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Blueberry Pie

On the summer solstice, just at the end of the long day, I headed out to the blueberry farm with my friend and my son. I like to take Max along since he is able to pick at my pace, doubling our take. The blueberry farm was serene, and as dusk came the fireflies became visible, creating a magical image. For those in the area, the berries are just now becoming ripe at Pontious Farm.

In return for Max’s labors I promised him a blueberry pie, which I wound up baking at 10:00 pm, but that’s what summer’s for.

Blueberry Pie

For the filling:

  • 4 c. fresh blueberries
  • 1 c. sugar (scant)
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 c. cornstarch mixed with 1/4 c. cold water
  • 3/4 c. hot water
  • juice of 1/2 lemon

Combine 1/2 c. blueberries, cornstarch mixture and hot water in a small pan. Cook over low heat, using the spoon to crush the berries against the side of the pan, and stirring constantly until the mixture gets thick and dark. Stir in the lemon juice and pour this mixture over the remaining blueberries.

For the crust:

  • 2-1/2 c. flour
  • 3/4 tsp. baking powder
  • 1-1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 c. butter
  • 1/2 c. Crisco
  • 7 Tbs. cold water

Cut butter and Crisco into dry ingredients. Toss in water and form into a ball. Divide into two. Roll out half for bottom, pour in filling. Roll out second ball of dough and place over filling. Prick with a fork. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, then remove pie and form a foil collar around edge of crust. Return to oven for 15-20 more minutes.

If you can stand it, let the pie cool before cutting, or it will be very runny. It will firm up after it’s cool.

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The best food I’ve ever tasted was given to me by a friend.

 

One of the best meals I ever had was broccoli beef stir fry, gifted to me by my friend Jani.

 

The day that I lost my first pregnancy, about 16 years ago, Jani called to ask if we’d made plans for dinner. It really was the last thing on my mind, and so we numbly accepted our friend’s offer of a meal. Jani, with four children of her own, took the time to make the phone call, prepare something extra, and with her youngest boy in tow she walked the meal over to our house. I still can picture it: broccoli beef stir fry, sitting on a bed of rice, with some shortbread still warm from the oven. It almost brings me to tears remembering her kindness, but then I’m a sucker for the gift of a meal.

I remember the container of frozen vegetable soup that an acquaintance—someone I had struck up a conversation with in the grocery store and later had run into at the park—dropped by my house during the week before I had my second baby. It was the middle of summer and I thought that it was so odd to give soup in June in Albuquerque. But after I was home with Molly, my appetite soaring, that soup was amazingly satisfying and delicious. I could taste the care that went into the chopping of each vegetable. Superb soup.

I remember Bev knocking on my door the day we moved into this house, ten years ago. Moving across country with three small children had left us just a little bit weary! “Would it be alright if I brought over some soup for your supper?” she asked. It was a vegetable beef soup, so perfect for a February night.

And Leo, my brother-in-law. What a mensch. Leo took a week off from his life to stay at my house and take care of my dad while our family traveled. When we walked in the door after a long day of driving, he had a meal of barbecued chicken, along with three or four side dishes, hot and on the table just as we walked in the door.

If I don’t check my blog, I can’t tell you what I made for dinner last week. I don’t remember the finest meal that I ever prepared, but I remember with rich detail the meals that were gifted my way. From my friends, I hope, I’ve learned to pass it on. When we hear that a friend is in crisis the phone call can feel awkward, but go ahead and make the call, ask if they would mind if you stopped by with a little soup.

This is Jani’s recipe:

Broccoli and Beef

Cut a piece of steak into bite sized pieces. Marinate it in soy sauce, a bit of rice wine, some sugar, oyster sauce (if you have some). Set aside.

Chop up some garlic (1 or 2 cloves), ginger (1 or 2 slices chopped into slivers) and green onions. Set aside.

Cut up broccoli and any other vegies you have on hand. Set aside.

Heat a tablespoon of peanut or vegetable oil in a large pan or wok. When hot throw in the ginger, green onions and garlic. Stir fry until fragrant. Add beef. Cook until barely done. Remove, and set aside.

Add a bit more oil to the pan (1/2 T.). Throw in the broccoli. Stir fry until they are all coated with the oil. Add a bit of water and cover. Steam until almost the way you want to eat them, then add the beef. Stir fry. When it is nearly done you can add soy sauce, a bit of sugar, some rice wine, more oyster sauce, some slices of green onion. Stir around and serve with rice.

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My misadventure with Father’s Day breakfast scones.

