Potato Pizza

I was having one of those blue, low energy, need-lots-of-carb days, and boy, oh boy, does this delicious pizza fill the need and then some.  If you are one who likes stuffed or twice baked potatoes and pizza, I believe you will enjoy this.  This pizza combines the best of two worlds and was a winner with both me and Sweetie-Pi.

The original recipe said to bake the potatoes; I boiled mine in unsalted water, but only because I wanted the potato water for something else I was making (everlasting yeast, a post to come soon).  For those who are in a hurry, the microwave would work well here. I think this recipe is pretty flexible; add more bacon, substitute with sausage, onions instead of the scallions.  Whatever you like on your baked stuffed potatoes would probably work here. I skimmed through the reviews on Allrecipes, and some of the folks said they used half sour cream and half ranch dressing.  Now doesn't that sound tasty!
I use an easy and simple pizza crust recipe  (found here)  that  requires no rise time and no kneading.  I have given up attempting to duplicate the wood-fired oven, pizza parlor pizza  (no wood-fired oven for starters and I don't own a pizza stone either)  so I've settled for ease and convenience as well as a good homemade bready crust.  This crust is thick enough to hold the heartiest of toppings.
Baked Potato Pizza
(adapted from  Allrecipes.Com)

Your favorite prepared pizza crust or recipe

3 medium potatoes, unpeeled, baked and cooled, cubed
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning (I used a mix of thyme, basil, basil)
1 cup sour cream
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
3 green onions (scallions), chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Have a crust ready to go in a 14" round pizza crust pan.** (Make sure you have a bit of a rim on the crust because the toppings you are going to put on are going to make a thick pizza.)  Bake for 400*F for 5 to 6 minutes or until crust starts to brown and feels just firm to the touch.  Remove from oven and set aside.

In the meantime, put the cubed potatoes in a large bowl.  Toss with the melted butter, garlic powder, and seasoning. 

Spread the sour cream over the pizza crust; top with the potato mixture and then scatter the bacon, green onion over that, and add the grated cheeses over all. 

Bake at 400*F for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let rest for five minutes before cutting into slices.

**Okay, I don't have a wood-fired oven, a pizza stone, and I don't have a pizza pan.  I just use my rimmed cookie sheet for a pizza pan and have a rectangular pizza, cut into squares to serve.  Tastes the same no matter how it's sliced, grins.  The crust recipe doesn't quite fill the pan from side to side, but that may be because I don't stretch it as thin as some might.  We tend to like a thicker crust for homemade pizzas and considering the weight of the toppings on this pizza, I would urge you to consider it if you are one who prefers a thin crust.

Pizza Crust
(found on Food.com)

1 1/4 ounce package yeast (equals 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 cup water, warmed to about 110*F
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Cornmeal for the pan, nice but not necessary

In a medium sized bowl, combine the yeast and water and stir to dissolve. The yeast should start to bubble after a minute or so.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.  Allow to rest for five minutes.

Sprinkle the cornmeal if you're using it on the bottom of the pan.  Press and gently stretch the dough into the pan.  (I might oil my  hands a little to give the dough a little more ease.) 

Bake at 450*F for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Perfection Salad

What do you think of gelatin molds?  Are they something better left to our cooking past or should they be brought to today's table?  Did you know that one version or another of Perfection Salad has been around for almost 80 years?  From what I read, the good folks at Knox and the good folks at Jello had a bit of a competition going on for their gelatin products, and in all fairness some pretty forgettable gelatin molds were created.  But Perfection Salad is one that should be remembered.  Fairly low calorie, veggie good, with a little creamy tartness from the mayonnaise.  It reminds me of a cole slaw in a way, just in a gelatin mold.  And I love the colors; it adds a little sparkle and shimmer to the plate.

I brought this to a family outing a while back, knowing full well the Sweetie-Pi's grandsons wouldn't go near this gelatin if their life depended on it (and I was right), I wasn't too sure about his young adult daughters (there were good sports and ate polite nibbles, smiles), but I figured we "older" folks would certainly reminensce and enjoy this old fashioned Perfection Salad. 

As it turned out, I was the only one who liked this, and I liked this a lot.  Sweetie-Pi's sister, Susan, was honest and said she didn't like this even when their mother made it, and that's fine. I'm sure, without my mentioning it, you know that Sweetie-Pi couldn't even look at it (even though green is his favorite color!).  I brought most of the salad back home, and yes, I polished it off all by myself. At the next to the last minute, as I was about to eat the last slice, I decided to throw it on a bed of lettuce and photograph it, just in case I decided to post it. Hence, it's not beautiful, but I can assure you its lack of aesthetics didn't stop me from enjoying it to the laste bite.

I may as well tell you, if you come to my house and we're having a ladies' luncheon, I want to make this for you.  I'll try not to go too Donna Reed with the pearl necklace, high heeled pumps, and shirt waist dress, but you never know.  This recipe is an inspiration.

