tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2674079408637475362024-02-06T21:20:40.492-05:00Serenity SwampWe are all different, but we are all one.Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-74320338991089170602011-10-21T09:29:00.002-04:002013-10-20T05:42:53.364-04:00Birthday Cake Extravaganzah!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDmZYuhs8oEIp2YMnZGj_MDO7NwSemmZ2hJk2wpGNEvBvleBRqFgT-X_IwKcGVQCMrVyj6qxYTCVBBiL8T0S8gW6GipIaHV0IQHHlzYYdDlLxmTEUBagqrXgKY2GJbJpUGxb_Xkf7QTA/s1600/closeup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDmZYuhs8oEIp2YMnZGj_MDO7NwSemmZ2hJk2wpGNEvBvleBRqFgT-X_IwKcGVQCMrVyj6qxYTCVBBiL8T0S8gW6GipIaHV0IQHHlzYYdDlLxmTEUBagqrXgKY2GJbJpUGxb_Xkf7QTA/s400/closeup.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Today is Greg's birthday. He loves pineapple upside down cake, so I usually bake him one for his birthday. This year as I was cruising Tastespotting for a recipe to try, I found a double-decker version. If he loves the original version that's only one layer, two layers is even better.<br />
<br />
As usual, I didn't keep track of the name of the blog; as usual, I changed the recipe a little, and the instructions a lot, so technically it's not the same cake anyway. Besides, the blogger had adapted it from Betty Crocker so it wasn't even her recipe, either.<br />
<br />
Here's the recipe:<br />
<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
Pineapple Upside-Down 2-Layer Cake<br />
Makes 10 servings<br />
<br />
1/4 cup unsalted butter <br />
2/3 cup packed brown sugar <br />
1 20 oz can pineapple slices, drained reserving juice (10 slices of pineapple)<br />
16 maraschino cherries without stems<br />
2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
2/3 cups wheat flour<br />
2 cups granulated sugar <br />
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened to room temperature <br />
3 teaspoons baking powder (I use a sodium-free version)<br />
1 teaspoon salt <br />
1 ½ cup almond milk<br />
2 eggs<br />
3 Tbs. reserved pineapple juice<br />
<br />
Directions:<br />
<br />
Heat oven to 350°F. Divide 1/4 cup butter between two 9" round cake pans, place in oven and allow butter to melt. Remove pans from and divide and sprinkle brown sugar evenly between pans over melted butter. Slice pineapple rings in half to fit around edge of pan on top of brown sugar mixture. Place remaining whole pineapple slices in middle of pan. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice. <br />
<br />
Sift together the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt<br />
<br />
In mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add the eggs, almond milk, and pineapple juice. Mix to combine.<br />
<br />
Add the dry ingredients, and beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. <br />
<br />
Divide batter between cake pans and pour batter over pineapple and cherries.<br />
<br />
Bake 45-50 minutes or until cake tester or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.<br />
<br />
Immediately place heatproof serving plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake a few minutes so brown sugar mixture can drizzle over cake; remove pan.<br />
<br />
Loosen edges of cake in second pan by running a knife carefully along edge. With the aid of an offset spatula (or any wide long handled spatula) quickly but gently flip second cake over, bracing with spatula, and place on top of first cake. Make sure second layer is centered before removing spatula. Allow cake pan to rest for a minute or two on top of cake so that the brown sugar mixture can drizzle onto cake. Remove top pan. Cool thoroughly and serve.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXa8QrMq5xWsXVCl-An7OVngGT7oiSmoJpfzpYWB1a4iH7x4xtqR_lYJdl29ArcnZn41T9dRpz_SDwxwWM5O9pvyTBxz9MyVb-k9d0trrxT_w0eJAXt831aaOnZWgkgYf9gx7QYKoRmF0/s1600/get+ready.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXa8QrMq5xWsXVCl-An7OVngGT7oiSmoJpfzpYWB1a4iH7x4xtqR_lYJdl29ArcnZn41T9dRpz_SDwxwWM5O9pvyTBxz9MyVb-k9d0trrxT_w0eJAXt831aaOnZWgkgYf9gx7QYKoRmF0/s400/get+ready.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The original recipe called for milk; I substituted almond milk. The original recipe also used all-purpose flour only but I substituted 2/3 cups of wheat flour for 2/3 cups of white.<br />
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Since it's a 2-layer cake, I made the top layer pretty.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZwacsn8f9dXFZM5mPpTSvvhwjexbV5UufX6UIGUzoNm8bIlllODuQa61KSLE08Giqw0BDyw8Gx8WZexfGjSrMgVCmdhy1k808cU5DPt7gRx0ItZ8d7E9nRTafdWWZGVuRTbBPHKIopg/s1600/Arrange+the+pineapple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZwacsn8f9dXFZM5mPpTSvvhwjexbV5UufX6UIGUzoNm8bIlllODuQa61KSLE08Giqw0BDyw8Gx8WZexfGjSrMgVCmdhy1k808cU5DPt7gRx0ItZ8d7E9nRTafdWWZGVuRTbBPHKIopg/s400/Arrange+the+pineapple.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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In the past, when I've taken a pineapple upside-down cake out of the pan, I've flipped it onto a plate and pulled the pan off. This time I left the pan on for a few minutes so the brown sugar mixture could drizzle down a little. When I took the pan off, 3 of the pineapple pieces stuck to the pan; I just put them back on the cake. Sadly, I put them on upside down so they didn't look as carmelized as the other slices. It's the bottom layer, nobody will know.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1o2aRyHZvd4bRCVHvKzX-vGqSFa8_JANU2AaonSEv460hMVvu0x9yXyV0XOJk-37_lZJBvGiY8E6rsDZJQAJBSgFvIrn6YukBokxnebRFhVqAkLHG1S_zvK4288TJOkHtx_XxfIZ4nA/s1600/First+layer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1o2aRyHZvd4bRCVHvKzX-vGqSFa8_JANU2AaonSEv460hMVvu0x9yXyV0XOJk-37_lZJBvGiY8E6rsDZJQAJBSgFvIrn6YukBokxnebRFhVqAkLHG1S_zvK4288TJOkHtx_XxfIZ4nA/s400/First+layer.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The top layer was a little tricky; I didn't get it on straight but it's close enough. It's a homemade cake, after all. I left the pan on the top layer for a few minutes after I flipped it, and this time when I took the pan off, everything stayed on the cake.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJ1D28wre6zlj9hkhnIN52g4XQNrn1JMMtrXZ042h4iUA3ppbTsq4sZeLEcYhEJXXjlc9s75N8rGts-UJFm2Jlya2szmNtdQ_6FOBjKVYS4VLU23K8s6fOvatwPEuWR_CJtvxbBBZyBY/s1600/Second+layer+on+top.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJ1D28wre6zlj9hkhnIN52g4XQNrn1JMMtrXZ042h4iUA3ppbTsq4sZeLEcYhEJXXjlc9s75N8rGts-UJFm2Jlya2szmNtdQ_6FOBjKVYS4VLU23K8s6fOvatwPEuWR_CJtvxbBBZyBY/s400/Second+layer+on+top.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Ta-daaaaaaa!!!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-7ySViYHqvArKm0tVVvi8IrH3M_mYqJQ-klJMlrI87TnHasGHSJCpYHHxs4fbap4sTNPmAvtYa5SvvEekNUfx1LypDafj5Q1cGoWDQqZ2i8AAetPYSlAot09YsApFEhRgDixNnQbsII/s1600/Finished+Cake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-7ySViYHqvArKm0tVVvi8IrH3M_mYqJQ-klJMlrI87TnHasGHSJCpYHHxs4fbap4sTNPmAvtYa5SvvEekNUfx1LypDafj5Q1cGoWDQqZ2i8AAetPYSlAot09YsApFEhRgDixNnQbsII/s400/Finished+Cake.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still steaming!<br />
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</tbody></table>
Before you get all excited and bake this cake, you should know this:<br />
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<a href="http://www.nutrimirror.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="nutrition facts" border="0" src="http://www.nutrimirror.com/nutrition-facts.php?id=730876" /></a><br />
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Happy 57th Birthday Greg Davis! I love you and wish you at least 57 more birthdays and pineapple upside-down cakes handmade for you by me.Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-42511382999888605852011-09-16T11:12:00.040-04:002011-09-16T16:39:37.838-04:00Tabbouleh. I could live on this.Many of you on NutriMirror have read my posts about the Mediterranean restaurant that my friends and I love to visit for lunch. The food at Azars is wonderful, and their hummus is available in local grocery stores. I always have some in my fridge. <br />
<br />
One day on a lunch date at Azars, I ordered the tabbouleh salad. I was hooked with my first bite. Lemony and scrumptious, it's one of my favorite things now and I always order it, either as an entree or as an appetizer. I could seriously eat this every day. So, I'm going to. I'm making a batch of it today, using Ina Garten's recipe.<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
Tabbouleh<br />
<br />
<br />
Copyright 2001, Barefoot Contessa Parties!, All Rights Reserved<br />
Rated 4 stars out of 5 <br />
Total Time: 31 min.<br />
Prep 30 min.<br />
Inactive 1 min.<br />
Yield: 8 servings<br />
<br />
Ingredients<br />
<br />
1 cup bulghur wheat<br />
1 1/2 cups boiling water<br />
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)<br />
1/4 cup good olive oil<br />
3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt<br />
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (1 bunch)<br />
1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (1 bunch)<br />
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (1 bunch)<br />
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced<br />
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half<br />
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper<br />
<br />
Directions<br />
<br />
Place the bulghur in a large bowl, pour in the boiling water, and add the lemon juice, olive oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir, then allow to stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.<br />
<br />
Add the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper; mix well. Season, to taste, and serve or cover and refrigerate. The flavor will improve if the tabbouleh sits for a few hours. <br />
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Luckily for me, the flat-leaf parsley I planted last Spring is still going strong. On the other hand, my mint, which I planted in a big pot to keep it from taking over the world, has died back and there isn't enough new growth for this recipe. I am headed to the grocery store and have high hopes of finding bulghur wheat and mint. I don't recall seeing either of these at the store in the past, but then again, I wasn't looking for them.<br />
<br />
My plan was to go to the beach, take a nice long power walk on the boardwalk, then go to the grocery store. Unfortunately, black rain clouds were everywhere - the last thing I want is to get drenched on the boardwalk 28 blocks from my car, and then go shopping. I cancelled the beach walk plan and went straight to the grocery store.<br />
<br />
Two hours later, and I'm home from the grocery store. The store did have mint, but a bunch of it was $2.49! I cursed as I put it in my shopping cart. I should have checked the price of parsley to make myself feel better about having it in my garden, but didn't think of that as I headed for the bulghur wheat department. Harris Teeter has a pretty good selection of beans, grains, rices - but the only bulghur I could find proudly proclaimed "with added soy flakes!" Since this was my only option, I bought a box.<br />
<br />
After I left the store, I decided to check the local health food store for real bulghur. I headed there, only to find they wouldn't open for another 20 minutes. I decided I could go to the bank while I waited for Heritage to open. I turned on a little back road, thinking I'd take the short cut. Apparently I need to pay better attention when I take the short cut. The road I took went through a very ritzy area, with giant mansions on the water and yachts floating around, then by the golf course, and then to a dead end. I turned around, headed back out, and remembered a new branch of my bank, closer than the one I had attempted to short-cut to. <br />
<br />
I went to the new bank, pulled into the parking lot, and parked where it said "temporary parking for walk-up ATM customers." I got out, walked to the ATM, and the screen apologetically told me that the ATM was currently unavailable. To get out of the bank parking lot (which I also noticed was being paved - apparently this branch isn't open for business at all! A SIGN WOULD BE NICE, PEOPLE) it was much easier to take a right out of the parking lot than to try to take a left across 4 lanes of traffic. This gave me the chance to turn around in another parking lot and head to the nearby Starbucks, where I could get a chai latte and simmer down for a while. <br />
<br />
On the way to Starbucks, I passed Fresh Market and remembered that they have bins of nuts and seeds and stuff, and decided to check there for bulghur. They had it! (Thank you, Universe) They also had honey crisp apples, which I have been waiting for since last Fall. I walked out of Fresh Market with 4 honey crisp apples the size of softballs, 2 things of bulghur wheat, some asiago cheese baguettes, a clif bar, and at the check out stand, an impulse buy of felafal chips, which will go great with tabbouleh! Score!<br />
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At this point I was starving, so I got in the car and ate my clif bar. This got me past my Starbucks chai latte urge so I came home. As I unpacked the grocery bags, I remembered that I'd bought yogurt and it had been sitting in my trunk while I wandered around town not going to the bank or buying bulghur. Now I'm not even in the mood to make tabbouleh. The ironic thing is, I was on the same block as Azars when I was at Fresh Market and could have saved myself time and about $60 if I'd just gone there in the first place and ordered some take out.<br />
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NEW PLAN: Drink a bunch of water, surf the net, and try to get back into the mood to cook.<br />
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
Afternoon Update! I made tabbouli. It's delicious, but I only licked the spoon. I covered it and put it in the refrigerator to age for a while. <br />
<br />
I have to say that as much as I like Ina Garten, I've always felt she has a heavy hand with the salt. This recipe called for 3.5 teaspoons. I put 1.5 and it's borderline too salty! Next time, I will only use .5 teaspoon. I hate adding salt to recipes. Over time, most of my recipes have had the salt reduced, then when I got used to that saltiness I would reduce it again. My granola recipe has gone from 1 teaspoon to just a grind or two of the salt grinder.<br />
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Anyway, here's a picture of the tabbouleh:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7sWZB7Degr89pYFZo9OjJTUMC0FIN7IV7tgaJSbxYKkz5-PVvHFQaGqJtIJG2XsZ1hYzmAd14Liu8wQS7dDN_PZyYIkZaemJRnIMtYOjo7vxajMk1fLopiEPkxk1tsAsnTZb4zNOuoB4/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7sWZB7Degr89pYFZo9OjJTUMC0FIN7IV7tgaJSbxYKkz5-PVvHFQaGqJtIJG2XsZ1hYzmAd14Liu8wQS7dDN_PZyYIkZaemJRnIMtYOjo7vxajMk1fLopiEPkxk1tsAsnTZb4zNOuoB4/s400/009.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks delicious, right?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I'm so happy my parsley is still doing well. It's growing at the peahouse. Now that all the cucumbers and melons have been removed from the peahouse, and sun can get in, the parsley really took off. Come to think of it, ever since that 30-foot tree blew over in hurricane Irene and we replaced it with a 4-foot Japanese maple, the flowers out front are growing a lot better too. Amazing what sunlight can do.<br />
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xlSA3u0ltfRReiQIz-32F0zw8mZKVyoVgtfahgyVLQfaZQHQq-hTAfR3aWwwEmY_ui84kPKRiuD7yo0RB1wOBNVxM6N3WQSrAO1BhnXPmxaHXaOL0GJ9pyjG-YZnyfr3Bub0ZD_xKkc/s1600/Parsley.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xlSA3u0ltfRReiQIz-32F0zw8mZKVyoVgtfahgyVLQfaZQHQq-hTAfR3aWwwEmY_ui84kPKRiuD7yo0RB1wOBNVxM6N3WQSrAO1BhnXPmxaHXaOL0GJ9pyjG-YZnyfr3Bub0ZD_xKkc/s400/Parsley.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parsley Patch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So now a word about the mint. It was a little bundle when I bought it, but when I took the rubber bands off of the bundle to wash the mint, the mint expanded into a huge amount. Admittedly, I did not use a whole cup of chopped mint in my tabbouli. I used about 1/4 a cup. I also didn't use an entire European cucumber, I used half of a regular one. And I only used 1/4 a cup of parsley. I want to notice the bulghur wheat when I eat it.<br />
<br />
Seriously, I've got enough mint left to make several more batches of tabbouleh. Oh boy! I hope it doesn't wilt. I'm going to wrap it in a slightly damp paper towel and put it in a freezer bag and into the refrigerator, because I think I saw that on TV somewhere once. I've never had leftover mint before.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ55lXr7FfwC8p-CGEHq1IcFlZP6yR9CwABcA5BgGd3isJFR9aiHrPu303mgBGS9vcuLV0veO81Px-YxG7eNLfWtapKrSF-DszKL6FxFFVeuWNvgq2UOwKC8q_XDBI8X_oy8xtrEw4azY/s1600/leftover+mint.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ55lXr7FfwC8p-CGEHq1IcFlZP6yR9CwABcA5BgGd3isJFR9aiHrPu303mgBGS9vcuLV0veO81Px-YxG7eNLfWtapKrSF-DszKL6FxFFVeuWNvgq2UOwKC8q_XDBI8X_oy8xtrEw4azY/s400/leftover+mint.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leftover mint and leftover 1/2 lemon</td></tr>
</tbody></table> See those Falafel Chips in the background? They are DELICIOUS and I urge you to try them if you ever see them in the store!Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-19899941181162377142011-07-21T18:21:00.003-04:002011-07-21T19:43:13.089-04:00Tomato Cheese PieSeriously, what is better than a tomato plant right outside the back door, loaded with fresh ripe tomatoes? Browsing through Tastespotting led me to a recipe for tomato and cheese pie. Normally I would direct you to the blog it was on, but in my excitement over how awesome this pie sounded, I printed the recipe and forgot to bookmark the blog. I changed a few things from the original recipe based on comments, and I'm happy to report that this pie is one of the most delicious things I've eaten all summer.<br />
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCIcBeoWQKi0hkd_CL4Dqv8XmaEgyT3RVzgIFiSpNS2nc3lIpEwwbUdOhF1rX1Go-dvipPCI9RcUXsILS8dvsmYmtrTJ1iYQaCIBXs7JeLtTLpT_kXMz6z0b6HlzddLLibYJW4VV0oRI/s1600/020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCIcBeoWQKi0hkd_CL4Dqv8XmaEgyT3RVzgIFiSpNS2nc3lIpEwwbUdOhF1rX1Go-dvipPCI9RcUXsILS8dvsmYmtrTJ1iYQaCIBXs7JeLtTLpT_kXMz6z0b6HlzddLLibYJW4VV0oRI/s400/020.JPG" t$="true" width="400" /></a></div>Here's the recipe:<br />
<br />
Tomato Cheese Pie Serves 8.<br />
<br />
• 1 9-inch pie shell <em>(I used a thawed-out frozen pie crust)</em><br />
<br />
• 1/2 yellow or red onion, chopped <em>(I used 2 little red onions from the garden, and caramelized them)</em><br />
<br />
• 3-4 tomatoes, cut in half horizontally, squeezed to remove excess juice, roughly chopped, to yield approximately 3 cups chopped tomatoes<br />
<br />
• 1/4 cup sliced basil (about 8 leaves)<br />
<br />
• 1 T Dijon mustard<br />
<br />
• 2 cups grated cheese (combination of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack, or Gruyere or Mozarella) <em>(I used sharp cheddar and provolone; I don't think it really matters what you use as long as you like it)</em><br />
<br />
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise <em>(I used olive-oil-added mayo)</em><br />
<br />
• 1 teaspoon (or more to taste) of Frank's Hot Sauce (or Tabasco)<br />
<br />
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper <em>(I didn't use salt-there's plenty in the cheese)</em><br />
<br />
Directions:<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350°F. Prebake the pie crust until it's a light golden brown; mine took about 12 minutes<br />
<br />
Squeeze as much moisture as you can out of the chopped tomatoes <em>(I put paper towels in a colander and let the tomatoes sit for a while, then squeezed them with the paper towel)</em><br />
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Spread the Dijon mustard on the bottom of the pie shell<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bthVR_3wG12IS2AcwzjWzTjOS4Dd_52qNak2AzmDnC5qP3dhrIj3crQsE4kFkQ3VlvzBa5t8_YB3GgqK_elK4Vag5mCHMFaEadDgPv3YNwYvbEyHTsBLTeyHn9gXL_-_LxjGVarjJVI/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bthVR_3wG12IS2AcwzjWzTjOS4Dd_52qNak2AzmDnC5qP3dhrIj3crQsE4kFkQ3VlvzBa5t8_YB3GgqK_elK4Vag5mCHMFaEadDgPv3YNwYvbEyHTsBLTeyHn9gXL_-_LxjGVarjJVI/s400/001.JPG" t$="true" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Sprinkle pie shell with chopped onion. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzyoVNLXwjKVS15ptDMMxUIUHXLiXPA7SkVyWTyR2NSR6WPKEZRMApMq2f0KW3-npyBk2bG7tdR-Wb1v7SNlLd9sGQGrT65cQnmR7AFuCH25xr4QJzUZF0CKhLMnmBm6kYAIqV0kdotY/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzyoVNLXwjKVS15ptDMMxUIUHXLiXPA7SkVyWTyR2NSR6WPKEZRMApMq2f0KW3-npyBk2bG7tdR-Wb1v7SNlLd9sGQGrT65cQnmR7AFuCH25xr4QJzUZF0CKhLMnmBm6kYAIqV0kdotY/s400/007.JPG" t$="true" width="400" /></a></div>Spread the chopped tomatoes over the onions. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbNNn4l-QO8HZBP6VutGiwYhdn2R5FjKb4J-r3qFrXTQgY1C48OBG8VWgFz2JreYivgOCyOPpHc_aqE8gG535S_mrN4HT_V52ZpbT5CmWu65FFiWDOfXaS-Kh0JuZ1zDruFOKsAiLWfs/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbNNn4l-QO8HZBP6VutGiwYhdn2R5FjKb4J-r3qFrXTQgY1C48OBG8VWgFz2JreYivgOCyOPpHc_aqE8gG535S_mrN4HT_V52ZpbT5CmWu65FFiWDOfXaS-Kh0JuZ1zDruFOKsAiLWfs/s400/009.JPG" t$="true" width="400" /></a></div>Sprinkle the sliced basil over the tomatoes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMtrNmQSHe-P7XHMoFPh9ZPgCqnyujJXuWdObZWoF_m_qg08Ax6f1H0hetqhaKI2JzecUKKdB7dBXXvk2YaGYGbXYzj4W5dgIYJuQYW-ybtSw-jt3ZpK2iPIXCl1l-2REfhmh3O0dVzzg/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMtrNmQSHe-P7XHMoFPh9ZPgCqnyujJXuWdObZWoF_m_qg08Ax6f1H0hetqhaKI2JzecUKKdB7dBXXvk2YaGYGbXYzj4W5dgIYJuQYW-ybtSw-jt3ZpK2iPIXCl1l-2REfhmh3O0dVzzg/s400/011.JPG" t$="true" width="400" /></a></div><br />
In a medium bowl, mix together the grated cheese, mayonnaise, Tabasco, a sprinkling of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spread the cheese mixture over the tomatoes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdYG989HllPjNiAZ8n6NuoQN1ONkOvlVmEXjZ6rNlTeXyXn6T05nL5hLZ54kmnoIk4eT_-1MBKZh2sYFGOlMrcRhjjqAIef1moYjga7hpAaz7LA16pMhh_F_tGMrK-7PYZCPdglGUzIU/s1600/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdYG989HllPjNiAZ8n6NuoQN1ONkOvlVmEXjZ6rNlTeXyXn6T05nL5hLZ54kmnoIk4eT_-1MBKZh2sYFGOlMrcRhjjqAIef1moYjga7hpAaz7LA16pMhh_F_tGMrK-7PYZCPdglGUzIU/s400/017.JPG" t$="true" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Place in oven and bake until browned and bubbly, anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes. <em>(Mine baked for 50 minutes and wasn't browned enough so I put it under the broiler for a couple of minutes)</em><br />
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A piece of tomato cheese pie, and some fresh cantaloupe from the garden, were dinner. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-iTKxdFTcCOeRN8qbf_D9_bsoCHSxq_YaULdhm8vA-E92rW_sqMWm4FTax1-vWfTI1Wm5cP9ymULwiH9z8Ef4I1tD4wMhsD4aNTYJVM-PwQrsVb_7KFYdc11xkcp0jndHdy86QshNSWU/s1600/022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-iTKxdFTcCOeRN8qbf_D9_bsoCHSxq_YaULdhm8vA-E92rW_sqMWm4FTax1-vWfTI1Wm5cP9ymULwiH9z8Ef4I1tD4wMhsD4aNTYJVM-PwQrsVb_7KFYdc11xkcp0jndHdy86QshNSWU/s400/022.JPG" t$="true" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I logged my dinner on NutriMirror and was happy to see that my day was still green! Here are the stats; look at all that calcium! (I know, look at all that FAT!)<br />
