Malaysian Cognac-Coconut Shrimp

15-minute meals always get my attention, and if you like  coconut with  shrimp, you'll be grateful for this entree, which elevates it  light-years  beyond the ubiquitous  coconut-crusted frozen  shrimp sold as appetizers  everywhere.

Here, the  toasted coconut is not a crust; it's  only on the shrimp as part of a very scant, very thin  but very delicious glaze  that is spooned over  shrimp and   brown, saffron,  jasmine,  or white rice.  Because we live far, far from civilization and I must grow my own red Thai bird peppers, this dish only appears  on our  table in summer.  I really need to experiment with more readily available hot peppers.

   Thai bird peppers can be  tiny, and if you don't like 'hot', no problem, they're not meant to be ingested here anyway----  use them whole  --- then  simply pluck them out  when serving or better yet, leave them in for color and remind people not to eat them.   But don't just skip using them; they add an important depth of flavor to the dish.

This goes together quickly, so have  all your ingredients next to the stove, and your rice  and sides ready before you begin the shrimp.  Shrimp toughens too quickly  for the cook to be  collecting  what you need as they're cooking.

Use a pound of the largest raw shrimp you can find  -  shell  & clean them well, rinse, butterfly,  and dry thoroughly  on paper towels.  In a small  dry skillet, toast 1/4 cup flaked or chipped coconut, stirring very frequently so it  browns evenly but doesn't burn. Set  aside. Chipped ( flat chips, flaked) coconut is worth looking for.

In a large wok or pan, heat 1-2 TB  veg oil til just  it begins smoking and add the shrimp just briefly- a minute or two, until you think they are about halfway cooked; then remove from the pan.  Add 3 green  onions, green and whites,  cut in 2" lengths, a TB of chopped garlic, a big pinch of salt and  maybe a half dozen little  red Thai bird peppers.  Don't skip the peppers!  Stir just briefly, for less than a minute, before adding 4 TB butter, 6 TB cognac, 2 tsp sugar. Reduce a minute or two, then return the shrimp to the pan and finish cooking   for a couple minutes more.  The sauce should  glaze  the shrimp.  Stir in the  toasted coconut and serve immediately, spooning the sauce over the shrimp.  It's tempting to use a very large pan, but your sauce will  cook off too quickly over a larger surface and there won't be enough; better to use a medium skillet,  cook the shrimp in two batches, then combine them  at the end.

Credit for this recipe may go to Jaden Hair, although I've seen it several places...once a recipe circulates thru magazines and the internet, it's hard to know who invented and who tweaked what. In any case,  it's  simply delicious!

Panzanella- an Italian Bread Salad

I can't think of a better way to use up a big batch of ripe tomatoes and a load of fresh basil.  The crusty bread soaks up the tomatoes' juices, the basil and onion flavors, and the red-wine vinaigrette, yet doesn't  get soggy.  As  a variation, I sometimes add  very thinly sliced, then shredded, hard or Genoa salami.

Panzanella's aren't new, but whenever I  serve this salad it's  invariably  a new  concept for someone, and certainly a conversation-starter, as they dubiously  consider  trying soaked bread. It only takes a bite to make  them panzanella fans. It's  the perfect dish for an outdoor meal, since there are no  concerns about refrigeration or spoilage in the heat of a summer day.

Unless you are fortunate to live somewhere where tomatoes are grown year round, this will be a seasonal dish, because supermarket tomatoes imported from who knows where just won't cut it. It's simple to make a half-batch if you prefer , but don't let the initial amount of bread alarm you --- it reduces dramatically in size when it absorbs all those lovely summery flavors.

For 12-15 servings:    In a very large bowl,  whisk together 1 1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil, 2 1/2 tsp finely chopped  garlic, 1/2 c. red-wine vinegar and 1 1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt.

Add to the bowl: 2 lbs. crusty,  firm  bread- such as French or Italian - torn in  half-dollar size pieces.  Two lbs is about 24 cups of bread -- hey, I  warned you it  will seem crazy -- but  not to worry, it 'shrinks'.  Add 3 lbs ( 9 cups) of garden-ripe tomatoes cut in 1/2 " chunks,  3 cups of loosely packed, coarsely chopped fresh basil, and 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced and then chopped.     Toss it  well,  til the bread is coated,  and let it stand for at least 30 minutes.  An hour or two is fine. Really.  Sogginess isn't an issue for at least a day or two.   Don't refrigerate this salad, except for  overnight leftovers, and then let it come to room temperature again..    

 

Bacon- Tomato Jam and Bacon-Wrapped Strawberries

 

 

There's no point in suggesting you  need new ways to use up 'extra' bacon  - is there such a thing?  but we often have loads of  vine-ripe tomatoes that need to be used.    Here are  two ways.    The jam recipe  just makes one pint, so take your neighbors up on  their offers  of ripe tomatoes next time and make a big batch  to share.  I've never  used purchased tomatoes  for this so can't vouch for what they'd taste like.

Tomato Bacon Jam

In a large skillet over medium heat cook ½ lb smoked bacon til crispy. Transfer to paper towels to drain, blotting dry if necessary.   In a large saucepan combine 2 lb. very ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped; 1 medium yellow onion, diced; 1 c. sugar; 2 ½ TB cider vinegar, 1 ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring often, then reduce heat .  Crumble the bacon into the mixture and simmer til very thick, about 1  hour.  Season with salt and pepper if needed (probably not salt).  Let the jam cook briefly, then ladle into jar.  Refrigerate a week or two, or freeze for 2-3 months.  If freezing, freeze in several  small containers.  Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator.  If you like some heat, add more black pepper, or finely diced jalapenos. A great condiment for grilled cheese sandwiches,  burgers,  on a cracker, or with toast  or  bagels   for breakfast.

Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Strawberries

Clean the berries ( small-medium ones work best for one-bite  portions) and wrap each in 1/3  slice of raw bacon - fasten with two toothpicks, which may catch fire  but  that's OK.   You can also try  lightly coating  the "inside'  of the bacon strip in brown sugar before wrapping.    Place on a hot grill and turn often til crisp. Remove the picks of course, and enjoy warm, possibly with a drizleof balsmic.   Fresh  pineapple is good too, but then what  isn't  good wrapped in bacon?

   

S'mores To Go

 

Hardly a recipe but an idea....  a fun way to serve a bite of deliciousness..... skewer a marshmallow, dip in melted semisweet chocolate, and immediately roll it  in  graham cracker crumbs.  Place on foil or parchment .      Pop the tray into the fridge for  a few  minutes to help harden it; this is not necessary, but I  think any chocolate that  tempers ( hardens)  in cooler temps  is much  less  likely to soften/melt  later.  To dress up the skewer, you know, for formal   s'more occasions, leave the pointy end UP and put a chocolate-covered raisin on it.   If made a day ahead, cover the  tray so the exposed marshmallow area stays soft, but don't cover tightly. Don't  store in the fridge, but they do freeze well  for future s'more emergencies.

Spaghetti with Crab and Lemon

Fresh lemon is essential for this dish, so  don't even think about using bottled juice, or worse yet,  using fake "krab" !  I can hardly type it without shuddering.  It'  goes together quickly and tastes like the sea.

