, you wouldn't heat up your kitchen by turning on the oven.

Though they have a crispy exterior, they taste much the same as oven-baked, which reminded me:

I don't like canned cinnamon rolls.

Thinking Thanksgiving: Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries & Bacon

2011-11-19T23:07:00.004-05:00

Bacon makes everything better.
Seriously, bacon is not the only thing that makes this Brussels sprouts dish palatable. Use the "petite" Brussels sprouts that are sweeter and more tender.
The cranberries are very "Christmas-y" against the green dish and add more sweetness and nutrition.
Lauren Graham of Morgantown brought this as her covered dish today to a scrapbooking crop held at Mountain Mamas Retreats.
This is very good and I will serve it to my family soon -- maybe as a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner side dish.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH CRANBERRIES & BACON
5 slices bacon
1 14-ounce bag Hanover Steam-in-Bag Petite Brussels Sprouts
1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Chop and fry bacon. Steam Brussels sprouts according to package directions. Add to bacon. Add cranberries and broth. Cook until the cranberries plump and the broth evaporates/absorbs.

Occupy Your Local Farmers' Market

2011-11-18T14:05:00.002-05:00

The following post on NPR's food blog The Salt got me thinking that instead of just learning about the farm bill and talking about it (as the story recommends) or going to a pointless mass demonstration, use your dollars to protest against Big Food. Buy as much as you can from neighbors or local producers. See what you can get along without or make from scratch such as processed foods you might have previously purchased.

From Wall Street To Big Food, Occupiers Are Hungry For Change
by Eliza Barclay

Not all the people who have been protesting in New York's Zuccotti Park are trying to Occupy Wall Street. Some are trying to Occupy Big Food, and are ready to march. That includes boycotting that Thanksgiving icon, the Butterball turkey.

So far that group is tiny, with just two women: Kristin Wartman, who's a writer and nutrition educator, and Erika Lade, a graduate student in New York University 's Food Studies Program. But OBF has a blog and a Twitter feed and a goal: "To take our food back and out of the hands of just a few large corporations."

That goal echoes the aim of the Occupy Wall Street protesters, who want to wrest control of the financial sector from large corporations.

The business interests of the meat, dairy, and countless other agricultural industries have shaped our food system, and many activists argue that our health, environment and local economies have suffered from that influence. As a headline in Mother Jones put it last month, "Big Food makes Big Finance look like amateurs." That same article by Tom Philpott listed four reasons why foodies should head to Zuccotti Park.

Read the rest of the story here.

Thinking Thanksgiving: A child's perspective

2011-11-17T21:47:00.000-05:00

My 8-year-old daughter brought home some classwork from school and I just had to share it because it is food-related. I delight in her wit and insight daily.

"If I could make an unappetizing pizza, I would start with the crust. It would have celery inside the crust. Then I would put peas, harvarte, pumpkin, acorn nuts and chopped up apples."
by A, age 8

She likes these ingredients individually (well, maybe not the acorns) and in other dishes but what makes it unappetizing is combining them. Her father hates peas. What other 8-year-old in my area knows about or has had Havarti??? I'm so proud.

Thanksgiving Acrostic Poem by A, age 8

Turkey
Hot potatoes
Apple pie
Nuts
Key lime pie
Sweet cranberry sauce
Giving Thanks
Ice cream
Vegetables
Ice Tea
Nice food
Glad to be me

I'm glad she's her too.

Thinking Thanksgiving: Roasted Vegetable Medley

2011-11-16T21:52:00.007-05:00

Bear with me ... there's a recipe in here.

Thanksgiving is in one week. Since the beginning of the month, some of my friends on Facebook have been posting each day something for which they are thankful. I've thought about doing it but it seemed a little forced or hollow for me. I have always felt this way when I've been asked to tell what I'm thankful for at someone's dinnertable (this is not a tradition at my house) so I usually say 4-wheel drive (I am!) and coffee.

But this week I have had experiences that illuminated things I am thankful for that I take for granted. I am grateful my husband does not raise his hand or his voice in anger toward me. I learned of a family in my community that has to carry buckets of water to bathe and another family that has neither bathroom or kitchen sinks or a kitchen table. My trailer is a castle compared to where others live and I need to stop being ashamed of my circumstances. While I am watching the checkbook balance and working out who is bringing what to dinner to share the cost, there are some people for whom Thanksgiving is going to be just another day with no particularly special meal if they even have food at all.

I was happy to see another blogger who has a heart for those who have little or nothing. Scary Mommy sought $25 donations that she paired up and matched to people who said they needed help. Those folks will get $50 gift cards to buy their Thanksgiving ingredients. Read the comments on the blog and you'll see many of her readers gave more than $25. You'll also see the stories of some of the folks who will be getting the gift cards.

She's not even a food blogger. Really isn't this something food bloggers should embrace? Sometimes we talk about food and our enjoyment of it in ways that show we take it for granted. Last year I served a community Thanksgiving dinner for anyone who would come. This year I just donated groceries to the food pantry (good stuff like Campbell's soup and canned mandarin oranges -- no sauerkraut, beets or other cans of things few people like to eat). I have been in the place where I was looking at what I had left in the cupboard and trying to cabbage together meals out of it to last till payday. But no matter how bad my situation is, someone always has it worse. So to quote a Veggie Tales song, "I can love because God loves me; I can give because God gave."

Now, because you've been patient, gentle readers, I will give you a recipe.

Earlier this week, I made a pork roast in the Crock-Pot, shredded it and added most of it to this homemade sauce and served it on sandwich buns. I saved part of it to add to this pumpkin chili later this week.

For one of the side dishes, I made a roasted vegetable medley (recipe follows). I also served a salad topped with mandarin oranges, dried cherries and chopped pecans.

"This veggie dish is good with any meat, but I especially like it with pork. And because the vegetables can be prepared in advance, I have more time to enjoy my dinner guests," said Shirley Beauregard of Grand Junction, Colorado, who submitted this recipe to Taste of Home.

I got it out of the cookbook magazine they give to attendees of the Taste of Home Cooking School.

Because I am thinking Thanksgiving, I am considering this Roasted Vegetable Medley a holiday side dish. The potatoes in the mix might clash with mashed potatoes (and I wouldn't dare NOT serve mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving -- read about the near-disastrous time I changed up the potatoes one year) so why not swap the Yukon Golds for turnips? We usually save the marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes for Easter and I make either a sweet potato/dried cherry/bleu cheese/curry dressing or cinnamon honey coated sweet potatoes, the recipes for which can be found here.

Even if this roasted vegetable medley doesn't make the cut for Thanksgiving dinner, it's going to become one of my go-to fall side dishes.

ROASTED VEGETABLE MEDLEY
7 Servings
Prep: 25 min. Bake: 30 min.

3 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into small wedges
2 medium sweet red peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 medium red onion, quartered
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, red peppers, squash, sweet potato and onion. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar and seasonings. Pour over vegetables and toss to coat.

Transfer to two greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pans. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 30-40 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Yield: 7 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 152 calories, 6 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 347 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 2 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 fat.

Product Review: The Gourmet Cupboard

2011-11-15T13:25:00.001-05:00

The Gourmet Cupboard is one of those home-party baking-mixes companies, like Tastefully Simple. I hadn't heard of The Gourmet Cupboard until I met one of their reps, Sarah Jones of Eglon, WV -- the only one I know and one of eight in my state.

I've tried some of The Gourmet Cupboard's products and I will probably order some more. Do you need a mix to make these things? In many cases, no. Is it easier? Sometimes. Is it cheaper? It can be -- especially if nuts are included. These are time-saving and mostly reasonably priced -- most mixes are about $4 or $5 each. One, probably the most expensive, is $7.50. A pound of their flavored whole-bean coffee is $15.50; ground is $17.50. Way too steep for me.

Of all the things I've tried, the Chocolate-covered Cherry Hot Cocoa for $4 (makes 8 cups) is about the only thing I don't like. My opinion is that this is cherry Kool-Aid mixed with hot cocoa mix. It's rather fake-tasting and unnaturally red. I would not get it again.

I purchased the Apple Baklava for $7.50 and I can still taste it. It was that good. The mix is ground apples and nuts and sugar and spices. It's worth the price BUT this is a very rich dessert -- in calories and expense -- once you add the fillo dough, honey and ONE POUND of butter. I thought the directions were confusing but my dessert turned out fine. I have made baklava before so I figured it out. However, I think it's possible to use maybe a stick less butter and still have it turn out delicious. -- I can't believe I just recommended using less butter! I would probably get this again, even though I know how to make baklava and choc-lava from scratch without a hassle.

At a party, I have tried the Tomato Basil Dip and it was very good. I think the website says you mix half a package with 1 cup of sour cream. A package costs $3.75 and I think all the savory dips are well worth that price. Update: The savory Cucumber Dip was a hit as a Thanksgiving appetizer.

I tasted the Dreamsicle Pie ($4) and it really does taste like the old-fashioned orange Popsicle with ice-cream in the middle. It requires 2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, 8 ounces of Cool Whip, and a pre-made graham cracker crust. For creamier, richer pie, add sweetened condensed milk.

I tasted the Pecan Pie Muffins because Sarah graciously saved me a taste at another event. I can see why these go fast. They are yummy. I looked up a pecan pie muffin recipe and it's not that difficult. But for the price of pecans alone at the grocery store, this mix might be worth $4.75 to make 9 regular-sized muffins. You add eggs and oil.

I poked around on the Gourmet Cupboard website and I found some novel things.

Funnel Cake Mix ($3.75) makes 6 cakes when you add 1 egg, milk, and a funnel. Yields 6 regular sized cakes.

I have always wanted to make beignets since I saw "The Princess & The Frog." I might try this mix ($4.25), although I do have a recipe for beignets. It's not the ingredients, but the technique that worries me about making beignets and Pecan Pralines, which the Gourmet Cupboard also has mix for ($6.50 -- you add whipping cream and vanilla.) Obviously the sugar and pecans merit the price. But in the case of the beignets, which requires you to add an egg, evaporated milk, shortening, and oil for frying plus powdered sugar and/or cinnamon for sprinkling, what are you getting for $4.50 -- flour and sugar? Maybe yeast?

They also sell a mix for Mardi Gras King Cake. Its description is not my understanding of what a King Cake is. You add frozen rolls, butter, and milk so it sounds like a take on Monkey Bread to me. I'm trying to figure out what exactly you get for $4.75 besides sugar or pudding mix and the small plastic baby that you will hide in the cake after baking and the icing mix packet. I would not get this.

If you want to make your own Kung Pao Chicken, there's a mix for that. It costs $4.50. You add chicken, rice vinegar, and olive oil. I read customers' comments and saw that some people serve it with mashed potatoes. *Shakes head in shock and awe*

From the website I also learned how the company started. Mother and daughter Judy Baker and Melissa Holmes started The Gourmet Cupboard in 2001 by making homemade mixes to give as gifts. When they saw how popular they were at craft fairs, they started making them to sell in a special kitchen Melissa's husband built beside their house. Now they are lodged in a bigger facility. The success of the company has enabled Melissa to stay home with her children. Melissa says some of their original mixes such as Heavenly Chocolate Pie, a recipe from my great-grandmother, and Mexican Meatloaf, are based on recipes that have been in the family for years.

If you're a serious cook, you might say "why bother", but if these fill a need for saving time in your life, they may be worth it. I had fun trying these at the party and I like Sarah so I will find something to order again.

Meatless Monday: Black Bean Burgers

2011-11-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

The Blue Moose Cafe is a coffeeshop in Morgantown. When I was food editor at the local newspaper, we did a series of restaurant features. Each eatery had to give us a recipe. That's how I got this savory, healthy little wonder. My meat-and-potatoes husband doesn't mind that this burger isn't beef and even my 8-year-old likes it.

BLUE MOOSE CAFE BLACK BEAN BURGERS

1 15-ounce can black beans (drained, rinsed, and mashed)
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
1/2 cup corn (whole kernel)
1 cup cooked rice
1/4 to 1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
hot sauce, salt, and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons olive oil

Spray a skillet with cooking spray. Saute corn, roasted red peppers, and all spices in the cooking spray. Add cooked rice and mix thoroughly. Add hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Remove from heat and let cool. Add black beans and bread crumbs and form into patties. Brown patties in oil. Melt slices of white cheddar on top. Serve on buns with lettuce, tomato and southwest/chipotle mayo.

Gnocchi

2011-11-13T13:00:00.012-05:00

Having Italian heritage I'm proud that I can make sauce and gnocchi from scratch, but I learned it on my own from cookbooks, not from family. Gnocchi is an Italian potato dumpling. If you have made noodles, this is very similar. My daughter prefers these sprinkled with just grated parmesan cheese and she could eat almost a whole box of the storebought kind by herself. It's handy that I know this recipe.

Mixing the dough is not hard but the slightly time-consuming part is forming the gnocchi into rounded shapes and marking them with the tines of a fork by pressing them against the fork with their cut ends out.

I work ahead by cooking extra potatoes and mashing them without butter or milk or seasoning when I make mashed potatoes for one dinner. Then I have them for the next day when I start to make gnocchi. To cook them, you drop them in boiling water. They are done when they float to the top.

POTATO GNOCCHI

4 cups mashed potatoes (without added milk and butter)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
4 teaspoons olive oil
3 quarts water

In a large bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, flour and salt. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, yolk and olive oil; add to potato mixture. Turn onto a heavily floured surface; knead for 3-5 minutes or until smooth. Divide into fourths. On a floured surface, roll each portion into 3/4-in.-thick ropes; cut into 1-inch pieces.
In a Dutch oven, bring water to a boil. Cook gnocchi in batches for 45-60 seconds or until they rise to the surface. Remove with a strainer. Serve spaghetti sauce over gnocchi; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 3/4 cup gnocchi with 1/3 cup sauce equals 283 calories, 5 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 82 mg cholesterol, 934 mg sodium, 47 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 9 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 fat.

Originally published as Potato Gnocchi in Light & Tasty April/May 2006, p49

MINI CHICKEN SAUSAGE MEATBALLS WITH GNOCCHI AND TOMATO SAUCE
by Rachael Ray "365 No Repeats"

Salt
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
1 tablespoon grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
1 teaspoon, 1/3 palm full, fennel seeds
1/4 cup tender sun-dried tomatoes (available in pouches or tubs in produce section)
1 cup, 20 leaves fresh basil, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus some to drizzle
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, eyeball it in your palm
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
Pepper
1 pound gnocchi, potato dumplings, homemade or from pasta or refrigerated or frozen foods aisles of supermarket
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano, 1/2 cup – a couple of handfuls, plus some to pass at table
Crusty bread, to pass at table

Bring a pot of water to a boil for gnocchi. Salt boiling water but wait a while to drop in gnocchi.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place chicken in a medium bowl with grill seasoning and fennel seeds. Pile sun-dried tomatoes on top of each other in small stacks then slice into thin strips. Coarsely chop the thin strips and add to bowl. Stack the basil leaves together then roll them up into a log. Shred the basil by thinly slicing the log. Add the half the basil to the bowl. Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the bowl. Mix chicken together, roll into mini balls, 1 1/2 inches across, and arrange on a nonstick cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 to12 minutes or until firm and lightly golden.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. To the hot skillet, add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan then the garlic, onions and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook until tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and season sauce with salt and pepper.

Drop gnocchi in boiling water and cook 5 minutes or to package directions.

Stir basil into sauce to wilt it. Drain gnocchi and arrange on a platter. Remove balls from oven and add to gnocchi, equally distributing them. Sprinkle cheese over meatballs and hot dumplings then top with sauce by carefully ladling it all over and around the platter. Gently toss to combine then serve with crusty bread.

Nutrition Facts: 2/3 cup equals 232 calories, 7 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 68 mg cholesterol, 373 mg sodium, 36 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 6 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1-1/2 fat.

SAGE-BUTTER SAUCE

2 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced

Cook butter over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add garlic and sage; cook for 1-2 minutes or until butter and garlic are golden brown. Add gnocchi; stir gently to coat. Yield: 4 servings. Source: Taste of Home

Product Review: Philadelphia Original Cooking Creme

2011-11-12T15:44:00.002-05:00

Before you say "Geez, Cynthia, couldn't you take a more appetizing photo?" let me tell you this picture is worth a thousand words and all of them are "Blech!"

I tried the new Philadelphia Original Cooking Creme and it is disgusting.

This is the Lemon-Broccoli Rice with Chicken. Just looking at the photo now a few months after I tried it makes me feel queasy and like there's a brick in my stomach. The way-too-cheesy sauce makes this heavy and so rich you can stand only a few bites. Do not buy this.

You could make a lighter, more appetizing and more healthful sauce with a couple of tablespoons of butter, a couple of tablespoons of flour and some fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth.

I also bought the Tomato & Basil Cooking Creme and made the Easy Skillet Lasagna with it. (Sorry, no photos.) It was almost as icky. These are new convenience products that I won't waste my money or my calories on. These recipes sure make a lot of food though -- way more than we cared to eat.

But if you can't take my word for it, here are the recipes to try yourself. Just remember ... I warned you it's gross.

EASY SKILLET LASAGNA
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup each chopped green and red peppers
1 24-ounce jar spaghetti sauce
2 1/2 cups water
12 lasagna noodles, broken
1 10-ounce tub PHILADELPHIA Tomato & Basil Cooking Creme

Brown meat with peppers in deep large nonstick skillet; drain.
Stir in sauce and water. Bring to boil. Stir in noodles; cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 18 to 20 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally.
Add cooking creme; swirl with spoon. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, 3 minutes.

LEMON-BROCCOLI RICE WITH CHICKEN
1 tablespoon oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1o-ounce tub PHILADELPHIA Original Cooking Creme
2 cups frozen broccoli florets, thawed
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 cups hot cooked rice

Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken, garlic and pepper; cook 5 to 6 minutes or until chicken is done, stirring frequently.
Add cooking creme and broccoli; cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in lemon zest.
Serve over rice.

German Apple Cake

2011-11-11T21:12:00.002-05:00

It's the weekend! Bake something!

I got this recipe from my Aunt Lois. I didn't write down a frosting recipe with it so perhaps there is none. If you have to have frosting, find a cream cheese one. But I like this cake unadorned except for a crunchy top. Plus, with 2 cups of sugar, it's sweet enough to not need frosting.

