Some people, when the going gets tough, find solace in meditation, the encouragement of friends, the fact that their lives aren't as frakked up as Charlie Sheen's . . . me, I find comfort in the warm, soothing glow of television. Could you tell that I've been watching Battlestar Galactica? And it's a good thing there's been Top Chef All-Stars to cheer me up every week! Well, except for that time a couple weeks ago they kicked off my personal favorite and fellow countryman Dale T. That was sadder than sad.
The week after he got pack-your-knife-and-go'd by Padma, they had an Ellis Island-themed challenge in which they asked each chef to draw upon their family history to cook a dish that tells the story of their ancestry. Oh, I cried. Dale would've totally killed it in this challenge, and Filipino food could've used the good publicity.
What would he have cooked?
Man, that would've been the best thing ever.
I've been thinking about what I would've made, and right now, I'd have to say sinigang. . . a rich and sour tamarind-based soup my mother would usually make with pork or beef, sometimes shrimp, and loaded with leafy greens, eggplant, sitaw (long Chinese green beans), and my favorite part, Daikon radish and gabi (taro). I have good memories of this dish—it reminds me of home. Very satisfying, belly-warming stuff, and I'd say a good representative of true native cuisine due to its use of the indigenous tamarind.
If Emily Post had it her way, we would've celebrated our fifth anniversary with the gift of wood. Or silverware. We decided to buck tradition and take a weekend trip to Chicago instead.
Friday
If you didn't already know from my constant ramblings about this, I love Rick Bayless. And if we had thought of planning this little vacation at least six weeks in advance, then maybe we would've been able to get a table at Frontera Grill. Enter Xoco, Rick's newest place, which serves up a gourmet take on Mexican street food (and is located right around the corner from Frontera and Topolobampo). Thirty to forty minutes of waiting in line might sound like a long time, but it doesn't seem that bad when you are agonizing over the menu and deciding whether to get a wood-fired torta with homemade chorizo sausage, roasted poblano, and artisan jack cheese, or maybe a caldo of crispy pork belly, toasty-tender noodles, and woodland mushrooms . . . or maybe the torta filled with braised Tallgrass shortribs and caramelized onion?? I was going out of my mind, people.
However, when I got closer to the counter I noticed there was a shrimp and elote torta special on the menu board. YES PLEASE. I cannot fully express in words how much I love elote and shrimp, and those two things glued together with chipotle mayonnaise in between two slices of crusty bread was like a match made in food heaven. TJ had the torta de cochinita pibil (wood-roasted suckling pig with achiote, black beans, pickled onion, and habanero salsa), which was also tasty, of course, and I appreciated that the habanero salsa was actually really spicy and not as watered-down spicy as it often appears in other establishments.
For dessert we ordered churros and the Aztec hot chocolate (made with fresh-roasted cacao beans ground on location and spiked with chile and allspice). If there were a churro ratings scale, it would be Costco churros at rock bottom or probably even lower, and at the top would be Xoco churros, eclipsing even the very good churros we had at the Latino festival in Lexington last month and the ones we had at the zocalo churreria in Puebla.
Saturday
I think that TJ's main goal in Chicago was to get his hands on a cemita from Cemitas Puebla. Cemitas seem rather hard to come by in the United States, and it's hard not to dream about them after experiencing this beauty earlier this year. From our hotel, we made our way to Cemitas Puebla by foot, by train, by bus, by bus again after we realized we were going the wrong way, and then by foot. The owner, who hails from Puebla, was right there to greet us when we opened the door—he was very hospitable and quite excited to mention his appearance on Triple D on the Food Network. We decided to go big and split the cemita atomica, which is basically made of three kinds of pork with a ton of Oaxaca cheese on top. Highly recommend.
We really did do things other than eat food. For the rest of the afternoon we just walked—along the Riverwalk, down the Magnificent Mile, and around Millennium Park and Navy Pier. I wanted to experiment with photographing fireworks at Navy Pier, but it was raining and I also forgot my remote shutter release at home, which would've made it easier . . . so maybe next time. But it was nice to spend the whole day out and about, especially when your regular life involves staying indoors hunched over a laptop 24/7.
We figured that we couldn't go to Chicago and not have deep dish pizza, so for dinner we made our way to Giordano's. Not sure why we picked that one—might've been the closest to our hotel? The wait was pretty crazy and apparently I look like a Laurence because that's the name they put on our ticket. The pizza was good, though—I guess you can't really go wrong with a dish that involves piles and piles of melted cheese.