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<a href="http://www.nutrimirror.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="nutrition facts" border="0" src="http://www.nutrimirror.com/nutrition-facts.php?id=698956" /></a>Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-10483468946266948702011-07-21T14:25:00.000-04:002011-07-21T14:25:27.062-04:00Daydream BelieverI was recently telling a friend about one of my frequent daydreams. Years ago, I heard or read someplace that it's good to have a happy place to go to mentally. I mentally invented a house in the woods, and I'm sitting at a big heavy wooden table next to a stone fireplace, with a fire blazing in it. The firelight is the only light in the room, and it's very cozy and private. I can see into my kitchen, a beautiful gourmet space that is open to the living room. The living room faces a curved wall of windows that look out into the trees. I invented this sanctuary space about 15 years ago, and have spent lots of time sitting at my table, in my head. <br />
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This fireplace space is so real to me now that I now find myself looking around while I'm there, and either further inventing or finally noticing some details. Now, the kitchen is a sunny yellow, with a big white island. In contrast to my fireplace area, the kitchen and living room are very bright. It's dusk outside, and I can see through the living room windows into the trees. There's a big full moon and it's all just beautiful.<br />
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I'm the kind of person who needs lots of alone time. Thankfully, I married a man who understands that and doesn't get offended when I tell him I'm going into my cone of silence for a while. When I can't find time physically to be alone, I often go to my fireplace sanctuary and recharge.<br />
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I wonder if I will ever end up living in my daydream house. We have never discussed living in the woods, and I'm not sure I'd like that anyway. I need quick access to grocery stores and gas stations, and paved roads. Maybe one day this will be a vacation home. I don't really know, but I do know this. You get what you focus on, wanted or not. I'm not going to be surprised if I do one day find myself actually sitting at my big table next to the fire.<br />
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It's so important to notice what we think about. For every "this job sucks" we put out there, the Universe goes "this job sucks - you got it!" and continues to give you that. As with most things, awareness is key. It would be good to have a place to log your positive/negative thoughts so you could see them right in front of you and consciously change them. <br />
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Which would you rather create?<br />
<br />
"I am sitting at a beautiful, heavy wooden table, next to a roaring fire in a stone fireplace, gazing out into my beautiful living space and feeling such contentment."<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
"My job gives me panic attacks, I'm fat, nothing good ever happens to me, I'll never get anywhere, I'm useless, I'm worthless, I'm a failure, I suck."<br />
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How about this one?<br />
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"I am financially independent and spend my time on hobbies I love, and eat wonderful healthy food, and travel wherever/whenever I want; I am able to be philanthropic to causes I am passionate about. My life is filled with caring, kind, irreverent, supportive awesome people who know who they are and can be counted on to tell me the truth."<br />
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Guess which two I am creating? And manifesting into my life more and more, every day. <br />
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Pay attention to your thoughts. It's really important!Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-77124483470693706122011-06-30T20:11:00.009-04:002011-09-16T16:33:10.225-04:00Almond Blueberry Coffee CakeTasteSpotting. If you haven't been on their website, you need to look at it. So many beautiful pictures and such variety of recipes. Today I have fresh blueberries to work with. A search on TasteSpotting gave me lots of options. I clicked on a muffin recipe, and from that link I clicked on a couple more, only to end up with a recipe I'm not sure where I got. No matter, really, because I made so many changes to the recipe. <br />
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The original recipe called for 4 eggs; I used 2 eggs, and 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed mixed in 6 tablespoons of warm water. I am not sure I care for the flavor that flax seed adds, but I do care for the good nutrients it contains. The recipe also called for 3/4 cup of sugar; I used 1/2 cup of honey and 1/4 cup of sugar. I also added blackstrap molasses, which isn't called for in the recipe but I look for any opportunity to add it to a recipe.<br />
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Also, the original recipe called for sprinkling 2 teaspoons of sugar over the top before baking. I forgot that step, and about 10 minutes into baking I remembered it. I pulled the cake out and put 2 tablespoons of sugar on it. Then I read the recipe again and saw that I had gone way overboard on the sprinkly sugar. Still, considering the flax seed issue I have, maybe that was a lucky accident.<br />
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Finally, the recipe called for almond extract. I don't have any on hand, so I used vanilla extract. I'm sure almond extract would have given it a stronger almond flavor. The finished cake has a nice almond flavor even using vanilla extract.<br />
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Here is what the recipe looked like after I got finished messing with it. It hit a few wet spots on the counter, too.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZi1ufY_peE46pWAg6NT1YoDMrHXZrto_aI2GY6n6ywAdSR7Euyn0760iGqPq8jn0k-AL7i6kHmZr0Qd-n4zyIRXvmcjb5n4Awv_myrJb7bBK4sCDpgyqmSxJjnISep1Bsl9zmFnupcsM/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZi1ufY_peE46pWAg6NT1YoDMrHXZrto_aI2GY6n6ywAdSR7Euyn0760iGqPq8jn0k-AL7i6kHmZr0Qd-n4zyIRXvmcjb5n4Awv_myrJb7bBK4sCDpgyqmSxJjnISep1Bsl9zmFnupcsM/s400/016.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I still have plenty of blueberries left and can't wait to eat them. Enjoy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipXjJ2ixl9RVQ-xclzoN9mAY3znY86POjJGDn_tl9tQFrkybtD04vHd6K_zgW-H-Qnbdngl-pvbH6BjH5QmTYDOSewJbFK0CaaJVheMD_spRJp7L3hHjuEbEQhFh1I3MYbBAfMW0SMoIw/s1600/023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipXjJ2ixl9RVQ-xclzoN9mAY3znY86POjJGDn_tl9tQFrkybtD04vHd6K_zgW-H-Qnbdngl-pvbH6BjH5QmTYDOSewJbFK0CaaJVheMD_spRJp7L3hHjuEbEQhFh1I3MYbBAfMW0SMoIw/s400/023.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Almond Blueberry Cake<br />
Serves 10<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9A72PCHgzXumUELUzEdyvmwlOYUPsDfNUEgzbuByj9WyEF1KgztS344ut0EVqXGFDJsy9QoYR4hONitrHiTOCLkJYmvil_Z8868ZauVDX8BLERFYoyNnDu-SCCSs3A3CKxFSg6OOEng/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9A72PCHgzXumUELUzEdyvmwlOYUPsDfNUEgzbuByj9WyEF1KgztS344ut0EVqXGFDJsy9QoYR4hONitrHiTOCLkJYmvil_Z8868ZauVDX8BLERFYoyNnDu-SCCSs3A3CKxFSg6OOEng/s400/007.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
1 cup almond meal<br />
1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour<br />
2 tsp baking powder<br />
½ tsp sea salt<br />
2 eggs<br />
½ cup honey<br />
¼ cup sugar + 2T sugar for topping<br />
2 T ground flax seed mixed with 6 T warm water<br />
½ tsp vanilla extract<br />
¾ cup unsalted butter, melted<br />
1 T blackstrap molasses<br />
½ cup fresh blueberries<br />
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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9 inch spring-form pan.<br />
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In a medium bowl, combine the almond meal, flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine and set aside.<br />
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In a large mixing bowl add the eggs, the flax seed in water, the honey and sugar. Using the whisk attachment beat for about 3 minutes until it is light and fluffy. It should increase in volume as well. Mix in the molasses and vanilla extract. <br />
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Slowly alternate adding the butter and flour mixture, blending after each addition just until combined. The batter will be thick.<br />
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Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Evenly distribute the blueberries on top of the cake, gently pressing each into the batter. Sprinkle on 2 T of sugar.<br />
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Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center with very few crumbs and the sides pull away from the pan. Place on a cooling rack and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the spring-form pan and cool to room temperature.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nutrimirror.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="nutrition facts" border="0" src="http://www.nutrimirror.com/nutrition-facts.php?id=690128" /></a><br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">based on a 2000 calorie diet</span></em>Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-30741518996842377592011-06-26T17:48:00.002-04:002011-06-26T18:04:53.985-04:00Garden PicturesI love our gardens. We have 3 huge flower beds, a largish vegetable garden, the peahouse (now featuring cucumbers and cantaloupes), and random melon plants by the shed.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrslZzVGUh1hCXDD83kA4NOBlDw86n2yXKZpDf_AjE5CQ8nDtb0Ir45SkD-PGbNHQ7rFKARGOPDnH_hExFxp9KS57R32ujkGouRvfM6VjjYz5rOhXYdUX2Y_aCZqZ6p3hdZloW9FCr8WY/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrslZzVGUh1hCXDD83kA4NOBlDw86n2yXKZpDf_AjE5CQ8nDtb0Ir45SkD-PGbNHQ7rFKARGOPDnH_hExFxp9KS57R32ujkGouRvfM6VjjYz5rOhXYdUX2Y_aCZqZ6p3hdZloW9FCr8WY/s400/009.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>The yellow and orange cosmos came up this year from seed spread by the cosmos I planted last year. To the right, on the pergola, are the zucchini plants. I trimmed them way back today and pulled out one of the plants. The leaves that were covered in mildew all had to go. We've had 2 zucchini off these plants; today I saw another one coming along!<br />
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To the left, peeking into the picture, is the big shade garden under the Bradford pear tree. I've put lots of plants in there - astilbe, hosta, bleeding heart, forget me not, ice plant, and a few more. One day that garden will be filled completely with flowers.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiE89k6DE6_Yn65sSQVMDrLUE-Vvn9YqjqSfHqGJIoMxXriYULv7ny3ECfhSLDSgX_9QPrxss_c0qUNrkDvkgLR9hvcvGEc0ql2KAB65C2EnV0VmUycF6ROg5sDcpTDeuTt1YwAS54HNo/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiE89k6DE6_Yn65sSQVMDrLUE-Vvn9YqjqSfHqGJIoMxXriYULv7ny3ECfhSLDSgX_9QPrxss_c0qUNrkDvkgLR9hvcvGEc0ql2KAB65C2EnV0VmUycF6ROg5sDcpTDeuTt1YwAS54HNo/s400/008.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>More cosmos, chrysanthemums, and a little more of the shade garden. The gardenia bush on the right is in full bloom but I can't prove that by this picture!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFPKPbJq7p04fVpozbbYJk3UEIgtbxd_gZ7RV_tAz2GgBgjIl-98rNS7jVrXpcRD5hiZcqb_V2YUt-bvvHf5D8ijWWTJ0_flClJkROsTzo04TOT9Qln4Osoekqe76p61FH4cXFahW4El0/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFPKPbJq7p04fVpozbbYJk3UEIgtbxd_gZ7RV_tAz2GgBgjIl-98rNS7jVrXpcRD5hiZcqb_V2YUt-bvvHf5D8ijWWTJ0_flClJkROsTzo04TOT9Qln4Osoekqe76p61FH4cXFahW4El0/s400/004.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Gladiolas coming up, gerber daisies, random volunteer yellow flowers that I've forgotten the name of, snapdragons, and my giant red poppy seeds went in this garden too. To the left you can see one of the broccoli plants that turned out to be a cabbage.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2BFPu8OZRHpSh5zme2B5P8LNF_BQhd88lzjr9lfuDMA7tJw3y_2s4Ani53p-1hINnXIQ6W7Gna0TF9RTbvE9AQNPVxz1u6RBGmd4DMM6lknrVObvY_eOBJNJQdJ5U8S9b9rySUoObDs/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2BFPu8OZRHpSh5zme2B5P8LNF_BQhd88lzjr9lfuDMA7tJw3y_2s4Ani53p-1hINnXIQ6W7Gna0TF9RTbvE9AQNPVxz1u6RBGmd4DMM6lknrVObvY_eOBJNJQdJ5U8S9b9rySUoObDs/s400/005.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> I have two tiny poppies that never seem to get any bigger. This is, however, my most successful attempt to grow poppies from seed. The most I've ever had before were stringy seedlings that died almost immediately. They are right in front of the white plant stake in the bottom left-hand corner. You can sort of see one of them. I have high hopes for these two little plants!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo1uziOVL4bbFiUKVR47mkSh_y_xLtP8vmPaMJGRCs3AuHKYTJZQ0Um3XmDTLvDnmskKiRdVJzqjErqjJVfwi8ip02Oeq-Wx_7sl_7yAjd8A-nYSAcrzWsHKFi2PjTEFVjD52N0y3tq_s/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo1uziOVL4bbFiUKVR47mkSh_y_xLtP8vmPaMJGRCs3AuHKYTJZQ0Um3XmDTLvDnmskKiRdVJzqjErqjJVfwi8ip02Oeq-Wx_7sl_7yAjd8A-nYSAcrzWsHKFi2PjTEFVjD52N0y3tq_s/s400/007.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Down the fence from the poppies and cabbage is this eggplant. We have a fruit on it now and several flowers! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigiluw0CtEFfFcANA_J8FtjC_tQ1AvvR3j6oLfozCv2FlST_cs7jRFlOW4RO5cT5ekAGHqLMCU8B3u6G0paHl-WXMZS1ogfHlS-3o6zpyS56QUSaGjeory5rrH390zq0gQ93lsYC0KxWg/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigiluw0CtEFfFcANA_J8FtjC_tQ1AvvR3j6oLfozCv2FlST_cs7jRFlOW4RO5cT5ekAGHqLMCU8B3u6G0paHl-WXMZS1ogfHlS-3o6zpyS56QUSaGjeory5rrH390zq0gQ93lsYC0KxWg/s400/006.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>The cucumbers love their location on the front fence. The roses need serious pruning. The idea horrifies Greg, but it must be done. I'm gradually trimming them back and trying not to draw attention to myself.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDz0d9KCPkTrWXz89aE4ZhRpcdWrfBtfKMyEvkt_pcU0YPdyvHmE39ywsk3kO_1itc_edWIdBEi8ucTB0vPkGzImeUQVOu6QFcOVQW5VmD_bdKPSWyvcnoau9pGqhMKollPUZJjDeP4Jo/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDz0d9KCPkTrWXz89aE4ZhRpcdWrfBtfKMyEvkt_pcU0YPdyvHmE39ywsk3kO_1itc_edWIdBEi8ucTB0vPkGzImeUQVOu6QFcOVQW5VmD_bdKPSWyvcnoau9pGqhMKollPUZJjDeP4Jo/s400/014.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
A better view of the shade garden. I planted some tulip bulbs in there, given to me by a neighbor. I can't wait to see what color they are when they come up next Spring. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9fqmJ9FeEazoQFFkc3apUJb_LOl1ATa4fMISfWLYTrZL1axnnZX2c-jHAoTFPU7qZhkhxrWPzMjXtgXGpRYO8bJgoBHKyg5iDtINvAvMMGAivt8cebvdx4Ktg1TC2XSZiHuAH9xew0rE/s1600/024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9fqmJ9FeEazoQFFkc3apUJb_LOl1ATa4fMISfWLYTrZL1axnnZX2c-jHAoTFPU7qZhkhxrWPzMjXtgXGpRYO8bJgoBHKyg5iDtINvAvMMGAivt8cebvdx4Ktg1TC2XSZiHuAH9xew0rE/s400/024.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>These pretty petunias hang right outside my office-room window and I can see them from where I sit. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLIbQTO60Xh3KPq_dfllve0-GT4W3yOOKn2UrmNwaVLGtGytNZagGJRfOk1ASXoHziwI8VARTvkhhwhUcDGjh4gAQ9iOjJkGOrPfEZwhZBu1LbqcjgUiycPQpFcJggxv93UOoxTbIoPGg/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLIbQTO60Xh3KPq_dfllve0-GT4W3yOOKn2UrmNwaVLGtGytNZagGJRfOk1ASXoHziwI8VARTvkhhwhUcDGjh4gAQ9iOjJkGOrPfEZwhZBu1LbqcjgUiycPQpFcJggxv93UOoxTbIoPGg/s400/004.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
After we pulled all the peas out, the cucumbers and melons went crazy on the peahouse! That cucumber in the middle is hanging on the inside. I'm trying to poke all the babies through, so they'll hang inside. So convenient for picking!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAm8JxusdDG53ZEBM4wAlXHXe84-SDzLAK1oidbaFrQMcmTFrd60x1JH5mxP9Xqr8IoPJWaLHXS7BOErXYgsdpKEsx9axxCeceXlGYB6EDSx9WkHoqdsVHwzqh_KN7zyMrUybooxvp70/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAm8JxusdDG53ZEBM4wAlXHXe84-SDzLAK1oidbaFrQMcmTFrd60x1JH5mxP9Xqr8IoPJWaLHXS7BOErXYgsdpKEsx9axxCeceXlGYB6EDSx9WkHoqdsVHwzqh_KN7zyMrUybooxvp70/s400/003.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>These are some melon plants on the peahouse, with cilantro along the bottom. The baby melons are tiny and fuzzy, very cute. I can't wait to eat them.Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-51129870215680143112011-05-28T12:34:00.000-04:002011-05-28T12:34:55.873-04:00It's A New Dawn and We've Got PeasOne of my soul mates, Jamie, is a psychic and she has her own online radio show. She is a natural for radio, with her confident voice and happy laugh. Every week she brings new insight, and sometimes guests, to her broadcast. This week, I was one of her guests. My NutriMirror BFFs Lynn and Kel were guests, too. We talked about NutriMirror and had a wonderful time getting the message out. Being on the radio was a fun experience. It was not only fun; after the show, the three of us were all buzzy from the incredible energy of doing something new and wanting to do it some more! Based on Jamie's reading for me this week, and previous readings, we three are going to become even more familiar with online radio when we launch our own show. Right now we are in the mulling it over stage. If you'd like to hear us on It's A New Dawn, click here: <a href="http://www.12radio.com/host.cfm?id=129B26DD%2D1143%2DDC70%2DC49CB585C58F6CD8">12Radio It's A New Dawn</a> Our show was on May 24 but I encourage you to listen to all of Jamie's shows - they are worth it!<br />
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The garden took a hit this week when hurricane-force winds blew through on Tuesday evening. There has been very little rain around here this spring; the weather maps show rain all around us but we have only had a couple of cloudbursts. On Tuesday we had the high winds and a splattering of rain, not enough to really benefit the garden. The winds knocked over our big tomato plant and the peas that were taller than me. We got them all stood back up, and Greg rigged up a network of twine that's keeping things upright. We have peas now! Not enough to pick for a dinner of peas, ham and shrimp, but we will be there soon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peas! May 27, 2011</td></tr>
</tbody></table> The peahouse is progressing. Next year we will reconfigure and plant the peas inside instead of outside, so they will naturally cling to the chicken wire as they grow right up to it. This year we've been training the peas onto the chicken wire, hooking the little tendrils on and in some cases tying the plants on. These are about thigh-high now, and have peas on them too!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVb5jQd1Jv99HFU_EY2QDKpMfNjPq0Dbk5Gozw3plQ6GBNFKvBao0nmyl6h9kjhFmJO12aBzS3DRD78AWtI3EXAdkllk3OnBI7YbPEJxlgbb6e9yg07_9U9fdtfo2HKQ2xp53xwDY6WFo/s1600/Peahouse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVb5jQd1Jv99HFU_EY2QDKpMfNjPq0Dbk5Gozw3plQ6GBNFKvBao0nmyl6h9kjhFmJO12aBzS3DRD78AWtI3EXAdkllk3OnBI7YbPEJxlgbb6e9yg07_9U9fdtfo2HKQ2xp53xwDY6WFo/s400/Peahouse.JPG" t8="true" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2011 peahouse, the first of many</td></tr>
</tbody></table> The thing is, we planted two kinds of peas: English peas, and sugar snap peas. We didn't bother keeping track of what was planted where, so at this point I'm not sure if we are supposed to eat the pods or shell them. Greg says we will know when the time comes. I hope he's right. (He usually is, as I've learned over our 23 years together.)<br />
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Our gardenias are starting to bloom now, too. I would love to chop these bushes down to about a foot tall after they finish blooming. I am a big believer in pruning. Many people consider pruning to be bad, because they like the look of overgrown ungainly plants. I prefer the way things get all lush after they've been pruned. Right now we will just enjoy the heavenly fragrance of the gardenias. Between the gardenias and the roses, when the breeze is just right it smells like heaven in my front yard.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7XUm6K044HBPMTx9kvMvPEAzzx-wz9u7espiyQd_iWUiqwsOT30wSMTmRE5exZ2bgvP9IOIJu8b8fAmC7g31l-f7IuzWjF1RSQA-qJys8nhI1BtmzXE3qdrn9-zhnXUx7_Em-c7_j6iQ/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7XUm6K044HBPMTx9kvMvPEAzzx-wz9u7espiyQd_iWUiqwsOT30wSMTmRE5exZ2bgvP9IOIJu8b8fAmC7g31l-f7IuzWjF1RSQA-qJys8nhI1BtmzXE3qdrn9-zhnXUx7_Em-c7_j6iQ/s400/015.JPG" t8="true" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The blossoms only last a couple of days but the bushes are loaded with buds</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Every year we like to grow a vegetable or two that we've never grown before. This year we have beets, broccoli and onions. The beets are leafed out and looking good, but not near ready to harvest. We assume we will know when the broccoli is ready; not yet, but the plants are big and healthy.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfoRiAUFovMiWsln0xb6UanwC4-Z9Zxx5xGg2hYWeqiCLi0DhQn7ht4013In-0UZnrbWSDbHuu7xQS1THwVuVdwnyFPs4-I9zYNx8UzL0rhYv2tFtwdBoxl4dYP1ENw8CX27L-dOfwGj4/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfoRiAUFovMiWsln0xb6UanwC4-Z9Zxx5xGg2hYWeqiCLi0DhQn7ht4013In-0UZnrbWSDbHuu7xQS1THwVuVdwnyFPs4-I9zYNx8UzL0rhYv2tFtwdBoxl4dYP1ENw8CX27L-dOfwGj4/s400/011.JPG" t8="true" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Always wondering what the next unraveled leaf will reveal!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6Ad6bgxHRZxiAOX0rVRpQPGwPZ0OU6_co4xIN8wp-yoxF0S-G-e1Q3vNy4ov4HCRHCt8tUwbq7Cm2bd_-4-fFwnHsAcdkCS-CIR3B0RhSQ-uy6dD-ZBb3DZfTpLAqJhFU53RoUX1ZGY/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6Ad6bgxHRZxiAOX0rVRpQPGwPZ0OU6_co4xIN8wp-yoxF0S-G-e1Q3vNy4ov4HCRHCt8tUwbq7Cm2bd_-4-fFwnHsAcdkCS-CIR3B0RhSQ-uy6dD-ZBb3DZfTpLAqJhFU53RoUX1ZGY/s400/009.JPG" t8="true" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The onions were weeded this morning after I saw this picture!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> I've already picked one onion, to use in a delicious tomato and cucumber salad. The recipe was posted on NutriMirror by Christinediane and it was so good I'm going to link to it. I hope she doesn't mind!<br />
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<a href="http://www.nutrimirror.com/people/christinediane/journal/1305679843/cucumberfeta-salad">Tomato, cucumber and feta salad</a><br />
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The recipe didn't call for onion, but since I knew my onions were big enough to eat I decided to add one.<br />