Cook  a pound of spaghetti or fettuccine in a pot of boiling salted water to al dente.   While it's cooking, heat 2 TB extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet.  Gently stir in a  pound of cooked lump crab meat and heat til it's warmed through.  Add  1/4 c. white wine.  Bring the liquid  just to the boiling point, then turn the heat down and add 1/2 c.  fresh lemon juice and lots of salt and pepper.

Drain your pasta and be sure to save about 1/2 c of the pasta water.   Add the pasta to the skillet along with 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a handful of  chopped fresh parsley.  Add a little of the reserved pasta water  as needed to loosen it slightly, and  serve with  more Parmesan. Serves at least  4.

Pineapple Upside Down Carrot Cake

No need to choose between pineapple upside down cake and carrot cake.....  there's  cream cheese inside instead of  on top as icing, and raisins, nuts, and a crushed pineapple topping. 

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt 1/2 stick butter in   a 10" square or round pan, then sprinkle it with 3/4 c. light brown  sugar, packed,  then  (SAVE the juice)  spread a 20-oz can of well drained,  crushed pineapple  over that, and finally, sprinkle on 2 TB chopped walnuts or pecans.

With a mixer, cream 8 oz  room-temperature  cream cheese  til smooth, then add 1 c sugar.  Mix, then add 2 eggs, one at time, beating well.  Blend in  1/4 c. reserved  pineapple juice or syrup, and 1/2 c.  veg oil ( not olive).   Mix dry ingredients  together ( 1 3/4 c. flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon. )      Add dry  mixture  to wet mixture,  beat til well combined.   Fold in by hand: 1 cup finely shredded raw carrot, 3/4 c. raisins,  2 TB finely chopped nuts.   Blend well. This is a heavy batter.

Spoon batter evenly over the pineapple topping.   Bake about 30-35 minutes. Remove and let sit on a wire rack for 3-4 minutes - don't let it cool there.  Run a knife around edges to loosen the cake, then invert onto a serving plate.  Let the pan sit on it for a minute or two so  any syrup will drain off onto the cake.  Let cool.

Cinnabon Cheesecake

So, what could  be more sinful  than cheesecake or cream-cheese frosted Cinnabon rolls?  Umm.... that would be  Cinnabons inside a cheesecake.... with an extra layer of cream cheese icing and a cinnamon-sugar swirl.  Like most cheesecakes, it goes together quickly. No need for a crust; the buns  take care of that step.

Preheat the oven for at least 15 minutes to 325.  Place racks on the lower  part of the oven and another in the center. Use a large flat-ish pan...maybe a roaster or deep  9x13, half-filled with water, on the bottom shelf to keep the oven  moist.

Use about 1 lb  mini   iced Cinnabons ( or substitutes below) cut in half vertically to lay over the bottom of a well sprayed 9" springform pan.Put  them in cut-side down. No need to cram tightly. 

On medium speed, beat  32 oz room-temp cream cheese with 1 1/2 c sugar til light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in 5 eggs, one at a time. Add 1/4 c. flour, 8 oz sour cream, 1 TB vanilla; beat til well combined and smooth.  Pour batter over the buns; jiggle a little to get it in between any gaps in buns.

Bake 1 hour on the center rack, or til center jiggles  just slightly. Turn oven off and leave it in there  for about an hour.  Remove and cool completely on a rack.  When  completely  cool, spread on the  topping, then  the drizzle, in any pattern you like. I didn't do it in this photo but  it's fun to use the drizzle to draw on circles like individual cinnabuns, so the top  appears  like a pan of buns.

As for the Cinnabons, no doubt, they are wonderful but pricey as an ingredient--- if you have an acceptably close version of frosted cinnamon buns  available, use it. Here in the Great Lakes states  the Meijer grocery chain's bakery department  sells a wonderful ( and  far less expensive) box of heavily frosted cinnabuns called Cinncredible, or something similar. Since they aren't "mini's" they'll be higher than  they should be ... I trimmed about an inch off the bottoms ... the icing is really thick so there's no chance I'd have trmmed that!  The buns shouldn't come more than  2/3 up the sides of your pan.

So here's the topping: Beat 3 oz cream cheese with 3 TB butter til well blended, 1-2 minutes. Gradually beat in 1 c. powdered sugar, then 1 TB milk, til smooth.  Refrigerate til you're ready to put in on the cheesecake.

The drizzle: In a small nuke-able bowl mix 2 TB packed dark brown sugar, 1 TB butter, 1/4 tsp  cinnamon.  Then nuke it on high in 15-second intervals, til it's melted and smooth; cool just slightly, it needs to  flow but  be cool enough to handle.  Place in a small ziplock bag, cut off the tip, and use it to make your design on the topping. Re-nuke if you wait too long and it hardens up.

Mahogany Balsamic Chicken

Robin Mather,   if  you're Googling yourself and come across this, I owe you  thanks for about 20 years of enjoyment for this recipe alone.   I like this because the color, as well as the  taste, is so  rich and dark and unusual. I've given it  a new name, because I no longer recall the original name, but  your recipe remains pretty much intact.

Robin Mather was the food writer for the Detroit News and Free Press in the 80's. Although it's  not a 'diet'  recipe at all, its low calorie, low carb, low sodium, low fat.  It's a can't - miss choice.

Dust 4 chicken breast halves in  2 TB flour. If you open the package and find thick or enormous breasts, consider cutting them in half horizontally, which will create cutlets and make cooking faster.  The flouring is an optional step that I frequently skip, or use soy flour, since I'm generally trying to be cognizant of carbs.  Pan fry in 2 TB hot olive oil in a skillet  over medium  heat til browned on both sides, about 8 minutes, total.  Add 8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms, cook and stir for a couple minutes, then stir in 2 cloves of garlic, chopped, 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar, 1/3 c. low fat/low sodium chicken broth ( of course you can use full fat if you choose), a large bay leaf or two, 2 pinches thyme.

Cover and cook about 6 minutes over medium heat.  Remove the chicken, raise the heat and cook uncovered over medium-high heat about 5 minutes while the sauce reduces.  Put the chicken back in the pan and  turn  a time or two.

Serve with the thin but incredibly delicious sauce.  Leftovers are wonderful warmed up.  I often make a larger batch and freeze individual portions in sandwich bags for a quick freezer-to-table dinner..

Orange-Glazed Salmon

The simple, spicy rub delivers that elusive rich heat & depth of flavor that  teeters precariously on the edge of  'hot' without quite going there....although if that's your desire, it's easy enough to do. The dark, sweet, caramelized  crust is packed with both  spice and sweetness, an intriguing combination that has this quick dish appearing on our table with some frequency.

Make  an effort to find  the Seville orange marmalade. Seville oranges have  more flavor and are more acidic  than the usual brands, such as Smuckers.There are several brands  of 'better-quality' marmalade.....among them,   Duerr's, and Crosse & Blackwell , and Trader Joe's carries a decent version as well.  If  you really must use  a non-Seville marm, be  aware  you'll need to increase the lime juice to offset the weaker, too-sugary brands.

