The whole meal doesn’t need to be red, white and blue, though you could if you wanted. But a few festive foods here and there can help decorate your Memorial Day, Flag Day and Independence Day tables:

Natural Colors:

100% Fruit Rocket Pops

Strawberries or cherries, bananas and blueberries either fresh or canned can be used in a variety of ways. Such as my 100% Fruit Rocket Pops, just pureed the strawberries and blueberries separately in the blender, mashed an over ripe banana and then layered them in my Tovolo Rocket Pop Molds for a healthy treat. Ok, when you mash blueberries they do turn purplish, but it is as close as I could get without food coloring.

You can frost a cake with white icing then decorate it with a blueberry rectangle and strawberry slices or cherry halves stripes (leaving a gap of white icing). Or make a simple strawberry and blueberry shortcake with angel food cake, whipped cream and fresh fruit.

Blueberry Strawberry Muffins

And just for fun, I tossed some strawberries and blueberries in my basic muffin mix for a patriotic breakfast. Well, it is the thought that counts. When they baked the blueberries became a pit purple and the strawberries were more of a dark pink.

You can use red and blue skinned potatoes in your favorite potato salad recipe, leaving the skin on of course.

Tortilla chips made from blue corn can be served with any sour cream dip and some salsa. Or if you can get your hands on some blue and/or red corn you can make some corn salsa.

And if you want to make naturally blue food coloring you can try this method using red cabbage and baking soda. Note that this will only make a pale blue color and may have a slight taste from the baking soda.

Artificial dyes:

Use red and blue colored gelatin along with the white layers

Use red and blue colored gelatin along with the white layer to make ribbon finger jewels.

Add some blue food coloring to any sour cream based dip, such as this blue cheese dip and serve with red peppers and cauliflower.

If you have any other ideas either post them below or e-mail me at audrey@thatrecipe.com.

And finally, if you are hosting or attending a potluck this picnic season here are some ideas to help make it successful and stress free for everyone.

Until next time, happy eating.

~Audrey

Enchiladas

With all of that said, I still have some good Mexican recipes to share. My favorite is my grandmother’s enchiladas – nope not the Texan grandmother, the French one. Just love the irony of that one, and the enchiladas are pretty good too. Click here, if you don’t get the joke.

Beverages:

• Maragaritas - tequila and lime
• Micheladas - beer and tomato juice
• Sangria - red wine and fruit (ok, technically it is Spanish not Mexican, but it is great for a party)

Appetizers:

• Bell Pepper Rajas - crispy bell peppers and melty cheese
• Hot Tortilla Appetizers – basically an open faced quesadilla
• Guacamole – made with avocado or pureed peas (yup you read that right – green peas!)
• OooLaLa Dip- layers of beans, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.
  

  Mango Salsa with a little cilantro

Salsas: try something a little different instead of just tomato based

• Backeyed Peas and Corn Relish - serve with chips as a dip, or as a side dish
• Corn Salsa
• Mango Salsa

Side Dishes:

• Black Beans and Rice
• Hominy Casserole - cheese, sour cream and hominy
• Ceasar Salad – my Dad’s speciality!

Soups:

• Pollo Borracho – Chicken with wine and loads of garlic
• Posole – traditional hominy stew
• Tortilla Soup

Desserts:

• Rosemary Flan
• Sopaipillas - fried tortillas with a hint of cinnamon and honey

I hope you enjoy some of these recipes either for Cinco de Mayo or just because they are tasty.

Until next time, happy eating!

~Audrey

Easter:

I made the best ham I have ever made this year. Not the best holiday ham I have ever had – that honor goes to my Uncle Chris’ Christmas BBQ ham.  My Aunt Sue and I have been known to salt our ham, much to the chagrin of our family members that have not been blessed with our extremely low blood pressure. So, this year, I soaked the ham overnight in a large plastic container filled with water. I changed the  water first thing in the morning and soaked it for a few more hours. My husband was thrilled with how much this reduced the saltiness and I thought it tasted more “hammy” which is a good thing. Next time I think I will soak it at least 24 hours in advance.

Peanut Butter Jelly Bean Cookies

We ended up with oodles of jelly beans thanks to preschool, an egg hunt at Grandma’s and what the Easter Bunny brought. So I decided it was time to finally try Peanut Butter and Jelly Bean Cookies. Not bad. Use your favorite peanut butter cookie recipe (or try this wheat free recipe) and gently press in a few jelly beans before baking (I would have added a few more than the three we added to about a tablespoon of cookie dough). And I mean GENTLY. My sous chef pressed some of the jelly beans all the way through the cookie dough to the pan and after baking they made removing the cookies very difficult. A few days later I came across a recipe on Sara Moulton’s site using coconut and oatmeal that sounds quite delicious.