Perfection Salad
(http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Perfection-Salad)

2 tablespoons unflavored powdered gelatin, softened in 1⁄2 cup cold water

1⁄2 cup sugar
1⁄3 cup rice vinegar
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon. kosher salt
 
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup finely shredded cabbage
2 jarred pimentos, minced
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and minced

Canola oil, for greasing

In a  custard cup or other similar small bowl, soften the gelatin in the water.

Add the sugar, rice vinegar, lemon juice, salt and softened gelatin to a small sauce pan.  Heat over medium heat until the gelatin dissolves.  Remove from heat and chill for 30 minutes (gelatin will be thick, but not thoroughly set).  Stir in remaining prepared vegetables.

Grease a 12" x 4 1/2" x 2" pan (or use individual custard cups, etc.) and transfer gelatin mix to the mold.  Chill until set, about 6 hours.

When it comes time to unmold the salad, take a thin-bladed knife and gently slide it along the edge of the mold.  Set the mold in a pan of hot water for about 5 seconds.  Remove from pan from the water and turn the mold onto the serving plate. 

Served 1, but really is intended to serve 12
**My Notes:  I used an 8" x 5" bread loaf pan and it worked fine.  I would love to make this salad in individual custard cups just because the presentation would be prettier.  I rarely have success unmolding gelatin, so I would hesitate to use a mold that is too intricate.  Even  using the loaf pan, the first attempt at unmolding was unsuccessful.  I returned the pan to the hot water for another five seconds, and it was a tad too long because the unmolded gelatin had started to melt.  I put everything in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so and it set up fine.

Hashbrown Casserole

Yum-oooooh-yum-yum-yum do we love this!  Hashbrown casserole has been a family favorite since a co-worker back in my insurance days raved about a new potato dish she had at a function.  I made this for my family, and it was a hit and became part of my niece Hilliary's birthday dinner request, smiles. 

I brought this to a small Mother Day's gathering and this simple casserole won new devotees for its cheesy, crispy, potato goodness.  I mixed all the ingredients together ahead of time, sans cornflakes which I added just before baking, so it was a timesaver.  Serves 8-12 people, depending on appetites.

Hashbrown Casserole

2 pounds frozen hashbrown potatoes (the diced potato kind, not the shredded)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pint of sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (other cheeses also work well)

1 cup (or more!) crushed corn flakes
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Generously butter a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish.  Combine the first four ingredients together (can use the casserole dish to save a dish).  Top with the crushed corn flakes and butter.

Bake for 60-90 minutes.  Serve hot.  Rewarms well but the cornflakes loose some of their crunch.

Sweet Potato Bread

I used to be the only one here who ate sweet potatoes, that is, until I made this sweet potato bread.  My, my, my is it good!  It's very similar in taste and texture to a pumpkin bread, and if you didn't mention it, I suspect no one would be the wiser.  The recipe makes two loaves (with the typical hump in and the crack running down the middle of it).  It may not be pretty on the outside, but it is beautiful on the inside. 

Ole Sweetie-Pi had a recent stayover at his sister's and boyfriend's home, and I packed up some goodies for him to tote along, and a loaf of this was among them. There was some initial skepticism but then  I received phone calls and emails the next day telling me how much they all loved it.  When Ole Sweetie-Pi came home, he had to reassure himself that we still had a loaf for ourselves. 

Original recipe is on Allrecipes.  This is my adaptation. 

Sweet Potato Bread

3 sweet potatoes, cooked, (or enough to make 2 cups mashed)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup orange juice

3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves

Prepare the sweet potatoes by first washing them. Then you have a couple of options.  I pierced three big sweet potatoes and microwaved them until soft. Or you can slice them lengthwise and place on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 350*F for about 30 minutes, or until soft. Allow to cool, peel, and then mash and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, oil and applesauce.  Stir in the orange juice and the mashed sweet potatoes. 

In a separate bowl sift together the dry ingredients.  Stir the dry ingredients into the sweet potato mixture and stir until just combined, being careful not to overmix. 

Divide the batter between two generously greased 9" x 5" loaf pans.  Bake in a preheated 350*F oven for about 1 hour and 15-25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Maple Syrup

Have you ever mentioned that you didn't like something, say Brussels sprouts, and that person would listen thoughtfully and say with great self-assurance, "Well, you'd like the way I make it."  

I have yet found that to be true.  There is no way you can pretty up tofu or okra, for example, and make me believe that I like it.

Ole Sweetie-Pi loves bacon.  He loves maple syrup.  He positively loathes Brussels sprouts.  There is not enough bacon or maple syrup on the planet to make him think he is going to eat  those gorgeous green globes of goodness.  Me, however, I love them, and I really loved them served like this.  The maple syrup added just a perfect amount of sweetness, and who doesn't love the salty goodness of smoked bacon.  Total YUM!

I found this recipe on the Boston Globe  and as far as I'm concerned, it's a keeper. 

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Maple Syrup

2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
3 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven at 400* Fahrenheit.  Have a large rimmed baking sheet (cookie sheet) on hand, set aside.

In a large bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts with the remaining ingredients and spread the mixture in a single layer on the baking sheet. (It might be helpful to line with a sheet of tin foil for easier cleaning afterwards.)

Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning several times, or until they are tender and caramelized and the bacon is crisp.

NOTES:  I made this for Thanksgiving Day, and because I have only one oven and was using it for other baked goods as well, I did not "roast" at the suggested temperature. I just put the ingredients (minus the salt as I felt the bacon would be salty enough) in one of my oven to table dishes and baked at 350* Fahrenheit for 45 minutes, along with other dishes I had going.  I did not get the deep caramelized color or the bacon crispy, but the wonderful flavors where there, and I was able to have everything ready at the same time. 

Parsnip, Apple and Thyme Soup

 

When I was youngster, creamed corn was about the only vegetable I'd ever eat.  I never grew tired of it  and when entreated to try something new, I would practically convulse at the thought. And heaven knows I'd never eat parsnips or even try them. Never. Parsnips were something that my grandmother ate (she also ate tripe and pickled pig's feet, so, in my mind, she was not exactly a reliable taste tester).

Time passed, I've made a conscious effort to "grow up" my taste buds and  I have learned to appreciate the cruciferous vegetables, greens, gourds, root vegetables, but parsnips escaped me until much later.  And now?  Well, I've acquired a taste for them, and quite frankly they'll never be a favorite, but they are so good for you that I keep trying them.  If you've never tried them, they look a lot like carrots in shape, though they're creamy white.  To me they taste somewhere between a carrot and a turnip--they have a natural sweetness like a carrot but have a more assertive flavor akin to a turnip.  

One of my favorite blogs is The English Kitchen.  Marie is a transplanted Canadian now residing in England, and she is discovering English cooking and sharing her delicious results and discoveries.  Her blog is beautifully photographed and written; everything she prepares looks delicious.  And it was there that I found this recipe for parsnip, apple and thyme soup.  I hope you take some time to peruse her blog and maybe even try this soup. It reminds me of the soups I've tried from Campbell's Select soups.

Parsnip, Apple and Thyme Soup

(from The English Kitchen)

1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon medium curry powder
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
3 large parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 large cooking apple, peeled and chopped (I used 3 small Granny Smiths)
5 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup cream
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
extra virgin olive, croutons and some fresh thyme leaves as garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and curry powder. Cook and stir over medium low heat until the onion softens.

Stir in the parsnips, apple and thyme sprig. Cook and stir to coat in the oil and spice. (You may need to add a bit more oil). Add the chicken stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the apple and parsnip is quite soft.

Puree until smooth with a stick blender or in a blender in small batches, taking care to cover the blender so you don't get burned. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return to the pot and stir in the cream and heat through.

Serve hot, ladled into heated bowls. Top each serving with a drizzle of olive oil, some croutons and some thyme leaves.

Japanese Cucumber Salad

My mother was real big on pickles. She said when she was pregnant with me, she wept many tears with craving for two particular Japanese pickles she particularly loved and missed, pickled plums and pickled olives.  It was until I was in my early 20's and went to Boston to an Asian food mart that I was able to find her heart's desire and mailed them to her.  In the meantime, she did a lot of canning from the huge vegetable garden she kept, and  harvested bushel baskets of cucumbers from which she made bread and butter pickles, ripe cucumber pickles, and relishes. I used to butter bread and make pickle sandwiches they were so good!

One particular pickle she made during the summer, was one she called Japanese cucumber salad.  Now, I don't know if these are really Japanese or not; she's Japanese, she made them, so that makes them an authentic Japanese cucumber salad.  I have seen similar recipes on the web, not attributed to the Japanese, so your guess is as good as mine.

Recently my brother Grant asked me about Mom's cucumber salad, if I knew Mom's recipe and did I make it.  We both recalled the nice sweet and sour flavor, slightly crunchy texture,  and to me (and apparently to Grant) totally addictive and memorable.  Once we start on these, we both claim we can eat the whole bowl by ourselves. 

Japanese Cucumber Salad

 
5 medium cucumbers
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional, we never had it with sesame seeds)

Wash the cucumbers. Cut off the ends.   Remove the peel with a paring knife or vegetable peeler, leaving strips of green peel for a striped effect.  Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise.  Using the tip of a spoon, remove the seeds.  Slice the cucumber as thinly as possible (across the narrow side, so that you'll have half-moon shaped slices of cucumber) into a bowl.

Add the salt, and with your impeccably clean hands, mix the salt and cucumber mixture with your hands until the cucumber slices are limp and opaque looking.  This will take 4 or 5 minutes. Cover and set aside for 45 minutes to allow the salt to draw out the cucumber liquid.

In the meantime, mix the lemon juice, sugar and vinegar in a separate bowl. 

Transfer the cucumber mixture to a colander and squeeze out as much juice as possible.  My mother used to wrap the cucumbers in a clean white linen dishtowel and squeeze and twist the towel to remove the liquid, which is the way I do it.  Discard the salt water. Put the cucumbers into bowl.  (The volume will be greatly decreased from the amount you initially started with.)

Add the lemon juice, sugar, and vinegar mixture to the squeezed cucumbers.Add sesame seeds if using.  Let sit for an hour or so, refrigerated, and then enjoy!

