Illustration of Scallops and Sprouts Salad w/Mulberry Gastrique |
Original recipes and photos with a hearty measure of facts, family, inspiration and humor. Everything food. Some reviews of area restaurants, some whimsical prose for reading pleasure.
Thursday, June 3, 2021
Screams and Sprouts; Ginger Scallops/ Pea, Carrot, Dill Sprouts/Sage Flowers/Mulberry Gastrique
Sunday, May 2, 2021
A 'Moss' Beautiful Gardening Idea
Freshly harvested Moss helped to elevate my planting vessel! |
With a little creativity, a little moss can go a long way. Have fun with it and stay tuned to see what I've planted here when it starts to peek above the soil. The moss used for this featured project, is actually remnants of another project idea, coming up soon, I'm elated with those results as well!
Recipe:
A plastic container, basket or bowl, with holes preferably
A knife or other sharp object to make small holes for draining
Fresh moss
Planting soil
Desired suitable plants for vessel
Take a few moments to carefully bore several holes in the bottom of the vessel for draining.
The design will of course vary by container, but for this one, I simply tore off pieces to plug the larger holes on the container, on all four sides. You want the pieces to fit somewhat snuggly in each of the holes.
Once desired pattern is achieved, carefully fill the vessel with potting soil.
Plant your desired seeds for your personal needs.
Enjoy the project and the bounty.
Thursday, August 27, 2020
Pantry Chicken and Broccoli 'Lo Mein'
Saturday, July 18, 2020
Mixed Berry Sake Jam w/ Cardamom, Preservation Elevation
Thursday, July 9, 2020
Triple Cheese Burger: Muenster, American and Pepper Jack
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Jewels on the Virginia Nile by the Cupful
Sunday, June 7, 2020
Rice Balls w/ Anchovy and Pineapple
Monday, March 30, 2020
Foraging: Morel Mushroom Flatbread
I actually used large butter flavored refrigerator biscuits to create the flatbread, creating a delicious and time savvy flavorbomb, with a lid on the stovetop pan to create a mini dutch oven. After being flipped, the flatbread will reach a crispity, texture filled, crusty bottom, caramelized and to your standard's perfection. This a recipe perfect for small hauls or when you want something to showcase the mushroom's delightful aromas, texture and flavor. Feel free to toss a few fresh thyme leaves or edible flower petals for an over the top, spectacular presentation! For best results, allow biscuits to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes, for ease of stretching.
Recipe:
In a medium nonstick pan over medium high heat, melt 1/2 pat of butter and about 1/2 tsp. duck fat.*
Swirl pan to combine and add mushrooms, about 1/4 c. cut in half and 2 smashed cloves of garlic.
Saute for about 2 minutes.
SPST . (Salt and Pepper to Suit Taste)
Meanwhile, take 1 of the jumbo butter biscuits mash and stretch with hands until about 2 1/2 times its normal size, and about 1/4 inch thickness.
Push mushrooms together in pan, remove garlic, making sure textured sides of morels are facing down, then cover with dough.
Turn temperature down to medium heat.
Place a plate or tightly fitting lid over pan to cook/steam the dough.
After about 3 minutes, remove lid and carefully flip flatbread over (you may press on top lightly to ensure mushrooms adhere to bottom) and cover again.
Cook until bottom is slightly crisp and golden brown, but not burned, check as needed.
Place on paper towel to absorb any excess oils.
Makes 1 flatbread.
*If you do not have or want to use duck fat, olive oil, schmaltz (chicken fat) or bacon renderings will make great variations.
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Best,
D. Smith :)
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Lemony Pistachio and Cardamom Shortbread
Somehow, my cookie plan's applecart was upset, partly because the kids were eating them as fast as I could bake them, and also from some erratic time management or should I say mismanagement! Anywho, the cute little brownies were the first baked and first to go and It seemed as if I was making myself more stressed than necessary, considering how crazy stressful the holidays can be. So, to save the ship, I chucked the cookie plans overboard and settled for only the shortbread. I had not made shortbread before, so I started out with some extensive reading and researching my older cookbooks and magazines for earlier versions as well as its origins and history.
