Sunday Breakfast

This recipe is from the latest Country Living. It wasn’t that much harder than making regular french toast and worth any extra steps. It was delicious!

Apple French Toast

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for griddle

4 large, crisp-sweet apples, such as Jonamac or Empire, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes ( I used Gala)

3/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup sugar

1 loaf challah bread or similar type cut into 1 1/2 inch thick slices

3 large eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

confectioners sugar, for sprinkling

In a large skillet over med heat, melt butter. Add apples and 1/4 tsp nutmeg and cook until apples begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add 2 tbsps water and sugar (I also added a bit of cinnamon) to coat apples. Cook until fruit is tender, then set aside.

Heat a griddle or skillet over med heat. Also preheat oven to 350. Fit a baking pan with wire rack, set aside.

Make a two inch slit into each bread slice to create a pocket. Stuff about 3 tbsps apple mixture into each bread pocket; press to close.

In a large shallow bowl whisk together eggs, milk, cinnamon, salt and remaining 1/2 tsp nutmeg.

Brush griddle with butter. Dip bread slices into egg mixture; cook until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to prepared baking pan; bake batch until heated through, 12-15 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

I also added some chopped walnuts and probably will use more cinnamon next time. Also I think I will prepare the apples the night before.

Hope you had a nice weekend!

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Thank you Jeananne for the sweet compliment!

blackberry season makes everything better

My first choice on what to do with a bowl of fresh blackberries would be to sit on the front porch with a good book and eat them slowly one at a time while maybe dipping them into a saucer of sugar before popping them into my mouth. But that would be selfish and for no reason at all I decided not to be selfish and instead make blackberry cobbler for Sunday night dessert.

Whenever I make a dessert with in-season berries it feels almost ghastly to pour them all in at once like that. Six cups of blackberries baked in crust? Two months ago I would have shaken you by the shoulders until you came to your senses.

It also felt ghastly to eat it with crème fraîche. As it is bathing suit season and crème fraîche n'est pas bon pour mon rear end.

The recipe comes from Lee Bailey’s Country Weekends cookbook. It’s a few years old, it was among the first cookbooks I really connected to and I have always liked it.

This picture (from his cookbook) makes me homesick for New England. I think a picket fence trimmed garden would make breakfast taste very good. In Texas you might be eating outside like that and get bit by a black widow or a rattlesnake. Okay, so the chances are slim but truthfully when I was setting up our party last weekend I killed a black widow under the patio table. Did you hear me yell as I whacked it with enough force to knock out a large farm animal? Can you tell I am very much in need of a trip home to Connecticut?

This is Lee Bailey’s cobbler. I would share the recipe but after finding the same cookbook on Amazon (used) for 54 cents I suddenly find myself too lazy to type it all out. But if you really want me to I will.

I put this recipe on the menu this week. Too bad you’re not coming over for dinner, I’m sure it will be très délicieux.

last day of school cake

I’m glad summer vacation is here. The kids have two half days left of end of school parties and fun, it has been a good year. I like to celebrate this with a cake each year.

This is a cherry chip box mix cake. Have I blogged about this before? Betty Crocker releases them every few years, they are my favorite. It has a kind of almond extract flavor to it. Almond extract reminds me of my mother does it do that to you, too? How do you know my mother?

Hadley knows my mother, she has her skinny chicken legs.

I took this picture a few minutes ago on the screen porch….Hadley, you are so pretty! I’m happy you are home for last day of school cake!

dark chocolate is good for you!

I have been dreaming of chocolate cake. Dark chocolate cake with dark chocolate frosting.

It was one of those rare times when it tasted just as I wished. It’s really good!

Making a cake from scratch really isn’t hard.

This recipe is from Country Living Feb 2009 (I think). But I changed it slightly.

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup cocoa

2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon vinegar

Heat oven to 350. Spray two 8 inch round pans with nonstick veg spray.

Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the eggs, sour cream, oil, vanilla,vinegar and 1 cup of hot water (not boiling). Mix with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean—35-40 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans for 20 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely.

Quick Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (mmmmm)

Using a mixer set on med-high, beat 1 cup butter (2 sticks) and 6 oz melted and slightly cooled bittersweet choc together until fluffy. Reduce speed to med and beat in 2 cups marshmallow creme. Add 3/4 teaspoon vanilla and 6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar and increase speed to med-high and beat scraping down the sides of bowl until smooth and fluffy. Chill for 20 minutes before using. Make 4 cups.

