Cheddar Scallion Biscuits

Thanksgiving

I was too busy entertaining this year to take pictures. Someone else took pictures, but they are all of people.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving with a nice salad, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cornbread dressing, green beans, cranberry congealed salad and cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and apple blackberry pie.

Plus lots and lots of wine!

Federweisser and Zwiebelkuchen

In southern Germany in the fall, there is a delicious tradition celebrating the early wine that is sold only at this time of year in Germany. Federweisser (feather white) is a sweet, bubbly almost-wine that is served before full maturation.

The wine is traditionally served with zwiebelkuchen (onion cake). I wanted to recreate the experience here. The federweisser is not shipped because the bottles cannot be fully corked. So, the only way to experience the sweet nectar is to find a winery in the states that has adopted the tradition. In order to simulate the idea, I bought a nice light muscat and surprised my German hubby witha homemade zwiebelkuchen.

I started by sautéing 6 onions, thinly sliced. I stirred in a cup of sour cream and 4 beaten eggs. Typically, there is also bacon included in the mix. Sometimes caraway seeds are added, but I wanted the pure sweetness of the onions to shine. I made a simple pie crust and rolled it out on parchment paper.

I mounded the onion mixture on the crust and rustically folded the crust over.

I also made a simple lentil soup to accompany the lovely onion cake.

Delish!

Fall upon us

I am posting a lot of food pics at once. I sort of forgot what this meal was, but obviously see some roasted butternut squash, brown rice, greens of some sort, chick peas, and pan roasted figs, drizzled with a little honey.

Watermelon update!

10 minute dinner

All local and organic dinner! This is swiss chard from the csa, sauteed just to wilt with a little white wine vinegar and some celtic salt. I topped the swiss chard with a poached egg, also from the csa. I found a blog that suggested swirling the water before dropping in the egg and that worked well. The meal is garnished with assorted chopped tomatoes, parsley and some borage flowers picked out of my garden.

It was good and satisfying.

Watermelon from our yard -

The watermelon that grew from someone's spit out seed next to our patio, was HUGE!!!!

The stem never turned brown, but I couldn't wait any longer.

It was the best, sweetest watermelon ever!!!

It was too big for us to consume, so I made some watermelon granita with part of it.

Yummy and sweet.

Gazpacho

When we were in Spain this summer, I learned to truly appreciate the joy of freshly made gazpacho. Everyone has their specific recipe and thinks theirs is the best.

I couldn't resist trying one with all the lovely tomatoes and peppers from the csa. Those vegetables are begging to be made into gazpacho.

I made enough to put in the fridge for later!

Birthday Cupcakes

First I baked a bunch, at least a million mini cupcakes . . .

Then I made marshmallow. I hate to use gelatin, but I was afraid to use a substitute for an important event such as a 15 year old girl's birthday party . . .

Then I covered the white fluffs with a dark chocolate coating . . .

Decadent!

Healthier spaghetti alla carbonara and a painted salad

This salad was made from an assortment of tomatoes, courtesy of my csa and one from my garden, cucumber from my garden, pretty purple borage flowers and fresh herbs from my garden. It's a painting made from vegetables. Dressed with a little olive oil, vinegar and celtic salt, popping summer tomato perfection.

I read that you could add the leaves of the borage plant to your salad for a nice cucumber flavor. Don't do it!!! Unless you enjoy a mouthful of spiky hair.

I really wanted to try spaghetti alla carbonara at home. I don't eat pork, so I substituted turkey bacon. I also substituted Tinkyada rice noodles. I used organic local eggs from my csa and fresh basil, parsley and chives to freshen it up. It was good.

Really, really . . . . . good.

We have this watermelon growing next to our patio. No one planted it,

it must have come from a stray seed spit out?

Ice cream cake again?

I love to bake and try new recipes. Why don't my kids love cake? This is my son's strawberry cheesecake ice cream cake. Boring.

Potato Salad

This potato salad was amazing with potatoes, green beans, crumbled turkey bacon, fresh basil, parsley, chives and lemon thyme. It was dressed simply with olive oil, white wine vinegar and a squeeze of fresh lemon (pinch of salt and pepper, of course). Yum!

Salad from my yard . . .

