Remembrance Of Cookies Past

Do you have a favorite holiday memory? Or, even a memory, favorite or not, that just means the Holidays to you? I was forced to think about that last year. It was just over a month past the end of my ill-fated love affair, and I was facing Christmas without the kids. I needed a shot of holiday cheer, and I needed it fast. What to do?

I remembered a cookie my Mom used to make, back when I was a kid.

A bit about my Mom, Christmas at our home, and these cookies.

As I've told you before, my Mom wasn't really a great cook. She wasn't horrible, but she wasn't especially adventurous. Pretty much everything was fried, at least until my Dad's heart attack. After that, everything was shoved under the broiler.

She was, however, a proficient baker. She made great pastry, and I still can't match her biscuits. Every Holiday, be it Christmas, Easter, or Thanksgiving, she would bake, and bake, and bake. I can't say whether or not she enjoyed it, but she did have a sweet tooth, and spared no effort to fill the dessert table at each opportunity.

Christmas baking meant pies, of course; pumpkin, mince, and chocolate for sure, sometimes apple, and usually a sweet potato in later years. Every year she made fudge, pralines, divinity, a non bake fruitcake abomination that consisted of crushed vanilla wafers and, something else, I'm not quite sure what, and lots and lots of cookies.

The usual cut-out cookies were there, iced with powdered sugar icing tinted a garish red and green, some kind of spiced date bar that I wish I had the recipe for, spritz cookies in the same shade as the icing, and fruit cake cookies.

The fruitcake cookies were ubiquitous to my childhood Christmases. We had them at home, if I went to a friend's house, they were pretty much guaranteed to be sitting on the counter there as well. My grandmother always had them, and I can remember eating them at church get-togethers.

The funny thing is, I didn't really like those cookies. They were white and bland, and filled with artificial, chemical tasting candied fruit. That was it. The cookie was just an innocuous vehicle for candied fruit and citron, along with a small amount of nuts. I didn't like fruitcake, well, not the one's I'd been exposed to at this point in my life, and I didn't like the overly sweet, artificial taste of candied fruit. Yet, every year, I looked forward to those cookies, and I anticipated their appearance on the kitchen counter.

The only time I ever saw those cookies was at Christmas time. One taste of that chemical, bitter citron and I knew that Christmas was really almost here. When you're 10 years old, that's a pretty big deal.

I thought about those cookies as I tried to jump start my holiday spirit, so I set out to make them. There was a problem; nobody but me remembered them. I guess they must have been some 70's fad from a women's magazine or something, because I couldn't remember the last time I had them, and I couldn't find anyone who even knew what I was talking about.

I started pouring through my collection of Holiday cooking magazines. I finally found a recipe that I thought might be close, so I made them, along with toffee and pecan tassies and far, far more sweets that we could ever hope to eat in three Christmases. I played Christmas music the whole time I baked, and by the time I had the counter filled with goodies, I had made it through the whole day without thinking of you know who.

Satisfied with my day's work, I made a pot of coffee and sat down with one of my cookies. It was a pale, golden white and had a very faint vanilla smell. I bit in. The moment that tang of candied citron hit my tongue, I could see my Mom's old kitchen. I could imagine the little Santa shaped cocoa mugs that lined the bar, and I could smell the Christmas tree. (Flocked, with a color wheel on it) It worked. Make no mistake, this cookie is a far cry from Proust's madeleine, but it accomplished it's goal.

Later, when the kids came home, they surprised me by liking those cookies. I made several more batches, and experimented a bit. I tried substituting first some, and then all of the candied fruit for dried. I used apricots and dried cranberries, even dried cherries. While the dried fruit may have made a better cookie, it was not the Christmas cookie of my memory, for that, it needs the candied citron.

This year, I needed the same boost, so last Friday, I put on the Christmas CD's, I made a pot of Earl Grey, and I baked these cookies. Maybe someday my kids will fondly remember me in the kitchen baking these, and always associate that memory with Christmas.

I hope so.

Fruitcake Cookies

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups AP flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup cottage cheese (small curd, creamy - don't use low fat)
1 egg
2 Tab milk
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup mixed candied fruit with citron * see note below
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Beat the butter in a large bowl until soft. Lightly mix in half of the flour. Add the next 7 ingredients, mix until well combined, stopping to scrape the sides occasionally. Stir in the remainder of the flour, and the fruit and nuts.

