The art of dining well is no slight art, the pleasure not a slight pleasure.

Peach Cake

2008-07-29T12:54:00.000-07:00

Two posts in one day? Huh?

Mom and I made a peach cake during lunch today (we work out of their house.) I don't know if I've posted the recipe before, but it's good enough to re-post. This recipe comes from my grandmother on my father's side, and was always a favorite in the Piper household. We only had 3 peaches so we added a few plums and some blueberries, hence the weird spots.

NOTE: About a billion times more appetizing than it looks here.

NANNY PIPER’S PEACH CAKE
ingredients

About 3 lbs. peaches, halved, then cut each 1/2 into 4 slices
Crust:
2-1/4 c. sifted, allpurpose flour
3/8 c. white sugar
2-1/4 tsp. baking powder
3/8 c. butter, softened
2 medium eggs
1/4 c. milk
1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Topping:
3/8 c. white sugar
1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/8 cup melted butter

Glaze:
1/2 c. peach preserves
1-1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:
Grease 10-1/2" x 15-1/2" baking pan/sheet. Preheat oven to 350.

In medium bowl, sift flour with sugar, baking powder, and salt. With fork or pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In a small bowl, beat eggs slightly with fork, then add milk and vanilla. Blend well with fork. Add to flour mixture, beating vigorously with fork until stiff - about one minute. The batter will be quite stiff.

Drop spoonfuls of batter onto greased pan. Cover your hands with flour and work the batter into place in the bottom of the pan as you would a tart.

Arrange peaches in rows over batter to cover completely - thin sides down, slightly overlapping. Place any remaining slices between rows.

Spoon/drizzle all topping over fruit.

Bake 35 minutes, or until fruit is tender and pastry is golden.

Remove to wire rack to cool slightly. In a small skillet, over medium heat, mix peach preserves, and lemon juice. Brush over peaches. Cut between rows of fruit into 10 rectangles.

Miss Me?

2008-07-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Summer 2008! I can't believe I haven't posted anything here since January. I'll have to do something about that right now!

Well, it's the end of July and we're right in the midst of harvest season in Delaware and the garden is really starting to pump out veggies. We have tomatoes the size of jelly beans (literally) and tomatoes the size of softballs. We have zucchinis that look like zucchinis, and zucchinis that are obviously not zucchinis but some other kind of squash, mis-labeled at the garden store where we bought them. These mystery squashes are the focus of today's post.

In the foreground, you can see two of these mystery squashes, nothing like the zucchini in the background. When I cut them open, moisture just started oozing out of them. I could tell by the smell that they weren't your typical summer squash - they have a faint pumpkin-y smell to them, like a butternut or acorn squash would.

I kind of made this up on the spot, but it was delicous and worth saving and re-making, so I'll try to re-create it here for you now...

Stuffed Squash

4 mystery squash, carved into bowls
1 lb loose sausage
1 medium sweet onion, chopped roughly
about 3 large cloves garlic, minced roughly
2 pouches Uncle Ben's 90-second brown rice (or 16 oz. cooked brown rice)
about 6 plum tomatoes, diced into large chunks
2 packets Goya Sazón with Tomato and Coriander (this was key) or to taste
reduced-fat cheddar cheese (about 2 T. per squash)

Preheat oven to 350. When hot, put carved squash into oven on greased baking sheet. Allow to bake while prepping the filling, at least 20-30 minutes or until soft.

In a large pan, cook sausage, adding onion, garlic, and finally squash. When squash is nearly done, drain oil from pan, then add Sazon, rice and tomatoes, and cook for another minute or two.

Remove squash from oven and sprinkle about 1 Tbsp. cheddar in the bottom. Fill squash as full as possible with sausage filling. Top with 1 Tbsp. cheddar on each squash. Return to oven and cook until cheese melts.

As prepared:
Calories: 5 million
Sodium: Through the roof
Carbs: Yes, have some.

Note: use of turkey sausage or vegetarian sausage-like product will greatly reduce calorie count.

New Year! A Big Mess 'o' Untested Recipes

2008-01-15T13:15:00.001-08:00

Happy 2008! I'm hoping that 2008 will bring about lots of changes for me, not least of them being a big change in my bloggings about food. Here's what's bound to happen, sooner or later:

Healthy food blog and "unhealthy" food blog will no longer be separate
Food will not be blogged! A website is in the works. Yippee!
Did someone say "cookbook"?
More personal recipes, follow-up reviews, and more pix

In the meantime, I've been gathering recipes to try out!