Community Supported Agriculture

We have had a few deliveries since I last talked about joining Harvest2U. The first few contained a lot of greens, which I found I enjoyed a bit more than when I was a child. One great method of preparation I found was to rinse them, shake lightly but keep some water on them, then chop and cook in a saute pan until the leaves start to wilt. Then add the secret ingredient – Chemical X – oops, I meant garlic jelly to taste.

We also received these two interesting looking ingredients.

vegetable from another planet #1

vegetable from another planet #2

The first is kohlrabi. I chopped it up and added to soup and stir fries. For Easter I made scalloped potatoes and kohlrabi – it was okay, probably not something I would attempt again since it smelled a bit like cooked cabbage (maybe because they are related) which meant I had to eat all of it since the guys wouldn’t even try it.

The second is fennel, which I found plenty of uses for both the white part and the fronds. Besides the soup and stir fries, I also added the both to salads giving them a little licorice flavored kick.

In the last delivery we got some loquats, tiny little orange fruits that tasted kind of like a citrusy apricot. Not sure what else to do or how long they’d stay in the fridge, I made a small batch of loquat jam with a dash of fresh chopped ginger for kick. I don’t know if I got a different variety of loquat, or didn’t cook them long enough, but mine never turned the ”deep red” mentioned in the recipe. It still tastes pretty good.

Interesting tidbits:

Local Honey helps alleviate seasonal allergies! Or so says the Internet. No one has done an official peer reviewed study, but it does sound plausible if you think about how honey is made. The bees collect the pollen from local flowers and come back to the hive to make honey. If the honey is not overly processed and still has the bee pollen in it (it is sort of cloudy and NOT clear like most of the stuff you get in the major grocery stores) and you buy locally “produced” the theory is it will be sort of like a vaccine, a bit of the hair of the dog that bit you so to speak. For more info, check out this article on Discovery Health.

And finally here’s a quick follow up on the Kale Chips I mentioned previously.  A recipe in the latest issue of Sunset magazine adds a teaspoon of soy sauce to the olive oil before you toss in the kale and then sprinkles sesame seeds on top in lieu of salt. Gotta try that one!

If you have any suggestions or recipes for jelly beans, kohlrabi, fennel or loquats please share by commenting or sending an e-mail to: audrey@thatrecipe.com.

Until next time, happy eating!

~Audrey

Does anyone else find it odd that we make Deviled Ham and Deviled Eggs out of the leftovers from the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ?  (To which my friend, Carol the Pastry Chef,   responded, “It’s okay as long as you have it with Angel’s Food Cake”.)

mmm chocolate

Oh My!

Good way to use up all the excess the EB brings you.

Cute, or rather creeepy if you stop and think about what the eggs would have been if they didn't end up in your fridge.

And here are a few recipes for the ingredients I most associate with Easter.

Eggs:

• Use fruits, vegetables and other kitchen goodies to dye your eggs naturally.
• Coconut Curried Eggs
• Deviled Eggs

Lamb: Dad’s grilled leg of lamb

Carrots: In case EB doesn’t eat all of the munchies you leave out for him

• Justin’s Favorite Carrot Bread (really, that’s what HE calls it)
• Carrot Cake
• Carrot Cake Lite

Chocolate: I posted lots of ideas last year, including Chocolate Bunny Bread, Baby Ruth Brownies and Snickery Hidden Treasure Cookies.

Jelly Beans: I am still looking for a good recipe to use up leftover jelly beans, but I think I am going to try to chop some up and top some peanut butter cookies or brownies kind of like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  If you have any ideas, please share them!

Finally, I will leave you with this wisdom from my mother:

You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs.

Until next time, happy eating.

~Audrey

Card taped to the microwave door

A few days before Valentine’s Day, I stumbled downstairs in desperate need of caffeine after our darling little boy kept us up for several hours playing in the middle of the night to find  a card taped to the microwave that said “Hot Hot Hot Danger Danger! Do not get burned opening the microwave!” I looked at the calendar to make sure I hadn’t missed an important date, then carefully opened the microwave to find…

A present for me hidden in the microwave.