I am submitting this recipe to Lynda  for April's Family Recipes.

Apple Butternut Squash Soup

I had been reading on your blogs about Greek yogurt, and when I finally saw organic Greek yogurt at my little city's grocery store this past spring, I was inspired and encouraged to try it.

I was going through the checkout, and a portly gentleman of early middle years was eying the foods  as I placed them on the  conveyor belt.

No point in pretending I didn't know he was standing there so I acknowledged him with a smile.

"I see you bought Greek yogurt," he said. " How do you like it?"

"This is my first purchase, but I like yogurt, so I'm sure I'll like this."  

"See you bought Oikos. I've tried the others, but theirs is the best.  My refrigerator is stacked with it.  Look, see, I bought even more today.   I don't want to run out."

He had indeed bought maybe a dozen single-serve containers, making a pyramid with them.  I smiled politely, feeling a little possessive of my Greek yogurt.  "I used to eat mostly cold cereal and canned soup; you certainly are making much better choices than I did."

He slightly shook his head disapprovingly and tut-tutted me.  "Well, it's never to late to start," he admonished. 

Then my youngest niece, Laura, graduated from UNH (University of New Hampshire), double major with a GPA that even now makes her Dad swell with pride.  The keynote speaker was Gary Hirshberg, CEO (he calls himself CE-Yo, grins) of Stonyfield Farm, the producers of Oikos Greek Yogurt. He is down to earth,  committed, takes pride in his company and product, is progressive,  and supportive of those students who are interested in agriculture, is a  friend to the Earth.  His parting message to the graduating class, "Do good work."   Aaah, a businessman whose philosophy reflects my own and who walks the talk.  Now I am impressed with the man as well as the product.

As it happens, a representative of Stonyfield Farms contacted me and offered to send me  some coupons to try their product and to mention them on my blog. I generally have their yogurt in my refrigerator so did not need the added incentive of coupons to give them a nod on my blog.  Their generous offer, however, did pique my curiosity about recipes they had on their site and that's when I found their Apple Butternut Squash Soup.  

I've discovered that I love pureed vegetable soups (Ole Sweetie-Pi still thinks he'd prefer to forgo the pleasure).  I grew up on chowders and stews, with lots of chunky goodness in thickened gravies and broths.  I still enjoy them.  However, there's something velvety, satisfying, genteel,  about pureed vegetable soups. Perhaps it's because there is one dominant ingredient and the rest are back notes, perhaps it's because I make use of vegetables are customarily only served as a side dish at my table.  Perhaps it's just because I feel righteous and healthier.  Perhaps it's simply because they are darned good.

Apple Butternut Squash Soup
(from Stonyfield Farm)


1 medium-size butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
3 medium apples, peeled,  cored and chopped coarsley
2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/4 cups Oikos Organic Plain Greek Yogurt, divided

In a large pot, combine all ingredients except the yogurt.. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes.

Let cool, then put in blender and pulse until smooth. (Or use an immersion blender or food processor.)

Add 1 cup of yogurt and pulse to combine.

Return soup to large pot and reheat slowly being careful not to boil. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer to serving bowl and garnish with remaining yogurt.

My Notes:   I'm not sure how big a "medium" squash is, but I bought the smallest one I could  find and used three McIntosh apples. The flavor of the squash shines through; the apples add a nice touch of sweetness.  I think the next time I make this, I'll use an additional apple, and perhaps one that is sweeter, such as Red Delicious.  The addition of the yogurt adds a delicious creaminess and mouth feel, but I found the yogurt to be particularly tangy, so I might cut back on that a bit.  And definitely use fresh herbs if you can. The soup was excellent reheated the next day, and if possible, even better.  I'm already looking forward to another bowl of this!

Ginger Carrot Soup

I'm an unabashed sweets lover but I've had enough sugary things for a while. Now all things savory and healthier are calling me and I'm wanting to serve those foods that have more nutrition.

When I told Ole Sweetie-Pi we were having ginger carrot soup he nearly had apoplexy.  That piece of information prompted him to lift the lid of the soup pot, stir the ingredients around into a whirling vortex, taste a sample, grimace in pain, and then go hide in the living room. Honestly, he can be so dramatic.  It didn't stop him from eating a whole bowl of it though when I served it to him, grins.

This ginger carrot soup is subtly warm from the fresh ginger and pepper, with a pleasing sweetness from the fresh carrots and orange juice. The onions, I think, help to balance out the spice and the sweet.  This pureed into a nice thick soup, though to be honest, I only used one box of  vegetable stock, which was less than the five cups called for.  I wasn't about to open up a second box just a cup of stock. I could have made up the difference with water, I suppose, but I found the thickness of the soup to be pleasing and just went with it. 

I would and will definitely make this again. I'm pretty sure after eating all those carrots I'll be able to read in the dark without a flashlight.  Ole Sweetie-Pi said he could pass on eating this again, but I don't know.  I think he's still recovering from the shock.

Ginger Carrot Soup

Earthbound Farm Organic

2 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil

1 piece (3 inches long) fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped

4 cups peeled, sliced carrots

5 cups vegetable stock

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

Pinch of ground nutmeg

Sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Sour cream, as garnish

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, heat the oil.  Add the ginger and the onion and cook until the onion is translucent. 