Cubano Pork Chops with Pickle-and-Pepper Relish and Char-Grilled Corn (Rachael Ray 30-min meal)

Grilled Chicken and Eggplant Stacks with Fire-Roasted Tomato Sauce (Rachael Ray 30-min meal)

Pasta Arrabbiata with Eggplant (Rachael Ray 30-min meal)

Parmesan Flats

Also from Rachael Ray Everyday Mag (Feb 2008 issue - recipes not yet listed on website:

Sun-dried-tomato chicken rollups
Too-tasty-to-be-good-for-you Cauliflower Mac 'n' Cheese
Mashed-Potato-stuffed Chicken Breasts
Little Dumpings (ricotta, cream cheese, parmesan, nutmeg)
Chickadee wings
Roasted Garlic Flatbread with Tangy Chutney

Argentinian Chimichurri Steak
alternate chimichurri recipe

BLUE CHEESE & ROASTED RED PEPPER SPREAD

Cheesy Artichoke Tarts

Roasted Beets with Walnut Gorgonzola Dressing

Tom Yam Goong (Vietnamese Prawn Soup)

Moroccan Olive Flatbread

Smokey Black Bean Soup (vegetarian) with Lime Cream

Indian Recipes
Butter Chicken
Daal Gohst (Lamb with Lentils)
Maharashtian Chicken Curry
Cashew Chicken
Roasted Red Lentil Soup
Naan
Vegetable Korma

I have no idea where I found this recipe, but it sounds good:

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Spinach, Cranberries and Goat Cheese
from David Farnsworth, Dover, NH

Ingredients:
2 whole chicken breasts, boned, skin on
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 1/2 cups red wine
2 teaspoons salt, divided
2 teaspoons pepper, divided
4 ounces baby spinach leaves
4 ounces goat cheese
1 jar (13 oz.) hot pepper jelly
4 orange slices
4 sprigs parsley

Directions:
In medium bowl, place cranberries; add wine and set aside. Place
chicken breasts, skin side down, between layers of plastic wrap and
pound to flatten. Sprinkle inside each chicken breast with 1/2
teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Place spinach to cover inside
of breast. Top with 2 tablespoons of the cranberries and 2 ounces of
goat cheese. Cover cranberries and goat cheese with spinach leaves and
fold sides and ends of chicken breast. Repeat with second chicken
breast and sprinkle chicken skin with remaining salt and pepper. Place
chicken in 400 degree F. oven and bake for about 1 hour. While chicken
is cooking, put wine in sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium
heat. Add hot pepper jelly and whisk until blended. Stir in
cranberries and cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Slice
chicken, front to back, and arrange on serving dish with cranberry
sauce under and around the chicken. Garnish with orange slices and
parsley. Makes 4 servings.

Tried'n'True Recipes

This one is courtesy of my friend Denise who is a FABULOUS cook:

Carmelized Onion Tartlets

1 1/3 lbs onions, chopped fairly finely
tbsp balsamic vinegar
6 oz blue cheese, gorgonzola or stilton
50g walnut pieces
ready-made one-inch tart shells (frozen section of market for the time-impaired)

Preheat oven to 350

Peel onions and thinly slice. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in large frying pan. Add onions and fry until softened and lightly browned. Add balsamic, salt and pepper to taste. Cook 5 min til lightly carmelized. Remove from heat.

Scoop by teaspoon into tartlet shells. Sprinkle with cheese and walnuts.

Bake 15-20 min til tartlet shell is golden and cheese is melted.

Optional: Top with dried cranberry

Creme Brulee Cheesecake

2008-01-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

I heard that one of my readers found her creme brulee torch, so I thought it was definitely time to post this, my favorite cheesecake recipe EVER. For those of you who don't have a torch, never fear, it can be made using your oven broiler instead.

This cheesecake (my grandmother's recipe) is lighter and more custard-y than many cheesecakes. It also has quite a few less calories. Huzzah!

