SoNo Baking Company Cookbook

John Barricelli is a baker, and quite a good one. He always wanted a French style bakery in a little neighborhood and he finally opened The SoNo Baking Company in South Norwalk, Connecticut, hence the SOuthNOrwalk of the title.

After working in restaurant kitchens, he moved over to Martha Stewart Living and was cast on their PBS show, Everyday Food. Here are John and Martha torching a cake!

The recipes in the book are very "bakerly" and exacting. Of course, I feel many baking books are just too exacting, really, but then, I bake. Here is Barricelli's signature cookie recipe. I had guests this week and one of them remarked she loved EVERYTHING ginger. On her next visit, I am going to make a batch of these.

Ginger Cookies

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup for rolling
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger; set aside.

2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through. Beat in the egg and molasses until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, beating until combined. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour (and up to 24 hours).

3. Arrange the oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick silicone baking mats; set aside. Place the extra sugar for rolling on a plate; set aside.

4. Use a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop to scoop out the dough, and roll into balls between your hands. Roll the balls in the sugar to coat, and place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

5. Bake one sheet at a time, rotating the sheet two-thirds of the way through the baking time, until the cookies are deep golden brown and the centers are firm, 15 to 20 minutes.

6. Transfer the sheet to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the rack, and let cool completely. Continue to roll and bake the remaining cookies in the same way.

Truth be told, I am not going to wait for her return... in fact, that bread looks rather fetching...

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FLUFFY WHITE FROSTING

This is a fantastic frosting recipe, for many reasons. First of all, it is delicious. After that, it is super easy, super quick, it takes no special ingredients, it is pretty to look at and it is very versatile. It is a classic.

 In a large  GLASS OR METAL bowl, put two egg whites, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon of almond extract...set aside.
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In a saucepan, mix 1 cup of granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar, dash of salt and 1/3 cup of water. Cook and stir until it just comes to a boil and sugar dissolves.
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Start beating your egg whites and extracts on HIGH while you slowly drizzle in the hot syrup. Keep beating on high until stiff peaks form like this:

With a hand held electric mixer, this can take up to 7 minutes, but with my stand mixer it only takes about 4 minutes. Recipe makes enough to frost a 9" two layer cake or a 10" tube cake.

NOTE: To get these lovely big swirls, use a Wilton tip # 1M...it is a huge tip and will duplicate these swirls with total ease...I promise.
Very light, this frosting is a dream to work with.

NOTE: The bowl AND beaters that you use, for this frosting, can have NO TRACE of grease or oil on them (or the frosting will not whip properly...right out of the dishwasher is perfect). A big stand mixer, like a Kitchen Aid, works the best, but this can be done quite successfully with a hand held electric mixer too (it just takes longer).

NOTE: While this frosting holds up well in all kinds of weather, it WILL form sort of a skin over the soft fluffy frosting if left in dry air for several hours. To prevent this, just cover it if you are not going to eat it the same day.

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PEANUT BUTTER BLONDIES (and a thank you)

These peanut butter blondies are dense, moist and packed full of peanut butter flavor; they are the consistency of a good brownie and would make an excellent addition to any lunch box, bake sale or weekend treat served with a big glass of cold milk.

½ cup peanut butter
1/3 cup butter (room temperature)
2/3 cup white sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
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In a medium mixing bowl, cream the peanut butter and butter together; beat in the sugars, eggs and vanilla just until well mixed. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix just until everything is well mixed.
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Bake in a greased 9" x 9" baking pan at 350F for 30 to 35 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched (my oven took 34 minutes). Frost and sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Cool before cutting.
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PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING
½ cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
4 to 5 tablespoons milk
Warm the peanut butter in the microwave just until it gets very soft, then whip everything together, starting with the lesser amount of milk and adding more if necessary.

Thank you very much for all of the warm birthday sentiments. Your kind and generous words made my (potentially traumatic) 60th birthday a lot easier for me. Thank you friends!!

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BROWNIE BITES

So what does a baker do to celebrate her 60th birthday? She bakes something

SHE really likes!!!

 

 

 

 I found this little recipe gem on My Tasty Treasures last winter; she calls them Fudge Brownie Cups; I call them addictive!!! Donna frosts hers with melted Hershey's chocolate, but since I made these for my birthday, I frosted them with my all-time favorite chocolate cream cheese frosting. These little beauties are moist and chocolate-y and so easy to pop in your mouth. My son calls them "wicked good". Fortunately for me...as all bakers know, calories consumed on your birthday do not count!!!