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This year we have a lot of volunteer plants coming up from ones we planted last year that seeded for this year. Nasturtium, cosmos, and zinnias are everywhere. I noticed something growing by our rosebushes that was not there last year, and that I did not plant. I don't know what these sweet little purple flowers are! If anyone does, please let me know!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSM5dQUSubGc9pD2EH49hlJ7Zu2Y4bIlSXBkGMg1qJ3UyoXFxcbvwYvgr9V6vroN48cCGYOHdS7PmVz1gCRUPOu4AfuQvqlJ0E5C9vCgIuYTKXKwDtnnWPw1EoJ44UNGL9kfphJVuOAGA/s1600/027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSM5dQUSubGc9pD2EH49hlJ7Zu2Y4bIlSXBkGMg1qJ3UyoXFxcbvwYvgr9V6vroN48cCGYOHdS7PmVz1gCRUPOu4AfuQvqlJ0E5C9vCgIuYTKXKwDtnnWPw1EoJ44UNGL9kfphJVuOAGA/s400/027.JPG" t8="true" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mystery Plant</td></tr>
</tbody></table> When we had to move our fence last month, I dug out the cucumbers and moved them to the front yard. They are really happy there and we have a few tiny cucumbers already.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXkrLDZig5vremsn4v7RaclZy2cG1s_3J7Aq8QfTXLEolsAjr_lJRlFz1CDYBaLUFAFCV9WFBvgbRME_Q5L-7uccHVr0Vq6TASnzecBOBcJSsfmTWsU164c_IICVbjL1gMf_nPdxNZ4o/s1600/Cucumber.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXkrLDZig5vremsn4v7RaclZy2cG1s_3J7Aq8QfTXLEolsAjr_lJRlFz1CDYBaLUFAFCV9WFBvgbRME_Q5L-7uccHVr0Vq6TASnzecBOBcJSsfmTWsU164c_IICVbjL1gMf_nPdxNZ4o/s400/Cucumber.JPG" t8="true" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See it? Right under the yellow flower.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> We have zucchini and a cantaloupe about the same size. So cute!<br />
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Sadie stays in the yard with me while I'm puttering around. She wanders around smelling everything and randomly barking. My sweet Sadie is 13 now. I hope she'll be around for a few more years; in the meantime, I am cherishing every minute with her and taking lots of pictures. She fills a very large spot in my heart. One of these days I'll get around to writing her story. It's very interesting, involving the front page of the Bristol, Virginia newspaper and a journey from golden retriever rescue in North Little Rock, Arkansas to Leesburg, Virginia, at the tender puppy age of six months. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4iTsAtUnXXHIV2S2hcqncEVbzYtxd71RkcVdmJ9KVOVlmRWEUNrEgCzXbkzKXDpoEywwM-43yX5iQ6TwPMqIM6Zha95FNBW5fOsFtB-VTu0mCcglhIOvVV7zlxbfd-11FOXX78FGhki4/s1600/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4iTsAtUnXXHIV2S2hcqncEVbzYtxd71RkcVdmJ9KVOVlmRWEUNrEgCzXbkzKXDpoEywwM-43yX5iQ6TwPMqIM6Zha95FNBW5fOsFtB-VTu0mCcglhIOvVV7zlxbfd-11FOXX78FGhki4/s400/017.JPG" t8="true" width="363" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sadie on Patrol</td></tr>
</tbody></table> It's Memorial Day weekend, the start of beach season here and the end of my trips to the oceanfront until September. I can't take the crowds, the parking meters, and the drunken revelers everywhere. The beach is so awesome in the off-months, when it is possible to be the only person on the beach for miles around. Happy weekend everyone and thank you to all of our service men and women. It is great to be free and I am grateful to everyone who keeps that possible.Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-69857806822285713512011-05-07T15:37:00.000-04:002011-05-07T15:37:31.828-04:00Strawberry Pickin' DayWhen the strawberry farms tell us it is time to pick our own, Greg and I are usually the first people out there, the minute they open on a Saturday morning. We drive out to a part of Virginia Beach that is still country, good old Pungo. Pungo has an annual Strawberry Festival. We attended the festival one time and vowed never to return. Too crowded, too hard to park and unpark, just too much. We have yet to go to the Peanut Festival in nearby Suffolk and we have lived here for 11 years. I have a love/hate relationship with Mr. Peanut and should probably go to the Peanut Festival at least once. I'll put that on my bucket list, right after "learn to speak Spanish."<br />
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So today is Strawberry Pickin' Day. I had a hair appointment this morning, and Greg was helping a friend decide if his bathtub is cracked, so we didn't get out to Pungo at our normal early hour. We didn't get out to Pungo at all. We drove down the street about 2 miles to a little farm stand and bought 5 things of strawberries. I don't know how big the things are - a pint or a quart or something. You can see them in the picture. We also bought some fresh-picked asparagus, which I will roast to go with dinner tonight. Yum.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHpxxjybceCFFS2PQ9xWEy2gQRLRFty_qakLpfTZBHWy2rztU6E7C4E_NLGMxTyisDc8jq7kYjQ77A6MzsOZNcs9jC46_lMxwrjMigyKlRXzc2xv9WLpjMMQk2IlUkLisdrd749TYI_4/s1600/photo%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHpxxjybceCFFS2PQ9xWEy2gQRLRFty_qakLpfTZBHWy2rztU6E7C4E_NLGMxTyisDc8jq7kYjQ77A6MzsOZNcs9jC46_lMxwrjMigyKlRXzc2xv9WLpjMMQk2IlUkLisdrd749TYI_4/s400/photo%255B1%255D.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Locally grown strawberries and asparagus</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Then we went to the grocery store to buy ice cream and whipping cream and some kind of cake-like item to put the strawberries over. We usually buy the little spongecake cups; last year they came in chocolate too. We discussed the possibility that there would be no little cakes at the grocery store, much less chocolate ones. Greg said his mom always served strawberry shortcake over big Bisquik biscuits. I said yes, and I could never stand that. I told him I realized he grew up eating strawberry shortcake that way, and I grew up having it over pound cake, or the little spongecake cups, so I understood how you get attached to a childhood favorite. I offered to make a sponge cake, even a chocolate one, but in the end we just went to the store. We bought a pack of the little spongecake cups, and a pack of little angelfood cakes for me. <br />
<br />
Greg has been working like a lumberjack all morning. When we got home with the strawberry haul, he wandered off to take a nap. I got started getting all these strawberries organized. First, I made some chocolate-covered ones. I just picked some big berries, and melted some Ghirardelli chips in the microwave, and went to work. Look!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjk0tUQ6_R9h446RHJ1VSRsUyo9lJdv2HcwgcBQ25VcssAS39l6u7afEtIauRJ4Yb-VLQRAd0LTUdGH_KvM_i9x7fNzuGXZZs1mGfgt71Pk_yyQNx0P-FnLJ6ptEAF4kmtXw3ZjfdyEXM/s1600/chocolate+covered.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjk0tUQ6_R9h446RHJ1VSRsUyo9lJdv2HcwgcBQ25VcssAS39l6u7afEtIauRJ4Yb-VLQRAd0LTUdGH_KvM_i9x7fNzuGXZZs1mGfgt71Pk_yyQNx0P-FnLJ6ptEAF4kmtXw3ZjfdyEXM/s400/chocolate+covered.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guess how many are left?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After making the chocolate covered strawberries, it was time to make strawberry shortcake sauce. I filled a big bowl with water and put the strawberries in it, to rinse off any bugs. One bee and two inchworms came off, and I hope that was all of them. Sadly, they died, and I feel guilty about that.<br />
<br />
Years ago, one fine evening when I served strawberry shortcake to my father-in-law, he went off on a rant about how there's never enough sauce. Not just my sauce, nobody made sauce right. There's just never enough juice and the berry-to-juice ratio is always wrong Wrong WRONG. My usual method was to clean the strawberries, slice them into a big bowl, and sprinkle sugar all over them, stirring them occasionally until a sauce formed. To my knowledge, that was the accepted way. After his dad's rant, Greg and I decided we were going to make the sauciest strawberry shortcake sauce the world has ever known. Our first attempt was a winner. We sliced half of the strawberries, and put the other half in a blender, pureed them, and poured them over the sliced berries. Over time I've perfected this method and now when I puree the strawberries, I add a cup of simple syrup. Luscious, plenty of sauce, never any complaints.<br />
<br />
Oh, anyway, after washing all the strawberries I laid them out on clean towels on the counter, dried them pretty well, and got to work cleaning them. Really dark ones went into the blender. Pureeing them makes kind of a light pink colored sauce so I try to use the darkest ones to get a darker sauce, because I think it's prettier.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqpRZ4bsbZwtAB6Rc_GqFCem8YGtICIpQ2daFLdG2j04dfj99UO93aAWGJ7rGRAoCet9onQm2qAPyDAF6ztzcpBuBbEOkyaSEwgXy5Cj0QLPIKQ_0hmemFwT7qQbPzKelokxxLabe-m4/s1600/Fresh+strawberries.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqpRZ4bsbZwtAB6Rc_GqFCem8YGtICIpQ2daFLdG2j04dfj99UO93aAWGJ7rGRAoCet9onQm2qAPyDAF6ztzcpBuBbEOkyaSEwgXy5Cj0QLPIKQ_0hmemFwT7qQbPzKelokxxLabe-m4/s400/Fresh+strawberries.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful clean strawberries</td></tr>
</tbody></table> While I was prepping the strawberries I made a simple syrup of 1 cup sugar in 1 cup water, over a low heat until the sugar dissolved. That needs to cool down before I can make the sauce.<br />
<br />
When I had cleaned most of the berries, and had a blender full and a big bowl full, I put the remaining berries on a sheet pan and they are in the freezer. They will go into a plastic bag and be used in a future recipe. I love that there is no waste with this purchase. The strawberries will be eaten, the tops will go into the compost, the little blue pints or quarts or whatever are biodegradable so I can use them in the garden. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSxTdkh58uKLtJ4s6WGCzZVqLluNyl9dvY-MxSbTqWIjKDo7YtPMyU1i2uvrpayuDNkbjtn1C9TfLsbqnLKlNi6J15ZXVEo5W1Nbk79qJQML2sZ1UFYyjgZDdWwBSMeya6ntVUEmlMe8Y/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSxTdkh58uKLtJ4s6WGCzZVqLluNyl9dvY-MxSbTqWIjKDo7YtPMyU1i2uvrpayuDNkbjtn1C9TfLsbqnLKlNi6J15ZXVEo5W1Nbk79qJQML2sZ1UFYyjgZDdWwBSMeya6ntVUEmlMe8Y/s400/009.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing is wasted</td></tr>
</tbody></table>There is a skylight right over the counter where I usually take pictures. The sunlight on the sliced strawberries makes them look like orange peppers. Just as a little reminder, this is not a photography blog. We have two digital cameras; one of them, the battery is always dead soon after I recharge it; the other one, I somehow turned off the flash and don't know how to make it come back. The manual is around here someplace (note to bucket list: learn how to turn the flash on and off).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQU-Ih5nPQtGLJlMfYowgT4jeRM1NEWTNgrHsG2QKIo1aoLlhW45Jd_jfPpIzOKb3Qd9XP1WdD80tjG2Uk_RMuydu8Rnv8zIIWFKvCLrTQHaZJKj6e1UKJ79FJM9JMFDbSiisNWhCDlKg/s1600/mix+strawberries+and+simple+syrup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQU-Ih5nPQtGLJlMfYowgT4jeRM1NEWTNgrHsG2QKIo1aoLlhW45Jd_jfPpIzOKb3Qd9XP1WdD80tjG2Uk_RMuydu8Rnv8zIIWFKvCLrTQHaZJKj6e1UKJ79FJM9JMFDbSiisNWhCDlKg/s400/mix+strawberries+and+simple+syrup.JPG" width="357" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puree the strawberries and simple syrup</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Now comes the fun part. Put about 1/4 a cup of the simple syrup over the sliced strawberries and stir; put the rest of the simple syrup into the blender. Puree the strawberries, and pour over the sliced strawberries. (Helpful Hint: Make damn sure the bottom is screwed onto the blender correctly. I wasted a bunch of time cleaning up the blender and the countertop after I blended the strawberries.) <br />
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Stir, taste, swoon. These will sit in the fridge until time for dessert tonight, and the berries will soak up a little of the sauce while they sit there. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYc-UJqBCLMPxnKgju5BLw-tNbRCvlIo0n4V8oUEVPtl3u0NPGFWb_qM7YmOYi6iZCIebsj-j0XOWZ1IIc3vgKZKVnifx7TmO3r_pWFrKHjTPUWQxQxxaNJ_YSEtIxAUvkYuaJPUGZjg/s1600/saucy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYc-UJqBCLMPxnKgju5BLw-tNbRCvlIo0n4V8oUEVPtl3u0NPGFWb_qM7YmOYi6iZCIebsj-j0XOWZ1IIc3vgKZKVnifx7TmO3r_pWFrKHjTPUWQxQxxaNJ_YSEtIxAUvkYuaJPUGZjg/s400/saucy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saucy enough?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-21236649545939023452011-04-02T07:54:00.008-04:002011-04-02T08:46:07.268-04:00Sundried Tomato and Feta SconesIt's 7:30am, and we've been to the grocery store, I've made Scottish Oatmeal Cakes, homemade Frosty Paws for Sadie, and Sundried Tomato and Feta Scones. My house smells like a pizza parlor. My kitchen is trashed. <br />
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A dear friend of mine is turning 45 this month. I was on etsy.com, one of her favorite websites, browsing around to see if anything caught my eye that was worthy of a 45th birthday present. As usual, I got sidetracked when I saw a picture of scones. I had no idea that etsy also published recipes! Next thing you know every website out there will have recipes on it. Yay!<br />
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I printed the recipe for the scones, entered it into NutriMirror to see what the nutritional stats were going to be like, and just about fell over. The sodium alone was enough for an entire day. So I got to work revising the recipe. This involved an email, text, and phone call to the <a href="http://countrytart.blogspot.com/">Country Tart</a> for advice. Is Greek yogurt a good substitute for heavy cream? Is wheat flour ok to use when it says to use all-purpose flour? Can I use sundried tomatoes instead of roasted tomatoes? Is she talking to me naked in the shower? After confirmation that I was fine with all the substitutions, I carried on with my day. <br />
<br />
First I went into the post office and mailed off one of my media copies of <a href="http://www.nutrimirrorstore.com/catalog/books/main/balanced-days-balanced-lives-signed-limited-edition">Balanced Days, Balanced Lives</a> to the local NPR lady who does a lunchtime show that many times involves health and nutrition issues. Then off to the health food store, where I dropped off another media copy, and purchased some no-sodium baking powder, scallions, and feta cheese. <br />
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This morning I made the scones. Look!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukQ5pMWFwn8FH4OpByIIWKWVyJW484Pe9y0RzmaXBIrlcnbSVICRUQ2u1P-0Fy8qCboBels1WClrFQpzB0GKaiehAny-wEJPZd12h9tivrTvGoiFj8BMvCOfNFtycOkmmZ25bzivMncQ/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukQ5pMWFwn8FH4OpByIIWKWVyJW484Pe9y0RzmaXBIrlcnbSVICRUQ2u1P-0Fy8qCboBels1WClrFQpzB0GKaiehAny-wEJPZd12h9tivrTvGoiFj8BMvCOfNFtycOkmmZ25bzivMncQ/s400/001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Since I changed the recipe so much I am hereby dismissing the etsy recipe and claiming this as my own. <br />
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Here's the recipe, with my adjustments:<br />
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<strong><em>Sundried Tomato Feta Scones</em></strong><br />
Makes 8 scones<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
<br />
1/2 cup wheat flour<br />
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
1 tablespoon sodium-free baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt<br />
4 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes<br />
3/4 cup Greek yogurt<br />
1 egg slightly beaten<br />
4 oz feta cheese<br />
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes in olive oil<br />
2 green onions, finely sliced<br />
Directions:<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. <br />
<br />
Place the flour, baking powder, garlic salt and butter in a food processor. Pulsate everything in 3-second intervals until the mixture resembles coarse meal. If doing this by hand, use 2 knives, a pastry blender or your fingers.<br />
<br />
Transfer everything to a large bowl. Stir in heavy cream and egg, mixing the dough by hand until it comes together. <br />
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Add feta cheese, roasted tomatoes, and green onions. Gently mix the ingredients by hand until the savory ingredients are evenly distributed. <br />
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On a floured surface, form a big dough ball. Flatten the dough into a 1 inch disk and cut it in 8 equal pieces. <br />
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Bake for 15 minutes on a baking stone or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. <br />
<br />
Remove scones from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.<br />
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<br />
I did not bother with pictures of every step. My hands were all yucky from mixing the dough by the time I realized that a blog works better when you put pictures on it. <br />
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First I went into the pantry for my wheat flour. I had forgotten that I used most of it recently on another scone recipe, and only had 1/2 cup left. So much for lowering the sodium substantially. Next time I will make sure I have wheat flour on hand. Wish I'd checked before we went to the store. <br />
The sodium-free baking powder did help considerably, though. Did you know that one measley teaspoon of regular baking powder contains 488 mg of sodium? Also 23% calcium, so it does have that to say for itself. Since <em>they</em> lowered the sodium limits for people 51 and over, to 1500 mg/day, 488 mgs of sodium in one tiny ingredient in one recipe, even when you divide it by 8 servings, just isn't very appealing. Even without the sodium-laden baking powder, this is kind of high per serving. <br />
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<a href="http://www.nutrimirror.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="nutrition facts" border="0" src="http://www.nutrimirror.com/nutrition-facts.php?id=650686" /></a><br />
Anyway, these smelled incredible as they baked, and they look like they are going to rock me jailhouse rock. We will have them later with some Beach Baked Beans I made yesterday.<br />
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Between the Frosty Paws, Scottish Oatmeal Cake, and Scones, my kitchen looks like a tornado blew through. So I'm off to clean up now. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63LFwZPki0AUF-eRFIjhfWgy0GsiBG4QlaqmSB92Yq7B7B4fsHM4MpSwIq0FtLGk92ypV3zsqmYZGmjXmxXrI8Dda4s1hkkQ4vd0uEQv5WcAaCrOQLdtxP9t6a_oA48qU7BWbOKhVcIc/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63LFwZPki0AUF-eRFIjhfWgy0GsiBG4QlaqmSB92Yq7B7B4fsHM4MpSwIq0FtLGk92ypV3zsqmYZGmjXmxXrI8Dda4s1hkkQ4vd0uEQv5WcAaCrOQLdtxP9t6a_oA48qU7BWbOKhVcIc/s400/008.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
ps: for the Frosty Paws, I use a big container of vanilla yogurt, 2 bananas, and about 1/2 a cup of water. Blend in the blender, then put in little tupperwares until frozen. Like most other things, it is a whole lot cheaper to make your own than to buy the fancy ones from the store. Also, no added chemicals. Sadie adores them.<br />
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pps: so much for waiting until later to try them. I couldn't stand it anymore so I ate one. Please make this recipe - you will not be sorry, I promise you. They are awesome. AWESOME!!!Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-87138982349198323052011-03-19T18:38:00.003-04:002011-03-19T19:13:02.873-04:00Beach Baked BeansI am craving baked beans. Probably because I've been low in fiber recently and my body is not in the mood for that. Tastespotting had lots of recipes that I looked at, and settled on one for Boston Baked Beans. I'm not even going to refer you to the blog because I ended up changing the recipe so much the blogger would never recognize it! So I have changed the name to Beach Baked Beans (copyright Serenity Swamp).<br />
<br />
I used the following ingredients:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>232 grams Jacob's Cattle beans (I logged these as Great Northern beans, because I can't find the nutritional information for Rancho Gordo beans, even though it might be on their website)</li>
<li>4 slices of thick bacon, cut into about 1/2 inch pieces</li>
<li>114 grams sweet onion, chopped</li>
<li>12 grams fresh garlic, chopped</li>
<li>2 T honey</li>
<li>1 T brown sugar</li>
<li>1 t of fantastic chili peppers in a tube that I buy at Harris Teeter in the produce department</li>
<li>1/2 cup blackstrap molasses</li>
<li>2 t hot/sweet mustard (from a Hickory Farms gift set Greg got for Christmas)</li>
<li>1 t yellow mustard</li>
<li>1/8 t Kosher salt, dash of black pepper</li>
</ul>Soak the beans, drain and rinse them<br />
<br />
Bring the soaked beans to a boil in a large pot filled with 8 cups of water. Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the beans are softened but fully intact, 45-60 minutes<br />
<br />
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees<br />
<br />
In a dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp<br />
<br />
Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent<br />
<br />
Add 3 cups of the hot bean liquid, honey, brown sugar, chili peppers, molasses, mustard, salt and pepper<br />
<br />
Bring to a boil<br />
<br />
Drain the beans and add to the bacon/onion mixture<br />
<br />
Cover and put in the oven for 4-5 hours until the beans are completely soft and the liquid is thickened<br />
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Alrighty then. One thing I changed from the blog recipe I copied was I decided to mention that you have to put the beans in with the bacon/onion mixture before you put everything in the oven, unlike the blogger, who said nothing about it (see Lynn? It's not just you).<br />
<br />
While the beans cooked, I made the rest of the recipe. First, cook the bacon until crisp.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Nm2yYk0dCGaLM1pdQ9GNTQpOWXSwHtIWYhRG0pgPeDD3lXfTsx_WeEwPAk7h4HXWD3SCYiUVNdHFDgUFg95nQnqWX0aa5ksAj_-H4cOIUvCu2BPKuJt8rsuLCbJVAv_2gw8cm2A_mgs/s1600/Cook+the+bacon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Nm2yYk0dCGaLM1pdQ9GNTQpOWXSwHtIWYhRG0pgPeDD3lXfTsx_WeEwPAk7h4HXWD3SCYiUVNdHFDgUFg95nQnqWX0aa5ksAj_-H4cOIUvCu2BPKuJt8rsuLCbJVAv_2gw8cm2A_mgs/s400/Cook+the+bacon.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cooking the bacon</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
This, my friends, is my Aunt Betty's famous cast iron baked bean pot. Aunt Betty was one of my grandfather's 11 siblings, and she was the last of them when she died just a few years ago. Aunt Betty made the best baked beans anyone has ever eaten. Every year at the family picnic at her house, we could count on them being there. Not to mention her incredible macaroni and cheese..... After she died, the family was asked if they would like anything of hers, as they were cleaning out the house in order to put it on the market. My brilliant sister Robin asked for Aunt Betty's bean pot for me (wait a second while I cry - that just got me all choked up. Thank you Robin - I love you). Robin also gave me a copy of Aunt Betty's baked bean recipe.<br />