Crust:
1 c. graham cracker crumbs
1/2 stick butter, melted
2 T. white sugar
dash of nutmeg
dash of cinnamon

Melt butter and mix in dry ingredients. Grease springform pan and press crumb mixture onto bottom, and partly up sides. Set aside.

Filling:
1 lb. neufchatel (reduced calorie) cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. white sugar
1/2 c. skim milk
1/2 c. whole milk
3 Tbsp. flour
4 eggs, separated
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt

Mix cream cheese, sugar, salt and flour and beat very well. Add egg YOLKS, then milk and vanilla. When smooth, gently fold in beaten egg whites.

Turn on oven 5 minutes before baking at 325. Pour cheese mixture into crust. Bake 1 hour. * Leave in oven for one hour more WITH OVEN DOOR OPEN AND OVEN TURNED OFF.

Remove cake. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until completely chilled.

Creme Brulee topping:
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. water

Mix in small bowl to form slightly loose "paste." Spread over top of COLD cheesecake.

Torch: Use creme brulee torch to cook/harden the topping. If using a torch, you may choose to cut the cheesecake into slices, then cover the top AND sides of each slice, and then use the torch, creating a shell of (yum) sugar over the whole slice. Or you can do just the top.

Broiler: Turn oven to broil (high) but leave rack in middle position. Place cheesecake on middle rack and WATCH CAREFULLY until brown sugar mixture caramelizes. Remove from broiler and let sit one minute, until topping hardens, before carefully slicing. Serve with fresh berries.

* To prevent cheesecake from cracking, bake in a water bath: wrap the bottom of your springform pan in aluminum foil and place it in a larger pan with water in it, just halfway up the outside of the springform pan. This will allow the cheesecake to cook more slowly and evenly. Remove foil after completely chilled.

Recipe: Penne-Squash-Sausage Casserole

2007-07-10T06:49:00.000-07:00

PENNE-SQUASH-SAUSAGE CASSEROLE
fills 1 9x13 pan (feeds 6-8 very sufficiently)
(low-fat version found here)

1/2 lb. penne pasta
1 lb. Italian sausage
4 small squash/zucchini, halved and sliced in 1/4" half-moons
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 can black olives, drained and sliced thickly
1 can stewed tomatoes, drained a bit and chopped a bit
parmesan cheese
1 c. mozzerella cheese, shredded
salt & pepper
ground cayenne
basil
parsley

Preheat oven to 350, God help you.

Cook pasta to al dente, drain, and set aside in a large mixing bowl.

While cooking pasta, cook sausage (loose; if necessary, remove from casing) and using a slotted spoon, remove from pan and set aside on a plate with paper towels above and below it.

Leave some of the grease in pan (depending on the leanness of the sausage, it may even be necessary to add a little olive oil to re-coat pan.) Saute onions and garlic. Add squash and black olives and cook until squash are fairly tender. Add stewed tomatoes and herbs/spices to taste (do not add parsley yet).

Pour veggie saute over pasta in mixing bowl, and mix. Add parmesan and about half of the mozzerella and mix again. Transfer mixture to large baking pan (metal or glass is fine) and top with remaining mozzerella and parsley flakes.

Bake at 350, uncovered, until cheese is melted and casserole has "set", usually about 15-20 minutes. Serve hot.

Slacker

2007-06-15T15:37:00.001-07:00

I've been totally slacking on this blog, as well as on my SB blog. Which means not only have I not been dieting, but I have not been cooking or at least not photographing any quality meals.

For Easter, I made a delicious meal which I posted about in my LJ, but to recap (since it was the last time I made a truly fabulous meal):

Appetizers:

Deviled Eggs

Shrimp Mousse Dip with Tasty Crackers

Main Course:

Greek Salad

Braised Leg of Lamb w. Date-Nut Haroset

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Couscous

Broiled Asparagus

Dessert:

Creme Brulee Cheesecake

Coffee & Tea

For the centerpieces, I made little nests out of Chinese noodles and melted butterscotch chips, which I filled with jelly beans. (I thought I had the pic for this here, but I guess it's at home - I'll try to edit it in later...)