I like to serve it with sweet potato fries  and  a green salad.

Make a rub with 2 TB salt-free Creole seasoning, 1 heaping TB brown sugar ( substitutes work fine), and 1/4 tsp kosher salt.  Rub over all sides of 4  6-oz salmon fillets, skin removed.   If you  like 'hot', use 3 TB of the Creole seasoning.   Heat a large non-stick skillet  with 2 TB canola oil ( not olive oil) over medium high heat. Be sure the oil is shimmering, then add the fillets.  Don't  attempt to move or turn them for about 4 minutes.   Then turn and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.

Blend 1/4 c. Seville orange marmalade with 1 TB fresh lime juice ( you'll need one lime); swirl  it around in the pan until it's melted, then carefully turn the fish in it to glaze on all sides.  When it flakes,and it should by this time, it's ready.  Garnish with lime and orange slices.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

 

What makes a muffin a muffin, and not a cupcake?    It's usually the texture- a little denser and dryer. And we feel more virtuous for not eating 'cupcakes' for breakfast.   This muffin  recipe may actually be a cupcake trying to pass as  'morning' food,  but whatever.   I've made  various similar  recipes  and  purchased  others from bakeries, but this  is the   keeper....so moist they almost don't qualify for muffin status.   I sometimes drizzle the top with melted chocolate - not that they need it, but extra chocolate never hurts.  I'm a dark or semi-sweet chocolate person ordinarily, but in this instance, milk-chocolate  chips inside the muffins works best.

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a muffin tin or  use  papers in a muffin tin.

In a large bowl mix  1 2/3 c. flour, 1 c. sugar, 1 TB pumpkin pie spice, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt.  Add 1 c. semi sweet or milk chocolate chips, &  toss to coat the chips so they don't  sink to the bottom. 

In a small  bowl, whisk together 2 large eggs, 1 c. canned pumpkin ( not p. pie mix) and 1 stick butter, plus 3 TB,  melted and cooled.  Combine contents of both bowls, don't overmix.

Fill  muffin cups 2/3 full.  Bake 20-25 min, til springy when touched.  Cool on a rack.

Apple- Cider Apple Crisp with Cider Sauce

If there's a bad apple crisp recipe, I've never come across it.. There are great ones and less great, but  a bad apple crisp is  hard to find.  This  one forgoes  oatmeal  and flour  and  uses cinnamon-graham cracker crumbs, adds a few raisins, and includes cider in both the base and  a delicious   sauce.   I like to delude myself into thinking I've done something healthy by avoiding white flour, and using brown Splenda.


Preheat oven to 350 . Peel  and slice about 8 c.  all purpose apples, and place in an ungreased 11 x 7 baking dish with 1/2 c raisins.  Pour 1/4 c. apple cider over the fruit.

Make the crumble topping: Mix together 1 c. of cinnamon graham cracker crumbs, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg,  6 TB butter, melted, and 1/2 c. packed brown sugar.   Sprinkle evenly over fruit.  Bake about 50-55 minutes  til apples are  tender.

Apple Cider Sauce:   Place all ingredients in a small saucepan: 1/2 c. packed brown sugar, 4 TB butter, 1/4 c. cider, 2 TB heavy cream....... and probably a tsp. of cornstarch a little later on.
 Bring the first 4 to a rolling boil, reduce  heat slightly, cook about 3 more minutes, watching  carefully and stirring to avoid burning.  Take off heat and cool  in the pan.    I've made this  numerous  times and have yet to have the sauce thicken at all, as I assume it should - ( it starts to separate and shouldn't)  so after its cooled and  hasn't  thickened,  I mix about 1/3 of it with a tsp or so of cornstarch, reheat the rest, and stir  the cornstarch mixture back into the hot  sauce til it's thick.   Then let it cool til serving.  If there's sauce left after serving, refrigerate it and let warm to room temp before  topping the crisp.    Serve with a bit of ice cream or whipped cream, if you like.

Hedgehog Cookies

Our book club   discussion choice  not long ago was a quirky little book - The Elegance of The Hedgehog ---  which deserved a quirky little after-dinner treat.     These  hedgehogs were quite a hit  both for their uniqueness and  because they're  really  tasty little critters.

  The dough makes, essentially, pecan sandies, which are shaped appropriately, dipped in chocolate, and then in quills....er...sprinkles.   The recipe says to use a toothpick to make the eyes and snout,  but mine came out with tiny peaks, looking a little  more like chocolate chips than eyeballs.  Next time I'll try  an itty bitty pastry tip. And don't  make the snouts too pointy;  they're fragile and will break  easily.  There's nothing quite as sad as a disfigured hedgehog.

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup ground pecans

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chocolate  chips

1/4 cup chocolate sprinkles

In a small bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, pecans and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Shape 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball; pinch the dough to form a face. Repeat. Place 2 in. apart on a greased baking sheet. They don't spread.

Bake at 325° for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a microwave, melt chocolate; stir until smooth. Holding a hedgehog cookie by the nose, ( or wherever; I already explained the dangers in nose-holding)  spoon chocolate over the back (leave the face uncovered). Allow excess to drip off.  immediately roll the top in  chocolate  sprinkles. Place on waxed paper, parchment, or foil.

With a toothpick dipped in chocolate, make two eyes and a dot on the nose. Let stand until set. I like to put the tray in the fridge or freezer to get the chocolate set, for abut 10 min.     Store in an airtight container. Yield: 16 cookies.     I  love this and often  triple the ingredients  to make 'regular'  shaped pecan sandie cookies with  it, and half-dip them in chocolate.

One final note:  if you should  find  'The Elegance of The Hedgehog'  a little slow getting going, stick with it....we found it delightful.

Sugar-Crusted Puff Pinwheels

Make wonderul cinnamon puff- pastry  pinwheels in a flash.....every inch  is crusted with sugar crystals. Using a box of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry  sheets , these  gems are super-easy.  After thawing the pastry, by the time you preheat the oven your pinwheels are ready to bake. Be sure to use parchment paper or you'll be  spending quality time with your favorite chisel and the baking sheet.  The cinnamon -sugar  can't help but ooze out a bit as it bakes, and you've got better things to do than chip away at a cookie sheet.  Thaw the box of pastry on the countertop for  about 20- 40 minutes,  or overnight in the fridge,   but it should still be COLD...and DO NOT  UNROLL it! 

 There are two packs of rectangular-folded pastry in each box. Generally you'd unfold  the pastry sheets to use it, but not today. Mix 1 cup sugar ( preferably large-crystals) * and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.  Find a  clean worksurface or cutting board, and spread about half the sugar on it.  Lay the  folded sheet of  dough on it...top with some more cinnamon sugar, and roll it out to an 11x15 sheet...Keep adding more sugar to keep it from sticking as you roll ... you'll be rolling it right  into the dough.  Use lots!  Lightly brush off the excess, and starting from a short side, roll up jellyroll fashion. Slice in 1/2" slices and place 2" apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Bake in a preheated 350 oven 20-25 minutes until the centers are baked through.  Immediately lift off the parchment and flip over onto a clean surface or  parchment.  Cool completely before serving. 