Bake at 375 F for 10-12 minutes on parchment paper. Cool on a rack. This recipe makes about 30 cookies for me.

* The fruit should be chopped much finer than it comes out of the container. To accomplish this, I lightly oil my knife with vegetable oil. It makes the job much, much easier.

Scooped out and ready to bake.

Out of the oven - They don't get very brown or crisp, you want them soft.

Cooling on the rack.

A final note -

The title of this post is an obvious reference to Proust's great work. In recent years, it has become de rigueur to refer to this work as In Search Of Lost Time. I thought the earlier title better served my purpose, but after re-reading this post, I'm not so sure. Searching for lost time is a fair description of my blog, n'est-ce pas?

This Is A Bailout I Can Get Behind!

It seems the family farms that produce the most heavenly, delectable, irreplaceable item on this earth are in financial trouble.

Of course, I'm talking about Parmigiano , of course, what did you think I was talking about?

Who knew?

The Italian Government has purchased 100,000 wheels of cheese in an effort to prop up the failing industry.

Damn. They could send me a wheel.

Have you priced the real stuff lately?

I can no longer buy it here locally, but I bought some in Houston Saturday.

Ouch.

But, the trip wasn't a total loss. I went to the downtown Spec's. (My annual Christmas pilgrimage), and look what I found!


Yes, Moxie!

The nectar of the Gods. They only had two left. I bought them both. I drank one that night, and I'm saving the last one for . . . . I don't know. A day I really need it.

Is It Autumn Yet?

Have I told you that Autumn is my favorite season?

It is, you know.

Yes, Spring is wonderful, and if I lived in the Northern confines of these United States, I'm sure I would look forward to Spring and relish it for the rebirth that it brings. But lets face it. I live in South Texas. Winter here is rarely harsh, and never long. There are many years were it never falls below freezing. In fact, on more than one occasion I have successfully planted a vegetable garden in January. Spring is nice, but it's not that big a deal down here. Besides, Spring is short, and to me it has always been the harbinger of the blast furnace that is summer. I'll take Autumn, thank you very much.

Autumn in South Texas doesn't have the color of New England, or the rush of the harvest, rather, it is the time when the humid, overbearing heat of Summer gives way to dryer, crisper air. Granted, in early Autumn it can still be hot, but a 91 degree afternoon is a lot more bearable if you had a crisp 65 degree morning to go with it. The yards green back up after their late August wilt, fall gardens deliver tomatoes and peppers, and the farmers market starts to fill with winter squash.

Well, of course that means it's time for a hearty chili, right? Yes, it will be at least 2 months before there is even an outside chance of frost on the grass, but just knowing that the days are getting shorter and (relatively) cooler makes me reach for the soup pot. I assure you, it will get a workout between now and Easter.

The following recipe is roughly translated from a recipe I found on the Internet several years back. It was supposed to be a knock off of Wendy's chili. It's not really, but the boys love it, and it is much healthier than the Texas style chili I also make. But that's another post . . .

3 Bean Chili

2 lbs. fresh ground chuck
1 46oz. can of tomato juice
1 10 oz. can tomato puree
1 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 can red beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed*
1 large onion (at least 2 c.), chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely minced
1/2 cup green pepper, diced
1/2 c finely minced carrot
Beef Broth (about two or three cups, see below)
2 Tab. Ketchup
1/2 cup chili powder, divided
2 tsp. cumin
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I use fresh, 3 cloves minced – see directions below)
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. sugar (yes, it needs it – shush!)
cayenne pepper to taste

In a pan, brown the ground chuck, season well with salt, pepper, half of the chili powder, and half of the cumin. When it is starting to brown, add half of the onion, half of the pepper, half of the garlic, and all of the celery and carrot. Slowly sauté until the beef is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Transfer the beef into the chili pot with a slotted spoon, leaving most of the fat behind. There should be very little liquid, just clear red fat. Add the rest of the seasoning, and the ketchup to the pot. Add beef broth until just covered. Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes. This step is essential if you use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. After it has simmered for 20 minutes, add the puree, the crushed tomatoes, the rest of the vegetables, and half of the can of tomato juice. Cover and bring to a bare simmer for 45 minutes. Add the beans and as much tomato juice as needed to bring it to the consistency you would like. It should be substantial, but a bit soupy. Simmer for another 30 minutes.

*I use Ranch Style Beans, undrained in place of pinto beans, but they are probably not available if you don’t live in Texas.

