The Making of Pastrami

You start with a good recipe:

Run around town looking for all the weird ingredients, and end up at your two favorite stores: Spice Merchant for the spices

and Dillons for everything else. Buy a different cut of beef -- can't remember which one -- because you can't find brisket.

Make a brine out of said weird spices

And then stick your beef in to marinate. For five days.

When those five days are up, bring to room temperature and then put water in the bottom of a roasting pan and the brisket on a rack. Wrap the whole thing in aluminum foil.

And then bake, for hours, on a low temperature. It should look a little like this (I assume, since that's what ours looked like) when you're done:

It was a LOT of waiting (not something you plan over night, that's for sure), but it was DEFINITELY worth it!

From the Garden

All this:

(I am SO done with cucumbers)

Turned into this:

Why yes, Russell, I do want a picture taken when I'm sweaty and tired.

And a huge sense of accomplishment. There are still peaches to be done (probably Monday or Tuesday) and more tomatoes and peppers ripening, too. Ah, summertime.

It's all About the Food!

I had helpers this year!

Our friend, Daryle, made two ducks and a goose this year. They were a big hit. More so than the turkey!

Lots o' pies.

Yum!

Our friend Nick makes Excellent Food

One of the reasons we wanted to get to Portland, is that Russell's old friend Nick has opened up a couple of Mexican/taco restaurants, and knowing how wonderful Nick's food is (having eaten at his other restaurant; he doesn't have much to do with them now, though he does have a cookbook), we wanted to Eat Some of Nick's food.

The restaurant itself was way cool.

(I didn't notice that on the floor until Russell pointed it out to me.)

We let Nick order for us. He gave us 8 tacos, so we could try a variety of fillings. We cut them all in half  (except for the one that was the same between us) so we could have ALL of them.

Caitlyn came with (but not Alison and Kristen, who were at our friend's house, enjoying their Wii), and ordered a chicken quesadilla with salsa verde. She said it was excellent.

I wish I could remember what all the fillings were. But I can't.

Nick didn't make this, but he did recommend the ice cream place.

For the record: hibiscus sorbet is quite good. Kulfi -- a pistachio-based ice cream with ginger and rose water -- is not. (Though I ended up getting huckleberry and strawberry; Caitlyn got chocolate chocolate chip; Russell got Belgian chocolate and milk chocolate)

It was a fun evening.

Hostess Cupcake Knockoff

We had these last week, and I realized -- since we compiled the recipe from several different places -- that I needed to put it all in one spot. They're really quite excellent. Even if they don't look like the original Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes. 

For the cupcakes:
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's brand)
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
3/4 c. warm water + 1/8 tsp. espresso powder
3/4 c. buttermilk (or 3/4 c. whole milk + 1 tbsp. lemon juice, let stand for 5 min)
3 tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 1 cupcake pan with liners, set aside.
2. Make the Cupcakes: In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk or sift together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add eggs, warm water w/ espresso powder, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until smooth. Turn down speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix until smooth (no flour/cocoa pockets remain), about 3 minutes.
4. Divide batter evenly among cups, filling 2/3 of the way full. Place in oven and bake for 20-21 minutes, or until the tops spring back when touched and a cake tester comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake!
5. Remove from oven, allow them to sit for 3-4 minutes in the pan, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

For the Filling:
1 cup marshmallow creme
¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup powdered sugar

6. Make the Filling: Beat the marshmallow creme and butter on medium speed until soft and light, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar. Once it has all been incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and beat for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or until very light and fluffy.

For the Ganache:
1 bag dark chocolate chips
1 bag milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

7.  Make the Ganache: Head the whipping cream until simmering. In a food processor, mix the chocolate chips. Add the whipping cream in a constant stream when the machine is going. Let process until smooth. Let cool until somewhat thick.

8. To assemble: . When cupcakes are completely cooled, remove a dime sized section from the top, and using a sharp knife (cut out a circle, keeping the "top" intact...you will use it as a plug), then make a hole for the filling (or if you have a cupcake corer, use that, but just make sure you have lots of room for filling- the more, the merrier). Pinch off the point. Fill the hole with a spoonful of filling (or use a pastry bag with a round tip). Then put the top back on. Frost with the ganache.

YUM.

French Silk Pie

A while back, Caitlyn discovered that she liked French Silk Pie. I don't know why we never figured this before; it's essentially just fancy chocolate pie. So, she asked for it for treat one week. I couldn't find a recipe fast enough, and so we just bought one, which she deemed no good. This past week, she asked for it again, and specifically requested that I find a recipe to make it from scratch. I just looked a recipe up on the internet, and it turned out pretty well. It's not as fluffy as I would like it, though. I don't know if it was that I didn't beat the eggs enough, or if a different recipe would work better.

I didn't get a picture before everyone ate it.

