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Lula – Take 3

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In the oven: Crackers – made from discard sourdough starter; various toppings. (See recipe at bottom of post)

Focaccia 3 ways: truffle sea salt; fresh herbs; fig, goat cheese and caramelized onions. There is also a pizza bianca thrown in there (made from leftover pizza dough)
Focaccia 3 ways: truffle sea salt; fresh herbs; fig, goat cheese and caramelized onions. There is also a pizza bianca thrown in there (made from leftover pizza dough)

Lula is my bubbly new sourdough starter. She is named after a character in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Lula’s character sports a huge personality; someone practically bursting from the seams (literally). She brings life to the series even though she is not the main character. I felt it an appropriate homage to name my sourdough starter after her.

This is my third rendition of Continue reading →

Raspberries from Heaven

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“A house needs a grandma in it.” ~Louisa May Alcott

My grandmother’s birthday was this past Tuesday. I passed much of that day thinking about her. About her life, about my life with her…about how much she meant to me. I am quite certain that in her own way she saved me. Grandmom was my biggest cheerleader.

I spent many school-free summer days and nights at my grandparent’s house. I can still hear the squeaking of the metal springs on the back porch glider as we swayed back and forth…back and forth…back and forth…a methodic, eerie squeak, yet oddly comforting at the same time. We would sit together: me and her and my grandpop. They listened intently as I read my latest creations – often poetry, but sometimes a short story or the occasional play (of course it was all wonderful, and I was the best writer ever). At lunch we dunked saltines in our hot tea (Lipton, of course), crunched sandwiches layered with potato chips or smeared grape jelly on grilled cheeses*, and afterwards we enjoyed Breyer’s Ice-Cream out of the etched glass dishes she kept in her dining room cabinet, seemingly for just that purpose.

And in July we picked raspberries.

Whenever I eat even one raspberry, I am instantly transported back to her house on any given July day of my childhood. Pine trees shaded the backyard; shirts and pants and sheets hung from the clothesline to dry; hydrangeas bloomed a beautiful bluish-purple hue. Train tracks ran along the back edge of the property, one section of them lined by raspberry bushes. Even now, I can almost feel the dew on my feet and smell the pungent scent of pine as I crossed through the yard to get to that luscious fruit.

As early as the middle of July, but for sure by the end, those berries reached the height of perfection. She and I would each grab a bowl and head for the back of the property. I don’t recall that we talked about anything in particular as we harvested, although she did show me which berries were ready to pick and which ones still needed to ripen. I loved to pluck the particularly ripe ones straight from the bush and pop them directly into my mouth. Each bite was like eating sunshine itself. Heaven.

It took no time at all before our bowls were filled…with a few pauses here and there for sampling (just to be sure!). Many did not survive the short walk back to the house, and even fewer made it to the table later.

Anything that did survive was usually mixed into Jello for the evening’s after dinner treat. Or perhaps served with that Breyer’s Ice-Cream I mentioned earlier. 

To this day I think of my grandmother with each and every raspberry I eat. Every. Time. And when I encounter an especially ripe one – one that is extra juicy and fragrant and tastes just like Sunshine itself – I know in that instant she is with me. She is there in spirit enveloping me with Love and Happiness.

There is a sense of wonder knowing a certain taste or smell – or even a touch – can take me back in time. Back to a place where my grandmother is still with me. Encouraging me. Loving me. And knowing in those moments that she has never really left me. All along, she has been right there. Right here. 

And that comforts me to no end.

*“Tea and Saltines…Grilled Cheese with Grape Jelly”

Autumn Rising

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“Is not this a true autumn day? Just the still melancholy that I love – that makes life and nature harmonize. The birds are consulting about their migrations, the trees are putting on the hectic or the pallid hues of decay, and begin to strew the ground, that one’s very footsteps may not disturb the repose of earth and air, while they give us a scent that is a perfect anodyne to the restless spirit. Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” ~ George Eliot

In the oven: Stone Fruit Cobbler, to be served with ice-cream on the side (see recipe below).

Labor Day is upon us – the unofficial end of summer. I have spent the past few days in Seattle where the weather is cooler – I even saw someone wearing boots yesterday!! Hooray for boot weather! But even in Texas I have sensed the sneaking up of Autumn, despite the heat that remains. There is an underlying crispness to the air, and I have noticed the subtle disappearance of light from each day as summer gradually fades. 

