The Aunt Katie Cocktail - Figgy Pudding

My mother's youngest sibling, my Aunt Katie is about the most fabulous person in the world.  Even though she is a good-solid, pragmatic, Jayhawk through and through, living in Alexandria, VA with my Tennessee-born Uncle Sam for the last 50 years, has made her a true southern lady in every sense.  It's a great combination the she wears well.  Seriously, if you look up "comfort" in the dictionary - there's a picture of Aunt Katie.  Never one to judge, she encourages all of her nieces and nephews at every stage in their lives.  The door to her house on South Lee St. has always been open to her nieces and nephews and various friends throughout their lives.  She's always quick on the plane for a wedding, a graduation or in the event of an illness or crisis.  Whether you are sitting down to a Sunday afternoon meal at her house or holding her hand at a funeral, there isn't anything more comforting than Aunt Katie.  If I am only half the aunt to my nieces and nephews that she is to me, then I will consider my life well-lived.

Aunt Katie with her nieces and nephews

Each year at Christmas, she sends to KC a figgy pudding for our Clan to share at our Christmas gathering.  No one really knows what goes into that figgy pudding but it arrives several weeks before Christmas and is not refrigerated.  Nonetheless, every Clan Christmas, we douse it in alcohol, try and light it on fire and everyone has their obligatory bite of figgy pudding because Aunt Katie sent it.  It wasn't until I was 25 that I finally ate the figgy pudding instead of feeding it to one of the dogs.  It really was quite tasty.  Of course, that may have been the year that I used almost an entire bottle of brandy trying to light it on fire.

Anyway, this year when I hit a brain freeze trying to concoct a cocktail for the holidays, Aunt Katie inspired me by suggesting figs!  Well, duh!   I had fig preserves in my frig so it made sense to start there.  Lo and behold, as I did some research on the trusty internets, I found that using preserves in cocktails is a trendy new thing in all the cool places. 

The Figgy Pudding is named for Aunt Katie not just because it's figgy - but, because you'll find great comfort in it - just like one does in Aunt Katie.

THE AUNT KATIE COCKTAIL - FIGGY PUDDING
1 TBS Fig preserves
2 oz brandy
1 oz dark creme de cacao
2 oz orange juice
2 oz half and half
orange twist, nutmeg, ground cloves, cinnamon for garnish

In a martini shaker muddle the fig preserves with the brandy, dark creme de cacao and orange juice.  Add ice and top with half and half.  Shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass.  Nerdy-Boy does not allow me to play with fire when alcohol is involved, but, if he did, I would light the orange twist on fire and float on top.  You should try that.

A Thanksgiving Appetizer - Sherry Cherry Fig Compote w/Candied Bacon on Goat Cheese

So I'm assuming that everyone is planning their Thanksgiving Day menus just like I am.  Not only is Thanksgiving one of my favorite holidays, I simply adore preparing Thanksgiving dinner.  Nerdy-Boy and I don't usually get home to KC for Thanksgiving, but, generally spend it here in Pennsylvania with his Mom, brother and sister-in-law and whoever else happens to be around Harrisburg.  This year I'm expecting 10-15 people.  I'm so excited to start shopping, planning and cooking I can hardly stand myself these days!

One of my favorite dishes is this Corn and Chesnut pudding that I published last year at Thanksgiving time.  If you're looking for a good side dish, this baby is easy and seems to impress each year!

I'm always looking for a good appetizer to serve for dinner parties.  Since there is so much gluttony going on at Chez Patton-Isenhour on Thanksgiving Day, heaven knows we don't need an appetizer but, this yummy, tangy, sweetness was brought to our house last weekend by the incomparable Rachel Moore and her handsome husband Victor Wills.  It was so tasty that we're definitely taking gluttony to a new level this Thanksgiving.

