Wallflower Wonderland

Valentine Cookies

kristineleuze — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:50:16 +0000

This year I am sending out some Valentine’s Day packages to friends and family. There is a lot of cute in the stores and I want to share it with more than just my kids. We are busy baking cookies and making valentines. I can’t wait to send some of these out.

The “love” cookie cutter used in the first photo is vintage, I found it in a thrift store. But the teen lingo sugar candy decorations are obviously of this era and come from Wilton. They were $1.74 at Joann Fabrics.

Most of my better cookie cutters came from thrift stores. The weather is so nice here today I feel like thrifting and hunting down more along with maybe a new Pyrex bowl or two. . .

There are a lot of really good cookie decorators out there. I feel like this is something I could get into in the future when the kids are in school and I don’t have to rush and hide things.

There are a lot of Cookie decorating books that have some amazing looking projects in them too I will eventually invest in.

For now I will keep dinking around with my own designs.

I call these “bunny love” cookies:

My 2 year old really enjoyed these.

I hope the teenagers in my life enjoy these:

As far as baking sugar cookies, this is what I’ve learned. If your house isn’t 90 degrees inside there really is no reason to chill the dough before baking. I still use Martha’s recipe because I think it is the best but I no longer go through all the chilling process. I think I read this over on Bridget’s blog and I figured, if it works for her then I am for sure going to give it a try. It definitely makes an already time-consuming process go much, much faster.

Rainbow Jello Salad

kristineleuze — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 21:26:08 +0000

I have been wanting to make this for a while but needed a lot of time to prep it and chill it so I waited for the holiday weekend. It worked out great to have for today since it is a low-fat dessert and a guilt-free dessert to ring in the new year with. From the outside, the layers didn’t appear as defined as I would have liked but the inside didn’t disappoint.

A spiked version using vodka can be made for a grown-up party. (My husband says, “for people who want to puke rainbows later.”) The website where I found this recipe publishes the vodka version. I made a virgin rainbow.

Very impressive and festive. It took a long time but it was worth it. The taste isn’t fabulous but I think the overall look of it kind of makes up for the bland taste of the jello. I wish the sun were shining today so I could have got some really good shots of my chunks of rainbow in my kitchen. But then again, I think that’s probably another reason why I made it. As we head into January and the dreary winter months here in Minnesota, everyone could use a little rainbow in their kitchen.

Rainbow Ribbon Salad

From: jellyshottestkitchen viaRock-UR-Party by Tablespoon

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups water, divided
6 3 oz packages flavored gelatin dessert mix
3 envelopes plain gelatin (6 tsp gelatin powder, divided)

3 cups flavored rum or vodka, divided (I used water)
1 1/8 cup vanilla yogurt, divided (I used cool whip)

Directions

Place the bottle of liquor in the freezer for several hours before beginning recipe.
Lightly spray bundt pan or gelatin mold with non stick cooking spray. (I used a 10 cup bundt pan.) Wipe off the excess spray with a paper towel. A slight residue should remain, just enough to help unmold your gelatin, without affecting the taste or appearance.
Pour 3/4 cup water into a saucepan and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the plain gelatin. Allow gelatin to soak for a minute or two. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is dissolved (about 5 minutes). Wisk in the first package of flavored gelatin. Whisk for at least 2 minutes, or until completely dissolved. (I find the sugar free mix dissolves much faster than the regular!).
Remove from heat. Add 1/2 cup of the cold liquor, and stir to combine.
Pour 3/4 cup of the gelatin mixture into the prepared mold, and place in refrigerator. Allow to set for 20 to 30 minutes, until the gelatin is a little firm, but still sticks when touched. Very important – if the layers set up too much, the next layer won’t bond appropriated.
Refrigerate the remaining gelatin mixture in bowl about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened (consistency of unbeaten egg whites). Gradually stir in 3 tablespoons of yogurt and stir until well blended. This cooling step is also important – the gelatin must be cooled to room temperature before adding on top of other layers, or the layers will not be well defined!
Gently spoon the gelatin/yogurt mixture over set gelatin and return to the refrigerator Refrigerate about 15 minutes or until gelatin is set but not firm (Again, it should stick to finger when touched.) As the layers progress, the setting time will become shorter as the pan and gelatin becomes colder, and the layers become thinner as more layers are added to the mold.
Repeat steps with remaining gelatin flavors, for a total of 12 alternating clear and creamy gelatin layers.
After completing all the layers, refrigerate the gelatin overnight. To unmold, fill a larger container or clean sink with warm water (not too hot!). With clean fingers, loosen the gelatin around the edges of the mold cavities. Next, dip the mold almost to the edge into the warm water for just a few seconds (10 seconds worked for me). Dry the bottom of the mold with a towel and check the edges to see if they are loose, if not, repeat the dip for just a few seconds. Place your serving plate on top of the mold and invert. Viola!