GERMAN APPLE CAKE
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups chopped apples
1 cup nuts -- pecans or walnuts are equally good
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly mist a baking pan with cooking spray or brush with shortening.
Mix all dry ingredients together. Add the oil, eggs and vanilla and stir. Mix in the apples, nuts and raisins. Batter will be thick!
Spread into prepared pan.
Bake for 1 hour.

Farewell, My Hero (Burger)

2011-11-11T16:27:00.005-05:00

One of my guilty pleasures -- the Hero Burger -- is gone from the market.

A Hero Burger is two hamburger patties on a six-inch hero sandwich bun, topped with grilled salami and ham, cheese, mayo, lettuce and tomato and grilled onions if you wish.

Late this summer I noticed that the Dairy Mart in my town became a Mountaineer Mart. Throughout the fall more Dairy Marts and All Star Expresses in my area became Circle K convenience stores. The Hero Hut sandwich stations in them closed. Finally this week I noticed that the standalone Hero Hut restaurant in Sabraton has also shuttered. Chico Enterprises sold 26 stores to Circle K and at least one to Mountaineer Mart. From now on, I will only get Hero Hut's signature sandwich, my guilty pleasure -- a Hero Burger -- if I make it myself and then it doesn't taste quite the same.

Hero Huts have been around since my childhood, if not before. I'm sad to see them go.

What's For Dinner: Honey Lime Chicken

2011-11-10T21:04:00.001-05:00

When I worked for a newspaper, the employees compiled their favorite recipes into a cookbook that they sold to raise money for the United Way. This recipe was on the same page as two that I contributed. It is flavorful, fast, can be light and elegant enough to serve for a special meal. I serve it with rice and stir-fried mixed vegetables.

HONEY LIME CHICKEN
1 20-ounce can pineapple slices
2 whole chicken breasts, split (I get boneless)
garlic salt (I use garlic powder)
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Drain pineapple, reserving 2 tablespoons of juice. Sprinkle chicken with garlic salt/powder. Broil until cooked. (I sometimes use my grill pan.) Combine pineapple juice, honey, lime juice, soy sauce and cornstarch in saucepan. Cook, stirring until thickened. Add pineapple to sauce. Heat through. Spoon over chicken.

Source: Cooking for a Cause, contributed by Marian Fisher

What's For Dinner: Maple Pork Chops with Lime Carrots

2011-11-09T22:00:00.000-05:00

Here is a yummy, easy and not-very-expensive (when you find pork chops on sale) from-scratch dinner. I've made this recipe regularly since I found it in the January-February 2010 issue of Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious magazine. Apple dumplings would be a good dessert. Consider corn muffins for your bread.

On this particular night, I served the Maple Pork Chops with steamed broccoli, but a really good side is lime carrots (recipe follows).

MAPLE PORK CHOPS
4 boneless pork loin chops (6 ounces each)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
3 tablespoons butter

Sauce:
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl, beat egg and ginger. Place bread crumbs in another shallow bowl. Dip chops in egg mixture, then coat with crumbs.

In a large skillet, cook pork in butter over medium heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. Remove and keep warm.

Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Serve with chops.

Yield: 4 servings.
Source: Simple & Delicious Test Kitchen

LIME CARROTS
1 pound fresh baby carrots
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lime peel
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dill weed

Place carrots and water in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high for 4-6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and keep warm.

Place brown sugar and butter in another microwave-safe bowl; cover and cook on high for 30-45 seconds or until sugar is dissolved. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Pour over carrots; toss to coat.

Yield: 4 servings.
Source: Simple & Delicious contributor Steve Foy of Kirkwood, Mo.

"Squashed" is a colossally good book

2011-11-08T22:41:00.000-05:00

And now for something different ... .

If you like food -- and why else would you be reading a food -- I wager you like to find out where your food comes from. You read or you watch the Food network.

Here is a book you HAVE to read. Now, don't let the fact that it's Young Adult fiction put you off. I don't usually read that genre either. But I was drawn to the giant pumpkin on this book's cover in Frostburg's Main Street Books and once I read just a few paragraphs of the story, I was hooked!

This book is delicious. The writing is so good I tasted only a little bit at a time even though I wanted to scarf it down in one sitting. I didn't want it to be gone -- I was trying to make it last.

The writing is so bright I can't say enough about it! The humor is dry. And the story is one I've never explored. Ellie is on a quest to grow the biggest pumpkin in Iowa. A lot about this story will resonate with growers and farmers and anyone who has ever entered anything in an agricultural or county fair.

This is easily G or PG. I will let my daughter read it though she is half the heroine's age. There are some boy-girl issues in the subplots but they are handled very tastefully. I'm more concerned about the sad descriptions of the main character, Ellie, grieving for her mother, which had me sobbing uncontrollably at times.

But the witty and laugh-out-loud funny parts make up for the tears. The author, Joan Bauer, really gets inside the head of someone who grows vegetables competitively -- exploring and exposing her fears and her feelings toward her prized produce.

"Squashed" is thoroughly enjoyable. I hope you read it and come back and comment your impressions.

Homemade mixes save money, calories

2011-11-07T22:24:00.004-05:00

Today I share more recipes from my pal, Karen Bright, Nutrition Outreach Instructor for WVU Extension Service in Preston County.

If you want to save money and cut preservatives out of your food, try these from-scratch mixes. I have used the homemade Bisquick for biscuits and pancakes and it works just like the store-bought mix. I have also used the cream-of-whatever soup mix in casserole recipes.

BAKING MIX
Use this homemade mix in any recipe calling for Bisquick or other commercial baking mixes.
8 cups flour
1 1/4 cups nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 cup baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups shortening or 1 cup canola oil

Combine flour, milk, baking powder and salt in a very large bowl.

Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse corn meal. Store in tightly covered container in the refrigerator.

CREAM-OF-WHATEVER SOUP MIX

2 cups powdered nonfat milk
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup instant chicken boullion (can also use powdered vegetable stock if you can find it)
2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Mix all ingredients together.

To substitute for one can of condensed soup:
Combine 1/3 cup of dry mix with 1 1/4 cups cold water in a saucepan. Cook and stir until thickened. Add to casseroles as you would the canned product.

Makes the equivalent of 9 cans of soup.

Source: "The New American Diet", (c) 1986.

Extension Service offers free cooking classes

2011-11-06T21:10:00.009-05:00

Even good cooks can still learn something. I'm getting a little bored in the kitchen and I need to find some new favorite recipes to add to my repertoire. So on Tuesday I'm going to attend FREE cooking classes from 10:30-noon at the WVU Extension Service Preston County office behind the courthouse in Kingwood. That is if the instructor will have me -- The introductory class started last week. You can join me. I'm going to call ahead to make sure she has room for me and you should too. The number is (304) 329-1391.

I've taken Karen's classes before. She is the Nutrition Outreach Instructor in the Family Nutrition Program. Her lessons are hands-on, money-saving and healthy. She amasses ingredients, assigns recipes and the students spend the class time preparing them. At the end, everybody eats. And they take home copies of the recipes and sometimes prizes.

In past classes, I have cooked something featuring ingredients from every state. But this series of classes takes students around the world. Caribbean is on Tuesday's menu. Following classes will feature Mediterranean, Oriental, Italian and English foods.

Here are three recipes Karen has given me in the past. The first two I learned in her class. The last is her mom's recipe.

I promise this one is good. And it has absolutely no fat.

CALIFORNIA GUILT-FREE GUACAMOLE
24 asparagus spears or 1 10-ounce can asparagus, drained
1/2 cup salsa
1 tablespoon cilantro leaves (fresh)
2 garlic cloves
4 green onions, thinly sliced

In a blender or food processor or food mill, puree the above ingredients except the green onions. Add the green onions and pulse several times until chunky-smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl. Refrigerate, covered, until chilled, at least 1 hour.

Serve as a dip with baked corn chips or raw vegetable sticks.

22 calories, 0 grams fat, 0 grams saturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 96 milligrams sodium, 4 grams total carbohydrates, 1 gram dietary fiber, 2 grams protein, 18 milligrams calcium.

CHICKEN BISCUIT STEW

1 cup julienned carrots
1 cup thinly sliced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons white wine or chicken broth
1 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1/4 teaspoon EACH curry powder, salt, pepper, ground cumin and ginger

BISCUITS

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 teaspoons cold butter or stick margarine
1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

In a large nonstick skillet, saute the carrots, onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add chicken; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Combine the flour, water and wine or broth until smooth; add to the skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in yogurt, peas and seasonings. Transfer to a shallow 1 1/2-quart baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray; keep warm.

For biscuits, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in yogurt and parsley. Drop eight mounds over warm chicken mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and stew bubbles around the edges.

4 servings.
Nutrition info: 1 cup stew with two biscuits equals 413 calories, 9 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 68 mg cholesterol, 895 mg sodium, 47 grams carbs, 5 grams fiber, 37 grams protein.

Disclaimer: This last recipe doesn't get the Eat Right With Karen Bright endorsement for healthy cooking, but it tastes so good you can have it once in a while.

TEXAS BBQ CHICKEN aka WILLIE LEE BROWN'S BBQ CHICKEN

2 pounds chicken breast, meat only, raw
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 cup margarine or butter

Dip chicken pieces in mixture of flour, salt, pepper and paprika. You can put everything in a Ziploc bag and shake.

Melt butter in a shallow baking pan in a hot oven (400 degrees). Remove baking pan from oven. As pieces of floured chicken are placed in pan, turn on both sides to coat with butter, then bake, skin side down, in a single layer. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes. Turn chicken. Bake another 30 minutes or until tender.

If chicken cannot be served at once, reduce oven heat and brush chicken with more melted butter. Or put it in a slow cooker on low.

TEXAS BBQ CHICKEN SAUCE

1/2 cup onions
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes. Add to chicken after it has been baked for 30 minutes. Sauce can be doubled or tripled for more flavor.

Meat-and-potatoes: Elsa's Cider Beef with Cheddar Smashed Potatoes

2011-11-05T23:32:00.005-04:00

This is a perfect fall recipe using fall flavors. I made it as soon as I brought home my 50 pounds of Kennebec potatoes and 50 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes from the family farm of my childhood friend, Debbie (Davis) Crawford. I wrote about the Davis sisters at the Davis Bros. Farm last year and reprinted the story here.
The cider makes the beef incredibly flavorful. I'm sharing this so you can savor it too. I also like how the stew is served in a bowl of mashed potatoes. This is food for meat-and-potatoes men, but the cider and white-cheddar potatoes give it a gourmet flair. My business partner told me her husband would love it. I have to plan to have them over for dinner.

ELSA'S CIDER BEEF WITH CHEDDAR SMASHED POTATOES

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
3 tablespoons butter
2 pounds top sirloin, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 pound turnips, peeled and chopped
6 tablespoons flour
2 cups good quality apple cider (the dark cloudy ones always taste the best)
1/2 cup beef consommé
3 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and chopped (Use locally grown Yukon Golds or Kennebecs if you can get them.)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese (super-aged and super-sharp!)
3 tablespoons chopped or snipped chives

Pre-heat oven to 375°F.

Place a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add EVOO and butter. Season the beef with salt and pepper and add to pot. Brown on all sides, about 6-8 minutes.

Add onions, carrots and turnips, and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add flour, stir to combine and coat.

Add the apple cider and the beef consommé, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, cover and place in the oven for 1-1 1/2 hours.

Once the beef is about 3/4 of the way cooked (about 40-45 minutes after putting it in the oven), place potatoes in a large saucepot, cover with water by at least 1-2 inches and place over high heat. Once the water comes to a boil, add some salt and cook potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes.

Once the potatoes are tender, drain and return to the pot. Add the milk, sour cream, and the cheese. Smash with a potato masher to desired consistency. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and add the chives. Cover and reserve until you are ready to serve.

When the beef is done, remove from the oven. To serve, place a spoonful of potatoes in a wide serving bowl. Make a well in the middle of the potatoes and spoon the beef into the center.

Source: "Just In Time!: All-new 30-minute meals, plus super-fast 15-minute meals and slow-it down 60-minute meals" by Rachael Ray

Beef Quesadilla Casserole

2011-11-04T23:50:00.005-04:00

This recipe comes together quickly and is hearty and tasty -- three of my favorite things. You could make it meatless or swap out the beef for ground venison or ground turkey.

The recipe is from spice company McCormick. I found it in their Recipe Inspirations line -- pre-measured spices in a pack with the recipe on the back. You do not have to have the Recipe Inspirations product to make this recipe. I have included the measurements for you below. From that line, I would like to try their version of the Indian dish, Chicken Tikka Masala.

BEEF QUESADILLA CASSEROLE

Makes 8 servings.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (8 3/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, undrained
1 can (4 1/2 ounces) chopped green chiles, undrained
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional -- to your taste)
6 flour tortillas (8-inch)
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F. Brown beef and onion in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Add tomato sauce, beans, corn and green chiles; mix well. Stir in all of the Spices except Red Pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes. Add Red Pepper to taste, if desired.

Spread 1/2 cup of the beef mixture on bottom of 13x9x2-inch baking dish sprayed with no stick cooking spray. Top with 3 of the tortillas, overlapping as needed. Layer with 1/2 of the remaining beef mixture and 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat with remaining tortillas, beef mixture and cheese.

Bake 15 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

per serving
Calories: 391; Fat: 19 g; Carbohydrates: 31 g; Cholesterol: 63 mg; Sodium: 950 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Protein: 24 g

Black Bean 'n' Pumpkin Chili

2011-11-03T22:08:00.005-04:00

This chili is as nutritious as it is delicious. We had it on a cold day and it hit the spot -- very filling. I had leftover roast pork so I cubed it and stirred it in instead of the turkey. The pork, black beans and cumin gave it a Cuban feel. And I served it on cubes of cooked Yukon Gold potatoes from Davis Bros. Farm in Masontown, WV. I didn't have to use the potatoes but I wanted to. The 8-year-old ate it with no complaints. I liked it because it's made in a Crock-Pot for those busy days.

BLACK BEAN 'N' PUMPKIN CHILI
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium sweet yellow pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups chicken broth
2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey
1 15-ounce can solid-pack pumpkin
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large skillet, saute the onion and yellow pepper in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
Transfer to a 5-quart slow cooker. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until heated through.

Yields 10 servings.

Nutrition facts: 1 cup equals 192 calories, 5 grams fat (1 gram saturated fat) 28 milligrams cholesterol, 658 milligrams sodium, 21 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams fiber.

Taste of Home, 2011

EZ DOH

2011-11-02T22:06:00.006-04:00

I can't call this a product review because I've never used this product BUT I HAVE tasted the bread it makes and I pronounce it yummy.

I recently attended the Taste of Home Cooking School in Morgantown to advertise my new business, Mountain Mamas Retreats, Weekend Getaways for Crafty Ladies. Our booth was beside the EZ DOH booth.

The EZ DOH is a plastic bucket with a hand-cranked dough hook (called a kneading piece) on it. It's a manual bread maker fashioned after an antique bread bucket that EZ DOH's founders, husband and wife Ginny and Dave, bought at a garage sale. Ginny told me she was a chef or caterer and made bread in the big bucket but longed for something smaller to make only 1-2 loaves and also to give her friends who asked her to teach them how to make bread. Ginny said her EZ DOH invention is ideal if you want a little help mixing and kneading bread and you either don't have or don't want an electric bread machine.

Find out more about the EZ DOH and even watch videos of Ginny using it on her Facebook page and at the product web site www.EZDOH.com. Like I said, I didn't try to use it but Ginny did give me her leftover samples of cranberry bread and shaped dinner rolls and they were pretty good. She also sells bread mixes to use in the bucket and made-in-the-USA bakeware and accessories. The bread blade she sells is made in France. The bucket and two mixes retail for about $40.

And if it's important to you that your purchases support a greater good, this one will. EZ DOH donates a percentage of every sale to Please Pass the Bread, a world-wide feeding ministry of the World Challenge organization, that has established 60 feeding sites in 8 countries, serving meals to more than 6,000 impoverished children. The EZ DOH bucket is printed with a Bible verse: John 6:35 – “And Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’" Ginny and Dave say on their Web site, "It’s a truth that fuels our lives and motivates our business."

Check it out -- and remember you heard about the EZ DOH bread bucket from Good Press first!

Pumpkin Pie Dip -- Hot or Cold

2011-11-01T22:57:00.000-04:00

Here are two ways to get pumpkin pie flavor without making a pie.
The "hot" recipe isn't really a dip -- it's Crustless Pumpkin Pie.
I broke a cardinal rule by making this recipe for the first time when I was serving it to a group. It was just "OK" not fabulous and it took longer to cook than the recipe said so I had guests waiting for dessert. The leavening in the Bisquick made it cake-y and puffed. I would omit it next time -- I don't see where it's really needed; you're essentially baking pumpkin pie filling in a crock-pot. And it did not make the house smell like baking pumpkin pie all day while it cooked. We barely smelled it. But, because I promised my friend Jeannie I would post it on the blog for her, here it is. May your experience with this recipe be better than mine.

1 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup Bisquick-type mix
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon ginger
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Use a 4-quart crockpot. If you only have a big one, you can use it, but be aware that the batter will be spread out more and will cook much quicker. If you insert an oven-safe dish into the crock, it will work, but the batter will be quite thick and will take a VERY long time. Plan accordingly.

Spray cooking spray into your crockpot.

Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients, and whisk until fully blended. No need to use a hand or stand mixer, just some elbow-grease.

Pour the batter into the prepared crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for about 6. Check your "pie" after 2 hours on high, and 3 hours on low, then check every 30 minutes.

When fully cooked, the pie will look just like a finished pumpkin pie. The batter will have browned and will crack in a few places. The center will have set enough for you to touch it without getting batter on your finger.

Let sit in the crockpot until room temperature, then spoon into serving dishes and top with whipped cream.

I much prefer the taste of this cold pumpkin pie dip, a Taste of Home recipe. Besides gingersnaps, I think it would taste good on vanilla wafers and graham crackers.

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Gingersnap cookies

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Beat in the pumpkin, sour cream, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and ginger until blended. Serve with gingersnaps. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 4 cups.

If you don't have pumpkin pie spice -- I didn't -- you can make a substitute by combining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon allspice. It equals the 1 teaspoon you need for the recipe.

