I Love My Readers #5: Hodge Podge of Helpful Links

My lovely readers - I hope you feel appreciated. We’ve have quite a week! I’d forgotten what it was like to post everyday. Whew! But ya’ll are worth all the finger spasms and sleepless nights. (Just kidding - about the spasms and no sleep, that is.)

I’ve decided to give you a gift, on this, the last day of Reader Appreciation Week. I’m not going to post a recipe today. I’m going to give you a link list, of sorts. The sites below are all a “must bookmark”. There are recipe sites, and sites to buy cooking utensils (things you need and things you MUST HAVE), and sites that talk about food and foodies. They are all tons of fun. Have fun browsing! Hopefully they will keep your brain pulsing with new ideas. I’ve had fun with you this week! See you next Friday!

Love,

Me

Recipe Sites:

Simply Recipes

101 Cookbooks

All Recipes.com

Food Blogs and/or Online Food Communities:

The Fresh Loaf (Bread)

Serious Eats

Lessons with Master Chefs (I know this is in my blogroll, but PLEASE go here. It’s fantastic.)

The Smitten Kitchen (Gorgeous)

Places to buy everything you need (and things you don’t):

Cookware and More

Chefs Resource

Sur la Table

Chef’s Catalog.com

I Love My Readers #4: When You’re Broke.

Well, maybe not BROKE per se, but you know what I mean. You want to cook something tasty and special, just so long as tasty and special = cheap. My husband and I spent the first three years of our marriage eating on the cheap. In fact, our first grocery budget (in the year 2004) was $30 a week. We ate a lot of canned vegetables and casseroles with very little meat per square inch. I’ll admit that having very little monetary resources really does cramp one’s culinary ambitions. But over thoseearly years of penny-pinching I did find a few recipes that I used to make because they were cheap, but now make because they’re good recipes. To me, if you can do both, you’ve got it made. If you’re broke, it’s more money for canned beans and bread. If you’re not, it’s more money for beef tenderloin or fancy imported cheese or your kids college fund. Which ever comes first. 

I’m only posting one recipe today - but it’s a goodie. I actually created this soup based on a really fabulous black bean soup recipe I got from a friend. I call it “Checker Board Soup” because of the black and white beans. After making it with dried beans once, I realized that I prefer canned. This way you don’t have to cook it for very long - just until the onion is tender.  If you have a $30 a week budget and you can’t afford the $2.99 for fresh thyme, skip it. But it is a lovely addition.

Checker Board Soup

• 2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 cans of white beans, rinsed and drained (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 5 cups of chicken broth
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• 2 tsp of McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning (NOT the spicy one if you want to live.)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

Combine everything in a large stock pot. Bring to a simmer and cook until the onion is tender and everything is nice and hot and fragrant (15 to 20 minutes). Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, and cheddar cheese to garnish.

    

I Love My Readers #3: When You Want Real Food

Ok, I admit it. I am a HUGE fan of chick food. I love grilled chicken salad, and grapfruit, and carrot sticks and hummus and I am in love with pink lemonade pie (Yes - ask me for the recipe. I have it.) I have even ordered the baked potato - with broccoli on top - off of the Wendy’s fast food menu. More than once.

But I LOVE to eat real food. 

If you ask me (and I can tell you because I am a chick-food-eating kind of girl), inside every girl that orders a side-salad at McDonald’s there is a raging wild woman screaming for Nachos with extra queso or a bowl full of chocolate truffles (yes, a bowl). I won’t even go into why I think this is. But I would like to give the rabbit-food munching chick a piece of friendly advice: Every once and a while, release the beast.

Eating real food is good for the soul as well as palate. I’ll just get right out there and say it: my husband and I have both recently lost a good bit of weight eating well, exercising, etc. But what’s the use of losing all that weight if you can’t enjoy the rich, delicious stuff every once and a while? I’m serious! At least once every month or two (or three if you are obsessive and live on laughing cow cheese and celery), cook and eat one of the following recipes. Your life will be enhanced. And the rabbit food will be there in the morning. Trust me. I know this.

Smothered Enchiladas

*Yes, I said “smothered”. As in Cheese and Cream Soup. This recipe is from “The All New Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook”. It’s great for the simple reason that you can make it the night before, and put it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it. Plus it’s cheesy and mexican and spicy. If you would like to make this a bit healthier for everyday use, you could use ground turkey, whole-wheat tortillas, and low fat or fat free versions of the soup, sour cream and cheese. I can’t believe I just added that. Oh well.