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Come to find out, it was canned beans that Aunt Betty doctored up quite a bit, and the instructions were very unclear as to how long you were supposed to cook them. It could have been days; there was no way to tell. I haven't made Aunt Betty's baked beans, but I have had her bean pot on the shelf in my new kitchen on top of the cabinets. It looks so nice up there, along with some other cast iron items like my fried chicken dutch oven and an Asian style lantern. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJYbHPB0z0_sxLbyCJ4OeGjaUesy4gEbfvgPKhWxA3XOZdlGR9lyYKwAqB97f935LIhPJDhbBNQ3C8XlHyIO5-EsXIujXIVa76wxqN6d3U57UWOuCRegbLqAPx5qQulgEvC_6hRBSBWI/s1600/shelf+decor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJYbHPB0z0_sxLbyCJ4OeGjaUesy4gEbfvgPKhWxA3XOZdlGR9lyYKwAqB97f935LIhPJDhbBNQ3C8XlHyIO5-EsXIujXIVa76wxqN6d3U57UWOuCRegbLqAPx5qQulgEvC_6hRBSBWI/s400/shelf+decor.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shelf decor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Today since I was already using my regular bean dutch oven to simmer the beans, I asked Greg to get Aunt Betty's bean pot down from the shelf so I could start the other ingredients cooking in it. I had to pry the lid off of it with a butter knife and was kind of afraid to open it, but when I did, there was nothing bad in there. This pot is so nicely seasoned! <br />
<br />
OK - back to Beach Baked Beans. Where was I..... right. When the bacon is crisp, add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent. Then put in 3 cups of the hot bean cooking liquid. The recipe I found said to add 3 cups of water, but I had a whole lot of bean liquid so decided to use that instead of water. Then put in all the other stuff.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtu9_P4nQqt475d3BdE-oQLczDokjEoyarQUIMPTZFaFhh5qouT8Rq1L9x1wsssBWM99USWy6DNt3RzJNauhu-Te96EAjP8WtEAWrBMT6XOt-7O7hyphenhyphenriBQH0b62UUXahRzX6eOVtwTyA/s1600/onions+etc.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtu9_P4nQqt475d3BdE-oQLczDokjEoyarQUIMPTZFaFhh5qouT8Rq1L9x1wsssBWM99USWy6DNt3RzJNauhu-Te96EAjP8WtEAWrBMT6XOt-7O7hyphenhyphenriBQH0b62UUXahRzX6eOVtwTyA/s400/onions+etc.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Drain the beans <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEXuLDWGbRfUaTnw8ebyEO_tBVbEA3HZPhVE4AFbMVG7vg2moXX1Iemb_AuIR1CU-ltGpuWQpCL8SiKzmFJ1cn3ps_ZQlemHgnCSHcLtdxeow1ZjOdtI0DadoUXo8hCLNKCGV9brrvwI/s1600/drain+the+beans.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEXuLDWGbRfUaTnw8ebyEO_tBVbEA3HZPhVE4AFbMVG7vg2moXX1Iemb_AuIR1CU-ltGpuWQpCL8SiKzmFJ1cn3ps_ZQlemHgnCSHcLtdxeow1ZjOdtI0DadoUXo8hCLNKCGV9brrvwI/s400/drain+the+beans.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I drained the beans over a bowl so I could reserve the liquid in case I needed it. It's a good thing I didn't need it, because right after I mixed the beans into the bacon and onions, I squeezed out my dish cloth right over the bean liquid bowl. Oops.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mix the beans into the bacon and onion mixture:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJtGcDot3jKglfXNSmeaC955oLJP5XF70avhb-76tND_IIQwCv_E7cxG6862r8e8iMCFemhVlOEyfCurMH7YWPlU8JHIuiXa4H1UgdPCoFQd18dIPwL5KYou_x0NVyQOGRUbPHclcb1A/s1600/add+beans+to+onions.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJtGcDot3jKglfXNSmeaC955oLJP5XF70avhb-76tND_IIQwCv_E7cxG6862r8e8iMCFemhVlOEyfCurMH7YWPlU8JHIuiXa4H1UgdPCoFQd18dIPwL5KYou_x0NVyQOGRUbPHclcb1A/s400/add+beans+to+onions.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think I have way too much liquid in here but time will tell. I didn't use a whole pound of beans like the blog recipe did; I used the end of a bag of Jacob's Cattles I had opened a while back. Oh well. If it doesn't all soak up and get thick, I will remove the lid at the end and leave the beans in the oven for about 20 minutes that way. Plus, we have honey wheat bread to go with dinner, so who really cares if they are too juicy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now put them in the oven for 4-5 hours. After about 3 hours, start feeling happy because these smell so good!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">They have been in the oven for almost 5 hours now, and the beans aren't quite done - very close. I ate a bean and a tiny piece of bacon - these beans are going to be delicious!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There is still too much liquid in the pot so as soon as the timer goes off, I will take the lid off and put them back in the oven. Greg will start the charcoal for the grill, and by the time the steaks are done the beans will be perfect. That is my plan, anyway.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's been 5 hours and I declare it time to take the lid off. I'm getting hungry! This is what they looked like when I took off the lid.</div> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienAKfvK1t8eG9YWNiBq9AaHiXb4R5-IiY4e7eCI0ToVyNjkojonR1X5NitVrpBedmckkUNJ28fSaxq40NY63yqcXycdsEG2mHGEsZ6til9d-UdSpL6r878i1Zsp4ayCvswdqT9y3d-8s/s1600/time+to+take+off+the+lid.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienAKfvK1t8eG9YWNiBq9AaHiXb4R5-IiY4e7eCI0ToVyNjkojonR1X5NitVrpBedmckkUNJ28fSaxq40NY63yqcXycdsEG2mHGEsZ6til9d-UdSpL6r878i1Zsp4ayCvswdqT9y3d-8s/s400/time+to+take+off+the+lid.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wish you could smell them</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.nutrimirror.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="nutrition facts" border="0" src="http://www.nutrimirror.com/nutrition-facts.php?id=643652" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Yes, this will help my fiber immensely!<br />
<br />
Well, the verdict is in. After cooking the beans for another 1/2 an hour without the lid on, they were delicious. A couple of things I would do differently next time: <br />
<ul><li>take the bacon out after it's cooked and only add it in when I add the beans</li>
<li>remove some of the bacon fat before I cook the onions </li>
<li>use an appropriate amount of liquid (or more beans in the first place - Greg said I should have doubled the recipe, they were that good!)</li>
<li>cook the beans a little longer before adding them to the recipe</li>
</ul>Other than that these were freakin' awesome. Slightly sweet, slightly spicy (slightly too firm beans). I did not take a picture of the final product - it looked just a little darker and thicker than the picture above.<br />
<br />
Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-64278601278649247342011-03-05T10:57:00.002-05:002011-03-05T11:00:04.463-05:00Black Bean and Corn Salad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lWQuwHk469yXPVtj2z7cbV44CqQFLFheUY7FNoXtkM78Va_sXc1RGmf8TCH_AsVF07h2B5uNjiylGCQ4u8ICXBh2x_kvrK_-olTkArL2tGX9bjhyphenhyphenYhEFneDA1yfB_5Ho5BinNv8uaM4/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lWQuwHk469yXPVtj2z7cbV44CqQFLFheUY7FNoXtkM78Va_sXc1RGmf8TCH_AsVF07h2B5uNjiylGCQ4u8ICXBh2x_kvrK_-olTkArL2tGX9bjhyphenhyphenYhEFneDA1yfB_5Ho5BinNv8uaM4/s400/003.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Yeah, it doesn't get much better than this. A big spoonful of this salad over some spinach, or some brown rice or a nice grain, and you've got a whole meal! I'm planning to eat it over nothing at first, then gradually add it into every meal until it's all gone. It's that delicious.<br />
<br />
I did not take pictures as I made this recipe but now I wish I had! I pulled it together from various recipes I found online, including the vinaigrette.<br />
<br />
Here's how I made it.<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
<br />
Black beans 230 grams (I used Rancho Gordo, and weighed the beans after I soaked them)<br />
Corn 268 grams (I used Del Monte no sodium added canned corn, and weighed the corn after I drained all the liquid off)<br />
Avocado 200 grams (one whole avocado)<br />
Red onion 125 grams (1/2 a medium red onion)<br />
Red pepper 203 grams (one whole red pepper plus a hunk I had leftover in the fridge)<br />
Jalapeno 18 grams (one jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, chopped really fine)<br />
<br />
For the vinaigrette:<br />
<br />
Lime juice 40 grams (2 fresh limes)<br />
Olive oil 51 grams (it looked right)<br />
Kosher salt 1/2 t<br />
Fresh garlic 4 grams (one clove, finely chopped)<br />
cumin 1/2 t<br />
honey 10 grams (one dip in my honey jar with the honey-dipping stick)<br />
black pepper - a couple of grinds from the pepper mill<br />
<br />
<br />
First I made the vinaigrette. Then I chopped the avocado, and put it into the vinaigrette and stirred it around. Next I chopped the onion and added it to the avocado in the vinaigrette.<br />
<br />
Technically, first I cooked the beans, but I did that yesterday. Just beans and water, nothing else. I wanted them to be plain and soak up some of the vinaigrette. After the beans were drained and cooled yesterday, they went into the fridge to wait until today.<br />
<br />
I put the beans in a great big bowl, then drained the corn and added that. I chopped the red pepper and jalapeno and threw that in, then dumped in the vinaigrette with avocado and onion, and stirred it all together. Then I took a picture, and put the salad in the fridge. After I finish writing this I'm going to eat a big ol' bowl of this for lunch! I think it's going to taste even better tomorrow.<br />
<br />
Check out the awesome stats!! Even with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the sodium is really low in this dish. Cooking your own beans is worth the time it takes.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nutrimirror.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="nutrition facts" border="0" src="http://www.nutrimirror.com/nutrition-facts.php?id=635921" /></a>Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-85880125774325870282011-02-26T14:06:00.002-05:002011-02-26T14:13:28.986-05:00Naan, Delicious Bread from the EastRecently on Nutrimirror, Lynn Matava's <a href="http://www.nutrimirror.com/people/Lynn_Matava/journal/1298431929/serving-up-a-smile-21511-dining-with-the-devil">SERVING up a SMILE</a> Tuesday column included a picture of spinach pizza on naan bread. I have seen this picture on her blog, too, and every time I see the picture I wish I was eating that spinach pizza. Recently Greg and I were talking about naan bread and how good it is. We said we should make our own; it's been ages since we've made bread. And by we, of course, I mean me. <br />
<br />
When we got sober 19 1/2 years ago, I was at a loss for what to do with all this spare time I had, now that I wasn't at the Moose Lodge hammering down the Coors Lights all the time. One Saturday I was reading the paper and came across a recipe for Cuban bread. Why not? I thought. So I made the recipe, and it was good as far as I know because at that point I had never had real Cuban bread. I had so much fun making Cuban bread that I started making other breads. My favorite thing to make was cloverleaf rolls. After a couple of months, the bread frenzy died out. A few years ago we were given a bread machine, so any time I've made bread it's been in the machine. And I haven't even done that in years.<br />
<br />
Anyway, so Tuesday I see that damn spinach naan pizza picture again, just a few days after talking about making naan, and that did it. I went online and found a recipe for naan and today, I am making it as we speak!<br />
<br />
Here is the recipe I used: <a href="http://mideastfood.about.com/od/breadsrice/r/naanrecipe.htm?p=1">Naan Recipe</a>. And here it is in person for your convenience:<br />
***********************************************************************<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Naan</span><br />
User Rating 4.5 Star Rating <br />
By Saad Fayed, About.com Guide<br />
<br />
Naan is a flatbread found in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and other surrounding countries. Naan is served for dipping or stuffed with a variety of meats and vegetables. Topping can also be placed on top of the bread. Naan is like pita, yet softer and most of the time larger. It can be frozen in freezer bags for up to 30 days. <br />
<br />
10-12 servings.<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
• 1 package active dry yeast<br />
• 2 teaspoons sugar<br />
• 3/4 cup warm water<br />
• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour<br />
• 1 teaspoon salt<br />
• 1/4 cup ghee (see recipe below) or vegetable shortening<br />
• 3 tablespoons plain yogurt<br />
• melted butter for brushing<br />
<br />
Preparation:<br />
<br />
Measure 3/4 cups warm water in a measuring cup. Add sugar and yeast. Allow yeast to soften and stir until yeast is dissolved. Cover measuring cup with towel and allow yeast and water to froth for 5-10 minutes.<br />
<br />
In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Add yeast water, yogurt, and ghee (or vegetable shortening)and begin to knead for 5-10 minutes until a dough forms. <br />
<br />
Place dough in bowl coated with oil and turn dough around to evenly coat. Cover bowl with towel and allow to rise in a warm area for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled. <br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 400. Divide dough into 10-12 pieces and roll out on floured surface into circles. Place rolled out dough on greased cookie sheet or baking stone and brush with melted butter. <br />
<br />
Cook in oven for 8 minutes or until lightly browned and puffed up. <br />
<br />
Serve naan immediately or store in pantry or freezer. <br />
<br />
<br />
*********************************************************************<br />
I got all the ingredients together, having decided to use Crisco instead of driving all over town looking for ghee (and I'm happy to say I did not get sidetracked into trying to make my own ghee).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HVUQJUEzd4TJAQ1Y83xZyO9MgrIajF_jbWd9vvJn8W0UDstTZJGfyvxz4YJz6hN31iiaAAdaCYKtXvdHYRtZQa-klm11Rhf8IpKlWMSWDKtYzp3BZqF5WET5ALqAM2TtLE1D2yH1xaE/s1600/Naan+ingredients.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HVUQJUEzd4TJAQ1Y83xZyO9MgrIajF_jbWd9vvJn8W0UDstTZJGfyvxz4YJz6hN31iiaAAdaCYKtXvdHYRtZQa-klm11Rhf8IpKlWMSWDKtYzp3BZqF5WET5ALqAM2TtLE1D2yH1xaE/s400/Naan+ingredients.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I mixed together the warm water, sugar and yeast, then stirred until the yeast was dissolved. Then it had to sit for 10 minutes with a towel over it, bubbling and brewing away.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XC6l1rAXcdd5vFdJPNlP9HYNgVBTqAWhrv-XaQl5C_BkJ4q_AEcnYOmjiZpW9cvGYCA-H6q43-eGTR4_kCI-jWLtzoYh7dvb1pYafRBpL1h-fzH1F5zxqUbWlooPhJWvELH_BFfP7FU/s1600/yeast+sugar+and+water.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XC6l1rAXcdd5vFdJPNlP9HYNgVBTqAWhrv-XaQl5C_BkJ4q_AEcnYOmjiZpW9cvGYCA-H6q43-eGTR4_kCI-jWLtzoYh7dvb1pYafRBpL1h-fzH1F5zxqUbWlooPhJWvELH_BFfP7FU/s400/yeast+sugar+and+water.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then it went into the mixer with the flour, salt, yogurt and Crisco. The directions say to mix it until a dough forms, about 5-10 minutes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikzGVGFaX2hUkFXCoDsXv8QpcnuZkhZZhj4KVikuIaLIoGFGAHSXPxYjJIhNZmqGUY99DIdiBnYJlm9UegoDL-f7yVerQce3HvyQ1l1vHRxLe6K53CoXY2g8y2oN6Q7fPqShHfzYvD0E/s1600/whirling+in+mixer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikzGVGFaX2hUkFXCoDsXv8QpcnuZkhZZhj4KVikuIaLIoGFGAHSXPxYjJIhNZmqGUY99DIdiBnYJlm9UegoDL-f7yVerQce3HvyQ1l1vHRxLe6K53CoXY2g8y2oN6Q7fPqShHfzYvD0E/s400/whirling+in+mixer.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm not sure how to tell if naan dough is formed, but the way I figure, the ancient Middle Eastern women who invented naan didn't have a Kitchen Aid mixer and had to mix it by hand. That must have taken forever. So I used the full 10 minutes, sending mental kudos to the ancient women who really must have been wondering if all that mixing was going to make a good bread dough, the first time they did it. Or she, who knows if it was one ancient woman or a whole group of them who cooked together. Probably a group. They threw out random ideas like "throw in 1/4 cup of ghee!" and mixed it all together and just gave it a shot. GOOD JOB ANCIENT WOMEN! I salute you! You have to wonder where they got yeast, or how they invented ghee. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When I dumped it into the oil-rubbed bowl, it was a goopy blob, kind of sticking together. It looked like it would look if I were an ancient woman and had been mixing this goo by hand with a stick for the past 4 hours and decided it was as ready as it was gonna get.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Trying to roll it around so it got coated with oil on all sides was a joke. I just kind of patted it together and rubbed the oil on top. Then covered with a towel, and now it sits on my stovetop presumably doubling in size for an hour.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYglbu7-z1_lkuO2GnrkdTTg-_bR7f1-G1H0wDV_2p546Xg8elqjQE2C_KboUmSidXfu_ekUAM8nbcc20VZBsYz5lwcz-nRmZM7lKxhqDmfi7y1SDRhORVdIX7UhCcHxdG214-NI7X4s0/s1600/Out+of+mixer+into+oiled+bowl.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYglbu7-z1_lkuO2GnrkdTTg-_bR7f1-G1H0wDV_2p546Xg8elqjQE2C_KboUmSidXfu_ekUAM8nbcc20VZBsYz5lwcz-nRmZM7lKxhqDmfi7y1SDRhORVdIX7UhCcHxdG214-NI7X4s0/s400/Out+of+mixer+into+oiled+bowl.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You know what really stinks? By the time this naan is cooked and ready to eat, it will be way too late for lunch. We are having ham, sweet potatoes and cauliflower for dinner so we'll have some naan with that, but where is my spinach naan pizza? Lunch tomorrow, hopefully. HA! If there's any naan left, that is. Maybe we should have spinach pizza and ham, and save the cauliflower and sweet potatoes. Yeah. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's been an hour now, and the dough is bigger but I'm not sure it's doubled. I turned on the oven to preheat to 400 degrees, and will leave the dough sitting on top of the stove while that happens.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">OK - oven is heated, here we go. I dumped the dough out onto the floured counter. It's very gooey and smells nice and yeasty. Then I cut the dough into 12 pieces.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6lpgCs5qWZg6auZDtGoWHrhyGAgaxWoadlQe46BNbD7LA_smm15KH38Lp7NDHXDUYiubVQ2b9_EOKPwFGxO2d2kloQMXklzFGPGMKBjYxFbYN2cyTqmjrBla0PzY12pOxNusxxpdtnI/s1600/divide+into+twelve+pieces.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6lpgCs5qWZg6auZDtGoWHrhyGAgaxWoadlQe46BNbD7LA_smm15KH38Lp7NDHXDUYiubVQ2b9_EOKPwFGxO2d2kloQMXklzFGPGMKBjYxFbYN2cyTqmjrBla0PzY12pOxNusxxpdtnI/s400/divide+into+twelve+pieces.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The instructions say to roll out the pieces into rounds but as usual, I'm going to ignore that. I like long naan, never heard of round naan. I'm sure it's fine when it's round, just not my style. I floured my hands and tried not to get too much flour into the dough as I patted it into longish pieces. The dough is seriously gooey so this wasn't exactly easy, but not a huge hassle. Brush with melted butter, into the oven for 8 minutes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After 8 minutes I took them out. The tops weren't really browned, but they looked cooked through. A later taste test showed that they probably could have stayed in the oven a couple more minutes, so on the next batch I left them in for 10. Also on the next batch, I added some garlic powder to the melted butter before brushing them. After they cooked 10 minutes, I took them out of the oven, and flipped them over on the hot pan to sit for a few minutes, hoping that would brown the tops a little bit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbijR3cm1tEWJhUSDlIkg5fUDdSyMiri8ODK1W93z7S4iFGzwsVDIiahauzLv6L7JDBJtAzROgCKDnt4e_lH8lM4-yX-yWJ7-NVJO5YnRcUYUUHbMg7jg4Lk-eoTTZF4gYrPq7B_jUwNI/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbijR3cm1tEWJhUSDlIkg5fUDdSyMiri8ODK1W93z7S4iFGzwsVDIiahauzLv6L7JDBJtAzROgCKDnt4e_lH8lM4-yX-yWJ7-NVJO5YnRcUYUUHbMg7jg4Lk-eoTTZF4gYrPq7B_jUwNI/s400/014.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice and brown on the bottom!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I made 12 pieces and I think the next time I make this (because there will be a next time) I will only make 10, slightly bigger ones. Delicious!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.nutrimirror.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="nutrition facts" border="0" src="http://www.nutrimirror.com/nutrition-facts.php?id=632121" /></a></div><br />
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<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-43705712679534028202011-01-29T17:05:00.000-05:002011-01-29T17:05:40.855-05:00Mashed Potato Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtG-beCL2uzzyfB-6DHUPgwMbM0U4NSAq9-tAZP52Qw7Tg-Qd9-O3uNe08u09sP-j4DD-mFVKuUok5IHJsMH3S7YlrD3u2s7EUB9S5PI9c1yKAZYMQpyryJQ-l5XkRnZmxr883867FYMA/s1600/finished+soup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="341" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtG-beCL2uzzyfB-6DHUPgwMbM0U4NSAq9-tAZP52Qw7Tg-Qd9-O3uNe08u09sP-j4DD-mFVKuUok5IHJsMH3S7YlrD3u2s7EUB9S5PI9c1yKAZYMQpyryJQ-l5XkRnZmxr883867FYMA/s400/finished+soup.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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We are going away next week, and a friend is staying at our house to take care of Sadie, Pedro and Ozzie. Friend is having dental surgery and will be recuperating here, away from her children (they are staying with Friend's Parents). Friend was here the other day, and we asked her what kind of food she would like us to have for her. She said oh anything, I'm not picky. I know that "not picky" and "just had dental surgery" can clash, so I decided to make some creamy soup for her. I went on Tastespotting and found this:<br />
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<a href="http://www.natalieskillercuisine.com/2010/07/baked-potato-soup-and-garlic-ciabatta-bites.html">http://www.natalieskillercuisine.com/2010/07/baked-potato-soup-and-garlic-ciabatta-bites.html</a><br />
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Natalie said she had a secret family ingredient in the soup, so I decided to make this recipe. I won't be making the garlic ciabatta bites this time. For convenience, here is the recipe; but check out Natalie's blog! I am calling it mashed potato soup since there is nothing in it that is baked. The secret family recipe turns out to be a thing of cream cheese with chives and onions.<br />
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<strong>Baked Potato Soup</strong><br />
<br />
yield: 6 large portions<br />
<br />
1 large White Onion<br />
3 Garlic Cloves<br />
1 TBS Butter<br />
6 cups Chicken Stock<br />
10 medium Idaho Potatoes or 6 large Russet Potatoes, peeled and medium diced<br />
