Dinner On A Toothpick

Dinner on a Toothpick is a guide to feeding 4 to 40 without forks. Since the Superbowl is at hand, this little gem from 1971 is filled with bites to skewer on a toothpick, so an easy guide for appetizers.

Written by Josephine Camille and Gail Johnson this little book is meant to be an introduction to “casual dining” or more specifically a way to serve up a cocktail buffet. It does seem a bit curious that there has been so much recent interest in cocktails but not so much in cocktail snacks.

Dinner on a Toothpick is chocked full of balls. Beet balls, olive balls, bourbon balls and of course meatballs. There is nothing earth shattering about the appetizers featured in the book. It does have a nifty chart in rear of the book that features a chart for every appetizer in the book listing among other things whether it is hot or cold, hearty or secondary, bland or spicy and whether it could be made in advance.

Since balls are easily skewered and since everyone likes a little dessert, her is how to make bourbon balls.

Bourbon Balls

1 cup vanilla wafers, rolled fine
2 jiggers bourbon
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup pecans or walnuts, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons white corn syrup
powdered sugar

Mix all the ingredients and form into small balls. Roll in powdered sugar. May be stored in a jar in the refrigerator.

How easy is that?

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HOMEMADE FRESH NOODLES

The title of this post is my "gentle protest" in the noodle vs. pasta debate. I grew up calling them noodles, but all of the cooking shows call it pasta. Is there a difference? Perhaps the word pasta makes it sound fancier? Oh well, call me old fashioned I guess.

I've been playing around with homemade noodle recipes since I got a little hand crank noodle roller for Christmas. This latest recipe uses all semolina flour and it was SO much easier to work than recipes that use all purpose flour. The back of the semolina flour bag suggested using the full sheets of this dough (uncut) for lasagna (without boiling) which I am looking forward to trying.

 Homemade noodles in cheesy
fettuccine Alfredo sauce

1½ cups semolina flour
½ teaspoon salt (optional)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil (I used canola oil)

Combine the semolina flour and salt; add the beaten eggs, water and oil. Mix to make a very stiff dough. Knead for 10 minutes or until dough is elastic (I did this with my stand mixer). Cover with plastic and let the dough rest for 30 minutes (important)..
After 30 minutes of resting, turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured counter. Don't use too much flour on the dough before you put it through the machine, just enough to make it not sticky.

Start with pieces of dough about the size of a golf ball, maybe slightly larger. Flatten it out with your hand and taper one end of the dough so the machine will be able to "catch" the dough easily. Roll the dough through your machine on the lowest number two or three times (it will get longer each time).
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Set your dial to the next lower number and run the dough through again. Do this a couple times. My final machine setting was #3 and it was just right for fettuccine noodles..You can air dry these noodles at this point or you can boil it like any other noodle; it takes a lot less time to cook if you don't dry it. Drain and use like you would any other noodle.

NOTE: You certainly do not HAVE to have a machine to roll out this dough. I have made many noodles by rolling out small balls of dough on a floured counter with my rolling pin. Just make sure you roll them out nice and thin then cut with a pizza cutter.

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PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE WITH GINGERSNAP CRUST

Each little cheesecake (or two) is the perfect portion size and the gingersnap crumb crust goes perfectly with the pumpkin filling. This recipe makes 12 little scrumptious cheesecakes, but you could easily double it for a crowd.

 2/3 cup of crushed gingersnaps (about 15)
2 tablespoons of melted butter

Mix the crumbs and melted butter and put a scant tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of 12 paper lined cupcake compartments; press down the crumbs into an even layer and bake in a 325 degree oven for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

8 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
½ cup of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream everything together until very well mixed.
Beat in 2 eggs, one at a time, until well mixed.

Fill the paper cupcake liners ¾ full. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 325. My oven took 30 minutes. Chill in the pan for several hours. Remove the cupcake paper before serving and top with whipped cream.

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LEMON - BUTTER COOKIES

I love it when you find a recipe that you know you already have all of the ingredients, even if you are snowed in, or haven't gone shopping in a while. That describes this super quick, super easy, super tasty lemon butter cookie.

¾ cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 teaspoons lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
a little extra sugar to roll cookies in

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until it is very light and fluffy (this takes a few minutes at high speed). Beat in egg, corn syrup and extracts. Add the flour, baking soda & baking powder and mix well.

Roll dough into 1" balls then roll the balls in granulated sugar. Place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet about 2 or 3 inches a part. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 12 minutes or until they are just golden around the edges.