Later that night we made our way to Black Dog Gelato. The guy at the counter was really patient with our indecision, and we sampled a bunch of flavors like Goat Cheese Salted Caramel Cashew, which might sound odd as a gelato flavor, but it was amazing. TJ ended up going with Sweet Potato (good if you like the idea of sweet potato pie in gelato form) and I had a combo of Toasted Coconut and Mexican Hot Chocolate (which tasted just like a frozen creamy version of the drink we had at Xoco).
Sunday
Before hitting the road for Lexington, we had lunch at Johnnie's Beef with Santa Barbara friends who had just relocated to Chicago. We arrived at the Elmwood Park location maybe 10 minutes before it opened and there was already a line forming outside. That place runs like a well-oiled machine, though—took no time at all to get our order taken and food served. We both got combo sandwiches in order to experience both the beef and the sausage, except mine topped with sweet peppers and TJ's with spicy. The fries were great (thin and crispy, just the way I like them) and the Italian ice was fantastic . . . just wish I could've gotten to all of it before it melted. Also, as I have zero friends in Lexington (this is what happens when you choose to watch eight straight hours of election coverage instead of going outside and talking to people), it was really nice to hang out and catch up with our amigos.
It's official: Rand Paul is my new Tea Party overlord, Russ Feingold is no longer a senator but somehow David Vitter is still a governor, and John Boehner will probably make history as our first orange Speaker of the House. Oh, it hurts (even though we all saw it coming).
So I bought a 35mm f/1.8 prime lens! And we made Rick Bayless's Texas Sheet Cake, which I do realize is named after a state that just reelected Rick Perry, but we had all the ingredients on hand and it sounded like the most delicious thing in which to drown our sorrows at 1:00 in the morning.
I sort of take solace in the fact that these kinds of things always spin the other way pretty fast—maybe tonight's events will give a boost to Obama's reelection bid in 2012? And did John Kerry just describe Harry Reid as being Dracula AND Lazarus in his press release? And how is it that I always find myself defending/cheering on Democrats with whom I'm not terribly enthused? Oh, right—because it could be worse.
At first I was a bit squeamish about using lard in the tamal dough, but I got over it. I figured if I was going to spend a whole day making these, I should do exactly what Rick tells me because he is the master (we went to Chicago last weekend and had dinner at Xoco, the newest jewel in his restaurant empire—it was fantastic. More on that trip later). And science to the rescue: a bit of research uncovered that lard has less saturated fat (bad) and more monounsaturated fat (good) than butter, plus zero trans fat unlike vegetable shortening. (I found this data by doing a basic search on the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference; also, interesting article on the lard renaissance here.) You'll want the fresh, tan-colored stuff (not the white, shelf-stable, hydrogenated kind), which I've usually seen sold in quart- or gallon-sized buckets at Latino markets.
Being a novice at making tamales, I was worried that these would be a huge fail, but they weren't too difficult to assemble and turned out amazingly light, fluffy, and flavorful. I think the trickiest part was spreading the tamal dough onto the corn husk, and I found it easiest and fastest to use a silicone spatula for that step. The hardest part was not having enough counter space to spread everything out—I think I'll have to make these (or a variation using banana leaves) again in my parents' kitchen during the holidays.
Oh, and the strands of white on the black beans in the photo is melted Oaxaca cheese—a grand discovery at our local supermercado. I was on the phone with TJ while he was doing the grocery shopping and all of a sudden he stopped and said, WHOA. For a second I was worried that something was wrong but actually he had just laid his eyes on the cheese. A very large ball of fresh Oaxaca cheese. I think it's a new item (which they'll hopefully keep in stock) since we're always on the lookout for it and hadn't seen it there before.
Tacos árabes con queso, limon, y salsa roja para el birthday boy.
A taco árabe is a chewy, pita-like tortilla (pan árabe) loaded with roasted pork that is thinly carved from a vertical rotisserie. The dish was invented by Lebanese immigrants and have become a tradition in Puebla.
On the recommendation of a local, for dinner we tried the taco árabes from Antigua Taqueria La Oriental. Unsurprisingly, it was really good. To go with the tacos they served two different kinds of salsa—a smoky and spicy red (TJ's favorite) and a limon-y green (my favorite) speckled with oregano (at least I think).
Next we tried some ice cream from a shop located a block away from El Parian crafts market...