Add the carrots, vegetable stock, and orange juice and bring to a boil.  Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low, allowing the soup to simmer for about 45 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.

Puree the soup using an immersion blender or allow the soup to cool slightly and puree in batches in a blender. 

Return the soup to the pot and add the seasonings:   the pinch of nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.  To serve, add a small dollop of sour cream on top.

For more information about making this soup ahead or serving it cold, click on the link I provided under the recipe name.

Thanksgiving with Liz

My friends, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, as I know we surely did. I just wanted to share several recipes I made at Thanksgiving time and I'm grouping them in one post, as I prepared these for Ole Sweetie Pi's sweet and lovelyl daughter, Liz.

For the first time, Ole Sweetie-Pi's youngest daughter, Liz (aka Lizard, an unpleasant nickname for this most charming young woman) shared the meal with us. We were just so delighted and excited to have her and were literally giddy with pleasure (picture a 60+ male being giddy, grins, but I swear Ole Sweetie-Pi was!). Much to do, much ado, as the beloved Liz is allergic to animals (can you say we have five cats and cat fur hidden in every imaginable nook and cranny in the house and you can see the fur fall from their little bodies as they brush past you, grrrr!) as well as multiple food allergies. The poor darling, I don' t know how she manages so well. I'd have a quivering bottom lip and feel quite put upon.

It's a whole new world when one has to be gluten free, soy free, egg free, corn free, dairy free, no fresh apples, plums, almonds, peanuts, white potatoes, beef, and I forget what all else, but the list does go on for a bit. Thank heavens she can at least have turkey and sweet potatoes, I thought! And the menu for her was built from there.

For a little snack, as dinner seemed to be running late, I had made some cashew butter. I went online and found an Emeril recipe, and served this delicious butter on rice crackers (purchased at a health food store). If you like the taste of peanut butter you'd probably like this as the flavors are similar. It's easy to make and so much less expensive than buying it. And Liz tells me it was better than anything she's ever purchased.

You can double click on any of the pictures to enlarge them.

Cashew Butter
(pictured lower right)

2 cups unsalted, roasted cashews
2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar, optional (I used honey and kept adding it until I found a balance I liked)

In a food processor or blender, combine the nuts, 2 tablespoons of the oil, the salt, and the sugar, if desired. Process on high speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula and process to desired smoothness. Taste for sweetness and seasoning, adjusting to personal taste. Transfer to a bowl to use as a dip, spread, or in other recipes, or place in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.

My Notes: I used my blender, and either my blender is old and not very powerful or I should have roughly chopped up the cashews first to make them easier to blend. I definitely needed more oil to make a smooth butter, but can't tell you how much more I added. I just eyeballed it, frequently stopping to scrap it down, adding drops at a time and continued to blend it until it looked right. Oil does rise to the top after it sits a bit; it just has to be stirred back in before using it.

No white potatoes for Liz but she can have rice. I made my favorite rice recipe, adapted from Recipezaar. I didn't take a picture (too much going on, tripping over beleaguered and pitiful cats and constantly "dirty" hands and didn't want to goop up my camera) but the only changes for this recipe was I added a good half teaspoon of ground cumin and a finely diced shallot, and omitted the butter. Liz and I loved it; you may recall that Ole Sweetie-Pi has the rice-lice association (pulling a big frown here).

Vegetables weren't really an issue, just nothing creamed or with cheese, of course. I did make my favorite Thanksgiving onions which I will post another time because they deserve to be spotlighted.

Dessert presented its own challenges. I made the traditional apple and pumpkin pies for me and Ole Sweetie-Pi, loaded up with all the bad stuff of course, but boy they were good. But for Liz? Do you know how hard it is to find something that sounds delicious but doesn't have gluten, dairy, soy or egg in it? I spent hours looking on the Internet, and finally adapted this recipe.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free Pumpkin Custard (pictured on the left hand side)

1½ cups of rice milk
4 tablespoons tapioca (next time I'll grind it fine)
1/2 teaspoon xantham gum
1½ cups of solid-pack canned pumpkin or cooked pumpkin
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, whisk together the rice milk, tapioca, and xanthum gum until smooth and then the remaining ingredients, stirring well to combine. I used an 8 x ll inch baking dish and baked the custard for about 45 minutes. The custard never became what I would call "firm" but I don't think it should be; after all it is a custard and should have some jiggle to it. Cool before scooping out and serving.

I took a spoonful of this and this really tasted pretty good. Liz said she really liked it. The texture is a little different because of the use of xanthum gum and the tapioca (and I definitely should have finely ground the tapioca as it left little "pebbles" in the custard, grins) but it did set up nicely. The rice milk does not have a big flavor, so the flavor of the spices showcased nicely. Now if we could only find a dairy free, soy free whipped topping, it would be perfect!

