Dulce De Leche

This is from Alton Brown's superb recipe. The baking soda really makes a difference for us.

Ingredients

• 1 quart whole milk
• 12 ounces sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Steps

1. Combine the milk, sugar, vanilla bean and seeds in a large, 4-quart saucepan and place over medium heat.
2. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the baking soda and stir to combine.
4. Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered at a bare simmer.
5. Stir occasionally, but do not re-incorporate the foam that appears on the top of the mixture.
6. Continue to cook for 1 hour.
7. Remove the vanilla bean after 1 hour and continue to cook until the mixture is a dark caramel color and has reduced to about 1 cup, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
8. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer.
9. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to a month.

Eiley's Blueberry Muffins

One fall morning, Eiley looked up from her crafting (making her own font!) and said, "Can we have muffins? I love muffins." We had blueberries in the freezer and just enough butter and yogurt to pull this off - 45 minutes later, we had muffins. Perfect muffins.

Ingredients

• 3 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 10 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/4 stick), softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries
• 1 Tbsp flour (if using defrosted frozen berries)

Steps

1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle-lower part of the oven. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together, beating until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each one. Beat in the grated lemon peel.
4. Beat in one half of the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Beat in one third of the yogurt. Beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients. Beat in a second third of the yogurt. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients and then the remaining yogurt. Again be careful to beat until just incorporated. Do not over beat.
5. Fold in the berries. If you are using frozen berries, defrost them first, drain the excess liquid, and then coat them in a light dusting of flour.
6. Use standard 12-muffin muffin tins. Coat each muffin cup lightly with one of those convenient vegetable oil sprays. Distribute the muffin dough equally among the cups.
7. Bake until muffins are golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Test with a long toothpick (we use a thin bamboo skewer) to make sure the centers of the muffins are done.
8. Set on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the tin and serve slightly warm.

Yield: 12-16 muffins.

Chopped Salad, American-style!

This salad dates back aways, but while it may be historic, it is really delicious. If you don't have the time or interest in this dressing, we have substituted a Honey-Lemon yogurt dressing.

Ingredients:

• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved or 1 or 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 2 Romaine lettuces, or 4 little Boston or butter lettuces, sliced thin
• 1 cup of black olives, sliced thin
• 1 cup baby carrots, sliced thin
• 1 cup celery, sliced thin
• 1 handfuls of mixed fresh herbs (parsley, basil, chives, mint)
• 2 teaspoons English mustard
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

1. Wash the salad ingredients and drain, then get a large chopping board and a chef’s knife, and get ready to chop!
2. It is important to dice the tomatoes, pepper, cucumber into 1/2 inch pieces, as this will help to bind with the dressing when you come back to mix it in.
3. With the greens, just make sure you chop them all into 1/2 inch strips.
4. Make a well in the center of the veggies.
5. Add the mustard, vinegar, and oil - mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Now fuss with the flavor, remember you don't get time to let this stand, it must be flavorful from the get-go.
6. Toss the salad well and bring to the table to a choruses of "Hurrahs".

Serves 6.

Perfect Custard

This is a great base custard, especially for trifle. Hold those egg whites for another day (angel food cake, anyone?).

Ingredients

• 3 cups whole milk
• 8 large egg yolks
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Steps

1. Heat milk in a 2 1/2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not boiling.
2. While milk heats, whisk together yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a heatproof bowl until smooth.
3. Add 1 cup hot milk to yolk mixture in a stream, whisking, then add remaining milk, whisking constantly. Transfer mixture to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and registers 170°F on thermometer, 6 to 10 minutes (do not boil).
4. Immediately force custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl and stir in butter and vanilla.
5. Chill custard, its surface covered with wax paper, until cold and thickened, at least 3 hours.

Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancakes

So, the little ones asked for BFD (breakfast-for-dinner) and they love pancakes above all else (much to my waffle-philia). Daughter #2 "Sweet-Tooth" said, "Oh, what about... chocolate chip pancakes?"