Enjoy!

2011-09-19T10:12:00.002-04:00

Wendy's is changing its burgers, the Associated Press reports.
I think the brand's quality has gone down since Dave Thomas died. They need to focus on better customer service because I find it almost impossible to get good service at a Wendy's. And they should look at their prices. The combos have gone up at least $2 in the past three years. And the value menu isn't a "dollar menu" anymore really. Ew, and this is the yuckiest thing: The other day I got a Monterey chicken sandwich from the value menu, surprised to see a chicken sandwich on there, and it was a processed chicken patty like you'd get in a school cafeteria. Yeah, I don't think changing their burger is where they need to focus their energy.

Just Peachy -- Ways to preserve summer

2011-08-01T13:09:00.011-04:00

My husband is in Romney, W.Va., for work today and he's going to buy some peaches and, I hope, Incredible sweet corn from Spring Valley Farm & Orchard on U.S. 50. We will eat some of the peaches fresh and I'll freeze the rest to enjoy all winter.

Last year we froze some and I canned some and I much prefer the quality of frozen. The canned-in-jars peaches tasted fine but they turned unappetizingly brown during processing. I won't do that again.

Here the peaches looked beautiful before processing.

But the freezing method worked best for me. Here's how to do it:

Blanch peaches in boiling water. Place in ice water and slip off the skins.

Cut each peach in half and remove pit. Pack in freezer bags leaving about an inch of headspace. Pour a light simple syrup over the peaches. Press out air and seal the bag. I have a Reynolds Handi-Vac handheld food vacuum sealer, which I used to remove even more air. You have to have special freezer bags for this.

LIGHT SIMPLE SYRUP FOR PACKING PEACHES FOR FREEZING
2 cups sugar
6 cups water
1 teaspoon ascorbic acid, brand-name Fruit Fresh

Heat the water and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Cool. Stir in ascorbic acid (prevents the fruit from darkening). Spoon over peaches packed in freezer bags. Consider using a half cup of syrup for each pint container.

For the corn, I shucked and blanched the ears. I cut the kernels off the cobs by standing them in the center hole of a bundt or tube pan. The pan catches the kernels as you slice them. The kernels get packed as-is in bags, which are sealed and the air removed.

Preston County Farm Finds New Uses for Family Land

2011-06-17T05:00:00.000-04:00

I wrote this story in the fall of 2010, but I want to save it here.

The Davis Brothers farm has morphed from being a dairy operation to agritourism in three generations.

By CYNTHIA McCLOUD
For The State Journal

MASONTOWN — Someday the Davis sisters will be running Davis Brothers Farm.

The Davis sisters — Julie Davis Mallow and Debbie Davis — are the daughters of Jim Davis, who still works the farm with his brother, Bill. Julie’s husband Jay Mallow and Debbie’s fiancé Rob Crawford help, as do workers Robert Gamble and Mark Smith.

The Davis sisters are the third generation to work their family’s land in Preston County. While they are tied to the land, they are not set in their ways. They have had to adapt and innovate to keep the farm operating.

Their latest venture is into agritourism.

Read more ...
http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=86146

Ramping Up: G-N Ramp Farm Is the Only One of Its Kind in U.S.

2011-06-16T05:00:00.000-04:00

I have written about this dear and enterprising man before. Here's the latest version.

By CYNTHIA McCLOUD
For The State Journal

Glen Facemire Jr. is a ramp man like his dad.

The elder Facemire dug the ramps that supplied the annual ramp feed in Richwood. That was many years ago when the event attracted far fewer than the 1,000-plus attendees it draws now. It requires about a ton of ramps — Allium Tricoccum, a member of the onion and garlic family — more than just one person could dig.

He raised his children on ramps.

“We would go back in the mountains,” Facemire Jr. remembered. “We would fish, and we would dig ramps. We would take a bunch of half-gallon and quart jars and a big tub. We would build a fire, and my mother would sterilize the jars and wilt the ramps. She’d put about a spoonful of salt to a half-gallon jar, and she would lightly tighten the lids and put the jars onto boil for 1 1/2 hours. When they were finished, they were ready to come home and put them in the cellar.”

(He wouldn’t advise home-canning ramps now for fear of botulism.)

“It wasn’t ‘Oh boy! We’ve got a delicacy here,’ ” he said. “It was just food, something to eat, one of the first foods to come up in the spring. It was good food and good for you.”

Read more ...

The farm’s website, www.rampfarm.com, sells mature ramps for eating and seed and ramp bulbs for planting.

Jake Harriman’s Nuru International Seeks to End Extreme Poverty

2011-06-15T17:00:00.000-04:00

Not exactly about local food either, but a local man is doing something to feed the world. I had the privilege of writing about him.

By CYNTHIA McCLOUD
For The State Journal

Jake Harriman turned in his sword for a plowshare.

The 36-year-old Preston County native and former Marine saw that he could fight terrorism more effectively if he battled one of its chief causes: Extreme poverty.

While fighting in Iraq, he saw terrorists exploit poor people to do their bidding.

He left the service, where he was a decorated U.S. Marine Corps Recon Platoon Commander in the Iraq War, and enrolled at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business in 2008 with a goal to build an organization that would address terrorism by ending extreme poverty. Armed with an MBA in nonprofit management and backed by classmates, professors and Silicon Valley investors, he co-founded the nonprofit Nuru International. He serves as its CEO, spending much of his time working the program in Kenya.

Read more ...

Interest in Digging Ginsing Changes With Economy

2011-06-14T05:00:00.000-04:00

No you can't eat it but it is a part of our Appalachian culture, and you can buy the juice from its berries.

Ginseng roots and flowers grow naturally in West Virginia. The number of people who dig wild roots to sell fluctuates based on a number of things — weather, a bad market and high employment.

By CYNTHIA McCLOUD
For The State Journal

When Janet Hodge was a kid she couldn’t wait to get the list of which wild roots dealers were buying and how much they were paying.

Today, although Hodge has taught her children to recognize ginseng, black cohosh, bloodroot, goldenseal and more growing in the woods, they’re not interested in harvesting it — no matter how valuable it is.

“They know they can go out and dig X amount of pounds for X amount of dollars but they don’t want to,” Hodge said. “They know what these things look like. They know how to dig. But they’re not going to do it. There’s a lot of work involved. They’ll mow somebody’s yard before they go dig roots.”

Many of their peers don’t even recognize the perennial natural resources, she said.

“Those of us who dig and use it to supplement our income, we’re kind of like the last of a dying breed,” said Hodge, president of the West Virginia Trappers Association in Glenville, which hosts auctions of roots and furs every January and March.

Read more ...

Saving to the Extreme: West Virginians Embrace Couponing

2011-06-13T05:00:00.000-04:00

Using coupons is not a new concept, but there are some modern ways to make sure you get the best deals. I'm still learning how to do this.

By CYNTHIA McCLOUD
For The State Journal

MORGANTOWN — Shalane Koon sticks to a $40 a week grocery budget and for six months last year lived off a stockpile of products she bought with coupons.

Stormy Matlick paid $1 for six body washes that will last her husband and son three months.

Koon and Matlick, both of Morgantown, will tell you their money-saving reality differs greatly from what you might see on TLC’s show, “Extreme Couponing.”

The cable program and the rising cost of goods are spurring consumers to use more coupons.

ABC News reported that coupon use has increased 30 percent since 2008, when the country plunged into an economic crisis. In 2010, shoppers saved $3.7 billion using coupons.

“My husband and I DVR ‘Extreme Couponing’ on TLC every week,” Koon said. “I love to see what people get for next to nothing. Pennies on the dollar, really. I can’t imagine purchasing that much at once. If I did, I’d have to donate most of it. I have a small stockpile of toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, canned goods, pastas, cereal, shampoo, toothpaste, razors and body wash. Some of the people on that show look like they have a mini mart in their basement. I’m nowhere that extreme, but I do have a stockpile. It has helped us tremendously. We lived off of our stockpile from May 2010 to December 2010. I’m working on building it back up again.”

Read more ...

Product Review: Hershey's Air Delight Aerated Milk Chocolate

2011-06-12T17:00:00.000-04:00

Photo by Cynthia McCloud

The new Hershey's Air Delights aerated milk chocolate bar is honey-combed with thousands of tiny pockets where air bubbles used to be. I can't figure out why they made such a thing. Is it to make you feel like you're eating a full-size chocolate bar but actually consuming less? I don't know. I do know what it's like to eat: It's soft, spongy to the bite. If I bit into it unaware that it's supposed to be like that, I would assume the chocolate had gone bad. It doesn't taste bad. It's just different. I prefer a creamier chocolate on the tongue than this chewy one. There are supposed to be Air Delight Kisses too but I haven't seen those.

Roundtable Meetings Gather Ideas for State Food Charter

2011-06-12T05:00:00.000-04:00

Photo by Cynthia McCloud

Bethany Long (left) of Hometown Market in Buckhannon participates in a roundtable discussion on education and the local food system led by Chef Dale Hawkins/

Participants shared ideas about how the local food system should function and how policies and programs should contribute to and support it.

By CYNTHIA McCLOUD
For The State Journal
PHILIPPI — Farmers, consumers, chefs and students brought their concerns for the local food system to the table May 4 at a roundtable meeting on West Virginia farms and food at Philip Barbour High School.

It was the first step to gather ideas that will form a state food charter, a vision for how the local food system should function and how policies and programs should contribute to and support it, said Savanna Lyons, West Virginia Food & Farm Coalition program manager.

“Roundtables are the opportunity to take a snapshot of what our challenges and issues and opportunities are in West Virginia to build a food economy,” Lyons said.

Everyone at the meeting had a chance to say what he or she would like to see improved or created to make the local food system work better.

Bob Jacobus, community development specialist with the Region VII Planning and Development Council, said West Virginia needs a way to store crops and extend its market season. He saw storage systems when he was growing up on a farm in Indiana.

Read more ...

Sunday dinner

2011-06-11T20:10:00.004-04:00

What's for tomorrow's Sunday dinner, everyone?

I will be grilling with some Girl Scouts lakeside.

But usually I like something after church that's light so I can nap. If I'm having friends over after morning worship, I like things that are made ahead and just need assembled or serving so I don't keep hungry guests waiting. Those ideas include oven-barbecued ribs and scalloped potatoes or taco salad. Layered vanilla pudding, Nilla wafers and sliced bananas for dessert.

What are you having for Sunday dinner? Leave me the recipes if you would.

What's for Dinner: Roasted Marinated Vegetables

2011-06-11T17:00:00.004-04:00

I have to brag on my child, and maybe myself. It's a good feeling when the almost-8-year-old says, "What's for dinner? Roasted vegetables? Oooh! With hominy?! Yes!" I discovered this recipe when I was pregnant for her in a cookbook titled "Eating For Pregnancy". When she was old enough to eat baby food, I cooked this and pureed it and fed it to her. She has always loved fruits and vegetables, choosing them over other foods sometimes, and I've been grateful we haven't had to struggle to get her to eat them.

ROASTED OR GRILLED MARINATED VEGETABLES

from "Eating for Pregnancy: An Essential Guide to Nutrition with Recipes for the Whole Family" by Catherine Jones with Rose Ann Hudson

Note: You can grill these also; I have yet to try it, but when I do I'll use my Pampered Chef Grill Basket!

1 medium red bell pepper, washed, cored, seeded, and quartered
1 medium (about 8 ounces) purple eggplant, washed and cut into 1/2-inch slices (see Cooking Tip below)
2 medium (about 8 ounces) zucchini, washed and cut into 1/2-inch slices on the diagonal
8 ounces large button mushrooms or other large mushrooms, such as shiitake or portobello, washed and stems trimmed
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil or Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, preferably Vidalia, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can hominy, drained (Cynthia's addition)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or cilantro leaves for garnish (optional)

If roasting preheat the oven to 475.

Place the bell pepper, eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms in a large roasting pan (or a very large bowl if grilling) Add the oregano, basil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and 1/3 cup olive oil, then gently toss until all the vegetables are well coated. Allow the vegetables to marinate at room temperature for 10-120 minutes.

Roast the vegetables for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring them after 15 minutes of cooking. The vegetables are done when the eggplant and bell peppers are soft.

Alternatively, you can grill the vegetables over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes, or until nicely browned and cooked through. Turn and move the vegetables around to promote even cooking and to avoid scorching.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes, or until light golden. Add the garlic and saute for 1 more minute. Add the canned tomatoes and hominy and cook just until heated; set aside.

Combine the cooked vegetables with the tomato mixture and fresh herbs. The recipe says to dice the cooked vegetables small. I never do. Serve over rice.

Cooking tip for eggplant: Removing the moisture from the eggplant with salt is an optional step that requires 20 minutes to 1 hour. The advantage of this is it should remove any bitterness and not absorb as much oil. Place the sliced eggplant in a colander on a large plate with a rim, sprinkle it with 2 teaspoons salt, and toss gently. Allow the eggplant to stand for at least 20 minutes, or up to 1 hour. Rinse the eggplant quickly under cold water , then spread it out on a double thickness of paper towels. Cover with more paper towels and press firmly to extract as much water as possible.

C.J. Maggie’s Owners Know Recipe for Success

2011-06-11T05:00:00.004-04:00

Photo courtesy of C.J. Maggie's American Grill

I discovered C.J. Maggie's American Grill when I was a freshman at W.Va. Wesleyan College in 1995. I loved the Easy Elmer (a ham sandwich) and the Bagwan's Grilled Vegetables sandwich, things that are no longer on the menu. Still on the menu are the 40 Miles of Bad Road Nachoes that my friends and I would share and still have leftovers.

Here is a story I had the pleasure of writing this spring when The State Journal named C.J. Maggie's one of its 55 Good Things in West Virginia.

CJ Rylands
photo courtesy of the Feast of the Seven Fishes Festival

C.J. and Jeannie Rylands founded the restaurant chain.

By CYNTHIA McCLOUD For The State Journal
BUCKHANNON — Restaurateurs C.J. and Jeannie Rylands have the recipe for downtown revitalization.

The business model they use when scouting locations for new C.J. Maggie’s American Grill franchises has gotten them named one of the 55 Good Things in West Virginia.

“The business plan that works for us is to go to the geographic center of a historic urban commercial district and acquire a distressed property,” C.J. Rylands said. “Through all our own efforts, meaning we do all the work ourselves, we spend a number of years massaging every square inch of the building several times.”

To read the rest of the story, go here.

Have you eaten at C.J. Maggie's? What do you like to order?

For a menu and locations, visit http://www.cj-maggies.com/.

What's For Dinner: Italian Sweet Chicken Sausage Patties

2011-06-10T18:11:00.003-04:00

We like this "burger" recipe from "365: No Repeats" by Rachael Ray. I'm posting for my friend Elisha. I thought I had included this here in the past but I couldn't find it.

ITALIAN SWEET CHICKEN SAUSAGE PATTIES
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken breast
1 tablespoon grill seasoning, such as McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1/3 palm full
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup tender sun-dried tomatoes
10-12 fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, plus some to drizzle
2 cubanelle peppers, seeded and sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 crusty kaiser rolls, split
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 deli-cut slices of Provolone cheese

Mix chicken with half of the garlic, fennel seeds and grill seasoning. Pile the sun-dried tomatoes on top of each other in small stacks, then slice into thin strips. Coarsely chop the thin strips and add to the bowl. Stack the basil leaves together, then roll them up into a log. Shred the basil by thinly slicing the log (this makes a chiffonade.) Add the basil to the bowl. Drizzle EVOO over the bowl. Mix the ingredients together and form 4 patties, 3/4 inch thick. Cook for 5-6 minutes on each side in the preheated skillet.

Heat a second skillet over medium-high heat and preheat the broiler, placing the top rack at least 6 inches from the heat.

To the hot skillet, add the 2 tablespoons of EVOO (twice around the pan), then the peppers and onions. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Cook until just tender, about 6-7 minutes.

Toast the rolls on a broiler pan under the hot broiler. Place the remaining garlic and the butter in a small dish and microwave for 15 seconds on High to melt the butter. Brush the toasted roll tops with garlic butter and reserve. Leave the bun bottoms on the broiler pan.

Place the patties on the bun bottoms, then top with the peppers and onions and sliced Provolone cheese. Place the chicken sandwiches under the broiler again for 30 seconds to 1 minute to melt the cheese. Set the buttered tops in place and serve.

I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing ...

2011-06-10T16:12:00.002-04:00

Summer makes me think of camp and camp songs and games.

Remember Going on a Picnic? In that memory game, each player had to say "I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing ..." and then fill in the name of a food that starts with a letter of the alphabet starting at A and so on. Before giving their answer for the next letter they had to remember all the foods that had already been named.

In my version, I really am going on a picnic! And I want to know what you like to take on a picnic and any tips you have for taking food into the wild. You do not have to begin with the letter A.

GO!

Girl Scout Cookie Giveaway

2011-06-10T16:04:00.005-04:00

I have some leftover boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. Now before you get too excited, I don't have any Samoas or Thin Mints. I DO have Trefoils, Do-Si-Dos, Tagalongs and Lemon Chalet Cremes if you prefer that kind.

Now through Monday, June 13, if you follow my blog or make a new comment on a post, I will enter your name in a drawing to win a box of Girl Scout Cookies of your choice. The winner's name will be drawn by our resident Girl Scout.

Please do not offer to buy my cookies -- the organization frowns on Internet selling. These cookies are extras that I purchased and this is for fun and to get more visits to my blog.

Enter more than once as long as you have something worthwhile to say.

There will be plenty of chances to participate, including new posts, throughout the weekend. Good luck!

Here is a link to a Girl Scout Council's site that lists lots of recipes if you'd like to cook with your cookies instead of just eat them: Recipes using Girl Scout Cookies

Marshmallow goodness

2011-06-10T13:58:00.004-04:00

When I was a kid marshmallows came in three flavors: plain, toasted coconut and fruity (Kraft calls them FunMallows).

A couple of years ago I found Caramel & Vanilla Swirl and I wrote about it here.

This winter I saw extra-large marshmallows and square flat marshmallows sized to fit perfectly on graham crackers and chocolate bars for s'mores. Kraft calls them StackerMallows.

This spring the flavors of marshmallows have exploded like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man when zapped by The Ghostbusters (now that's telling my age!)