 What's great is that they get even crustier after a day or so.  Don't seal them in a closed container, let air get to them. I've made them with bigger-sugar crystals such as those made by Wilton, sometimes with colored sugar;  I've rolled  extra-tiny mini chocolate chips on them; I've mixed  a heaping  TB of dark cocoa  powder with the cinnamon sugar;  all  versions are  delicious. One sheet (package) makes about 15 'fancy cookies'.  

Rainbow Blueberry Salmon

What do crushed pineapple, brown sugar, anaheim chilies, green onion, red grapefruit, limes,  blueberries and chili powder have in common?  They make an amazing salmon entree - so good,  in fact,  that it won an Oregon blueberry  recipe contest some years ago.    I  once served it  as part of a red, white and blue-themed menu for the 4th of July.    It's an incredibly unusual  & good-for-you entree.

1 cup  fresh blueberries
2   salmon filets, 6-8 oz. each
½ fresh ruby red grapefruit  ( I've also  used both  refrigerated sections, and canned section successfully, and find the canned much less expensive  but just as good in the finished product)
½ cup crushed pineapple  -packed in juice, not syrup
Fresh ground black pepper
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 small Anaheim chile  - these are not hot.   They're pointed, curved, lime green , available
        everywhere and they're important  to the  flavor
2 fresh limes
2 tablespoons butter
¾ cup brown sugar  - I use  Brown Sugar Twin or brown Splenda

Generously butter a glass baking dish and spread pineapple in the dish. Sprinkle liberally with fresh ground black pepper. Slice the chile into very thin rings and arrange over the pineapple. Squeeze the juice of two limes over the chile slices, then  slice the limes & place over  the chile, then lay the salmon fillets over the sliced chile  & lime. Peel and trim the grapefruit, and cut it into bite-size chunks and arrange those over the salmon.   Top with  blueberries, sprinkle with brown sugar, and season generously with chili powder. Bake at 425°  till top is bubbly and salmon is opaque.  Serve with all the fruit.. because the pineapple will be tinted slightly blue-ish purple - it's as colorful  a dish as it is flavorful.

Buttered Radishes with Sea Salt

Maybe radishes deserve a little more respect than just hanging out on a relish tray, even dolled up as roses.

Today's garden surveillance revealed radishes just about ready to pick. Understand, I grow them for my husband.  Ordinarily I would not be especially interested in this radish harvest, or any other,  since I don't  like radishes. Not white icicle, not red, not daikon.    Just don't like the peppery taste. Don't try to convert me, this is a lifelong decision.     Raw, at least.

But this summer I'm  enjoying them in a new --and entirely unexpected way I discovered over the winter....... cooked!

It's true that at first I just thought of cooked radishes as a different   way to serve them....to my husband.
He thought they were great.   But I wasn't the least bit tempted to try them even when he mused that they don't  really taste like radishes at all,  and I might  like them.      Nuh-uh.  No thanks,   Not tempted  a bit;  that's how much I dislike radishes. 

Yet, as I was cleaning up after dinner, to my own surprise  I tried a small piece  and  thought it was quite......interesting.....and   tasty.       And not  a bit radish-y.     So I ate all  the pieces that were left.  And enjoyed them.  Imagine that.

You'd be able to identify them of course, if I served them to you. They look like radishes!   But what about blindfolded? I'd say  there'd be no  chance  of guessing what you were eating.  I have no particular  veg to compare the taste to so I'll let you  decide  if their flavor is  totally unique, or whether they remind you of   another garden taste.     I think I'll  serve them to guests sometime as a  good conversation-piece side dish.    "Cooked radishes?  Really?!"

Ready to give it a shot? 

Quarter  or halve red radishes, depending on their size, and saute  5 minutes in a little butter - let them begin to brown a bit.......sprinkle with coarse salt   or   sea salt,  and munch  happily away!  

Really.

Fast Fabulous Korean Steak with Kimchi Fried Rice

                                                                                                                                     
A  great  diversion from ordinary grilled steak, these  popular  Korean street vendor beef strips
will earn rave reviews.  With the  rice, it has become one of our favorite meals,  exceptionally flavorful on all levels  ~~~  and slightly addictive. 

The  thin strips  cook  so  quickly on the grill that you can  feed a crowd  in a flash.  It's best cooked on charcoal  but  any really hot grill will work fine,  & as long as you don't have Korean guests, no one will be any wiser about the missing charcoal flavor.  This recipe  will serve   4-6  people, who will  be  snacking on any  leftover strips  long after dinner's over.  Make a big batch, they're terrific  later in  sandwiches  or on salads.   It does need 90 minutes of marinating time in total.

Cut about  2  lbs flank steak in 1/4 inch  across-the-grain slices.....cut on a slant so they are wider than the piece of beef is high... combine in a large  shallow bowl with  1/4 c sugar. This is not a time to use splenda or  other substitute, as the granular sugar  creates the char/ caramelization.   Toss and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. You could also use  flatiron steak.

Mix 3 green onions, cut in 2" slices & shredded,  2 TB minced fresh garlic,  1/4 c light soy sauce, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 3 TB sesame seeds, 1/8 c peanut ( or canola) oil......peanut is more authentic.     Turn the pieces to coat evenly and let marinate 30-60 minutes.   Do not marinate for long periods ( like all afternoon or overnight).

Grill strips about 5  inches from the heat source. Be sure the grill is very hot.  Take care to not let the steak strips slip off into the coals.  Pile on heaping platters, sprinkle with more toasted sesame seeds, and wait for the ooh's and ahh's of delight!  Best cooked  til  almost charred,  so the sugar caramelizes.


And the perfect accompaniment?  I  found  this rice recipe in  Food Network Magazine in a  feature about......Korean steak..  I like  my steak recipe much more ...but ooh, their  fried rice....excellent!!       Kimchi is a delicious   pickled Korean cabbage salad, found in jars in the refrigerator/produce section of many grocery stores, such as Meijer and Kroger.  I can't always   find   nori  locally, although Kroger has been consistently stocked recently... but  for that reason,  consider it an optional ingredient.  Get the steak ready to cook,  but  get a good head  start on  the fried rice first ----  it  should be nearly ready before you put on the steak. 

Cut 6-8 slices thick bacon in 1/2 inch pieces,   Toast 3 TB  sesame seeds.   Cut nori sheets in  thin 1/2" strips.  Heat an iron skillet to medium high, then add bacon, stir fry til almost done, 6-8 min.  Drain the kimchi, but keep the liquid.  Raise heat to high,  stir fry the kimchi til browned, about 8 minutes, then  add  4  1/2 - 5 c. cold cooked white rice ( chilled),    the reserved kimchi liquid,  all the oil, and half the nori.  Continue to cook, turning and flattening with a spatula til it forms a golden crust, about 8 minutes.   Sprinkle with a few sesame seeds and the remaining nori.

If you need another veg for this meal, throw some  mild frying peppers ( such as Anaheim or Poblano ) on the grill with  wedges of onion, and grill  them along with the meat.

Blueberry Spinach Salad

I'm on a blueberry kick this summer and we're enjoying this salad often.   It's  a bit sweet  with a tangy kick from the combination of berries,  pears and blue cheese.  Walnuts add  a delicious  crunch.

