Breathing Fire

 And by fire, I mean garlic.

But so worth it.

Creamy Garlic Alfredo Ditalini.

Thinly-sliced garlic fried in olive oil, then removed. Toast pasta in (some of) the oil. Add a little seasoning, then stock and cream and let that cook.

Butter and cheese go in near the end, then top it all with more cheese and the fried garlic.

So good.  So filling, but not heavy. And perfect for a cooler evening.

Oof, did I spend the next 12 or so hours breathing out garlic!

Happy National Chocolate Cupcake Day!

 

As if we needed an excuse...

Making Clotted Cream - are you Cornwall or Devon?

 

From the very first time I had tea at the now-closed tea shop in town, with its multi-level trays of sandwiches, scones, and sweet baked goods, I was a clotted cream devotee. 

I'll often do 'tea for dinner' at home, ranging from a few items to more food than three people should eat (but do), and always, always try to get clotted cream for the scones.

That's not always an option, however.

Maybe, if the stars align, Whole Foods will have it in stock. 

Or, if we're willing to drive a bit, CostPlus.

Otherwise, I need to really plan ahead and order online, and even that isn't a guarantee.

I'd read these articles or posts about making your own...but there's a little problem. Clotted cream requires exactly one ingredient: unpasteurized cream.

This is the US. We don't DO unpasteurized dairy products.

So I resigned myself to clotted cream roulette. Sometimes I won. Most times, I did not.

 

But last week, I watched the latest episode of Tasting History (by the by, I adore Max and his channel), where he made clotted cream...because he found a low-pasteurized cream!

And I discovered that both Whole Foods and Earth Fare carry that Exact Brand.

So over the weekend...my oven was the star.

And what came out (after a very long rest in the fridge) was decadent and perfection.

Served with heart-shaped scones and strawberry jam (alongside slices of cheese tart and little cakes), it was...everything.

And the best/bonus news: it freezes! 

We had more than enough for tea, and a hearty supply for future needs.

Thank you, Max!

For the record, I am Devon all the way.

EoMEoTE - 20th Anniversary Edition

I definitely had some favorite blog events, and one of them was Jeanne and Anthony's (formerly of Cooksister and Spiceblog) End of Month Egg on Toast Extravaganza.

 

Ok. I didn't love when they expected me to write poetry, but throwing together a version of eggs and toast? Yes, please. They're some of my favorite foods!

I even hosted a couple of times (Hard Boiled, round-up here, and Seventies song lyrics, round-up here), I loved it so much.

So when I was thinking of ways to celebrate Dispensing Happiness's 20th year on the blogsphere, I knew I had to egg on toast one more time.

It's something we do almost weekly here, in fact. Saturdays and Sundays are the only days when there's enough time to make breakfast for Matt, and I try to not only come up with something tasty and filling, but to use up the tail ends of whatever I'd made during the week. 

There were a few of the ciabattas I'd baked earlier (again, finding decent bread here is inconsistent), as well as a few pieces of prosciutto from something (a sandwich, probably).  

So I split them open and toasted them in the frying pan with butter, then made some of the most perfect fried eggs to date. Layer up, and breakfast is served.  

The rolls got used up, the last few eggs in the carton - gone, and those last pieces of salty ham, finished. 

It's eggy, it's toasty. What more can you ask for?

Wartime Wednesdays: 20th Anniversary Edition - Veranda Punch

"Fruit beverages are particularly valuable in the diet. They should be served more frequently than any of the others except milk. The time has passed when we think of them as only formal or semi-formal occasions or the warmest Summer days. They offer most desirable minerals, are rich in vitamins, and, because of the sugar used to sweeten them, are fairly high in fuel value. Most of the fruit-juices have a wholesome laxative effect. In the Summer they make refreshing drinks; through the Winter, the juices that have been bottled during the warmer months plus the fresh juices available from the citrus fruits are a source of vitamins and minerals, which may be so lacking in the diet at that time; and in the Spring they are most valuable stimulants to the jaded appetite. The tang of their acid flavor and their attractive color make them welcome additions to the table."

The Victory Binding of the American Woman's Cook Book; Wartime Edition --- published 1943

A nice way to wrap up our (for now) return to WW; a bright, tangy punch!

Mixing the juices of fresh lemons and oranges and simple sirup (their spelling), add hot tea, then cool.