Slippery and I on the night of the '08 IA Caucus

Rachel and Victor (aka Slippery Pete) are lovely newlyweds who bring so much joy to my life.  Slippery Pete has been hanging out with me since 2002 when he did a college internship for my good buddy and former boss, T.J. Rooney.  He's worked for us on and off while completing college and then law school.  He's the type of guy  who if you called at 4 a.m. to go fetch you a Spot Dog he would.  And don't think he hasn't.

Rachel and Slippery on the Today Show

In 2006, Rachel was President of the College Dems and volunteered for an event I was heading up that Slippery Pete was working for me.  The rest they say, is history.  I was so delighted to wake-up one morning to see them in my bedroom - on the telly holding a sign in the Today Show audience announcing their engagement.

Rachel and I share passions for shoes, politics, good wine and cooking.  And for someone so young, she's quite the gourmet.  If I had a daughter, I would want her to be just like Rachel and marry a man just like my Slippery Pete.   I'm very proud of both of them and so lucky to have them in my life.

So, on to this fabulous recipe that Rachel shared with us last weekend.  Haven't I said before that everything is better with goat cheese?  I didn't think it was possible, but there is indeed a way to make goat cheese even better!  Think salty, sweet, tangy all mixed in with the yumminess of creamy goat cheese and this is what you come up with.  Oh my goodness - such a fantabulous taste explosion in your mouth!  This went especially well with the 2006 Cakebread Cellars Syrah I was serving pre-dinner.

Sherry Cherry Fig Compote:

Equal parts dried cherries and figs, roughly chopped

A sweet sherry - I always prefer the flavor profile of Harvey's Bristol Cream (for cooking and sipping!)

Unsalted butter

Balsamic Vinegar

Orange Juice

Pour 1/2 cup of sherry into a saucier or high sided pan (nonstick helps) on medium heat. Once it begins to bubble, add a pad of butter to help thicken the sauce. While the sauce is combining, roughly chop the cherries and quarter the figs. Add fruit to the pan and stir frequently. Continue to add sherry as needed until the mixture attains the thickness of jam. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Add to food processor until consistency resembles a tapenade. Remove from food processor and stir in a few tablespoons of orange juice to loosen and flavor and a few drops of balsamic vinegar to taste. 

Candied Bacon Sprinkles

One pound of thick cut bacon

Brown sugar

In a soup pot or large pan, render down one pound of bacon until it is cooked through, but not yet crispy. Drain well. Transfer to saucier or high sided pan and continue to sauté on medium heat.Once some fat renders out, sprinkle in 1/8-1/4 cup of brown sugar (to taste) gradually, constantly stirring. The sugar will begin to caramelize and stick to the bacon. Once crispy, remove and drain on kitchen paper. When cooled completely, chop to desired consistency... or eat as is... Next time we're doing this with pepper bacon or adding some heat for a spicy-sweet kick. 

We served both on a cheese platter with a baguette. The platter included a duo of goat cheeses: Presidente and Garroxta.

Cherry Mash Cake Balls

Cake Balls are something I've seen popping up all over the place - at showers and parties and at bakeries here and there.  I think they are replacing the cupcake trend.  I can see why - they are cute and they are tasty.  I decided to take a shot at them.  Mine didn't come out as pretty as the ones that I've seen at bakeries but they sure tasted good.  If I were trying to impress, I'd probably order them from a professional baker such as Kay's Cakes and Cookies owned by a good Democrat here is South Central Pennsylvania.  Check out his web site - Dennis does some good work.

I took a gander at these for a Labor Day picnic and this is how they turned out - all sorts of chocolately-goodness when you bit into them.  The great thing about cake balls is that you can get your imagination on and choose whatever flavors float your boat.  Chocolate and peanut butter?  Red Velvet and Cream Cheese?  How 'bout a citrus version using lemon cake and orange frosting?  My virgin try with these using chocolate cake and chocolate frosting inspired me to create a childhood favorite candy version.