Make a vinaigrette dressing of 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 c. raspberry  or balsamic vinegar,  1 TB dijon mustard, 1 tsp honey,  s & p to taste.. Just whisk til well blended.

Salad:   1 ripe Anjou pear, peeled &  cubed, 16 oz baby spinach, no stems,   2 oz ( 1/2 c ) blue, feta,  or gorgonzola cheese crumbled,   4 oz chopped walnuts, 1 pint fresh blueberries.

For the salad, assemble the ingredients except for the berries and cheese 
Toss and add half the dressing,  toss to coat.
 Add blueberries and cheese, and drizzle the rest of the dressing over, toss again. 

Enjoy with anytihing!  It's  especially good  with  grilled  lamb or fish,   or add cold grilled chicken strips or salmon  for a cool  entree salad.

Pan-Seared Ponzu Scallops ~ and delicious sides

One of  the  shrimp-flipping , volcano-lighting  hibachi chefs at our favorite Japanese steakhouse/sushi bar tipped me off to the fabulous sauce he was squirting liberally on  all the dishes  they  prepare   on the sizzling hot  tables --- the rice, the veggies, the seafood &  steak --- revealing that  it  is  mostly soy sauce with lime juice and butter...

Aha!  Ponzu, more or less!  And  it's on your grocer's sauce shelf - yay!  I made my own for the restaurant because it's more economical  ---  you can make your own ponzu with fish sauce, mirin,  lemon and a few other ingredients.   But  for two of us,  I'm happy with  Kikkoman's brand Ponzu.     It's  made with lemon or lime,  and I often add a dash of (key) lime juice for an extra hit at the very end.    This is a  wonderfully fast and simple way to enjoy plump, sweet scallops.     The suggested  side dishes  make a  savory, and fresh tastng  combination  of low fat, low calorie, low carb foods..


Ponzu Scallops:  Rinse first,  then   pat dry about 12-16 good- size sea scallops,  and let them sit on a paper towel briefly to be sure they're  very dry.  Next ( this is optional but I like to be   sure there's a crisp sear) - dust  the tops and bottoms VERY lightly with cornstarch.  Very  lightly!   Heat  about 3 TB olive oil in a heavy skillet, and when the oil is shimmering, add the scallops, placing carefully so there is no opportunity to touch each other while cooking.  Cook at medium-high heat about 3 minutes per side - depending on size - and then remove from the pan.   Add about  8 TB  ponzu  ( I guesstimate about 1/2 TB per scallop) to the pan and deglaze.....scrape the bottom to loosen the crispy bits.  Let the ponzu bubble and reduce  to slightly thicken, about 2-3 minutes.  Add about   2-3 TB minced  fresh ginger  to the sauce, stir well.  Put the scallops back in the pan and stir  carefully to coat with sauce.  Add 3 TB chopped chives, & serve immediately to 2 or 3  scallop lovers.


We like  this served with  spaghetti squash ( cut in half, scoop out seeds, cover ends with Saran wrap, nuke for 10-20 minutes depending on size, scoop out the 'spaghetti' strands with a fork, toss with butter & lime  and/or a squirt of ponzu!) . and a slightly sweet-crisp  cucumber salad that tastes a lot like  bread and butter pickles  the older it gets. 

Cuke Salad:    In a large bowl, slice 3 large cucumbers  thinly,  unpeeled, Add one medium onion, thinly  sliced, and one green pepper, thinly sliced.  Add 1 TB celery seed, 1 TB salt, 1/2 TB pepper,  1 c Splenda or sugar dissolved in 3/4 c. cider vinegar.  Stir together, cover with plastic, and refrigerate at least 6 hours.

Will keep well for  2 weeks.

20-Minute Greek Gyro Dip with Pita Chips

 A  Mediterreanean version of the ubiquitous layered Mexican dip, this goes together quickly and is

uniquely delicious.   Use ground  beef if you must; but  lamb is authentic and does not have a "lamb-y" taste, no matter what  you've always heard.  ( what  is a lamb-y  taste anyway ?)

This is a  recipe  from  Food Network magazine and  their photo as well.  I find it curious, however, that they direct us to  assemble  the dip on a shallow dish,  but they photographed  it in a very deep dish, which would make dipping  totally impossible.   So take the photo with a grain of (sea) salt and enjoy this dip in a  low, shallow saucer or dish.   It's   wonderful.


1 14-ounce package pita bread
Olive oil cooking spray  or butter flavored Pam
4 teaspoons Greek seasoning,  (total)
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1 pound ground lamb or ground beef
1 teaspoon garlic salt
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1 16-ounce container prepared hummus , any flavor
1 1/2 cups tzatziki (gyro sauce) - purchased, or use  recipe below
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
2 medium roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 diced red onion
1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped
1 4-ounce container crumbled feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with foil. Cut the pita rounds into eighths. Split each piece in two and place on the prepared baking sheet(s), with the inside of the bread facing up. Spray with the olive oil cooking spray and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the Greek seasoning. Bake 7 to 10 minutes, or until golden.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown the ground lamb with the garlic salt and the remaining 2 teaspoons Greek seasoning. Drain and set aside. In a shallow 1 1/2-quart dish, spread the hummus on the bottom. Top with a layer of ground lamb, then the tzatziki. Layer with the lettuce, tomatoes, onion, olives and feta. Serve the dip at room temperature with pita chips.

 1 1/2 cups Tzatziki:      12 oz plain  yogurt, 1 1/2 c peeled, seeded,  diced cucumbers, 5 TB chopped red onion, 3 TB  chopped fresh mint leaves - don't skip them!, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 3/4 tsp minced garlic.   To seed the cukes, slice lengthwise in quarters and just cut a V shape slice to remove  the seedy centers.    Combine everything  and chill.

To make the dish lower sodium,  buy a low sodium hummus or make your own.  Use  a low sodium pita, reduce  or skip  the olives & salt, garlic powder instead of garlic salt, and use  crumbled goat cheese in place of the feta. 

Shrimp and Chorizo Stew

Sausage and seafood in a   one-pot  dinner  in less than 30 minutes, delicious!  Potatoes are pretty much nonexistent  at our house,  so I replace them  with extra kale and shrimp, and the calorie and carb   count drop dramatically.    Be sure to buy Spanish chorizo, not Mexican ~  they are very different in both taste and texture. And don't use bulk  chorizo.

Heat  1/4 c  EV  olive oil  in a Dutch oven- size -pan over medium heat. Add 1 large  diced Spanish onion, 4 cloves  peeled & smashed garlic, & cook til golden, about 15 minutes.  Add 4 oz  sliced Spanish chorizo, casings removed.  2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp kosher salt.  Cook til the oil turns deep red, about 2 minutes.  Add  1 c.  roughly chopped canned whole plum tomatoes, ( reserve the juice) 2 bay leaves, 1/4 tsp each thyme and oregano.  Cook 1 minute.