Book Review: Leaving the Atocha Station

kristineleuze — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:35:27 +0000

The people at Coffee House Press in Minneapolis were kind enough to send me a copy of Leaving the Atocha Station so that I could review it here. Coffee House Press is a non-profit book publisher so I was very grateful. The book was not an easy read and I was equally grateful for the challenge. The book is Ben Lerner’s first novel.

The book focuses on Adam, a young man in Spain traveling on a Fulbright Scholarship. Adam has many issues but the one most apparent to me was his inability to see himself as anything more than a complete fraud. He is often gripped by paranoia and worries that he will be stripped of his achievements and shipped back to America with the rest of us pretentious yet lazy sloths. He nervously avoids his foundation contact, not returning phone calls or emails. He tries to think of ways he can avoid having to do readings or appear on panels because of this paranoia. Instead, he pops some pills, smokes another spliff and does a lot of people watching while scribbling a few lines of poetry. The reader doesn’t really know if Adam is truly a fraud or just the victim of drug-induced anxiety and paranoia.

Adam may feel like a fraud because he is a desensitized poet. While standing in a gallery in front of a work of art, he waits to have what is known as “a profound experience of art”. This experience doesn’t come and he perhaps questions his qualifications as a poet. Poets are expected to be emotionally charged and full of feeling for all things art. If one cannot be moved by the power of art visually, how are they qualified to move people through word? On the other hand, Adam knows that so much of the art world and how we rate, judge, experience, create and curate it is essentially bullshit. He doesn’t want to be that sort of fraud either. He doesn’t want to be that person who stands in front of a painting, is overcome with emotion, has a profound experience of art but then doesn’t understand why. There is something that feels really fake about that to Adam. One would suggest Adam strip away his cocktail of drugs and experience art with a fresh perspective, but then do people always experience art straight or do drugs often help people to experience art on a higher level? Every choice Adam makes is meticulous and thought through, but often times probably not the right choice. As a reader I struggled with the feeling of wanting to pull Adam by the hair through the pages of my book and smack him into reality yelling, “Get over it!”

Lerner himself traveled in Spain on a Fulbright scholarship and studied poetry. It is probably a safe bet that Lerner experienced a lot of the same inner conflict that Adam did and then decided to write about it. Another main theme of the book is Adam’s desire to be fully assimilated into the Spanish culture. He really hates to see the tourists, American especially, behaving in the way they do and is basically ashamed of his own country. At the same time, he does think about Kansas and it is apparent he misses home on occasion. But for the most part, Adam vows to only speak Spanish while in Spain and desires to not be thought of as some spoiled American rich kid although this is essentially what he is since mom and dad are well off and he does have a credit card to use “for emergencies”. Even though this is what he is, he creates a persona for himself that would suggest otherwise. He wants people to think he worked hard to be where he is, that the opportunity wasn’t just handed to him. He tells women that his mother is dead and describes his soft-spoken lefty dad in a way that would make people think he is a dictator. The whole time this is happening Adam knows he is making a mistake and the reader struggles to understand why Adam has to make life so hard for himself. But this is what a poet is. The crux of their art is about conflict, pain, regret, etc. Adam is living what I suspect is a “normal” emotional life for a poet. It must be exhausting.