This is great with cornbread.

Houston Was Grand

The weather was spotty, but we managed.

(As always, pictures are clickable, so please, don't make the pictures sad, they long to be clicked, so click early, click often.)

Dylan and I took off Friday evening and we arrived at Fred and Christine's about 8:30. We had fruit, cheese, excellent salami and beverages.

Saturday morning after sleeping quite late, we went to have an early lunch/late breakfast at Le Madeleine. It was packed. Not feeling up to an hour wait, we opted for Cafe Express. Always a good choice. I had the Signature Triple Deli Salad. Delicious.

We then went to Barnes and Noble where I purchased (for me) Disgrace and Midnight's Children, (For the boys summer reading) A Tale Of Two Cities and A Separate Peace. I also bought Dylan a study guide to go with the Dickens. I then did a bit of shopping at World Market. I picked up some wine and a few items for the kitchen.

Saturday evening was windy, oppressively humid and quite warm stiflingly hot. We hoped to eat a little seafood outside on the water and listen to the band at this place.

The weather had other ideas, so it was seafood inside, sans band.

The Top Water Grill, right before the rain.

Great food, shoddy service.

Our table had fish tacos (perfect), fried shrimp and scallops (light, panko covered, and moist), ribeye steak (slightly over-cooked). Flat draft beer.

Sunday morning brought us a little sunshine, and much less humidity. We went downtown to have brunch at Farrago. There was about a 45 minute wait to be seated, but a place at the bar and bottomless Mimosa's made the wait almost pleasant.

The crowd was for the most part a little younger and hipper than we were, but we weren't there to be seen, we were there for the food!

The food delivered.

With the exception of the potato cakes, which were far too crisp, the food was divine. I started with the petite bowl of Pasole. OK - petite is a relative term. Petite compared to a washtub maybe. I was served a well-sized bowl of the most perfect pasole I have ever eaten. The pork was lean, tender, and juicy. When cooking pork this tender, it often becomes stringy and dry. Not here, the pork was tender enough to just about melt in your mouth, and moist all the way through. It was spicy, but not distractingly so, it tasted of roasted chile, pork, and hominy, with a clean taste of lime and cilantro cutting through ever so slightly. It was perfect. So perfect, in fact, that my otherwise exceptional huevos rancheros on tomato polenta and black beans with roasted corn salsa was a mere afterthought, although a delicious after thought to be sure.

The tenderloin migas was wonderful and well cooked, and the spinach and feta souffle with a rosemary beurre blanc was outstanding. Tender, smooth, and decadently rich. I wish I had taken more pictures, but by this time the bottomless mimosas were taking their toll.

Farrago

Fred and Christine didn't mind the wait.

Dylan, not enjoying the wait as much as we were.

The bar was full of happy mimosa drinkers.

Perfect Pasole

There was a little sunshine downtown.

This little girl enjoyed the weather.

Can you name this (infamous) building?

This is from the downtown Aquarium. Too bad the food isn't as good as the view.

I love downtown.

We made our trip to Le Madeleine on Monday before hitting the Mall, where I did my part to boost the economy.

I bought some clothes, some photography lights, and a new lens. My next food pictures should be significantly better. We shall see.

Redneck Calamari

Good Morning all!

It's Saturday morning and my birthday party has been in full swing since yesterday evening. Unfortunately, I wasn't there. I was at work, where I am again this morning. I hope to make it out there this evening. We'll see.

Meanwhile, I'll share this funny little photo from fellow foodie Bee. She sent me this with permission to share, so I am glad to do so.

I present:

Redneck Calamari

Happy Easter

I hope today finds you all surrounded by friends or family.

Tough day today for me. I don't know why it hits on Holidays.

I'm trying do finish the work I should have done yesterday. Instead, I went to my friend Tee's apartment warming BBQ.

I guess the photo will explain why I didn't get much done.



Tequila, not conducive to productivity.


I did make Oatmeal Bread today -

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!

I couldn't let this day pass without a mention.

Yes, I have some Irish ancestry. My Paternal Grandmother was the first American born in her family. Mostly though, I've just always enjoyed drinking beer and joining in the mindless revelry that we Americans manage to infuse in every fake holiday.

So, although you will hear this song countless times today, I'm guessing you won't hear it like this.

If you are of a certain age, you will most likely find this hysterical. If not, you may be scratching your head and wishing you had the two minutes back.