After frosting the cake I put it in the fridge and took it out 30 minutes before serving.

Usually I pride myself on not taste testing a whole bunch before I serve something but admit I licked the bowl and the beaters and the knife I frosted the cake with. I think this might be my favorite frosting ever.

kitchens from yesterday

Thank you very much for the quilting advice, I really appreciate all the help. You'll be happy to hear I will bind my quilt. I will be in FT Worth next week and can stop in to the quilt shop to buy enough fabric to make the binding...hopefully from the same dye lot as I already purchased. Last week I bundled up the boy and went across town to the only quilt shop around these here cowboy parts to ask her advice--even getting past my guilt that I didn't buy my fabric from her but sadly her shop was closed and a tattoo parlor occupies her once cute little store. Thanks for coming to my rescue.

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On to kitchens. I have always been intrigued by the evolution of kitchens. It is the kitchens of times past that are my favorite. Last year I came across a few old magazine clippings of kitchens my Gram had clipped out. What she dreamed of and what I dream of are not all that different. I spent nearly every summer of my young life eating at her table, watching her make meals on her sea foam green counter tops. How I loved that kitchen! It was always bright even on the cloudiest days, it took up enough of the house to face the road and hear cars crunch up the driveway and also to have a back door to welcome casual guests. My seat at the table was a spindle bench I shared with my left handed brother who was always jabbing me with his elbow. When the food wasn't to our liking we would procrastinate eating by poking Suzie the calico cat, who would sleep on the radiator right behind us. I suppose it is this kitchen that fuels my kitchen dreams, though my visions are less sea foam green and more white and pine.

Like Ol' Salty and Cap'n Pepper I have lived with many kitchens through the years. The kitchen is the heart of the home, it's amazing what a coat of paint, or a roll of red gingham contact paper can do to transform even the most outdated kitchens. You can put on a spectacular meal with the barest necessities. Primp yourself and wear an apron, eat on pretty dishes....even if they are nonmatching thrift store finds.

When we were house shopping here in Texas, I fell in love with our kitchen. It immediately reminded me of Leave it to Beaver .

Not that I have watched every episode of Beaver enough to have their kitchen in my permanent memory or anything.

Not that I knew exactly which episode to put on and take a picture of. It's hard to be this way. Sigh.

While we are chatting in the kitchen I thought I'd share a quick tip that makes my life easier. I am often clipping recipes or printing them from the internet. After they have been tried and true I clip and tape them to regular size recipe cards and file them. It's quick and easy and beats writing them out. I had a huge bin full of clipped recipes and was always digging through them.

Thanks for hanging out in the kitchen with me. Do you have kitchen wisdom? Are you happy with yours? What kind of kitchen do you dream of?

PS I made the filigree hearts last week...they are good and very easy.

mini mincemeat pies

Perhaps I write too much about tea. But having an afternoon cup of tea just might be my favorite time of day. I can hold off having sweets all day if I know I can sit and have a treat with my tea in the afternoon. It is the part of the day when my kids know I will be sitting still and listening to the bits and pieces of their day.

These little mincemeat pies are the perfect treat, for three reasons.

1. They are easy to make with a store bought crust and a jar of mincemeat.

2. My kids don't really like mincemeat, which leads us to number three....

3. I can eat them all.

morning work

Behold the pear.

A ripened pear is a lovely way to start the day. I urge you to try this, before your cup of tea or coffee, before your house is awake. Sit in the quiet and using a small sharp knife (preferably from your Gram) cut tender slices one at a time. Don't be insulting and eat it like an apple only to find yourself slurping the juice off your wrist.

Pears are in season now--around a dollar a pound. Isn't this wonderful? Aren't you glad I told you?

My mornings this week have been spent canning more stuff. Some of it came out good (salsa) and some bad (strawberry preserves). It's a little time consuming but it's a good feeling to stock the storage cupboard with jars to use all winter. If you would like more info on canning there are some great resources on the internet or even at your local extension office.

The Ball canning website is helpful and I highly recommend the book.

I used this website to can 12 pounds of pears with great results.