With buttermilk in the fridge for a couple of recipes later this week, this seemed like a logical choice for light, fluffy pancakes.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour (mix-n-match white and wheat flours)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 4 Tbsp oil or melted butter
• 1 cup of mini chocolate chips

Steps

1. Heat a griddle at 375 F.
2. Mix together the dry ingredients thoroughly.
3. Make a well in the dry stuff and crack the eggs. Scramble the eggs. Slowly add the milks and the oil. Mix until just moistened (like brownie batter).
4. Finally add the chips and just mix through.

Sausage Apple Pie

I saw this recipe in a related form over at Simply Recipes (see recipe link below). That version has a lot more cheese (3 cups more!) and a more "set" consistency. We were looking for a recipe to use up the last of a bag of Granny Smiths, then we used them up making Apple Crisp.

But I had the idea in my mind. I searched for something that was savory, but not "breakfast-y". I made this one up based on what we had - but there are some great versions out there.

• Amy's Apple Sausage Pie (many variants, but "apple pie filling"? Nope.)
• Apple and Sausage Pie from Simply Recipes (cheese-crazy)
• Sausage and Apple Pie in a Cheddar Cheese Crust from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

• 1 lb of sausage (pork, chicken, or turkey; ground or in casing)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3-5 apples (Granny Smith or Empire), sliced well
• 3/4 cup of good applesauce (if storebought, add cinnamon and nutmeg)
• 1/4 cup of cheese (feta, extra sharp cheddar, nothing mild)

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Slice or remove the sausage from the casing and saute till browned. Remove the sausage from the pan.
3. Reserve the juices and saute onions and garlic for 5 minutes. Remove and keep on reserving the juices!
4. Next comes the apple - if you use 3 apples, bulk it out with some potatoes (I had a leftover baked potato, I sliced it thin).
5. I mixed the sausage, onion/garlic, applesauce and apple/potato together. Add in cheese at this point. Taste it, add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Drape the pie crust over a 9-inch pie pan.
7. Place the filling inside the crust and "tamp down".
8. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 F.

Serves 6.

Broccoli Chicken Casserole

We were looking for a solid, non-carbo heavy casserole. (Carol informs me that she has been telling me for years about casseroles that fit this bill, but apparently I just now have caught on!).

This is a pretty standard casserole with some simple variations - thighs instead of breasts for some added flavor, simmering in broth not water, Progresso instead of Campbell's, and since that is not condensed we add some stuffing to soak up some of the soup and make the final casserole less watery.

Ingredients

• 1 lb of chicken (4 breast halves or 4 thighs)
• 2 pounds of broccoli florets, steamed
• 1 (18 ounce) can Progresso cream of mushroom soup
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup dry stuffing mix
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup of butter

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Boil chicken until tender in broth. Then shred or cut into bite size pieces.
3. Meanwhile, steam broccoli until crisp but tender.
4. In a small bowl mix together the soup, stuffing and mayonnaise. Set aside.
5. In a 9x13 inch baking dish layer the chicken, broccoli, and soup mixture.
6. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.
7. In the last 10 minutes, saute 1 cup of breadcrumbs in 1/4 cup of butter.
8. Top the casserole with breadcrumbs and bake for 10 minutes more.

Homemade Cream of Tomato Soup

We both have a strong memory of comfort food built around cream of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. And after cold, windy days like today (our annual Farm Open House, 45 F in a gusty 20 mph wind), we need a bit of super-warm comfort.

The trick with this recipe is not to fall back on making Campbell's instead. It does take about 30 minutes of simmering, but it is worth it. We use our own quarts of tomato puree from the year before. The tomatoes are all gone by then, but I have 14 oz cans of Muir Glen diced tomatoes handy to give it some texture.

The 30 minute simmering time is to allow the basil time to get well-mixed.

And finally, we don't buy cream this way (unless it is going into whipped cream). So I used 1/2 cup of whole milk - not from the store which may have some cream removed, but absolutely fresh off the udder, whole goat milk. The cream there is part of the allure of the texture and gives a nice floor to the sweet tomato flavor.

"Tastes like summer."

Ingredients

• 1 quart of tomato puree, hopefully your own
• 4 medium sized tomatoes, diced OR 14 oz canned diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp of dried basil OR 10-15 fresh basil leaves (best)
• 1 broth cube (I used Herb-Ox vegetable bouillon cubes)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream OR 1/2 cup whole milk w/ cream

Steps

1. Add the quart of puree, the diced tomatoes, broth cube and the basil to a medium sized pot. Bring to a fast simmer then down to a low simmer. Hold there for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Once the 30 minutes are up, turn off the heat and stir in the cream/whole milk and serve immediately hot.
3. While the soup is simmering, you might as well start making grilled cheese sandwiches!

