Summer 2012 Pictures

Mexican Progressive Dinner buddies - with Bernie Schilling and Audrey Gillette

Allen graduating from Vet School in Edinburgh, Scotland.  Irene and Mollie were there to help celebrate.

Congratulations, Dr. Putzig!

Campobello Island, Canada

August 2012 Mollie and Irene

Mollie and Liz Bowe

Taking the ferry from Campobello to Deer Island to see the Whirlpools - Old Sow

Reversing Falls with seals playing in the rough waters.

Bald Eagle fished near the Reversing Falls.  

We had lobster and crab for dinner twice.  

No, Lizzie, don't name your food.  

Pictures from Maine 2012

Iced Tea

2 large cold-brew tea bags
I buy these by the case from Amazon.com
2 scoops Arnold Palmer Half and Half Powder (I buy canisters at BJ's)
2 sprigs mint (grows in my yard, but if not handy, you can skip it).
2 qts water
Combine, mix, and let stand for at least 5 minutes, or up to an hour.
Remove teabags and mint.
Refrigerate.
My family goes through one of these every day in the summer.

Banana Muffins With Caramel Frosting

Banana Muffins with Caramel Frosting
I tried this recipe yesterday, when we bought 8 overripe bananas at the store.  I tripled the recipe, but 8 bananas wasn't quite enough, so I used some ripe banana I had stored in the freezer to make up the difference.  Then I froze some of the muffins and 2 mini loaves for later.  I love this recipe, and want to make it again when we have the cider-pressing party in October.  Allen and Anna should be here then, visiting before they go to do charity veterinary work in Delhi, India for 6-12 months.
This recipe is from Taste of Home, 2007 Annual Recipes, and was submitted by Katherine McClelland from Deep Brook, Nova Scotia.  Katherine made them into jumbo muffins, but I don't have a jumbo muffin tin, so I made regular-sized muffins.  Tripling the recipe made 2 dozen muffins and 3 mini-loaves.
1/4 cup shortening (I used butter-flavored Crisco)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 ripe)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

Caramel Icing:
2 Tbl butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbl milk
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

In electric mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar.  Add egg; beat well.  Add bananas and vanilla; mix well.  Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl, and add to creamed mixture.
Fill paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full.  Bake at 350 degrees for 23 - 28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
For icing, in a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Stir in brown sugar and milk; bring to a boil.  Cool slightly.  Whisk in confectioners' sugar.  Use small whisk to drizzle over muffins - hold it straight upright, and the caramel will come out in streams.  Recipe calls for putting icing in a ziplock bag, and cutting a small hole in a corner, but I didn't want to wait that long for it to cool.  The small whisk worked very well.  This icing hardened when cool, and would have been harder to drizzle that way.  But it means the icing stayed on top of the muffins, and wasn't too messy later, which I appreciate.  They tasted great without the icing, but with the icing they became good enough to serve to company.  It's a good thing I froze most of them or

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

pita

• 1 3/4 cups King Arthur Organic 100% White Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 to 1 1/8 cups lukewarm water*
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• plain or herb/spice infused olive oil, to brush on finished pitas
• *Use the greater amount in winter or in a dry climate; the lesser amount in summer or a humid climate.

• tips from our bakers

  • Why the addition of orange juice in the pita dough? It helps tame the mildly tannic flavor of whole wheat. Can you leave it out? Of course; simply substitute water.
  • 1) Combine all of the pita ingredients (except the oil for brushing), and mix and knead to make a soft, smooth dough.
    2) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or large measuring cup, cover it, and let it rise for 60 to 90 minutes, till it's just about doubled in bulk. Towards the end of the rising time, start to preheat your oven to 450°F, with a pizza stone on the bottom shelf, if you have one.
    3) Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, cover them, and let them rest for 10 minutes.
    4) Working with two pieces of dough at a time, roll each into a 6" circle. If you roll the dough about 7" wide, it'll shrink back to about 6".  Don't roll them too thin, or they won't puff up.
    5) Carefully flop the dough onto the hot pizza stone. If you're not using a pizza stone, put it on an ungreased baking sheet, and put the baking sheet on your oven's bottom rack.
    6) Bake for 4 minutes. The pitas should rise enthusiastically. If they're on a stone, they'll probably puff up like balloons; if they're on a baking sheet, they'll still expand; just not as vigorously.
    7) Turn the pitas over, and bake for an additional 60 seconds.
    8) Remove them from the oven, and brush with your favorite olive oil, plain or flavored. Wrap lightly in a cotton towel, to keep them soft. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
    
    

Mediterranean Pie

I made this on 8/1/12, from our Applehood and Motherpie cookbook.  Irene loved it, and asked me to make it again next week in Maine.  Erika K was visiting, and she loved it too, and requested the recipe.
I usually don't care for eggplant, but this was terrific.