In addition to plain, mixed fruit, strawberry and caramel marshmallows, there are chocolate royale, chocolate-vanilla swirl and chocolate mint varieties. A label on a shelf indicated Pina Colada should be stocked there but it wasn't. Stay Puft marshmallows have been licensed as a "Ghostbusters" collectible and sold as CAFFEINATED MARSHMALLOWS!

Kraft Foods, maker of Jet-Puffed Marshmallows says the new flavors will be around for a limited time. I hope they are rolled out seasonally. That would mean there's a good chance at Christmastime I'll see the French vanilla snowmen and gingerbread flavored marshmallows again. The gingerbread were our favorite!

Homemade peanut butter Easter eggs

2011-04-22T22:46:00.008-04:00

If I haven't found the recipe for a creamy, smooth, perfectly-peanutty homemade Easter egg, I'm closer.

This recipe is from my sister-in-law, Gloria. I modified it slightly.

6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup marshmallow cream
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar (See Note)
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons shortening
Note: I needed only 1 1/4 cups of sugar. I think the amount you need depends on the room temperature and humidity when you make them. If the batter is too soft and won't hold together, add more sugar. If it's a good consistency after just a cup, leave it alone. More sugar means more sweetness overriding the peanut butter flavor.

Mix the butter, peanut butter and marshmallow cream together. Stir in 1 cup of powdered sugar. Add the rest of the sugar 1/4 cup at a time, mixing after each addition, until you reach a consistency you can mold into egg shapes.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Remove the bowl and shape the "dough" into eggs. I got 19 eggs from three batches. (I did not triple the batches, but made them individually.) If you make them realy small, like two-bite eggs, you might get 12 eggs out of each batch.

Place the shaped eggs on a plate in the freezer for 10 more minutes.

In a bowl, place the chocolate chips and shortening. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave for 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each cycle, until the chocolate is smooth. I took 1 minute 15 seconds for this.

Remove the eggs and dip them, one at a time, in the melted chocolate to coat them. If you do not have a candy-dipping fork, use a plastic fork and break off the middle two tines. Let the excess chocolate drip off. Place them on wax paper to harden completely. Store in refrigerator.

If you like, you can pipe flowers, names or designs on each egg in buttercream or royal icing. I realized my frosting technique is rusty.

Here's my half recipe for buttercream:

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk
Beat the butter and shortening together until creamy. Mix in vanilla. Add powdered sugar and beat until combined. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until icing is fluffy but thick enough to hold its shape when piped. Tint with your choice of gel food coloring. I was trying for light pink and peach. I failed.

This was my first attempt at making Easter eggs. I have another recipe for a coconut cream candy that would make a good egg filling.

Russell Stover Candy
(Mom's Coconut Bon-Bons)
contributed by Edna McCray of the 36th Street Church of Christ in Vienna, W.Va. to "Down Home Recipes"

1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 sticks margarine or butter, melted
1 to 2 boxes powdered sugar
4 cups coconut
Mix all ingredients together and chill.
Roll into balls (form into eggs). Chill again.
Coat with chocolate. (See above recipe.)

Happy Easter!

Molds make butter better on holiday table

2010-11-26T10:17:00.005-05:00

One way to put a special touch on a holiday table is to mold the butter. I used my collectible Pampered Chef stoneware cookie molds that were just taking up room in my cupboard to make molded butter for Thanksgiving dinner. We set six tables at the community feast and each table got it's own heart-shaped butter.

The technique is simple.
1. Place your stoneware mold in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.
2. At the same time, set out a stick of butter to soften for 20-30 minutes.
3. Remove the mold from the freezer and unwrap the butter.
4. Using the heel of your hand or the back of a metal spoon, smoosh the butter into the mold evenly.
5. Refrigerate the mold with the butter until the butter is firm.
6. Run a knife's thin blade around the outside of the butter, then use the tip of the knife to carefully pry up the butter in corner. Turn it out onto a plate.

I wrapped my butter hearts individually to protect them from odors. I packed them in a plastic lidded container to store and transport them. Make sure you put them on the butter plates while they are still cold and firm.

If you think you don't have the time or the equipment to pull that off, you can still make the butter special by flavoring it. This recipe tastes like the sweet, spiced butter served at steakhouses. In addition to hot rolls, it's also good on baked sweet potatoes.

CHRISTMAS SPICE BUTTER

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon sugar

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy and well-combined. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed. Makes 1 cup.

My part of the feast

2010-11-24T17:04:00.006-05:00

This year we are sharing Thanksgiving dinner with at least two others families at our church, as I mentioned in an earlier post. I'm roasting two donated turkeys and bringing the dressing, four blueberry pies and many gallons of iced tea, plus a special touch I'll dedicate the next post to. Another church member gave me the blueberries that he had picked and frozen this summer. Here are the recipes and photos.

Traditional Bread Stuffing With Herbs (forefront of photo) on last year's Thanksgiving buffet

TRADITIONAL BREAD STUFFING WITH HERBS

1/2 cup margarine or butter (1 stick)
5 large celery stalks, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1 14 1/2-ounce can chicken broth
2 16-ounce loaves sliced firm white bread, lightly toasted and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Preheat oven to 325. In 12-inch skillet, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add celery and onion, and cook 15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in thyme, salt, pepper, sage, chicken broth and 1/2 cup water; remove skillet from heat.

Place bread cubes in very large bowl. Add celery mixture and parsley; toss to mix well.

Spoon stuffing into 13-inch-by-9-inch glass baking dish; cover with foil and bake 40 minutes or until heated through. Makes about 12 cups.

Originally published in Good Housekeeping magazine in 1999.

I made many Blueberry Dream Pies this summer. One time I even replaced the sugar with a sweetener to make a version for diabetics and people thought it was just as good. One of my pies won a blue ribbon for best presentation at the school fall festival. I changed the method for the garnish to get it to brown so read the recipe through.

BLUEBERRY DREAM PIE

Pastry for double-crust pie (9 inches)

CHEESE FILLING:
4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 egg yolk

BLUEBERRY FILLING:
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
6 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint or 1 teaspoon dried mint
1 egg white, beaten

Line a 9-in. deep-dish pie plate with bottom crust. Trim pastry to 1/2 in. beyond edge of plate; flute edges. Line unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 450° for 8 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce heat to 375°.

Cut decorative cutouts in remaining pastry. Place on a cookie sheet, brush with egg white, sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 375° for 9 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and lemon juice until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk until blended. Spread into crust.

In a large saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar, flour and cornstarch; stir in water until smooth. Stir in 2 cups berries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Cool slightly. Gently stir in the lemon juice, mint and remaining berries. Pour over cheese filling.

Bake at 375° for 35-40 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cover edges with foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning. Place pre-baked leaves on top of pie at this time. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 piece equals 442 calories, 18 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 46 mg cholesterol, 269 mg sodium, 67 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 5 g protein.

Blueberry Dream Pie published in Taste of Home August/September 2010, p64

Friendsgiving

2010-11-23T09:00:00.008-05:00

by guest blogger Tracy Strother

The fridge is mostly empty right now, in anticipation of the turkey and the ham and the other festive foodstuffs that will soon be taking up residence inside it. I'm still trying to figure out where all the sides will go to warm up! Last year I tried to fit casserole dishes full of sweet potatoes, scalloped potatoes, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, green beans, and two different kinds of stuffing all together in my little oven with a turkey that was STILL COOKING well after it was supposed to be finished. This year, the turkey and the ham will be done early! I hope.

I'm making my Dad's Jack Daniels Ham recipe, because he was always in the kitchen when I was a kid, cooking all kinds of special things for us while the Macy's Parade flickered on the TV in the background. Now that he's laid up and can't cook, I plan to make enough so I can take him some leftovers.

Dad's Jack Daniels Ham

Ingredients :

one ham, whatever kind you like - canned, bone in, water added, spiral sliced, it doesn't matter. Bonus points if you won it by climbing up a greased pole. It should come with cooking directions, how hot the oven should be, how long it needs to bake, etc. If it doesn't, look up how to bake a ham in a cookbook or on the internet, that's what I do.
one bottle of Jack Daniels
one bottle of Apricot Brandy
one jar of Apricot Preserves

Pour about half a cup of JD into a glass. Pour about one quarter cup of the JD into a bowl with about one quarter cup of Apricot Brandy and the whole jar of Apricot Preserves, and stir it well.
Take a sip of the whiskey in the glass.
Score your ham in a pretty diamond pattern.
Take another sip of whiskey.
Brush the ham with the Apricot Glaze.
Take another sip of whiskey.
Bake your ham according to the package directions, brushing occasionally with Apricot Glaze, taking sips of whiskey whenever you do.
By the time the ham's heated through, you will be too!

Katie, one of by best girls, is bringing two different kinds of stuffing, again, and at least two other dishes besides. She was one of the organizers of our first Friendsgiving, last year. When my Grandmother passed away early last November, my Mom pretty much canceled Thanksgiving. The traveling over the river and through the woods, the cooking and eating and drinking, all of that happened two weeks before Turkey Day, and nobody really wanted to sit around that dining table again so soon without Grandma. It would have been a huge bummer. Instead of mourning the loss of one holiday tradition though, my girlfriends helped me decide to throw a Friendsgiving, the dinner for everyone who couldn't (or didn't really want to) go out of town for the holiday.

The first Friendsgiving was a fantastic experiment! We basically said to everyone we liked, "Hey, if you're not going out of town for the holiday, please join us!" Everyone brought something. Katie made no less than 4 side dishes, including the delicious beet and arugula salad that I am so happy she's bringing again this year. Lindsay brought hot cider, in a crock pot, which was incredibly difficult to transport and sloshed around comically on the way to my house - it also had a LOT of whiskey in it, which helped me get through the nerves of having what felt like a million people (it hovered at about 20 most of the night, but it felt like more) in my tiny house. Jesse and Eric came over at the end of the feast, bearing a lovely bottle of wine, which I couldn't open because I couldn't find a corkscrew. Well, I have one this year, I am ready!

There was so much food I am sure I could not list who brought what, but I do know that we all ate heartily and there was plenty left over. One thing I did last year was lay in a store of plastic containers so we could send some leftovers home with guests. Those containers helped a lot when we cleared the table, the food all got packed away and the dishes washed and dried (thank you Lisa!) and I had some peace to enjoy another cup of hot cider on the porch with my friends. While I am not a huge advocate of using plastics indiscriminately, I feel like those containers are my one ecologically unfriendly indulgence.

We like to eat on real plates (Fiestaware, just like at Grandma's house), with real silverware (although it is mix and match!) and use a real tablecloth with cloth napkins (which I found at the Goodwill in a lucky moment last week). We don't really decorate; there is no room on our table for a centerpiece after all the majestic food is laid out. Guests to my house know what to expect, we don't have a lot of pomp and ceremony here. I've been saving pickle jars from the recycling bin for a few weeks so there will be enough glasses for everyone!

This group of people who will show up at Edgehill House on November 25 bearing food and spirits, they may not be any blood relation to us, but they are in many ways our family. Friendsgiving is a celebration of that, the family we have built here in Morgantown. Keith, Delia and I have so much to be thankful for this holiday season, and the people joining us for Turkey and Two Kinds of Stuffing are right at the top of the list.

Tracy Strother lives and blogs at Edgehill House. When she isn't making bread in exchange for health insurance coverage at the New Day Bakery, you can find her by listening for a rhythmic clicking noise - it's either knitting needles or Mac keys. She is somebody's mother.

New ways to celebrate Thanksgiving

2010-11-22T23:09:00.005-05:00

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. -- Psalm 126:3

This year, we are doing Thanksgiving a whole new way. At least it's new to us. We've been talking about doing something like this for a couple of years.

Our first Thanksgivings we prepared our share of the big meal and schlepped it 20 miles across the county to my mother's house, where my home-bound uncle also resided. When he died in 2009, we decided she could come to us. Besides, no one really wanted to spend Thanksgiving there without him.

On Thursday, we will hold another first: We'll join with two other families and host a free community dinner at our church. We have wanted for a couple of years to serve food at a soup kitchen. This will not be a soup kitchen, nor will it feel like a handout. Organizers have worked hard to make the church multipurpose sanctuary/fellowship hall feel like a home. The tables have centerpieces. Crayons are on the tables for children to color the place mats. Servers will carry plates of food to the guests -- they won't line up to get them filled. We'll show "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" and "Facing the Giants" on a big screen. We have board games for after the feast. We won't talk about "need". All you "need" to attend is a desire to spend Thanksgiving with us.

Dinner will be served beginning at 1 p.m. Thanksgiving Day 2010 at Life Gate Church, a ministry of the Wesleyan Church in Terra Alta. (It's beside the Shop 'n Save.) Please join us if you desire.

Please check back Nov. 23 to read about another extraordinary Thanksgiving celebration. Guest blogger Tracy Strother will tell us about Friendsgiving.

By request: Buffalo Chicken Dip

2010-11-03T21:45:00.003-04:00

This appetizer is one of my most requested recipes:

BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup blue cheese or ranch salad dressing
1/2 cup hot sauce
1/2 to 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 chicken breast halves, cooked, shredded

Heat oven to 350°F. Mix cream cheese, dressing, hot sauce and cheddar cheese in a saucepan. Heat and stir to combine. Stir in the chicken.
Pour into a baking dish. Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly.
Serve with tortilla chips, slices of toasted baguette or crackers.

Family cooking contest reinvents hot dogs

2010-11-02T06:05:00.001-04:00

I'm fortunate to be virtual friends with today's guest blogger, Kara Glenn, because we share a love of food. I ogled her photos of Thanksgiving dinner one year and sent her a Facebook friend request for that reason (though I had met her in person when we worked for the same company years ago.) And I'm excited to share with you the cooking contests her family holds.

Without further delay, meet Kara.

Kara Glenn lives in Morgantown with her husband Trevor and Golden Retriever Kelsey. She currently works for the Department of Energy doing design work, and enjoys cooking, reading (mostly Harry Potter), blogging, gaming with her husband and spending time with her family.

Here's her story of a recent family get-together over Columbus Day.

One of my family's favorite activities is eating. OK, actually it's our favorite. My mom went to culinary school in New Orleans, and good food has always been the centerpiece of our gatherings. With the growing popularity of the Food Network and competition-based cooking shows, we thought it would be fun to implement a friendly competition amongst ourselves.

Our first competition was a slider cook-off for the Fourth of July in which yours truly took home first-place honors. For Columbus Day weekend, we tapped a similar vein and chose a hot dog cook-off.

The competition takes place at my parents’ cabin in Canaan Valley, which provides amazing scenery for the festivities. We have few rules, if any. You are able to find the recipe for your entry wherever you choose, or make it up yourself. You can be quite creative in regards to how you view the competition food. We would never turn away a more modern interpretation of a hot dog, or whatever the food may be. Help is allowed, if needed. Often times we help each other when it gets to crunch time.
Judging is done by the whole family, including those competing (my mom, sister and I). Everyone gets a ballot and writes the name of their favorite entry. The entry with the most votes wins! Voting for yourself is allowed, but be prepared to be ridiculed for it.

The entrants were:

The Welsh Dog - Beef hot dog on a potato bun, smothered in beer cheese sauce (made with Irish Cheddar and Pumpkin Beer) and topped with caramelized onions.

The Monte Cristo Dog - Egg-battered fried bun topped with thinly sliced pork hot dog, hot turkey and melted Swiss and smothered in homemade Russian dressing.

The Poblano Dog - A roasted Poblano pepper stuffed with a beef hot dog, then battered and fried and topped with a red pepper jelly jalapeno sauce.

They were all amazing! I made the Welsh Dog, and as much as everyone loved it, I did not receive any votes. My vote went to the Monte Cristo Dog, which was amazingly delicious! This was my sister's creation, and she came up with the idea on her own (she's a chef and incredibly creative!). I've actually made these for dinner one night last week because I loved it so much!

As good as the creations my sister and I came up with were, my mom's Poblano Dog took home first place! It was sweet and spicy, and tasted very much like a Chinese chicken dish. It was slightly too spicy for my liking, which is why it did not receive my vote.

Overall the competition was as success, and the judges (aka my brother, father, husband and my sister's girlfriend) really enjoy our cook-offs (I wonder why...). It's a great family activity, and we talk about it often. For my birthday in August, my husband presented me with a giant trophy with lots of blank plaques for our winners. This has turned in to a wonderful family tradition, and a great way for my sister, mom and I to spend some quality time together doing what we do best—cooking.

Eat your heart out?

2010-11-01T13:39:00.007-04:00

The cover of the Betty Crocker Christmas cookies supermarket aisle cookbook is disturbing.

Why is he winking? And am I the only one who reads it as "bite me" instead of "bake me" on first glance?

School cafeterias to try psychology in lunch line

2010-10-13T14:28:00.002-04:00

By MARILYNN MARCHIONE (AP)

Hide the chocolate milk behind the plain milk. Get those apples and oranges out of stainless steel bins and into pretty baskets. Cash only for desserts.

These subtle moves can entice kids to make healthier choices in school lunch lines, studies show. Food and restaurant marketers have long used similar tricks. Now the government wants in on the act.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced what it called a major new initiative Tuesday, giving $2 million to food behavior scientists to find ways to use psychology to improve kids' use of the federal school lunch program and fight childhood obesity.

A fresh approach is clearly needed, those behind the effort say.

About one-third of children and teens are obese or overweight. Bans on soda and junk food have backfired in some places. Some students have abandoned school meal programs that tried to force-feed healthy choices. When one school district put fruit on every lunch tray, most of it ended up in the garbage.

So instead of pursuing a carrot or a stick approach, schools want to entice kids to choose the carrot sticks, figuring children are more likely to eat something they select themselves.

"It's not nutrition till it's eaten," said Joanne Guthrie, a USDA researcher who announced the new grants. The initiative will include creation of a child nutrition center at Cornell University, which has long led this type of research.

Some tricks already judged a success by Cornell researchers: Keep ice cream in freezers without glass display tops so the treats are out of sight. Move salad bars next to the checkout registers, where students linger to pay, giving them more time to ponder a salad. And start a quick line for make-your-own subs and wraps, as Corning East High School in upstate New York did.

"I eat that every day now," instead of the chicken patty sandwiches that used to be a staple, said Shea Beecher, a 17-year-old senior.

