making limoncello...

  

i've been wanting to make limoncello for over a year...and...with a nudge from the daughter...we made it today.  

what i'm using...

ingredients...

• 8 meyer lemons, scrubbed
• 1 750-ml bottle of vodka
• 3 cups sugar
• 3.5 cups water

directions...

1. remove the peel from the lemons...careful not to include the white pith (if you do get pith...you should scrape it off with a paring knife). place the lemon peels and vodka into a container and cover.  steep for 4 - 7 days at room temp.  
2. heat sugar in water until it dissolves.  cool to room temperature. add the simple syrup into the vodka to taste...and let sit overnight. strain and discard the peels. pour into clean bottles.  store in the refrigerator or freezer for up to 3 months.  

• sidenote - ours is still steeping..and we're only doing 4 days because she's got to get back to ny. i also plan to divide mine in half and let that half steep longer...as i hear it mellows with age.  

sweet potato pie...

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Mary McLeod Bethune's Sweet Potato Pie

Filling
9 med sweet potatoes or yams (app. 4 lbs.)
1c (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1/2c granulated sugar
1/2c firmly packed brown sugar
1/2tsp salt
1/4tsp nutmeg
3 eggs, well beaten
2c milk
1 Tbsp vanilla

Crust
3 unbaked 9-in Classic Crisco Single Crusts

1. For filling, boil sweet potatoes until tender. Peel and mash.

2. Heat oven to 350

3. Combine butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt and nutmeg in a lg bowl. Beat at med speed of electric mixer until creamy. Beat in sweet potatoes, until well mixed. Beat in eggs. Beat in milk and vanilla slowly. Spoon into 3 unbaked pie shells, using about 4 cups filling per shell.

4. Bake at 350 for 50-60 min. or until set. Cool to room temp before serving. Store in refrigerator.

***

i have been making this recipe for YEARS...and think it is delish!!! 

i bake my sweet potatoes instead of boiling them, and i use frozen pie crusts.  i also use splenda blend white and brown sugar...and added a tbsp of spiced rum with the vanilla this year.

happy thanksgiving...

i love holidays!  all of them!  thanksgiving, christimas & my birthday (yes...i consider it a holiday) are my faves!  i look forward to them with great anticipation.  i tire myself out getting ready for them.  and then...on the actual day...i rejuvenate, relax & enjoy.  

this year...while my life is not perfect (and really...it never has been)...i have a lot to be thankful for.  

i'm thankful that while my employer is not having the stellar year we had last year...i am among the employed.  

i'm thankful that my mortgage is not upside down...and while my house is not worth what it was a couple of years ago...its still worth more than i paid for it.  

i'm thankful that my daughter's company that she interned with while at nyu...and free-lanced with for the past couple of years has hired her as an employee...with benefits!  

i'm thankful for my loving family...near and far.  blood is thicker than water.  we've had some challenges this year that faith has seen us thru.  

i'm thankful for friends.  we may not see each other often...but you're always in my thoughts.  

i'm thankful for the life that i live...and with grace...i will continue to be blessed.  

i hope and pray that you are having a wonderful day...surrounded by those you care about.  

putting up pesto...

each year i grow herbs.  rosemary, oregano & basil.  two of the types of basil i planted this year have outdone themselves.  what are they?  thai basil and lemon basil.  

i planted both of them back in the spring...and today...yes in november...they are still thriving...and almost two feet tall.  

perhaps they're doing so well because of the frequent cuttings i take from them.  you see...when i'm cooking...i love using fresh herbs & go to the patio for them.  daily.  i also take cuttings to co-workers and clients.  and yes...i've also cut a few branches and hung them to dry...but on monday....i made pesto.  

the ingredients...
2 cups fresh basil leaved, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan-reggiano or romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pinenuts or walnuts (i use pecans) 
2-3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 Combine the basil & the nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor.  Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. 

3 If you plan to freeze the pesto...transfer to an air-tight container and drizzle olive oil over the top.  Freeze for up to 3 months.  To serve...thaw & stir in cheese, salt & pepper.  *I've even added it to hot pasta straight from the freezer & grated the cheese into the dish.  

4If you don't plant to freeze the pesto...Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. 