School is back in session, shavings from freshly sharpened pencils thick in the air while children reluctantly leave carefree days of summer behind (and parents secretly rejoice!); football blares from TVs across the country. Yes, September 21st may be the official date, but we all know Labor Day signals the true end of Summer.

I rather prefer Autumn. Autumn feels romantic. Thinking about the rich aromas of spice and dampness and fallen leaves excites me. I look forward to its brilliant hues of gold streaking the landscape around me. Even though I live in Texas where Fall is more alluded to rather than truly experienced, the idea of needing a more substantial meal is appealing. 

And so it is that I welcome Labor Day with open arms and a free heart. It is more my ‘new year’ than New Year’s Day. My yearly resolutions are set in September rather than January. I like to set them and then let them hibernate for a bit, allowing them to come to full fruition in the Spring. At least in theory. 

Most of us think of back yard BBQs and end of summer pool parties when we think of Labor Day. There is football season and back to school and cooler weather right around the corner. 

But what, exactly, are we honoring on this day?

The first Labor Day in the United States was held in 1882 in the midst of the Industrial Revolution.  Oregon was the first state to declare it a ‘real’ holiday in 1887, and it was finally 1894 when President Grover Cleveland named it an official holiday for the entire country. Other countries held their own versions in May (called ‘International Worker’s Day’); however, the Haymarket Affair* had occurred in May of 1886. When President Cleveland made Labor Day a holiday he worried it would be associated with the event, thus causing further rioting and re-igniting any anger still smoldering. And thus, Labor Day happens on the First Monday of September rather than the first of May. 

This year my husband and I will celebrate the weekend as we have the past several years. The Sunday before (would that be ‘Labor Day Eve?’) we will participate in our annual Fantasy Football Draft party. Everyone brings a dish to share and we spend the afternoon eating, drinking and choosing our [winning] teams for the upcoming season. And the next day there is generally another cook out…sometimes at our home, but often hosted by others. Again, it is usually a ‘bring-a-dish-to-share’ event. This year I am bringing dessert to the draft party. I am making a stone fruit cobbler (see recipe below) and also bringing homemade brownies.

What does Labor Day mean to you? How do you typically spend the weekend?

*Haymarket Affair: Occurred in May, 1886 in Chicago. It began as a peaceful demonstration, but it turned deadly when a dynamite bomb was ignited, killing seven police officers and at least four other civilians, and leaving many others wounded. The rally began in support of an eight hour work day. At that time, it was not uncommon to work twelve hour days seven days a week.

Recipe: Stone Fruit Cobbler

Streusel Ingredients:

  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/4 cup ground pecans (optional)
  • 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
  • 6 T cold butter

Stone Fruit Filling

  • 4 lbs mixture of stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, plums, etc) – pitted and cut into 1/2″ slices
  • 3 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice (approx. 1 lemon)
  • 4 Tablespoons flour
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar 
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Butter a 9″ x 13″ baking dish and set aside.

Streusel: In a medium bowl, mix all streusel ingredients except the butter. Cube the butter and cut into the dry ingredients until it is crumbly. Set aside.

Filling: Toss the fruit with the lemon juice, then the flour to coat. Mix in the remaining ingredients and pour into a 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the fruit.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the top is golden and the fruit is bubbly.

It is best to let it sit for about 30 minutes before serving. I like to serve it with either a scoop of vanilla ice-cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

Enjoy!!

Dark and Stormy Weather

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**I am sitting out on my back porch as I write, Magen’s Bay as my backdrop, watching the pelicans dive for their meal and listening to the water gently lapping at the shore below me. Yet I know this peaceful setting will disappear come morning…

In the oven: Pork Shoulder, braised in white wine with a medley of vegetables; Tex-Mex Black Beans; Rice; Carrots Glazed with Mustard and Brown Sugar

In my glass: A Dark and Stormy (see below)

The past several days have been crazier than normal for me. Between traveling, a funeral, and preparing for Once-Hurricane-Then-Tropical-Storm-Now-Tropical-Depression Danny I have stayed plenty busy! Danny is supposed to come through late this evening, and while we certainly do not need the flooding and winds that come with a hurricane, here in the islands we have been experiencing a drought and could really use a good soaking rain and filled cisterns. This is the driest I’ve seen it in the two years we have been living here.