One of my favorite candies was Cherry Mash, made in St. Joseph, MO.  I can remember my big brother taking me to the corner store for a Cherry Mash.  It began my lifetime love affair with anything chocolate and cherry combined.   I've never found Cherry Mash in the east and even though we're just a few miles from Hershey's Chocolate - I still long for for the yummy delliciousness of yummy cherry on the inside coated with salty chocolate coating on the outside.  Nerdy-Boy and his roommate before me, Daren enjoyed these over the weekend but renamed them Chocolate Salty Balls.  Boys!

Cherry Mash Cake Balls
1 package white cake mix prepared and baked.
1 container of cherry-flavored frosting
2 packages of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup of peanuts crushed

Prepare and bake cake mix.  Let cool to room temp.

Crumble baked cake in a large mixing bowl.  Add 3/4 of the can of cherry frosting.  With a heaping tablespoon of the mixture roll into balls and place on cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.  Place in freezer for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, crush your nuts and melt your chocolate.  Mix the nuts with the melted chocolate. 

Remove the cake balls from the freezer and working quickly, roll them in the melted chocolate and nuts.  Place on a cookie sheet and let your balls harden.

Fluffy Apple Pancakes w/Apple Cider Syrup

Some of you might remember about this time last year when I posted a recipe for Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce (If you missed it, go check it out -- it is so good!).  Well, it's October again and here in Central PA, apples and apple cider are everywhere.  And as much as I hate coring and peeling apples, I love cooking with them.  I don't particular like eating an apple on its own (good thing I wasn't responsible for the Original Sin), but, I do like finding a crunchy piece of tartness inside of my food.

My sister Diana and my brother-in-law Jeff stopped by for a quick visit on their way home to Kansas City from Annapolis last week.  Before their long journey home, I wanted to fill their bellies with a good warm breakfast.  I had some apple cider in the fridge from a Cider-Cheese Fondue that I had served at a party the previous Saturday night and some Granny Smith Apples as well.  Hmmm...fluffy apple pancakes!

Now, I always get a little intimidated by my big sister because she is such a fabulous cook. But, when she gives her thumbs up on a dish, I know it's worth sharing here. Jeff - not so much. He's like Nerdy-Boy - he'll eat just about anything.

Diana said as she was gobbling them up, "I didn't know I wanted pancakes.  Apparently I did."  Really - who wouldn't want fluffy apple pancakes?

Of course, Diana can make any dish that I make better.  She emailed me when she got home to tell me she was making this same recipe for house guests but, was cooking up some apples in a little Calvados, a French Apple Brandy to top them off.  Yes, in the Isenhour Clan we have been known to add a little sumthin' sumthin' to our food - even at breakfast time.

Fluffy Apple Pancakes w/Apple Cider Syrup

For the Pancakes - It's really the syrup that makes these pancakes to die for so I just use a box mix of pancakes (we keep Fiber One Complete Pancake Mix in our pantry - somehow I've convinced myself it really is better).  I substitute apple cider for the water, add 1/2 cup of chopped apples and a 1/2 cup of golden raisins.  Make sure that before you pour them on the griddle you give them a good stir so that some of the apples and raisins get in each of the pancakes.

Apple Cider Syrup
1 cup of apple cider
3 Tbsps of brown sugar
1 1/2 tsps of corn starch
2 tsps of lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a slow boil for 5 minutes.  Pour warm over pancakes.

Sweet Pepper Bisque

Remember how I was griping about all of those yummy bell peppers our CSA was sending us each week?  We had so many of them that I had sauteed them, grilled them, stuffed them - I'd run out of things to do with them!

I was comparing notes with my friend Jess who is also a member of the same CSA.  She didn't know what to do with all of the yummy sweet peppers she had either.  So she came up with a sweet pepper soup recipe that I adapted.  Jess just started getting into cooking and it was so fun to have a conversation with her about how she is enjoying trying new recipes and getting her creative on with them.  If she's half the cook that she is political operative, then I want to be invited to her house for dinner soon.