When ready to serve, add ginger ale and charged water.  

Garnish with slices of oranges and lemons if desired. 

This was nice! Like...a jacked up Arnold Palmer.  

(The glasses are not only vintage, but made in my hometown. There's a matching punch bowl, too!)

(Mini) Blogging by Mail - 20th Anniversary Edition

 

I didn't create Blogging By Mail, but I did eventually take over the running of the event. And it was a Lot of work!

But I loved it.  Sending and getting glimpses of someone else's food life? So here for it.

I don't think it's a manageable event these days.  Too many people to keep track of, and the cost of shipping (a big fuck you to Louis DeJoy) puts it out of reach for many.

But it was one of my favorite food things to do, so I had to find a way to bring it back for the ol' anniversary celebration.

Gathering up a mix of favorite and/or interesting things, I sent a package to my friend Jasmine, formerly of Cardamom Addict.

Some rather appropriate cardamom-pistachio biscotti, one of the darling and essential mini-liquid measuring cups, gorgeously vanilla-scented candle, and a little USB-powered 'rug' to keep her tea warm.

Speaking of tea, there's a tin of my own Smoke on the Water blend, a few cookie cutters, and edible glitter.

Nutmeg ice cream perfume oil!

And brownie brittle.  

This made me happy.  It took me back to the 'old days', and I got to surprise a friend with a little bit of foodie goodness. 

If Sparkles Had A Scent

Triple Vanilla Scones

 

I feel sorry for anyone who thinks vanilla is boring.

 

Vanilla is glorious!

It adds layers, brings out flavors...it's magic.

I won't promise that these scones will grant you powers or wishes, but they are tasty.  They do require some planning ahead (AND FREEZER SPACE), but served with a cup of tea (Barry's Irish Breakfast, thank you very much), they are a decidedly non-boring treat. There's even a little surprise inside!

Wartime Wednesdays: 20th Anniversary Edition - Fried Chicken & Corn Bread

Fried Chicken

 

"To Clean Giblets

Cut the fat and membrane from the gizzard. Make a gash in the thickest part, cutting to, but not through the inner lining. Remove the inner sac and throw it away. Carefully separate the gall bladder from the liver and cut off any part of the liver that has a greenish color. Remove arteries and veins from the top of the heart and squeeze out clots of blood." 

  The Victory Binding of the American Woman's Cook Book; Wartime Edition---published 1943

 

Yummy! (shudders)

I picked this recipe because who doesn't love fried chicken (don't answer; I don't want to know)?

The book offered two recipes; the second a more conventional 'dip into fritter batter' version, but I was curious about the first. 

Cut two small chickens into 4-6 pieces, then dip (quickly!) into cold water, the sprinkle with salt & pepper before rolling in flour. 

Saute in fat (no specification) until browned on both sides.  Drain & keep warm while making the accompanying gravy (I did not).

 

It made for a nice, slightly crisp chicken. Again, fairly low effort & ingredients, decent results.

 

In lieu of gravy (the men in this house do not like it), I made 

 

Southern Corn Bread

I personally prefer a slightly sweeter corn bread, but this one is solid.

About as plain as you can get - white corn meal (yes, white), salt & shortening get mixed with scaled milk. Then goes in baking powder & a beaten egg yolk.
Finally, An egg white, stiffly beaten, gets folded in. 

All that goes in a greased pan & baked hot (400 F) about twenty minutes.

If you toast the pieces & slather with butter & jelly, it's kind of amazing.

Oh!  There's also the  'Sprinkle with diced bacon before baking' option. 

Summer, Rolled Up

Caprese Pull.-Apart Bread

 

Matt & Alex love caprese. I mean, loooove it.

 

We caprese sandwiches, pasta, everything. That combo of tomato, fresh mozzarella & basil not only taste amazing, but they pretty much scream 'Summer!' with every bite (not in a creepy, sentient way).

Early last week, I saw a recipe for Caprese Pull-Apart Bread, so yeah.  That was happening.

Nothing out of the ordinary - a nice, pliant dough, topped with glorious flavors (...I forgot to add the garlic butter first, so that went on once the bread was formed), cut into slices, stacked in a pan & baked. 

Smells fantastic, tastes even better.

 

Blog Party #45: 20th Anniversary Party!