 

 

 

 2 sticks butter, room temperature

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 + 1/3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
20 tablespoons flour

Lightly butter mini-muffin pans (I used Bakers Joy spray). Melt together, butter, semisweet chocolate and brown sugar in a pan over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth (*keep it as cool as possible).
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Remove from heat and beat in vanilla, then eggs, one at a time, stirring until well mixed. Fold in flour and blend well. (*let this batter sit for about 10 minutes before you bake it and it will be easier to work).
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Spoon one (*rounded) measuring teaspoonful into each spot. Bake in preheated 350F oven for 10 to 12 minutes (*my oven took exactly 11 minutes). Remove and cool completely.

NOTE: grease or spray pans between each batches of brownie cups. This recipe makes 60.
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CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
1/4 cup soft butter
1/2 cup baking cocoa
8 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
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The butter needs to be really warm, but not melted. Stir the cocoa into the butter and mix well; whip in the cream cheese and add vanilla, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently so that you get a nice smooth butter-cocoa-vanilla-cream cheese mixture. Beat in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating until really smooth in between each cup of powdered sugar.

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HOT FUDGE SUNDAY CAKE

Click On This Photo For
The Full Yummm-factor

 

The first time I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it because it had a lot of things going for it. First and foremost, it is an ooey-gooey chocolate dream. Secondly, there are no mixing bowls (you mix it right in the baking pan). Thirdly, it does not require any special ingredients (not even butter or eggs). And finally, this super-tender chocolate (sponge type) cake bakes on top of a rich hot fudge sauce…need I say more?

¾ cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup white sugar
½ cup unsweetened baking cocoa (divided)1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¼ cups boiling water
1½ teaspoons instant coffee granules
Vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 350°. In an (un-greased) 8”x8” baking pan, mix flour, white sugar, ¼ cup of the cocoa, baking powder and salt (stir it up to combine); add the milk and oil and stir until the batter is well mixed.
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Mix the brown sugar and ¼ cup of cocoa together and sprinkle evenly over the batter (DO NOT MIX IT IN).
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Combine the boiling water, vanilla and instant coffee and gently pour it over everything (DO NOT MIX IT IN).
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Bake for 35 minutes (the hot fudge sauce will bubble up from underneath and around the edges of the cake as it bakes). Allow this to cool for 15 minutes before you serve it (just make sure it's very warm when you serve it).
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To serve, top a slice of cake with scoop of vanilla ice cream and spoon the hot fudge sauce (from the bottom of the pan)over the ice cream.
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As simple as this dessert is…it is just unique enough (and delicious enough) for company as well.

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Perennials: A Southern Celebration of Foods and Flavors

My friend, Jim, brought me a copy of Perennials: A Southern Celebration of Foods and Flavors, compiled by the Junior Service League of Gainesville, Georgia.

It is one of those eclectic Junior League cookbooks, with some great recipes and some truly funny recipes and some that one might just deem, inedible.

On Saturday, my goddaughter called hoping to find a recipe for a simple syrup. She was getting ready for the Kentucky Derby in true Alabama fashion. She was organizing Mint Juleps and snacks, but she had no intention of actually WATCHING the race. Still, it was important to have all the trappings, regardless of the actual event.

I gave her the two parts water, one part sugar, boil for 10 minutes and cool recipe. Some people use the equal parts sugar and water, but I find it a bit too sweet.

Perennials has a nice Mint Julep recipe.

The General’s Mint Julep

18 mint leaves on stem, divided
2 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon sugar
Finley crushed ice
2 1/2 ounces 86 or 100-proof bourbon

Partially tear 12 mint leaves, leaving them on the stem. Place the leaves in a large glass or silver julep mug with water and sugar. Stir slowly until sugar is dissolved. Fill with ice. Add bourbon. Add more ice to fill as bourbon melts the original ice. Stir. Tear remaining mint leaves; place atop ice. Serve with a straw.

Well, clearly, this is a Georgia recipe. Who makes a single Mint Julep? People in Georgia.

Nina's Mint Julep -- one of many...

In Alabama, we make a big old pitcher of Mint Juleps because we serve the General and the rest of the troops. And while a horse race is nice, it takes about 2 minutes – Mint Juleps have far more staying power.

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Cosmic Cuisine

Cosmic Cuisine is one of those books I picked up at a tag sale and not because I had some overriding desire to cook within my zodiac sign. I'm a Pisces, so the general rule is cook fish. I didn't have a great deal of hope for this cookbook until I hit upon the wonderful properties of Mercury, and those pesky Virgo's who have a strong taste for liquorice. Who'd a thunk it.