Make mine uva (grape) con vanilla! TJ had galleta (cookies and cream). I think the flavor in the upper right corner is chicle . . . interesting. But so many flavors to choose from . . . good thing we're here for four more days.
Before the feast of tacos árabes and ice cream we took a day-long trip to Cuetzalan, an indigenous mountain town about 2-3 hours away from Puebla City. I'll get around to posting pictures from that adventure soon.
Tomorrow: hitting the talavera shops and candy street.
As you know, today is Cinco de Mayo—a day on which many Americans celebrate Mexican culture and the defeat of the French by the Mexican army in 1862 at the Battle of Puebla, mostly by breaking out the salt-rimmed margarita glasses and eating a plateful of nachos.
In commemoration of this kind of fake U.S. holiday, I made a kind of fake pozole. Because making pozole the traditional way with dried, uncooked hominy is rather tedious and time consuming, and sometimes a lot of times you just don't have all day.
I used this Bon Appetit recipe for Shrimp and Scallop Posole as the base for my recipe. I ended up swapping out the clam juice for chicken broth; replacing the salsa verde with some of TJ's homemade salsa roja that's been hanging out in the fridge for a couple of weeks; doubling the hominy 'cause that's my favorite part of pozole; eliminating the grated lime peel; replacing the sun-dried tomatoes with plum tomatoes; doubling the shrimp and leaving out the scallops; and throwing in a dash of cayenne for some kick.
For the record, while the soup was a tasty, tasty success, canned hominy really does pale exceedingly to the real thing. I had a can of generic Kroger brand white hominy and a can of Bush's white hominy; it turns out that I prefer the former, which was chewier and larger-grained.
Quick Shrimp Pozole
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced (or if you're feeling extra lazy like me, a nice spoonful of that minced garlic in a jar)
3 cups water
3 chicken bouillon cubes
2 (15-ounce) cans white hominy, drained and rinsed
1 cup salsa
2 plum tomatoes, deseeded and finely chopped
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you're adventurous)
2 pounds uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro, divided
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; stir about 30 seconds. Add 3 cups water and next 5 ingredients to pan; simmer 5 minutes.
Add shrimp and 1/4 cup of cilantro to simmering broth, adding 2-3 cups of additional water to thin soup as much as you like. Simmer until shrimp is just opaque in center. (Edited to add: at this point, you'll also want to skim and discard any foamy stuff that rises to the top of the soup.) Season with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls; sprinkle with remaining cilantro.
Optional: top with shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, and a squeeze of lime. Eat with a guacamole-smothered tostada on the side.
The weather has turned cold and rainy, which always makes me yearn for something warm and comforting in my belly. I'm also trying to work more fiber and whole grains into our diets, which gave me an idea:
This is my go-to recipe for split pea soup, but I can't remember if I've ever blogged about it. I forgot to pick up the dried green split peas when I went out to buy ingredients today, so I ended up using a bag of yellow split peas I found in the back of the cupboard. It worked out just fine (couldn't really tell the difference, though I've read that yellow split peas are milder than green) and I'm glad I was able to use it up.
I've been wanting to try the yeast-raised cornbread recipe ever since I saw it on 101 Cookbooks (whose cornbread photo is much, much prettier and more drool-inducing than mine)—there was just something about those corn-flecked, chive-studded, melty butter-topped whole wheat rolls that was calling my name . . . and they did not disappoint. I'm pretty sure I like these rolls better than traditional cornbread; they were crusty outside, tender inside, and perfect for mopping up that last bit of soup in the bowl.
Since Cincinnati is about only an hour away from Lex, we drove up on Saturday afternoon to visit with my college bff and her husband and to meet their happy little baby Evy. We hadn't see them since our wedding four and a half years ago, so it was splendid to spend some time with them and catch some sights around the city.
I finally decided to trade in the old point-and-shoot for a brand new Nikon DSLR. Hurrah! After much soul-searching, I decided that my first lens would be the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8. Sharp, super fast, and great depth of field—love it. But now I can't stop thinking about how much fun I could have with such things as a super wide angle lens and how nice it would be to upgrade my computer hardware and software to complete the package. I hate having expensive hobbies. I should just go outside and play with some sticks.
So the photo above is of a park bench in Eden Park, which we strolled by on our way to the 2010 Butterfly Show at the Krohn Observatory. The park is so nice—we saw a duck pond, playgrounds for the kids, and scenic overlooks of the city and the Ohio River. I bet it's a great place to watch the sun set.