Fried Gnocchi Bites with Marinara

 

Welcome back to the original online cocktail event - Blog Party!

It's been a few years, I know.  Life, eh?

 But I'm happy you're here - I've missed you!

 

I've embraced the 'china/platinum/emerald' theme of 20th anniversaries (ok, sure; that's for weddings, but I don't think there's blog gift etiquette lists out there), & hung these gorgeous strings of lights around the dining room.

 

The tables have been set with platinum cloths and platinum-trimmed emerald plates.

 

 And the jazzy sounds of the greatest hits of the (19)20's are playing!

 

Of course, there's plenty to eat.

Bites of fresh gnocchi rolled in seasoned breadcrumbs, fried & served with marinara sauce.

Astoundingly good caprese poppers: cherry tomatoes cored & stuffed with mozzarella pearls, coated in panko & fried, then drizzled with a honey-balsamic reduction.  

Little pizza bites: 3-day fermented crust topped with Fromage d'Affinois & roasted garlic, thin slices of potato, a sprinkling of smoked mozzarella, & rosemary. 

And to balance all the richness, the Paloma. Sweet & tart grapefruit & lemon juices, simple syrup, & club soda with a salted rim.

Caprese Bites

Roasted Garlic-Fromage Potato Pizza

 

Paloma

 

 

It was fun having you here after all this time.  Twenty years!  

Hopefully, it won't be another two decades until the next Blog Party...

Wartime Wednesday: 20th Anniversay Edition - Spaghetti Loaf

 

Spaghetti Loaf

"Many of the well-known cheeses which originated in Europe are now reproduced in America with such success that they are considered as good as the European original. Moreover, the cheese manufactured in America is generally made on a much larger scale and under more carefully controlled conditions."

The Victory Binding of the American Woman's Cook Book; Wartime Edition---published 1943

A simple, filling dish that cam (must) be prepared in advance.

Broken spaghetti (I used fideo) is boiled with a clove of garlic in salted water until tender. Take out the garlic, drain and rinse pasta.

Melt sharp American cheese in milk over boiling water. Add to beaten eggs, along with an entire 3/4 tsp salt, minced parsley, grated onion and the now-cooled spaghetti. Mix thoroughly.

Pour this into a buttered loaf pan and bake at 350 F for an hour. 

I mean, what can I say? It's a basic pasta bake. Pretty solid, nothing special. Served with a salad and a bit of bread, it becomes a substantial, inexpensive meal.

Why Do You Bake?

Ciabatta Rolls

 The obvious, immediate answer is "Because I have no choice. Baking is part of me. I have to bake."

But the other, just as true, answer is that most of the time, the stores don't carry what I need or want.

We cannot get decent breads. It's like...super-soft ultra-processed white or MAX HEALTH WITH NUTS AND SEEDS!

Just. No.

It's been another hawt week, and I planned a bunch of salads and sandwiches for dinner.
The problem, of course, is finding suitable breads.

Or, you know, just making my own

The most recent was smoked chicken salad on ciabatta. Gorgeous dough, essentially hands-off. Overnight starter, then several rises. So easy, so good.

Because sometimes, you just have to bake.

Wartime Wednesdays: 20th Anniversary Edition- Potato Omelet

 

Potato Omelet

To ease ourselves back into Wartime Wednesdays, start with the most important meal of the day: breakfast!

"To test an egg for freshness, place it in a glass of water. If the egg falls to the bottom of the glass and lies on its side, it is a fresh egg; if the large end rises slightly, the egg is somewhat stale; if it stands on end or floats, it is very stale. The shell of a fresh egg has a bloom; that of a stale egg is usually shiny. If the contents of an egg rattle when it is shaken, it is not fresh."

The Victory Binding of the American Woman's Cook Book; Wartime Edition---published 1943

This recipe calls for cold boiled potatoes, but does not specify the type, or if they should be peeled (I don't mind a bit of peel, myself). I did a quick bit of research, and Russets seemed to be the widely available spud at the time.
I did peel the potatoes, but I wasn't precious about it.

They are cubed and cooked in bacon fat - so first, cook some bacon! 

Mt grandparents kept a bacon grease pot on the stove, which, genius. But since only Matt eats actual bacon and because I love him and want him to live for many more years, I try not to feed it too him that often. 
We are without a bacon fat pot.