Jess is a vegetarian so she used vegetable broth in her recipe.  I used chicken broth because it was what I had on hand and apparently Nerdy-Boy and I have no conscious when it comes to eating God's little creatures. Hey I'm from Kansas - that's what we do.  I'm not sure but, I think you can be arrested if you don't eat meat.  I added some ginger - well, just because I could.  I had originally intended to add a little cream to truly make this a bisque, but found that it was so creamy on it's own that I didn't need to do so.  And really - do we need the extra calories hanging out here at Chez Patton-Isenhour?  Four out of five friends surveyed say no.

I won't be waiting until next summer for my CSA to deliver more of those yummy peppers to make this sweetness again.  At some point in the coming months I'm going to break my vow to only buy locally-grown produce.  Yep, I'll be heading to my over-sized and over-priced super-market to buy yellow peppers shipped from some corporate farm in California just to taste the lovliness of this bisque sooner rather than later.

Thanks, Jess for sharing!


Sweet Pepper Bisque
1/4 c olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 large bell peppers - seeded and diced (I used 16 of the small yummy peppers from my CSA)
1 medium potato - diced, peeled if you want - I never do - lots of nutrients in that peel
2 Tbsps minced ginger (I used the jarred)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)

Heat oil in dutch oven.  Add onions and salt.  Sautee for 3-4 minutes until soft.  Add peppers, potato, ginger, red pepper flakes and ground black pepper. Cover and simmer until peppers are tender - about 20 minutes.  Add 1/2 cup broth and and cover and simmer for another 40 minutes.  Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of broth.  Puree in food processor or wtih immersion blender.

There are so many things that you can top this with - parsley, dill, rosemary, scallions, sour cream, creme fraiche.  I happened to have some leftover French bread from the night before so I made garlic croutons and topped it with those.  Just enough garlic but not too much to overpower the ginger.

Since Friday is the first day of October and that means lots of tarty-cruncy apples and apple cider, you'll want to check back for yummy apple pancakes and apple syrup for your weekend breakfast.  They're both really easy!

The Most Perfect Food Gets Even Better

Is there any more perfect food than a tater tot?  Seriously -- crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside.  And who can resist all of the starchy goodness of a potato?  Tater tots are the perfect food anytime, but, they may well be the most perfect hangover food.  I almost wished I had a hangover when I made these puppies just to test that theory. Well how 'bout homemade tater tots that haven't been processed with who-knows-what additives and then flash frozen?  What 'bout homemade tater tots that you flavor to your own liking?

We recently hosted a milestone birthday party for our friend Colleen.  I set out to develop a 70's menu.  The first thing that I recalled as I started my research was that the cuisine of the 70's wasn't any better than the fashion of the 70's - the tater tot may be the exception.  When I googled tater tots, all I came up with were casseroles.  Casseroles I'm sure my mother once forced down my gullet.  Colleen deserved much more than a casserole made with canned soups so I decided to try my hand at homemade tater tots.  Homemade tater tots are a little bit of work but trust me, you won't even think about that when you pop one of  these in your mouth.  Truly a little slice of carbohydrate-heaven.  No more frozen tater tots at Chez Patton-Isenhour.  I may even give up my addiction to Sonic tater tots as well. 

Here's my basic recipe.  The possibilities of what you could do with this recipe are endless.  How about adding some feta and chopped up black olives for a Greek version?  Or manchengo cheese with some chopped up jalepeno for a little Mexican kick?  Leave me a comment with your ideas for variations -- I know you Pink Stove blogees are creative.


Homemade Tater Tots
makes 36-40

2 medium potatoes (I used russet)
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons of onion flakes
1 teaspoon of garllic powder
1 teaspoon of sale
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 cup of flour
vegetable oil for frying

Boil the potatoes until fork tender - approximately 20 minutes.  You want to be able to stick a fork in them easily but not so they fall apart.  Remove and cool until you can handle them.  Peel potatoes.  Shred with a box shredder.

Combine shredded potatoes, cheddar cheese, onion flakes, garlic powder, salt and pepper and GENTLY, gently stir in a large mixing bowl being very careful not to break down the potatoes.