A KINDLE FIRE!  What can I say, the man was born on Valentine’s Day – he is naturally romantic (or so he has told me since we met).  While an e-reader may not seem romantic to you, in and of itself it really isn’t. But, presentation is everything – little tip for you there, gents. Spend an extra few minutes to give her a gift in a creative way will score major points!

To be honest, I haven’t spent much time with it this past month, only a few hours a day, ha ha! And, when I am on the notebook instead I am often searching for books and apps for it. Ok, I am addicted already.

Besides some fiction titles like Little Women and One for the Money, I have also downloaded some e-cookbooks. Most of these are written for the electronic format by non professional chef; meaning the only have about 20 recipes at most, few if any pictures and no guarantees the recipes aren’t missing ingredients or steps. They are also usually priced under $5, usually in the $2-3 range. If you have read my previous blog on charity cookbooks you can guess how much I love them.  The authors are individuals that probably wouldn’t be able to get their cookbooks published with a traditional print publisher despite all of the hard work they put into creating them. And I am a sucker for helping out ”the little guy”.  I have added a few to the aStore, and all are ones I have downloaded or Ma’am did, since we share an account. The best one I have downloaded so far is The Home Baking Glossary of Terms (In the Pantry Baking Standards) by Joyce Middleton. But the Man Cave series by Matt Thompson is a close second.

For those that already spend too much money on their e-reader, how does free sound? Amazon.com has a list of free public domain cookbooks. And recently, I stumbled on a great source of free e-cookbooks and apps: Dining Downloads. Every day they comb through Amazon to find books that are free that day. You can get updates via e-mail or follow them on Facebook. The deals are usually on good that day, but I have found some great reads through them.

I am always looking for recommendations, so if you have a good e-cookbook, or a source for free/cheap cookbooks or apps, please let me know.

Until next time, happy eating.

~Audrey

The CSA I am referring to is Community Supported Agriculture. The website www.localharvest.org describes:

Over the last 20 years, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. Here are the basics: a farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a “membership” or a “subscription”) and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.

This creates a win-win-win for consumer, farmer and local economy. Because it is locally grown, the produce is fresher, handled less, shipped less, and in most cases is organically grown (could be all, I know my local one is). The farmer gets money up front and has a built in market for the produce. And the money stays locally boosting small businesses in your neighborhood.

I dragged my feet about trying it out for a few reasons:

1. I’d have to go pick up the box every week
2. I wouldn’t have a choice as to what we’d get in each delivery
3. I enjoy gardening and will just grow my own produce
4. It will cost more than I usually spend on produce.

Our local CSA, Harvest2U,  recently started offering home delivery so that eliminated reason number 1. As far as number 2 goes, I have a recipe website for goodness sakes, time to get out of my comfort zone and start experimenting. Being honest with myself, I had to admit that as much as I enjoy gardening, this spring and summer are going to be monumentally busy for us, so the chances of me being able to maintain the plants well enough to get a decent harvest aren’t that great. Plus, I wouldn’t have the time, space or knowledge to grow the variety I could get with the CSA. Good bye, number 3.

Which leaves cost as the only remaining excuse. I ordered a Family Harvest with a biweekly delivery for $41 each delivery.  Other options include a weekly delivery, a smaller Couples Harvest and some Juice Harvests for those interested in juicing. I didn’t weigh all of the produce, but for simple math I will estimate it weighed 10 pounds, which equates to $4.10 a pound. Much more than I normally pay per pound, but I don’t normally buy organic or locally owned. Comparing apples to apples, or greens to greens to be more precise, when I was at the grocery store the other day I noticed that tubs of organic US grown (probably not locally) spinach or salad mix were $5.99 a pound.

What I got for my $41 was a filing box sized wax coated box left on my doorstep (I need to get an ice chest for when the weather warms up) loaded with:

1. Romaine lettuce

   

   “Oooh veg-ables!”

2. Tatsoi
3. Spinach
4. Arugula
5. Radishes
6. Cilantro
7. Carrots
8. Collard greens
9. Avocado
10. Tangerines
11. Mustard greens
12. Sugar snap peas
13. Swiss chard

The contents of the box (some of the greens were cut off of either side)

The produce was not just pulled from the ground, full of dirt and needing to be trimmed. Everything was washed and trimmed a bit. The carrots and the radishes still had the tops (yay!) so I could use those if I desired. The tangerines were a bit small, about 1 1/2″ across for the smallest ones, but there were plenty of them. On the flip side, the radishes were monstrous – 2 1/2 inches wide!! Everything except the avocado was ripe and ready to eat, but it should be after a few days on the counter – I have bought harder ones at the grocery store.