Throughout the book I found myself wanting to like Adam, but I could not. When the 2004 Madrid train bombing happens and his friends are all organizing to go out and protest, Adam is lazy. He doesn’t get into it. He wants to be fully assimilated but he never will be because he is so desensitized. And it is not because he is on the tranquilizers, he truly seems apathetic. The reader wonders if Adam ever will build a solid relationship with either of the female love interests he is currently having a dalliance with or if he will be apathetic about that as well. The reader waits to see if Adam will crash and burn, ruining everything from relationships to his reputation as a poet or if he will figure it out and pull it together, becoming a great success?

How the book ends isn’t too important. Although I couldn’t wait to get to the end to see, the book is really about more than just if Adam completes his “project” successfully. It is about the way of an artist and the pressure of an artist. Traveling in a strange land on someone else’s dollar and feeling worthy of it. Missing home but reluctant to return back to a place you see as lacking a true, rich culture one can revel in. Feeling guilty you don’t miss mom and dad as much as you probably should and most importantly, becoming an adult and realizing you need to make real choices about your future, your happiness depending on it.

The book is very well written and is not an easy read. This isn’t the kind of book you slip into your bag and read poolside while trying to keep and eye on the kids swimming. This is the kind of book you chip away at page by page. You stop to do a lot of reflection and you re-read many sentences because they can be read differently and interpreted in new ways. And that itself is poetry, making this a very beautiful (yet oftentimes painful) book.

A Great Recipe for Kale

kristineleuze — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 02:19:41 +0000

We have been getting a lot of kale in our CSA box this year and I haven’t always been sure what to do with it.

Kale is a very beautiful leafy green. But some people would rather use it for garnish than eat it. The trick is to put it in something you enjoy eating like a cheesy omelet. Although it does defeat the purpose a tad bit. . .

Our CSA, Loon Organics, puts out a nice newsletter each week and this week’s newsletter included a recipe from the blog Kate in the Kitchen. I knew just by looking at the recipe that I had to try it.

While stirring the ingredients I inhaled the aroma of many of my favorite ingredients and couldn’t help but to steal a bite before even adding the cheese sauce. It convinced me I don’t need to jazz up kale to eat it. I probably just need to cook it.

Adding in fresh corn off the cob just sends this dish over the top. I would definitely make something like this for a potluck or large gathering. It’s a little unique and still as good as the “standard” potluck dishes. An adaptation of this as a dip would probably be good too. Before being baked it reminded me a lot of spinach dip- yum! Here is the recipe:

Cheesy Corn and Kale Bake

Adapted from Kate in the Kitchen

1 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced (can also use a leek)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large bunch of curly leaf kale, washed and spun dry then chopped
4 c. fresh corn kernels
4 T. unsalted butter, divided (can also use evoo for original sautee and then use butter later)
2 T. flour
1 c. milk (can also use soy)
1 c. freshly grated cheddar cheese (or mix it up a bit with pepper jack)
1 T. sour cream (can also use cream cheese)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375°

In a deep cast iron skillet, or other oven proof skillet, sauté the onion and pepper in 1 tablespoon butter until soft. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about a minute or two. Add in the kale and stir until it’s coated with the butter (or oil), then cover the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Scrape veggies in to a bowl and set aside.

In same pan, melt the remaining 2 TB butter, then add the flour and stir to make a roux. Cook, stirring, for about two minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Slowly whisk in the milk until smooth, then cook, stirring constantly until the mixture is very thick. It may look a bit reddish brown from the bell pepper, but that’s just fine. Mix the cheese in a little at a time until you have a nice cheese sauce, stir in the cream cheese and cooked pepper mix, and then the corn kernels. It will be very thick. Season with salt, pepper and the cayenne and spread it evenly in the pan. Place the pan, uncovered, in to the oven and bake until hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Super Yummy Hawaiian Dip

kristineleuze — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 01:49:31 +0000

Last week a coworker asked me if I wanted to try this dip. When he told me what was in it I was hesitant but did try it. And after trying it I couldn’t stop eating it. Then I couldn’t stop thinking about making some of it to have at my own house so I got the recipe. This is a really easy dip to make and it tastes sooooooo good. The Hawaiian theme makes it a great recipe to serve at your end-of-the-summer party.Josh and I thought we would adapt this and make a summer veggie dip that would be just as good but with more veggies from the garden.