Anyway, bacon gets cooked and removed, grease left in pan. Tiny cubes of cold potato get cooked in the fat with 'the seasonings' (1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 pepper; oh, how cute) for a few minutes. 

Two eggs get beaten with a little bit of milk, then poured over the potatoes. 

Cook until set, fold, and turn on to 'a hot plate'.  I really do not want to be a 1940's housewife. 

It was simple, but despite the what...six ingredients...he said it was not only really tasty, but filling. I guess those ladies at the Culinary Arts Institute, The Delineator Cook Book, and College of Home Economics, Cornell University, knew what they were doing. 

A reminder that I'll be bringing Wartime Wednesdays back all month, and Blog Party will be making its return on the 17th!

For 20, Give China

 

Petit Four Cake

 

But you get cake!

Because...drum roll...Dispensing Happiness will turn twenty this month.

I know, right?

But it's true.  I've been doing this for nearly twenty years.

TWENTY YEARS.

Yeesh.

Lots of things have happened over those two decades (Alex is a legal adult now.  The mortgage was paid off.  Dogs have come into and out of my life. Health issues.  And on and on...), but my love for food and cooking and baking? That has not changed. 

And while, over the years, I would step away (variety of reasons, like burn out and health), I could never leave for good.

When I decided to start back up in January, I had no idea what to expect. But to my surprise and delight, the past seven plus months have been fun.  

No stress. No pressure to post daily. Just little blocks of text, a photo, and maybe a recipe. 

It's more for me than anything else.  And I'm enjoying it.

But twenty years!

That feels like something to celebrate.   So I am. We are!

What does that mean?

For the month of August (for now, at least), new Wartime Wednesdays posts.

New Blog Party!! Woo-hoo!

This one will be simple - on the 17th, I'll host a celebratory BP.  If you want to participate? You know what to do (because the 'rules' are in the link above)!

There may be a couple of other throwback favorites showing up this month, as well.  Fingers crossed.

It's been s a hell of a journey, and I hope you're still along for the ride.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame...

Burgerito

 

 

 

It's possible that you don't know this about me, but I LOVE BASEBALL.

I mean, love it.

Yes, I'm a (long-suffering) Pittsburgh Pirates fan, but I'm a lover of the game.

I watch baseball from the first spring training game to the last World Series out. I watch minor league games. I pull up MLB TV and click on the earliest game available, & cycle through until the Pirates play.
And after that? I'll watch whatever game(s) is left. 

I just love baseball, ok?

I haven't been to a live game since we left California (Pittsburgh at San Francisco; the Pirates lost, but the stadium was gorgeous, the weather perfect, & we met some lovely fans). I miss it. 

I miss everything about being at a game. It engages the senses. Whether it's the music being piped through the speakers or the sound of a bat meeting a 90+ mph ball - that Crack!, the general buzz of people in the seats, vendors calling out their wares as they walk through their sections (you feel for the ones carting drinks & think how lucky the dude -it's usually a guy- hawking cotton candy on a paper cone has it0. 

The jumbo screen is playing highlights, animations, trivia, all sorts of things.

You inhale that mixture of fresh cut grass, leather, beer & humanity. 

It's rich & beautiful...& I miss it.

I can watch games at home, which is great. I don't have to travel (it was a six+ hour round trip to see the Pirates when I lied in PA!), I can do other things like make dinner or fold laundry, & I don't have to miss the action.

But gawd, I miss the experience.

One thing I've been trying to do over the last couple of years is enhance that experience by recreating ballpark food.

And wow, has the league upped their culinary games since I was last in a park!

While everyone has the usual nachos, hot dogs, popcorn etc, there is so much more. From gourmet sandwiches to sushi to the ridiculous. 

And I am here for it.

As the new season rolls out, I visit each team's site to see what new foods are being added, make a list, & do my best to work my through it.

The latest comes from the Colorado Rockies - The Burgerito.

It's essentially a...taco burger? As a burrito. 

Ground beef seasoned with taco spices.  Fries. Salsa., cheese (I used queso), shrettuce & tomato.

It's big & silly & filling. And really good. 

A much better choice than their Rocky Mountain Oysters (look it up).

By Request

Italian Wedding Soup

The first time I tried Italian Wedding Soup, it was at...The Olive Garden.

Back in the early 90's!