Using one tablespoon of the potato mixture, shape into a tater tot.  After you have shaped your tater tots, lightly roll in flour making sure to shake off excess. You just want a very light dusting of flour.

Heat vegetable oil to approximately 350 degrees.  Drop tater tots into oil and fry for approximately 4-5 minutes until golden brown.  Make sure that you don't over crowd your fryer.  Drain on paper towels, season with salt (I used garlic sea salt) and serve warm with ketchup or sour cream/chive dipping sauce.

Stay-tuned, Pink Stove Blogees -- I've got a couple of incredible recipes to share with you. One is a sweet pepper bisque sent to me by my friend Jess that I adapted.  And with apple season coming up, I have an apple pancake recipe with apple cider syrup that will tempt anyone even outside the Garden of Eden!

The Pink Stove Lives!

So the Pink Stove Diaries has been stagnant for a while.  And for that I apologize to all of you wonderful blogees who gave me such great feedback.  I hope I can get your attention again and you will once again grace me with your readership and your feedback.

I've been doing a lot of experimenting on top of the Pink Stove and in her oven so I have lots of recipes to share with you.

From memory, I've tried to re-create an enchilada sauce I learned to make when I was 14. (I just can't stand that stuff that comes in a can!)  Yesterday I bought several pounds of San Marzano tomatoes to make sauce and freeze so I can make Nerdy-Boy's favorite dish for his birthday in October.  (I could feed him lasagna and ice cream sandwiches everyday for the rest of his life and he would be perfectly content!)  I made a 3 layer flan cake that was not only fabulously delectable but a real show stopper that I want to share with you.  And of course, all summer long I've been experimenting with different cocktails - a martini I concocted for my sister Diana's milestone birthday last May made with her favorite liqueur - St. Germaine as well as some good elixirs mixed with rosemary-infused vodka.  This month one of dearest friends, Colleen has a milestone birthday and I'm planning a menu based on 70's food (The 70's weren't any better for cuisine than they were for music - trust me.)

So I hope you'll tune-in and see what The Pink Stove and I are up to.

With many thanks and lots of love,

Mary and The Pink Stove

Gettin' the freak on with rum, cherries and lime

There are a lot of things that I put in my mouth that I'm a freak for.  The flavors of lime, cherry and rum rank right at the top of that list.  So last week when I caught Giada making these on her show, I knew I was headed straight for the grocery and I was going to be getting my freak on that very night with these refreshing numbers.  I adapted her recipe to suit my tastes and the tastes of our guests - in other words - more rum, less fruit.   Remember - a drink course is mandatory at Chez Patton-Isenhour.




Blended Cherry Mojitos - adapted from a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis.
1/2 pound bag frozen pitted cherries
2 cups crushed ice
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
1 1/2 cups of rum (Giada uses citrus flavored, I used dark rum)
1/2 cup Lime Simple syrup (recipe follows)
Lime wedges, mint leaves for garnish

Place the frozen cherries, crushed ice, mint leaves lime juice, rum and simple syrup in a blender.  Blend until smooth.

Pour mixture into chilled glasses and garnish.

Lime Simple Syrup
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of water
3 limes zested.

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes giving it a little stir every now and again.  Remove pan fromm heat and allow syrup to cool.  Strain before using.

Sweet Pepper Gems

So, last week, our CSA Spiral Path Farm delivered these sweet little gems in our farm basket.  Don't get me wrong -- I'm a big fan of these tasty little peppers and all of the sweetness that comes with them.  But, they delivered about 25 of them and the week before they had delivered about the same amount.  So here at Chez Patton-Isenhour we were about as sweet-peppered as could be.  I had them in salsa, I had sauteed them and put them with pasta and sauteed them with sausage and made sandwiches.  The only thing left to do was stuff them.

And a dinner party planned for four turned into a dinner party for 7 at the last minute.  Thank goodness I had so many of these because our guests gobbled them up.