Add 1 lb russet potatoes, peeled, in 1" chunks, 2 c. water, the reserved tomato juice and 1 tsp kosher salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover & simmer til potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes.  Add  1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped.  Cook about 10 minutes, til both the potatoes and kale are tender. Stir in 1 lb medium  raw shrimp, peeled and deveined..Simmer just til they curl and turn pink, about 4 minutes,  Discard the bay leaves before serving.   Great with crusty bread for mopping up the broth.

'Flat Fudge' Wondrous Dark Chocolate Cookies

The 'fudge factor' of these cookies is very  high - there's a thin layer of  moist chewy fudge  hiding inside that  thin, glossy, crackled  top layer.  And what, exactly, is  the wonder?  So many things ~  no flour, no gluten,  hardly a bit of  fat, one bowl, one step ~ and  so fast that they're  ready to go in the oven by the time it finishes  preheating. There's no  point  waiting to see if your chocolate-deprivation crisis passes.  Get moving  quickly when the urge strikes, so there's no turning back.

  An easy way to toast the nuts is to put them in the oven on a baking sheet as   you preheat the oven..... at ten minutes, they're toasted.   Remove them from the pan to cool before  adding them, and if you are going to use that pan for  your cookies, let it cool completely. 
Preheat the oven to 300.   In a medium bowl,
 mix 1 3/4 c. powdered sugar, ( purchase faux powdered sugar if you'd rather skip sugar completely),  1/2 c. Dutch process cocoa powder, ( I use Hersheys Special Dark Chocolate Cocoa, which  is what's usually  on  hand.  Use better-than-ordinary cocoa)  2 tsp cornstarch, 1/4 tsp salt.   Gradually mix in 2 egg whites and 1 egg, then 1 c  toasted chopped pecans or walnuts.  Egg Beaters- ype  liquid egg whites work too, especially if you make multiple batches of these cookies -- no  extra yolks  to deal with. Remember,  recipes are  written based on LARGE eggs, to standardize the amount. Using other sizes may change results, particularly  in baking.

Stir until it's well mixed and no  white sugar is visible.    If it's too loose ( egg white volumes will vary) add a tiny bit more sugar  and cocoa, but don't exceed  3 or 4 TB.   Expect that the  'dough' will be  way more fluid than  normal - more the consistency of thin  frosting..    Using about  one big TB each,   just plop them down - about 15 all together -    on parchment paper,  and sort of round them off as they come off the spoon.  Se sure to use  a parchment-lined  baking sheet. They're  very moist and fudgy, and after they cool  you'll not be able to  peel them off a pan!     Bake 16-19 minutes, until the cookies are shiny and crackled.

  If they are not fudgy/chewy,  you've overbaked.  When done,  remove pan from the oven and just slide the whole sheet of parchment off the hot pan and onto a counter.  Cool completely --- they will firm  up a bit as they cool.   Don't even try to peel the cookies from the paper  until  cool !  Then pull the paper away from the cookies, instead of the reverse.

  Sadly, although  it's almost fat free,  this is  an almost  pure-carb cookie,  16 carbs   each,  unless you use the powdered-sugar substitute, which is available everywhere these days.  Make them on  a day when your chocolate craving  overrides your conscience.

Farmhouse Oatmeal Raisin Pancakes

Light-as-air?  No, they are  thick and heavy and  lovely, like a warm cloak of  comfort for your belly.  And because they're made with old fashoned oats, not heaps of white flour, they're  healthier, as well as  incredibly  delicious. Simple to convert to low-sodium too *   This is a plan-ahead  item  since the oats need to  languish overnight in the buttermilk.   Freeze any leftovers  with plastic wrap or parchment  between them, to nuke and  enjoy  again  as breakfast or warmed & topped  with a sprinkle of granulated sugar for a yummy snack. A scoop of peach ice cream  often appeared on pancakes on our family birthday mornings when the kids were here.


The night before:  mix 2 c old fashioned oats with 2 c. buttermilk in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.  When ready to cook, beat in 2 large eggs and 1/4 c. melted, cooled  butter.  Stir in 3/4 c raisins.  In another bowl mix 1/2 c flour, 2 TB sugar or substitute, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp  baking soda, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt.     Add to the wet mixture and  stir briskly, just until moistened.  If practical, let this sit for 20 minutes before cooking.

Heat a lightly greased pan over medium heat. Don't get it too hot, because  these take longer to cook due to the dense ingredients Make a test cake with 1/4 c batter, and if  the batter seems too thick  add some more buttermilk, a TB at a time, until the consistency seems right.... not to exceed adding 3 or 4 TB --  this is supposed  to be a very thick batter, it will not 'pour'.   Cook pancakes until bubbles appear, turn  to brown. You'll probably turn a few times to make sure the interior gets cooked.   They are quite dense and take a little longer than ordinary thickness  pancakes. The centers should still be moist when cooked,  through. If they start to burn before they're ready, your pan is too hot.

Serve with  the syrup of your choice ~  cinnamon syrup is perfect for  these.    Makes about 18 small pancakes or 9  large.

*  For those watching sodium, make 'buttermilk' with the lowest  sodium milk you have, or any no-sodium coffee creamer. Put it in a cup and add 1 TB vinegar for each cup of 'milk'.  Don't stir, let sit for 5  minutes and presto: 'buttermilk'.    Use no-sodium baking powder & soda and use  unsalted butter. Use the salt or not, it goes a long way.

Blueberry Cobbler French Toast

 Say  'good morning' with this  easy, warm  casserole of bubbly blueberries crowning thick,  puffy golden french toast,  and have a little more than you might otherwise, since  it might be , depending on which ingredients you choose,   pretty  healthy  too.   It's best  when soaked overnight but in a pinch you can get by with  a 2-hour head start in the morning.

Use  an 8-oz loaf of French or whole grain french-type bread, sliced diagonally into 10-14  3/4" thick slices  placed on a rimmed baking sheet.  In a medium bowl, whisk  together 4 eggs (use Egg Beaters if you choose), 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1/2 c milk, 1 tsp vanilla.  Slowly spoon/pour  over the bread slices, turn to coat them completely.  Cover with plastic wrap and  refrigerate overnight or let sit at room temp for a couple hours.

Preheat oven to 450.  Butter (or spray) a 9x13  baking pan and dump in 2 1/2c   fresh or still-frozen blueberries into it.  Sprinkle with 1/2 c. sugar or splenda, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cornstarch.  Stir to coat the berries. Fit the bread slices in the dish,  wet side up.  Wedge/squish tightly,  (even so,  you may not always get them all in).   Brush the tops with 2 tsp melted butter, and bake in the center of the oven for 20-25 minutes..the time may vary depending on the thickness and density of the bread..When the berries are bubbling around the edge, remove  from the oven, let it sit for 5 minutes  before serving.   Just lift the slices onto plates and spoon the berries over.  Sprinkle with 10x sugar if you like.

If  it's a birthday breakfast, top with a little vanilla ice cream for a decadently  melting  start to the day, and leftovers served chilled  can be presented as a delicious blueberry bread pudding.

Amazing Rhubarb Custard Cake

  

This is one of those  desserts that  produce  "OMG's"  of surprised  pleasure at the first amazing bite.