• 2 pounds of ground beef
• 1 (1 1/4 ounce) package of mild taco seasoning
• 1 4.5 oz can of chopped green chilies
• 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans of cream of chicken soup
• 1 16 oz container of sour cream
• 8 8-inch flour tortillas
• 2 cups of Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Brown ground beef in a skillet and drain. Add the taco seasoning and half the chilies. Set aside. Combine the remaining chilies, sour cream and soup. Spoon half of the soup mixture into a 13X9 inch baking dish that has been lightly greased. Divide the meat mixture evenly between the tortillas and roll up. Lay them seam-side down in the baking dish. Pour the remaining sour cream mixture over the top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 25 minutes, or until heated through.

Recipe adapted from The All New Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook. Copyright 2006 by Oxmoor House.

Sally Lunn Bread

*You know me - I can’t leave out bread while we’re being indulgent. This is a yeast bread, but it’s not “Scary” for all you non-bread-making people. There’s no kneading. It actually mixes up more like a quick-bread in method. Just let it rise, and bake. I will warn you though - moderation and this bread are not compatible.

• 2 envelopes of active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees)
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 5 cups all-purpose flour

Combine the yeast and warm water, and let sit for 5 minutes. In a sauce pan over medium heat, heat milk, sugar, butter and salt until butter melts. Cool to 100 or 110 degrees. (If you need to do this quickly, setting the bowl over an ice bath and stirring it until it reaches the desired temperature works really well.) Beat yeast/water mixture, milk mixture and eggs at medium speed with an electric mixture until fully combined. Add flour gradually, beating on low, until flour is completely incorporated. Beat on the lowest speed of your mixture. Dough will be very soft and sticky.

Cover with a piece of lightly greased plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place, away from drafts, until doubled (about 1 hour). Stir the dough to punch it down, cover it again, and let it rise for 30 minutes until doubled.

Stir the dough down again, and spoon it into a greased 10-inch bundt pan or tube pan. This is a sticky task, but try to spread it out as evenly as you can. Cover and let rise for 20-30 minutes until it is twice its size.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until golden and a wooden pick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from pan as soon as you take the bread out of the oven.

Yeild: 16 servings

Recipe adapted from The All New Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook. Copyright 2006 by Oxmoor House.

I Love My Readers #2: When You’ve Got Company

I would like to start this post by being real honest - I’m a total show off. This is probably why I cook all sorts of things and take pictures of them and post them on the world-wide web. I love to fix really elaborate things and have people gasp with delight. But let’s be frank with one another: Most people can do without the fuss. In my years of having people over for dinner, I’ve found that what people really want is a meal that tastes good. They can do without all the extra utensils, or french words, or exotic ingredients. Heck, they can do without hor’doeuvres. Just give them a pot roast (from the crock pot, with a can of Cream of Mushroom soup for 8 hours) or something equally easy (Albeit glory-squashing) and they’re happy as larks.

And I like it when people are happy as larks at my house. Even if my glory gets squashed.

I may be a little weird for saying this, but I figure that if I’m going to have someone over, the meal should be about them - not me. I want them to enjoy themselves, and leave feeling like they had a delicious, relaxing night off. Now - if I can accomplish “fancy” while still taking care of my particular guests, you’d better believe I’ll do it. But for the most part I like to stick with recipes like the ones below: 1) Tasty and Not Weird, because that’s what people eat. 2) A Little Special, because it’s company and 3) Easy, because I’d actually like to visit with my guests during the course of the evening. It generally works well. I’ve got a great appetizer here, two really great main-dish recipes, and one sure-to-please dessert (because company always deserves it.) Enjoy!

Oh - and the best meals are the ones where the hostess is in her bare feet. But that’s just what I tell myself.

Pecan Stuffed Dates

I will not say much about these insanely addictive bites. They’re from Paula Deen, and so they’re loaded with fat. But when you make them for guests they’re 98% fat free automatically. Repeat this to yourself over and over after you’ve had 50 of them. It will help.

1 (8-ounce) box pitted dates
30 pecan halves
10 to 12 slices bacon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut each slice of bacon into three pieces. Stuff each date with a pecan half, and wrap in a piece of the bacon. Secure the bacon with a toothpick. Bake until bacon is cooked - 12 to 15 minutes.