1 (8oz) container Kraft Philadelphia Chive and Onion Cream Cheese (1/3 less fat or regular)<br />
3 slices Bacon, cooked and diced<br />
1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese<br />
1/3 cup Green Onions, chopped<br />
Salt & Pepper, to taste<br />
1 – 2 cups Milk, thin to desired consistency<br />
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1. In a deep pot add butter and turn to medium heat. Once butter has melted add garlic and onions and saute a few minutes until aromatic. Turn heat to medium low and caramelize, around 10 minutes.<br />
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2. Add the stock and potatoes to the pot and bring to a boil. Let boil for a few minutes before bringing the heat down to medium-low. Let simmer for 45 minutes until potatoes are soft and falling apart. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes into small pieces.<br />
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3. Let soup cool for a few minutes. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out half of the potato mixture that should have settled on the bottom of the pot. Add to a blender and also add a few cups of liquid. Blend until completely pureed and smooth. Pour back into the soup and turn heat back to medium – low.<br />
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4. Add the cream cheese to the soup and slowly let it melt. This will take anywhere between 30 – 45 minutes. During this time add the bacon, cheese, salt and pepper. Stir occasionally to mix in the cream cheese.<br />
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5. After the cream cheese is completely melted, adjust the soup with milk to your desired consistency.<br />
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Drat, I forgot to buy scallions. I think a whole onion and the chive & onion cream cheese might be plenty oniony enough. We'll see.<br />
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"10 medium Idaho Potatoes or 6 large Russet Potatoes" can be anything, depending on your personal interpretation of medium/large. I have seen russet potatoes the size of a football. I am using 11 smallish-medium potatoes. Smallish-medium to me is where a potato fits in the palm of my hand with my fingers slightly bent.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbabAQzqiig2YyLn3rV_fZqW59KAXPjeRuK6AxBPrthmh_0ajrn6FxD_ETNXAnmIp_i8fatkjLYWFQxoXcb2FJ6zrv1d2EjEjzha0MS5onnedt-qHD3zRBvvWqYTM4_5N_dep0dc3_oNs/s1600/11+potatoes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbabAQzqiig2YyLn3rV_fZqW59KAXPjeRuK6AxBPrthmh_0ajrn6FxD_ETNXAnmIp_i8fatkjLYWFQxoXcb2FJ6zrv1d2EjEjzha0MS5onnedt-qHD3zRBvvWqYTM4_5N_dep0dc3_oNs/s400/11+potatoes.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small? Medium? Large? You be the judge.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I have scrubbed the potatoes and I am about to peel them now. Peeling potatoes is a pain in my butt, but I am going to give this another chance and try to get zen with it. I love chopping vegetables, so why can't I love peeling potatoes? At least I can try. <br />
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haha - I have put this off for 10 minutes while I cruised the journal room at Nutrimirror. OK NOW I'm going to peel potatoes. <br />
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Done. That only took 15 minutes, but it felt like at least 30. I tried getting zen, but my mind kept wandering. Anyway, on with the show.<br />
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Chop the onion and garlic, and saute in 1 T butter. I use unsalted butter for everything these days instead of regular butter. Carmelize the onion and garlic, then add the potatoes and 6 cups of chicken stock. I used turkey stock I made and froze the day after Thanksgiving. I have had plenty of occasions to use the turkey stock since Thanksgiving, but I kept forgetting it was in the freezer. We are trying to clear out the freezer to make room for Friend's food and I have spotted the turkey stock in there every day this week, which is apparently what it takes for me to remember to use it. I melted 4 cups of frozen-in-ice-cube-trays turkey stock, and added 2 cups of water. Even diluted, this will taste better than store-bought stock!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbqxq1iFjUYPIN00LzY1i_kqQrmPgtJiFaYYp_S_zGaeDyky31iHrY9qnLepnc70w74qBzZEba_Uc0Unh3h34ZcFbhgM953Ev8aI9uOx3Er-VyChbrbUI5TsP-4-ftoP91HCzQo7QZZIw/s1600/turkey+stock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbqxq1iFjUYPIN00LzY1i_kqQrmPgtJiFaYYp_S_zGaeDyky31iHrY9qnLepnc70w74qBzZEba_Uc0Unh3h34ZcFbhgM953Ev8aI9uOx3Er-VyChbrbUI5TsP-4-ftoP91HCzQo7QZZIw/s400/turkey+stock.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turkey stock cubes, melting</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer for 45 minutes. I put the lid on it, slightly off center so steam can escape.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxULhZRg3IfkaiJPUQxQ2L2mMweJ2Q4zs4hyphenhyphenWEN2IBKGkSsN7X_rwzHse726IDWK8uyMYv16hiKtYriEnir2BBuNwIDjGzYMAEVxqEQIAdIjLccAvTC2fmxYRbqVq73te0JYdVWIucg0/s1600/bring+to+a+boil.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxULhZRg3IfkaiJPUQxQ2L2mMweJ2Q4zs4hyphenhyphenWEN2IBKGkSsN7X_rwzHse726IDWK8uyMYv16hiKtYriEnir2BBuNwIDjGzYMAEVxqEQIAdIjLccAvTC2fmxYRbqVq73te0JYdVWIucg0/s400/bring+to+a+boil.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bring potatoes, onions and garlic to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes</td></tr>
</tbody></table> I am not going to put hot soup into a blender. I'm going to use an immersion blender. It's just more fun, and less dangerous.<br />
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After blending the soup, it has the consistency of really wet mashed potatoes. I put in the cream cheese and the cheddar (I used about a cup). Now it has to cook while the cream cheese melts.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxXPVPBVp8miffAfdwUDpR44YNu6MhS1eI146t8F6r2umzP-lBA8ZkLJRINA0RaPllElEVnar6ASOvqNHUz_pCEM6KTOMti9MRbACdNC3UeO1u0IpdJ5jmYFXv7ma1Ug-jrAziCovKGs/s1600/020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxXPVPBVp8miffAfdwUDpR44YNu6MhS1eI146t8F6r2umzP-lBA8ZkLJRINA0RaPllElEVnar6ASOvqNHUz_pCEM6KTOMti9MRbACdNC3UeO1u0IpdJ5jmYFXv7ma1Ug-jrAziCovKGs/s400/020.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After this cooked for a while and the cream cheese melted in, it was still a very mashed-potato consistency. The recipe calls for two cups of milk. I put in one cup of milk and stopped. The consistency is now like very thick soup, not very thin mashed potatoes. It is a fine, fine line.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The recipe also calls for putting 3 strips of bacon into the soup. It does need something with some texture, and I'll crumble some bacon over it when I serve it, but I didn't mix any into the soup itself. And like I said, I forgot to buy scallions. I wonder if we have any dried chives to sprinkle on top. I will also sprinkle some grated cheddar cheese over it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now I wish I was making the ciabatta bites.......</div><br />
These are the stats for the soup the way I made it, not following the recipe exactly.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nutrimirror.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="nutrition facts" border="0" src="http://www.nutrimirror.com/nutrition-facts.php?id=615249" /></a><br />
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Sadie was very helpful while I cooked, snoozing away with her woobies.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0E0Q6pSOJuiG4udVbjCwBuKwZaiwBxDXWwnLZgFrMB-FN1UTcvLsiB7uKI1wmg_r9q4pHeZlatXEmb0f_7i4_bVmmV4mJwInV4sy80_6_hH4CCqSZpdVhp_dltVHB_Zti2p4ng8AV-4E/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0E0Q6pSOJuiG4udVbjCwBuKwZaiwBxDXWwnLZgFrMB-FN1UTcvLsiB7uKI1wmg_r9q4pHeZlatXEmb0f_7i4_bVmmV4mJwInV4sy80_6_hH4CCqSZpdVhp_dltVHB_Zti2p4ng8AV-4E/s400/013.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Now that we've had a bowl of soup, I can honestly say that it was really pretty bland. Adding bacon and cheese at the end helped with that, but I really wish I'd remembered to buy scallions, or that my chives were growing right now. It was definitely creamy and tasted like potatoes!Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-13492635558216763602011-01-18T19:56:00.000-05:002011-01-18T19:56:58.993-05:00Something's ComingFor the past few months, I have been watching my friends and acquaintances going through changes. So many of them are what I like to think of as "standing at the Gate." You know the feeling - where your life has reached a certain point and you just know that something new is coming. Maybe you've been working towards a certain goal, and your growth in that direction has led to a new opportunity that you were not expecting when you started out. <br />
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Have you ever noticed how your life can change in just a day? Sometimes, you don't know that was the day until years later, looking back. Look at Jim Ray, a man many of us admire. I doubt he knew the day he saw his doctor and was told to limit his sodium to 1 teaspoon or die, that he and his family would one day produce a tool that is literally the new way forward in the world of health and nutrition. I can look back over my life and see days that seem to be the start of a new direction, but looking further back, I see that those days were the result of previous days and directions. We are just walking straight into our destinies, and whatever you do today will affect you in the future in ways you cannot imagine, and may never even realize.<br />
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So how awesome is it to wake up in the morning and know that today, something could happen to change your life. It's happened to me enough times to know that it will happen again! I welcome the new opportunities that are coming to me, and to my friends, and enjoy every minute of the process. It's all important!<br />
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Having been in this happy mood for a while, the other day I went shopping. Usually in the car I listen to talk radio; I tend to zone out if there's music. But on Sunday I turned on my CD of the soundtrack from West Side Story. I didn't skip around on the CD like I usually do, to listen to songs I know the words to, and therefore I heard a song that I have never listened to the words of. (I know that sentence is a mess but hopefully you know what I mean). The song is "Something's Coming" and Tony sings it. I listened to the words and they all just fit with my mood. I acknowledged the synchronicity, and listening to the words of that song gave me even more excitement about the future than I already have. Embrace your futures, follow your bliss, and enjoy the life you are creating. Something is definitely coming, my friends.<br />
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Something's Coming<br />
Music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.<br />
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<br />
Could be! <br />
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Who knows? <br />
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There's something due any day; <br />
I will know right away, <br />
Soon as it shows. <br />
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It may come cannonballing down through the sky, <br />
Gleam in its eye, <br />
Bright as a rose! <br />
Who knows? <br />
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It's only just out of reach, <br />
Down the block, on a beach, <br />
Under a tree. <br />
I got a feeling there's a miracle due, <br />
Gonna come true, <br />
Coming to me! <br />
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Could it be? Yes, it could. <br />
Something's coming, something good, <br />
If I can wait! <br />
Something's coming, I don't know what it is, <br />
But it is <br />
Gonna be great! <br />
<br />
With a click, with a shock, <br />
Phone'll jingle, door'll knock, <br />
Open the latch! <br />
Something's coming, don't know when, but it's soon; <br />
Catch the moon, <br />
One-handed catch! <br />
<br />
Around the corner, <br />
Or whistling down the river, <br />
Come on, deliver <br />
To me! <br />
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Will it be? Yes, it will. <br />
Maybe just by holding still, <br />
It'll be there! <br />
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Come on, something, come on in, don't be shy, <br />
Meet a guy, <br />
Pull up a chair! <br />
The air is humming, <br />
And something great is coming! <br />
Who knows? <br />
<br />
It's only just out of reach, <br />
Down the block, on a beach, <br />
Maybe tonight . . .Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-275244402967662732011-01-15T20:11:00.002-05:002011-01-15T20:51:12.039-05:00Orange Sponge CakeRecipes....they are everywhere. How are we supposed to keep up with them all? This is part of the fun of cooking. The possibilities are endless. The possibilities were already endless before the internet came along; now it's just overkill. Yay!<br />
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Recently my husband and I decluttered the recipe box. This is a plastic box, with some index card dividers in it, and it's grey and ugly to start with. With 22 years worth of recipes that were printed off the internet, cut out of magazines, little cards picked up at the grocery store, and handwritten scraps of grease-stained paper spilling out of the box, it was difficult to find anything you were looking for. So everything got dumped onto the dining room table, and we went through all of the recipes. Approximately 95 percent of them went into the trash. Ones we loved got put behind divider cards with category names written on them. The rule for getting back into the box was that the recipe had to be one we actually use, or one we really want to try. Only 4 recipes fit into the "really want to try" category, and today I am making two of them - a cauliflower casserole, and an orange sponge cake. This particular blog is about the orange sponge cake.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh85-fI4DPsFIMYhXL5Vkl3Nz_HhJ5Y9hqgRUw-expZpUMt8rOxlVxLWjngwUDUKu6Y9Orb0__c4iZFztG_bhrcAhp3GR3cHPv1Tr564TvZ3wyIRIwtaNVy-cIRt2nWVyvAhK4pgUU8qQ0/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh85-fI4DPsFIMYhXL5Vkl3Nz_HhJ5Y9hqgRUw-expZpUMt8rOxlVxLWjngwUDUKu6Y9Orb0__c4iZFztG_bhrcAhp3GR3cHPv1Tr564TvZ3wyIRIwtaNVy-cIRt2nWVyvAhK4pgUU8qQ0/s400/005.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nearly empty, but organized, and lots of fresh dividers for future use</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Not only is our recipe box plastic and grey, it also has a faded label on top that says "Denmark UnitedKingdom." Neither of us have been to Denmark or the United Kingdom. I have no idea where this box came from in the first place. It's just always been here. I've been online looking for a new recipe box and haven't found much to choose from. What do you use for a recipe box?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Orange Sponge Cake recipe that I saved has a date of April 8, 1998 on it. I printed it off of a food newsgroup I used to frequent. I don't know how to get to newsgroups anymore. I really enjoyed that one, and got lots of recipes from it that were shoved into the plastic box, never actually cooked, and recently purged into the trash can. I learned to make chicken fried steak from those newsgroup members! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't really know what sponge cake is. I've heard of it, of course, and maybe even eaten it before, but I just don't know why it's called sponge cake. Sounds very moist, a definite plus!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyway here is the recipe, finally. It makes 12 servings (we'll see about that):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1.5 cups cake flour</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1.25 tsp baking powder</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/4 tsp salt</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2 cup fresh orange juice</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3 large eggs, separated</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 cup sugar, divided (3/4 cup and 1/4 cup)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 tsp hot water</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1.25 tsp vanilla extract</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3/4 tsp grated orange peel</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/4 tsp grated lemon peel</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3 large egg whites</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sift flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Heat orange juice in small saucepan over low heat just until warm to the touch. Set aside.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Beat egg yolks, 3/4 cup sugar and hot water in mixer bowl at medium speed until mixture is light.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At low speed, beat juice into yolks until blended. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Beat in vanilla, orange and lemon peel, until mixture is light and foamy, about 2 minutes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With rubber spatula, gently fold in dry ingredients.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In a clean bowl with clean beaters, beat the 6 egg whites at medium speed until foamy</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At high speed gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, beating until stiff.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Whisk 1/3 of the whites into yolk mixture. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Fold in remaining whites.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Spoon batter into ungreased 10 inch tube pan.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bake 28 to 33 minutes, until cake springs back when touched lightly. Coll completely on a wire rack. To loosen, run thin knife around ege of pan. Invert onto serving plate.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Look at the stats! Not bad, for something that sounds like it is going to be very moist and orangey!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.nutrimirror.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="nutrition facts" border="0" src="http://www.nutrimirror.com/nutrition-facts.php?id=605409" /></a></div><br />
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Notice I decided this cake is 8 servings, not 12.<br />
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My recent shortbread feeding frenzy has told me that butter is going to make my food logs too high in fat (ya think?) so another draw to this sponge cake recipe is the complete lack of butter. Right now, prior to baking the cake, this sounds too good to be true. I sure hope whoever gave me this recipe in 1998 didn't leave something out. Let me double check.....nope, no butter. I did find this note at the end of the page from someone called "mimi a.": "I thought this recipe sounded interesting and just wanted to share it with you all" followed by a smiley face. And she says it's from the Ahwatukee Foothills News of April 8, 1998. I wonder what that is. <br />
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Apparently she didn't actually bake this cake, she just thought it sounded "interesting." Now I'm getting nervous. When I say something is "interesting" I mean that I'm not really interested and I think it's unlikely or pointless or annoying. Well, sometimes it's really interesting, I guess. Anyway the fact that Mimi thinks this recipe is "interesting" makes me wonder if she is talking about how there's no butter in it. We'll see. This cake better taste good; baking it involves the hassle of having to wash my mixer bowl halfway through so I can beat the egg whites. <br />
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I just noticed that I tend to get really pissed off at the recipes in my blog, sometimes even before I start cooking them. LOL Self-knowledge is power! Usually it's worth the hassle. Thanks for hanging in there! Read on.<br />
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I didn't take a bunch of pictures this time. Everyone has seen orange peel and vanilla. But here is a picture of the batter about to go into the oven. It tastes really good raw, which is usually a good omen. The batter has a foamy texture. I wonder if I'm making a preservative-free, giant unfilled twinkie. That would be cool.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mvaj2yXwGevxVJqgzTfBHvtItE98BpxE11tGvx7dOe9YtmDk4MC4WsN4T0BrxofmmygIIvSuNMm9YLRZmY5HecU7P9X88bMVAdJRMJUX4GJJjLvtT4vxXPOYYNH01ammidQ4S3dqqIs/s1600/blog+batter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mvaj2yXwGevxVJqgzTfBHvtItE98BpxE11tGvx7dOe9YtmDk4MC4WsN4T0BrxofmmygIIvSuNMm9YLRZmY5HecU7P9X88bMVAdJRMJUX4GJJjLvtT4vxXPOYYNH01ammidQ4S3dqqIs/s400/blog+batter.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fluffy batter</td></tr>
</tbody></table> waiting....waiting.....while I wait, can I just say what a mess I made separating 6 eggs? First I put the white into the mixing bowl instead of the yolk, and had to switch everything out. Then I got yolk in the whites. No shells, though. I really need to get one of those egg separater things. <br />
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I just looked in the oven and the cake is really puffing up! I tried to take a picture - too much glare. <br />
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waiting...<br />
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It's out of the oven now, looking interesting.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjev1BBIpayUCzb10Nzvv_knUNlNzujtNf6vrGBDeAjrg1ytJYd378YaBTHawtfm9lYBssUzVVX-INr7vdrZXxaBID2_RdkMurySvLk0cwhUfe3ReeQXkWk5-6PVNqNJk__SGiZG_2jnV4/s1600/sponge+cake+cooked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjev1BBIpayUCzb10Nzvv_knUNlNzujtNf6vrGBDeAjrg1ytJYd378YaBTHawtfm9lYBssUzVVX-INr7vdrZXxaBID2_RdkMurySvLk0cwhUfe3ReeQXkWk5-6PVNqNJk__SGiZG_2jnV4/s320/sponge+cake+cooked.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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It has to cool completely, then be inverted onto a cake plate. I'm giving it one hour to cool down, while I watch a couple of Golden Girls tivos.<br />
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OMG - Sofia got married!<br />