I love liquorice, but I am no Virgo, so there you have it. But even so, I was so taken by this recipe that I couldn't wait to make it. And to add insult to injury, you need to let flavors meld for at least 24 hours.
Still, I am totally hooked. In a few days, I'll let you know the verdict.

Liquorice Gingerbread

4 tablespoons butter plus extra for the cake pan
generous1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons molasses
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoons ground liquorice root
pinch salt
3 eggs, beaten
scant 1 cup milk
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda


Grease an 8 inch square cake pan with butter. In a bowl, cream the butter, sugar and treacle (molasses). Sift the flour, baking powder, spices and salt into the bowl and beat well. Add the eggs. Warm the milk, dissolve the bicarbonate in it and add that to the mixture. Beat until it starts to bubble slightly. Pour into the cake pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 325 F for about 1 hour, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Leave the gingerbread undisturbed for the first 40 minutes in the oven. Take the cake out of the oven and leave to cool in the pan. When cool, turn the gingerbread out and store it in a container and do not eat for 24 hours. Makes one 8 inch square cake.

I'm off to make this right now...

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Derby Entertaining (Redux) (Repost)

So I only have the one Derby Cookbook, so a repost is in order. Begin with the words: Today is the

(Tomorrow is the) Kentucky Derby, and though not officially recognized on the calendar, a virtual Southern holiday. Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a Southerner, the Derby is a good illustration of the commitment and stamina one must have. Here are the statistics:

The actual running of the Kentucky Derby--

2 minutes

The actual partying for the Kentucky Derby --

10 days

This gives you an average of 5 days of parties for every minute of activity. Using this equation, add up SEC Football, Mardi Gras, Decoration Day, Derby Day, Mother's Day, All-Saints Day, All-Souls Day, Bear Bryant's Birthday, and... oh, yeah, Thanksgiving and Christmas; multiply by 5 and you will find that being a Southerner requires partying every single day of the year! This may explain why I have so many cookbooks and so little time!

This being said, I feel you should have a recipe for derby pie!. Actually, the term "derby-pie" is trade marked and registered, so the recipe I am giving you is for a traditional, Kentucky-bourbon-chocolate-chip-nut-pie-which you may name as you please. If you are wondering, according to the DERBY-PIE® website:

"DERBY-PIE® was born nearly a half century ago as the specialty pastry of the Melrose Inn, at Prospect, Kentucky. Once developed, a proper name had to be given. Because each family member had a favorite, the name DERBY-PIE® was actually pulled from a hat. And what a winner! By 1968 DERBY-PIE® had become so successful that the name was registered with the U.S. Patent Office and the Commonwealth of Kentucky (that's the reason for the ®!). Since then it has been baked and distributed solely by Kern's Kitchen, a small family operation."

Rather than face legal action, the pie that dare not speak it's name is known as: Kentucky Derby Pie, Thoroughbred pie, and of course...

Run for The Roses Pie

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup chopped pecans
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Kentucky bourbon
9-inch unbaked pie crust

Combine the sugar and flour in a large bowl; mix in the butter. Add the eggs, pecans, chocolate chips, vanilla extract and bourbon; mix well. Pour into the pie crust. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 55 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

This is from Derby Entertaining. Not to be confused with the famous, Decoration Day Entertaining.

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FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE & VANILLA MARBLE CAKE

This is a flourless chocolate and vanilla marble "cake" and it was absolutely delicious, although I don't know if I would really classify it as a cake. It tasted very much like a fudgy cheesecake. I will definitely be making this again.

VANILLA BATTER
8 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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CHOCOLATE BATTER
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
10 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into pieces
3 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon espresso
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of table salt
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Preheat oven to 300F and position rack in the middle of your oven. Lightly grease a 9"x2" round cake pan and line bottom with parchment paper (I used a springform pan).
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In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth, add sugar and beat until well blended and no lumps remain. Add eggs and vanilla and beat just until blended, set aside.
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In another medium bowl, melt the chocolate and butter over a pan of simmering water (or in the microwave), whisk until smooth and let cool slightly.
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Using a stand mixer fitted with whisk, beat the eggs, sugar, espresso, vanilla and salt on medium high until pale and thick (3 or 4 minutes). Turn mixer to low and gradually pour in the melted chocolate mixture and continue beating until well blended.
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Spread half of the chocolate mixture into the prepared 9" pan. Alternately add large scoops of the vanilla batter and the rest of the chocolate batter to the cake pan. Use a knife to gently swirl the two batters together so they are mixed, but not completely blended. Rap the pan against the counter top a few times to settle the batters.
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Bake 40 to 42 minutes (mine took 48 minutes) or until a pick inserted 2" from outer edge of cake comes out gooey but not liquid. The top of the cake will be puffed and slightly cracked around the edges (it will settle as it cools).