Honey Baked Chicken

*Note: Don’t be scared of the curry if you’ve got picky eaters . . . My husband runs in the other direction when the word “Curry” is uttered, and he loves this dish. Serve it with white rice, a truly beautiful salad and some fruit. You will win hearts.

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or any of your favorite chicken pieces)
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 tbsp prepared yellow mustard
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp curry powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange chicken in a large baking dish. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken. Bake 20-30 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Baste at least twice during cooking.

Mediterranean Chicken

Note: This one pot wonder is astonishingly elegant, and feels out of the every day. But it’s delicious in flavor without being too jumpy for company. Serve with Cous Cous and another lovely salad with a really good vinagerette. Please - for the love of pete - NO RANCH with this one.

Saute the following in a large stock pot, until translucent, and then remove:

1 large onion sliced into rings, separated

2 garlic minced or squashed

1 Tbsp olive oil

Brown in the stock-pot (with a little more oil):

3 pounds of bone-in chicken pieces, sprinkled with Salt and pepper

Then add the following ingredients and simmer for 25 minutes:

1 large can diced tomatoes and juice

3 large carrots cut in 1 inch chunks

2 large stalks celery cut in 1 inch chunks

1 medium Turnip, diced in chunks

1/2 to 1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 to 1 tsp cumin

1/4 to 1/2 tsp tumeric

A dash of cayenne pepper

Saffron (optional)

2 tsp honey

Finally, add and cook until warmed through:

2 cans chickpeas, un-drained

1/4 pound or up to 1 pound of zucchini unpeeled and in chunks

1/2 cup raisins

2 4 oz jars of pimentos (optional)

SERVE with cooked cous cous.

Mocha Cake - 2 Ways

* My friend Joan makes this cake often for company, and it has reached legendary status. She makes the cake from scratch, but her daughter Josie (also my friend) decided to make a Chocolate Cake Mix with the homemade icing, and to be honest . . . I can’t tell the difference. The icing is what induces people to cut an extra slice or two.

• 1 6 oz. package of chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 1/4 cups sifted flour
• 1tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup soft butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup water
• 1 3/4 cups sugar

Grease and flour 2 9 inch cake pans. (Line with parchment paper if you want). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt Chocolate Chips in 1/4 cup water. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla - add eggs, beating well after each addition. Add Chocolate. Add dry ingredients alternately with 1 cup water, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until done. Let cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, and then turn out onto racks and cool completely.

Icing:

• 2 tbsp instant coffee
• 2 tsp hot milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg white
• 1 box of Confectioner’s Sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Dissolve coffee in hot milk. Cream butter with 1 cup sugar. Add coffee. Cream in remaining sugar, egg white and vanilla. Ice cooled cake.

I Love My Readers #1: A Meal for Moms

Note: Ok my lovely readers. I realize that not ALL of you are Moms. Many of you may be Dads, for all I know. But in this day and time, I’m pretty sure that most of you are tired at some point. So if the “Mom” allusion offends, I beg a thousand pardons. The recipe will still “work”.

If you are a Mom, then you are automatically tired. I know this because I am one, and I am. It’s not that I don’t love what I do - I love it. It’s that between errands, cleaning, playing, cooking and reading Who’s Hiding at the Zoo? ad nauseum, I barely have time to eat, much less rest. Ok - perhaps I exaggerate a little. But still, being a full-time cook/cleaner/playmate/nurse/handyman is exhausting, and I don’t work full-time. I can’t imagine what I would do if I worked full-time outside my home, which a lot of you amazing women do as well.

The aim of this post, in view of all this rampant fatigue, is to provide you with a recipe that won’t take a lot of time or brain cells to assemble, in the event that you don’t have either left on a particularly trying day. It also has to actually taste good to a typical 2 year old, since the last thing you want to do at the end of a long, exhausting day is to make meal-time long and exhausting. Let me clarify something though - since this is a cooking blog, and since I assume that most of my readers read it because they enjoy the cooking process in general, the recipes I post will have at least 3 steps. I mean, honestly, to really have “Quick Meals for Tired Moms” I’d just type: D-O-M-I-N-O-E-S and be done. But the recipes below are mind-numbingly easy, astonishingly tasty, and fun (Because Moms get extra points for being exhausted AND fun. It’s part of the rules.)

I’ve included something for Dinner, and something for dessert if you want your kids to sing your praises and kiss your feet. But if it’s a “dinner or nothing else” kind of day, stick with dinner and hand them a container of ice-cream and a spoon. The foot-kissing will still apply.