"It's like our own little Subway," said Sterling Smith, a 15-year-old sophomore. (Hint to the school: Freshen up the fruit bowl; the choices are pretty narrow by the time Smith gets to his third-shift lunch period.)

Last year, the USDA asked the Institute of Medicine for advice on its school lunch and breakfast programs, which provide free or subsidized meals to more than 31 million schoolchildren each day. The institute recommended more fruit, vegetables and whole grains with limits on fat, salt and calories. But it was clear this wouldn't help unless kids accepted healthier foods, Guthrie said.

"We can't just say we're going to change the menu and all of our problems will be solved," she said.

The agency requested proposals from researchers on how to get kids to actually eat the good stuff. Cornell scientists Brian Wansink and David Just will get $1 million to establish the child nutrition center. Fourteen research sites around the country will share the other $1 million.

"Findings from this emerging field of research — behavioral economics — could lead to significant improvements in the diets of millions of children across America," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement.

Cornell's focus will be developing "smart lunchrooms" that guide kids to make good choices even when more tempting ones are around.

"We're not taking things away from kids," Wansink said. "It's making the better choice the easier, more convenient choice."

Wansink is a prominent food science researcher, known for studies on the depiction of food in paintings of the Last Supper and how the placement of a candy jar can affect how much people eat from it.

Christine Wallace, food service director for Corning City School District near Cornell University, met him a few years ago and invited him to use her 14 schools as a lab.

"We tend to look at what we're offering and to make sure it's well prepared and in the correct portion size, and not the psychology of it. We're just not trained that way," Wallace said.

For example, some Corning schools had express lines for a la carte items — mostly chips, cookies and ice cream. The idea was to reduce bottlenecks caused by full tray lunches that took longer to ring up. But the result was a public health nightmare.

"We were making it very convenient for them to quickly go through the line and get a bunch of less nutritious items," Wallace said.

After studies by Wansink, they renamed some foods in the elementary schools — "X-ray vision carrots" and "lean, mean green beans" — and watched consumption rise. Cafeteria workers also got more involved, asking, "Would you rather have green beans or carrots today?" instead of waiting for a kid to request them.

And just asking, "Do you want a salad with that?" on pizza day at one high school raised salad consumption 30 percent, Wansink said.

___

Online:

Cornell project: http://SmarterLunchrooms.org

USDA: http://tinyurl.com/32u6jrz

Institute of Medicine: http://tinyurl.com/yak3x5d

Childhood obesity: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/index.html
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press.

Breakfast for dinner: Sausage-egg burritos

2010-10-12T14:29:00.005-04:00

We ate these so quickly, I didn't take a photo.
I lifted this one from Taste of Home, where I found the recipe in the October/November issue. The recipe was part of a feature suggesting quick breakfast burritos, fruity granola bars and sweet potato muffins for grab-and-go pre-dawn nourishment on Black Friday. They made a perfect Monday brinner (breakfast for dinner).

Sammie's Breakfast Burritos for Two
4 eggs
1/4 cup salsa
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 breakfast turkey sausage links, casings removed
1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
4 fat-free flour tortillas (6 inches), warmed

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, salsa, chili powder, cumin and pepper; set aside.

Crumble sausage into a large skillet; cook over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain. Push sausage to the sides of pan. Pour egg mixture into center of pan. Cook and stir until set. Sprinkle cheese over the top. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand until cheese is melted.

Place 1/2 cup mixture on each tortilla; roll up. Yield: 2 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 burrito equals 422 calories, 21 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 467 mg cholesterol, 1,019 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 27 g protein.

Taste of Home magazine, Oct/Nov 2010, p63

What's for dinner: Easy Greek Pizza

2010-10-11T11:50:00.005-04:00

We had this for lunch Saturday, actually. Everyone -- even the 7-year-old and her 11-year-old cousin -- liked it. I picked up the ingredients for it partly in celebration that Walmart in Oakland, Md., has Boboli now and that my daughter discovered she liked feta and black olives. I didn't have lemon-pepper seasoning and I saw no need to buy it for one recipe so I used Cavender's Greek Seasoning. We still had some chicken, onion, spinach, sauce and cheese left over so on Sunday I made mini versions using tortillas. They needed to bake for only 5 minutes.

Easy Greek Pizza
1 prebaked 12-inch pizza crust
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning, divided
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 small red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
1/4 cup sliced ripe olives
3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Place crust on an ungreased baking sheet; spread with pizza sauce and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning. Top with chicken, spinach, onion, olives, cheeses and remaining lemon-pepper seasoning.
Bake at 450° for 12-15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and cheese is melted. Yield: 6 servings.

From Healthy Cooking magazine October/November 2010, p60

Pancakes in a can good for camping, rushed mornings

2010-10-09T10:30:00.002-04:00

Meet Good Press's first guest blogger, Mali Gank.

Mali Gank lives in West Virginia with her husband, two bonus children, and 9 pets that may or may not be trying to stage a coup at any given moment. She is currently finishing her degree in education, and in her spare time she reads, writes, and tries to create something from nothing whenever she can.

She shares with us her review of Organic Batter Blaster: Original Pancake & Waffle Batter. The store locator on the product Web site says it is sold at Walmarts around north-central West Virginia and western Maryland and Kroger in Morgantown.

While vacationing with family in Michigan this summer, I was skeptical when my sister in law pulled the pancake mix out of the grocery bag. I’m not a pancake purist by any means…I have been known to turn to Aunt Jemima or Hungry Jack for a quick dinner fix. However, even my time-saving mentality had ever imagined what I was looking at.

It looked like a can of squeeze cheese, the sort my youth group loves to put on Ritz crackers and then lick off. The script along the can read “Organic Batter Blaster: Original Pancake & Waffle Batter”. A picture of a stack of flapjacks with a pat of butter and smear of syrup graced the can, and I’m sure that Katrina got a laugh from my wrinkled brow and skeptical eyebrows. We decided to save the pancakes for another night, and I pushed them to the back of my mind.

The next day, the peculiar yellow can stared back at me every time I opened the fridge. I finally picked it up and checked out the ingredients. Filtered water. Organic wheat flour. Organic cane sugar. I read along to find that I could pronounce and already knew of all of the ingredients, which I always consider a bonus. Again, I tucked it back into the fridge and tried not to think about it. I was still a little skeptical as I went about my day, but at least the knowledge that nothing in it would kill me made me a little more willing to try the product.

When Katrina came home and decided to make our “breakfast for dinner”, I had decided to grin and bear it. I watched as she used the nozzle to aim batter into the pan, and was mildly impressed with the simplicity of the process. She managed to make all of the pancakes in the time it took for the sausage to brown in the next pan, so it was a very fast meal all around.

I carefully spread a bit of butter spread on the first pancake…or is that a cancake?... and drizzled some syrup across it. With a bit of trepidation I cut off a bite of soft flapjack and brought it to my mouth.

Color me astonished when the mouthful revealed a slightly sweet, fluffy pancake that tasted like any number of pancakes I’ve had while out and about at breakfast time. I cut off a piece of the edge to sample it sans fixings, and was surprised again to taste the same sweet, moist pancake.

I watched as Katrina sampled hers, expressing my astonishment that it was not only palatable, but actually rather tasty! I began considering the possibilities- pancakes on school mornings without having to wake up at 4:30 a.m., simple Saturday breakfast for the children to learn to cook without leaving my kitchen looking like a shelled bunker, excellent food to cook at the camper when we’re “roughing it”, and a last-minute meal when my husband is making something he knows I’m not going to eat and I have to fend for myself. All good things!

When I finished my stack and returned my plate to the kitchen I looked at the can sitting alone and empty on the counter, and smiled. Sometimes, there’s a lot to be said for trying something new.

This product has no CFCs, is USDA Certified Organic, and while the taste isn’t “homemade” by any stretch (I ate my last one without syrup and it was both moist and sweet- possibly too sweet for some), it is a great alternative if you’re not cooking for an army, or need something in a hurry. I wouldn’t mind having some in the fridge just for a quick alternative when I get the “There’s no milk left!” or “Who ate the last of the Cheerios?”.

Somewhere, an empty yellow can is mocking me with a hissy, aerosol voice whispering “Toldja so”.

Dinner "disaster"

2010-10-08T10:34:00.006-04:00

I'm not flawless in the kitchen, but we rarely waste food or have to eat my mistakes. I can usually save whatever I've flubbed. One recent weeknight dinner is a good example. I was making Chicken Balsamico with hot orzo, a recipe I learned at this fall's Taste of Home Cooking School.

I'm sure I heard the culinary expert say to cook 1 cup of orzo in 1 can of chicken broth. Maybe she said a half cup of the rice-shaped pasta? Maybe I was supposed to put a lid on it? Reduce the heat? Remove it from the heat? Stir frequently? Maybe I was supposed to add a can of water to the chicken broth before boiling?

Whatever I did wrong left me with undercooked orzo that stuck to the bottom of the pan. Hating to waste food, I stirred in water -- about a cup -- hoping to deglaze the pan and get the orzo al dente. It worked and the water either cooked off or was completely absorbed. Disaster averted. Dinner was served.

Dinner was all right. It wasn't bad, but I wasn't left craving it either. The husband liked it and the 7-year-old not only cleaned her plate but tried olives and feta cheese for the first time and declared she likes both. Can't beat that, right?

Maybe I should've checked the cooking instructions on the orzo bag. After all, I heard 1 cup-1 can from the same woman who said it's perfectly fine to use jarred minced garlic. (No. No, it's not.)

Here's the recipe with better instructions for cooking the orzo:

CHICKEN BALSAMICO
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup water
1 can Campbell's Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup diced plum tomatoes or 1/2 cup thinkly sliced sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup sliced pitted kalamata olives
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Hot cooked orzo pasta

Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes or until well browned on both sides. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
Stir the garlic and vinegar into the water in a measuring cup and slowly add it to the skillet. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
Stir in the soup, tomatoes, olives and oregano and heat to a boil.
Return the chicken to the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Sprinkle with the cheese. Serve the chicken and sauce with hot cooked orzo.

Hot cooked orzo
I would start with 1 can of chicken broth and add half a can of water. Bring it to a boil and stir in 1 cup of orzo. Maybe reduce the heat. I would watch it closely and stir occasionally. If you have better ideas, leave them in the comments.

Amy's Kitchen has come to Oakland, Md., Walmart

2010-10-07T16:44:00.003-04:00

I live 30 miles from good Indian food. (OK, I live 30 miles from ANY Indian food.)

So I am excited to see Amy's frozen meals for sale at the Walmart in Oakland, Md.

I picked the Palak Paneer with a side of Rajmah dal for $3.77. I ate the kidney beans in ginger-garlic sauce first so I could savor my favorite part: the creamed spinach with cheese (the paneer) and basmati rice uninterrupted.

Was it as good as Ram's at Mother India in Morgantown, WV? No. But it was a reasonably priced and accessible substitute.

Easy Fall Breakfast: Baked Apple Oatmeal

2010-10-04T22:35:00.003-04:00

Monday started off better this week thanks to pre-planning and this recipe for a nourishing baked apple oatmeal. I didn't have wheat germ so I reduced the milk to 3 cups. I also mixed it on Sunday night and refrigerated the dish. When I woke up, I put it in a cold oven and turned it to 350. It baked in the 45 minutes it took us to get ready for work. There was no school and our daughter had a friend stay over. We all had a good, hot breakfast -- on a MONDAY! We will be making this recipe often this winter.

BAKED APPLE OATMEAL

4 cups milk
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups chopped peeled apples
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins
1 cup toasted wheat germ

In a large saucepan, heat milk, brown sugar, butter, salt and cinnamon. Add remaining ingredients; mix gently.
Spoon into a greased 2-quart casserole. Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 cup) equals 422 calories, 17 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 19 mg cholesterol, 226 mg sodium, 59 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 16 g protein.

How do you eat your buckwheat cakes?

2010-10-01T11:35:00.004-04:00

If you need to know what buckwheat cakes are, go here.

My family eats buckwheat cakes with butter and maple syrup and a side of sausage.

But I've seen people heap on sausage gravy or applesauce or apple butter to complement -- or maybe cover up -- the taste. I have heard of people smearing them with peanut butter or elderberry jam.

I gotta ask:

How do YOU eat your buckwheat cakes?

Tell me in the comments.

Banana Split Cake

2010-05-28T11:23:00.004-04:00

This was a popular dish I took to potlucks last summer. It's best in situations where you can keep it cold -- even on ice in a cooler. If you need something for a Memorial Day get-together, I recommend this.

BANANA SPLIT CAKE

1 1/2 sticks margarine or butter, divided, softened
2 cups crushed vanilla wafers
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 8-ounce package light cream cheese
1 large can crushed pineapple, drained, reserving 1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 tub Cool Whip
3 medium bananas, sliced
chopped walnuts
maraschino cherries

Melt 1 stick butter and mix with vanilla wafers. Press into a 9-by-13 pan and bake 8 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool.

Beat 1/2 stick margarine and sugar together. Whip in cream cheese and pineapple juice. Fold in 1 cup Cool Whip. Spread over cooled crust.

Layer with sliced bananas.

Top with crushed pineapple.

Spread with remaining Cool Whip.

Sprinkle with nuts. Evenly space cherries on top.

Fun with the Food Pyramid

2010-02-16T14:10:00.010-05:00

This is the second full week in a row that our county's schools have been closed because of bad weather. My daughter's teacher sent home work to be completed on snow days. To supplement that, she reads and has Play-Doh and crafts and she loves to write stories and letters. She gets a little bit of screen-time to go on PBSkids.org/go and to watch the occasional PBS cartoon.

One morning this week she watched a "Sid the Science Kid" episode about nutrition. That, and the Olympics, spurred a full day of discussion about eating right and exercising to be strong and healthy. She worked out to her Denise Austin "Fit Kids" DVD and afterward said, "My heart is happy." Our "unit" included printables from the USDA and a story book about sneaky rabbits published right here in Terra Alta by Headline Books -- for which I am the new publicist.

Every children's book Headline Books publishes has an educational component. "Grandfather's Garden" by West Virginia author Mary Jane Romig includes a simple representation of the Food Pyramid to help very young children begin to understand it. It also has recipes. With every turn of the page, readers search for the adorable bunnies among Karen Riley's vibrant illustrations of veggies.

Several of Headline's titles are about gardening, farming and/or farm life. Headline Books will have a booth at the Winter Blues Farmers Market from 4-7 p.m. March 1 at Lakeview Resort in Morgantown.

Here are links to the USDA printables:
Kids Food Pyramid
A Pyramid to color
A worksheet to track what you eat in a day and where the servings fit in the pyramid

Celebrating World Nutella Day

2010-02-05T11:06:00.003-05:00

Today marks the 4th annual celebration of World Nutella Day.

These scrumptious rolls are easy and inexpensive to make for any occasion -- especially if you make one up. I sometimes celebrate a Friday morning alone in my house with these. The simple pleasures of working from home.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT BRUNCH ROLLS
3 tubes of crescent rolls dough (If it's the traditional triangle cut, you'll have to push the perforations together. For this recipe, try to get the new variation where the dough is in strips or one big sheet.)
Jar of Nutella chocolate-hazelnut spread (look for it near the peanut butter and jams)
chopped toasted hazelnuts or walnuts if you wish

Preheat oven to 375. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray.
Place one tube of the crescent roll dough out flat. Spread evenly with Nutella. Sprinkle with nuts. Cover with the other whole piece of crescent roll dough from the second can. Cut it into eight long strips. Pick up one and gently twist it a few times before twirling it into a roll. Place one roll in each muffin tin.
Place the dough from the third can flat on the work surface. Spread one half (lengthwise) with Nutella and sprinkle with nuts. Fold the other half over. Cut into four pieces and repeat the twisting and twirling procedure from above. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes or
Makes 12.

New Year's Eve spread

2009-12-31T16:50:00.002-05:00

Last New Year's Eve was cold and snowy and we decided to stay in. Even if we weren't partying, I wanted special nibbles to pass the time till the ball dropped. I wanted them to be easy to make and made with ingredients I already had or ones that were at least inexpensive to purchase in one quick trip. I was also looking for one last hurrah of fat and sugar calories before buckling down for better health in 2009 but I didn't want to get too crazy. So the sausage balls made with Bisquick and cheese were out, as badly as I wanted the foods to taste homey and comforting and be filling. I think I did OK. Even the husband said "That was a pretty good spread."

Clockwise from left: deviled eggs, chicken wings with raspberry barbecue sauce, pepperoni rolls, hummus with herbed pita crisps and brown-sugar bacon (not shown.)

Three of the starters came from Katie Lee Joel's cookbook, "The Comfort Table". But here's a sampling of some of her recipes. (She and Billy split in May and I've noticed the book has been rereleased with "Katie Lee" on the cover.)

Her deviled eggs are nothing special, no matter how much Paula Deen raves about them. Cooks in my family make them better. I prefer a tangier filling. But here's her recipe because that's what I made last year.

DEVILED EGGS
from "The Comfort Table" by Katie Lee, Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2008

1 dozen large eggs
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon yellow prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Paprika

Place the eggs in a large saucepan and cover with water. Add the vinegar. (Note from Cynthia: According to more than one site, adding vinegar to the water in which you boil eggs might keep them from cracking and if they do crack, it keeps the egg in the shell instead of it spilling out in the water.) Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn off the heat and cover. Let sit for 15-18 minutes. Drain off the water. When cool enough to touch, remove shells.

Slice each egg in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks and place them i na food processor. Arrange the whites on a serving platter. Add the mayo, mustard, salt and pepper to the yolks. Blend until smooth. Scoop the yolk mixture into a resealable plastic bag. Use scissors to snip off a bottom corner of the bag. Use the bag like a pastry bag to pipe the yolk mixture into the egg whites. Sprinkle each deviled egg half with paprika. Cover loosely and chill until serving time.

HUMMUS WITH HERBED PITA CRISPS
from "The Comfort Table" by Katie Lee, Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2008

For the pita crisps
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons minced fresh herbs (chives, parsley, rosemary, thyme, cilantro, etc.)
4 pitas, split in half and each half cut in fourths (use whole-wheat for a nuttier flavor)
Kosher salt

For the hummus
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained, juice reserved
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt

OR just buy premade hummus

For the pita crisps
Preheat the oven to 400. In a mini food processor, combine the butter and herbs and pulse until well-combined. Spread the herb butter onto the pita slices. Sprinkle with salt and bake until crisp, about 10 minutes.