Either way - I loved it.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!! May some Irish Lass, (or Lad - to each his own) favor you today.




And Happy Birthday Tart!!

Hope it was great!

Dinner included -

Bee's Soda Bread

Corned beef and cabbage, roasted potatoes and carrots

It's Pizza Pi (For Pi day)

(as always, all pictures may be clicked to embiggen)

Is there anything more American than Pizza? I know, I know, pizza is an Italian dish which came over around the turn of the century with Italian immigrants, and was widely confined to those Italian kitchens until returning service men from WWII came home, wanting the dish they had grown to love while stationed in Italy. But come on! Pizza has truly become an American classic.

Pizza is also a source of great debate and local pride. New Yorkers are convinced, (as only a New Yorker can be) that they have the only “authentic” pizza in America. The Italians might have something to say about that! (Pizza Marinara or Margherita anyone?). Chicago sings the praises of its deep dish pizza with the cheese on bottom, and considers anything less to be a poor substitute. California . . . , well as it has always done, California has taken a great idea and transformed it into something beautiful and sublime, but something different. Authentic? Probably not, but then what is? And really, who cares? My criteria for pizza? Does it taste good? Is the crust an integral part of the dish, or just a medium to pile an ever increasing amount of toppings and cheese on the pie? As for toppings, quality before quantity is vital, as is the balance of toppings. More is not necessarily better. In fact, it almost never is.

I have been making pizza since I was in Junior High. That’s a long time! The way I make pizza has evolved over the 30 years or so since I first opened a Chef Boyardee box and thought, “you know - I can do better than this”. I have played with different crusts, different sauces, topping cheeses, etc . . . . and I can unequivocally say there is no “best” way. The best way is the way you like it, and the way you can, or, more importantly the way you will, do it! If you use good quality ingredients, the pizza you make at home will be better than 90% of the pizza you have ever had! It will be better than 100% of anything delivered in a box.

So with my rambling preamble out of the way, I invite you to pizza night at the Castle.

The hang up most people have seems to be the dough. It’s really not hard. I promise. Even if you are deathly afraid of yeast, this is not a difficult thing. If you absolutely cannot face kneading dough, a great pizza can be made with a Boboli bread shell. But please, try this homemade dough at least a couple of times. It doesn’t take long. The actual hands on time is only about 15 minutes or so. The key is the resting period. The longer the better. In fact, the perfect thing would be to make this dough the day before and let it rest in the fridge over night. If you just must have pizza right away, you can get by with an hour rest on the counter, but understand that the dough will be a little more unruly. Like all of us, dough matures and become more sociable with a little age, (but fragile and gassy if it gets too old.) This dough will keep for about three days, after that, it’s going to be usable, but a little brittle and sour. The dough in these pictures was made about 3:00 in the afternoon, and I started tossing it about 7:30 PM. It behaved perfectly.

Pizza Dough

This will make 4 to 6 pizzas, depending on how big and or thick you want them. For me, it makes 4.

6 cups of AP flour ( I use King Arthur) A note about flour, yes, whole wheat may be added,, (no more than half), or bread flour may be added as well, but it will increase the kneading and resting time considerably, if you want a well mannered dough.

1 teaspoon salt

4 ½ teaspoons of active dry yeast. (I use regular, not instant)

2 cups of water. Divided

6 tablespoons of olive oil (I usually use half extra virgin, half light, but any mix is fine)

1 to 1½ tablespoons of honey. (see below)

First, you must proof your yeast. Take a half cup of warm water. What is warm? 100 to 110 degrees F. If you are unsure, by all means take its temperature. I test it with my finger, if it is slightly warmer than body temperature, it's fine. I usually add a scant, tiny, tiny pinch of sugar to the water, just to boost it a little, but you don’t have to. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and wait. Don’t stir yet, it will just clump up. After about 15 minutes, you should see bits of foam appearing; now you can proceed.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix the flour and salt.

Take the remaining 1½ cups of (cool) water and add to it, the oil and honey. A note about the honey, it is food for the yeast, you could leave it out entirely if you choose, I have played around over the years, and this is what works for me. The longer it will be resting, the more I put in. I usually use 1 tablespoon.