Simple Sausage Lasagna

This is, by far, the best lasagna recipe you will ever make. My “homemade” lasagna used to come in a Stouffer’s box until I found this gem in A Taste of Home Magazine - mainly because the homemade versions were too dry. This one uses cottage cheese instead of ricotta, making it very moist, and it doesn’t require you to cook those infernal noodles prior to everything else. You can make it the night before, if it saves you time, and it makes ALOT which (unless you are my Mom with 3 teenage boys) spells leftovers. And leftovers spell “No cooking”, which would make any tired woman, aspiring chef or not, happy. Enjoy!

• 1 pound bulk pork sausage
• 1 jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups (24 ounces) 4% cottage cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 to 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon each garlic powder, pepper, dried basil and oregano
• 9 uncooked lasagna noodles
• 3 cups (12 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Brown sausage in a skillet and drain off the extra fat. Add the marinara sauce and water and bring to a simmer, cooking for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, cottage cheese, parmesean, parsley and seasonings. Pour 1/2 cup of the sauce/meat mixture into the bottom of a 9X13inch pan. Lay 3 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce, and then layer with 1/3 of the cottage cheese/egg mixture, 1/3 of the remaining meat sauce, and 1/3 of the Mozerella. Repeat layers twice.

Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes, or until noodles are tender. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Yield: Serves 12.

This recipe was taken from www.tasteofhome.com. The link to it is here.

Jello Cookies

Has anyone ever heard of these before? I first had them when my husband and I spent a summer in Uganda, where a missionary-mom made them for us. They are perfect for kids because they can pick any color of Jello that strikes their fancy, which is fun. Plus, they’re covered in sugar. You will win Mom of the Year.

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 small package of Jello - any flavor.
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Cream shortening and sugar. Add dry jello, eggs and vanilla. Blend dry mixture into creamed mixture. Shape into balls and place 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Press flat with the bottom of a glass that has been dipped in sugar. Bake for 6-8 minutes at 400 degrees. Do not brown.

Obsession.

Back again! After this morning’s early Reader Appreciation Announcement, I promised to come back. And here I am, ready to clear the air and admit pure obsession over the following three things. They are in no particular order . . . for all you type A’s that do that kind of stuff.

1) Sautéed Beans.

I believe I first read about them on The Amateur Gourmet, and I was completely in denial. There was NO WAY canned beans (by themselves…no meat) were going to taste good enough to eat them alone for a meal, but I tried it. And I’m obsessed. All you do is chop up some carrot, garlic, celery…anything that strikes your fancy (Bacon chopped into little pieces is lovely) and brown everything up in a little Olive Oil. Then add your canned beans (Great Northern is what I used, but any white bean is perfect) rinsed and drained. Sauté them with everything else until the beans are warmed thoroughly and any liquid is gone. Serve them up in a bowl with a big crusty piece of French Bread, a drizzle of extra Olive Oil and some parmesean cheese, and you will be in Bean Heaven. My husband loves this as a meal, and can I please just take a moment to say, “Cheap” as well?

2) Dorie Greenspan

I have mentioned this amazing lady chef in a previous post, but I don’t think I really delved into my obsession with her and her cookbooks. Her delightful Baking from My Home to Yours is so wonderful, I have checked it out from the public library more than once, and have just purchased it for myself so that I never have to give it to anyone else again. (It’s on SALE at Amazon.com!! $12.99 down from $40!) The thing that I love about this lovely chef is that not only does she spend her days baking (and staying thin, which baffles and empowers me all at the same time), but she writes about every recipe beautifully. It’s the only cookbook (besides The Joy of Cooking) that I actually sit down and read large chunks of at a time. Plus, she blogs. And she loves all things France. And she was a friend of Julia Child (another obsession). What’s not to love?

3) Delayed Fermentation in Whole Grain Baking

Right. I know what you’re thinking. Beans, Cookbooks and Fermentation…Gross. But wait just a minute! A little back-story would be appropriate: As many of you know, of all the things I cook, my favorite of all is bread. I love all kinds, but I must say that I feel the most proud when I am able to make 100% Whole Wheat Bread that actually tastes good. I’ve had success before, but as this is an obsession, I am always on the lookout for ways to do it better. Peter Reinhart has found it, and has written a book about it with tons of delicious, 100% whole grain recipes (Crackers, pitas, bagels…not just sandwich bread.) I can’t go into all the details here, but the technique involves mixing up part of the bread dough (in two “pre-doughs”) and letting it sit overnight (one in the refrigerator and one at room temp), allowing the Whole wheat flour to develop it’s natural rich flavors before actually mixing in the rest of the ingredients to make the bread.