For the hummus
In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, tahini and cumin. Pulse until smooth. With the food processor running, add the olive oil in a steady stream. Season with the salt and puree until very smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add 2 tablespoons of the reserved chickpea juice at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

BROWN-SUGAR BACON
from "The Comfort Table" by Katie Lee, Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2008

I was going to make this for Christmas Day breakfast but an ice storm kept my guests away. Break it into 1-inch pieces for a cocktail-party snack.

1 pound applewood-smoked bacon
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Place a wire cooling rack on top.

In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar and mustard. Add the bacon and toss to coat. Lay out the bacon slices flat on the rack. Brush with any remaining sugar. Roast the bacon for 25-30 minutes. Let drain on the rack for a few minutes before serving.

THIS YEAR...
If I make wings, I'm going to coat them with a spicy honey barbecue sauce made in West Virginia that I got as Christmas present. I have everything to make the brown-sugar bacon but I might save that for breakfast tomorrow. I am definitely trying new versions of Chex Mix, which Katie Lee was a spokeswoman for this holiday season. I'm most interested in the Buffalo and Deviled varieties.

Buffalo Chex Mix

I might make a Pampered Chef Classic Reuben sandwich ring. I might also make Katie Lee's Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip. I already promised the husband we'd toast with ice cream floats.

I guess I better get moving if I want to do all that.
Happy New Year!

HOT SPINACH & ARTICHOKE DIP
from "The Comfort Table" by Katie Lee, Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2008

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 9-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts (or drained jarred or canned, but not marinated)
1 cup steamed spinach (1 pound raw or 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well-drained)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves
6 large fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a 2-quart baking dish.
In a food processor, combine the cream cheese, artichoke hearts, spinach, mayo, Parmesan, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Spoon into the baking dish. Top with mozzarella. Bake until bubbling and the top is golden brown, 25-30 minutes.
Serve with crackers, tortilla chips or toasted rustic bread.

CLASSIC REUBEN SANDWICH RING
from The Pampered Chef "All The Best", 2003

2 cans crescent rolls
8 ounces sliced deli corned beef, chopped
1 8-ounce can sauerkraut, drained and squeezed dry
1 1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1/4 cup Thousand Island dressing
2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Unroll 2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls and separate into 16 triangles. Arrange triangles, slightly overlapping, in a circle on a round baking stone or pan with wide ends 4 inches from edge. (Points will extend off the edge.) Roll wide ends of dough toward center to create a 5-inch opening.

Preheat oven to 375. Combine corned beef, sauerkraut, 1 cup of the cheese, dressing, parsley and garlic; mix well.

Scoop filling evenly over dough in a continuous circle. Bring points of triangle up over filling and tuck under dough at center to form a ring. Filling will show.
Brush with egg white. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Party time: Tips for smoother small talk

2009-12-01T22:13:00.005-05:00

Tis the season for office Christmas parties. Does the thought of mingling make your palms sweat -- especially at your spouse's office soiree where you likely know no one or anything about them or at least nothing you can say to their face? If you need help making small talk, the tips here are timeless despite the fact that I wrote this four years ago.

I can talk to my colleague about anything EXCEPT work from 9-5, but we can’t seem to think of anything to talk about other than work when we go out to lunch. I have just enough social skill to know you shouldn’t talk about work at a party and I, like maybe some of you, worry about being engaging while mingling.

But what I’ve learned is that the best small-talkers are engaged. They succeed by showing genuine interest in others. And they’ve likely done their homework before the event.

See, by staying in a corner at a party or, worse, finding the TV and gluing yourself to the ballgame, you look like you don’t want to be there. At worst, you look stuck up. While making a favorable impression is important, to make friends or keep your job, it’s far more important to put others at ease and make them feel valued. When you invest in other guests, you’re also contributing to the event, said Debra Fine, author of “The Fine Art of Small Talk.” And I think that’s a way to thank your host for the invite.

Making small talk is a skill. Like penmanship, it requires practice to do well.

If you’re not sold on trying this yourself by the end of my column, at least try to look approachable. Smile, make eye contact and wait for the small-talkers to come to you.

It’s not easy for wallflowers to uproot their feet. Especially when you walk in fashionably late, as we did to my husband’s office Christmas party, and everyone’s already paired up at tables and gabbing away.

I dragged the husband to the table where the boss’s secretary sat with the office courier and his wife. There I was able to employ a tip I’d learned. Listen to other conversations to find something to talk about. The boss’s wife asked the secretary how her daughter liked her new job. Bingo. When the Mrs. moved on I found out the daughter is a hair dresser who opened a Christian bookstore.

If you hit it off with someone it’s hard to move on, but you can’t monopolize that person’s time. Leaving at the top of your game leaves people wanting more: “Be bright. Be brief. Be gone,” advises “Mingling Maven” Susan RoAne.

And what if you can’t get away from someone? I didn’t have to employ an exit line, but I had one ready: “The caprese salad looked good but I didn’t try it the first time through the buffet line.” I would never use one source’s suggestion: “I’ve enjoyed our talk but now I have to make-believe I’m interested in everybody else.” Wouldn’t that say to the person that you were just pretending with them, too?

Next, I employed Tactic No. 2, find someone who looks approachable, and Tactic No. 3, ask about something you know about them. In this case, it was the dispatcher and I knew she had penpals in Iraq. Here is where it helps to have a spouse or friend who has done a little reconnaissance for you.

If you don’t know anything about anybody, rely on “free information.” Maybe talk about how nervous you are making small talk or ask if they read my column.

You do have this in common: You’re all at the same event. Ask what they do for the company or how they know the host. You’re all in it together and can help each other get through it. And I got through it better than I ever have.

With each smooth transition from guest to guest, I got more confident. Maybe I should’ve shared these tips with my equally backward husband because much too soon, he told me it was time to go.

Now I just have to get invited to another party to keep practicing.

This column was first published Dec. 29, 2005, in The Dominion Post newspaper, which holds the copyright.

Leave a comment with your best and worst conversation starters.

I only look like the life of the party. Ha! Seriously, that's not an alcoholic beverage in my hand -- I'm at church -- it's EVOO. I dressed (or tried to dress) as Rachael Ray for Halloween this year.

Holiday baking tip: Substitute for brown sugar

2009-11-30T12:00:00.000-05:00

If you're baking and you run out of brown sugar, or you find you don't have quite enough, or if you find you need a little and you don't want to buy a 1-pound package because the rest will just harden in your cabinet, try this:

Measure 1 cup of granulated white sugar and add 2 teaspoons molasses. Mix with a fork or an electric mixer.

I learned this trick from author Joanne Fluke who writes the Hannah Swensen series of culinary mysteries.

Unexpected food find: Almond milk at Shop'n Save

2009-11-29T23:05:00.006-05:00

I was surprised to find what I consider an upscale product at the Terra Alta Shop 'n Save. I am intrigued that there would be enough demand for a small grocery store to stock almond milk. But they have pleasantly surprised me before with products like acini di pepe, which I couldn't find at Wal-mart in larger neighboring towns.

A half-gallon carton of the Blue Diamond Almond Breeze lactose-free, vitamin-fortified almond milk cost $2.99. I splurged.

I made a kheer-like concoction (kheer is an Indian rice pudding) by mixing the milk with a little sugar, cardamom and vanilla extract and putting it over cooled basmati rice. It was OK but I made more than we really wanted to eat.

I would much rather drink just the spiced, sweetened milk -- especially at bedtime. Just pour some almond milk into a glass and add a little granulated sugar, vanilla extract and cardamom to taste. Stir and enjoy. Good night!

Talking turkey about the cost of eating organic

2009-11-25T17:28:00.003-05:00

The elephant in my kitchen all summer has been a turkey.

This year for Thanksgiving, I decided to reserve a live turkey from a local farmer who sells produce at the farmer’s market across the street from my house.

On the market’s opening day in June, I sought him out and signed up for my bird.

Only then he tells me how big the birds were last year – and how much they cost per pound.

Last year, his family cooked and ate a 48-pound turkey. That’s dressed weight, meaning the turkey had been stripped of feathers and other inedible parts.

And his price, derived from the cost of organic feed, was $2.75 per pound. That would be $132 for my Thanksgiving turkey.

He called to another shopper, Loretta Wotring, to tell me her story. She bought a 38-pound turkey. It barely fit in her roaster pan. And she had just served her family the last of the frozen leftovers that spring.

I started to sweat.

As the weeks slipped by till Thanksgiving, I tried to save money and I occasionally worried how I was going to pay for the bird. I decided if it was huge, I’d just cut it in half and freeze half of it raw – presentation be damned!

I sheepishly told my husband we might have to pay as much for the turkey as I would’ve previously spent on the whole meal, frozen store-bought turkey included.

My curiosity got the better of me in October and I called the farmer, James Stemple.

He said this year the price per pound would be the same but he was sure the birds would be smaller – in the 12- to 18-pound range because he got the day-old chicks in July this year. Last year he had hatchlings in May so they had more time to grow and get larger.

I wanted the local turkey for the experience. I’ve never roasted a fresh turkey, only frozen. My experience tasting locally raised animals is limited to pork and beef.

I am apathetic about food politics.

I think it’s important to support your neighbors if you can, but I don’t buy all my food from local sources. I understand how it pollutes the earth the farther your food travels and that it puts big business over the small farmer. It’s admirable to be a locavore, but I am lazy. I am also concerned about additives, hormones and injections that are given commercially raised animals. But I’d rather not think about it. Price is the biggest influence on my purchasing.

I spent no more than $150 on the Thanksgiving dinner I’m serving to eight people this year. That is easily half my monthly food budget. The turkey’s price was $38 of that. I could’ve had a turkey for 39 cents a pound from Kroger with a $25 purchase. And I have had several local women laugh at me (actually laugh out loud) and tell me I was crazy for spending so much. I do not begrudge James Stemple the money at all. Even having not yet tasted the bird, I’d buy from him again if I could save the money. I have the highest respect for farmers. He and his father, Darwin, graciously showed me around their farm and talked turkey with me. They are very kind and hardworking.

It’s just that I am too poor to have a food conscience.

I cannot buy organic and sustainable and make a statement with my purchases year-round. I have long thought it a shame that fruits and vegetables cost more than processed foods; juice costs 2 to 3 times more than soda. Poor people are at the mercy of whatever is in the food they can afford.

This is a difficult post to write because I'm not comfortable sharing details about my personal financial situation. We aren’t hungry. We don’t go to food pantries. Maybe if I did I could meet every bill every month.

But I want to end this blog post on a happier note. So I will tell you about the Stemples’ farm.

The Stemples – James and his dad Darwin – farm on the sides of two steep hills in rural West Virginia. It is incredibly rocky on the hill where the Stemples have a house, barns and the livestock. It’s easier to break ground on the facing hillside where James grows the produce for his farmers’ market stand. He had just finished planting garlic when I visited in October. The driveway is a deeply rutted meandering cow path. You have to stop and open the gate, drive through, then close it behind you so no cows get out. They have a beautiful view of the surrounding tree-covered hills.

The farm has been in the family since 1941 or ’42. The Stemples moved to it in 1992. James had always wanted to keep birds. He sells eggs and the occasional chicken from his flock. And he has a personal flock of heritage turkeys that he occasionally harvests for a Sunday dinner. He buys white turkeys – the same that wind up inside the Butterball wrapper at the grocery store – to raise for sale at Thanksgiving. He doesn’t grow heritage turkeys for Thanksgiving because they take a long time to mature.

The turkeys are allowed to roam free-range. He feeds them a mix of corn and oats he buys from other local farmers and a feed blend he orders. He doesn’t inoculate his flock and he’s never had a problem. He is interested in sustainability, and he shyly grinned and said he wasn’t sure anyone would want to read about his flock. But he told me anyway. And I thank him. For his time and for his candor.

I thank him for raising the turkey my family will eat. And I thank him for selling it because I wouldn’t have found, or went to great lengths to seek out, the opportunity to serve a fresh, locally grown bird this year. Having the chance to buy local food that’s not been injected with something is only half the challenge of choosing organic. It also has to be affordable. And that is not Stemple’s problem to solve – he charges what he must to cover production costs and I think he deals fairly.

I want to reassure readers I am not indigent and I am having a happy Thanksgiving. I wish you the same.

Tread lightly on tradition when you host Thanksgiving dinner

2009-11-25T17:25:00.001-05:00

Last year, I posted an opinion piece that said food writers hate Thanksgiving because they are pressured to develop new recipes that will largely be ignored. Few consumers break with tradition when the day comes to break the wishbone. They will make green bean casserole and marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes despite all the side-dish variations and innovations presented in magazines and newspapers.

My experience has also been that people want Thanksgiving to taste a certain way -- the recipes prepared the way they remember their mothers or grandmothers making them. A woman at church complained last week that her aunt wants to put lemon pepper on the turkey this year because she saw Martha Stewart do it. The changes I have implemented in my holiday meals are, in my opinion, not that radical, but I have met resistance of varying intensities.

My mother-in-law distrusts my cooking because, in part, one Thanksgiving I was assigned to bring the green beans. Instead of boiling them within an inch of their lives with butter and bacon, I sauteed them until crisp-tender and sprinkled chopped smoked almonds on top. And that is how I will be serving them at my house this year. She better brace herself.

Last year, I made a side dish that combined mashed red skin and sweet potatoes. Mashed white potatoes are piped into the center of a mashed sweet potato nest, drizzled with melted butter and broiled. It is called two-tone potato cups. My mother-in-law, again, was not satisfied with what was served and she went looking through the covered pots on the back of the stove. She found the mashed white potatoes that I hadn't baked off yet and scooped them on her plate. Because they have raw eggs in them, and potentially bacteria, I made her scrape them off her plate.

My advice, especially if you are trying to build your own traditions or hosting dinner for the first time, is to make changes slowly. Add one new dish, homemade dressing for example, alongside the traditional boxed dressing. Don't do anything too radical if you want to host the meal next year and have people accept your invitation.

The holiday meals of my childhood were good. My mom makes wonderfully creamy and fluffy mashed potatoes and terrific from-scratch gravy. She also used some convenience products. There is nothing wrong with brown-'n-serve rolls, Stove Top stuffing and Ocean Spray jellied cranberry sauce. But when I got out on my own, I wanted to do things my way. I still serve frozen rolls -- Rhodes are quite good. I sometimes top them with a spice butter. But I make from-scratch bread dressing.

Going against my own advice, I am trying something risky this year. Instead of merely buttering my turkey before I roast it, I'm going to rub herbs and spices under its skin.

I am also trying a new dressing recipe for the first time ever -- another no-no. Alongside the familiar bread stuffing, I'm serving a cornbread-sausage dressing.

A few years ago I started making a sweet potato casserole with curry, cherries and bleu cheese to serve alongside my mom's candied sweet potatoes. The savory casserole will be on the table this year, and I'm adding a new sweet potato dish: chunks of the tuber coated with a cinnamon-honey glaze.

The casserole with curry, bleu cheese and cherries is pictured above. I have served it with ham and cornbread before.

There are some institutions I will not mess with -- they cannot be improved upon or replaced. One is Libby's pumpkin pie. Alongside the pie, I am going to serve a marbled pumpkin cheesecake. I might make the pear cake from an earlier post.

I better get busy starting some of the recipes. And I overlooked a few ingredients when I made my list for my first shopping trip so I have to make a foolhardy last-minute dash to the grocery store.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Thanksgiving 2009 Recipes

2009-11-25T12:23:00.016-05:00

Turkey seasoning rub

In making the turkey this year, I am going against everything I advise about 1. Trying something new for a major dinner instead of having a trial run first and 2. messing with how people expect something to taste.

I am going to rub a mix of seasonings under the skin instead of just butter. This recipe comes from TV show host and cookbook author Jim Coleman.

COLEMAN'S RUB
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon powdered cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon powdered coriander
1 lemon

Wash turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry with paper towles. Using hands, lift up the skin (without tearing) and rub herb mixture onto meat under skin, starting near the neck and continuing to rump. Squeeze lemon over turkey and use remaining herb mixture to caot the top of the bird.

I bake my turkey in an electric roaster at 350 degrees because it leaves my oven free for preparing other dishes and it cooks faster.

Dressing No. 1

I never bake stuffing inside the bird. I worry about bacteria. The recipe is from the November 1999 Good Housekeeping magazine. It was the first Thanksgiving in my house and the first time I tried to host the dinner.

TRADITIONAL BREAD STUFFING WITH HERBS

1/2 cup margarine or butter (1 stick)
5 large celery stalks, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1 14 1/2-ounce can chicken broth
2 16-ounce loaves sliced firm white bread, lightly toasted and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Preheat oven to 325. In 12-inch skillet, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add celery and onion, and cook 15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in thyme, salt, pepper, sage, chicken broth and 1/2 cup water; remove skillet from heat.

Place bread cubes in very large bowl. Add celery mixture and parsley; toss to mix well.

Spoon stuffing into 13-inch-by-9-inch glass baking dish; cover with foil and bake 40 minutes or until heated through. Makes about 12 cups.

Dressing No. 2

This is also the first time I'm trying this recipe for cornbread dressing.

CORNBREAD AND SAUSAGE STUFFING from Martha Stewart
1 pound fresh pork sausage, casings removed, crumbled (plus giblets, diced; optional)
1 large onion, (about 2 cups), finely chopped
3 celery, finely chopped (1 1/2 cups)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 pounds prepared cornbread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (12 cups)
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 to 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large nonstick skillet, cook sausage (and giblets, if using) over medium-high heat, stirring often, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a large bowl.

To pan, add onion, celery, and 1/4 cup water. Reduce heat to medium; cook, scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon, until vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add to sausage.

Add cornbread, sage, and eggs to sausage and vegetables. Bring broth to a simmer in a small saucepan; pour 1/2 cup over stuffing, and toss gently (cornbread will break down into smaller pieces). If needed, add up to 1/2 cup more broth, until stuffing feels moist, but not wet. If you aren't planning on cooking the stuffing inside the turkey -- and I'm not, pour all the chicken broth over the entire amount of stuffing, and transfer to a large baking dish.