1 9-inch pie filing, cooked and cooled
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs

Cream butter in a mixing bowl. Gradually beat in the sugar with an electric mixer until light colored and well blended. Stir in the thoroughly cooled chocolate, and vanilla extract. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating 5 minutes on medium speed after each addition. Spoon the chocolate filling into a cooled, baked pie shell.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

What to Do With All Those Tomatoes

Can salsa? Check.
Can diced tomatoes? Check.
Can crushed tomatoes? Check.

Um...

See a suggestion in the newspaper to oven-roast and then freeze tomatoes to use during the winter?

Cut in half lengthwise, and deseed.

Cover in olive oil, add salt and a little thyme. 

Roast at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes (or a lower temp for longer)

Check.

Caitlyn Makes Dinner

To own up, I was looking through old posts, and found this one. Caitlyn saw and said, "If I make dinner, will you take a picture of it and put it up on the blog." "Of course," I replied.

So, yesterday, when she had suggested chicken for dinner, she asked if she could make it. She did a bit of research, came up with a recipe, and cooked this:

Chicken, seasoned with rosemary and thyme and salt, sauteed in butter.

It was delicious.

Cupcakes, Take 2!

We've tried a couple more cupcake recipes.

First up were Mint Chocolate Chip cupcakes. They sounded good, and even turned out okay:

But, in the end, they weren't minty enough and the cupcake was too dry. So I don't think we'll be making this one again.

The second one we tried was a knockoff Hostess cupcake cupcake.

(I didn't do the trademark swirls. Too much work.)

Initially, the reaction was mixed: the ganache on top was bitter (because I didn't use the corn syrup it called for), and the cream in the middle was weird. But, the next day, the ganache mellowed out, and most people (all but Caitlyn and Kristen) liked the overall effect. Maybe I'll mess with the cream filling (it is kind of weird), and see if we can come up with something else. But, these might be a keeper.

Cupcakes!

It's January. So, of course, we experiment with food (it being cold and yucky outside). This year: cupcakes!

Our first outing was Whipped Vanilla Cupcakes with Whipped Cream. I basically strong-armed Kristen into these, but she was okay with them because they had pink sprinkles. This was our version:

And they were light and fluffy and delicious. And bit of a mess to eat.

Our second outing wasn't cupcakes so much as lava cakes, but since they come in tiny ramekins, I figured I'd count them. Caitlyn found the recipe for us, so all we had to do was put it together (which she did):

And the result of these?

Yummy. If incredibly rich.

Stay tuned for our next bit of small goodness.

Look, Mom!

Butternut squash soup.

And for the record, Russell ate a bowl, I ate a bowl, and Caitlyn tried some.

It wasn't a hit, but at least we tried it, right?

Zucchini Pancakes

As per my mom's request, here is the recipe for these:

About 2 pounds of zucchini
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup minced onion
1/4 cup flour or plain bread crumbs (I used the bread crumbs)
1/2 cup grated Parmesean cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup minced fresh basil or parsley leaves (I probably used both)
4 tablespoons olive oil

Finely grate the zucchini.  combine it with the egg, onion, and bread crumbs, Parmesan, salt, pepper and herbs. Add more bread crumbs if necessary to make a mixture capable of holding it's shape.

Shape them into patties (4-8). If time allows, refrigerate up to 1 hour to allow them to firm up.

When you're ready to cook, place the oil in a large skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. When the oil is hot, place the cakes in the skillet. Cook, turning once, until nicely browned on both sides, about 15 minutes.

101 Things to Do With Zucchini

This becomes an issue when you wantonly plant 3 mounds of zucchini plants in May, saying, "I hope this will be enough," and it turns into enormous piles of zucchini. (You'll have to imagine it, because I didn't take pictures of it.) Then, you start to wonder: what the heck do I DO WITH ALL THIS ZUCCHINI???

Well, for starts, you do what you intended to do with it in the first place:

Grate it up to freeze, so we can have manicotti and zucchini quesadillas all winter.

But after you have more than enough shredded frozen zucchini, then you start to wonder again: WHAT DO I DO WITH IT ALL. Then you grill some... 

Brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper before grilling. Quite yummy.

Then you find a recipe to make pancakes:

With Parmesan cheese in the mix. Also quite yummy.

And you try breading and frying straight:

Meh, not so much.

Then you find another recipe to make Jade Sauce:

Jade Sauce = pureed zucchini with garlic and salt and pepper.

And put that on pasta:

Not bad. Not great, but not bad.

Then you really start getting desperate, and turn to adding zucchini to junk food:

Actually, they're muffins, not cupcakes, but they were quite decadent. And very yummy.

And canning them:

Zucchini pickles. Interesting.

Before you finally turn to a childhood memory:

Zubeefy! Not a big hit around here...

Then you finally call uncle and start giving them away. *whew* Maybe no zucchini plants next year....