Hawaiian Cheese Dip

Recipe courtesy of Brian R.’s “lady friend”

Ingredients:

1 8oz package of cream cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

3 tablespoons crushed pineapple DO NOT DRAIN THE JUICE!

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1/2 teaspoon Lawrey’s seasoned salt

Blend all of the ingredients well, chill, and then serve.

Put’em Up Book Review & Giveaway + a Recipe for Salsa Verde

kristineleuze — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 02:12:33 +0000

This, my dear friends, is the papery husk of a tomatillo. A tomatillo is a fruit much like a tomato and they are a staple of Latin American cuisine.

I think they are just beautiful. I used the tomatillos today to make this:

The tomatillo husk itself is much nicer to look at, but don’t let the color of the Salsa Verde put you off. Many years ago I was at a summer party and someone had brought Salsa Verde. I spent much of the afternoon hunched over the bowl of Salsa Verrde, hoarding it. It’s one of those things you can’t stop eating because the flavor is so good. I’ve been looking for a good Salsa Verde recipe ever since and I finally found one. The flavors will linger in your mouth for hours after eating it, it really is one of those special recipes. You don’t have to eat it with just chips either. You can use it to serve with chicken too. The recipe is in this awesome book:

Put ‘em Up!

The book is put out by one of my all-time favorite publishers, Storey Publishing (they have some of the more unusual and best-designed books!).

Storey is allowing me to give away a copy of this book to one lucky reader! Just comment on this post to be entered to win. The deadline to comment will be midnight on August 26th.

The author is Sherri Brooks Vinton, an author with a stunning resume. She is the founder of FarmFriendly LLC which has done great work raising awareness and finding support for local agriculture. She is a member of the Chef’s Collaborative, Women Chefs and Restauranteurs not to mention a member of the Northwest Organic Farmers’ Association. This book is about nourishing friends and family and keeping with tradition. Storey Publishing is a perfect fit for this book since they promote “country living” in harmony with the environment.

The book is divided into 2 sections: Technique and Recipes. The book spends quite a bit of time on technique so if you have never preserved anything before and have been scared to get into it, this is the book for you. It will teach you everything you need to know to preserve with confidence. If you have canned before and have been hoping to get into some newer and more up-to-date recipes, then this too is the book for you.

The book isn’t just about canning either. There are dehydration recipes, recipes for freezing, cocktail recipes, etc.

Here is a sampling of the recipes I hope to try soon:

-Berry Leather (Better than sugary Fruit Roll-Ups!)

-Olive Salad (for Muffalettas, yum!)

-Charred Chili Barbecue Sauce

-Homemade Raisins

-Chinese Plum Sauce

-Pickled Watermelon Rind with Cinnamon and Clove

If I still drank I would make the Red Hot Vodka and if I still had scapes I would make the Garlic Scapes in Oil. I don’t want to say this is a “hipsters” guide to preserving but it kind of is. The art in the book will appeal to a younger crowd as will the fresh, clean ingredients that are coming back around again in the culinary world. I give this book 5 stars!

Here is the recipe for the Salsa Verde:

Salsa Verde

From Put’em Up by Sherri Brooks Vinton

4 pounds tomatillos, husks removed

1 tablespoon oil

1cup vinegar

1 pound onions, chopped

1/2 pound chilis, seeded

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup cilantro

1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the broiler. Wash and dry the tomatillos. Lightly brush half of the tomatillos with olive oil and arrange on a baking sheet, stem side down. Broil until blackened in spots. Remove and cool to room temperature.

2. Puree the remaining raw tomatillos with the vinegar in a blender or food processor and remove to a large saucepan.

3. Puree cooked tomatillos, onions, chilis and garlic. Add to pan.

4. Bring to a boil, simmer 10 minutes.

5. Stir in cilantro and salt.

To can, process for 15 minutes then turn off heat and let the jars rest in the water for an additional 5 minutes. Remove jars and let sit for 24 hours. Store in a dark place for up to 1 year. Makes A LOT and is great for gifts.