Once I satisfied my curiosity, I was able to create a recipe exemplary of my experience and desire to have it represent my style, which brings us to the recipe below.
My mom and I enjoyed it with hot tea and coffee and my daughter enjoyed them with her cocoa. Heck, we enjoyed it by itself! I was certain that the shortbread was even better the next day and it disappeared quickly, which is a good sign.
Lemon juice imparts brightness and tang, plus antioxidants and vitamin c. I had both ground and cardamom pods on hand and they complement lemon very well, mimicking the same flavor. This last restock, I ordered the cardamom pods from Sri Lanka, always having some on hand because it is a key ingredient in one of my other quite popular and well received dishes I create, Roasted Pumpkin Cream Pie.
I used my mortar and pestle to crush the pod, which I remove and grind the little lemony, warm spice pebbles on the inside. The smell of freshly crushed cardamom is AHHmazing! It puts the pre ground stuff to shame compared, even the more expensive kinds. This is a no fuss recipe, big on return, simple and inexpensive. Aside from maybe the cardamom, all the other ingredients are pantry staples. I like to use Pistachio extract because it imparts a very cherry flavor profile, but you may use more vanilla in its place if you like.
Recipe:
2 c. plus 1/4 c. AP flour, unbleached
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch salt, I used Himalayan Pink salt, fine grain
2 stick plant butter or margarine, I used almond
1/2 c. pure cane sugar
1 1/2 tsp. fresh Lemon juice
zest of one lemon
1/2 tsp. pure Vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. Pistachio extract
1/2 tsp. ground Cardamom
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325*F.
In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients until well mixed.
In another bowl, cream butter and sugar, then add extracts, juice and zest.
Combine wet and dry ingredients and turn out on lightly floured surface.
Knead for several minutes until smooth and press into cookie mold.
Make lots of holes in the shortbread all over.
Bake until golden, about 40 minutes, if using a ceramic cookie mold, 25 minutes for metals.
Let cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack and allow shortbread to cool completely before serving.
Cut along lines into wedges.
Serve with coffee or hot tea or as is.
Serves Many.
Monday, March 9, 2020
Saying "I Do" To What Matters Most
It is now time to start tiny seedlings indoors, row by row, prepping them for the transition to our outdoor gardens and beds. Soon, we will be digging, hauling, hoeing and making raised rows and anthills, to foster the best possible outcome for our magnificent homegrown produce. The pruning and gardening gloves, shears and clippers, will be our decided gear. Aprons will have smears of the fertile and viable soil, especially along the tops of the pockets, and our shoes will show telltale signs of earthen activities. We will have salad greens abound; tomatoes and cucumbers as well as violet and crimson berries; aromatic herbs and fresh accoutrements to a menu bursting with vitality and life.
The majority has embraced a more organic and virginal form of growing, using minimal additives if any at all. Awareness is taking hold and this year, there will likely be more gardens or newly ordained 'farmers' than ever. From the roof tops of cityscapes, to the marginal plots newly designated, the revolution will ensue. We will assert ourselves as conscious consumers and bolster our confidence with our hands, turning sweet nothings into delicious somethings. We will compost. We will engage in sensual congress with our progenys, our grow spaces.
These growing stations will not only provide sustenance and foster our most primal instincts, but also exercise our minds and bodies and quench our souls. Some will be learning canning and dehydrating techniques for the first time, while others are hardened veterans and already have their preservation plans mapped out, like clockwork.
Fermentation will yield such ethnic delicacies as sauerkraut, Kimchi, pickles and Kombucha, full of viable prebiotics, probiotics and flavor. Jams, jellies and preserves, oh my. Sweet, savory, tart and briny all have a place at the table. Feelings of accomplishment and confidence will spring forth proverbial sunshine, to reflect onto all we do. We will get to know our foodstory more than ever. We will share, we'll feast, we'll preserve, we will fellowship. We will be Betterthaneverians. Do you like the way that sounds? I know I DO!