This is my first salad entirely from my garden!

Dinner out of a can? really?

Pumpkin Soup, Lentil Salad and Molasses Oat Bread

This is an easy dinner that can be made out of the pantry as long as I have some fresh herbs and tomatoes on hand.

Pumpkin Soup

This is just a few steps more than just opening a can of soup, yet the flavor easily surpasses canned soup!

2 cans organic pumpkin puree

1 can coconut milk

1 cup almond milk

3 Tbsp. agave nectar

1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

pinch celtic salt

whole nutmeg
dash of cayenne

Combine all ingredients in a small pot. Whisk everything together to combine. Tweak spices according to taste. Heat and serve.

Garnish with freshly ground nutmeg.

Lentil Salad

2 cans organic lentils, drained

Assorted fresh organic herbs, chopped

basil

dill

lemon thyme

2 Organic Scallions, chopped

1/2 cup Organic Grape tomatoes, chopped

~2 cups organic fresh spinach

Mix all above ingredients together in a small bowl.

Dressing (I don't measure, so these are approximate measures)

1 tsp. dijon mustard

1/2 cup olive oil

1/8 cup white wine vinegar

1 tsp. agave nectar

3 tsp. lemon juice

Whisk dressing together until emulsified. Pour over the salad to just bring it together. Season with celtic salt and freshly ground pepper.

See the Molasses Oat Bread in the post below.

Molasses Oat Bread

I started making this bread and had everything almost ready to put together. When it was time for the yeast to do it's thing, it only gave off some half-hearted bubbles. I wanted the bread BAD! I did not want to run to the store. So, I took a chance and threw in some beer and baking powder, hoping they would perk up the yeast and get it going?This was a total shot in the dark, but when the dough came together, it tasted so good and seemed to have that give and lightness that bread dough should if it is behaving. I said a prayer to the bread rising Gods as I set it aside to rise. Will it actually get happy and lift itself?

Yes!!! I don't know if the yeast was actually fine but just taking its time or if the beer and baking powder actually worked? But, it turned out great!!! Yummy!

Oatmeal Molasses Bread
Yields 2 loaves

1 c. water or almond milk
1/2 c. steel-cut oats
1 T. butter
3/4 t. salt

Mix together in a medium saucepan and cook as for oatmeal. Set aside until completely cool stirring occasionally.

2 packets dry active yeast
1/4 c. warm water
1/2 c. room temperature almond milk
1/3 c. molasses

1/4 c. sucanat
2 1/2 c. unbleached flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup oat flour

1/2 cup spelt flour

(1/2 bottle of Guinness beer)

(3/4 Tbsp. baking powder)

oats for top of bread

butter for brushing over bread before baking

Mix together the yeast and the warm water in a large bowl. Let stand for five minutes, then mix in the cooled oatmeal. Add in the room temperature almond milk and the molasses, mixing until well blended. Stir in the flour - you may need to adjust the amounts. The dough should be slightly tacky, but not sticky.
Once the dough comes together, knead for approximately 15 minutes. Form into a ball and transfer to an oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and set someplace warm.
Let the dough rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until doubled in size.
Punch down and knead briefly.
Let rest for 30 minutes. Divide the dough, and form into two loaves. If you are making the bread in loaf pans, put the dough into the greased pans, seam side down. If you are making free-form loaves, set the loaves onto a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, allowing space for them to expand.
Cover with oiled plastic wrap, and set someplace warm to rise for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Preheat your oven to 375*F.

Brush tops of loaves with melted butter then sprinkle with rolled oats.
Slash loaves just before they go into the oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes.
Let the loaves cool for about 30 minutes before slicing into them... if you can handle waiting.

For Guinness Sakes!

This is vegetarian irish stew, green salad with fresh herbs and cherry soda bread (just because I don't like raisins).  Down below you will see the Guinness chocolate cupcakes I made for dessert.

Vegetarian Irish Stew

3 lbs. yellow potatoes, chopped

1/2 head green cabbage, chopped

5 carrots, chopped

1 can great northern beans

1 qt. vegetable broth

1 Tbsp. caraway seeds

2 Tbsp. butter

celtic salt to taste

In a soup pot, heat the vegetable broth with the potatoes, cabbage and carrots.  Simmer until the potatoes soften.  Add the butter, caraway seeds, beans and salt.  Mash some of the potatoes to thicken the stew.  I added the rest of the Guinness from the cupcakes to add interest.