Update: The winner of the giveaway is Gloria!!

Get Ready to Celebrate National Can-It-Forward Day (With a Giveaway)!

kristineleuze — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 01:37:21 +0000

I received some products in the mail from Ball and couldn’t wait to try them out! Here in Minnesota it’s canning season and there are lots of things to can. The peaches are in, corn is ready, green beans, tomatoes and pickling cucumbers are ready. We can and store food for a lot of reasons in Minnesota (some people need to for weather-related reasons) but mostly because we have such a short growing season. It’s nice to be able to open up a fresh jar of blueberry syrup in the dead of winter and be able to taste the sweetness that was preserved at the peak of the season.

Saturday, August 13th is National Can-It-Forward Day and during the remainder of August I am going to be giving away some things to help you preserve your favorite treats. Comment on this post to be entered to win a sampling of pectin, bread and butter pickle mix, salsa mix, a Blue Book Guide to Preserving and Ball product coupons. One winner will be chosen at random late Sunday night (August 14th, 2011). The contest is only open to U.S. residents as I will be paying for the shipping of these products myself. The products were mailed to me from Ball and I am sharing them with you. Now, onto the pictures and descriptions of what all I made while trying the new products from Ball!

Probably my favorite food of all time is the simple blueberry. I just love them. I love blueberry pancakes and muffins but nothing beats blueberry syrup, homemade and fresh without the high fructose corn syrup or artificial flavoring. This stuff is like liquid gold to me and it is well worth the time and effort of putting a batch together. The recipe can be found in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. The book is very reasonably priced and has several, several recipes. I will also post the recipe below.

The first thing you need to do before you start canning is to wash all of your jars and get your gear ready. One of the scarier parts of the recipe is pouring the hot syrup into the glass jars. The old funnel I had wasn’t the sturdiest. Ball sent me a new one and it is awesome. It’s very sturdy and well made. I love it!

The other scary part about canning is pulling the hot jars out of the boiling water bath. I used to have some scary tongs that you needed two hands to operate and nine out of ten times the jar slipped out of the tongs and splashed scalding hot water all over my hands. Ball has a new jar lifter out on the market. They are spring-loaded and easy to operate with one hand. I am very impressed with them.

The finished product is my most prized possession and these jars of blueberry syrup will last me all year. I will probably have some to give as gifts too if I don’t get too greedy. I love to send blueberry syrup and wild rice to friends and family not living in Minnesota— they are my two favorite Minnesota foods!

Making cute labels is fun but sometimes I don’t have the time. A nice alternative are these dissolvable labels. I like to save my jars but I can’t stand standing there scrubbing a label off a jar for 15 minutes just to save a buck so these new labels make me very happy. I have been waiting for someone to come out with these for years.

Next I whipped up some salsa, a summertime necessity! If I were making a large batch I would “can” them using a water bath but if you are making a small batch and you plan on eating the salsa within 3 weeks you can make a small batch. Ball sent me a salsa packet and all I had to do was dice some tomatoes, add the mix, some vinegar and then boil it all for 5 minutes.

To be honest, I didn’t expect the packet of dehydrated seasoning to produce a very yummy salsa so I didn’t buy many tomatoes but this stuff is really good! I was surprised. And then disappointed that I only made 2 jars!

I’m not sure if you are a pickle fanatic like my kids and I are, but we love pickles. We love a certain kind of pickle too. Spears, cold-packed. And if you love them as much as we do you may have noticed they are usually about $3.50 a jar and last about 2 days. I got lucky when I went to the farmer’s market yesterday and found pickling cucumbers.

Andrew and I picked out about 30 cucumbers the size we wanted them and brought them home to marvel over.

All you do then depending on how you want your pickles is use the Ball Kosher Pickle Mix with some water and vinegar, boil it, and pour it over the pickles. You let them sit for about 30 minutes then you pack them into jars. If you want your pickles to sit on your shelf you can process them and they will last for a year. If you are like me and want them cold packed, you just pack them in jars and put them in the refrigerator. They will keep for 3 months.That is of course unless you eat them all by then.