Lastly, for lunch on Friday, because I had to work, I wanted to slow cooker something for Liz, so she could have something warm and wonderful. She mentioned that she loves spicy foods and has a great fondness for chilis. Well, as luck would have it I found a delicious butternut chili recipe that all of us enjoyed (even Ole Sweetie-Pi who swears he doesn't like vegetables!). Will wonders never cease? I arose at 3:30 a.m., chopped up some vegetables, opened some cans, and set it in the slow cooker. At 6:30 I came downstairs (I am lucky enough to work full time from home) to turn the slow cooker on, and viola, lunch was in the works.

Butternut Chili(pictured upper right)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon each cumin, chili powder and ginger
1 medium red or sweet onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, diced
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, diced
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
3 cups vegetable broth
1 28-oz. can whole tomatoes
1/4 cup diced, canned jalapeno peppers, drained
2 14-oz. cans black beans, rinsed, drained
1 14-oz. can white Northern beans, rinsed, drained
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar

Drizzle the olive oil in the bottom of the cooker; add the garlic and spices and stir to combine.
Add the remaining ingredients. Gently stir with a wooden spoon so that you don't mush up the beans. Cover and cook on low for five to six hours.

I took out a chunk of squash and pierced it for tenderness with the point of a sharp knife. Once the knife easily pierced the squash, the chili was done.

I served this without lime, but I think a nice splash of lime at the end would have been a perfect addition and was probably the flavor that I felt was lacking in an otherwise healthful and flavorful chili. A dollop of sour cream would have been excellent as well (sorry Liz!).

Sweetie-pi with his youngest daughter, Liz. What a pair!

Stuffed Green Peppers

Ever wonder what to do with the white rice that comes with your meal at the Chinese restaurant that most people ignore? I don't like wasting food so we bring it home, and I'm typically the one who eats, just reheated with a pat of melted butter. Ole Sweetie-Pi doesn't care for rice; to him it just has no flavor and looks like lice eggs.

However, with a little doctoring, even Ole Sweetie-Pi will eat rice, and one of our old time favorites is stuffed peppers. This is just a basic recipe, something that my mother made from time to time and it's still as good now as it was then. I think you could add additional spices and it would be even tastier.

Stuffed Green Peppers
from the Betty Crocker Cookbook

6 large green peppers
5 cups boiling, salted water

1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic
1 cup cooked rice
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 350F.

Find a pot large enough to hold all the peppers and heat the water with salt added.

Cut a thin slice from the stem end of each pepper. Remove all seeds and membranes. Wash inside and out. Add peppers to the boiling water and boil for five minutes. Remove peppers from pot and drain.

In a saute pan, cook and stir ground beef and onion until onion is tender. Drain off fat. Stir in salt, garlic, rice and one cup of tomato sauce. Heat through.

Lightly spoon each pepper with about 1/2 cup of the meat-rice mixture. Stand peppers upright in an ungreased baking dish. Pour remaining tomato sauce over peppers. Cover; bake for 45 minutes. Uncover, and bake 15 minutes longer. I personally add a little sprinkle of cheese.

The next night, with my leftovers, I make my version of Spanish rice, depending what I have on hand. I start off by scooping the rice out of the cooked green peppers and chop them up. I'll likely add more green peppers, add more onion, maybe some celery. Cook through add the leftover rice. And here I'll add my spices: paprika, black pepper, chili powder, a little cumin. If I have it and if I think it needs it, I might add more tomato sauce or even some salsa.

So good!

Onion Pie

I saw a 10 pound bag of Vadalia onions on sale and, of course, I just had to have them. I love the sweeter, milder onion flavor of the Vadalia. One of my favorite ways to use these onions is in this simple, quiche-like pie. This old standby is terrific when money is short and payday isn't until the end of the week. A simple salad goes wonderfully with this for a meatless meal, and goes just as well as a side with a delicious steak when the purse strings aren't drawn quite so tight.

Many recipes for onion pie call for a pastry crust, but this one is a little different as it uses crushed saltines and butter, a time saver and certainly very do-able for those who may be timid about preparing a pastry crust.

This pie is at its best served warm from the oven on the day it is made.

Onion Pie

1 cup finely crushed saltines (about 28 crackers)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted

2 cups thinly sliced onion, separated into rings (about 2 medium)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs beaten
1/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (or your choice, a mix of cheese is delicious)
3/4 teaspoon salt **
dash ground black pepper
dash paprika

Mix cracker crumbs with the 1/4 cup melted butter. Press into the bottom and up the sides of an 8-inch pie plate.

In a saute pan, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter and add the onions. Cook the onions until translucent but not browned. Pour onions into the prepared crust. Combine the milk, egg, salt and pepper and pour over the onions. Sprinkle with the cheese and paprika.

Bake at 350F about 30 minutes or until a sharp knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean.

Garnish with additional cooked onions and parsley if desired. Serves 4 to 6.

**I have found, depending on the saltiness of the cheese(s) you are using that 3/4 teaspoon salt is too much. I just toss in a pinch of salt and have found that to be quite satisfactory.

I've used any number of different cheeses with this, Swiss, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, sharp cheddar, Mexican cheese blend. All have been very good!