Mix the yeast in with the other liquids, then pour it all over the flour. Mix with a large spoon until combined, then scrape out onto your work surface and begin kneading. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until smooth. Cover and let rest for 5 to 15 minutes. After this first rest, you will come back to find the flour has absorbed all the moisture, and the dough has become softer and much more manageable. Of course, it goes without saying that this can be done in a stand mixer with a dough hook. I used to do it that way, but it is so quick and easy to do by hand , and there is something relaxing and almost sensuous about kneading dough. It is a living thing, and each one is different depending on the humidity, temperature, etc. . . I like to do it by hand, but by all means, use the mixer if you want.

Now is time to choose, refrigerate or proceed? If you are proceeding, go ahead and knead it again a few times, and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it sit there and rise for about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how warm it is in your kitchen. Longer is better, both for flavor development and for texture. If it is to be used later, separate it into two (or 4) pieces and place in lightly oiled plastic bags. Use the large gallon sized bags, because it will expand a good bit. Pop it in the fridge until ready.

Pizza dough, ready to rest in the fridge.

To make the pies: (If your dough is cold, take it out and let it warm up to almost room temp before proceeding.)

Knead the dough a few minutes to smooth it out, then separate it into however many pizzas you are making. Roll it into balls, flatten them slightly and cover with plastic. Working one at a time, you may shape the dough anyway you want. Some “purist” insist it should never be rolled, I say bullocks to you! I roll mine into a roughly 12 inch circle, just until it starts to want to shrink back. Then, another rest. This one for only a minute or two, then I toss the dough a few times until it’s the size I want. If tossing scares you, just stretch it into the size you need, if the dough has rested, it should give you no trouble.

Rolled, rested, and tossed. See that lip? That is the sign of a hand tossed dough.

A word about toppings – Whatever you like!!!! Sauce? When I am really rich with time, I make a wicked good sauce out of oven roasted tomatoes, that I blend with olive oil and simmer with onion, garlic and basil, but for pizza, jarred sauce is fine. Find one you really like, there are some excellent ones out there. I choose one that is smooth, rather than chunky, it is easier to spread, and the kids like it better.

Zoe is a true artist, each piece of provolone must be exactly placed!

As for cheese? Quality and variety. You want something that melts nice as the base, of course mozzarella is wonderful, as is provolone, even a nice Monterey Jack is good.. Yes, bagged-pre-shredded cheese is fine, if is real cheese. I like to add at least one or two accent cheeses as well, freshly grated Parmesan, Romano, or any number of cheeses from the cheese counter at the deli. A few cubes of fresh mozzarella are nice too. The cheese pizza in the photo has a shredded mozzarella base, with a good bit of hand torn sliced provolone on top. It was then sprinkled with some grated Parmesan, and dotted with a few cubes of fresh herb-marinated mozzarella.

Zoe's cheese pizza ready for the oven



Zoe's plate

I like olives, bacon, sausage, meatball, onion pepper, etc…. Whatever you fancy!! There are no rules, that’s the beauty of making it at home.

Zoe loves to top Dad's pizza for him.

I preheat my oven to 450 degrees F. I start the pizza on a pan, and put it into the oven on the top rack. After 4 or 5 minutes, the cheese starts to bubble, when the edges just start browning, I slip it off the pan and onto the stone. It only takes a few seconds on the stone to brown the bottom crust. Yes, a pan is fine for the entire process; no you don’t need a stone.

Pepperoni pizza, on the stone.

Walla: pizza. I let mine cool a few minutes on a rack, and then we cut it on a brown paper grocery bag.

Two kinds of olives, Italian sausage, pepperoni, bacon, and a few chopped meatballs, onion, red bell pepper and five different cheeses. I don't care where you live, that's good pizza.

Finally, Dad gets to eat.

The History Of War . . . . . As Told By Food.

Ah, you're going to like this, I hope. Two of my favorite topics, History and Food!!

This video is the history of modern war, (WWII to the present), with animated food representing the nations involved.

The Vietnam war sequence is wonderful, and the ending is fantastic.

Can you name all the countries (regions) and the dishes that are representing them?

This is very, very clever.

Enjoy!!

Food Porn . . . . .

Being a proper Foodie, how have I never heard of this film?

Have any of you ever seen Tampopo? Here are two clips from this film.

I must see it.

h/t to Jaden

Funny Things I See On The Tubes . . .

While randomly searching foodie sites, I found this joke on the site A Fridge Full Of Food.

My fellow foodies will, I hope find this funny.

While attending a marriage seminar on communication, Wally and his wife Carolyn listened to the instructor declare, "It is essential that husbands and wives know the things that are important to each other." He addressed the men, "Can you describe your wife's favorite flower?"