Makes 1 cup.

fruit salad...

my photography meetup group had a bbq today at 4:30 p.m.  i took a fruit salad (and my homemade bread & butter pickles). mrchazman volunteered to go to the store for my ingredients this morning.  i made a list...and then explained it.  explicitly!

my local grocer was having a sale...BOGO...so that is where i wanted him to go. 

the ingredients...

• strawberries
• blackberries
• blueberries
• raspberries
• peaches
• nectarines
• cantalope
• honeydew
• pineapple
• grapes
• lemons (for zest & juice)

he came home with everything but blueberries...because the store was out of them.  :(  oh well...i've enough other fruits. 

the recipe is simple. wash the fruit.  cut it into bite-sized pieces.  combine.   zest the lemon. add a bit of sugar (or not).  

mix.  chill.  serve. 

***

p.s.  it's now 11:30 p.m., and we just recently returned home from the bbq.  it was a fun event.  with great people.  i'm looking forward to the next one. 

bread-n-butter pickles...

this year...i grew pickling cucumbers for the first time.  today...i'm making pickles.  

during my lunch break today...i ran by tar-jay (as my 4square buddies know) to pick up a few ingredients i was missing.  since they didn't have all of the spices i needed...after work i had to run by the grocery store.  

there are quite a few different recipes out there for pickles...but i didn't want to do any water baths...i wanted to make a quick and easy refrigerator pickle.  i found a recipe on one of my fave food blogs...smitten kitchen.

what will i do differently next time? 

• slice the cucumbers a bit thicker than i did.  
• rinse the cucumbers and onions after their salt bath. 
• add a few red pepper flakes. 
• add less sugar. 

all-in-all...i am pleased with the results...and am anxiously awaiting the next crop of cukes.

blackened salmon...

it's good...but it's VERY spicy.  

recipe from the foodnetwork...is below.   

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon cayenne
• 10 sprigs fresh thyme, washed, leaves removed and chopped
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano leaves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 (6 to 7-ounce) pieces salmon, pin bones removed, skin-on
• 3 to 4 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 lemons, zested and juiced

Directions

In a small bowl, add the paprika, cayenne, thyme and oregano and salt and mix to blend. Put the mixture on a plate or other flat surface and coat the portions of salmon, 1 at a time, on the flesh side only.

Heat a large heavy-bottomed pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat, and add the oil. When the oil begins to smoke quite heavily shut the heat off under the pan. Add the salmon, 1 at a time, in a single layer, flesh side down, in the oil. Turn the heat back on under the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Use a spatula to turn the salmon to the other side. Cook the salmon over medium heat, until the skin becomes crispy, about 5 to 6 minutes. 

Arrange the salmon on a platter, sprinkle with lemon zest and lemon juice and serve immediately.

homemade tomato soup...

today was a pretty busy day.  we had family visiting from out of town and headed out early this morning for breakfast in napa.  after breakfast and a bit of running around...i finally made it home in the early afternoon.  

i had picked quite a few tomatoes from my garden and begin browsing through my cookbooks for a tomato soup recipe.  i found a couple of recipes...and after reading thru them...knew the basics of what i should do.  

first...i roasted the tomatoes.  and a couple of red peppers.  and an onion.  romesco style.  whole.  skin on.  drizzled in olive oil.  sprinkled with kosher salt.  

while the veggies cooled...i sauted garlic and shallots in butter.  added a bit of broth.  some tomato paste.  & lots of fresh herbs from my garden.  

served with focaccia bread and sparkling wine.  i'm anxiously looking forward to the next harvest in a few days. 

herb crusted snapper...

so...this past weekend i was playing catch-up with my magazines.  truth be told...i only got thru the june issue of my food network mag...but that was enough to give me my idea for tonight's dinner.  

i grow quite a few herbs in my garden...and was drawn to the article on emeril and his new cookbook (farm to fork).  i make my own pestos..  i infuse my own oils.  i've never used herbs for breadcrumbs.  until today!  

fish - red snapper

herb topping - cilantro, dill, lemon zest, kosher salt, pepper.  

directions - drizzle olive oil on fish.  dip into herbs.    *bake on a bed of lemon slices & shallots at 400 degrees for 15-20 min. 

served w/rosemary roast potatoes & tossed salad.  delish!  

there was another fish recipe in the mag...sicilian swordfish...and nuts were added to the topping.  perhaps i'll try that one next time.  