I was visiting a friend who'd moved to Pittsburgh, and this was our Nice Dinner Out. 

Coming from a very small town where dining out meant Pizza Hut, McD's...or a fish fry, a place like TOG was a step up. Fancy. The bread! I mean, The Bread.  People. Genius marketing. 

I didn't have it again until I got married, about a decade later.  Our families (mostly mine) made the food - the hall was Celtic-themed, but the food (sans the must-have cookie table) was Italian.  There was even venison ragout (caught by a cousin - like I said, SMALL TOWN). 

And Italian Wedding Soup. 

There were two versions: one following the recipe exactly, the other using veggie stock and a plant-based sausage meat for the meatballs.  

I barely ate at the reception (and ours was more like a large party than a Wedding Reception), but there were leftovers, and we had a day before our flight to Ireland.
So I ate as much as I could in that time.

In the 22 years since that day, I've made this soup a lot.

Like..a lot a lot.

It's getting harder to manage, as forming the several hundred tiny meatballs (two versions), and turning the carrot & celery into veggie confetti takes a toll on me (it can require days to recover), but dang it all; I love this stuff.

So does Alex.

When I plan the menu for the next week, I always ask him if there's something he'd like to have.  He is, 86% of the time, unhelpful and uninterested. 

But every now & then, he'll ask for something.

Recently, it was Italian Wedding Soup. And I was happy to make it.

I no longer use a recipe. It's meatballs - a mix of beef/pork (faux versions as well), breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, s&p, some kind of grating cheese. Keep it simple. Make so many.

The soup base is likewise basic: the tiniest flecks of celery & carrot slowly cooked down in a super-small splash of olive oil. Stock (usually, a veg stock, but my god; it's so difficult to find one that isn't low-sodium/low-fat!). Get that seasoned to your preference, add ancini di pepe (which has to be ordered). 
Because I make one stock, we ladle that in first, then add the meatballs (warmed up) to individual bowls. 

It's easy. It's good. It's comforting. 

And my kid thinks so, too. 

When It's Just TOO HOT

Antipasto Pasta Salad

 

Back when the temps were stuck in the upper 90's, I just...didn't wanna when it came to making dinners.

I looked for things that were as hands-off as I could manage.  Could I do the actual cooking late the night before? How minimal was the usage of heat?

Save me from the inferno.

Matt & I are always happy with salad. Big, veg-full salads.  Salads topped with components of other dishes.  GREENS ME!

Alex, however...is a typical 21 year old. The culinary contortion I have to perform to get him to eat something based on lettuce...

But he will eat pasta salads.  And now that Earth Fare has plant-based deli meats, this Antipasto Pasta Salad meant we could get by just boiling a pot of water!

I used peppadews (forever grateful to Jeanne for introducing me to them all those years ago) for the perpperoncini (because no one here likes them); it was easy, it was flavorful, and it kept me away from the stove.

My Kind of Zero Waste

Thai-Ish

 

 

 

 

 Matt & I think of Sunday mornings as 'our time'.

Shopping's done, maybe we've convinced the dogs to let us sleep past 7, & we can have breakfast together.

It's often, though not always, some variation on eggs. I'll survey what we have in the fridge and cupboards, and that's our (ok, usually his), dish.

But this time I was kind of sort of prepared. 

We'd eaten something Southeast Asian earlier in the week, and the lovely Thai basil was still edible. 

So I told him he was going to have a Thai omelet. 

I said this having never made a Thai omelet, but that's what cookbooks and food blogs are for!

I found a recipe by The Food Monger which I more or less followed (I mean, that's why cooking's fun, right? Play around and make a dish your own). No scallions, because...we didn't have any.

But dang it if that gloriously anise-y basil didn't get used up! And the tail end of a carton of eggs.

Oh, right.  

He loved it.

Inspired - And an Announcement!

Cheddar Chive Biscuit & Prosciutto Eggs Benedict

 Hey! Hi there.

It's been awhile, yeah?

I've been meaning to drop by, honest.

Part of my absence can be explained by the OH MY GOD IT'S BEEN TOO HOT-ness of all it.

No, seriously. One night, as the temps were hovering around 100 degrees, I told Matt that he was going to Dairy Queen.

He laughed.

"No. We are having ice cream. For dinner."

Friends, that's exactly what we did.

Gloriously cold & indulgent ice milk belongs on the food pyramid.