Spaghetti Squash-Coconut Custard Pie

Do you remember this old Weight Watcher's recipe? Spaghetti squash virtually replaces all the high calorie, high fat coconut and you still have a delicious coconut custard pie that satisfies that dessert craving. As spaghetti squash tends to take on the flavors around it, its flavor is barely discernible. Ole Sweetie-Pi, who doesn't like squash anything, liked this.

Start by preparing your spaghetti squash. I cook mine whole. There are a number of ways to prepare it. You can boil it whole in a pot of water for about an hour or until it pierces easily with a knife. Or place on a baking sheet, and bake at 375F for an hour, or you can put it on a microwave safe dish, microwave it on high maybe for 15 minutes or so. If you choose to bake or microwave it, make sure and pierce it all over to let the steam escape or you might have a squash explosion from the steam that builds up inside the squash. You can also cut the squash into half and proceed, which will reduce preparation time, but you will need a sharp cleaver and the arms and strength of a WWF wrestler.

Once it's softened, let this cool, as the squash will be too hot to handle comfortably. Once cool, you can cut it open, scrape out the seeds and stringy stuff, discard them, and what you have remaining is some nice pulp. With a fork, scrape out the pulp, (it should come off in nice shreds) and proceed with the rest of the recipe. I made the squash the night before, let it cool overnight.

Whew! The good news is, this pie needs no crust!

Now for the pie recipe.

Spaghetti Squash-Coconut Custard Pie

2 cups skimmed milk
6 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1 cup cooked spaghetti squash
A little grated coconut to sprinkle on top

Put all ingredients (except the spaghetti squash and the coconut) into a blender or food processor (or just mix well in a large bowl). Blend or process for three minutes until smooth. Stir in squash. Pour into a deep-dish 9- or 10-inch pie plate. Sprinkle a little coconut on top. Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center come out clean.

Now, you'll notice that this recipe does not call for sugar, so for me it was not quite sweet enough. I think I'll add a small amount of coconut into the batter to add sweetness and also to amp up the coconut flavor because my favorite part was those little bits of coconut that were sprinkled on top.

Grins. Is that defeating the purpose of the recipe?

Flemish Carrot Soup

Spring has flirted with us for a day or two, seducing us with promises of more as we stood outside on the back deck, basking in the first warm rays. And just as suddenly, the wind picked up, the skies were heavy with snow, and my thoughts turned to something warm and satisfying.

We're pretty simple folk here; not a whole lot of gourmet cooking in my kitchen. There are certain foodstuffs that I keep; for vegetables, typically carrots, potatoes, onions, scallions, celery. I brought out several cookbooks, and settled into my Everybody Eats Well in Belgium cookbook by Ruth Van Waerebeek with Maria Robbins. And there I saw it. I was hesitant to try it, as the soups we eat tend to be chunky with vegetables with maybe some pasta thrown in for good measure and this soup was pureed, of all things. Would Sweetie-Pi even try this? he can be so particular.

I shouldn't have worried; after the first mouthful Sweetie-Pi matched me spoonful for spoonful. This soup is sophisticated. It is sublime, velvety, earthy, rich. It's orange, classy in a beautiful bowl. It should be served to only your most discerning friends and family.

Flemish Carrot Soup

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed well and sliced into thin rings **
1 large onion, sliced
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups water**
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices
1 large baking potato, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup milk, plus additional if needed
salt and ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
croutons

Melt the butter in a heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and onions, cook, stirring until wilted, but not browned, about ten minutes

Add the chicken broth, water, carrots, potato, thyme and bay leaf. Cover, simmer until the vegetables are very soft, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool a little. Discard the bay leaf.

Puree the soup in small batches in a blender or food processor (or use a food emersion blender). Return the soup to the pot and stir in the milk, adding a little more if the soup is too thick for your liking. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Reheat gently and serve sprinkled with minced parsley. Serve the croutons in a bowl at the table.

** The recipe called for leeks, but in the variations section, it was suggested to use a bunch of scallions for the leeks. Scallions I had.

** Also the recipe calls for four cups of water. It is my strong personal opinion that water does not flavor anything. So I increased the chicken broth (I only had canned) to 4 cups and reduced the water to 2 cups.

As an aside, we love Agatha Christie's Belgium detective, Hercule Poirot. You just know that we had to talk in his clipped accent all the while we savored this soup. **sigh** So much for classy and sophisticated.

Carrot Bake

I really want to like vegetables. Really, I do. It's just that I think they can be so boring. Honestly, if I see one more stack of green beans with a sprinkling of slivered almonds, I think I'll...oh, I don't know...probably just eat them, and just be left wondering if that's all there is.