 This is a close up, showing the
texture of this cake

NOTE: Cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.

NOTE: This cake is extremely rich, much like cheesecake, so cut small slices.

NOTE: I didn't have bittersweet chocolate, so I used semi-sweet.

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Cookin' With Coolio

I own my share (actually, more than my share) of prissy cookbooks, Junior League/church fundraisers, overwrought chef's tomes and even The Joy of Cooing, but if you want to find true joy in cooking look no further than rapper Coolio.

Now let me just say here that Coolio is no Elsie de Wolfe or Julia Child, but neither of them can par-tay in the kitchen like Coolio. Seriously, this ain't Mama's cookbook. And, yes, it may seem like a big old gimmick save for one thing ... Coolio can cook. Seriously, that rapper can cook like a mother fucker. As Coolio will tell us:

I can take a cow out of Compton and make it taste better than Kobe beef at your favorite steakhouse.

Of his late mother, Jackie, Coolio says:

Her fried chicken would literally put on tennis shoes and run the fuck into your mouth.

So when the young Coolio slipped into the kitchen one day and had his dinner get away from him, burning the carpet he waited for her to return, "like I was on death row." When she arrived home Coolio says, two things happened:

1. I got a whooping I wouldn't forget for a long time.
2. After I healed, my Mom said, "Okay, smartass. You want to learn how to cook? All right, you're gonna learn how to cook!"

From that day forward, Coolio never ate a meal he didn't help make.

Once again, I must warn you, Coolio is a rapper. He has little patience with women who don't eat meat (or women in general, remember he is a rapper) but he acquiesces to their needs in a chapter he calls, "Salad-Eatin' Bitches." He has a recipe for a Caprase Salad that he promises will make a woman drop her panties. I warned you! For those of you who do eat meat...

Your Ribs Is Too Short to Box with God

What you will need:

3 pounds beef short ribs
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 cup beer or water
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 dime bag salt
1 dime bag pepper
1 cup barbecue sauce

What to do with it:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Place those ribs in a large roasting pan.

3. Toss in the garlic, onion, beer (or water for all you friends of Bill), and balsamic vinegar.

4. Empty your dime bags of salt and pepper into the mix.

5. Throw a lid on that concoction and slide it into the oven like it's about to be incinerated.

6. Cook for 45 to 50 minutes.

7. Pull out the pan and slop on the barbecue sauce. Get that all over the meat. Make it look like a horror movie.

8. Re-cover the pan and place it back in the crematorium for 20 to 25 minutes.

9. Even the most agnostic guests will think they died and went to heaven. That's when God's gonna sucker punch them and make them born again--at least until they are done eatin'.

Seriously, funny and good food! If you want to check out Coolio in the kitchen, you can find his video's here.

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PEANUT BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE (and the cooking blah's)

This is not my favorite time of year. We still have a little snow in the yard and everything is a sad shade of “dead vegetation brown” except for the bits of grass sprouting near the warm house foundation. Most days are still too cold to barbecue outdoors and yet that is what I want to do. We are tired of heavy winter stews, casseroles and roasts, yet summer vegetable crops and fresh seafood will not be in our markets for a while yet. This scenario results in the “cooking blahs” for me, how about you? How do you combat your cooking blahs? .

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Personally, I find myself trying new dessert and cookie recipes. That is how I found this yummy treat. It has a chocolate cookie base (conveniently made with a cake mix) and a super creamy peanut butter center, topped with milk chocolate ganache. Served chilled, what's not to love here?

(1) 2 layer chocolate cake mix
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 egg
¾ cup butter, softened
¾ cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whipping cream
¾ cup honey roasted peanuts chopped
½ cup whipping cream
2 cups milk chocolate chips
Line a 10" x 15" baking pan with parchment paper (or foil) leaving the ends long so you can use them as handles (to lift the bars out of the pan) after they've cooled. Spray the parchment paper (or foil) with vegetable spray. Set aside.