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The cake is cool. I ran a knife around the edge and inverted it onto a cake plate. I waited for the cake to flop down onto the plate, but it just stayed there upside down clinging to the bottom of the pan. I wish I had taken a picture of that! I ran the knife around and got the cake to land on the plate. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0OHQIphRYepqJgWpH9OVK1kOsYAUzjmVIb8KWIBMXt6OOdDCpRa60edegO4Vidrf8gCLpKcwCIx58i0fVold_iWjpdljDRJkfAzLBMOd4nWoviK1X_HA3mW4KgG6gOuG4ZQCRV2lIhE/s1600/sponge+cake+on+plate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0OHQIphRYepqJgWpH9OVK1kOsYAUzjmVIb8KWIBMXt6OOdDCpRa60edegO4Vidrf8gCLpKcwCIx58i0fVold_iWjpdljDRJkfAzLBMOd4nWoviK1X_HA3mW4KgG6gOuG4ZQCRV2lIhE/s400/sponge+cake+on+plate.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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This cake is very sweet. I toned it down a little with some Greek yogurt and cranberry-apple butter. The texture is dense and spongy and it tastes great!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgawWEjb2qFkk7YUSYpx3W0U2JpumLwDTrj0bQT5yGOas1snPbI2seTQWkxCEySIVfTqbBSEmaBoHz-LtbMY3kFELhHdNAuQNBpdHtNldv5cbI99-AsB_AnBPBSJMGeBb_PS8-_zsp4lCY/s1600/with+yogurt+and+cranberry+apple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgawWEjb2qFkk7YUSYpx3W0U2JpumLwDTrj0bQT5yGOas1snPbI2seTQWkxCEySIVfTqbBSEmaBoHz-LtbMY3kFELhHdNAuQNBpdHtNldv5cbI99-AsB_AnBPBSJMGeBb_PS8-_zsp4lCY/s400/with+yogurt+and+cranberry+apple.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div>Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-60198228441290978492011-01-05T20:17:00.003-05:002011-01-05T20:36:41.371-05:00My NutriMirror StoryWith the new year, lots of people are looking online for "diet" websites and stumbling across NutriMirror. This time of year, the regular users of NM who journal a lot like to post encouraging messages for the new people. NutriMirror really is the perfect tool for learning to balance your nutrition and get your body to a healthy weight, which is perfectly and enjoyably sustainable with the continued use of the NM tool. It is SO EASY. Seriously. It is easier than anything I've ever done related to weight loss, and it has totally changed the way I look at food and nutrition and what is worth eating and what isn't. And it is free. There are no strings attached. It is free.<br />
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This is what I posted on NM as my message to newbies. If you aren't already a member of this incredible website, I urge you to check it out. Once you get your nutrition balanced, learning to do that by eating foods you love, you will be in total control. It is the new way forward. <br />
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The other day, Cascadelady suggested that some of us who have reached our goals could post our stories. I love this idea. So here is my story.<br />
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On June 21, 2009, I attended my very first yoga class with a friend. I am 5'4" and I weighed 200 pounds. This was not my highest weight; my highest weight was 215. Over time 15 pounds dropped off somehow, certainly not through any focused effort on my part. But try doing yoga when you weigh 200 pounds. It was really hard. Some of the positions were impossible for me not only because I was so out of shape, but because I was so fat that parts of my body would only bend so far before it ran into other parts of my body and could go no further. At the end of the hour, as we lay supine in bliss, a voice in my head said "I don't have to be fat." This was where my journey to health really began.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQuxTg1nMyIAzO2-SsT_zfwi-eo8U33jIc_IdnZKruKKFo3f2TPiOfSEx4hGS6hI1srI5gTU7Pv-rHgSbCNbCCq97F5E7woT4O8ZRlI0w2QRJ8clfbwJrNP4izwLg3z1VkHW-GeLlwC8/s1600/Thanksgiving+2008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQuxTg1nMyIAzO2-SsT_zfwi-eo8U33jIc_IdnZKruKKFo3f2TPiOfSEx4hGS6hI1srI5gTU7Pv-rHgSbCNbCCq97F5E7woT4O8ZRlI0w2QRJ8clfbwJrNP4izwLg3z1VkHW-GeLlwC8/s400/Thanksgiving+2008.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greg and me, on our 20th anniversary in Nov 08. I weighed 200 pounds.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Over the next two weeks I watched what I ate. I restricted my calories, ate a bunch of salad, and lost 5 pounds. A friend had lost 100 pounds on Weight Watchers (she has since gained some of that back) and she told me that logging her food had really helped her. So on July 4, 2009, I went to google and searched on "food logging" (or something similar) and several sites popped up. First I joined the Biggest Loser's Bob's site. I tried logging, but the site was slow and hard to use. <br />
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Back to google, and this time I clicked on NutriMirror. When I got to the welcome page and saw that this website was going to help me balance my nutrition, I knew I'd found the right place. I had always wanted to eat healthy, but I did not know what that even meant. I was so excited to find some hope with the NM website. I joined, poked around the site, wrote a journal, and began logging my food. I noticed that someone had replied to my journal. Cool! By the end of three days 23 comments had been made to my journal. I was so inspired by all the kindness and good thoughts! <br />
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I had figured out that if you click on someone's picture, you get to look at their food logs and their "about me" and I had been reading them. Wow, all this happiness about eating good food!<br />
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The members' stories were very motivating to me. I knew that I was doing what they were doing (going for green, eating enough calories, getting some exercise) and that I would reach my goal, too. My mindset quickly switched from "losing weight" to "eating like these people eat and having the same results."<br />
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NM was very good to me during my weight loss phase. I started seeing results on the scale almost immediately, once my logs were green consistently. By August 4, I had lost 12 pounds! Here is my monthly weight log from that time:<br />
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July 4: weight 195 (sadly, I did not take a photo of myself when I first joined. I was fat)<br />
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August 4: weight 183<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTugrVEX36DMa7rFLPNN4YYCXKZiL1rm3yP2bEdNG5hyphenhyphenZBkX1LXOqbxlv1ulJw2Uo3ESoJIiCBLCidgwoQzAOwIH33cd90QBBxCiGB_EompA8t_vIXVKEYK3d124naRNdhaaRRuPRgxxY/s1600/Bluejeans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTugrVEX36DMa7rFLPNN4YYCXKZiL1rm3yP2bEdNG5hyphenhyphenZBkX1LXOqbxlv1ulJw2Uo3ESoJIiCBLCidgwoQzAOwIH33cd90QBBxCiGB_EompA8t_vIXVKEYK3d124naRNdhaaRRuPRgxxY/s400/Bluejeans.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">183 pounds. From a size 18W, to size 14 jeans!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
September 4: weight 175<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HmX5Fq2OBfRwCHeQAMYbbZHXejPsVkeY4TimZhuYam21doueaD8JRjIOPmD2YChPUHH7RmZBid43cdeK7FxoM-CH3xsAPW3AbyGTe2wgug8QQOpcIEULxADsqo34MlP0Yu7PQv1sSbo/s1600/174+pounds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HmX5Fq2OBfRwCHeQAMYbbZHXejPsVkeY4TimZhuYam21doueaD8JRjIOPmD2YChPUHH7RmZBid43cdeK7FxoM-CH3xsAPW3AbyGTe2wgug8QQOpcIEULxADsqo34MlP0Yu7PQv1sSbo/s400/174+pounds.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">175 pounds</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
October 4: weight 165<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfJU3lSN2efyHNu9SviQhKC_q0HfTVtrNbWP_ruXwa2u4sVIauRbB0CI4wnfS_RYAh1AAcvVCDUPDiAkCa9bUiqvgbeB1tzpxgsVjyNsIwR7ztslCk6wO82_xdH-CzOiLI7EterRDLvGs/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfJU3lSN2efyHNu9SviQhKC_q0HfTVtrNbWP_ruXwa2u4sVIauRbB0CI4wnfS_RYAh1AAcvVCDUPDiAkCa9bUiqvgbeB1tzpxgsVjyNsIwR7ztslCk6wO82_xdH-CzOiLI7EterRDLvGs/s400/016.JPG" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Around 168 pounds, size 10 jeans!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
November 4: weight 157 (Thanksgiving, followed by Christmas.......no picture)<br />
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December 4: weight 151<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPmOzpxLolpb8B2-n1iwQBkUFJJHmitiBsqPKi_LsS2yBZxfgWT7tTD68k83qcbSaeTUvegVL6rIQH8-CZPAX_OgtDilrgA1HkP0B3wgXT224ja3QZOAZEKKwf7nfY7frnOtcj60enW3w/s1600/151+pounds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPmOzpxLolpb8B2-n1iwQBkUFJJHmitiBsqPKi_LsS2yBZxfgWT7tTD68k83qcbSaeTUvegVL6rIQH8-CZPAX_OgtDilrgA1HkP0B3wgXT224ja3QZOAZEKKwf7nfY7frnOtcj60enW3w/s400/151+pounds.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">151 pounds (crazy hairdo attributable to high winds!) (this time)</td></tr>
</tbody></table> December 31: 145 GOAL!!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DW7VIFh_FSxIWqbRegYDbTlgKI_hNwIvWotWbmzfbcjArACWIiJ5KrAEAoyvOorVVzTF_6-_dPh0afkY_95fcKtmF0RzmMn8vx96YFPMXY2t4ZmUzHvwj8v-LLPyOfPV39477_t-gNU/s1600/150+pounds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DW7VIFh_FSxIWqbRegYDbTlgKI_hNwIvWotWbmzfbcjArACWIiJ5KrAEAoyvOorVVzTF_6-_dPh0afkY_95fcKtmF0RzmMn8vx96YFPMXY2t4ZmUzHvwj8v-LLPyOfPV39477_t-gNU/s400/150+pounds.jpg" width="356" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What is the deal with my boobs in this photo? Stupid camera phone.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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Weight had just melted off of me. But I had known that would happen, so it was no surprise. I was doing everything right - eating enough calories, keeping my logs green, drinking plenty of water, getting some exercise. Weight loss was inevitable. What was really fun was all the non-scale victories (NSV) along the way. The first time I realized I was crossing my legs at the knee! The first time I walked a mile with my dog Sadie, without having to stop every 10 feet to catch my breath. The first time someone noticed my weight loss. The day I tried on my hippie jeans from high school (40 years ago) and I could actually button them! The day the Chico's saleslady called me a "tiny little thing"! <br />
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I went onto maintenance on 12/31/09, and continue to log daily. My percentages on my home page (the little stars at the top of the page) have been at 100% from day one. The bars on my home page are normally all green (currently I'm fixing the red that I indulged in over the holidays). I continued to lose weight after switching to maintenance and finally stabilized at 133 pounds. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHbPLoXYMYCIRmGwYiTno1_9ktDeizHN3AjXsdAl_eftwlEBtIIBngnIx15aA0A1U49EPLtqw9GTvxQT3Ud5yRKppDiOy-jMAKRWUAqfSGjrzVB7tng3GlL9NQVnMu7vj8Gb_BrqH5zkM/s1600/Leggings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHbPLoXYMYCIRmGwYiTno1_9ktDeizHN3AjXsdAl_eftwlEBtIIBngnIx15aA0A1U49EPLtqw9GTvxQT3Ud5yRKppDiOy-jMAKRWUAqfSGjrzVB7tng3GlL9NQVnMu7vj8Gb_BrqH5zkM/s400/Leggings.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NM Spokesmodel 133 pounds Size 4 jeans these days</td></tr>
</tbody></table> The thing about NM is, it just makes so much sense. Eat to fuel your body (don't starve yourself); get your logs green (give your body the nutrition it needs); log everything you eat and look at how it affects your nutritional balance. Eat mindfully. Before a meal, see where you stand nutritionally. Need more calcium, more vitamin A, less fat? Then eat to address that. One of my favorite activities during my weight loss phase was playing with my food log. What could I eat for dinner that would result in all my bars being green? This made for some interesting meals sometimes, but since I was mindful throughout the day of my nutritional balance, it was usually easy to end with a green day.<br />
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To anyone who is new here, I encourage you to just keep logging. Over time you will find that your tastes really change. As you begin to experience the NSVs that tell you your body is really changing, things get really exciting. Between my tastes changing, and seeing my body thank me for all the nutrition by releasing the no-longer-needed fat it had stored, my excitement continued to grow. <br />
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If you are eating the right number of calories (which NM conveniently calculates for you) and getting your logs green, it is inevitable you will lose weight. So don't let weight loss be the focus of your journey. It's like if you are driving a car. If you know the tank is full, relax and enjoy the scenery. Once you are able to find pleasure in the food choices that bring you to balance, you have entered the NM mindset that brings confidence and sustainable weight loss.<br />
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Welcome newbies! Read journals, eat green, and talk to us!<br />
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Please join our rapidly-shrinking and growing family!<br />
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<a href="http://www.nutrimirror.com/">http://www.nutrimirror.com/</a>Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-64437673258014005032010-12-31T09:36:00.005-05:002010-12-31T17:55:46.774-05:00Scottish Oatmeal Cake - The Saga ContinuesI have been putting off unmolding my oatmeal cake this morning. I went to the grocery store first to get that out of the way. Once I start cooking, I do not want to have to stop to go to the grocery store. I just want everything already in the house so I can cook until I pass out.<br />
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After unloading all the groceries and putting them away, it was oatmeal cake cooking time. I unmolded the cake and for the first time EVER in all the times I've made this, the cake was not all gooey! This time I used heaping cups of oats instead of level cups and maybe that is what fixed my problem. Oh this is exciting. This is big.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RE3mrYhxigmkGJGG84dhfClAcXsV6pLNmME8oAZehr0nnDokBahsHuGCQFoJRvE0TCxwLXvpFlVppTYRhJpmgGPmrwJnadMj2Y-uhsqsC3f_w51Lhfrtseaj6tPb4COfJwOP8q24i6o/s1600/firm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RE3mrYhxigmkGJGG84dhfClAcXsV6pLNmME8oAZehr0nnDokBahsHuGCQFoJRvE0TCxwLXvpFlVppTYRhJpmgGPmrwJnadMj2Y-uhsqsC3f_w51Lhfrtseaj6tPb4COfJwOP8q24i6o/s400/firm.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I sliced the cake, sprinkled with sugar, and put it in the oven. I set the timer for 10 minutes, then I opened a bag of black beans, washed them, picked through them, and got them on the stove to get boiling. After that I put in a load of laundry. Then I washed the cutting board and the knife, dried them, and put them away. I still had 5 minutes to kill so I sat on the floor in front of the oven and stared in at the oatmeal cakes, cooking away in all their firm glory. If I could multitask like this all day long, I could really get a lot accomplished! Dude, you'll be lucky if I finish cooking oatmeal cake before I go take a nap.<br />
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After 10 minutes, I took the oatmeal cakes out to inspect them. They weren't done enough, in my opinion, because they were still pretty pale. By this time the beans were boiling, so I turned them off to sit for a while. I'll get back to them later. <br />
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I flipped one of the oatmeal cakes over to see how the bottom was doing, and it was pretty wet. So, I flipped all of them over, sprinkled another tablespoon of sugar over them (over ALL of them, not a tablespoon of sugar on each one). Back into the oven for another 10 minutes.<br />
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When that 10 minutes was up, I took them out of the oven to inspect them again. Much darker! While the broiler heated up, I decided to flip all the cakes over again, to get the now-melty-sugar-covered side up under the broiler. When they were finished broiling, I was happy to see the best-looking Scottish Oatmeal Cakes I have ever cooked. Happy new year to me!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmOcZfwv8Rivu3IL6nKvHX07IIrdGUQbFcyeFgAOe5Mnwp2Okpt4lpueKtnCb6jgbv37TtfNVSqhO_WscTmtUR3ij4oUAV4m-foxhNYuYBsx-tEJr2zs__-EBoBakRrfn-jRPEKRQsfo/s1600/yeah%2521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmOcZfwv8Rivu3IL6nKvHX07IIrdGUQbFcyeFgAOe5Mnwp2Okpt4lpueKtnCb6jgbv37TtfNVSqhO_WscTmtUR3ij4oUAV4m-foxhNYuYBsx-tEJr2zs__-EBoBakRrfn-jRPEKRQsfo/s400/yeah%2521.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's what I'm talkin' about.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>And here is a picture of my breakfast! A little Greek yogurt, homemade granola with cranberries, almonds and walnuts, and a drizzle of honey. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgEgzFUrCaTV0F2JjL64cV7gjqOLlZCz55m_TBzZokn2qdwa529CLLStFytnT5qvGC9zTKhbPBZa0wAwZViDYNxvurh8AdnORYnY27ZLlSLOZwUedBgK8dDrgF_9CVR6s1HdwinnfI90/s1600/with+yogurt.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgEgzFUrCaTV0F2JjL64cV7gjqOLlZCz55m_TBzZokn2qdwa529CLLStFytnT5qvGC9zTKhbPBZa0wAwZViDYNxvurh8AdnORYnY27ZLlSLOZwUedBgK8dDrgF_9CVR6s1HdwinnfI90/s400/with+yogurt.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This is so good for me, and so decadent! These are the nutritional stats for the cake, not including the yogurt and granola and honey. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<a href="http://www.nutrimirror.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="nutrition facts" border="0" height="640" src="http://www.nutrimirror.com/nutrition-facts.php?id=595849" width="284" /></a>Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-63821819270433462642010-12-31T04:21:00.003-05:002010-12-31T04:25:33.775-05:00Scottish Oatmeal Cake a'la The Country Tart (Part 1)This recipe is another simple but delicious good-for-you treat. The Country Tart (aka Lynn) posted this recipe on NutriMirror ages ago, and I have made it several times with varying results. Lynn has lots of great recipes on her blog. You should check it out!<br />
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<a href="http://countrytart.blogspot.com/">The Country Tart</a><br />
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In Lynn's picture, there is an elegant slice of oatmeal cake with carmelized sugar on top and chopped walnuts, along with beautiful fresh fruit. Gorgeous - who could resist?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgl3CJwvjelsVF5j5tN93asX-DxRVPw68QIJxMxVeOl6_xJq8miY4FmnRnwn_5Jwq7HLqWeiAUFiKdNz6cBLuCws8Pa8Zo05rI-mVO9ZwpEpGjMPJWCr4kmXx_3kwi9WkX2p5398HQHYE/s1600/Scottish+Oatmeal+Cake+picture+from+Country+Tart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgl3CJwvjelsVF5j5tN93asX-DxRVPw68QIJxMxVeOl6_xJq8miY4FmnRnwn_5Jwq7HLqWeiAUFiKdNz6cBLuCws8Pa8Zo05rI-mVO9ZwpEpGjMPJWCr4kmXx_3kwi9WkX2p5398HQHYE/s400/Scottish+Oatmeal+Cake+picture+from+Country+Tart.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Country Tart Scottish Oatmeal Cake - beautiful!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
My attempts have never come out looking nearly as appealing as hers. It always tastes great, though. <br />
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Here is the recipe:<br />
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<span style="color: #29303b; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><strong><em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SCOTTISH OATMEAL CAKE A COUNTRY TART RECIPE</span></em></strong></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">INGREDIENTS:</span></strong></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 cups of uncooked old fashioned oats*</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 cups water</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 cups almond milk (or lowfat milk or water)</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tablespoon ground cinnamon</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 teaspoon salt</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/3 cup dried cranberries </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Turbinado (raw) sugar (approximately 1/4 cup), <em>can substitute regular, granulated sugar</em></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">* Note: Steel cut oats are a really great treat to use instead of rolled oats, but you will need to increase cooking time per package instructions. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">INSTRUCTIONS:</span></strong></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 - One day before, place oatmeal into a pan with water, almond milk, cinnamon, molasses and salt. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium low, and continue to cook for about 7 to 10 minutes or until all liquid has been absorbed. Stir in cranberries. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 - While oatmeal is cooking, line a loaf pan with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, draping over all sides so that entire "loaf" may be easily pulled out later. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 - Pour oatmeal into prepared loaf pan. Cover and place in refrigerator overnight. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 - In the morning, cover a jelly roll pan with heavy aluminum foil. Set aside. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300 degrees farenheit. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5 - Remove cover from oatmeal loaf and, using the overhang of foil or wrap, pull entire loaf out of pan </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and place onto a cutting board. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6 - Pull sides down and cut loaf into 10 equal slices. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7 - Spread slices out onto prepared pan, and sprinkle 1-2 teaspoon of brown sugar onto the top of each slice and place pan onto middle rack in preheated oven.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8 - Heat cake slices for approximately ten minutes or until heated through. When they've been heated </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">through, turn on broiler and allow to cook for about thirty seconds to a minute more or until sugar has melted and is beginning to caramelize (this can also be done with a kitchen torch instead of the broiler). </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9 - Sprinkle with chopped walnuts or pecan pieces. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10 - Serve with fresh fruit and creme fraiche. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Right? It sounds simple enough. Make oatmeal, mix in cranberries, let sit in fridge overnight to firm up, slice, bake. What could go wrong? I'll tell you what could go wrong. You could make this recipe over and over again and never get the texture right. But if you are like me, you will keep on trying until you get it right. I am not sure where I go wrong. Usually I take it out of the fridge after its overnight stay, unmold it, and have to cut slices out of a gummy gooey loaf. I flop the gooey slices onto the cookie sheet, and bake for the time indicated. Then when the slices are still pretty gummy after 10 minutes in the oven, I flip them over and bake a while longer. The sugar goes on but doesn't melt, even under the broiler. I think that these issues are mine, as other people have followed this recipe with great success. Maybe it's the oats I use. I have no idea. I will never give up, though.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: ""serif"", "serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">This time, I used heaping cups of oatmeal instead of leveling them out. I cooked everything until it didn't look like it could absorb any more liquid.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpaR7eFVRXN1NznjUtkEqOrIn3Jl9x1UeHva6LFHMkVfSTujxWVrKTM4pfsNN7RlwB-Dc22yrn3-nZunjIUpNhpgwkCoeopS_T_cA06cyg8McPOq6tagg20D6CE-UYMw10zAAFXv2PAP4/s1600/oatmeal+cooked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpaR7eFVRXN1NznjUtkEqOrIn3Jl9x1UeHva6LFHMkVfSTujxWVrKTM4pfsNN7RlwB-Dc22yrn3-nZunjIUpNhpgwkCoeopS_T_cA06cyg8McPOq6tagg20D6CE-UYMw10zAAFXv2PAP4/s400/oatmeal+cooked.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After I cooked it, I let it sit for a few minutes, and then poured it into my prepared loaf pan. After the first spoonful went into the loaf pan I remembered the cranberries, which were RIGHT THERE next to the pan on the stove in their measuring cup! So I sprinkled a few cranberries over the oatmeal in the loaf pan, and mixed the rest of the cranberries into the rest of the oatmeal.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGB-U6EqS9lvsnaV1ZlRKTqTj4m-H73Qy9vtjDkUqnAO37zSWRZmMgBiipDnT5fimu1BwizmJZwzOMxudL_gxi0yJb17BzcWLPxQ5CHLVk0BV4oPYt7VXe40qur08wvaA6nkHbHJs-uU4/s1600/forgot+to+mix.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGB-U6EqS9lvsnaV1ZlRKTqTj4m-H73Qy9vtjDkUqnAO37zSWRZmMgBiipDnT5fimu1BwizmJZwzOMxudL_gxi0yJb17BzcWLPxQ5CHLVk0BV4oPYt7VXe40qur08wvaA6nkHbHJs-uU4/s400/forgot+to+mix.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I poured the rest of the oatmeal into the loaf pan and evened it out some.</span></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZ8_iWwViIL1wO-4-vegh3_XMBAoQDfor3ktvZqmv-WjA17rLcORo59UjyYq4SSHyzC_kz1kzr8u_gEIeSH2XSlEms9FADfpDUQXSpwWrmkTxXGybYz5WDhgHQJnapm2PVA-CHiysLBE/s1600/leave+an+overhang.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZ8_iWwViIL1wO-4-vegh3_XMBAoQDfor3ktvZqmv-WjA17rLcORo59UjyYq4SSHyzC_kz1kzr8u_gEIeSH2XSlEms9FADfpDUQXSpwWrmkTxXGybYz5WDhgHQJnapm2PVA-CHiysLBE/s400/leave+an+overhang.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my attempts to get this recipe right, I have used different materials to line the loaf pan. Here is a hint that will save you lots of misery: do not line the loaf pan with waxed paper. Waxed paper turns to mush when it sits overnight in the fridge soaking up oatmeal juice.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK, now cover it up and let it sit overnight in the fridge.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2pSuE-5ontAWObjlFY7QD8K8S_ddQjyqX-uQWfL1QCdQML22Hbuentgj51rJswNl5xLIltpgAYTiczwRgwhDLjFLppdxi2mHgTNO7ii0F4h4NdpPW2xqOKDb7Bpynm41qKHZ4f4sx3_0/s1600/cover+it+up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2pSuE-5ontAWObjlFY7QD8K8S_ddQjyqX-uQWfL1QCdQML22Hbuentgj51rJswNl5xLIltpgAYTiczwRgwhDLjFLppdxi2mHgTNO7ii0F4h4NdpPW2xqOKDb7Bpynm41qKHZ4f4sx3_0/s400/cover+it+up.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><br />