With Sweetie-Pi's finicky taste buds to consider, there aren't a whole lot of vegetables to expand on. However, that is part of the challenge and the fun for me. One vegetable that we both agree on is carrots. Outside of boiling them or eating them in sticks, what else is there? So, I dug out a half dozen of my favorite cookbooks and settled on one of my favorites, Best of the Best from New England.
I read cookbooks as if they were novels, savoring each recipe, imagining the taste as I read the ingredients and the directions. Sometimes I can read a recipe and know I've found a winner. I know I've seen this recipe a dozen times and have skipped past it every time. The recipe title "Carrot Bake" is just so ho-hum and mundane and uninspiring. When I read the recipe again, I read it with new eyes. I looked past the title and read the ingredients and started to imagine the flavors. Yummmm, I thought.
And now I have found a new favorite way to eat carrots. I like this so much I would serve it to guests. The picture doesn't even begin to do justice. There is a melody of flavor on the tongue. Carrots, onions, green peppers, and a hint of sweetness. And the rewarding part? Sweetie-Pi absolutely loved this!

I wish I could've taken a better picture for you. This was our early Valentine's dinner, carrot bake, filet mignon, and what should've been Duchess potatoes. (Those were a laughable failure; I will not be blogging about those until I get it right. In the meantime, just focus on the carrots. Pay no attention to that mysterious white blob on the right of your screen!) We had a nice Merlot, and a new twist on strawberry shortcake, that could easily become the way I make all future shortcakes.

Carrot Bake

9 or 10 large carrots

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 cup chopped onion

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar1/2 cup soft bread crumbs

Peel and slice the carrots. In a medium pan, with just enough water to cover the carrots, cook over medium heat until tender. Mash. (Now this is February in New Hampshire. The carrots were woody, unpleasantly fibrous, so I had to pulse them in a food processor.) Set aside.

In a small saute pan, melt four tablespoons of butter. Add the flour, milk, salt and sugar and cook until thickened. (To avoid lumps, I made a slurry with a portion of milk and all the flour and then added it into the pan with the vegetables and milk.) Add the reserved carrots and transfer all to a greased casserole dish. (Because there were a number of prepatory steps, I worked the recipe to this point, covered with plastic wrap, and then refrigerated, About 45 minutes before I wanted to serve dinner, I took the casserole out of the fridge and continued with the recipe.)

Melt the remaining one tablespoon of butter in a clean saute pan and add the bread crumbs. Toast the crumbs over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the crumbs are a golden brown. Then sprinkle those wonderful buttery, toasted crumbs over the casserole.

Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

Prepare to swoon.

Stuffed Mushrooms with Cream Cheese & Sausage

Tonight was a movie night for Sweetie-pi and me. We're addicted to a British who-dun-it series called "Midsomer Murders." Proper English manners, beautiful estates, sweeping English countryside, innuendos, murder, suspects galore, what more could we ask for. It's so tasteful and proper --can murder be proper?

Anyway, it's not a real movie night without some sort of tidbit, and since we didn't have a proper (there's that word again) lunch, I made something with a little more substance. I made Stuffed Mushrooms with Cream Cheese and Sausage. They work up pretty easily, and they look a little festive and fussy, which they are not (fussy that is).

I followed the recipe as written, with the exception of adding maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Italian bread crumbs. I just eyeballed it and stirred, then tasted for texture and flavor until I thought it was enough. Then with my impeccably clean, damp fingers, I smoothed and patted the stuffing in and on the mushroom caps. (My fifth grade teacher, Miss Williams, always said that neatness counts. I've always remembered that, but I think in her case she was referring to my handwriting not stuffed mushrooms.)

I'm going to be honest here. I thought these were just okay. However, Sweetie-pi swears they're the best stuffed mushrooms he's ever put in his mouth and that they are party worthy! They are very rich, he says. He can only eat a few, he says. Oh? An accolade from a man who only likes iceberg lettuce? The day can't be more gratifying, I think.

Unless I figure out who-dun-it early on in the movie. Now I feel complete.

Swiss Chard with Currants and Pine Nuts

Do you like the bitter? I do (though I confess to a very sweet tooth as well). Swiss chard is a vegetable for grown-ups, don't you think -- in the same category as broccoli, asparagus, brussel sprouts. Just look at those gorgeous red and green jewel toned colors of the stems and leaves. It's a party in a bowl.

Ordinarily I cook Swiss chard in a huge pot of salted water, drain, add butter, and enjoy, but for you, my esteemed reader, I felt I should do something a little more special. So I did a Google search and found this recipe in the New York Times.

I had some qualms, as I've never eaten pine nuts and I wasn't too sure about the currants cooked with Swiss chard. It just seemed a little too haute cuisine for this country girl, but change and growth can be good, right? So, bravely I went to my little grocery store, saw that they actually sold pine nuts in a bulk bin (so somebody in town besides me must be eating them) and decided to go with it. I'm a risk taker like that.

Let me tell you, this Swiss chard is so darned good that I ate it for three meals and still could've eaten it again. I discovered I love pine nuts. I'm talking true love here! They are buttery wonderful, like the way a macadamia is buttery wonderful. They added a nice crunch and a bit of color. And the currants were a nice little sweet surprise (satisfying my sweet tooth, always important) and balanced nicely with the bitter Swiss chard.

I followed the recipe with one minor change; I do like a pat butter. I can't help myself. As much as I liked this, my sweetie pie wouldn't go near it. Then again, he doesn't like broccoli, asparagus, or brussel sprouts either. Come to think of it, he mostly only likes iceberg lettuce. What's up with that?