I admit to green-eyed envy of those with prolific rhubarb patches that produce all summer long. Mine is  struggling along.  A friend gave me a big bag of 'barb the other night, along with a cake recipe that is incredibly smooth and rich and wonderful....not to mention simple.

   The sugar  and  cream soak thorough the cake and  along with the rhubarb, end up on the bottom, forming a  firm, silky vanilla custard  that's infused throughout.   Since   I'm not a 'warm' dessert person (exception: hot fudge  sundaes, of course) I thought it was  good when  it was  still a little warm..... but once chilled,  it's  exceptional.

Heat oven to 350, grease and flour a 9x13 pan.  Make a yellow cake mix as  directed,  using a  'pudding added' mix if available.  Pour batter into the pan.  Top with 4 c chopped rhubarb. ( use still-frozen if   fresh is out of season).   Over that, evenly  sprinkle 1 c. sugar, and then over that, evenly  pour 2 c. heavy ( whipping ) cream, unwhipped.    Bake for 50-60 minutes before cooling and then refrigerating   til nice and cold.   It's  sliceable and memorable.    Thanks, Dianna,  for sharing your 'barb and your recipe.

Bubbling Jack & Clams on Pumpernickel

So, what's always on hand when you feel the craving for a cheesy, seafood-y  garlic-butter-y appetizer?  At our house, that would be a can of clams, some jack cheese, and some  pumpernickel bread.  Cutting the ingredients in thirds yields a nice serving  for 3 or 4.

Now and then, like today, I use co-jack  and there've been times it was shredded Swiss. And while  there's almost always a partial loaf of cocktail rye or pumpernickel in the freezer, a nice medium-thick slice of  soft, chewy, fresh pumpernickel can't be beat.  Five minutes to mix it up and maybe five or less  under the broiler  equal  almost-instant gratification.    Depending on the size of the bread base, this  may be finger food or fork food, and it's also  pretty broiled and served in individual ramekins with a knife and fork.

Combine 16 oz.  Monterey Jack cheese, shredded, 3 (6-1/2oz) cans chopped clams, drained, 2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley,  3 TB softened butter, 2 Tbsp chopped chives, 2 garlic cloves, minced, 1/4  tsp ground red pepper, 1/4  tsp  freshly ground black pepper

Spread on  8 slices pumpernickel bread for knife & fork eating or  about 30 slices cocktail  bread.    Broil until golden brown and bubbly. Garnish with parsley sprigs and lemon wedges. Enjoy  immediately.

Superb Pork and Onion Kabobs

An unusual combination of honey, curry, soy, and  chili sauce combine to make a memorable dish.  Make them  in the broiler, skewer-less, if you choose,  as I often do in the winter - after all, you're going to  pull them off anyway.   A skewer  just keeps everything neat and controllable on a grill. Either way, these are unusually  tasty, & fast.  Just  remember to start them  marinating in the morning or night before.

In a bowl, combine 1/2 c soy sauce, 1/4 c. honey ( sugar free works great), 1/4 c. chili sauce....slight pause here while  I mention that  I can tell your age if you're thinking I mean salsa, or hot sauce.  No, chili sauce was the predecessor to these items and is nothing like either one. It's more like a hopped-up ketchup.  You'll find it in the same  grocery  sauce section, in a bottle that probably  looks just like a seafood cocktail sauce bottle .  Back to the ingredients:  add   2 TB veg oil, 2 tsp. curry powder, 2 TB  finely chopped onion.   Mix well,   remove half of it and save  in the fridge for basting.

Add 2 lbs boneless  pork , cut in 1" cubes.  Cover and marinate 3 hours or overnight, refrigerated. This is a good use of that  pork loin  roast you bought on sale, cut up  and  froze  in  smaller hunks.  Otherwise, you can cut up  very thick  boneless pork chops.

When ready to cook, drain & discard that marinade  and thread the  pork on skewers , alternating  with 3 or 4 medium onions cut in  4-6 wedges each .   Grill over medium heat about 5 minutes.  Turn, baste often, and grill about 15 minutes more, until juices run clear.  Don't overcook.  I use sweet onions, or when using regular white onions, I  nuke the wedges for about 2 minutes before grilling them, so they are more tender and not so bite-y.

Turtle Pretzels and Minty Witch Cookies

Minty Witches   and   Turtle Pretzel Nuggets    

'Turtle anything'  is  a magnet for me, and these nuggets are delicious,  however......someone at RR magazine is  totally clueless when it comes to time management.    I'm not  at all sure these are worth the effort,  so  I'm likely to go back to plopping a caramel on a small pretzel ring or twist, nuking briefly, then dipping in chocolate and nuts.  Even easier,  put a Rolo on a small pretzel ring, nuke briefly to melt a bit, press a pecan half on top.    The taste is pretty  much the same and it frees up an hour or so for waxing the driveway or whatever you consider  more fun than  tediously rolling out caramels.

Being a good direction-taker, I started out following directions to roll the caramels flat with a rolling pin.  I used Kraft caramels, maybe Brachs would have been softer... or maybe I should have had  Wheaties for breakfast,  because  this  task was not as easy  as it sounded.   I soon started nuking a dozen or so at a time, for about 15 seconds, to soften them slightly, which resulted in being able to squish them flat with my fingers, no rolling involved.  (If you over-nuke they'll begin to lose their shape  and be too gooey to work with)  This made the process speed up acceptably, but still took a while.  I've left the  RR original directions intact here, in case  you happen to feel like punishing yourself or  keeping  kids busy for hours.  I also found that dropping them in the nuts resulted in too heavy  a nut coating, so I just sprinkled the nuts over the hot chocolate.

One 14-ounce bag (4 dozen) soft caramels   One 10-ounce bag pretzel nuggets,  12 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped , 2 cups natural almonds, toasted and finely chopped       Directions:  Unwrap the caramels, then, using a rolling pin, roll out each one into a 1/8-inch-thick oval. Wrap a caramel around each pretzel nugget, pinching the ends to seal. In a double boiler over simmering water, melt half the chocolate, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Add the remaining chocolate, remove the top of the double boiler from the saucepan and stir until smooth.

Place the almonds in a shallow bowl. Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Using a fork, dip a caramel-covered pretzel in the chocolate to coat, tapping off any excess chocolate. Transfer the pretzel to the almonds and toss to coat; place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pretzels. Let stand until set, about 3 hours. ( I refrigerated them to harden  the coating faster).
Yummy for sure,   but never again......    

Minty Witches
are a favorite I've been making at Christmas  for  about  forty years.   I am not  crazy about sandwich cookies,  hard cookies, or mint  for that matter, but these are an exception to all three.  Somewhat like Girl Scout Thin Mints  on speed, they're very chocolate-y  and the chocolate-covered  mint patty filling  makes them easy to assemble.  I buy the long thin boxes of the candies somewhere cheap like Dollar Tree.  They also carry small bags of  the same type mints ( like mini York's) in small bags.    There are generally about 20 per box, check the label for quantity.  Thiis time I happened to find orange-flavored mints covered in chocolate.