I came across this recipe today and I'm excited to make it once people start giving me rhubarb which I have no idea what to do with:

RHUBARB SPONGE PUDDING
from Bon Appetit May 2007

This moist cake is perfect with unsweetened, softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

1 1/3 pounds rhubarb, cut into 1-inch lengths (about 5 cups)
1/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons water

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
7 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
6 1/2 tablespoons whole milk
Softly whipped cream

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 11x7x2-inch baking dish. Place rhubarb pieces in baking dish in even layer. Scatter brown sugar over and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons water.

Whisk flour and baking powder in small bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between additions. Fold in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions, mixing just to blend after each addition. Spoon batter over rhubarb, smoothing top to cover.

Bake dessert until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Serve warm with softly whipped cream.

Also I just printed out the Santa Fe Calabacitas recipe from, uh, last year's post(!!!) and am going to pick up the ingredients in a few minutes when I hit the store. Tonight's dinner, while not very exciting, is going to be tasty: tilapia, steamed broccoli, and mac and cheese.

Batinjaan zalud (Eggplant & Tomato Dip)

2007-06-15T15:36:00.002-07:00

Batinjaar Zalud
(Eggplant & Tomato Dip)

1 large (about 1-1/2 pounds) eggplant
3 Tablespoons olive oil
One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Dice eggplant, discarding ends. In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat and add eggplant, tomato sauce, garlic, onion, green pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper, sugar, salt, and vinegar. Cook covered over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Uncover and boil mixture over medium-high heat, stirring until reduced to about 3 cups.
Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Serve with flatbread.

FREEZES WELL.
Makes: 3+ cups
adapted from a recipe on www.virtualcities.com

Santa Fe Calabacitas

2007-06-15T15:36:00.001-07:00

Santa Fe Calabacitas

This casserole is adapted from a class the author took at the Santa Fe School of Cooking in New Mexico.
In many Santa Fe homes, 'calabacitas' - a traditional dish of the Pueblo Indians of the Southwest - is made as a one-dish casserole by baking it and adding chicken or beef. This one was adapted to include lean pork sausage and to finish up in the oven.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
5 cups diced summer squash
2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1 "tube" reduced-fat pork sausage

6 scallions, chopped (3/4 cup)
1 chopped hot red chile, roasted, with skin removed (wear gloves when handling chiles)
1+ cup diced ripe Roma (plum) tomatoes
1/2 cup firmly packed coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 grated Jack cheese (optional) or cream (also optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper

1. Heat 2 tablespoonos of the oil in a large skillet and saute the onion for about 4 minutes over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute 2 minutes longer.

2. In a separate pan, cook sausage, allowing it to crumble.

2. Add the squash and zucchini and saute 5 minuts longer, until softened.

3. Add the sausage along with the corn, scallions, chiles and salt & pepper and saute 3 minutes longer.

4. Stir in the tomatoes, cilantro, and cheese/cream (if desired) and heat through, about 5 minutes. (I transferred to an oven-safe baking pan and heated for these last 5 minutes or so at 375 - I think it was just an extra step.)

Serve hot or warm.
Yield: 8-10 side servings or 3-4 meals.

Grade: A

Still full from this weekend

2007-06-15T15:35:00.002-07:00

By popular demand, recipes for the goodies I made this weekend.
... now let me think...

BRUSCHETTA
(cherry) tomatoes, halved
olive oil
dash of raspberry vinegar
minced gahlic
salt & pepper
crumbled feta

Mix all of these together and let sit, refrigerated, at least an hour. Serve warm or cold, spooned on slices of toasted french bread.

SQUASH & RED ONION FLATBREAD - see 2 entries below

What else did I make? Can't remember!

Zucchini & Red Onion Flatbread

2007-06-15T15:35:00.001-07:00

We ate a lot this weekend. A LOT.

J and I tried last night to list off everything we consumed this weekend on our camping trip, and even after listing off at least 5 different meats, 5 different sweets, and a whole shopping list worth of veggies, I know we didn't cover everything. A weekend of food, drink, song, and much much happiness in the woods with my nuggets.

This was a big hit: Cheesy Zucchini and Red Onion Flatbread
(from Bon Appetit, August 2006)
Click once on recipe to open it larger, twice to really zoom in....

For those who were on the camping trip, I made mine with yellow squash (tastes the same), more onion, and less cheese (for 2 recipes I used one of those little round "loaves" of chevre with garlic & herbs). AWESOME reheated on the grill! * Note: made again including some thinly sliced tomatoes - good addition! *