 Mix the dry cake mix with 1/3 cup melted butter and 1 egg. Beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes or until well combined. This "dough" will be super thick. My Kitchen Aid mixer fitted with a paddle worked well. Press this into the bottom of your prepared 10x15 cake pan, trying to get it as even as possible. Bake at 350F for 12 minutes, remove from oven and cool completely in the pan.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the peanut butter, butter and vanilla until very well combined and light in color. Beat in powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of whipping cream. Mix well, then stir in the chopped peanuts.

Spread this mixture over the cooled cookie crust. Place this in the fridge (or freezer) while you make the ganache topping.

For the topping, heat ½ cup whipping cream, in a saucepan, just to the boiling point (don't let it boil). Remove from heat and add the milk chocolate chips. Do not stir, just let it sit for five minutes, then stir until smooth. Cool for 20 minutes.

Gently spread (evenly) over the peanut butter bars. Chill for at least a couple hours. To serve, loosen the edges of the bars and lift them out of the pan, using the ends of the parchment paper. Cut them into bars.

NOTE: These freeze well.
NOTE: Store covered in refrigerator. Let these sit at room temperature about 15 minutes before you serve them.

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Spécialités de la Maison

Saved from the ravages of discarded cookbook hell, Spécialités de la Maison has been given a new life. Some of us have old, beaten up copies, but if you do not own a copy, you can now get a pristine new copy as the book has been reprinted and featured in the New York Times.

The book was put together in 1940 by the American Friends of France. France had many friends, especially among the rich and famous. Spécialités de la Maison is filled with recipes from Tallulah Bankhead to Vivien Leigh to Katherine Hepburn. The are Hearsts, Vanderbilts and Harrimans and Brooke Astor when she was still Mrs. Charles H. Marshall. Throw in Igor Stravinsky and Cecil Beaton and you have quite a cookbook!

Aldous Huxley's...

Paella a la Valenciana

Chicken
Pork Sausages
Any fish like fresh cod
Calamari
Mussels
Shrimps

This dish is composed of many ingredients. The taste will be richer if all of them are used, but some of them can be omitted if preferred. Cut chicken and pork up small and fry in oil, adding onions, garlic, tomatoes and green peppers. When well fried, add rice (Valencia preferably). Mix well and add boiling water. Cook the fish separately and add parsley, mint leaves and saffron. Add to the first mixture. Add red sweet peppers and peas when rice is half cooked. Artichoke hearts may be added when everything is done. This dish is best cooked in and earthenware casserole, not too deep.

Gogo Schiaparelli's...

La Petite Marmite

3lb.s round beef
Wings and legs of 3 chickens
1/2 lb marrow bone
3 carrots
3 white turnips
3 leeks
A few celery leaves
Salt, pepper, spice to taste

Put the meat and bones in 3 qts. cold water. Skim very thoroughly just before it begins to boil. Add vegetables cut in quarters. Season. Bring to a boil, cover pan, and let simmer very slowly for 4 hours. Take off fat, remove bones. Cut up meat and serve meat, vegetables and bouillon all at once in soup plate.

Noel Coward's...

Filet de Chevreuil

Soak venison filet for 48 hours in a marinade of wine, onions, spices and herbs to taste. Roast it or broil it 20 minutes to the lb.'basting constantly with melted butter mixed with some of the marinade. Reduce the remaining marinade on very hot fire, and add it to the gravy. Bind with yolks of eggs and a few spoonfuls of good mustard.

Let's eat.

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Strawberry Mousse by Paula Deen

If it is a real Paula Deen recipe, you know it is going to be rich, delicious and decadent. This little recipe certainly fits all three categories. It is quick to fix and it has many possibilities. This time, I served it in little dessert glasses. Next time, I plan on using a 9" x 13" pan (yes, it makes a lot) and stirring in a few chopped strawberries and putting it all on a graham cracker crust. This would be a huge hit at any family gathering or pot luck.

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
¼ cup hot water
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
¾ cup Smuckers strawberry-flavored syrup
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In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in very hot water; let stand for 10 minutes or until room temperature.
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In a large bowl, beat cream at medium-high speed with an electric mixer, until soft peaks form. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Whisk in the gelatin and strawberry syrup. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours.
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NOTE: This makes a lot (at least 8 pretty good sized dessert dishes.
NOTE: I think this would be very good frozen as well.
NOTE: Because this has gelatin in it, it keeps very well in the fridge for several days.
NOTE: I'm sure other flavored syrups would work well in this recipe as well, blueberry sounds pretty good.
NOTE: If you lick the beaters right after you stir in the syrup, this dessert is going to taste like it is lacking something...no fear. After the 4 hours, the strawberry syrup mellows and the dessert is very tasty.