Sweet Pepper Gems

1 8-oz package of cream cheese
1 cup of Mexican-shredded cheese (or Pepper Jack for a little zip - I just happened to have the Mexican on-hand)
2-3 links of chorizo sausage (not the cured)
3 green onions finely chopped (green parts too!)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you like it spicey - less or omit if you use pepper jack) 
salt and pepper to taste
12 small sweet peppers slice in half and seeded
Cilantro to garnish
Salsa to top

Crumble and brown the chorizo over a medium high heat until brown.

In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients except for your peppers.

Fill each pepper half with about a tablespoon of the cheese and sausage mixture.

Place the peppers on a well-oiled medium-high grill.  Let cook for 10-12 minutes until the filling starts to melt and the peppers have charred grill marks on the bottom.

Chop the cilantro finely and sprinkle over the top.  Serve with a side of fresh salsa to top.

Name This Soup

On Sunday evening, knowing I had a busy work week ahead of me, I decided I would make a nice pot of soup so that Nerdy-Boy and I would have leftovers and something easy to heat up for dinner this week.  Good intention, but that didn't work out so well.  This soup was so good, Nerdy-Boy ate almost the entire pot Sunday night leaving not even enough for a lunch serving.   Which is fine by me - we're making reservations for dinner this week.

I also didn't think I was going to get back to the Pink Stove Diaries this week -- but, so many of you asked for this recipe, here I am at 6:00 a.m. posting the recipe for dear Pink Stove blogees.  I hope you and your family enjoy this soup as much as Nerdy-Boy and I did.  And, I hope you will take the time to help me name this soup.  Post your name suggestions in the comment section here or leave them on my Facebook page. I'll post a poll with the top suggestions so that everyone can vote on the name of this soup.  I even have a special Pink Stove prize for the winner of the "Name This Soup" contest!

I think the Italian turkey sausage and the herbs I use in this soup gives it a swell Tuscany flavor.  It was rich, hearty and warm on a cold Sunday night.   The 2009 Beaujolais Nouveau was surprisingly good this year and was the perfect compliment.  If you've already polished off your bottle, a Pinot Noir would work well with this.

Please don't forget to help me name this soup -- it's too good to remain nameless!

No-Name-Yet Soup
1 lb Hot or Spicy Italian Turkey sausage
1 medium onion - diced
3 cloves of garlic - minced
1 cup dry white wine
3 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of carrots - sliced into 1" in pieces
4 small to medium red potatoes - 1" in cubes
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 cup of fresh baby spinach leaves - packed
salt and pepper to taste-(If needed.  Frankly, I forgot it and didn't even notice).

In a large soup pot, brown the sausage over medium heat..  Add onion and garlic and cook until just soft - 5-7 minutes.  Add wine and cook to reduce - approximately 5 minutes.  Add chicken broth, carrots and potatoes.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender.  Add cream, thyme, rosemary and let simmer for 30 minutes until soup begins to thicken.  Stir in baby spinach and let wilt just before serving.

Citrus Fennel Salad

Giada, Ina, Paula, Emeril, Bobby and all those people on the Food Network always make it look so easy.  It simply just ain't.  Especially when you don't have an assistant or someone to clean up after you.

I found this recipe in Giada's collection and since I wanted something summery and citrusy to help chase off the winter blues at our dinner party, I settled on this.  I hate licorice, but, love fennel - go figure and if I find a salad recipe with raw fennel, I'm going to try it.  It has such great crunchiness.  Also, anything with lots of basil in it is always good in my book -- since come summertime, I run out of things to do with it.

I made this for the dinner party the other night and besides struggling with getting the citrus out of the membranes, oranges that were seriously NOT juicy, I wish I would have made this the night before giving the flavors more time to meld.   Lesson learned.

Fennel Citrus Salad
1 large orange, peeled and ends trimmed
1 grapefruit, peeled and ends trimmed
1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Place a sieve over a medium bowl. Hold an orange over the bowl, and using a paring knife, cut along the membrane on both sides of each segment. Free the segments and let them fall into the sieve. Repeat with the grapefruit. Squeeze the membranes over the bowl to extract as much juice as possible, reserving the juices in the bottom of the bowl. Place the fruit segments and fennel in a salad bowl.