Every indication is that the storm will barely cause any damage and bring maybe 2-4 inches of much-needed rain. The Sahara Dust that hovers in the air keeps most of the approaching storms at bay; however, Danny may bring enough moisture to clear away much of that dust, and the storm lingering just beyond Danny could be trouble. So really we are worried more about the storm brewing behind this one. As any good Girl/Boy Scout knows, it is good to be prepared…

And so we are now properly stocked up on water, canned goods, batteries, and Rum…you know, island essentials. Our landlord has installed the Hurricane Shutters on the house we rent and made sure the generators are fueled. Most of the boats we normally see moored around the island have been moved to safer waters. It seems odd to drive around the island and see so much open water harboring so few boats. The cruise ships are even keeping their distance, meaning fewer tourists, as well. On a positive note: this makes for much less congested trips to run these all important pre-storm errands.

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‘Dark and Stormy’ 2 parts ginger beer, 1 part blackstrap rum. Serve over ice w/ lime wedge

Despite the impending storm, today has been rather sunny. The skies are only just beginning to cloud over now. But I know once that first storm of the season passes, it will take with it the refreshing breezes we have now, and the air will grow still and mosquito-filled. This will last until some time in November or December when the Christmas winds return. Until that time (which may be sooner than later) I will enjoy every second I get of this. 

Tonight I am preparing a hearty meal in anticipation of the weather to come (see above menu) and hope I get enough for two meals so I don’t have to cook tomorrow. Somehow it seems appropriate to have a robust meal when a storm is coming, even in this heat. Below is the recipe for my Braised Pork Shoulder. Enjoy!!

Braised Pork Shoulder

  • 1 3 lb pork shoulder (season both sides with salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme)
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 2 celery stalked, sliced
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 2 T whole grain mustard
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 c. White wine
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Brown the pork shoulder on both sided in a heavy duty dutch oven. Remove from pan and let rest.

Add vegetables to the pan and sauté until softened. Stir in the mustard and garlic.

Add the wine and bring to a boil. Place the pork shoulder back in the pan and remove from heat.

Cover, place in oven for 30 minutes. Turn after 30 minutes and cook for another 30 minutes or until done.

When done, take pork out of pan, let rest for 10-15 minutes, then slice and serve. Don’t forget the vegetables!!

HAPPY NATIONAL RUM DAY!!!

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It’s a HOT summer day here in TX, and a nice rum drink – preferably with one of those cute little umbrellas attached – is a happy way to make the heat feel a tad less oppressive…

 

I have spent a LOT of time in the Caribbean in the past couple of years, and rum drinks abound there. Cruzan Rum is original to St. Croix, and Captain Morgan moved its operations there in [I believe] 2010 from Puerto Rico. Both are wonderful rums!

In the British Virgin Islands there is a drink called a Painkiller which hails from The Soggy Dollar Bar…it is rum-based and fruity and delicious! Pussers is usually considered to be the original rum used; however, that is heavily debated by many. In any case, it is my favorite rum to have in that drink. A Painkiller consists of Pineapple Juice, Orange Juice, Cream of Coconut, [Pussers] Rum, and a dash of nutmeg on top. [drool]

Hmmm, pineapple juice, rum and cream of coconut…that sounds familiar… This brings us to the Piña Colada, which is original to Puerto Rico. Barrachina Restaurant is considered by many to have made the original, though this is disputed by The Caribe Hilton (who claim to have invented it about 10 years prior to Barrachina). I’ve been to Barrachina, and I’m not sure if what they serve is the original recipe, but it was a frozen pre-made concoction. I cannot vouch for the taste of the Caribe Hilton as we did not make it there. My husband and I found our favorite piña colada at a place called Moreno Spot. Theirs was made to order and served in a hollowed out pineapple (the juice of which was actually in the drink!). It was $12 and well worth it!

So…What is YOUR favorite recipe using Rum? And do you have a preferred rum?

My recipe for a Painkiller:

  • 3 oz Pusser’s Rum (you can vary this to taste)
  • 4 oz Pineapple Juice
  • 1 oz Cream of Coconut
  • 1 oz Orange Juice
  • Freshly grated nutmeg

Add ice to a cocktail shaker and pour the first 4 ingredients in…shake to mix. Pour into the glass (I include the ice) and grate nutmeg over the top. Garnish with an umbrella, preferably speared with a chunk of pineapple and a cherry.

Sit back, admire your concoction…then sip. Repeat until glass is empty.