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The Southern Plantations Cook

The Southern Plantations Cook features recipes from shooting plantations all around the South. For those of you who don't kill your own food, a shooting plantation is like a bed and breakfast with ammo. You go there to stay surrounded by old world charm and in the morning you go out into the fields and hunt things...deer, quail, boar, turkey, whatever might be roaming in the woods. Then you bring your catch back to the plantation and they cook it up with tasty side dishes.

This is not everyone's cup of tea, but I am sure there is a Motel-6 down the road if you are uninclined. The Southern Plantations Cook has a large number of quail recipes and I thing quail is often overlooked bird. The good news about quail is that most anyone can find them frozen in larger grocery stores eliminating the need trudge around in the filed to shoot them.

As for Southern side dishes, well The Southern Plantations Cook has a couple that are truly unique. Recently I heard two well known cooks discuss their favorite casseroles tucked inside Southern church cookbooks. This is definitely a one for the church social.

Hot Pineapple Casserole

1 large can crushed pineapple in natural juices
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 slices bread, torn in bite sized pieces
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon four

Spread pineapple in a grease casserole dish. Top with butter and bread pieces. Mix to combine. Add sugar, eggs and flour and mix again.

Bake, uncovered, in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Do not brown.

You have come this far, don't shy away now. The more I read this recipe, the more I believed that would be quite improved by using ACTUAL pineapple. Again, in a large grocery store, one can find fresh pineapple all dressed and ready to go. Turn those bread slices into a nice crumb and Hot Pineapple Casserole is a fine accompaniment to almost any fowl.

And, I'll bet no one you know has made this for guest. Go ahead, you know you want to.

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Cooking School Provence

OK, I know you think I don't need another French cookbook, but you would be wrong. Gui Gedda is thought to be the father of Provencal cooking and when he puts together a cookbook, well , it is a must have. Cooking School Provence is a distillation of Gedda's classic recipes he serves up in his school in Provence.

He delicately explains how to make actual, real Tomatoes Provençal and his Tarte Tropézienne is a thing of beauty. Often with French cooking, there is the desire to be rather quaint and frilly, but if you have a meat and potatoes eater in your house, try this recipe.

Steak with Anchovy Butter

Anchovy Butter:

1/2 dry shallot, finely chopped
1 tablespoon (15 mL) chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 anchovy fillets in oil, drained
1 teaspoon (5 mL) brandy
4 tablespoons (60 mL) soft, unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Steaks:

2 tender beef steaks (filet mignon or strip loin), each
6 ounces (175 g)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon (15 mL) olive oil

Make anchovy butter by blending the shallot, parsley, garlic, anchovies and brandy in a food processor, either one with a small bowl or the hand-held type placed in a small bowl. When you have a coarse purée, add butter and blend in. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a heavy frying pan over medium-high heat and cook steaks for 11/2 to

3 minutes a side, depending on desired degree of doneness. Transfer steaks to a platter and keep warm. Wipe pan clean with paper towels and add the anchovy butter, cooking just until melted, then spoon or pour over the steaks. Season with pepper and serve.

Now you can have your steak and be French, too.

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MR. MOOSE

This beauty has been hanging around my back door for a while. Actually, it's my young apple tree's that he is eyeing (moose love to eat apple trees). He's a whopper of a moose, not fully grown yet, but still weighing in at about 1,000 pounds; a perfect specimen. He is not camera shy, but you can see it in his eyes that he is NOT a friendly guest.

All of these photos were taken from inside

the house (through a window) for safety sake

We had a late spring dump of snow this week, as you can see, and it made a nice contrast for Mr. Moose's beautiful brown fur (usually they blend into the scenery and you really have to watch for them).

Moose are nothing to be toyed with. They are totally passive unless they feel threatened, then they will come after you! Everyone who lives in Alaska KNOWS that you don't get between a mother moose and her babies...that is serious danger.

I hope this guy moves on and leaves my little apple trees alone. Hubby wrapped them in burlap for the winter because the moose have eaten them to near-death the last several winters. Hopefully, this burlap trick will work.

The moose aren't around so much in the summer because, as the snow melts, they recede up into the higher (people-less) elevations. In the winter, the deep snow forces them down to populated areas, so we get a LOT of them in our yard over the winter. Moose are a big threat to pets, especially dogs, because dogs love to chase and harrass moose, which ends up with the moose kicking and stomping the dog (often fatally).

So...Mr. Moose...go on your merry way and please don't eat my little trees!

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