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Purefoy Hotel

We did a post on the famous Purefoy Hotel Cookbook. I once read this from a book dealer: Frankly, I'm not quite sure how this book became one of the most sought-after cookbooks in America, but it is! So true.

People are often asking me if they can buy my copy. Some people collect the various editions and every time I mention it, I get e-mails from people.

Recently I got an e-mail from Alan Anderson. He told me his parents always stopped in at the Purefoy twice a year. He wrote:

"My mother's recipe book is very well used, dog eared would be an understatement. There is a menu she kept in the book."

He sent me a copy of his mother's old menu from the Purefoy that she had kept tucked in her copy of The Purefoy Hotel Cookbook.

There is no better reason to do a blog.

Thanks, Mr. Anderson

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FUDGE CREAM PIE

I decided to try this chocolate pie recipe because it looked so simple. You do not have to temper the eggs, no complicated steps and multiple bowls to deal with. It is super quick, super easy and produces a super thick chocolate filling. It was a huge hit for the chocolate lovers at our house!!

 9" baked pie crust
1¼ cups white sugar
2 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
4 egg yolks
2 one ounce squares unsweetened chocolate
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In medium saucepan, combine sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. In a medium bowl, beat milk and egg yolks until smooth. Gradually stir the milk mixture into the saucepan that has the sugar mixture in it. Cook over medium heat (stir constantly) until the mixture comes to a full boil. Boil and stir for a minute or two or until it's very thick.
Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate, butter and vanilla until the butter is melted. Pour into baked pie shell.
Place plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the hot filling (this will prevent a skin from forming on the pudding). Chill overnight. Top with whipped cream and chocolate curls.

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Southern Ground

I love Southern Ground. Now I know you know I love Southern cookbooks. And you probably know I love tunes, especially that Americana/y’alternative rooted in the South. Southern Ground is a cookbook written by a fave band, the Zac Brown Band.



Now Zac can sing and he can cook.







I love Southern Ground for another reason – it is a great and unusual design. Instead of heading out to a mainstream publisher, they chose a different route. Printed on heavy card stock, every double page spread features pictures and writings by the band and a recipe. Each recipe is printed on a white 3 x 5 recipe card tucked into a glassine envelope. It’s the kind of book a mainstream publisher would dismiss as a hassle.







The recipes are standard Southern fare, greens, Brunswick Stew, deviled eggs, stewed okra and of course…

Sharp Cheddar Pimento Cheese



1 lb sharp cheddar cheese, medium grated

1/2 bunch green onions, chopped

1 (4oz) can roasted red pepper, dices

3/4 cup prepared mayonnaise

6 oz cream cheese, room temperature



Grate sharp cheddar cheese into a large bowl.

Add all ingredients and mix well. You won’t need salt because of the sharp cheddar has enough.

The best news...this is Volume 1. Check out a copy at the Zac Brown Band web site.

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BAKED ONION RINGS

Don't let this terrible photo fool you, these onion rings are deliciously addicting!! I found this recipe on Donna's blog over at My Tasty Treasures. There are only 2 tablespoons of oil in the whole batch, but you would never know it; this recipe is a keeper!!

The onion rings bake up light as air, super crispy and packed with flavor!!
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1 medium size vidalia onion
1½ cups corn flakes
½ cup plain dry bread crumbs (I used Panko)
1 large egg
½ cup low fat buttermilk
¼ cup flour
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
pepper to taste
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Put the corn flakes and bread crumbs in the food processor and pulse until you get fine crumbs (set aside).
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Mix the egg, buttermilk, flour, cayenne and black pepper. Cut the ends off of the vidalia onion and then cut the center of the onion into four thick slices. Separate the rings.
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Dip the raw onion rings into the batter and set them on a baking rack so the excess batter will drip off (put a baking sheet under the rack, or set the whole rack in the sink to help reduce any mess).
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Put 2 tablespoons olive oil (I used canola oil) on a rimmed baking sheet and put it in the oven for 2 minutes to preheat. After 2 minutes, remove the pan and tilt it to redistribute the oil. Coat the battered rings in the fine dry crumb mixture and place on the baking sheet.

Bake for 16 minutes in a 450 degree pre-heated oven (turn them over half way through). Remove from oven and sprinkle with coarse salt.

NOTE: I don't know if these would be as good with a plain yellow onion. I used vidalia's because they are our favorite. Any sweet onion would work.

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High On The Hog

To say that Jessica B. Harris writes “cookbooks” would be a grievous understatement. She does write cookbooks but she a masterful practitioner of culinary history. There is that derogatory adage which states those who can do and those who can’t teach. Jessica B. Harris can both cook and teach.