Wheat-free Cherry Soda Bread

1 cup almond meal

1 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch

~1 cup oat flour
1 & 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried cherries (I used dried cherries sweetened with apple juice)
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut in cubes

1 cup sour cream or 1 c. soy milk and 1 Tbsp. vinegar

1 egg

1/4 cup agave nectar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk together all dry ingredients, except the oat flour and cherries.  Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse meal.  Stir the cherries into the dry mixture.  In a separate bowl mix the sour cream, eggs and agave nectar.  Once they are well combined, stir mixture into the flour mix.  Mix until dough comes together.  If it is too sticky add oat flour until dough can be patted into a ball.  Place on a parchment covered baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until firm.

This bread actually had a nice texture and held together pretty well.   

Oh my Guinness!!!

These are the Guinness chocolate cupcakes I made for dessert.  They were also great.

Wheat free thin mint substitutes

Start with the chocolate wafer recipe, which is wheat free.  It could be gluten free by substituting rice flour for the oat flour.

Chocolate Wafer Recipe

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1 cup sugar (use agave next time add some flour to compensate)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup potato starch

• 1/4 cup tapioca starch

• 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder (unsweetened)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350.
Beat butter until creamy and smooth.
Add sugar. Cream together.
Add the egg. Beat together again.
In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients (the flours, cocoa powder,  baking soda, baking powder, and salt).
Add dry ingredients to sugar/egg/butter mixture. Mix together until the dough comes together. This takes a while, but don't worry, just keep mixing.
Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Pinch the dough off in small bits (teaspoon size) and roll in to a ball. Place them on the parchment paper. Place another (small) piece of parchment paper on top of the ball and press with a flat-bottomed glass to aprox. 1/8 inch thickness. Continue placing balls and flattening them but be sure that the flattened cookies have enough space between them.

Bake ~8-9 minutes until done.  Allow to cool, then put in the freezer to harden while preparing the coating.

There are so many variations for this cookie - fill with peanut butter icing, fill with vanilla icing, make an icebox cake out of them, etc.

While the cookies are chilling, Melt 1 1/2 lbs. of bittersweet chocolate and ~1/2 tsp. of peppermint oil in double boiler.  Taste chocolate and add peppermint until desired flavor is reached.

Remove the cookies from the freezer and dip them one at a time in the melted chocolate.  Lay them on a parchment covered pan and put them in the fridge or freezer until set.

Enjoy!

Tomato corn chowder

Tomato corn chowder with a side of parmesan toast.  

Saute chopped onions and celery until soft.  Add 2 cans of diced tomatoes, 2 cans of tomato sauce, 2 bags of frozen corn and a couple of potatoes, chopped.  Add a whole carrot while the stew simmers (pull it out before serving).  Season with a spoon of Worcestershire sauce, a spoon of agave nectar and a dash of cayenne pepper to taste.  Once the potato pieces are cooked through, use an immersion blender to process ~ 1/2 of the soup, so that it is thickened.

Family favorite but beware the corn hangover!

Bacon and eggs for dinner

This is turkey bacon wrapped around parmesan polenta, then topped with a baked egg and gouda and a sprinkling of lemon thyme.  It is served on a bed of greens and drizzled with a blood orange vinaigrette.

What's better than mashed potatoes?

Oven roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, romaine and cranberry sauce.

One plate has to be vegetarian - too bad for you - that chicken was so moist and delish!

Don't forget the celery!

Potato, brocolli and cauliflower soup

THE most perfect meal after flying from Europe to America.
Something warm, homemade, bland and comforting.

Don't forget the celery!

The shame of a sweet tooth

We had one suitcase full of candy that we brought back from Germany. Hey, it was all gifts for other people. Well, most of it, I mean at least some of it.

The messy side of baking

The messiness of making a homemade pie. So worth it !!!
This one is apple blackberry. Lately this is the one I want.
Plain apple is nice as is a berry pie,
but the combination has a power to ease several cravings.