Sweet Potato Side Dish No. 1

SWEET POTATO, DRIED CHERRY, MADRAS CURRY AND BLEU CHEESE DRESSING

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch buves (about 4 cups)
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
2 slices hardwood smoked bacon, julienned
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup crumbled bleu cheese
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup diced green onions
2 teaspoons sea or kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes, onion, bell pepper, bacon, olive oil and curry powder. Pour mixture into an ovenproof dish, cover with foil and bake until sweet potatoes are tender, up to 90 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool about 30 minutes.

Once mixture has cooled, add the dried cherries, bleu cheese, orange juice, green onions, salt and pepper and mix ingredients until well incorporated.

Makes 4 to 6 side-dish servings. Also good with steak or pork. Can be used to stuff quail, Cornish hens, chicken or turkey. If used as stuffing, decrease initial baking time to 50 minutes.

Sweet Potato Side Dish No. 2

This recipe is new to people outside my household, but I have made it once before and found that it tastes even better the second day. If anyone misses the marshmallow-topped candied sweets, this should partly make up for it. I am also planning to make this as a side dish for barbecued pork tenderloin in the future. The recipe is from Pillsbury.

SWEET POTATOES WITH CINNAMON HONEY

5 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons grated fresh lemon peel
1/2 cup honey
4 pounds sweet potatoes

Heat oven to 325. Brush 13-inch-by-9-inch glass baking dish with melted butter. To remaining butter, stir in cinnamon, salt, lemon peel and honey; set aside.

Peel sweet potatoes; cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in baking dish. Drizzle with half of the honey mixture; stir to evenly coat potatoes.

Cover tightly with foil; bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; spoon remaining honey mixture on top. Recover; bake 20-30 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender.

Last year's mashed potatoes

I am not making these this year, but I wanted to share the recipe. My mom is making mashed russet potatoes. But last year, I nearly poisoned my mother-in-law because she went looking for "regular mashed potatoes" in a pot on the back of the stove that held some that I hadn't baked yet -- that wasn't to be served. Because the eggs were still raw and the dish potentially harbored bacteria, I made her scrape her plate into the trash. She was unhappy with me. The recipe is from an old Better Homes & Gardens magazine.

TWO-TONE POTATO CUPS

3 red-skinned medium potatoes (1 pound), cooked and drained
2 medium sweet potatoes (1 pound), cooked and drained
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg white
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel (optional)
2 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted
Salt
White pepper

Peel all of the potatoes.

In two separate mixing bowls mash the white potatoes and the sweet potatoes with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth, adding 1 tablespoon of the butter to each. Beat egg white and onion powder into white potatoes. Beat the egg yolk and orange peel into the sweet potatoes. Season both potato mixtures with salt and white pepper to taste.

Line a baking sheet with foil; spray with nonstick spray coating. Using a wooden spoon, spread about 1/4 cup of the sweet potato mixture into a 2 1/2-to-3-inch nest on the foil. Repeat with the rest of the sweet potato mixture, making 8 nests total.

Spoon the white potato mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip. Pipe white potato mixture into the center of the sweet potato nests. Loosely cover nests with plastic wrap and chill for 2 to 24 hours.

At serving time, drizzle the melted butter over the potato nests. Bake the nests, uncovered, in a 500-degree oven for 10-12 minutes or till golden. (Or, broil potato nests 4 inches from the heat about 7 minutes.) Let stand for 1-2 minutes. Use a wide spatula to carefully transfer the nests to dinner plates. Makes 4 side-dish servings.

Vegetable

Green beans, steamed, sauteed or oven-roasted, topped with chopped smoked almonds

Rolls

I prefer Rhodes frozen dinner rolls. I top them with this terrific sweet spiced butter that tastes like what they serve at Texas Roadhouse. It's also good on baked sweet potatoes.

CHRISTMAS SPICE BUTTER

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon sugar

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy and well-combined. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed. Makes 1 cup.

Cranberry sauce

My mother-in-law makes the relish-like sauce from the recipe on the back of the package of cranberries. Here is Ocean Spray's.

Dessert

Libby's Pumpkin Pie

I toted this pumpkin cheesecake to a newsroom potluck when I worked in an office and to my mom's house a few Thanksgivings ago. It is from the Oct. 5, 1999 issue of Woman's Day magazine.

MARBLED PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

Crust
7 whole chocolate graham crackers, finely crushed (1 cup)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons stick butter, melted

Filling
5 ounces semisweet chocolate or 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 8-ounce bricks reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon each ground cloves and nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs plus whites from two large eggs
1 15-ounce can solid pack pumpkin

Heat oven to 350. Lightly coat an 8-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Stir cracker crumbs, sugar and butter in a small bowl until evenly moistened. Press over bottom of pan. Bake 8 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Meanwhile melt chocolate according to package directions. Keep warm.

Beat cream cheese in a large bowl with mixer on high speed until smooth. Add sugar, cornstarch, spices and vinall. Reduce mixer speed to medium and beat mixture until very well blended. Scrape bowl and beaters, add eggs and egg whites, and beat just until mixed.

Add pumpkin and beat on low speed until well blended. Stir 2 cups pumpkin mixture into chocolate. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pumpkin batter and pour the rest onto the crust.

Pour the chocolate mixture on top of the pumpkin batter in a thick ring about 1/2 inch in from sides of pan. Top with dollops of reserved 1/2 cup pumpkin batter. Run a knife through both batters for a marble effect. (Don't overdo or effect will be muddied.)

Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Run a knife carefully around edges to release cake from pan.

Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours before removing pan sides. Place cheesecake on serving plate.

Spice Cake with Caramelized Pears and Maple Buttercream

2009-11-19T22:31:00.008-05:00

When I read about this Spice Cake with Caramelized Pears and Maple Buttercream in the November issue of Gourmet magazine -- the last one they will ever print -- I couldn't wait to try it. I am considering offering it in addition to the pumpkin pies and pumpkin cheesecake at Thanksgiving.

The batter is thick and luscious -- there are two sticks of butter in it after all -- and it is fragrant with vanilla and spices. The pears do not make the cake soggy at all. The maple frosting ties everything together. It is lightly sweet and quite yummy. I think it is the butter, the 5 eggs and the baking powder and the way you thoroughly beat the batter after adding each egg that makes the layers bake up even and near-perfect. Don't neglect to rap the pans in the counter to jar out air bubbles.

Here is a link to the recipe for Spice Cake with Caramelized Pears and Maple Buttercream from the November 2009 Gourmet magazine.

And in case they ever take down Epicurious.com, seeing as how Gourmet closed, I will print the text of the recipe after I tell you what I did differently.

I made one of my two regular buttercream frosting recipes. I didn't make the cooked version from the recipe. It sounded like a lot of bother, frankly. And if I did it incorrectly -- such as somehow "cooking" the egg white with the hot syrup (I've seen it done in candy making and it is a disgusting chunky result), I'd waste a lot of pricy ingredients like real maple syrup. So I used imitation maple flavoring in my frosting. I didn't like the idea, but I already had it in my pantry. I think it turned out just fine. My frosting recipe follows the one from Gourmet.

Spice Cake with Caramelized Pears and Maple ButtercreamGourmet | November 2009
by Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez

When layered with tender, brandy-spiked pears and a fluffy maple-flavored frosting, spice cake sheds its old-fashioned modesty, becoming impressive enough for any Thanksgiving sideboard. While it will surely satisfy the cake fans at your holiday gathering, it just might tempt a few diehard pie lovers, as well.

Yield: Makes 10 to 12 servings
Active Time: 1 1/2 hr
Total Time: 2 hr

For spice cake:
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
5 large eggs

For caramelized pears:
2 1/4 pounds Bartlett or Bosc pears (about 5)
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons brandy

For maple buttercream:
4 large egg whites at room temperature 30 minutes
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup maple sugar
1 1/3 cups pure maple syrup (preferably Grade A dark amber)
4 sticks (1 pound) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons and softened

Equipment: 3 (8-inch) round cake pans (2 inches deep; see cooks’ note, below); a candy thermometer

Make spice cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour cake pans.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Stir together milk and vanilla in a small bowl.

Beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with milk mixture (begin and end with flour mixture) and mixing until just combined.

Divide batter among pans, smoothing tops, then rap pans once or twice on counter to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake until pale golden and a wooden pick inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge of pans, then invert cakes onto racks. Reinvert and cool completely.

Caramelize pears:

Peel and core pears, then coarsely chop.

Heat butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then sauté pears, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in sugar, lemon juice, and brandy and cook over high heat, stirring, until juices are deep golden and pears are tender, about 5 minutes.

Make buttercream:

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar and salt using cleaned beaters at medium speed until they just hold soft peaks. Add maple sugar a little at a time, beating, then continue to beat until whites just hold stiff peaks.

Boil maple syrup in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, undisturbed, until it reaches soft-ball stage (238 to 242°F on candy thermometer), 3 to 7 minutes.

With mixer at low speed, immediately pour hot syrup in a slow stream down side of bowl into egg whites, then beat at high speed, scraping down side of bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula, until meringue is cool to the touch, about 6 minutes. (It's important that meringue be fully cooled before proceeding.)

At medium speed, add butter 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. (If buttercream looks soupy after some butter is added, meringue is too warm: Chill bottom of bowl in an ice bath for a few seconds before continuing to beat in remaining butter.) Continue beating until buttercream is smooth. (Mixture may look curdled before all butter is added but will come together before beating is finished.)

Assemble cake:

Put 1 cake layer on a serving plate, then spread with 3/4 cup buttercream and top with half of pear filling. Top with second cake layer, 3/4 cup buttercream, and remaining pear filling. Top with remaining cake layer, then frost top and sides of cake with remaining buttercream.

Cooks' notes:
•Cake can be made in 3 (9-inch) cake pans (cake layers will take a few minutes less to bake).
•Cake layers can be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature.
•Buttercream can be made 1 week ahead and chilled or 1 month ahead and frozen. Bring to room temperature (do not use a microwave), then beat with an electric mixer before using.
•The egg whites in this recipe will not be fully cooked. You can substitute reconstituted powdered egg whites.

Cynthia's Maple Buttercream

I adapted a recipe from Ann Byrn "The Cake Mix Doctor".

1 stick butter, softened
3 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon maple flavoring
3-4 tablespoons of milk

Put the butter in a mixing bowl and mix it on medium-high until fluffy, about 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the sugar, vanilla, maple flavoring and 1-2 tablespoons of milk. Beat again until the sugar is incorporated, about 5 minutes. Add more milk 1 tablespoon at a time till you get a spreadable consistency.

Note: When I make the pear cake again, I think I will make a recipe and a half of frosting. I was spreading it pretty thin trying to cover the sides and top of the cake.

Other tips I would give, in case some readers are new to baking:
1. Measure carefully. Baking is exact.
2. Don't substitute. Use real ingredients: butter, whole milk, etc.
3. Make sure your spices are fresh.

Cute, but gross

2009-10-08T11:03:00.005-04:00

I really wanted to like this caramel popcorn shaped like an ear of corn instead of a ball. (You thought I was playing with my food? Shame on you!)

I couldn't help but pick up three of these for $1.79 apiece when I saw them at the Hill Top Farmer's Market in Oakland, Md. (The Farmer's Market is not a place where vendors set up once a week. It's a store that keeps regular hours and has fresh local produce as well as bulk baking items and Amish products and the famed Candyland -- hundreds of varieties that you pick and mix and pay for by the pound.)

Anyway, these were on the produce side late this summer. I'd like to say I didn't have the popcorn balls to post this until now but really I was just lazy.

There are two varieties of the Caramel Cob -- classic and peanut. The flavor is not bad. It's the texture that makes this cutie disgusting.

It, ahem, stands up to its claim of "soft n' chewy." In your mouth it becomes taffy with popcorn hulls. Blech!

I wouldn't mind a crunchier cob. I may try to replicate these at home without preservatives and additives; I could use green plastic wrap as the husks. Just wondering how I would form the ears... .

The package is printed to look like peeled-back corn husks. It's just darling, really. And the opening instructions crack me up: "Smack & Snack -- The fun way to open! Push top of cob through wrapper by smacking bottom of cob upward."

It's manufactured by Kathy Kaye Foods in Hyde Park, Utah. Here's a link to the Web site.

November Gourmet will be the last issue

2009-10-07T09:20:00.002-04:00

Conde Nast closes Gourmet magazine

NYT discovers the pepperoni roll

2009-09-30T15:49:00.001-04:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/dining/30unit.html

S'more better

2009-07-02T16:33:00.006-04:00

This spring I discovered Kraft Jet-Puffed SwirlMallows in Caramel & Vanilla. Eaten by hand from the bag, they have a slight burnt-sugar quality. I like them. When you toast them over a stove burner or a bonfire's flames, they seem to burn faster than regular marshmallows. I didn't mind. But a "gourmet" marshmallow needed a little better treatment. So I got a dark chocolate bar and elevated the outdoors experience. I used graham crackers but I wonder if shortbread would be fitting or too over-the-top. The only place I have found these new marshmallows at Foodland Fresh in Kingwood. Last time I looked, they didn't have them, though. If you can find them, enjoy them -- Happy Fourth of July!

Brownie a trois

2009-05-23T20:33:00.008-04:00

You'll feel naughty eating these decadent brownies.

A plain brownie is pretty scrumptious but I prefer dressing them up with toppings. I've done a coconut frosting, raspberry jam swirled with white chocolate chips and a turtle variation. For the past year I have made a lot of the rocky road brownies from a recipe I got from a former co-worker. This spring I started thinking about recreating a Hershey's Take 5 candy bar by topping the chocolate brownie base with pretzels, caramel and peanut butter. I didn't add Hershey's fifth ingredient, chopped peanuts, so my creation is more of a "Take 4." Good -- they won't get me for trademark infringement. I also had the urge to make a Fluffernutter topping for a brownie, but instead of pairing peanut butter with marshmallow fluff, I used marshmallow ice cream sundae topping. The result was yummy.

Brownies are the perfect portable thing to tote to a potluck, picnic or reunion. They hold up well for transport, they don't spoil and people love them. I recommend these three recipes for Memorial Day and all your summertime get-togethers.

Cynthia's Take 4 Brownies

You could figure this out without a recipe, really. And I didn't measure anything -- just put on what looks right to you. It's the technique you'll probably be interested in more than anything.

A boxed brownie mix -- I like Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge.
peanut butter -- creamy or chunky, your choice
mini pretzels
caramel bits
chocolate chips

Prepare the brownie mix according to package directions. Spread it in the pan. Bake at 350 for 17 minutes. Note this isn't enough time to completely cook it.

Take out the underbaked brownies. Stir the peanut butter -- maybe about 1/3 to 1/2 cup; it's up to you -- until creamy and drop gobs of it randomly on the brownie batter. As it starts to melt, gently spread it a little. It doesn't have to be a solid coating.

Drop some pretzels on top: Put them close together or space them so you can cut between them -- your choice. Or you can break them up and sprinkle the pieces.

Sprinkle some caramel bits and then some chocolate chips until it's coated as much or as little as you like.

Bake for another 13 minutes.

I partially baked it before putting on the toppings because I didn't want the heavy pieces to sink in the batter nor did I want the caramel bits to scorch. The bits don't get really melty and when the brownies cool, they are firm. My husband liked it. If I get ambitious again soon, I'm going to try melting the bits and combining with some whipping cream and drizzling it on in hope that it will stay smooth.

Cynthia's Fluffernutter Brownies

A boxed brownie mix -- I like Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge.
peanut butter
Smucker's Marshmallow Sauce ice cream sundae topping

Prepare the brownie mix according to package directions. Spread it in the pan. Bake at 350 for 17 minutes. Note this isn't enough time to completely cook it.

Remove the underbaked brownies from the oven. Stir the peanut butter until creamy. Maybe about 1/2 a cup for a 13-by-9-inch pan. Smear the pb over the top of the batter -- pushing it off the spoon with another spoon. When it gets melty, carefully spread it a little. It doesn't have to be a solid coating.

With a clean spoon, stir the marshmallow sauce in the jar. Holding it several inches above the batter, drizzle as much as you want over the top.

Return the pan to the oven and bake for 13 minutes.

I put these toppings on in the middle of the baking process because I worried that the marshmallow topping might brown if it was in the oven for the whole time. Likewise the pb could scorch. I suppose you could add the topping as soon as you remove the completely baked brownies from the oven. But I did it at the midpoint of baking tonight because I did one pan of brownies with Fluffernutter on half and Take 4 toppings on the rest.

Why marshmallow sauce and not Fluff or real marshmallows? Consistency. I think Fluff might scorch or just not look appealing. And I know real marshmallows tend to "toast" in the oven and then firm up when the brownies cool. Trust me -- the sauce is what you're looking for in a topping to get Fluffernutter flavor.

Rocky Road Brownies

This has been published elsewhere on this site, but here it is again for convenience.

1 box Duncan Hines Brownie Mix
mini marshmallows
chopped walnuts
1/2 cup or so chocolate chips
a couple of tablespoons of milk

Prepare the brownie mix according to package directions for fudgy brownies. Within the last 5 minutes of bake time, scatter some mini marshmallows on top of the batter. Don't make it a solid layer, but get it even. Return the pan to the oven to finish baking the brownies and melt and toast the marshmallows. Remove from oven and sprinkle some chopped walnuts on top. In a saucepan or the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the milk and stir until smooth. Dribble on top of the brownies.

Of bread and croutons

2009-05-14T20:25:00.005-04:00

I love the independent artisan bakery in Morgantown, New Day Bakery, but sometimes I end up in town on Mondays, when it's closed. Those times, I admit, I go to Panera for the Mediterranean Veggie sandwich: Peppadew™ peppers, feta cheese, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and cilantro hummus on tomato basil bread.

Last time, I bought a loaf of the bread, which is a hefty hunk for $3.99. I made a couple of muffulettas with it but its flavor was overpowered. I toasted and buttered it and sprinkled it with garlic powder -- not the right combo of flavors. I spread it with regular hummus ... good, but still not hitting the spot.

Tonight I realized I have to use it up or it's going to go bad. I cubed it and made croutons for a spinach salad. Voila! The flavors of egg, bacon, spinach and cheddar matched nicely with the crisp tomato basil croutons. I almost didn't need the Catalina dressing. I can't wait to have it again.