It’s very easy and very inexpensive if you already have the jars which I did. I made about $30.00 worth of pickles for about $9.00. The Kosher Pickle Mix is about $5.99 and the cucumbers were $4.00 at the farmer’s market.

It was a great day of canning for me. I will be trying some other things later next week and sharing them with you. Don’t forget to comment below for a chance to win a selection of Ball products! Here is the recipe for the Blueberry Syrup:

Blueberry Syrup

Makes about 3 (16 oz) pintsUse fresh blueberries and lemon to make the perfect syrup to top a morning waffle or an afternoon scoop of ice cream.

You will need:

8 cups blueberries, crushed (about 3-1/2 lb)
6 cups water, divided
1 Tbsp lemon zest
3 cups granulated sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 (16 oz) pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions:

1.) COMBINE blueberries, 2 cups of the water and lemon zest in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and boil gently for 5 minutes.
2.) TRANSFER to a dampened jelly bag or a strainer lined with several layers of cheesecloth set over a deep bowl. Let drip, undisturbed, for at least 2 hours.
3.) PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.
4.) COMBINE sugar and remaining 4 cups water in a clean large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar, and cook until temperature reaches 230°F, adjusting for altitude. Add blueberry juice. Increase heat to high, bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
5.) LADLE hot syrup into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.
6.) PROCESS jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Homemade Fresh Cherry Pie

kristineleuze — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 03:20:22 +0000

The kids and I went into a cute little shop somewhere on Lake Minnetonka yesterday and bought the cutest little Cherry Pitter.

The kids wanted it because they love cherries and it looks like a robot. I wanted it because I am sucker for good package design and always worry about Chloe spitting out the pits vs swallowing them or worse.

You put the cherry in, stem side down but without the stem obviously.

The pit is pushed into the robots tummy to be emptied later. It’s very safe and fun to use. I thought it was definitely worth $10 just to have something cute in the kitchen the kids can appreciate as well. It’s very sturdy for that price too which I didn’t really expect.

This is how the cherry looks after it has been pitted.

We made a cherry pie with our fresh cherries. I decided on a recipe that called for tapioca as a thickener. I’m not sure if I will again. I think cornstarch would have been cheaper and easier and may even have produced better results. My pie didn’t set up very well. But that could be because I didn’t let the tapioca dissolve into the sugar enough.

Although the pie didn’t set up the way I would have liked it to, the taste was still amazing.

Although this looks like a lot of sugar, I’m convinced that there is far less sugar in a fresh cherry pie than if you use a can of cherry pie filling. You can always lessen the amount of sugar you use as well.

Classic Cherry Pie

Recipe created by Lauren Fortgang
Oprah.com

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 1/2 sticks butter
1 large egg

5 cups fresh sweet cherries, pitted (or frozen cherries, thawed and drained)
3 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/8 tsp. salt

Directions

To make dough: Place flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment; combine on low speed. Cut butter into small cubes; add to bowl. Mix on low until butter resembles pea-size balls; then, while mixer is running, add 1/4 cup very cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix until ingredients just come together. If dough won’t quite combine, add an extra tablespoon water.

Divide dough in half. Shape each piece into a flat, round disk. Roll each between 2 pieces of parchment or waxed paper until dough is 1/8-inch thick. Chill (in paper), lying flat, for at least 1 hour before using.

To make filling: Place cherries in a bowl. Toss with tapioca, sugar, and salt; let sit for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425°. Remove dough from refrigerator and place on a countertop. Remove top piece of parchment from 1 sheet, and lay it dough side down in a 9-inch pie pan. Pull the other piece of paper off, and let dough sit for a few minutes to soften. When it has become pliable, gently press it into pan. Trim edges, but leave a 1/2-inch overhang.

Work with other dough sheet to prepare lattice top. Peel off top piece of paper and immediately place it back on dough. Flip dough over; remove and discard the other piece of paper. Cut dough into 1/2-inch strips.