Serves 4.

Vietnamese Beef Pho

Vietnamese Pho is pretty much "awesome broth that has lots of crunchy, yummy add-ons." Obviously then, the broth makes the soup. There are two schools of thought here: make a slow cooked beef broth out of good knuckles, oxtail, or other bones plus a mix of almost "garam masala" type spices. You can see a discussion of those spices at Steamy Kitchen's version of Pho.

It really benefits from remembering that this is "jumped up street food" and so our recipe is fairly flexible based on what is in the fridge that needs to get used super-fast. At its core, the Pho needs a solid beef-y broth, sprouts, beef, and something from the onion family (leeks, onion, scallions, etc). Top with lime juice and cilantro/basil and we are ready.

Even Bri will eat this soup.

Ingredients

• 6 cups of broth from cubes
  
• 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon of lime juice
• 1/3 cup of an Oriental sauce (stir-fry sauce, plum sauce, even gravy!)
• 1 inch of grated ginger root
• 1 dash of red pepper flakes
• 1 cup of sliced onion family (leek, onion, or scallions)
• 1 cup of carrots sliced
• 1 lb of flank steak, chilled then sliced very thin against the grain
• 8-10 oz of rice noodles
• 2 cups of sprouts
• 1/2 cup of cilantro, diced

Steps:

1. In a large pot, heat the broth water to high simmer.
2. Add sauces, ginger and red pepper. Stir well and simmer until uniform.
3. Add onion, carrots, steak and cook for 20 minutes.
4. Add rice noodles and cook 6-8 minutes (read package carefully).
5. When the noodles are done, serve immediately by ladling into bowls. Top with sprouts, cilantro (basil is also good). Make sure there is more hoisin sauce and hot pepper sauce available on the table.

Shrimp and Vegetable Paella

This is an old recipe for us, pre-dating "us" but I honestly don't know where I found it. I love paella in its many versions and this one does it for me - lots of flavor from the garlic, wine, and carrot (of all things, that carrot stands out here) and most importantly the marinated artichoke hearts.

There are many times when paella is great, especially as a spring or early fall dish - but today was 10 F with crazy gusts, a driveway that filled with snow, and nothing but low gray clouds. Paella worked today too.

Ingredients:

• 6 scallions, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp of fresh parsley - or 1 1/2 tsp of dried parsley
• 1 cup of rice
• 1 1/2 cup of water (or better broth)
• 1/2 cup of white wine (or dry sherry)
• 1 lb of medium shrimp, thawed and shelled
• 4 carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch rings
• 1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, each quarter sliced into 3s

Steps:

1. Saute the scallions, pepper and garlic in some olive oil for 5 minutes.
2. Add the parsley and rice, saute for 1 minute and stir often to coat the rice.
3. Add the broth, wine, shrimp and carrots and simmer 20 minutes, covered.
4. Finally, add the artichoke hearts (plus all juices from the jar) and stir well.
5. Serve hot to 4 hungry people.

Marinated Pork Shoulder

We had to make room in the freezer for the 1/4 cow parts and found a pork shoulder from one of our own pigs. Shoulders here are also called "picnic hams" and being from the front end of the pig, they are tougher and need longer, slower cooking.

Ingredients

• 4-5 pounds pork shoulder
• 1 tablespoon fennel seed, finely ground
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, cracked
• 2 tablespoon thyme leaves, lightly chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, lightly chopped
• 4 medium garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons Kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 medium all-purpose apples (I used Gala)
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 1 cup dry white wine (or good dark beer)

Steps:

1. Trim all but ¼-inch of fat from pork shoulder. Put the pork on a sheet pan.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the fennel , cracked peppercorns, thyme, rosemary, garlic, 2 tablespoons salt and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Stir until the mixture is uniform.
3. Rub the mixture evenly over the pork shoulder top and bottom.
4. Wrap the pork shoulder tightly in plastic wrap to hold the marinade against the skin and marinate overnight.
5. Next day, preheat the oven to 450°.
6. While the over is heating; peel, halve and core the apples. Cut each half into 4 equal wedges. Place the wedges in a medium bowl.
7. Peel and trim the onion. Cut in half and cut each half into thin wedges. Mix with the apples.
8. Toss the apples and onions with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
9. Place in the bottom of a Dutch oven with a cover and put the marinated pork shoulder on top. (You may also use a regular roasting pan with aluminum foil to cover.)
10. Roast uncovered for 30 minutes.
11. Turn the oven heat down to 325° and add the wine (or beer).
12. Cover the roasting pan and slow roast for 2½ to 3 hours until the pork shoulder is very tender and pulls apart easily when probed with a fork.
13. Transfer the pork shoulder to a serving plate.
14. If the pan juices are very thick, add enough water to loosen, then mash and strain. If more liquid is desired, add a little water. The apples will be so soft that they will break down.
15. Check the seasoning and correct to taste. Serve over potatoes or noodles as a gravy.

Serves 4-6 with leftovers.

Applesauce Muffins

I am almost ashamed to say that these are from... gasp... Martha Stewart. I will say this, she does cuten-up food and can decorate like nobody's business. And, apparently, she can do muffin recipes. Or at least somebody on her staff can.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups store-bought applesauce
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Measure flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves together into a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Put 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, the granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.
4. Mix in eggs, one at a time on medium speed.
5. On low speed, mix in applesauce and then flour mixture.
6. Stir in nuts by hand.
7. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
8. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
9. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 12 big or 15-18 medium size muffins (depending on how high you fill the cups)

Taco Seasoning

A mixture of spices that approximates what you might buy in a package. Depending on how spicy you and your family like your dishes, use as little or as much as you want.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Steps:

1. In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper.
2. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 year.

Olive Cheese Balls

This is an old family recipe from somewhere - so tasty, it works great with the salty sourness of green olives (it does not work with Kalamata or black olives). Great appetizer for winter get-togethers.

Betty Crockers' take adds too much dough

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (about 8 oz)
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 48 small pimiento-stuffed olives, drained and patted dry

Steps:

1. Grate cheese - we like using a food processor because cheese grating can be really tiring, especially if you make a double batch to freeze.
2. Stir together cheese and flour in large bowl.
3. Stir in melted butter and mix thoroughly. If dough seems dry, work with hands to warm.
4. Mold 1 teaspoon dough around each olive; shape into ball that just covers the olives. Roll it around in your palm, if it makes "points" then prune those off.
5. Place each ball on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
7. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until light brown on edges.

Pork Loin with Apples and Mustard-y Cream Sauce

Carol found this recipe in the wonderful "The Best of Gourmet - 20th Anniversary Edition" - so many great party ideas packed in one book, we actually bought it after we kept it out of the library for too long.

This is a wonderful autumn and winter recipe - not for the coldest of days, but perfect for those warming snaps when the cold breaks and the snow melts. The sauce is wonderful as a "gravy" over rice pilaf with peas (our traditional side dish).

Ingredients

• 1 (4-lb) boneless pork loin
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 Granny Smith apples (3/4 lb total)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup packed, dried pitted prunes, quartered
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup dry white wine

Steps

1. Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Halve pork loin crosswise, then pat dry and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper(total).
3. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown pork, 1 piece at a time, turning occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes per piece.
4. Transfer to a roasting pan as they brown (do not clean skillet) and roast pork until thermometer inserted diagonally at least 2 inches into meat registers 150°F, 40 to 50 minutes.
5. While pork roasts, peel, quarter, and core apples, then cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges.
6. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet, then cook onion in skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
7. Add apples, prunes, broth, and water and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
8. Stir in cream and mustard and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and keep sauce warm, partially covered.
9. Transfer pork to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes.
10. Add wine to roasting pan and boil over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 2 to 3 minutes.
11. Stir pan juices into cream sauce along with remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper and heat sauce over moderate heat, stirring, until hot.
12. Cut each half of the tenderloin crosswise into 4 slices.
13. Serve pork with sauce - we like to have pilaf and peas on the side, great all mixed together.

Makes 8 servings