Here new book was receiving accolades even before it was officially published. High on the Hog is a narrative of African American foods history told from one table to another.

It is easy to forget that the African Diaspora brought with it many of the foodways that most people think of as truly American. When looking at one of America’s earliest and most influential cookbooks, 1824’s Mary Randolph’s The Virginia House-wife, featured ingredients that simply hadn’t existed in America a hundred years earlier such as field peas and okra. It would be three years later when the first African-American published a book with recipes, Robert Roberts’ The House Servant’s Directory.

It would be inconceivable to think that there is a person interested in American cuisine and Southern cuisine especially, that wouldn’t benefit from a careful reading of Jessica B. Harris’ High On The Hog.

Though there are only a few recipes in her book, this one from her Grandma Harris is sure to be a winner.

Grandma Harris’s Greens

4 pounds of mixed collard, mustard, and turnip greens
8 strips of bacon
6 cups water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For serving:
Hot sauce
Chopped onions
Balsamic vinegar

Wash the greens well, picking them over to remove any brown spots or blemishes, then drain them well, cut out the thick central stems, and tear the greens into bite-size pieces. Place the bacon strips in a large, heavy saucepan and cook them over medium heat until they are translucent and the bottom of the pan is covered with the rendered bacon fat. Add the greens to the water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, covered, until the greens are tender – about 2 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the greens hot, accompanied by hot sauce, chopped onions, and vinegar.

Harris notes that some cooks added a pinch of sugar but not her Grandma. Bless her heart, my Great-Aunt Mamie, who was in charge of cooking the greens in our house would never add sugar, either.

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TACO BELL RED SAUCE CLONE RECIPE

I admit it, there are certain items that I really enjoy at Taco Bell. Yes, I know it's not authentic Mexican food, but when you like something, well, you overlook things like that. One thing I enjoy at TB is a warm condiment called red sauce. It is not the hot sauce that comes in a packet; it is the steaming hot red sauce that is served on their tostados and their Mexican pizza. This recipe is about as close to the original taste as you can get!!!

 1 (8 ounce) can of tomato sauce
1/3 cup water
¼ teaspoon chili powder
1½ teaspoon ground cumin
1½ teaspoons dry onion flakes
1 tablespoon white vinegar
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon garlic salt
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon white sugar
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix everything and simmer (on very low) for 15-20 minutes. Serve hot. The "spice level" is very moderate if you use it right away. It is a little spicier if you let it sit in the fridge overnight.
Serve (as a hot condiment) with any Mexican food.

NOTE: I was surprised to see that there is vinegar in this sauce (you can't taste it in the final product).

NOTE: I don't usually buy garlic salt. I just mix it up with 3 parts salt to 1 part garlic powder, stir well.

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MUFFIN POPPERS

My husbands winter occupation (hobby) is restoring vintage snowmachines. He has a shop on our property and needless to say, there are days when very little "restoring" happens because the shop is full of his buddies discussing their most recent snowmachine adventures. When the shop is full, I enjoy sending out a big plate of baked goods to get their opinion on a new recipe. Today, I sent these (super easy) little muffin poppers out and the "guys" hovered over them like vultures (a good sign), the little gems got a big thumbs up.

2 cups flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat your oven to 400 and lightly grease/spray a mini-muffin pan with vegetable spray.

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients, then stir in the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and melted butter. Beat together until well blended.

Fill mini-muffin cups about ½ full. Bake in 400 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes (my oven took 13 minutes) or until they spring back when touched.

Let the little muffins cool a minute or so, then remove them from the pan. Brush all surfaces with melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar. Serve warm (but great room temperature too).

NOTE: This recipe makes about 3 dozen mini-muffins.

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Eating Royally

Finally Prince William decided to make an honest woman out of Kate Middleton whom we now speak of as "Catherine" which begs the question why hasn't she been "Cate" all these years?

Since there is renewed interest in those pesky Windsors, our Famous Food Friday is William's mom, Princess Diana. It seems her personal chef, Darren McGrady, penned a cookbook featuring Diana's favorite dishes entitled Eating Royally.

McGrady began working at Buckingham Palace where he tells us that working for the Queen is a live-in job. You get housing, health care, clothing, six weeks of vacation, long-term employment and really crappy pay.


When he first went to Balmoral (brilliantly portrayed in the movie The Queen, he was preforming poorly at the vegetable station. The Head Chef came over.