Ken...ich vermisse dich!

putting things in jars

I feel kind of ho hum lately. Kind of restless, kind of anxious. You know that feeling? It's not bad. Well maybe it is...I can't say I like feeling this way. I know it will pass. It will, right? As soon as everyone is settled into their new routines with school and activities. Included in this is our oldest child starting college. College! What a strange emotion that is. You know the whole she-was-just-in-diapers emotional rollercoaster.

The best therapy for feeling off center is baking or sewing. Something methodical where following directions is a comfort and not a chore. And though I could have chose sewing and sat in a nicely air conditioned room I chose the kitchen. Because it's over 100 degrees out and a boiling bath canner on the stove all day is such a good idea. We bought 22 lbs of plums-- which was supposed to be 10 lbs but between two kids and one scale there were some miscalculations... I shall not name names except to say they ryhme with Ham and Golly. Did you know 22 pounds of plums is a crazy lot of plums?

Anyhow we canned plums in syrup and plan on using the rest for preserves and conserves.

Do you like plums? I can't stop saying plums, plums, plums

Tomorrow I will try a batch of salsa. I have never made it before but we eat the store bought stuff nearly everyday.

Do you can? What types of things are your favorites?

dinner and a movie

It's a rare thing to venture out to the movies with just one child. Maggie and I treated ourselves to watching Julie & Julia on Friday. She is 14 and loves to cook and I like to blog. Could there have been a better movie for the two of us? We both really enjoyed it. I am happy to recommend you see it but I will warn you about three things first...

1. Maggie was the youngest person in the theater.

2. I was the second youngest.

3. Out of the 50 or so people there I would guess 1 in 4 was snoring. The woman sitting next to Maggie was snoring the loudest. Like the kind of snoring you do when you're fake snoring for your kids.

If you have seen it, did you like it?

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Tonight we made French Bread Pizza. I thought I would share this as more an idea than a recipe, it's easy to make and assemble in the morning while the day isn't too hot...then just bake it in the evening.

I made ours by sauteing mushrooms, garlic and spinach putting them atop whole wheat french loaves topped with pizza sauce (easy to make) then topping it with fat free mozzarella and a little cheddar, turkey pepperoni and a bit of feta. On the middle one I used a chopped pineapple. It's better than takeout unless you live in NYC and have a gourmet pizza place around the block that serves a thin crusted salmon and caper pizza. Then when it comes to dinner you are luckier than everyone else in the whole wide world.

The picture just uploaded and it looks rather bad--all grainy and home ec like.

What if you go see the movie and think it's boring and come home to make these pizzas and you get an upset stomach? Boy, that would be just terrible.

slurping noodles and an Award!

I have joked in the past about feeding the kids Ramen. It's no joke. Add some shrimp and whatever vegetables you have on hand and it's not so bad.

This is a typical meal when we are rushing around getting everyone to where they need to be. Which is never the same place but always at the same time.There is something satisfying about serving up their bowls cafeteria style and being out the door quick as a wink.

What are some of your quick dinners?

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Thank you Debby from The Pink Bird House for this award... you made my day extra special!

Kids in the Kitchen

Around our house there is always a waiting list to lick beaters and mix dough. Everyone is at a different level when it comes to cooking. But no matter the age it is always fun to make and serve something to the family. Especially if it is good. We love vintage kids cookbooks. This one has been around since the toddling days of kid #1. She made this cake for the first time when she was eight and it has been a favorite since. It's a step above a regular cake but gives whoever made it an ego boost having to melt chocolate for the top.

Days like today (no school-iced in) are perfect for kids in the kitchen. I treat this as something special, I'm too impatient with the cleaning up part to make it an everyday occasion. No matter how specific I am about wiping counters down and sweeping oats off the floor there will always be a greasy hand print on the glass cupboard, or a beautiful straight line of milk drips along the stove top. I have come to accept this but it has taken about 16 years.

Vintage cookbooks obviously aren't readily available but it is the thrill of thrifting and endless looking that makes it fun. If you aren't up for the thrill check out this book in an ebay store.

supper tonight

It was cool and rainy today, one last chance for vegetable barley soup. I make this a little too often. But it is easy and guilt free...unless you eat it with a too big hunk of homemade bread slathered in butter.