Pour filling into pie shell. Lay half of dough strips evenly across the top, keeping a 1/4- to 1/2-inch gap between strips. Form a lattice by weaving the remaining strips perpendicular to the first layer (again keeping a 1/4- to 1/2-inch gap between strips).

Trim excess dough around rim so edges of lattice match up with the ½-inch overhang of bottom crust. Dust your fingers with flour, then pinch top and bottom layers of dough together to form a ridged crust. Continue crimping dough around entire pie shell, flouring your fingers as needed.

Place pie pan on a baking sheet, and set it on a rack in bottom third of oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, beat egg in a bowl. Pull pie out of oven and brush egg on crust. Return to oven and lower heat to 350°; bake for 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and fruit is bubbling and thickened. Remove from oven. Allow to cool at least 1 hour before serving.

Pasta Salad, Zucchini Cake and More, What We Did With Our CSA This Week

kristineleuze — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 18:55:05 +0000

We joined a CSA this year, Loon Organics, because we knew we wouldn’t have enough time to tend to the garden this year. My only regret has been that I signed up for an every other week share instead of a weekly share! This last box we got was breathtaking. The vegetables don’t look anything like the underdeveloped and sometimes still dusty organic vegetables you might often find when shopping for organic. These specimens of deliciousness look no different from the prized veggies you might find at the county fair sporting a purple ribbon, and they are organic.

The above picture is a cold pasta salad I made with angel hair pasta. I love cold pasta salads, especially in the summer. Vegetables from the farm I included in this salad are yellow summer squash and zucchini. I then added some strips of basil, also from the farm. I then added kalamata olives, white beans (I ate all the black beans we received 2 weeks ago already) and tomatoes. I just tossed with a little olive oil and some salt and pepper.

We got to go out the farm and dig our own red potatoes! The kids drank enough organic lemonade to float themselves home. I couldn’t wait to get home and put together a simple potato salad using just potatoes, red onion, celery and mayonnaise.

I like simple, clean flavors best during summer. One of my favorite things to eat on a hot day is a simple cucumber salad. Using the cucumbers we received from the farm I made something my mom always has ready for lunch time, a cold salad consisted of sliced cucumbers, red onions and vinegar and oil.

The highlight of the CSA box was the zucchini. Because I love zucchini cake! The recipe I used this year comes from Martha Stewart’s July magazine. I changed it a little but it was still delicious. Zucchini makes any cake supremely moist. I love moist cakes. I think it would be good to try with some bananas as well. The kids had to help me make it.

Andrew likes to sift.

Chloe likes to whisk.

I don’t know what I enjoy more, baking or my small collection of Pyrex. I have This Pyrex Book on my wish list but I’m afraid of developing a severe addiction. Next thing you know I will be driving to flea markets all over the state looking for that one piece!

The cake turned out beautifully. I omitted the orange glaze that Martha suggested and just made a plain glaze since I didn’t have an orange on hand. We served it with a little whipped cream and fresh raspberries from our garden but it is good plain too. It would be great with a cup of coffee.

Zucchini Bundt Cake

Adapted From Martha Stewart Living

1 1/2 sticks butter, melted

1 1/2 cups flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 medium zucchini (will measure when grated and dried to 2 1/2 cups)

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Brush a 6 cup bundt pan with melted butter and dust with flour. Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

2. Grate zucchini on the large holes of a grater then fold into paper towel and/or kitchen towel and press the excess water out.

3. Stir together eggs and sugar, then stir in melted butter and zucchini. Stir in flour mixture. Transfer batter to pan.

4. Bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 1 hour. Transfer pan to wire rack and let cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen and turn onto wire rack. Let cool for another 30 minutes.

I thought this cake was best on the second day. I mixed a small amount of powdered sugar and milk together to use as a glaze then sifted more powdered sugar on top. I thought it came out about perfect. Martha’s version is a little different, calling for an orange glaze and cardamom but I think this works just fine and is a little less complicated. She also topped hers with candied zucchini for a fancier presentation.