1 medium eggplant, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 tsp salt
3/4 c olive oil or vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 green pepper, cut into thin strips
1 medium zucchini, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch chunks or sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp oregano (I used fresh from the garden, about 1/2 tsp)
3/4 tsp basil (I used 3 leaves fresh from the garden)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
9 in. pastry shell, unbaked (extra pie crust dough for lattice top optional)
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1 large tomato, seeded ant cut into eighths
8 oz mozzarella cheese
1 Tbl milk

1. Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and place between paper towels.  Weight down with heavy cutting board for 30 minutes.
2. Heat 1/2 cup oil in a skillet.
3. Cut eggplant slices into cubes.  Add to hot oil, toss..  Cook until tender, stirring constantly (about 5 minutes).  Remove eggplant and set aside.
4. Pour remaining oil into skillet.  Add onion, green pepper, zucchini, and garlic.  Cook just until tender (about 5 minutes).
5. Combine spices and salt.  Set aside.
6. Line a 9-inch pie plate with pastry.  Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Romano or Parmesan cheese.
7. Spoon half the eggplant and half the vegetable mixture into pie shell.  Layer with half of the tomato wedges, half of the spice mixture, and half of the mozzarella cheese.  Repeat these layers.
8. Sprinkle top with all but 1 Tbl of remaining Romano or Parmesan cheese.
If you cook it at this point, the mozarella cheese makes a great browned crust.
Or, you can make a lattice crust with the extra pie crust dough, and then sprinkle it with milk and remaining 1 Tbl Romano or Parmesan cheese.
9. Bake for 25 minutes.  Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

425 degree oven.
Serves 6.

Sex In a Bowl

Ingredients: 
-Double recipe Chocolate Brownies - see my recipe for homemade or buy boxed.  Make ahead.
-2 large pkg  jello chocolate pudding - Cooked tastes much better than instant!  Make ahead and cool.
 - 1 pkg chocolate chip cookie dough - store-bought, not homemade, so there are no raw eggs.
-2 8oz containers of cool whip whipped topping or homemade whipped cream.
-5 heath bar crunch or skors candy bars, chopped into small pieces, or 1 bag toffee bits
- a large deep glass bowl/trifle bowl or  2&1/2qt. glass bowl 

 If whipped cream is frozen, let thaw & set aside. 
 Break up one pan of brownies & place in bottom of glass bowl. 
Spoon one bowl of pudding over top of cake. Spread evenly.
Break up cookie dough into 1/2 tsp-sized chunks and sprinkle half over pudding. 
Layer whipped cream on top of pudding. 
Sprinkle half of the chopped candy bars or toffee bits onto top of whip cream. 
Repeat layers. Once completed, refrigerate until ready to serve. 
To serve use a large spoon with a long handle. Scoop thru all layers & serve in bowls.


Note: Some people use cake instead of brownies.  Sometimes I add fudge sauce as an extra layer.  It's best if made early so the ingredients blend in.  Chopped, toasted walnuts or pecans on the very top is also yummy.  You can skip the cookie dough and add spoonsful of jelly or jam.  Decadent!  We make this every year at the "End of the School Year Bonfire" party.  I serve it in clear plastic drink cups.  You could even make it right in the cups, if you wanted to get fancy.  This is like Trifle or Parfait - everyone loves it.  

Weekly Menu

Hamburgers

bubble meatballs

Quiche w/asparagus + bacon

Venison + Spinach Curry

Grilled Salmon + Foccaccia

Lasagna + French Bread

Make Your Own Pizza Party

Sex in a Bowl

On Sunday Irene is having her annual end of the school year bonfire, and I offered to do make-your-own-pizzas and sex in a bowl (also called brownie supreme).  I hope it doesn't rain!  They like to burn their old school papers and notebooks.  Of course, since this is her Senior year, that will have extra significance.  Plus she'll have a family party on the 23rd of June, and a cohort party on July 24th.  Lots of excuses for me to have fun cooking!

French Cheese Braid

This recipe is from Betty Crocker International Cookbook.  I've made this recipe for almost 30 years.  In French it's called Natte, and it's similar to Challah.
1 Tbl yeast
3/4 c warm water
1 Tbl sugar
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
1/2 c butter, softened
3 1/2 - 4 c bread flour
1 1/2 c shredded Swiss or Gruyere cheese
Pam spray
1 egg yolk
2 Tbl water

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl.  Stir in sugar, salt, eggs, butter and 2 cups of the flour.  Beat until smooth.  Stir in enough remaining flour to make the dough easy to handle.  I put it in the electric mixer with the dough paddle and mix it about 5 minutes on low.
Spray dough with Pam and cover with a cloth.  Let rise 1 - 2 hours, until indentation remains when touched).
Punch down dough; knead in cheese until well-distributed.  Divide into 3 equal parts.  Roll each part into a rope, 15 inches long (as long as your cookie sheet).  Place ropes together on lightly greased cookie sheet (in photo you can see I use my Silpat silicone sheet under the bread, and don't grease it).  Braid ropes gently and loosely; do not stretch.  Pinch ends to fasten; tuck under securely.  Spray with Pam (I use Olive Oil Pam).  Let rise until double, 40 - 50 minutes.
Heat oven to 375 deg.  Beat egg yolk and 2 Tbl water slightly; brush over braid.  Place on oven rack below center of oven.  Bake until braid sounds hollow when tapped, 25 - 30 minutes.  (If braid is browning too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil).
As you can see from the photo, I made a double recipe, as we're bringing one loaf and a batch of cookies to a "Transit of Venus" party tonight (June 5, 2012).  The other loaf will stay home so the family doesn't feel deprived.  Our family loves bread!!
The first picture was taken right after braiding.  This next one is just out of the oven.  Smells so good!