To make croutons: Toss 1 cup bread cubes with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch each of salt, pepper and garlic powder. Spread out on a baking sheet and toast at 350°F until crispy, turning occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes.

'Fat cat' has never been truer

2009-04-08T14:17:00.003-04:00

West Virginia legislators scarf Tudor's biscuits and Krispy Kreme doughnuts and crumple the menu calorie bill with the wrapper. Urp!

Calorie Bill Killed by House Committee

Easter Brunch ideas

2009-04-07T16:02:00.005-04:00

I would rather have an Easter brunch than a dinner, perhaps it's because of all the sweets, yeast breads and egg dishes. Plus ham goes well for breakfast, too. Here are some of the brunch dishes I've served in the past plus some new things I've tried recently that I think would be great on Easter morning.

This past Sunday morning, I tried this 1978 Pillsbury Bake-Off finalist recipe for Maple Cream Coffee Treat. If I made it again, I would up the powdered sugar and leave out the coconut. It's yummy though and the sticky sauce reminds me of January Thaw.

Image borrowed from Pillsbury

MAPLE CREAM COFFEE TREAT
from Pillsbury's "Crescents biscuits & more" booklet

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup maple syrup or dark corn syrup
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup coconut
2 12-ounce cans Pillsbury Golden Layers refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

Heat oven to 350. In ungreased 13-by-9-inch pan, mix brown sugar, nuts, syrup and 1/4 cup butter; spread evenly in bottom of pan. In small bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons butter with spoon until smooth. Stir in coconut.

Separate dough into 20 biscuits; press or roll each into 4-inch round. Spoon 1 tablespoon cream cheese mixture down center of each biscuit round to within 1/4 inch of edge. Overlap sides of dough over filling, forming finger-shaped rolls, arrange seam side down in 2 rows of 10 rolls each over brown sugar mixture in pn.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Turn pan upside down onto sheet of foil or waxed paper, or onto serving platter; remove pan. Serve warm. Cover and refrigerate any remaining sweet rolls.

I made this bacon for just us on New Year's Eve and broke it into 1-inch pieces, as recommended in the cookbook, as a cocktail-party snack.

BROWN-SUGAR BACON
from "The Comfort Table" by West Virginian Katie Lee Joel

1 pound applewood-smoked bacon
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Place a wire cooling rack on top.

In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar and mustard. Add the bacon and toss to coat. Lay out the bacon slices flat on the rack. Brush with any remaining sugar. Roast the bacon for 25-30 minutes. Let drain on the rack for a few minutes before serving. Serve whole or cut into 1-inch pieces.

Cream cheese plays a supporting role at Easter and in my stuffed French toast that I concocted and reported on in 2007.

Equally special, easy and appropriate for Easter brunch, is the Almond Crumble Twist I featured in a post last fall.

This baked berry French toast was a big hit at a church I attended for Easter brunch several years ago. If you cover it for transport, be sure to vent the lid so the bread doesn't get soggy.

BAKED BERRY FRENCH TOAST
from Cooking Light magazine

1 cup fat-free milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large egg whites, lightly beathen, or 3/4 cup egg white substitute from a carton
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 8-ounce loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch slices
cooking spray
2 cups frozen blueberries
1 1/2 cups frozen blackberries
1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. In a 9-by-13-inch dish, combine milk, vanilla, egg whites and egg, stirring well with a whisk. Add bread until it covers the bottom of the pan in a single layer. Turn to coat. Let stand 5 minutes, turning bread occasionally.

While the bread soaks up the egg mixture, coat a second 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Combine berries, 3/4 cup sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon in the dish. Arrange bread in a single layer over berries. Sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Sprinkle evenly with powdered sugar. Six servings.

GREEN MONSTAH FRUIT SALAD
from Cook's Country magazine

1 honeydew melon
3 kiwi fruits, peeled and sliced
Handful fresh mint
2 cups green grapes, halved
1/2 cup simple syrup, less if you prefer

Make simple syrup by combining 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water and stirring constantly over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Don’t let it boil or scorch. Allow to cool.

Halve the melon and remove seeds. Scoop the flesh from both halves with a melon baller. Stack the mint leaves, roll them and thinly slice on a bias to make a chiffonade.

Combine the melon, grapes and kiwi. Dress with simple syrup and mint. Serve chilled.

My mom loves this salad from my good friend Katie McDowell. She requests it almost every holiday.

KATIE'S SALAD

1 bag baby spinach
1 container grape tomatoes
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 container white button mushrooms OR one large portabello mushroom, sliced
1/2 to 1 cup dried cherries or cranberries
1/2 to 1 cup blueberries (can use sliced strawberries, raspberries, Granny Smith apple or green grapes — whatever looks good and is in season)
1 small log chevre (goat cheese) — plain, ash or cranberry, whichever you prefer
1 cup candied pecans (see below)
Lots freshly ground black pepper

Combine ingredients in a large salad bowl. If you like, sautee the mushrooms with a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil and/or butter before placing on top of salad. This brings out the mushrooms’ flavor and adds a nice warm/cool-and-crispy component to the salad. For another twist — works well if serving as a main dish — form silver-dollar-sized patties of the goat cheese and dredge in flour, egg wash and breadcrumbs and fry in a small amount of oil until golden brown outside and melty inside. Serve atop the salad.

CANDIED PECANS
1 cup pecan halves
light brown sugar
honey
pinch salt
freshly ground black pepper

In a bowl, combine pecans with enough brown sugar and honey to coat liberally. Add dash of salt and black pepper and spread coated pecans on a baking sheet (I line it with foil for easier clean up). Put pecans under the broiler until sugar has caramelized. Be sure to keep a close on them, they burn quickly. When nicely caramelized, remove from oven and allow to sit. The coating will harden. When cooled, scatter over salad (you may want to save a few as snacks).

For dessert, I have made cheesecakes before and sometimes cherry pies -- try topping canned cherry pie filling with crumbled almond paste instead of a top crust. YUM! This year, I'm trying to talk my mom into making her from-scratch butterscotch pie. Heaven!

Mourning Chef Harv

2009-04-01T21:34:00.009-04:00

Chef Harv died before I got to make his acquaintance. Harvey Christie could've gone quite far, but was just getting companies and concepts off the ground when he crashed his van in December 2006 and died. He had founded a gourmet company in the Eastern Panhandle that served The Greenbrier Resort among others. But his most intriguing concept was a company that handled the overhead for people who wanted to make and package their own products to sell. For example, let's say I had what I thought was a great recipe for Granny's apple butter but opening a commercial kitchen and getting the proper permits was too overwhelming. I could call Harvey Christie's Gourmet Central, take my apples and spices to their kitchen and use their equipment to prepare, package and even label my product before marketing it. Harv's wife and partner are still running it last I heard.

What got me thinking about Chef Harv? I caught a 15-minute cooking show he hosted on our local public television station. I don't know if he was the only host of "Easy Bites" but it seemed like he was. He gave two quick kid-friendly recipes, fitness tips on a kid level like "go outside and jump rope or run around to get your energy out and you won't have any trouble being sleepy at bedtime" and book recommendations. I fell in love with him and missed him severely when Arabella and I caught an episode about bedtime snacks recently. I wish I had written down the recipe for these scone-like creations that combined bits of cooked turkey breast with cranberries, sage, a few kinds of cheese and baking mix like Bisquick. He said he liked to take them on fishing trips. But the second recipe I do remember and it is simple and can be served hot or cold.

APPLE-CHAMOMILE BEDTIME DRINK OR POPSICLES
Take a cup of apple juice and a chamomile tea bag.
Have a grown-up help you heat the apple juice. Steep the tea bag in the warm apple juice for 10 minutes or so. Drink.
OR pour into Popsicle molds and insert sticks. Freeze. Eat one before bed on a warm night.

I have e-mailed the station for the turkey biscuit recipe. If I receive it, I'll post it. I may just have to fiddle with it till I figure it out.

The recipes from the 2006 season of Christie's main show "WV Cooks" are still on the station's Web site. On that show, Harv had guest chefs from around the state join him to make something.

Cinnamon-Raisin Biscuits

2009-03-27T10:46:00.007-04:00

I abhor Hardee's fast-food restaurants. The grease in their food -- even the salads -- is not the only thing that makes me queasy. They concoct the most unhealthful sandwiches -- huge slabs of meat with more meat as toppings. Disgusting.

However, every now and then, I crave their cinnamon-raisin biscuits. That happened early one morning back when I was helping on my mom's paper route. I went through the drive-thru. Some employees smoking outside told me that they don't open till 6. It was 5:55 -- you have got to be kidding me. I laid rubber to get home and look up a comparable recipe to do it myself. Who needs Hardee's?

I found this online and this morning I finally made it after saving it all that time. The craving had apparently passed. I have been trying to make myself an easy little comfort food homemade treat on Friday mornings just because. This was today's.

I think if I make it again I would cut back on the sugar a little. And instead of making drop biscuits, I might roll them in hope that the texture would be a little more like Hardee's. Still it's better than going to the place with the obnoxious star.

CINNAMON-RAISIN DROP BISCUITS
2 cups Bisquick baking mix
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar (or slightly less)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 425.

Stir all ingredients together until a soft dough forms.

Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Makes 12.

POWDERED SUGAR GLAZE
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk (plus a teensy splash more)

Stir until smooth. Drizzle on hot biscuits.

[Product Reviews] Hot and Not

2009-02-08T20:56:00.005-05:00

I went into Wal*mart a little snacky, with homemade Chex Mix on my mind. Then I saw a can of Blue Diamond Almonds Bold Wasabi & Soy Sauce. I bought them and have managed to not eat the entire can at once...just nibbling a few at a time. They really hit the spot when I'm craving something salty and a little spicy. I don't have to eat many to satisfy my munchies. I don't have to feel guilty about snacking because almonds have fiber and are low in fat. Six ounces cost about $3.

We don't buy much juice but recently I tried Welch's Black Cherry Concord Grape and it was divine: jammy and luscious. A bit pricey at more than $4 for 64 ounces but there was a $1 coupon on the bottle (which of course the checker didn't acknowledge) but still well worth what I paid for it.

I took the coupon back on my next shopping trip but all the bottle of that variety were gone. Then I noticed they had the same flavor and brand of powdered drink mix in little on-the-go packets that you add to water. Yes I know there's nothing you can add to water that will match juice's nutrition. But I was hoping for flavor and for the promised immunity-boosting antioxidants till I could find the real thing again. I have tried one packet and I'm disappointed. It tastes like really bad grape Kool-aid, not that grape Kool-aid is all that great to start with. I don't know if I can make it through the whole box, even for the vitamins. It is quite like taking my medicine. Think Dimetapp.

Hot: Blue Diamond Almonds Wasabi & Soy Sauce
Hot: Welch's Black Cherry Concord Grape 100 percent Juice
Not: Welch's to go! powdered drink mix

Oatmeal cookies two more ways

2009-02-04T22:15:00.002-05:00

I really like the oatmeal cookies I make with dried cherries and bittersweet chocolate chips. But this winter, after Christmas, I wanted to try something different. I had leftover candied orange peel so I bought some dried cranberries to pair with it, replacing the chocolate and cherries, for variation No. 1. It was yummy. I knew it would be because I had been stirring a little of each into bowls of oatmeal since I ran out of Granny Smith apple. The second variation I tried was riskier but oh so worth it. I had been craving candied ginger and bittersweet chocolate together. I finely chopped a small amount of ginger and added it to the cookie batter in place of the cherries. Very good. Please note that for the variations, I added a teaspoon of cinnamon, for which the original recipe doesn't call.

A tasty treat for dry skin

2009-02-03T20:45:00.001-05:00

The colder-than-usual temperatures are really brutal to my skin, which normally doesn't have any problems. My creamy cleanser and moisturizer haven't been able to keep up. I tried to drink more water to fight the problem and that didn't completely solve it. I pumped moisture into the air with a humidifier. But for immediate relief for my dry, tight, itchy, flaky face, I whipped up a home remedy with ingredients in the kitchen. I found a few variations of this recipe all over the 'Net.

1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
a little ground oatmeal (optional)

Combine and apply to face (avoiding eyes) for 15 minutes and wash off with lukewarm water.

This recipe made enough for me to do two applications, which I thought was excessive to do two days in a row. I could halve the recipe but what would I do with half an egg yolk? I think with a little planning -- mixing it on the weekend when I make scrambled eggs or something else I could sneak a little extra egg yolk in -- and I'll be set. The dilemma of what to do with the egg white, if I don't want to just throw it out, could be solved the same way. But I have a yummier idea: seafoam candy. I'll post about that when the air is dry and I have time to draft the husband into helping me make a batch and take photos. It is the most special homemade candy.

Losing my head over garlic

2009-02-02T22:00:00.005-05:00

"You can, but you shouldn't" is a proverb I hadn't heard until I started researching whether or not you can freeze fresh garlic with no adverse effects.

First, the back story:
An inattentive/apathetic cashier at Wal*mart shoved a produce bag of four heads of garlic into a bag with some frozen foods. I'll admit I was a little negligent, too. Putting away groceries late at night after a 5-year-old was carsick all over herself, I wasn't careful to take everything out of the bags. I shoved what appeared to be a shopping bag of frozen fish and vegetables into the deep freeze. Two nights later when I was looking for the garlic I bought, it dawned on me to check the bag in the freezer. There was the garlic.

A few frantic Googles and an angry call to a Wal*mart manager later, I had a decision to make. I could keep the garlic -- in the freezer, wrapped in plastic and inside a tightly sealed container -- and use it a clove at a time, risking lost flavor and funky texture.

OR I could return the garlic to Wal*mart for a replacement and risk them putting the perfect-looking heads I chose back in the produce bin for me or some other shopper to take home unknowingly. I wouldn't put it past them.

So far the garlic is still in my freezer. I used four cloves of it and the texture of the thawing cloves is somewhat like that of lettuce that has been frozen -- the beginnings of mushy. Chopping it is like cutting through a frozen grape or a melon ball or maybe a creamsicle. It's not right. It's not crisp. But it doesn't seem to taste so bad. I think as long as I put it IN something -- saute it, melt it in sauce or mix it into a burger -- it shouldn't be so bad.

That's right. I am leaning toward keeping it. Part of what I found in my research said freezing garlic isn't such a bad thing as long as you double-wrap it like I described above and use it up fast. But first, I think I might call Lynne Rosetto Kasper on "The Splendid Table" and see what she thinks. I'll let you know if I get through.

It's the portion size, silly

2009-02-01T15:40:00.003-05:00

I know a woman with unhealthy eating habits. I do not mean to belittle or deride her when I say she is a simple person. I think she is capable of learning about nutritious foods and eating in moderation, but she will probably never be motivated to find out for herself. She is morbidly obese and has a variety of health problems that are exacerbated if not completely caused by the weight and malnutrition. She once said, in regard to eating habits, "I had only mashed potatoes for dinner." She in fact had a dinner plate heaped full of mashed potatoes. Probably enough for five or six servings.

There are a lot of things regular people in this country don't understand about their diets and portion size is one of them. They are the folks who do not read labels and do not measure anything. They assume that all of a 20-ounce bottle of soda is one serving because they will consume it quite comfortably in a sitting. (Actually, if you didn't know, it's 2 1/2 servings so multiply all those calories and other numbers on the nutrition facts panel by 2 1/2.) They are the people who "super size" their servings when dishing up a homecooked meal. Some no doubt think that the food is better for them than fast-food because of where it was prepared.

While the portion sizes and kinds of food offered at fast-food restaurants are certainly not in line with good nutrition, this recent study written up in the Chicago Tribune shows that it is a lifestyle habit to overeat everywhere, not just under the Golden Arches.

Read about the study here.

Et tu, Girl Scouts?

2009-01-27T19:50:00.004-05:00

I heard a few months ago that some food makers were putting less food in the same-size packages and charging the same price. Their goal is to off-set the rising cost of raw ingredients without raising prices. One of the sneakiest examples was peanut butter manufacturers increasing the "punt" (the dent in the bottom) of the jar so it holds less peanut butter but on the shelf it looks like the same jar you bought before. Sneaky, I say!

Within the last couple of days, Consumer Reports and NBC Nightly News reported again on these downsized products and also noted that consumers would rather pay more for the same amount of food than the same price for less.

During the same time, I heard that Girl Scouts have put fewer Thin Mints, Do-Si-Dos and Tagalongs in their boxes this year. Far be it from me to slam Girl Scouts seeing as how 80 or so of my lovely friends, relatives and associates have cooperated to buy more than 330 boxes from my daughter. I am just pointing out that no one is spared in this economy. (The sale is over so I cannot be accused of selling on the Internet.) Perhaps if I had known there were fewer in each box I could've told people "Buy an extra, 'cause there's fewer this year." Actually, honestly, before I saw the report about fewer cookies I was looking at the package info and thinking "$3.50 for 15 cookies/5.5 ounces (for the sugar-free chocolate chip kind). Yipe! That's steep! This is a pretty good racket. They have the corner on scarcity -- you can get them only once a year and there are few other brands that taste like them. They are good but come on." I am not the only one who had second thoughts. I had one person tell me no because, she said, her family in this economy has clamped down on discretionary spending.

Honestly I do not intend to slam on Girl Scouts so I will stop now. However, the economy as it affects my bread and butter, literally, has been on my mind for a year or more. I have weighed where to enter the debate and how much I want to tell about my own personal grocery bill. I'm still working on it. Watch for future posts.

I won free cheese!

2009-01-24T16:06:00.004-05:00

This is not what I wanted my first post of the new year to be, but it's as good as any seeing as how if I wait till I have the motivation/inspiration/satisfaction/wherewithal to post something else, it may be Easter. I have to jump in somewhere.

Kraft Foods is running a Super Bowl promotion right now, giving away up to $15 in coupons for Kraft products you might serve at a bowl party, including cheese, crackers and peanuts. To enter, go to http://brands.kraftfoods.com/sogoodtogether/
The first time, you'll be asked for your name and address, but you'll be spared that on subsequent visits. You can enter up to four times a day through Feb. 2. I did it four times a day for the past three or four days and just today got a message that I was a winner and my coupons would come in 2-4 weeks. Given that the Super Bowl is only 8 days away, I probably wouldn't have them in time to shop for my party if I were having one (ridiculous as I don't even have cable or satellite.) But I am not one to refuse free cheese. Or crackers. Or peanuts. Good luck!