The park also has a replica of the Capitoline Wolf. I was wondering what Cincinnati had to do with the whole Romulus and Remus story (perhaps the only thing I remember from all those years of Latin), but as it turns out, legend has it that Cincinnati, like Rome, was built upon seven hills.
The Krohn Conservatory was pretty cool. Of all the plant life, I liked the orchid display the best . . . maybe that's my fondness for Adaptation showing. I was hoping to see more butterflies, but they were more scarce than I expected. Could it be . . . murder? Every time I got close to one some kid would barge over and make a grab for the poor thing. I understand that children of a certain age are curious, have limited motor control, probably don't mean any harm, and that butterflies are exciting and OOH PRETTY . . . but still. It was sad to see so many of these creatures poked and prodded to death, literally.
And of course, no trek to Cincinnati would be complete without a trip to Findlay Market for some Liège-style waffles (thanks to A + J for humoring me on this). These waffles are sweeter—they have a caramelized sugar coating—and are much, much denser than the typical Belgian waffles that we Americans know and love. The batter looks like a ball of cookie dough being smushed in a cast iron press.
The waffles are being ambushed by strawberries and whipped cream so you can't really see them in this picture, but they looked (and tasted) really, really good. On the flip side, at Findlay we also had the worst tacos I've eaten in my life. So bad that neither me (the least picky eater you'll ever meet) or TJ (who has never met a taco he didn't like) didn't want to finish them. If you ever find yourself there, do bypass the tacos and go for the gyros at Areti's, which were fabulous. The meat was flavorful and piled on high, the tzatziki was thick and a little garlicky, and the pita was soft and buttery and just a bit crispy on the outside. The gyros also had a good ratio of tomatoes and onions, which I appreciated.
I've been interested in making a coconut cake ever since I saw a Bobby Flay Throwdown on the subject several months ago, but TJ doesn't like coconut (such a travesty) and a towering treat such as this seems to demand a special occasion.
Good thing my brother had his 25th birthday party on Saturday. I decided on a recipe from the October 2001 issue of Bon Appétit for Giant Coconut Layer Cake, and it turned out beautifully. My absolute favorite part of the whole thing is the coconut filling. Ah, butter and heavy whipping cream.
Since one dessert is never enough when it's party time, I made some truffles. Last Christmas, Rhett and Monica introduced us to this tasty, decadent treat, which look pretty fancy but are a snap to make. I made the original Oreo version (recipe here) with a white chocolate shell and experimented with a peanut butter version using Nutter Butter cookies. I think it is impossible to choose which one I liked better. Next time I want to try mint Oreos, or maybe lemon sandwich cookies.
Last but not least: chocolate cupcakes (in Christmas-themed cupcake liners because they're the only kind my mom had in stock). But not just any kind of chocolate cupcake: vegan chocolate cupcakes. I had to try to make at least one slightly healthy thing, especially since the birthday person likes to stay fit and eats nothing with fat or butter in it. I think he's adopted or something. This particular cupcake recipe comes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. I've debated before on whether or not to purchase the cookbook but I think I'm sold after trying this recipe.
When we first moved to Lexington, one of TJ's fellow grad students invited us to her home for some homemade dumplings. She and her fiance are Tibetan and have been making dumplings (momos) since they were kids. They made both the filling and wrappers from scratch, and it was amazing to watch how fast their fingers flew as they formed perfect pleats to fold each dumpling together. Needless to say, the finished product was delicious and inspired me to try dumpling-making myself.
So far, I'm still much slower and sloppier in dumpling assembly and I haven't attempted to make the wrappers from scratch yet. Of the ready-made wrapper brands that I've used, I think I like Wing Hing the best. (The LA Timescompared nine different brands and rated Gyoza No Kawa, which I haven't tried, number one.)
I learned basic dumpling techniques from Use Real Butter, which has a fantastic photo tutorial for Chinese dumplings (similar to momos) and a tasty, tasty recipe for pork filling. (Someday I'll have to try the shrimp filling recipe, too. And when I'm feeling braver I'll attempt the recipe for dough.) This site also clarified for me that steamed = dumplings while pan fried = potstickers. I love the crispy, golden bottoms that you get from the pan frying method, but the healthier steamed version—which we went with today—is pretty tasty, too.
These are also great because you can make a ton in one sitting and freeze for later the ones you don't cook right away.