I’ve over-simplified the process laughably for the sake of brevity, but this method is the way to go. I made a loaf of Sandwich bread, and the flavor is phenomenal - much more deep and developed than the Wheat bread I’d made before. It also rose well, and the texture was fantastic. Check out Peter Reinhart’s book, Whole Grain Breads. It just won a James Beard Award and it will change your life if you are a “bread head” like myself.

Are you all ready to feel APPRECIATED??? See you MONDAY!

An Exciting Announcement!!!

Good morning readers! I will be back a little later this afternoon to introduce you to a couple of my obsessions. Ok - three of them. BUT, before I do, I want to take this early morning hour to announce Kickin’ Up Dough’s FIRST Reader Appreciation Week! I’ve been doing this crazy blog thing for 6 months now, and have been really humbled by the readership that faithfully shows up each week! Without you all, I would not have a blog . . . and if I did, it would be pitiful, and dreary and would spend it’s days crying into cups of cold tea. SO - I’ve decided to celebrate the 6 month anniversary of this venture by celebrating YOU!

Starting Monday I will post a recipe every day until Friday. Each day will have it’s own “emphasis” - hopefully an emphasis that aids, enlightens and inspires you in the kitchen. I’m thinking along the lines of different types of meals on different days. One day will definitely be dedicated especially to tired Moms, as this is the first thing that comes to my mind, but there will be much more! The Rough Outline for the week is below! Come back late this afternoon for a deep look into my obsessions . . . if you dare.

Monday: A Quick Meal for Tired Moms

Tuesday: Easy Entertaining

Wednesday: What to Cook When You Really Want to EAT

Thursday: A Meal for the Penny Pincher

Friday: Wild Card Day . . . You’ll Just Have to Wait and See!

Grandmothers Beware. . .

Warning!! The recipe for this week is so good, it will, I promise, make you want to slap your grandmother. So please, for the love of all things familial and relationship building, make sure she’s a good 25 minutes away before attempting this. It’s spicy and buttery and rich and wicked.

My friend Jacque (from whence this succulent dish came) was one of my roommates for the last six months of my single life. Her name is Jacqueline, shortened to sound like “Jackie”, but for heaven’s sake, spell it J-A-C-Q-U-E. The first time we really talked, we talked about breakfast. (A really great omen, if you ask me). During this particular conversation, we figured out that our respective boyfriends (now our respective husbands) were in the same group of guys that met for breakfast every week at a famed Barbecue Restaurant in town. This would not have been a cool topic of conversation ordinarily, but injustice was lurking - we had been told that “No Girls were allowed” at Thursday morning breakfast.

Ok - Can I please just stop a minute and say “Junior High”?? No girls allowed?

Needless to say, Jacque and I resented this thoroughly and set out to find other girls who loved Breakfast (Read: To eat) as much as we did, and started our own breakfast group on Tuesdays. It skyrocketed in popularity and within months, we had twice as many girls at our meeting than the guys had at theirs. Weekly meetings over Eggs, Grits and Toast (Me) and Cheese Grits (Her) led to a friendship. That friendship led to us being roommates, along with another dear friend and fellow breakfast eater, Leah.

As for this recipe, I first experienced it when Jacque made it for a “Girls Night Out” of sorts that we had right before we lived together. It was mind-numbingly easy to make. I remember that she layered frozen, uncooked shrimp (peels still on) in a 9X13 inch pan with a bottle of Italian Dressing and lots and lots of black pepper. She then baked it, stirring it every 15 minutes or so, until the shrimp were cooked in their spicy sauce and simply begging to be eaten . I never wrote the recipe down , as I had no idea I would actually be blogging about it some 5 years later, but I think I found a pretty darned good replica. It includes butter, which I can’t remember that she used, but since butter elevates all recipes to new heights, I don’t think you’ll wish you hadn’t used it (Unless of course it goes to your thighs, which it will).

The ingredients below were found on Recipe Zaar, and I’ve linked to their recipe here. The instructions are mine, from memory of that delicious girls night out. FYI - if you use fresh shrimp, it will obviously cook lots faster than the frozen. See Recipe Zaar’s version for times. I’ve also doubled it to feed crowd. Enjoy. And please, refrain from hitting your grandmother.