Combine 1/2 c  solid shortening, 1/2 c. sugar, and 1 egg, and beat til creamy. Blend in 6 oz mint-flavored chocolate chips, melted, and 1/4 c. white corn syrup.  Sift together  1 3/4 c  flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt.  Stir into chocolate, mix well, and refrigerate  several hours or overnight. Just add about 1/4 tsp peppermint extract if you use plain chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 350.  Roll into tiny  uniform-size balls, about the size of a maraschino cherry or a malted milk ball. It's important not to let them get too big, or the filling will get lost inside. We want them to  spread to be only the same size as the mints.    Roll them in granulated sugar,  and bake for 10-15 minutes.  Let stand on cookie sheets  a minute  before removing,  but do not let them cool....they harden quickly  Remove half of them to a rack,  turning upside down. Immediately  top with a peppermint and then the other cookie, right side up.  As the  mint begins to soften, gently push to squish the filling to the cookie size.  Cool.   The original recipe says it makes 48 but I never  get  more than 36.   They are  witchy-good!

Chopped Greek Salad

Greece still being  on my bucket list, I have no idea how authentic any Greek salad really is, actually.  Is it  like  pizza.....mostly an American version of some vaguely similar dish?    Whatever  the answer,  as for salads ,  there's nothing like a tangy Greek salad.     If you're in the market for a superb  traditional recipe, check  my   January '08  blog entry.   But lettuce  doesn't always hold over or travel well,  so I  often rely on this crisp, crunchy  alternative.  With nothing  delicate  to wilt,  and no  sour cream, yogurt  or mayonnaise to be concerned about,  there are  no  worries about  refrigeration  issues when taking this  version  anywhere. It was great tonight  served with  rack of lamb roasted with a little dijon and breadcrumb coating, and I love munching on it for a tasty low-fat, low-cal, low-carb lunch or snack.    

  Keep the veggies chopped in a uniform size, about nickel size, in order to get a taste of several veggies  in each bite. This will easily serve 8 hungry people, it  makes a substantial  bowlful.   I double it when taking to a party and it disappears  in a flash. 

Chop everything  &  toss together in a large bowl:

1 1/2 c. fresh broccoli ( no stems) , 1 1/2 c. fresh cauliflower ( no stems) , 1 medium cucumber with the  peel on,  1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved,  1/2 pepper  of each color: green, red, yellow;    1 large can  whole ripe pitted  olives, drained and cut in half; ( you can use Greek or Kalamata if you choose) ,  3 sliced green onions, green and white  parts,   8 oz Greek vinaigrette salad dressing, Kraft or any brand;   and 1 c. feta cheese.  Don't skimp on the feta !     It's ready to eat  or will keep  for several days,  keep  refrigerated.    After a day or two the dressing may congeal a  bit; just set it on the  counter  briefly, stir, and it will become clear again.

Watermelon-Raspberry Spinach Salad

I'm not sure why I  seldom make this pretty,  refreshing salad  in the colder months, except that the 'winter' watermelon that's available  (from where,  Patagonia ? ) just isn't very sweet.   Mid- March isn't  exactly summer here, but I bought  a container of cut-up melon today  anyway  so we could enjoy this  salad with the first outdoor-grilled pork chops of the year.

At home  we enjoy this as a side, but   I  made this into  a  popular entree salad at the  club's restaurant  by adding strips of cooked chicken breast. The pink shades were perfect  for several pin-themed  charity lunches supporting breast cancer research.   The salad is very low fat/low calorie and low carb too, if you use a fat free and/or low sugar dressing.   The  original recipe used   a homemade poppyseed dressing but I like it much better  with a  raspberry dressing. It adds to the visual appeal as well.   I'm partial to Ken's Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette  low-sugar version   or Panera's,  but there are several others too.

As for the recipe,  just  use baby spinach or  tear larger leaves in half.  Add cut up ripe watermelon, fresh red raspberries, halved green grapes, slivered  almonds, and whatever you decide to use for the dressing.

Pecan Pie Bagels

Where is it written that pecan pie is just for dessert?  After all, in colonial America, pie was specifically prepared as breakfast food, especially fruit pies.   But it's  tricky to juggle a slice of pecan pie in one hand and  a cup of coffee in the other, so why not make it easier, and a tad more breakfast-y by downsizing and loading it all  in  a bagel instead of pie crust?  

I made a big batch today for a spring gardening seminar, using mini bagels.  This was    more time consuming than usual, only because scooping  out a smaller space is best done a little more carefully.

They are wonderful still warm, but  just as good at room temperature, so  can be prepared ahead of time,  just cool first  and then carefully cover so they don't harden up while waiting or enroute to wherever they're headed.

This recipe makes 6 large bagel halves. Obviously,  adjust for larger quantities.

Preheat the oven to 375.    Split 3 cinnamon-raisin bagels in half and place on a foil covered baking sheet...don't skip the foil, unless you use wax paper or a Silpat.  You'll regret it when  stray brown sugar and syrup bake & burn onto your pans.  Using a small serrated grapefruit spoon or knife, or  your fingers,  carefully scoop out the insides of the bagel.  Leave  the outside  & bottom intact  and not paper-thin.  Tear or chop the crumbs in tiny pieces and set aside.    Beat 3 eggs, and then beat in 1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar, 1 cup light ( white)  corn syrup, 1/8 tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 TB butter or margarine, melted.

Fold in the reserved crumbs and 3/4 c. chopped pecans. If you're making mini bagels, chop them   finely to accomodate the smaller space.  Carefully spoon the filling into the bagel shells.  Top with pecan halves, if you wish.  Bake for 25 minutes or until firm in the center, and golden brown.

S'Mores ! Brownie Bars

We have only  real  s'mores once a year, as a satisfyingly gooey finale to a lobster bake on a  deserted Maine island.  While there's nothing to compare to making them over a  roaring beach  fire,   this is  an equally delicious way to enjoy  them  indoors with  less mess and more chew..

Many years ago my friend Becki brought the   recipe back from a family reunion.  By the time she shared it with me a week later, she confessed  she'd made it several times, and and I'd be embarassed to tell you how many times I made it that week, too.  The graham crackers bake right into the chocolate crust, and another layer of hardened chocolate rests under the marshmallows for a satisying bite of gooey goodness..


Heat oven to 325 F . Grease and flour a 9x13 pan. In a large bowl combine 1 devils food cake mix, 1/3 c . graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 c firmly packed brown sugar, 1/4 c softened- not melted -  margarine, 1/2 c water, 2 eggs.  no need to use a mixer.  Spread into the  pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick in center comes out cleanly.

Remove from the oven, turn oven to Broil, and immediately cover  the cake layer  with 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips and 2 c miniature marshmallows. Broil about 8" from broiler until marshmallows are puffed and starting to turn golden. Remove from the oven and sprinkle a  few graham crumbs over them.  Cool completely. Once it's fairly cool you can hasten the progress and harden up the chocolate for easier cutting by popping the pan in the freezer or fridge.  Store  in the refrigerator until you cut and serve.   Chilling completely until that layer of chocolate is firm will make a world of difference when you cut them....it will be a sticky task unless it's hard, but when solid it will  slice easily. 

The bars don't need to be refrigerated,  I think they taste best cold.  Cut in small squares to serve.

...mmmmmm...I  believe I'll have s'more of those, please!