Appetizer, that is. Sorry, Apple fans. For the Super Bowl, I made sweet and spicy pork empanadas from Rick Bayless's cookbook Salsas That Cook. The pastry was a bit of a challenge to work with (next time I'll be taking the pre-made pie dough route), but it turned out nice and flaky and the filling gets a serious two thumbs up—a nice balance of savory and sweet. You can't lose with Rick by your side.
We also had slow cooked pulled pork for the taco bar. I love recipes that involve five-minute prep but result in maximum tastiness. One thing to note about that recipe is that it's kind of vaguely worded when it comes to what to do with the "divided" spices. I think the poster basically meant that you should distribute the spices equally on both sides of the roast. I just combined the spices into one bowl and sprinkled the mix all over the meat—seemed to work out just fine.
Also, TJ made not one, not two, but THREE different salsas (which you can kind of see in the background of the pork picture, behind the mounds of guacamole and cotija cheese). All delicious in their own way, though I think my favorite was the roasted tomato/jalapeño.
Every Sunday should be Super Bowl Sunday. Except without all the stupid GoDaddy ads and stereotypical dumb guy/overbearing woman commercials.
Our congregation at church includes a Spanish-speaking group of members, and they hosted a Christmas party last night. We signed up to bring dessert, so I made a tres leches cake (recipe from Vivian's fave Pioneer Woman) and some Aztec chocolate bark (introduced to me by Jane, who was kind enough to share some with the office last year).
I ended up having to make dos tres leches because I forgot about the first one burning in the oven while I was preoccupied swatting moths that have taken up residence in our apartment. The second cake turned out fabulously, though, and the Aztec chocolate went over well with party-goers not wary about foods combining chocolate and spicy ground chile. It's really quite easy to make and addictively tasty—I highly recommend it if you're in the market for a different kind of holiday treat. Not to fear if you don't have a double-boiler in which to melt the chocolate—I don't have one either, so I just melted the chocolate in a stainless steel bowl set over a pot of boiling water.
I was also happy to get my fill of pozole and mole negro at the party. It was delicious.
In a couple of television related notes:
Golden Globe nominations out today (or yesterday, rather, since I am posting this well over midnight). No John Noble? I know that no one watches Fringe, but COME ON! Walter Bishop is one of the most delightful, complex characters on television and John Noble does a crazy good job bringing him to life. Just as one example, in last week's episode, the change that came over Walter when all the parts of his brain were reconnected: holy smokes. I am disappointed, HFP, though I guess it wouldn't be the first time.
Ben Folds, aka my one true hero during my college years: as Stephen Colbert would ask, great reality show judge or greatest reality show judge? He's one of the judges on the new NBC a cappella competition The Sing-Off (HT: Leeshy), and yes, it's weird to see him there, but after all the 'Hofs, Paula Abduls, and Randy Jacksons that have been foisted upon us on other reality shows, it's pretty incredible to hear a knowledgeable musician give spot-on assessments in complete, coherent sentences and not be a jerk about it. Also, so much for a Mormons vs. Beelzebubs final. Heh. Nota for the win!
An unusual thing about TJ is his ability to remain completely unmoved in the presence of delicious sugary treats. He just doesn't seem to respond to cakes, chocolates, pies, cookies, etc. the way the rest of us do—except when it comes to Oreos. For some reason, Oreos are the only sweet things he will actively seek out on his own.
So I thought I'd try to make some homemade Oreos for Halloween. I've seen this recipe floating around on various blogs, and the response to it seemed to be good, so I thought I'd give it a shot.
Though it's probably difficult to duplicate the exact taste and texture of Oreos from the store, the homemade version comes pretty close—crisp, fresh, and minus all of the artifical ingredients.
On Tuesday afternoon we stopped by the Bluegrass Farmers’ Market. It’s just down the road from our place, and it’s the only farmers’ market in Lexington that provides 100% locally grown produce—the vendors sell only what they grow.
As we looked around, I saw someone selling sweet potatoes and knew right away that I needed to buy them so I could make Mark Bittman’s recipe for Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Black Beans and Chili Dressing (spotted in The New York Times, naturally).
When I approached the sweet potatoes, I picked up a hefty one and asked the farmer what kind it was. “That’s a Beauregard,” he said. He proceeded to tell me that it’s a rather popular variety that was developed at Louisiana State and named after P.G.T. Beauregard, the Confederate general who fired the first shot at Fort Sumter in South Carolina, thus starting the American Civil War. It is also lower in sugar and subtler in flavor than other sweet potato varieties. Isn’t that fantastic? You can’t get that kind of info at a supermarket.