Wally leaned over, touched Carolyn's arm gently and whispered, "King Arthur White Whole Wheat, isn't it?"

That man has his priorities right.

Pictures at Eleven .....

So I promised pictures of the cheesecake, which btw was yummy. It probably could have stayed in the oven a little longer. It was really fine, I'm just being picky. Everybody seemed to love it.

Sorry about the quality of the pictures, (alcohol may have been a factor.....)
You may click for full size





More pictures from the weekend ..........

There was food

Sam is desperately hoping someone drops some turkey

There was fishing

There were flowers

Let us not forget naps in the hammock

It doesn't suck to be Clinton

Brave Sir Robin is very thankful for his friends, his family, and for those of you who care enough to stop by here and read my musings.

Thanks for stopping by. I am working on a long post to tell the whole Rene' story once and for all. It may be serialized, after all better bloggers than me have done it.

Today's Task.....

My good friends D & L were in Canada skiing over Thanksgiving, and missed out on a traditional meal, so today we are all going to their house for a belated Thanksgiving feast. My task is to make a pumpkin cheesecake, (recipe below) and whatever else I choose. Since I still have an abundance of rich turkey stock in the fridge, I will probably make a pan of stuffing.

However, my main task today, and every day it seems, is to purge my mind of Rene'.

My Mantra:

I am in love with who I thought she was. It is even fair to say I am in love with who I hoped she was, who I wanted her to be. I am in love with who she could be. I am in love with who she pretends to be, and perhaps even who she wants to be.

That person does not exist.

That person is a facade, created by a careful set of lies and manipulations.

Boy, thinking it is one thing.

Saying it out loud to myself is another thing.

Seeing it written down here for the world to see is something else entirely.

I know in my heart that what I've written is true, but that doesn't make the memory of that love any less real or less bittersweet. I am deeply in love with a person that never existed. The question of whether she could be that person if she choose to be is the one thing that keeps me going back for more each time.

I'm not sure she can.

Pumpkin cheesecake

Crust

• 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup ginger snap crumbs
• 3/4 cup finely chopped toasted pecans
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted

Press crust into bottom and a little up the sides of a 9 or 10 inch springform pan. Put in freezer at least 20 minutes. While preparing filling, pre-bake crust 10 minutes‚ at 400° and let cool.

For the filling:

• 1 1/2 cups solid pack pumpkin (fresh makes a huge difference, but it can be made with canned)
  
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 t. ground ginger
• 1/4 t. allspice
  
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
• three 8-ounce packages softened cream cheese
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 2 T. heavy cream
• 1 T. cornstarch
• 1 1/2 t. vanilla
• 3 T. bourbon

In a bowl whisk together the pumpkin, the cinnamon, the nutmeg, the ginger, the salt, and the brown sugar. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until just mixed, then fold into the pumpkin mixture. In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the cream cheese and the granulated sugar, beat in the cream, the cornstarch, the vanilla, the bourbon, adding the pumpkin mixture last, and beat the filling until it is smooth. Note: do not over mix after the egg/pumpkin mixture is added. excess air whipped into the eggs will cause cracking later.

Pour the filling into the crust, bake the cheesecake in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the center is not quite set, and let it cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes.

For the topping:

• 2 c. sour cream
• 3 T. granulated sugar
• 3 T. bourbon liqueur or bourbon, or to taste
• 3/4 c. chopped candied pecans
  

In a bowl, whisk together the sour cream, sugar, and bourbon. Spread the sour cream mixture over the top of the cheesecake and bake the cheesecake for an additional 5 minutes. Let the cheesecake cool in the pan on a rack and chill it, covered, overnight.

You Ate What? Part Deux

I have lived in Texas for 42 of my 45 years. I will admit that I have eaten my fair share of battered, deep fried delectables. My mom deep fried just about every vegetable known to man. Okra? Check. Squash? Check. Potatoes, eggplant, onions, peppers, you name it, she fried it. There was a deep fryer on the kitchen counter that was used if not daily, multiple times a week.

And let us not forget that Texas staple, the sine qua non of Texas cuisine, the chicken fried steak. Ahh yes, a tenderized piece of beef, pounded thin, battered, deep fried and smothered with a creamy gravy.

That all came to a screaming halt in 1978, when my father at the age of 42 had a heart attack. Needless to say, Brave sir Robin does not eat that way these days, and I haven't since that time. Perhaps once every two or three years I will have a chicken fried steak in a restaurant. I have even been known to enjoy a bit of fried okra now and again, in moderation.