There's been some other stuff going on (I would like to stop living in 'unprecedented times', thankyouverymuch) and I just haven't felt like writing.

But I have STUFF! to talk about, so here I am.  Sometimes the best way to deal with a block is to just smash through it.

 

A week or so ago, an artist friend (parasocial relationship!) was talking about making a biscuits & gravy-based eggs Benedict.  

And I could see how it would work?

I don't eat it myself - poached eggs make me gag.  But Matt likes the dish.  And while they are not the sort of thing you want to eat on, say, even a monthly basis, I love cooking something special for him.

So I riffed on their idea: stick with the biscuit, lose the gravy. I used a cheddar biscuit recipe from KAF (and finally had a reason to use the Vermont cheese powder I'd bought) and prosciutto. And of course, Hollandaise. 

 

So, that worked.  And gave me the push I needed to sit down & type, which is good. Because ok, are you sitting down?

Dispensing Happiness is turning 20 next month!

I KNOW, RIGHT?

I'm kind of baffled, & trying to process.  No way has it been two decades.  Can't be.

But according to the archives, yep.  Twenty years. 

And while this little blog of my is seen by fewer eyeballs these day, I think it deserves to be celebrated.

So get ready for some fun call-backs.  Sort of a 'Greatest Hits'.

Hope to see you there!

An Easy One

 Because it's Hell's Sauna out there.

Seared Tuna with Thai Red Curry Sauce

It's hot outside.  

And we're without a refrigerator (more on that later). 

So dinner for Matt had to be something easy.

Earth Fare had yellowfin tuna on sale - bingo.

Alex made some peanut noodles, which paired nicely with this simple dish. I skipped the salad, because we do not have the means to store the ingredients!

But hey, he loved it.  And that's what matters.

I Did It Again

Fried Egg & Prosciutto Pretzel Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich

 

King Arthur has my number, man.

KAB:"Hey, look at this new recipe!"

Me: "OHMYGODGIVEITTOEMNOW."

 

Seriously.

 

The most recent was a Pretzel Biscuit, which...yes, please.

 

Stupidly easy, and so damn good.

 

They are biscuits, but they taste like pretzel. Really.

We turned ours into breakfast for dinner, only one of the best things in the world.

Matt had leftovers with a bit of mustard and prosciutto, and that worked.

 

And now I wait, Pavlov's dog-like, for the next KAB treat.

Pride Before the Fail

Pride Cinnamon Rolls

 

 

I knew better.

I did. 

I should have picked a cinnamon roll recipe I'd used before. 

But this was Right Here, and promised pretty things!

So I ignored the warning voice in my head, and went with these Rainbow Cinnamon Rolls.

I mean, there's nothing wrong with it. Not really.

The dough is...fine. As far as I can tell.

But see, it wants you to knead a 1/2 tsp of food color gel into each of six portions, and...nope

Because 1. that's not enough to reach the desired 'color is vibrant, fully incorporated and no longer streaky' stage asked for, and 2. that's working the dough a lot longer than I'm actually comfortable with.

 

To be fair, the final color is gorgeous.  But I can't help but think there was an easier way, one that didn't require so much additional work.

They're not the best rolls I've ever made, but they are still cinnamon rolls.  And they are covered in rainbow glitter, which means so am I.  And the table, floors, and miscellaneous items throughout the house. 

For months to come.

 

Happy Pride!

I Should Have Waited

 And made this next week.

Bruschetta Chicken Pasta

Because next week, the temps are hitting low to mid nineties.  And I will NOT want to cook.  Or eat. Or even think about food.

But this? This was easy. Light.  Perfect for those new to cooking, or, in this case, not really wanting to spend a lot (or any!) time over a hot stove.

Cook chicken, flavored with Italian seasoning, as well as S&P. Cool. slice.

Mix small tomatoes with (torn) basil, garlic and olive oil.  That gets tossed with al dente angel hair pasta. Top with the chicken

That's IT.

It's nothing spectacular. But it's summer without the heat and humidity, in a bowl. 

As for next week, we may be putting ice cream on the menu.

The Simple Things

Shirley Temple Float

It's summer.

The a/c units are running pretty much full time.

Step outside, and you're instantly gasping for air because it's so darn muggy.

The tomatoes aren't quite ready yet. The corn is close. Same for cantaloupes and peaches. 