The third time was the charm for these sour cherry scones.

There’s no gift like a good breakfast, right? That’s what I thought as I prepared to whip up some sour cherry scones for my husband on Father’s Day. I dipped into my prized stash of frozen cherries, mixed up the scones, popped them in the oven, and then glanced back at the recipe. I had forgotten to add any sugar. As my daughter would say, “Fail.”

I washed and dried all of the utensils and set about on round two. The second batch was tasty and lovely and also FLAT. I served them, but I also puzzled over their flatness for half of the day.

That afternoon I decided to give it one more try, and I made the recipe with less liquid and baked them at a little higher temperature, achieving a taller, flakier scone. This one I’m happy to share:

Sour Cherry Scones (makes 12)

  • 2 c. flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 3 Tbs. sugar
  • 6 Tbs. butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 c. vanilla yogurt
  • 1 c. whole sour cherries, pitted (may substitute blueberries, dried cherries, cranberries or raspberries)
  • granulated sugar

Mix together the dry ingredients and cut in the butter. Mix together the egg and the yogurt, add the cherries and fold into the dry ingredients. The scones may be formed in several different ways: drop them by large spoonful; divide into two parts, pat each into a circle, and cut each into 6 wedges; or pat out on a floured board and cut into circles with a large biscuit cutter. Place the formed scones onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Lightly sprinkle each scone with a little granulated sugar. Bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees.

When cool, you may drizzle them with a sugar glaze:

Glaze

Mix together the following:

  • 1 c. powdered sugar
  • 2 Tbs. milk
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Making the table festive for Father’s Day

Use part of your dinner menu to decorate the plates at the table.

We had been traveling and I was ill-prepared for Father’s Day this year. But I did fix a special meal, splurging on some beef tenderloin for the grill. The fresh pineapple was going to be cut up and served with the dinner, but I decided to cut it length-wise into sixths and place a leafy wedge on everyone’s plate at the table. The pineapple added a lot of color to the table, as well as making the meal feel more festive.

Look for beauty in the simple details, and enjoy!

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Pasta Salad

This pasta salad doubles as your vegetable dish.

This is our favorite pasta salad—it’s officially summer when this is served. I like this recipe because it is very light and flavorful and  is loaded with a lot of different vegetables. If you’re a meat eater and want to eat this as a main course, add some cubed, cooked chicken and serve with a crusty bread and some fresh melon.

Pasta Salad

  • 3 c. various shaped pasta, cooked al dente, then drained and rinsed under cold water
  • 5 c. vegetables, any combination of the following (to blanch any of the vegetables just add them to the pasta water 1 minute before the pasta is finished cooking):
  • sliced black olives
  • quartered artichoke hearts
  • blanched broccoli florets
  • sliced cherry tomatoes
  • sliced sweet red peppers
  • sliced celery
  • chopped fresh parsley
  • blanched mushrooms
  • blanched sliced sweet onions
  • blanched thinly sliced carrots
  • 1 c. cubed, cooked chicken (optional)

Mix all of the following dressing ingredients in a blender, then pour over the pasta and vegetables:

  • 3/4 c. mayonnaise
  • 1/2 c. red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 c. olive oil
  • 1 Tbs. sugar
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 1-1/2 tsp. oregano
  • 1-1/2 tsp. basil
  • 1 tsp. ground pepper
  • 1 large clove garlic

Stir everything together, chill for an hour or more before serving.

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Homemade thin crust pizza

This is almost easier than calling in an order and waiting for the pizza delivery guy. Sometimes I use part whole wheat flour—it depends on how healthy I’m feeling. Use whatever toppings you love, and don’t forget things like minced fresh garlic, chopped spinach or broccoli.

Homemade Thin Crust Pizza

For the dough:

  • 1 c. warm water
  • 2-1/4 tsp (1 package) yeast
  • 2 Tbs. olive oil
  • 3 c. flour
  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Dissolve the yeast in the water, add the oil, and mix in the flour a bit at a time, and then knead in just enough to make a smooth and elastic dough. The kneading should take you about 10 minutes. I do mine in the Kitchenaid mixer, with the dough hook,  for 7 or 8 minutes.
  3. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
  4. Grease two 12-inch round pizza pans, sprinkle with some corn meal (if you like) and shake off the excess.
  5. Divide the dough in half, roll out each piece and place into the prepared pizza pan.
  6. Bake for 12 minutes or until brown.