The first thing I tasted was the tangerine – WOW! Pure citrus sweetness. Next, I whipped up a quick salad with the lettuce, arugula, carrots and radish, then added a little grated Parmesan and vinegar for lunch. Dinner was a stir fry with some of the tatsoi and sugar peas.

While, Justin does love spinach in his eggs (weird considering it is the only vegetable he will willingly eat), I was selfish and made a spinach salad the way Ma’am used to – spinach, sliced boiled egg, some bacon crumbles and honey mustard vinaigrette (dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and a little Avocado Blossom Honey from Temecula Valley Honey Company). Some of the Swiss chard will go to school with Justin to add to their Stone Soup for “S” week. And we need to make some of Justin’s favorite Carrot Bread for a bake sale this weekend. As for the rest of my harvest, I think I need to spend some time checking out the recipes from Harvest 2 U (Chipotle Cheddar Chard, anyone?).

All things considered, I am glad I took the plunge and tried this out. Time will tell whether I will stay with it, but I think I will get more interest from my “boys” when the spring and summer harvests arrive.

If you are in the Temecula Valley, you can get more information from Harvest 2 U. If you’d like to find a CSA in your area, you can search by zip code on Local Harvest’s site. If you already belong to a CSA, or have some recipe ideas, please post below or e-mail me at audrey@thatrecipe.com.

If you were hoping this blog was about St. Patrick’s Day recipes you can check out my blog from last year for some ideas.

Until next time, happy eating!

~Audrey

King Rex preparing to throw some beads.

This year is just flying by, I can scarcely believe it is already time for Mardi Gras/Pancake Tuesday and the beginning of Lent.

I don’t have to much new to add since I have already posted some ideas for Mardi Gras and a few Pancake recipes as well as some meatless meal ideas in the past. Our Meatless Main Courses menu has a few more ideas to help you out.

I will be making Junior’s Jambalaya from Emeril’s There’s a Chef in My Soup for Mardi Gras and Pierogis from Nadia G’s Bitchin Kitchen Cooking for Trouble for Ash Wednesday.

I am always looking for more vegetarian, meatless and or vegan dish recipes. If you have any you would like to share, please send them along to audrey@thatrecipe.com.

Until next time, happy eating.

~Audrey

The Congressional Club Cookbook, 6th Edition (1961)

This past week, I have been exploring my recently acquired treasure, The Congressional Club Cookbook 6th Edition - a thrift store find that was given to Ma’am by a former co-worker which she passed along to me when she was cleaning out books.  It was a two-for-one prize for me. Not only is it a cookbook full of homey recipes, it is a glimpse into America’s psyche 50 years ago.  I almost wish I was still in school so I could write a report on it. Oh wait, I have a blog. Even better, I can write and not have to stress too much about sentence structure, grammar or word count.

First of all, look at that cover! The ladies are in dresses, heels and lacy aprons. My husband is lucky if my jeans, sweatshirt and athletic shoes aren’t too splattered with food by the time dinner’s done. My grandmother, Mimi, told me she always made sure she was dressed nicely with her hair and make up done when my grandfather came home because he spent all day with those lovely well groomed ladies at the school and she didn’t want him coming home to her in a house coat and rollers.

The fact that the two parties representatives are not trying to shove that cake in each other’s face is not that strange considering the origins and goals of the Congressional Club, per  www.thecongressionalclub.com,

“Founded in 1908, the original purpose of The Congressional Club was to provide a non-partisan setting for friendships among the spouses of members of the House and Senate in Washington, D.C. Although the scope of the Club and the breadth of its activities have increased over the years, its purpose remains the same.”

No, the word “spouses” was not used in the 1961 edition.  It was “wife”, with a special “men only” recipe section for the contributions of the elected officials themselves.

The foreward, by First Lady Mrs. John F. Kennedy, states:

“Our country is blessed with the greatest abundance and variety of food in the world. Since cooking is certainly one of the fine arts, every woman in the United States has an obligation to the members of her family and the nation to see that their health and physical well-being are maintained by attractive, properly prepared meals. Good cooking can contribute immeasurably to the happiness of our homes.”

An obligation to my family AND the nation to serve attractive, properly prepared meals?! Wow, no pressure there! A statement like this now would be viewed as insulting to the female population. But, 50 years ago, in the middle of the Cold War, it was a challenge  most American woman would readily accept.  And, I do have to admit the last statement is true, at least in my house. When dinner sucks this home isn’t a very happy one.