Baked Shrimp

2 lbs of frozen shrimp, peels on

1- 2 bottles of Italian Dressing (Shrimp need to be covered in dressing…)

Black Pepper, to taste. (Jacque used at least two tablespoons, if not more.)

2 sticks of butter, cut into pats

1 Loaf of French Bread (for soaking up the sauce…and yes, you will want to.)

Layer Shrimp in a 9X13 inch baking dish, putting pepper and pats of butter between each. Pour the Italian dressing on top and bake, uncovered for 30-45 minutes at 305 degrees, or until the shrimp is pink (cooked through). Stir the shrimp a couple of times during baking.

*Note: The shrimp that night was superb. The dessert (my contribution) was not. Remember that Palmolive flavored Cheesecake I mentioned having made once? Yea. This was the night. It will go down in history as one of the most beautiful and thoroughly germ-free desserts of all time. But it tasted pretty rough.

Wanna Be in the Inner Circle?

Ok Friends! I’ll be back with another friend and her recipe tomorrow, but GUESS WHAT? I found a recipe for that elusive test of Friendship known as “Amish Friendship Bread”…the starter that is. For those of you who don’t know what the heck I’m talking about, go read the post where I ranted about it. Meanwhile -

Here’s the link to the recipe for the starter, as well as the instructions that you can push on . . . err . . . give your unsuspecting friends: Amish Friendship Bread.

“April Showers Bring May Flowers” and June brings Shower Food…

Hello All! Ok, now I’m really being tardy. I said I’d post Friday, and then Friday becomes Saturday, which slides into Sunday, and I’m just tired of keeping it all straight.

I’ll post sometime each week. Ok with everyone?

I went home to Alabama this past week to spend time with my Mom, and while I was there, I caught up with some dear friends, one of whom is getting married the end of next month. Leigh (the bride to be) is more like a sister to me than a friend, only without all the jealousy and fighting and hair-pulling. Leigh and her sister Faith and my sister Amy and I all grew up together, playing dress up and dolls and having tea parties: all the things that little girls do when they are alone with lots of fancy, old clothes and dolls and dishes. We got along perfectly well. The only thing we fought about was a particularly ravishing pink silk dress (think 80s prom), and even that wasn’t a huge deal. My sister usually ended up in it. I have some plaguing questions about why that was, actually. Remind me to confront her with it later…

Anyway, my dear Leigh is getting married to the man of her dreams at the end of July, and while I was home in Alabama, I attended one of her Bridal Showers. Now, if there’s one thing I love about Bridal Showers (besides all that bit about seeing your dear friend get all sorts of things for her house, and blush every time the grooms name is said, and look blissfully happy) is the food. A sample of the shower fare, you ask? Allow me to present you with the following recipe, which, incidentally, was found on a blog entitled “Cooking With The Single Guy”. I find this rather amusing and ironic and somehow think that if this single chap keeps making the following appetizer and it keeps being consumed by 20-something single females at bridal showers, he’ll have to change his blog’s handle sooner or later.

But that’s just me.

Artichoke Puffs

Ingredients:
1 can (14 oz.) of artichoke hearts (in water)
1 can (4.25 oz. drained weight) chopped black olives
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 oz. part skim ricotta cheese (or regular ricotta)
2 eggs
2 sheets frozen puff pastry
1 t salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Bring out puff pastry sheets to defrost per package instructions. (Tip: Just before puff pastry is ready for use, it might get stuck together. So be sure to lay out flat both sheets even if you’re not working with one right away. If you wait too long to open the second sheet as you work on the first, it might meld together and make it harder for you to separate.)

Drain water from artichokes and place them in a large bowl. With a wooden spoon, mash the artichokes into small pieces. Add olives, ricotta, Parmesan, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of salt, then blend well.

Cut the pastry sheets into about 1-inch squares. (The sheet folds out into three panels; divide each panel to make six rows, then divide lengthwise into seven rows.) Press an indentation into one of the puff pastry square with your thumb and add a small spoonful of artichoke mixture. Do this for all the puff pastry squares. Place as many as you can on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or baking wax paper greased with butter). Create an egg wash with one egg and lightly brush the edges of each puff square. Then grind fresh sea salt over all the squares.

Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 84 bite-size pieces.