"Right, Now let me show you how to prepare the Queen's carrots." He then took three very large carrots, peeled, trimmed and topped them. He then sliced them length wise and in half so that each carrot was of equal length. The carrots were then placed in a white paper bag and the bag was folded shut. "There," he said, "That's how to do it."

"But Chef," I asked, now totally bewildered, "aren't they a bit large and don't we need to cook them?"

"Large?" His eyebrows shot up. "Of course not. They will be fine for the horses. And don't ever cut them any shorter than that of she will blame up when the damn horses bite her fingers."

So let that be a lesson to you.

The cookbook reflects the Windsor's dinning habits which means you are looking at recipes that reflect the style of the 1950's. There is a lot of mayonnaise, cold fish terrines and desserts. Meat, potatoes and peas. There is not a sous-vide machine in site.



Here is a fine example of cooking for Royalty. It is a rather "simple" recipe for lemonade, a popular drink served after boarding the Britannia.

Lemon Refresher

4 1/2 cups of sugar
2 tablespoons Epsom salts
3 teaspoons citric acid
3 teaspoons tartatic acid
6 lemons, juice and zest
5 cups water

Place the sugar, Epsom salts, citric acid, tartaric acid, lemon juice, and zest in a bowl and whisk them together. Bring 5 cups of water to a boil and pour over the lemon mix, whisking until combined. Refrigerate until cold and decant into screw-top bottles. To serve, dilute 1/4 cup of the lemon refresher with 2 cups of water over ice or to taste.

McGrady assures us that Princess Diana was a bit more relaxed than the rest of the clan. Unfortunately, the food was pretty much the same.




As he waited for Diana to return home from vacation, he saw on television, like most of the world, that his boss, the Princess would not be retuning. Mohammed Al Fayed promised jobs to any member of the Princess' staff who wanted one. Prince Charles asked McGrady to be his personal chef, but he felt Diana would have felt betrayed, so he left the royal kitchen.

This may not be the best cookbook to actually cook from, but the stories of the kitchens is rather fascinating.

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Absinthe Cocktails

Man or Woman does not live by bread or pasta alone. Every now and then you need a stiff drink. And I do mean stiff. So grab a bottle of the newly legal old green fairy, absinthe.

What does one do with this bottle?

Grab a copy of Absinthe Cocktails by Kate Simon with lovely drink photos by Lara Ferroni. Simon who is an editor at Imbibe magazine (hey there are magazines for everything which makes me think you haven't read this month's Modern Ferret, but I digress...). Simon has great contacts with bartenders around the globe so the book features many new spins on absinthe. In addition, it lists all those faves of years gone by like the Corpse Reviver #2.

Here's a spin on the very lady-like Grasshopper from Jackson Cannon at Boston’s Eastern Standard.

Absinthe and Old Lace

1 ounce dry gin
1/2 ounce absinthe verte
1/2 ounce green crème de menthe (Jackson likes Bourdeaux-made Marie Brizard’s)
1/2 ounce simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water)
1/2 ounce half-and-half
1 egg white

Garnish: 1 dash Bittermens’ Xocolatl Mole Bitters or shaved bittersweet chocolate

Fill a stemmed glass with ice and let sit to chill. In a shaker, combine the ingredients and shake without ice to blend. Add ice and shake until chilled. Discard the ice from the stemmed glass, shaking out any excess water. Strain the contents of the shaker into the chilled glass. Garnish.

Having been very fascinated by the deadly absinthe, I am glad to see a drink book offering up many new ideas. If there is a problem, its that the book offers up particular brands of absinthe, vermouth, bitters, gins, until you kind of lose track of what it is you are trying to make. It may not bother some people but it left me distracted. Chronicle Books published this volume and they just love these small, focused, lavishly illustrated tomes. And so do I.

Remember, it's always "after 5" somewhere.

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MICROWAVE RICE

This is a handy little recipe for rice cooked in the microwave oven. It is easy, requires no "pot watching" and produces perfect rice.

2 cups boiling water
1 cup long grain white rice (not instant)

Mix everything in a heat safe glass or ceramic bowl and cook on high (uncovered) in your microwave for 10 minutes. Remove and fluff with a fork. Return to microwave and cook at 50% power for another 5 minutes. Fluff again with the fork. That's it!!

NOTE: All microwaves cook differently. If you have an underpowered microwave, you may have to cook it an extra minute on 50% power. If you have a super powerful microwave...maybe subtract a minute during the 50% stage.

NOTE: Add butter and favorite seasonings to rice AFTER it is cooked.

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Happy New Year

Teddy Watches the Ball Drop in Times Square

maybe not...

Happy New Year

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