Further irony is added to that statement upon perusal of the recipes which contain a plethora of processed foods such as American cheese, canned soups and vegetables, gelatin and other horrors to today’s nutritionists like flour, sugar, white rice and red meat. But, I will save that ridiculous rant for the Anthony Bordain’s of this world. I am sure fifty years from now, when people look at the 2006 edition of the cookbook some will be repulsed that people actually ate THAT, whatever ”that” may turn out to be.

Each recipe is labelled with the name and signature of the contributor.  And, per the dictums of the times, each woman is referenced as Mrs. Husband First and Last Name, and almost all signed their names the same way. The notable exceptions being First Lady Jaqueline Kennedy and the wife of the former Vice President Patricia Nixon that used their own first names. Oh, Jackie and Pat – you rebels! I don’t think I have ever signed my name as Mrs. Matthew Humaciu. I’d probably giggle if I did.

The recipes themselves deserve at least a little mention since this is a cookbook after all. Like most charity cookbooks, there are plenty of misspellings, mistakes and missing ingredients buried in the directions instead of the ingredient list. Which is why Ma’am always told me to read the entire recipe before attempting it.  Some look scrumptious and I plan on trying them soon while others, uh, all I can say is “no thank you”.  A few notables:

• Smart politcal wives that contributed recipes promoting ingredients from their state, Hawaii (Mahi Mahi), Maine (lobster), Alaska (king crab), Wisconsin (cheese) and Idaho (potatoes).
• A few “ahead of their times” recipes including Noches Especiales (nachos) and Pho (from the embassay of Viet Nam)
• Campout recipes in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Girl Scouts including Banana Boats and Some-Mores (sic).
• And one from the Portugeuse embassy titled Bacon from Heaven that must have lost something in the translation since it contains almonds, sugar, eggs and lemon and appears to be a custard.

Among those I plan to try at some point are:

• Chicken Spaghetti that is a casserole of diced cooked chicken, spaghetti and a simple sauce.
• Orange Rolls that look like a cinnamon roll that substitutes grated orange peel for the cinnamon.
• Forgotten Cake that is put in a 450 degree oven that is turned off immediately and the cake sits in it overnight.

I have already tried two recipes Dollar Hot Cakes and Root Beer Brownies. The first is a

Dollar Hot Cakes

basic pancake recipe that I whipped up this morning and made the appropriate silver dollar size using my Tovolo Pancake Pen (thanks again for the Christmas gift, Mary!). Aren’t they cute? The little black flecks are due to me cooking the pancakes in the same pan I used for the sausage – yummy.

As for the second recipe, the name is what got me. What on earth would Root Beer Brownies taste like, I thought? The recipe is simple, mix up a box of brownie mix substituting root beer for the liquid and throw in some crushed pepperment candies.  Before I could get to the store to get the ingredients, my friend, Carol the Pastry Chef posted a blog on Root Beer Bundt Cake. I kid you not, it was a matter of 2-3 hours after I found my recipe that

Root Beer Brownies

she posted it. After reading her rave review I figured root beer is loaded with vanilla and spices so it isn’t going to make the chocolate taste “funky” it would just enhance it. I admit I got lazy and bought a packaged mix (but it was a GOOD dark chocolate mix, not the 99cent store brand special) and I did not get the best root beer I have ever had – Henry Weinhards – but settled for A&W. Carol was right, it made a very intensely chocolate brownie. Definately, a recipe I will make again.

I think I will now be on the look out for more of these old cookbooks as I wander through used bookstores. Even if I don’t find any good recipes they may make an interesting read.

Until next time, happy eating!

~Mrs. Matthew Humaciu (tee hee)

First, check out Ma’am’s how to host a Super Bowl Party for fun ideas and recipes.

Parade Magazine has some celebrity recipes including football legends Jerry Rice (sticky honey wings), Joe Theisman (shrimp dip), Roger Staubach (chili), Mike Ditka (pork chops) and Dan Marino (pasta bolognese)

The game is in Indiana and being played by teams from New York and Boston but if you want to add a Southwestern flare to your party, check out these ideas from Sunset.

And finally, Dash Recipes and Cooking Light have a few ideas for some lightened up fare.

Enjoy the Super Bowl, and just wait until next year when the Niners get their sixth Lombardi Trophy (and maintain their perfect Super Bowl record). A fan can dream can’t she?

Until next time, happy eating.

~Audrey