I made the sweet potato salad without any modifications and it was unbelievably delicious. So dreamy. The fresh lime and cilantro flavors just match up so well with the heat of the jalapeno and the warm creaminess of the sweet potatoes and black beans. I could eat this dish all day long. I am going to make another batch as soon as I finish posting this.
I used up another sweet potato in a corn chowder recipe I dug up from the July 2005 issue of Gourmet (sniffle . . . rest in peace). I really liked the use of sweet potato in this recipe—a nice twist on an old classic. It was very good, perfect for a cold fall day, and came together quickly, though I’d recommend blending half the soup to make it thicker.
What to do with the rest of my sweet potatoes? Maybe sweet potato ice cream or sweet potato pie. Definitely going to attempt the recipe for sweet potato gnocchi with fried sage and dried chestnuts from the October 2009 Gourmet.
I was scanning the front page of The New York Times as I usually do every morning: new Supreme Court term starts today . . . three Americans share Nobel Prize for Medicine . . . Condé Nast to close Gourmet magazine . . .
Wait. Condé Nast to close Gourmet magazine???
I am utterly and completely shocked and heartbroken. Well, not shocked because everyone knows it's a bad time for the world of glossy magazine publishing and that food blogs are cutting into the readership of food magazines . . . but I would've guessed that if it came down between Condé Nast's two food titles (both to which I faithfully subscribe), Bon Appétit would've been the first on the chopping block. Which would've been unfortunate, but it isn't Gourmet.
I haven't been this sad about a magazine since Condé Nast decided to shut down Domino and MSLO gave Blueprint the ax.
In fact, I am even sadder over Gourmet's demise. I know it must sound crazy to have such an emotional attachment to a food magazine, but it's Gourmet! Sixty-eight years old. A legend in the food world. Great writers that turn out serious food literature month after month. In other words, more than just recipes. What is Ruth Reichl going to do now?
I think I'm going to turn the pages of my remaining issues a little more lovingly when they arrive in the mail.
We picked this up in July at the Le Creuset outlet in Camarillo. As if we needed to add a huge piece of cast iron to everything else we had to lug across the country, right? But it was a Le Creuset dutch oven! At 40% off and then some. When all was said and done, we were able to snag this 9-qt wonder for less than $200.
Tonight we took it on its maiden culinary voyage and made Red Chile Rice with Shrimp and Bacon from Rick Bayless's cookbook Salsas That Cook. Rick's recipe calls for a batch of Mellow Red Chile Salsa, which I'm sure is fantastic, but we decided to use up some leftover salsa we froze when we made chicken enchiladas a couple weeks ago.
To make this dish, you have to fry up some bacon and then fry the rice IN THE BACON FAT. This is very much in keeping with my new Southern lifestyle. Mmm.
When we were getting ready to leave Santa Barbara I went through our cupboards and found some old canned vegetables. Western Family. You know, from Utah. From when I lived there five years ago.
I chucked the ancient stuff and decided that I need to try harder to use the other things I have that aren't past their shelf life, such as:
Canned sliced peaches. For some reason I own like 10 cans of this product.
Result:
Southern Peach Cobbler (click on link for how-to). I should probably be wary of the sheer amount of butter in this recipe, but I live in the south now so I'm just gonna roll with it.
Pretty tasty, and the easiest baked treat to put together if you're in a hurry. Or just lazy. Only one bowl! Six ingredients! (The original recipe had five, but I added one teaspoon of cinnamon to my version.)
Does anyone have a favorite canned peach-friendly recipe to share?
ETA: I baked the cobbler in an 8"x8" glass casserole dish and that seemed to work out pretty well.
A few weeks ago, on a cool, cloudy Saturday morning, we went blueberry picking at Restoration Oaks Ranch in Gaviota.
Fifteen dollars gets you a full bucket (we filled two) and all the blueberries you can eat while you pick.
What to do with all of those blueberries? Why, turn them into sugary, carbo-loaded treats, of course.
1
I made a batch of blueberry jam so we could have a little piece of the central coast to take with us when we move next month. It was my first time canning anything, so hopefully we won't die of botulism when we crack open one of these jars next year.
2
And then I whipped up some blueberry muffins, the perfect on-the-go breakfast during the work week. I recommend this recipe, which results in muffins that are perfectly light and fluffy. So good right out of the oven.
3
And here we have blueberry pancakes, the perfect breakfast to make at home on the weekend.
4
???
What's your favorite thing to do with fresh blueberries?