Homemade English Muffins

kristineleuze — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 21:12:39 +0000

Recently I purchased a bag of English Muffins at the grocery store and was really disappointed when I got home and saw how dried out they were. I remembered I had a recipe for homemade ones in my book, Peter Reinhart’s Artisan Breads Every Day so I decided to make my own. I had to wait a few days until my English Muffin Rings arrived from Amazon but I used the time to thoroughly read the recipe and prepare. They were worth waiting for. Extremely moist, they are nothing like the ones you buy in the store. You do them on the stove top, so it is something you can “bake” during the summer when it is hotter than blazes (100° here today!).

You cook them for 12 minutes on each side and then cool on their sides so they don’t get soggy. They seem to defy gravity! You use yeast too. Of course I hardly like any bread that doesn’t contain yeast. . .

Remember to keep the temperature low. Notice the flame size in this picture. That seemed about right. A “2″ on my stove. One last note- I did not “do ahead” and make the dough the day before and refrigerate. I simply mixed the dough at 11am, let it rise on my counter for 2 hours and then “baked” them.

English Muffins

From Peter Reinhart’s Artisan Bread Every Day

2 tsp (0.5oz/14g) honey

1 tbsp (0.5oz/14g) vegetable oil or olive oil * I used olive oil

1.5 cups ( 12oz /340 g ) lukewarm whole or non fat milk ( 95º F or 35º C )

2 2/3 cups (12oz/340 g ) unbleached bread flour

3/4 tsp ( 0.19 oz/ 5.5 g) salt, or 1 1/4 tsp coarse kosher salt

2 tsps (0.22 oz/ 6g ) instant yeast

1/4 tsp ( 1.5 oz /43 g ) warm water

Cornmeal, for dusting – for english muffins authentic look

Add the honey and oil to the milk and stir to dissolve the honey. In a mixing bowl. whisk the flour, salt and yeast together, then pour in the milk mixture. Whisk for 1 minute, until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed and the flour is hydrated. You should see gluten strands forming as the wet sponge develops. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula, then mix the batter for a few more seconds. Scrape down the bowl again. then cover tightly with plastic wrap and immediately refrigerate overnight or for up to 4 days. The batter will bubble and rise as it cools down.

On Baking Day

Remove the dough from the refrigerator abour 2 hours before you plan to bake the English muffins. The dough will be much stiffer but still sticky and it will bubble as it comes to room temperature.

When ready to bake, dissolve the baking soda in the warm water and gently fold it into the dough, just like folding egg whites into cake batter, until it is fully absorbed. Let the dough rest for 5 to 10 minutes, until it starts bubbling again. Heat a flat griddle pan or cast-iron skillet over medium heat, or to

300º F or 149º C if using an electric griddle.

Mist the griddle and the inside of the crumpet rings with spray oil, then dust the inside of the rings with cornmeal. Cover the surface of the pan with as many rings as it will hold, then dust the pan inside the rings with more cornmeal. Lower the heat to medium-low, actually closer to low than to medium : you will have to use trial and error on this at first until you find the setting that works with your stove or griddle.

To bake

Mist a 1/3 cup measuring cup with spray oil , fill it with dough, and pour the dough into a ring, filling about 2/3 full : depending on the size of the ring, you may not need all of the batter in the scoop to fill each ring, but for standard crumpet rings 1/3 cup of batter is about right. Fill all of the rings, then sprinkle cornmeal over each muffin.

The dough will not spread immediately to fill the ring but will begin to slowly rise and soon will fill and reach the top of the ring ; it may or may not bubble. Cook the muffins for at least 12 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown and crisp and the tops lose their wet look. Then, flip the muffins over, rings and all, and cook for 12 minutes more. If it takes less than 12 minutes per side, your griddle setting is probably too high and youill end up with undercooked muffins.

When both sides are golden brown and the dough is springy to the touch, remove the muffins from the pan. Cool them in their rings for about 2 minutes, then pop them out.

Turn the muffins on their edge to cool. this will help prevent sinking and shrinking. Cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. After they cool, you can split them with a fork to accentuate the interior nooks.