btw...i hope you know...these are non-recipe recipes.  i cook with what we like...and what i have on hand w/o having to go to the store.  #justsayin

stir-fry...

posting to the blog two days in a row.  i'm as shocked as you!   don't worry...i won't be posting tomorrow.  it's just that when i was getting ready to make dinner tonight...and had laid the veggies out on the cutting board...i saw a photograph.  

well...one thing lead to another...and next thing i knew...i was photographing the different stages of the meal prep.  

it was filling, tasty & healthy...and will also be tomorrow's lunch! 

pesto pizza...

i wasn't really sure what we were having for dinner tonight (didn't plan a thing) and while looking thru one of my fresh cookbooks...came across this recipe for 'just like pauline's pesto pizza.  that's what i'll make!!!

i keep a supply of homemade pesto in my freezer...and i ALWAYS have cheese.  good thing i picked up a pizza dough when i ran thru trader joe's at lunchtime today.  

the pizza is SIMPLE!!!  dough.  cheese.  pesto.  *though i did add a touch of red sauce...and a thinly sliced shallot.  it doesn't get much simpler than that...unless you're talking pasta & pesto.  but...that's another one of my 'go-to' meals.  

the most difficult part of this dinner was grating the parmesan cheese.   mrchazman happened to walk into the kitchen when i was telling him how i had to be VERY CAREFUL so i wouldn't lose a knuckle.  he said...you should use the holder for that slicing thing you have.  i'm like...the mandoline?  PERFECT!!!  

the cheese was grated lickety-split  and added to the pesto...along with a bit more olive oil.  *when you prepare pesto for freezing you don't added the cheese.  the pesto is brushed over the hot pizza when it is removed from the oven. 

dinner is served!
dessert? 
vanilla cupcakes & strawberries. 

father's day grillin...

so...i decided to bbq today.  i guess i thought i was cooking for an army...because i definitely cooked enough food to feed one.  

mrchazman and i started out the day puttering around in the backyard.  i watered the veggies and flowers...and he rearranged plants on the patio and prepped the grill. 

i went to the freezer and removed chicken...shrimp...and steak.  then...i washed some lettuce for the salad.  veggies were being grilled on the food network this morning...so i decided to grill some too.   

i went to a local produce stand...where...after checking in (foursquare)...i was happily informed that i was now the mayor!  yippee!!!! 

i purchased some eggplant...red & yellow peppers...and a humongous onion.  i also got some more corn on the cob.  oh...and some more of those cherries...because i'd already eaten the ones i got yesterday. 

armed with my purchases...i came home and lit the grill while i prepped the veggies (cut & drizzled with olive oil & seasoned with kosher salt n pepper).  i'd also picked up some links (turkey) while i was out...so they and the chicken hit the grill first.  

when i finally called mrchazman to dinner...he wondered how he was supposed to put all that food on his plate.  i told him..."i've cooked for the week...so every day...eat something different". 

when i was out earlier...i also made a run by sweetie pies and picked up some apricot berry cobbler for dessert.  though he ate a light dinner...he made sure he saved room for dessert.  . 

lentil vegetable soup...

this is only the second time i've cooked lentils...and both times...i've made soup.  the first time...i followed a crock pot recipe that i have...and added meatballs at the end.  this time...i followed the recipe one of my favorite tv personalities...the barefoot contessa.  

honestly...i don't really follow recipes.  i use them as more of a guideline for what i can and cannot get away with.  

french green lentils.

***

chopped sweet onion.

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thyme, oregano and marjoram (from my garden).

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carrots and celery.

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low sodium vegetable broth.

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another view of the soup.  

***

i grated parmesean cheese over the top after the photo.  the soup was a bit spicy...as i used my flavored olive oil to saute the veggies...and also added red pepper flakes and quite a bit of black pepper and grains of paradise to the pot while cooking.   

***

herb focaccia bread.  

***

i was so ready to start eating...and grey's anatomy was about to start...that i tore off a piece of the bread and dipped it into my soup before realizing i wanted a photo. 

the recipe makes 8 to 10 services...and because we have other plans for dinner for the next few nights...i stashed individual-sized servings in the freezer for those days when i really don't feel like cooking...but don't want take out.