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</div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This morning I will unmold the oatmeal cake and see what kind of texture it is this time. I'm going to the grocery store first, early, to avoid the crowds. I will continue this recipe in Part 2, later this morning.</span>Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-18219541163230981922010-12-17T07:19:00.003-05:002010-12-17T07:22:54.821-05:00Gingerbread Trifle Part 2YAY! It's morning and time to finish my trifle. Last night I made the berry sauce. After I made it, I was on NM and one of my NM peeps sent me the link to a video of Bobby Flay making this trifle. I watched the video and laughed. As usual, the Food Network website shows a recipe that doesn't exactly match what the chef actually did. I'm used to this, the recipe is never right but usually between reading all the reviews and remembering what the chef did on TV, things work out. In this case, Bobby mixed the cake totally differently than it showed in the recipe. The ingredients were the same, but he didn't cream the butter first and just kind of dumped all the liquid ingredients in at the same time. Also, in the berry sauce, he used some water. That wasn't in the recipe, and I didn't add water to mine. Also, as a recovering alcoholic, I don't keep random liquors in the house so didn't add the framboise. I'm sure it's going to be just fine.<br />
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Put all the berries in a pan with the sugar and bring to a boil.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlGQl-feYZzxEHq7Ds0KokbcbMWAgklwhHof5Xl8SYAMO8pVoHLss01z5njza3ulTn2mG9lTiGzy7wPb923cKWISSsQb36AFe0_k1lr_tk9BPf6jVAui57Bn1Li-va1OmUjIPGHdoTGVc/s1600/berries+and+sugar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlGQl-feYZzxEHq7Ds0KokbcbMWAgklwhHof5Xl8SYAMO8pVoHLss01z5njza3ulTn2mG9lTiGzy7wPb923cKWISSsQb36AFe0_k1lr_tk9BPf6jVAui57Bn1Li-va1OmUjIPGHdoTGVc/s400/berries+and+sugar.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Turn down the burner and simmer for a while. When the berries are soft and the sugar is all dissolved, and in my case when I thought it looked done, take off the stove. Transfer to a blender. As I was getting out the blender, I remembered that the last time I used it several months ago, I found out the carafe was broken. Technically just the plastic thing at the bottom that holds the stuff in the carafe. This took a while to negotiate. First I threw the whole thing away. Then I thought maybe I could buy a new carafe or plastic thing, so I took it out of the trash and put it in the laundry room. Then I got out the Magic Bullet, and put about half the mixture into one of the cups. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The lid didn't screw on correctly so some of the juice came out while I was mixing it. I transferred everything into a different cup and tried again, and this time everything worked. After blending, pour the mixture into a sieve over a bowl to drain out the seeds. I'm really glad that I thought to do all this in the sink!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAMGkxJM-ywhjZDvsgl8-EkUISvqA0ZUlk9vG_xAmm5jLygL5JaB88FklaVaVj5T1om5mMaPUOMNBaEB_AGZmWvV5Et1Q79df4O2ewxzzCnpWp4-bJgapG5C1p5iKkJyG5b595KnioNM/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAMGkxJM-ywhjZDvsgl8-EkUISvqA0ZUlk9vG_xAmm5jLygL5JaB88FklaVaVj5T1om5mMaPUOMNBaEB_AGZmWvV5Et1Q79df4O2ewxzzCnpWp4-bJgapG5C1p5iKkJyG5b595KnioNM/s400/009.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After I sifted out the seeds, I poured the sauce into a container and put it in the refrigerator. Based on a taste test (or 12), this sauce is going to be delicious with the lemon curd and gingerbread. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">See that wooden spatula? This was a Christmas gift back in the 1990s. A coworker gave it to me, along with a smaller one. His father makes them. It turns out his father is a woodworker and makes all kinds of awesome things. His mother is a weaver named Celeste. Matt was raised by hippies, it seems. We shared an office, and his birthday was the day before mine (only about 20 years later). Matt was one of the funnest people I've ever worked with. I like these spatulas so much that I ordered another set off of Matt's Dad's website, and over the years have ordered more of them for gifts. Here is the website, if you'd like to see what else Matt's Dad makes. It's worth a look.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now to make the whipped cream. You know what to do. Chill your bowl and beaters, then pour the cream into the bowl and whip it until it becomes whipped cream. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pour the lemon curd into a bowl and whip it around to fluff it up. Fold half of the whipped cream into the lemon curd. Save the other half for the top of the trifle.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-8Mg11FgxDMKZNJ_ef-babSRY3pf7OZFEgbjWe06_Ohw_ii3jgvFFd7-gNCWMRz31LEVVp94TnfFsoWdli3vKqwxX4osfWwpYyQweDrjH8V0k8qxE7S-S9wcAJjGIjeAjIUkcIPbGMM/s1600/lighten+the+lemon+curd.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-8Mg11FgxDMKZNJ_ef-babSRY3pf7OZFEgbjWe06_Ohw_ii3jgvFFd7-gNCWMRz31LEVVp94TnfFsoWdli3vKqwxX4osfWwpYyQweDrjH8V0k8qxE7S-S9wcAJjGIjeAjIUkcIPbGMM/s400/lighten+the+lemon+curd.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now you just start layering the ingredients in a trifle bowl. Cut the gingerbread into whatever size chunks you need to fill in the spaces.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGWA4uoZNTERf3EUswHSvfhULNvlTmpsTLJhlHdEyNAAXZaNX_QaAroYnUxnrfsoJfEMEslLJPvG4bNbYbh7uZmA59RJtHDeGcDwNJqACl6UFck0q81GL8QHTW7SBJToTtoZyMLImWXk/s1600/putin+the+gingerbread.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGWA4uoZNTERf3EUswHSvfhULNvlTmpsTLJhlHdEyNAAXZaNX_QaAroYnUxnrfsoJfEMEslLJPvG4bNbYbh7uZmA59RJtHDeGcDwNJqACl6UFck0q81GL8QHTW7SBJToTtoZyMLImWXk/s400/putin+the+gingerbread.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had about 1/5 of the cake left when I was finished making the trifle. (yay!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the gingerbread layer, put in 1/3 of the lemon curd mixture, and then 1/3 of the berry sauce.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDqvO4CQgXbMpggVQl_x3V0NnHlAp0WYzddKJMT_0AmLhb0sSChktmqqPZgp5KdYAeW37oWUG6gSkrnWAWNEwxUIaVdGDdMjYkfR4MoVINq5Cg__Pd4_ckOavQbyTXCP-C2suLBXJtPU/s1600/layer+the+filling.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDqvO4CQgXbMpggVQl_x3V0NnHlAp0WYzddKJMT_0AmLhb0sSChktmqqPZgp5KdYAeW37oWUG6gSkrnWAWNEwxUIaVdGDdMjYkfR4MoVINq5Cg__Pd4_ckOavQbyTXCP-C2suLBXJtPU/s400/layer+the+filling.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't try to be neat - it's supposed to look like this</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Make two more layers, and then put on the rest of the whipped cream. I didn't have enough whipped cream so I kind of swirled it with the top layer and spread it out the best I could. I had saved some berries to put on top, but forgot about them and left them on the counter all night. I used them anyway. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3C8qS6T4azhzCMuJfu2dThZI_Ds_h7LcmMueQvJls-vcp8RhV52kefaUwhw7s9t_q5jaqn48rWBP17qRwLbFLCNFKKAebzuNop-wVlOlLrFuTklIU9mu2EDcDJPYEd1HYK1byNYIPL8/s1600/finished.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3C8qS6T4azhzCMuJfu2dThZI_Ds_h7LcmMueQvJls-vcp8RhV52kefaUwhw7s9t_q5jaqn48rWBP17qRwLbFLCNFKKAebzuNop-wVlOlLrFuTklIU9mu2EDcDJPYEd1HYK1byNYIPL8/s400/finished.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I will probably shave some chocolate over this before I serve it, to make it look prettier. This is going to be delicious!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-87823805458101407192010-12-16T16:36:00.001-05:002010-12-16T16:51:53.308-05:00Bobby Flay's Gingerbread, Lemon Curd and Berry Sauce TrifleHere's the thing. I love cooking, but sometimes no matter how closely I follow a recipe, things can go wrong. I'm going to attempt this trifle and really hope nothing bad happens. I have already had to change the name of the recipe since I couldn't find blackberries. I bought mixed berries instead. I'm sure it'll be fine. The recipe had really good reviews. I haven't made trifle in a while, and I've always made the same kind (pound cake with some kind of fruit jam on it, vanilla pudding, and whipped cream). I thought gingerbread and lemon curd would be good, so I googled it and found this recipe on the Food Network website. Blackberry sauce - I never would have thought of that! Thanks, Bobby Flay.<br />
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Here's the recipe:<br />
<h1 class="recipe-title"><span style="font-size: small;">Gingerbread and Lemon Curd Trifle with Blackberry Sauce</span></h1>Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay<br />
<div class="recipe-summary clrfix"><br />
<dl class="times"><dt>Prep Time: 20 min</dt>
<dt>Inactive Prep Time: 4 hr 15 min</dt>
<dt>Cook Time: 30 min</dt>
<dt>Level: Intermediate</dt>
<dt>Serves: 8 to 12 servings</dt>
</dl></div><div class="recipe-image"><img height="120" src="http://img.foodnetwork.com/FOOD/2008/12/30/GL0504_Trifle_med.jpg" width="160" /> </div><div class="rcp-wrap clrfix"><h2>Ingredients</h2><h3><a class="crosslink" debug="0 10" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/gingerbread/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">Gingerbread</span></a> Cake: </h3><ul><li class="ingredient">Nonstick vegetable oil spray </li>
<li class="ingredient">3 cups all-purpose flour </li>
<li class="ingredient">2 tablespoons ground ginger </li>
<li class="ingredient">2 teaspoons baking soda </li>
<li class="ingredient">1 1/4 teaspoons ground <a class="crosslink" debug="172 179" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/cinnamon/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">cinnamon</span></a> </li>
<li class="ingredient">3/4 teaspoon ground cloves </li>
<li class="ingredient">1/2 teaspoon ground <a class="crosslink" debug="238 243" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/nutmeg/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">nutmeg</span></a> </li>
<li class="ingredient">1/4 teaspoon salt </li>
<li class="ingredient">3 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger </li>
<li class="ingredient">10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature </li>
<li class="ingredient">1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar </li>
<li class="ingredient">3 large <a class="crosslink" debug="435 438" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/eggs/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">eggs</span></a> </li>
<li class="ingredient">1 cup molasses </li>
<li class="ingredient">1 cup boiling water </li>
<li class="ingredient">2 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon <a class="crosslink" debug="519 522" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/peel/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">peel</span></a> </li>
<li class="ingredient">Lemon Curd Filling, recipe follows </li>
<li class="ingredient">Blackberry Sauce, recipe follows</li>
</ul><h2>Directions</h2><div class="instructions">Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. <br />
Spray 1 <a class="crosslink" debug="75 88" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/cookware-and-bakeware-materials/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">half-sheet pan</span></a> with nonstick <a class="crosslink" debug="104 116" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/cooking-spray/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">cooking spray</span></a>. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; spray paper. <a class="crosslink" debug="173 176" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/sift/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">Sift</span></a> flour and next 6 ingredients into medium bowl. Mix in crystallized ginger. Using an electric <a class="crosslink" debug="271 275" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/mixer/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">mixer</span></a>, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in brown <a class="crosslink" debug="332 336" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/sugar/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">sugar</span></a>. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Gradually beat in <a class="crosslink" debug="384 391" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/molasses/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">molasses</span></a>, followed by 1 cup boiling water. Mix in grated lemon peel. Gradually mix in dry ingredients. Transfer <a class="crosslink" debug="496 501" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/batter/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">batter</span></a> to prepared pan. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the <a class="crosslink" debug="572 575" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/cake/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">cake</span></a> comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the pan sides. Turn out onto a rack and peel off paper. Cool and cut into 1-inch cubes. <br />
<br />
To assemble: <br />
Using a <a class="crosslink" debug="805 810" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/trifle/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">trifle</span></a> bowl, start with an even layer of gingerbread cubes, top with 1/3 of the lemon curd mixture, and 1/3 of the blackberry sauce. Repeat 2 more times. Top with remaining <a class="crosslink" debug="978 990" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/cream/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">whipped cream</span></a>. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving. <br />
<br />
Lemon Curd Filling: </div><ul><li class="ingredient">2 (11-ounce) jars prepared lemon curd </li>
<li class="ingredient">2 cups heavy cream, sweetened with sugar and <a class="crosslink" debug="88 94" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/vanilla/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">vanilla</span></a>, beaten to soft peaks</li>
</ul><div class="instructions">Place lemon curd in a large bowl. Fold in half of the whipped cream until combined. Refrigerate if not using immediately. Reserve remaining whipped cream for the top of the trifle. <br />
<br />
<a class="crosslink" debug="192 201" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/blackberry/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">Blackberry</span></a> Sauce: </div><ul><li class="ingredient">2 pints fresh blackberries, or 1 bag frozen blackberries, thawed </li>
<li class="ingredient">1/4 cup sugar </li>
<li class="ingredient"><a class="crosslink" debug="89 93" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/pinch/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">Pinch</span></a> salt </li>
<li class="ingredient">2 tablespoons framboise (<a class="crosslink" debug="130 138" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/raspberry/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">raspberry</span></a> <a class="crosslink" debug="140 146" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/liqueur/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">liqueur</span></a>) </li>
<li class="ingredient">1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice</li>
</ul><div class="instructions">Place blackberries, sugar, and salt in a medium <a class="crosslink" debug="48 55" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/saucepan/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">saucepan</span></a> and cook until the berries are soft and the sugar has melted. Transfer to a <a class="crosslink" debug="133 139" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/blender/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">blender</span></a> and blend until smooth. Pour through a <a class="crosslink" debug="180 187" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/strainer/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">strainer</span></a> into a bowl. Stir in the <a class="crosslink" debug="214 222" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/framboise/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: #1e7bac;">framboise</span></a> and lemon juice. Set aside until ready to use. <br />
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<br />
Take a look at all the ingredients. Just gathering them together took 10 minutes.<br />
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88oqxvk1-8t4H4XajpE7n-Wb2DdwvqlDqg1kzUGXT10a8GpRNLZO9C0dkIU_upguIro1q70Ps_6pgBdae3YEYuylXoMCFoJYlY4MhfQwAe6UtVo-ijoLBb0wl6jyE9p1zudt9OMnzEgU/s1600/All+the+ingredients.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88oqxvk1-8t4H4XajpE7n-Wb2DdwvqlDqg1kzUGXT10a8GpRNLZO9C0dkIU_upguIro1q70Ps_6pgBdae3YEYuylXoMCFoJYlY4MhfQwAe6UtVo-ijoLBb0wl6jyE9p1zudt9OMnzEgU/s400/All+the+ingredients.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wonder if I'll need the bandaids....</td></tr>
</tbody></table> You have to line the baking sheet with parchment paper, which is never easy. I took my time and was very careful and managed to get my parchment paper the right size and shape. I don't expect this recipe to be hassle-free of course. <br />
<br />
One of my Nutrimirror friends sent me an awesome set of NM measuring spoons! I used them making the cake, and it was awesome being able to put the spoon into the spice jars with no problems. I highly recommend these measuring spoons. Carla thank you so much!!<br />
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhts_SZgfe2Nns8jZeGKEXDykFcNh3C_Hssuk0Lkjo023c4vUG7nwVAwJ4Y0KSrIzCodhaW9KZF4r5BnlBSa0ORthW1PHg9P0hlJ7ATxgKkiJlVmlvn3o8mH8ryAx82VLdBwZePuWFzeL0/s1600/Sift+together+the+dry+ingredients.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhts_SZgfe2Nns8jZeGKEXDykFcNh3C_Hssuk0Lkjo023c4vUG7nwVAwJ4Y0KSrIzCodhaW9KZF4r5BnlBSa0ORthW1PHg9P0hlJ7ATxgKkiJlVmlvn3o8mH8ryAx82VLdBwZePuWFzeL0/s400/Sift+together+the+dry+ingredients.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awesome measuring spoons from Carla!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
If you may have noted, the inactive prep time is 4 hours and 15 minutes. I have not been able to determine by reading the recipe what the heck is going to take so long. I guess I'll find out. I just hope it's not waiting for the ambulance or something. <br />
<br />
OH! I see it - I have to let the finished trifle sit for 4 hours before serving. In that case the total time is more like 5.5 hours, if you include gathering the ingredients, cutting the parchment paper, grating the lemon zest, pouring a cup of molasses first out of the bottle into the measuring cup and then into the blender, and personally I think there should be some clean-up time counted in there because I made a huge mess mixing up the cake. Not to mention the time it takes for the cake to cool. <br />
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIC-3xyHwgwB2Iw8lUmsWnqB7yUcFXEQCjCEK7LJjFA3xASfzekBDeg6liNDi6IyfZRFtOQvmEjACCPI8uugquNLFzQ07Dq5JN1JlUGg-81GPXXJOowegBnCUzhI-S7xQG5v9Babw-6iw/s1600/Big+Mess.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIC-3xyHwgwB2Iw8lUmsWnqB7yUcFXEQCjCEK7LJjFA3xASfzekBDeg6liNDi6IyfZRFtOQvmEjACCPI8uugquNLFzQ07Dq5JN1JlUGg-81GPXXJOowegBnCUzhI-S7xQG5v9Babw-6iw/s400/Big+Mess.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was molasses on the counter, too. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The batter was very thin, which I assume is because of the cup of boiling water you have to add. I poured it all in the pan and it's in the oven!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rxQKYwWH4Nt4g3kHXRPyS5GZnrpQ8TugIDdxJ7Pqx5uLFEeIe4XlGosvQPZcLZ6PZURzIbYnModsDPbCX96guEUYHAJzvmR6x4cUIHUu_cdfqEeX7V3AtmePFAXxTa0PQJJ1nxsXY_o/s1600/runny+batter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rxQKYwWH4Nt4g3kHXRPyS5GZnrpQ8TugIDdxJ7Pqx5uLFEeIe4XlGosvQPZcLZ6PZURzIbYnModsDPbCX96guEUYHAJzvmR6x4cUIHUu_cdfqEeX7V3AtmePFAXxTa0PQJJ1nxsXY_o/s400/runny+batter.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously, the batter was very runny<br />
<br />
<div align="left"></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Waiting....waiting....<br />