What does that have to do with anything?

Glad you asked.

Nothing, and I mean NOTHING in my culinary life has prepared me for the video below. You can almost hear their arteries exploding. Oh, and notice that THEY SMOKE as well. How are these people still alive?

Improvised Muffins Of Overwhelming Deliciousness

Today is #2 son’s 15^th birthday.

This of course, calls for something more than cold cereal or scrambled eggs (which he is not overly fond of anyway) for breakfast.

Problem is, today is my first day off since the cruise. Before that, it had been 18 days since I had a day off. Bottom line, I haven’t done any serious grocery shopping in almost a month.

Hmmmm.

A look through the pantry yielded oatmeal and flour. The Fridge held orange juice, milk, eggs, and some store bought cooked apples.

I found a recipe for oatmeal muffins online and I changed a few things, tweaked it a bit, and tada! Muffins!

Really good muffins, not overly sweet, very tender, but with an interesting bit of chewiness from the oats.

Orange Glazed Oat Muffins

Muffins

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour + 3 tablespoons

1 cup old fashion oats

2/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1/16 teaspoon ginger

1/16 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

2/3 cups orange juice

½ cup 2% milk

1 jumbo egg

¼ cup melted butter

½ cup chopped, cooked apples in sauce.

Glaze

¼ cup orange juice

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon melted butter

More sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Prepare muffin pan by spraying the bottom only with cooking spray

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg well.

Add other liquid ingredients including apples, mix well.

Pour on top of dry ingredients all at once, stir until just combined.

Bake 16 min at 400 degrees.

Remove from oven and brush tops with glaze mixture until all glaze is absorbed.

Sprinkle tops with sugar.

Cool in pan for 5 minutes, remove muffins and place on plate.

Enjoy warm.

Guacamole tastes better on the beach….

Brave Sir Robin had a snack on the beach. (Under the shade of a Tiki Hut of course.)

This Is Not a Paid Endorsement……

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the Houston Hot Sauce Festival. There was food, music, and of course, all things hot and spicy.

There were quite a few salsas and hot sauces that stood out, but the vast majority of the show was sweet treatments, pepper jellies and such. Some of these were good. In fact, I even bought a few items that I liked. That being said, I expected many, many more salsas and actual hot sauces. I guess even in our spicy foods Americans sweet tooth will not be denied.

So, with all my bitching about sweets, what product did I leave there raving about?

Joy Peppers!

Oh my FSM are these good!!!

Do you know what bread and butter pickles are? They are sweet, but interesting with spices and onion in them. Well, these are jalapenos pickled as you would a bread and butter pickle. I can see I will need another jar quite soon.

My favorite Hot Sauce of the day was B.J.’s High Tech Pepper Sauce. Unfortunately, the website doesn't seem to be working and it is a local product. Sucks for you, because this is a habenero sauce that is hot, ok very hot, but not melt the back of your throat stupid hot, that is absolutely delicious! It has a mild vinegar bite, but it’s backed up with a very exotic flavor, almost fruitiness. Wicked Good!!

Mmmmm, Vegetables ......

I love the Farmer’s Market. This time of year it is an explosion of color, textures, and smells.

This weekend, Brave Sir Robin went to Houston to visit some friends. Saturday morning, we got up early and drove over to the Farmer’s Market in The Heights. It is an amazing area, almost all of the produce passing through town, and really, the entire region pass through this several block area. There are hundreds of mom and pop produce distributors and vendors in about a 5 to 6 block area. Dotted along the way are Mexican bakeries offering Pan Dulce, Bollitos, and (are you listening Anne?) Tres Leches cake.

We filled the car with crates of collards, lettuce, cucumbers, chiles, tomatoes, okra, sweet corn, melons, cherries, onions, green beans, papaya, apricots, strawberries and blueberries. The fragrance filled the entire car with the smell of an orchard, fully ripe and ready to be picked. We took our bounty back to their place and prepared an awesome dinner.

We had sliced heirloom tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil, basil, salt and pepper.

There was a cucumber and purple onion salad,

fresh collard greens,

maque choux, stewed okra, and medallions of pork tenderloin with a little Marsala reduction.

Dessert was an apricot and cherry tart with an almond crust.
(I forgot to take a picture of the tart.)

Add a pitcher (or two) of sangria and dinner is served.