To prepare the pizzas:

  • 1 12 oz can tomato sauce
  • oregano
  • basil
  • garlic powder
  • red pepper flakes (if you want your pizza a little spicey)
  • 1 lb. grated mozzarella cheese
  • 2 c. sliced vegetables such as sweet onion, green pepper, mushrooms, black olives, tomatoes
  • 1 package sliced pepperoni (if you want some meat), or
  • 1/2 pound Italian sausage, crumbled

For each pizza, spread about 1/2 cup of tomato sauce over the hot pizza crust. Sprinkle with herbs, top with vegetables and then the cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the top is slightly browned.

Also, this makes a wonderful kids’ activity to get little children involved with cooking. They can make their own mini pizzas and put on their own toppings.

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Ida’s Yeast Cake

Ida’s yeast cake is rising on my attic floor. While the a.c. is running downstairs, the attic is hot and steamy and a terrific place to leave a yeast cake to rise. This is the dough our family uses to make hamentashen for Purim, and it also makes wonderful babkas and coffee cakes. Today I’m making two coffee cakes, filled with almonds, golden raisins, chocolate chips, cinnamon and honey.

The following is all I have for the recipe:

This is the recipe—just a list.

I’m really never sure in what order to mix them, but it always turns out just fine. Mix together the ingredients, then refrigerate for about an hour. This recipe will make enough dough for two good sized coffee cakes, or for one babka, which would be baked in a bundt pan. For the coffee cake, divide the dough into two, roll out very thin and fill with whatever sounds good. Then roll it up, coil it into a circle and tuck the end under. Let rise, covered, for 1 hour. Then bake at 325 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until nicely browned. If you want the coffee cake to be covered with chocolate, then remove it from the oven and sprinkle on some chocolate chips. Put it back in the oven for 1 minute, then take it out and use a metal knife to spread the chocolate around. Sprinkle on some nuts or more chips if you like.

This coffee cake is filled with honey, cinnamon, golden raisins, chocolate chips and slivered almonds.

All coiled up and rising in the hot, steamy attic.

Ingredients

  • 1 c. milk, warmed
  • 1 Tbs. yeast
  • pinch of sugar
  • 2 sticks butter, softened
  • ½ c. sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 4 c. flour
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. grated lemon rind

For the filling—use any/all/other:

  • chocolate chips
  • golden raisins
  • a drizzle of honey
  • a sprinkle of cinnamon
  • slivered almonds

Directions

  • In a small bowl, stir together the warm milk, the yeast and the pinch of sugar. Set aside to proof.
  • Cream together the butter and sugar.
  • Add the eggs, one at a time, mix together (it will be lumpy), then add the salt and lemon rind.
  • Stir in half the flour, then the milk/yeast mixture, then the rest of the flour. Mix well.
  • Refrigerate the dough for one hour or overnight.
  • On a liberally floured board, roll out dough to about 1/8˝ thickness.

    Cover dough with desired filling. From the long edge, roll up the dough into a tight coil.

  • Form the coffee cakes, each one on its own greased baking sheet.
    For a thicker coffee cake: form a simple spiral, tucking the end under.
    For a fluted-edge, fancy coffee cake (at right): form coil into a C-shape. Make slits in the dough, at about 2″ intervals, cutting about halfway through the coil. Lift each of the 2″ segments and turn 90°.

  • Cover the cakes with a towel. Preheat the oven to 350˚. Let cakes rise for 30 minutes. Bake for about 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Loosen the cakes and when slightly cooled, transfer to a cooling rack.

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Peppered Cauliflower with Cabbage and Swiss Chard

It pays to be inventive when you have a few different leftover vegetables. That’s what I did tonight and I created something sweet and delicious. Forget about the leg of lamb at tonight’s table, for me the highlight of the meal was this cauliflower dish.

Peppered Cauliflower with Cabbage and Swiss Chard

  • 1/2 head cauliflower, broken into tiny florets
  • 1/3 head cabbage, chopped
  • 1 sweet onion, chopped
  • 3 stalks colored Swiss chard, chopped (green chard is okay, but this dish benefits from a little color)
  • 3 Tbs. olive oil
  • coarsely ground pepper
  • salt

The trick to this dish is to make all of the ingredients the same size, so that everything cooks at the same rate. For the cauliflower, use a knife to cut off the tiniest little florets. Save the rest of the cauliflower for a stir fry or soup.

Heat the oil, add all the vegetables and cook until the cauliflower is just a bit tender. Grind on a lot of pepper and sprinkle with salt, coarse kosher salt if you have it.