<br />
OK it's done! It looks and smells wonderful.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6YBePa1_HaiPLpNnYhHQHTFJGFUZ018oHlRrR1rb7tsTlKgKBFrYZnExtevxH6kOh_LEl9zn9xguqRZ-tWlebmRa0a5xp05UexDQJlyvvcLKAgKKDRRcV72jQQsNVq0koiUid2_OfC7U/s1600/cake%2521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6YBePa1_HaiPLpNnYhHQHTFJGFUZ018oHlRrR1rb7tsTlKgKBFrYZnExtevxH6kOh_LEl9zn9xguqRZ-tWlebmRa0a5xp05UexDQJlyvvcLKAgKKDRRcV72jQQsNVq0koiUid2_OfC7U/s400/cake%2521.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now it has to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, and then I'll flip it onto the rack and peel away the parchment paper. Then it has to cool down completely. I am going to finish the trifle tomorrow, with the lemon curd and berry sauce. I'll let you know how it goes.</div><br />
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</div></div>Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-20279727017726552952010-11-28T02:37:00.002-05:002010-11-28T02:57:08.395-05:0022nd AnniversaryHappy Anniversary to Greg and me! :) <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfaVmXnMWMMnv-OY7Y8NJREec3yRxSwWH_eAT6BZffa7pmoOnkwvPEFKuCZR11hyphenhyphenCfpsOTUI3IIhR0OHxVgriotEsq-pFm6PudVKZ_9AyzU50qSaxdKx32V816Pv87HG9FjAlLrBiPQE/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfaVmXnMWMMnv-OY7Y8NJREec3yRxSwWH_eAT6BZffa7pmoOnkwvPEFKuCZR11hyphenhyphenCfpsOTUI3IIhR0OHxVgriotEsq-pFm6PudVKZ_9AyzU50qSaxdKx32V816Pv87HG9FjAlLrBiPQE/s400/009.JPG" width="292" /></a></div><br />
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We eloped to the Leesburg Courthouse, with our two best friends being the only people who knew we were getting married. I had carefully calculated the numerology around when we should get married, and chose 11/28/88 at 11:00am. It was a Monday morning, a beautiful Fall day. After the ceremony, we stood on the steps of the Courthouse for pictures, and then took Doug and Missy to lunch. Then we ditched them, and spent the rest of the day drinking champagne. <br />
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As we were taking this picture, I remember that a trash truck drove by. It was obvious we had just gotten married (I mean look at the picture!) and so the trash truck guys waved and "yay'ed!" at us and honked their horn. Greg whispered "do you know those guys?" and, even though I didn't, I whispered back "not all of them, honey." <br />
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We announced our marriage to family a few days later, bringing on lots of anxiety from everyone because we had only known each other for 4 months. LOL Hey, we were young and stupid and in love (and alcoholic - I'm sure that influenced our decision as well). And here we are 22 years later, still happy and in love, even though we sobered up! <br />
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I pulled this picture out of the frame it's been in for 22 years, to notice little red dots all over the photo. I don't know what they are. (Also, I weigh 10 pounds less today than I did in this picture at the age of 35!)<br />
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We fell asleep watching TV very early last night after eating turkey dinner leftovers. LOL Now it's 2:00am and I am wide awake, drinking a cup of tea. We are planning a very low-key celebration later today, where we will decorate for Christmas, and next weekend we will visit our friends on the Eastern Shore.<br />
I pulled out my numerology book, to remind myself why I picked that particular date. Here is some of what it says:<br />
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This is a master number period which requires more, and in return, gives more than any other number vibration..... share your good fortune with others....extravagance can lead to losses, so keep a balance ... marriage under this vibration is fruitful and successful.Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-8871587574179523142010-11-21T08:06:00.006-05:002010-11-21T08:18:05.690-05:00San Francisco<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmIj_vD4OJqToKW3q8fI3KAG_-RRrOtQXQgOkcDV1h9RC6wH3UtQCTgTndiz4xQax45Wg0faRH23LWi0MJskSR1TVSKKCsFq3at5mJqQwArSeA3pCU9kSmxb_PLVN8Lzz00Nzefnp4GM8/s1600/jeanette_macdonald_and_glark_gable___in_san_francisco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmIj_vD4OJqToKW3q8fI3KAG_-RRrOtQXQgOkcDV1h9RC6wH3UtQCTgTndiz4xQax45Wg0faRH23LWi0MJskSR1TVSKKCsFq3at5mJqQwArSeA3pCU9kSmxb_PLVN8Lzz00Nzefnp4GM8/s400/jeanette_macdonald_and_glark_gable___in_san_francisco.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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I'm happy to report that "Graceland" by Paul Simon is no longer stuck in my head. That one set a new record for longevity in my head - about 2 months. The previous record was held by "Lady of Spain" on accordian, which was in there in 1988 for at least 3 weeks of my life I will never get back.<br />
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The head-unsticking song is San Francisco, as sung by Jeanette MacDonald. I was watching the movie San Francisco on TV last night, starring Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy and Jeanette MacDonald, set during the 1906 earthquake that demolished San Francisco. I started nodding off to sleep. I was jolted out of my drifting by Jeanette, singing this song like she was at a big parade. Her voice soared through high notes I've never even heard. I sat up and watched the rest of the movie. I didn't know who that lady was, because I've never seen a Nelson Eddy/Jeanette MacDonald movie (I was raised by wolves, I guess). <br />
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When I woke up this morning, that song was stuck in my head. I googled the movie and found out it was Jeanette singing. That made sense - I'd heard she was a really good singer. I have been listening to this song on youtube this morning. Here is the link, if you'd like an idea of what it feels like to have this song stuck in your head.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvK_gD3ulaw">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvK_gD3ulaw</a><br />
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I told Greg that I can't stop hearing this song. I was in the kitchen baking muffins, and didn't realize he was behind me. I burst into San Francisco and started sashaying around the kitchen like Jeanette did in the movie, waving my arms and marching. Greg laughed. He said why are you marching? I told him because Jeanette did, in her big fluffy dress. I told him we should go to karaoke and let me sing it and march around. He said he couldn't wait to hear me ask the DJ if they had the #1 song from 1906. The movie was not filmed in 1906, that's when the big earthquake was. The movie was filmed in 1936. But seriously, what DJ has hits from 1936, much less 1906.<br />
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Greg said in Barbra Streisand movies, when she bursts into song the whole town joins in and marches along with her. Like on the Simpsons, when the whole town does everything together. He said he's never seen that in real life. I reminded him of when we were in Las Vegas on Fremont Street, and they ran the light show of Don McLean singing American Pie. I told him that is probably the only place in the world where everyone joins in and dances and marches; he reminded me that 95% of those people are drunk on their butts. <br />
<br />
Enjoy the song, and you might want to watch the Judy Garland version too, where she makes fun of Jeanette MacDonald singing in the ruins of the Great San Francisco Earthquake. She sings a much vampier version.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fj6X0l2QgY&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fj6X0l2QgY&feature=related</a>Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-3220634373151508542010-11-20T15:34:00.001-05:002010-11-20T15:37:16.545-05:00Cranberry Mandarin Orange RelishI am so winging this one. I have various recipes for this relish, so I'll be using them as a guide but not really following any of them. My grandmother made the most awesome cranberry relish, but when I was a child I didn't like it one bit. It was way too tart, too choppy, too chunky, too adult. Now that I eat cranberries like they were m&m's, I can't wait to eat a chunky cranberry relish! <br />
<br />
I hope this turns out well. Grammie's recipe, as I recall vaguely somewhere in my mind, had celery in it, and possibly pecans. I'm not using celery or pecans. I might change my mind about the pecans; we'll see. <br />
<br />
I'm using one bag of cranberries, 2 clementines (peel and all), and 1/2 cup of sugar. I will just chop everything up in the food processor. After Greg wakes up from his nap, that is. In the meantime, I'll get everything ready.<br />
<br />
Wash the cranberries and remove any that are mushy or icky looking. This bag only had two losers in it!<br />
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTVcuVOSJF5UkN79W5-ocEDPn9s5oanfGbh9ZV-j7N_g2AYaIN-XM0NfF2UOc7GHAGe1-SyBXOT3zKeDaSwFNBdFdQIlMfFCrID32rkiFjEckImU2TFdbohjOn6o6OlhcKrOayD7SMqTE/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTVcuVOSJF5UkN79W5-ocEDPn9s5oanfGbh9ZV-j7N_g2AYaIN-XM0NfF2UOc7GHAGe1-SyBXOT3zKeDaSwFNBdFdQIlMfFCrID32rkiFjEckImU2TFdbohjOn6o6OlhcKrOayD7SMqTE/s400/004.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beat it, losers.<br />
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</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Then put the cranberries in the food processor, and pulse them until they are chopped up.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDc73urz5yUHKT83WmRj2d7ysQMKDa_AgHDFR9fwJtYtNj9e6t0Ci4HuSU8uEwDqgtePV1_NCbp0MyCF4__Ft9vjLwrNPlQvj0Kg14Mvkzp2zaRGJGNPqddRet6sBZl2xNNfynRkRHNbs/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDc73urz5yUHKT83WmRj2d7ysQMKDa_AgHDFR9fwJtYtNj9e6t0Ci4HuSU8uEwDqgtePV1_NCbp0MyCF4__Ft9vjLwrNPlQvj0Kg14Mvkzp2zaRGJGNPqddRet6sBZl2xNNfynRkRHNbs/s400/006.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPWabCqWm1UgWNlO-I8FOmGq6ELcLADpnA3KVVPREnjvFbnB2CU7dcmpRjw-_QOnIlYjR0ThE4Bd8d_82HHZIorWNfBbMr4J0uuyI5JmTYsma7SS8MFWDwdTzrMbxmb5ghLD-Da5UEDuk/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPWabCqWm1UgWNlO-I8FOmGq6ELcLADpnA3KVVPREnjvFbnB2CU7dcmpRjw-_QOnIlYjR0ThE4Bd8d_82HHZIorWNfBbMr4J0uuyI5JmTYsma7SS8MFWDwdTzrMbxmb5ghLD-Da5UEDuk/s400/008.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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When the cranberries were chopped up, I added 2 clementines, washed thoroughly. The peel goes in too. I used clementines because there are rarely seeds in them and plus, they are so delicious. I wish I didn't have to buy a big crate full of them but that's the way they are sold around here. I try to eat them all; sometimes, I just can't.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIzElUndbcTwxn_sIodsU__ihZvXzO8wf2X3SqABFBPyJGoCGMogm2mefkaM0_jfETrKHqrEIZ3AchE_0EXIlSq53X2VJnDHjo6lJnzuWXpGaeAp2o-8jwxfXLldkXz3JJnRSyo-1Rn_w/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIzElUndbcTwxn_sIodsU__ihZvXzO8wf2X3SqABFBPyJGoCGMogm2mefkaM0_jfETrKHqrEIZ3AchE_0EXIlSq53X2VJnDHjo6lJnzuWXpGaeAp2o-8jwxfXLldkXz3JJnRSyo-1Rn_w/s400/010.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div align="left">Now, this gets a little embarrassing. After I ran the food processor with the clementines, and then added the sugar and pulsed it all up, I forgot to take a picture. When I tasted the final result, I got so excited that I dumped it all into a tupperware and put it in the fridge. I completely forgot to weigh it, for my recipe on NutriMirror, and I forgot to take a picture of it. It tastes SO GOOD!! Sweet, tart, awesome. I hope I still have some left when Thanksgiving rolls around.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">While Greg was napping, I was keeping quiet in the other room. I heard Pedro and Ozzie making their bird noises, and when they got really loud I went in to make sure they were ok. There in the window sat a cat! The cat was staring intently through the window into the bird cages. The cat was on our locked screened-in porch. Very cute black and white tuxedo cat. I went out to get the cat off the porch, and it got all friendly and rubbed around on my legs. I scratched his head and he purred, and I felt kind of sad that he's not my cat. I finally got him off the porch and locked the door again. I wonder if he got in there while Sadie was outside this morning, while it was dark, and then got locked onto the porch when Sadie came in. There is also the chance it came in through the part of the screen that has come disconnected from the frame. How do cats find these things?</div>Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-32693959807015423342010-11-19T18:09:00.002-05:002010-11-20T18:37:25.149-05:00Chicken Piccata a'la Giada DeLaurentiis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jIZX59RvT8_TDmQAn8kLQu7iVdLV70Mfydvw1JRozRFUbNwZab1F4NjJUmOJrvvVXiWasZypcIqdl9DGFB2cx5mNbg0ry_NGRwGnKWhcKU6xr6MbDCmktM1kzSYtctQuMoZopALvDlE/s1600/Chicken+Piccata.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jIZX59RvT8_TDmQAn8kLQu7iVdLV70Mfydvw1JRozRFUbNwZab1F4NjJUmOJrvvVXiWasZypcIqdl9DGFB2cx5mNbg0ry_NGRwGnKWhcKU6xr6MbDCmktM1kzSYtctQuMoZopALvDlE/s400/Chicken+Piccata.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><h1 class="recipe-title"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: x-small;"><em>OFFICIAL PUBLIC NOTICE: This recipe was copied off of the Food Network website. The picture, too.</em></span></h1><h1 class="recipe-title"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm planning to make this tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes!</span></h1><div class="recipe-title">OK, it's tomorrow now and we had this recipe for dinner. I beg you to try it. I am well aware that it's loaded with butter and olive oil. It is worth it. We had it with a three grains blend from Trader Joe's, rice/barley/spelt. Freaking awesome! There are no pictures, sadly, but picture me with a big smile on my face. Greg ate two servings of grain; in fact, he picked it out at the store. I was really glad he did and a little surprised. I'm extra glad it was so delicious.</div><div class="recipe-title"><br />
</div><div class="recipe-title">This recipe isn't hard to make at all. I had none of my usual setbacks!</div><div class="recipe-title"><br />
</div><h1 class="recipe-title"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis</span></h1><div class="recipe-summary clrfix"><br />
<dl class="times"><dt><span style="font-size: x-small;">Prep Time: 15 min</span></dt>
<dt><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cook Time: 25 min</span></dt>
<dt><span style="font-size: x-small;">Level: Easy</span></dt>
<dt><span style="font-size: x-small;">Serves: 4 servings</span></dt>
</dl></div><div class="recipe-image"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></div><div class="rcp-wrap clrfix"><h2><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ingredients</span></h2><ul><li class="ingredient"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half</span></li>
<li class="ingredient"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sea salt</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> and freshly ground black pepper</span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">All-purpose flour, for dredging</span></li>
<li class="ingredient"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">6 tablespoons unsalted butter</span></li>
<li class="ingredient"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil</span></li>
<li class="ingredient"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">1/3 cup fresh lemon juice</span></li>
<li class="ingredient"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1/2 cup </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">chicken stock</span></span></li>
<li class="ingredient"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed</span></li>
<li class="ingredient"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1/3 cup fresh </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">parsley</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">, chopped</span></span></li>
</ul><h2><span style="font-size: x-small;">Directions</span></h2><div class="instructions"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Season chicken with salt and pepper. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Dredge</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> chicken in flour and shake off excess.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">In a large <span style="color: black;">skillet over medium high heat, </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">melt</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. </span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">When chicken is browned, </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">flip</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> and cook other side for 3 minutes. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Remove and transfer to plate. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Into the pan add the </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">lemon</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> juice, stock and capers. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Return to stove and bring to </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">boil</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Check for seasoning. </span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Return all the chicken to the pan and </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">simmer</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> for 5 minutes. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Remove chicken to platter. </span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">sauce</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> and </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">whisk</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> vigorously. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pour sauce over chicken and </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">garnish</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> with parsley.</span></span></div></div>Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267407940863747536.post-74805999924580739142010-11-14T12:35:00.000-05:002010-11-14T12:35:05.393-05:00Puzzle SeasonI have loved jigsaw puzzles ever since I was a little girl. I like the way you can tell how far along you are, just by looking at the pieces, and by seeing how the picture is progressing. I like that in real life, too. If I'm working on a job for you, for example, please let me know what your final goal is, and if you have any specific requirements along the way. Otherwise I'm going to do it the way I think it should be done; lack of communication could end up with both of us pissed off. <br />
<br />
When the days get shorter and it's dark all the time, I get the old urge to work a jigsaw puzzle. I'm a big fan of Americana-looking landscapes. Not a fan of the kind with wood pieces, the kind that are all the same color, the kind that glow in the dark, or the kind with less than 1000 pieces. <br />
<br />
In 2008 when the jigsaw urge came upon me, our niece was living with us, with her cat and dog. I love the animals, they are awesome. However, the cat, who I shall refer to as Sage to protect her identity, also loved jigsaw puzzles. In the evenings I would sit on the couch with my card table all set up and work my puzzle while I watched TV, or sometimes just in silence. In the mornings, I would look at my puzzle to see that Sage had been playing with it while I slept. Sometimes just a few pieces were batted to the floor. Sometimes an entire section that I'd JUST FINISHED was scattered all over the place. It took a lot longer to work a puzzle with Sage in the house. Inevitably when I got to the end, there would be at least two pieces missing. <br />
<br />
When our niece bought her own house and moved out, Greg and I gave her almost all of our furniture, because she had none. She was happy, we were happy. We wanted to buy new furniture, that we picked out ourselves, to replace the mish-mash we had accumulated over the years. My dresser was actually the childhood dresser of one of Greg's previous girlfriends. LOL It really does come from everywhere. Anyway, we gave her all our furniture and went shopping. Our new coffee table is glass, and big enough to work a 1000-piece puzzle on. It gets a little disorienting sometimes working a puzzle on the glass coffee table, because the coffee table is sitting on a Oriental-style rug with lots of movement and color to it. I could always put a big towel under there, to make a one-color background behind the puzzle I'm trying to work, but doesn't that seem like it borders on OCD or some other type of issue? I don't know. <br />
<br />
To celebrate having no cat and a big coffee table, I bought a puzzle with a big announcement on the top of the box: "Wooden Pieces!" That sounded like a good idea. Sage the cat had bent lots of my puzzle pieces along the way and a nice, flat, fully-interlocked jigsaw puzzle had a lot of appeal. I picked a puzzle that was an impressionistic painting of a street scene in Italy. Beautiful. What I found out was, with an impressionistic painting there is no real pattern to the colors, making the puzzle really really hard. What didn't help was that the wood pieces would be harder to take out if you put one in the wrong place, which was easy to do because you could only go by shape of piece to figure out where it went. By the time I finished that stupid puzzle, I had two pieces left, two holes in the picture for pieces, but neither one of the pieces fit in either of the holes. At that point I hated that puzzle so much that I just laughed maniacally and threw the whole thing into the fireplace. <br />
<br />
At the retirement community where I work, the residents are forever working jigsaw puzzles on a table in the arts and crafts room. There is a bookshelf in that room with about 30 puzzles on it. I have taken my puzzles in and traded them for ones on the shelf that I haven't worked yet. The Americana landscapes are popular among the residents, too, so I have lots to choose from. <br />
<br />
I was about to start yakking about my card table, and how I wish I had better lighting, but the new puzzle I just dumped out of the box is calling to me!<br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdJA2vE6SjlmBTB58B1-BiNQdmxFZjWyP7pfpO5M4KEkERa4GQShMkh3907MAHD76wwSo-kHXtUJFFfbsxZiN2WH-IfnzoIQgm_XeOA42KneSEt9kcCV_OdKnHo6pomCy8Fw40pQphQ4/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="375" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdJA2vE6SjlmBTB58B1-BiNQdmxFZjWyP7pfpO5M4KEkERa4GQShMkh3907MAHD76wwSo-kHXtUJFFfbsxZiN2WH-IfnzoIQgm_XeOA42KneSEt9kcCV_OdKnHo6pomCy8Fw40pQphQ4/s400/001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh boy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Karynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04308829213091433592noreply@blogger.com1