 

But it is definitely summer.

 

 

Which means a constant quest to stay hydrated.

 

I'm perfectly happy with some flavored water. Or tea - hot or cold. 

 

Sometimes, though, you want a little more. Something special.

 

That doesn't necessarily mean 'extra', though. It can still be simple.

 

Like this Shirley Temple Float.

We're talking about four ingredients. But four ingredients that come together to make something wonderful.

Not too sweet, refreshing & come on - fun.

Happy Summer.

Seeing Stars

Ravioli filled with sun-dried tomato, roasted garlic, mascarpone, smoked mozzarella & Asiago with a balsamic cream sauce

 

Continuing with the 'use what's already here' push, there was a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in the cupboard I only recently unearthed (no worries, it was still good). 

And while it takes a toll on me (I suffer for my art!), the guys love when I make pasta.  

So I did.

The dough was colored with tomato paste; Matt 3D printed a star-shaped ravioli form.

For the filling, I first minced then processed the tomatoes before mixing that with smoked mozzarella, mascarpone (because Alex loathes ricotta), the tail end of some roasted garlic (reminder to self: make more), Asiago, and a bit of nutmeg, salt and pepper. 

I wanted the sauce to provide some oomph; I found this recipe for a balsamic cream sauce...and it stepped up.

A scattering of toasted pine nuts, and done.

So...yeah.

I ended up with not quite four sheet trays of ravioli. I think we made one-ish for dinner. 

Until Matt liked it so much, he brought the pasta water back to a boil, and cooked some more.

The rest are in the freezer, plus some leftover dough I turned into fettuccine. With the remainder of the sauce, I think the guys are set for awhile.

Monty Python Time

 

See!

 

I do make things that aren't sweet. 

 

Banh Mi Panzanella

 

I've been trying to be more...eh, I hate the word 'mindful'. More aware of what's existing in our kitchen - the cupboards, fridge and freezers. What's sitting there, not being used?

A can of this, a packet of that. What can I do with it?

 

A small thing, but there was a container of tofu, from a dish I ended up not making due to a time crunch. 

Matt loves Southeast Asian flavors.

Leading to this simple Banh Mi Panzanella. 

Let a baguette go stale (instead of oops...forgetting about it!). Cut up & marinate some tofu (since I already had a pot of oil from a previous dinner, I deep-fried rather than doing it in a shallow pan). 

There's a dressing, a bit of veg & herb, and a spicy mayo. 

It's pleasant & low effort, perfect for this time of year when it feels like you've walked into a sauna as you step outside. 

 

Copy That

Cosmic Brownies

I love copy cat, or 'clone', recipes.

I think they're brilliant. 

Take a dish you love, but make it better? Or customize to your preferences? 

YES.

Please.  Let's do this.

When Claire Saffitz 'bakes it better', I am there for it. From her BA days to her solo channel. 

Obviously, the average home cook isn't going to have the large-scale equipment or preservatives or precise molds or cutter or whatever, but you can still get close to the 'real deal'. 

I've never tasted a Cosmic Brownie. 

I didn't grow up eating a lot of sweets, and almost never mass-produced cakes or cookies. 

I'm also sort of...meh...on brownies. I can take or leave them.  

But I've been seeing recipes for a home version of these for a couple of years, and yeah. They look cool. 

There was another gathering of geeks over the weekend. Seemed like the perfect opportunity to give them a try.

I went with this recipe, which was easy even for brownies. 

Not having a personal baseline, I had to trust Matt's judgement.  Apparently, they were very, very good. 

Many were consumed. 

 

(I swear -  I do more than bake these days. Honest!)

To quote the sage...

 We love breakfast foods. 

We love pizza.

No brainer - Smoked Salmon Breakfast Pizza (for Matt!)

The 72 hour dough, the tiniest scattering of mozzarella, cracked eggs, a bit of S&P.

Bake, top with smoked salmon, creme fraiche, dill & capers.  Eat too much.

For Alex & me, it was lots & lots of cheese (mozzarella & a 'pizza blend'), eggs mixed with milk, dried sage & red pepper flakes - poured over, and chopped up Morningstar Farms 'bacon'.  Bake until gorgeously golden.

Once again, eat too much.

Save any leftovers for (gasp!) tomorrow's breakfast.