In a blender or the bowl of a small food processor, blend together the oil, basil and 3 tablespoons of the reserved juice until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour over the fruit and fennel. Add the chopped walnuts and toss until all the ingredients are coated.

Lemon Yogurt Cake with Blueberry Sauce

I am still experimenting with different lemon cakes in order to come up with a good lemon lavender cake.  Since my lavender has gone to sleep for the winter and I spent more money on lavender buds in New York than I can publish here in case Nerdy-boy is reading, I decided I would first experiment with just lemon cakes and add the lavender later. 

I found this recipe for Ina Garten's lemon yogurt cake and this may be the vessel for my lemon lavender cake with a few adjustments.  This cake is light and very lemony.  Ina claims that it's not as calorie heavy as most cake because there is no butter in it.  I'm not buying that one.  Nonetheless, it's quite tasty.  I know that because there was about 1/4 of it leftover from the dinner party the other night when Nerdy-boy and I had this conversation.

NB:  Honey, do you want a piece of this lemon cake?

ME:  Not right now - I'm good.

NB:  Do you think you're going to want a piece later?

ME:  No, honey. But, if you want to eat the rest of the cake, go ahead.

Of course he did.


Lemon Yogurt Cake (from Ina Garten)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
nocoupons

For the glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar 

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

nocoupons

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

For the Blueberry Sauce (this leftover sauce was great on our fluffy pancakes this morning).
1 1/2 pints fresh blueberries, rinsed
1 cup vanilla sugar1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Combine the blueberries and vanilla sugar in a large heavy saucepan. Add 1 cup water and the lemon juice and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the mixture begins to thicken.

Remove from the heat and strain through a fine sieve. Cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate.

A fun commuinity dish - Paella!

There are so many things to love about Paella.  It's such a great dish to place in the middle of the table and let everyone help themselves.  There is something in it for everyone.  I love finding a shrimp or a little morsel of sausage nestled in the rice richly flavored with saffron.  Have I mentioned that saffron is one of my very favorite spices?  Of course it is - it is the most expensive spice in the world!  I began experimenting with different paella recipes several years ago just because of the saffron.  Last month on a trip to New York City, Chris, Colleen and I received a recommendation for a paella restaurant from a guy in a wine store as we were indulging in one of our favorite hobbies - purchasing wine. 

A no-reservation restaurant in New York City on a Saturday night a few weeks before Christmas that seats approximately 40 is not going to stop the likes of the three of us. Thanks to Chris and Colleen's charming personalities, (those two could sell honey to bees) our wait wasn't terribly long.  The Soccarrat Paella Bar was fabulous and the proprietor's were happy to share with us some great tips on fixing authentic paella.

The following recipe is an amalgamation of several recipes I've drawn from plus tips from the The Soccarrat Paella Bar.  The only tip from The Soccarrat I didn't use in this recipe is to use a genuine paella pan that I have yet to purchase.  According to these paella experts, it's what gives the dish the crunchy flavorful goodness on the bottom.  I can't wait to purchase my very own paella pan!

Paella
3 Tbsps olive oil
1 medium onion (diced)
4 cloves garlic (diced)
1 medium red onion (diced)
1/2 lb sausage (I use Italian turkey sweet sausage but, many recipes call for kielbasa or other types of sausage - to me, it's a personal preference)
2 cups cooked chicken (diced) - I like the white and dark meat in paella
1 cup dry white wine
1 tsp saffron threads
2 cups long grain rice
1 cup asparagus spears blanched and cooked crisp tender (cut into 1" pcs)
1 cup sugar snap peas blanched and cooked crisp tender
4 cups seafood stock or chicken stock (I think the seafood stock is lot more flavorful but sometimes I can't find it at my grocery)
1 lb shrimp (uncooked)
2 dozen clams

Place wine and saffron in a small pan bring to a boil over medium heat.  Set aside and let steep.

Over medium heat in a large heavy, covered oven-proof pan, heat oil and brown sausage.  Add onion, garlic and red pepper.  Cook until just tender.  Add chicken, chicken broth, rice and wine and saffron.  Cover and let cook for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked through and tender.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cover pan place in oven and cook for 45 mins to 1 hour.  The last 10 minutes of cooking, remove pan from oven and nestle shrimp and clams in rice mixture.  Top with asparagus and sugar snap peas and return to oven covered and cook until shrimp turns pink and clams open up.  Remove from oven and mix together before serving.



  

Hits and Misses

Sometimes you just hit in the kitchen and sometimes you just miss.  I think I hit it more times than I miss, but, this menu for a recent dinner party was a slight miss. Nothing (I believe) was inedible - there were very few leftovers, but, by far, not my best outing.  The good thing about a dinner party is that it's more about the company, the conversation and the time spent with friends than anything else and in that regard, with Doug, Jen, Barb, Pat and their fabulous children, it's always a hit!

When I do miss, I generally learn what I did wrong and hit it right the next time.  I whip up a lot of things in my kitchen and on my pink stove that I don't publish here because I don't think they are worth your time or effort.  Even though, I had a miss on this outing, I think this is a good menu and great receipes and worth publishing.  My goal with this menu was to bring a bit of sunshine with citrusy flavors to the bitter cold weather we have recently been experiencing in central Pennsylvania.  I'm going to try these recipes again soon and you should too!

Welcome Back!

So The Pink Stove Diaries and I have been on hiatus.  That doesn't mean that Her Excellency The Pink Stove has been on hiatus.  She has been very busy this holiday season whipping up all sorts of delectable delights.  She's been so busy, she plum-tuckered me out completely leaving me no energy whatsoever to blog.

But, a new year and new intentions (I did NOT say resolutions - just intentions.)  I'm looking forward to 2010 and trying new things on the Pink Stove and hopefully sharing them with you.  What are you doing on your stove and won't you share with me?

Happy New Year Pink Stove Blogees!

Pork and Sauerkraut Stew

New Year's Day at my mother's table in the midwest was always the leftover Christmas ham bone and black-eyed peas.  Mother told us that eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day would bring us luck and prosperity in the new year.  I think it was just her way of using up the leftover ham bone and and getting us to eat black-eyed peas.

When I moved to Pennsylvania 10 years ago, I found that pork and sauerkraut is the dish that central Pennsylvanians propagate to get kids to eat what they don't want to.  This year I decided to embrace my central Pennsylvania-self and get Nerdy-Boy to eat what he doesn't want to eat.  When it comes to Nerdy-Boy, I like getting lucky.  And lucky for me, he loved this dish!

May the new year bring you love, peace and joy.  Oh and luck and prosperity as well!

Pork and Sauerkraut Stew
1 2-lb pork tenderloin - cut into 1 inch cubes
2 Tbsps olive oil
1 medium onion - diced
3 cloves of garlic - rough diced
3/4 cup of celery - rough dice
1 cup of carrots - peeled and sliced
4 small potatoes - cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup of white wine
2 cups of chicken broth
32-oz sauerkraut
1 apple (sweet-variety, peeled, cored and in 1 inch-dice)
2 tsps caraway seed

Over medium-high heat, brown pork tenderloin in a large dutch oven.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Saute onion and garlic in pan drippings 3-5 minutes - just softened, not browned.   Add wine and deglaze pan.  Add chicken broth, celery, carrots and potatoes.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes until vegetable are slightly tender.  Return pork to pan and add sauerkraut, apple and caraway seeds.  Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

I'm not a big fan of caraway seeds, but, just the slight hint gives this stew a warm aromatic flavor.  And the secret ingredient -- an apple!  It drew just enough of the bitterness out of the sauerkraut to let all of the other flavors come out.  Perfect for a bitter cold Pennsylvania day.