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Best .Oatmeal .Cookie. Ever.
This recipe was misplaced in my sea of culinary journals and sketches for years. I ran across it this past summer, luckily because my family had inquired about it for as long as it was missing. I was advised to keep it to myself, but here we go....
Be advised, this cookie is dangerous. One bite will lead to another, then another, and more. Before you know it, you will be in 3 cookies deep and wondering how the heck you got there. You will bade for time, until you may shamelessly have another. You will want to give out some as gifts, freeze some, anything to feel better about becoming a cookie monster. Try this recipe if you dare. I will leave this recipe on my website for a total of 23 days. Why 23? One of my lucky numbers is 23. After the specified time, it will be removed promptly, to return to my personal recipe file, to only be baked by me alone. I would take advantage of this opportunity if I were you. Feel free to leave your feedback in the comments section at the bottom of this post. For more exciting and informative content delivered right to your mailbox, enter your email address and hit the submit button at the top of the desktop version. I'd love to have you join me!
Recipe:
3 c. quick cooking oats
1 c. rice flour
1 1/3 c. cake flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. butter, softened, unsalted
1 large egg
2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. unsulphured molasses
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350*F.
Mix dry ingredients together well in one bowl and in another, cream together butter, egg, molasses, sugar and vanilla.
Incorporate wet ingredients into dry gradually, in a folding fashion, until evenly blended.
Drop by heaping teaspoons or roll into balls about 1' in diameter and place on a well greased cookie sheet.
Bake until golden, about 13 minutes. For a softer cookie, cut cooking time down to 11 minutes.
Let cool slightly before transferring to wire rack, then cookie vessel.
Makes about 5 1/2 dozen, depending on size.
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
That's Just 'Souper', Creamy Roasted Pumpkin Sage Soup for the Soul
A friend inquired about what I could do with a pumpkin, dropped during decorating, but viable. She utilized the seeds inside by roasting and seasoning. The following recipe is what I did with the pumpkin meat, after roasting it off for approximately 40 minutes, drizzled with olive oil and lightly sprinkled with kosher salt. My friend was pleased with results and so was my family of tasters. I served this with everything bagels, toasted and smeared with some Plant Butter, Coconut, it's delicious. I've also tried the Almond Plant Butter and it's Ahhhmazing too! Bettertarian by design.
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The following recipe will help kick Autumn into full swing. Unlike some of the traditional Pumpkin soups, this one isn't the type to stick to your spoon like ice cream, it is a thinner, broth based soup with a small amount of milk. Of course you can adjust as desired, by adding less broth or milk, but I find this way most pleasing. The thicker ones are to me like baby food from the jar, delicious I'm sure, but just not my favorite. Alas, you can decide for yourself and enjoy the delicious results.
Recipe:
4 cups Roasted Pumpkin*
5 cups chicken or veggie stock
3 tbsp. yellow onion, diced
2 tbs. Vermont cultured butter or other butter, plant or animal based
2/3 c. milk, I used 2%
1 1/2 to 2 tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
5 Sage leaves
SPST (Salt and Pepper to Suit Taste)
Immersion Blender, optional but Optimal
In a medium heavy bottomed saucepan, heat to medium high and drizzle with olive oil.
Add butter, then onions and cook until translucent and fragrant, stirring often, about 3 minutes.
Add stock and pumpkin and use immersion blender to combine and smooth.
If you don't have one, you can press the pumpkin through a sieve before adding to pot and that will aid in creating a creamy, but not thick texture.
Check Seasonings and SPST.
Reduce heat to medium and simmer for several minutes.
Stir in chiffonade of Sage.
Remove from heat and stir in milk.
Place back on burner and simmer for several more minutes, taking care not to let boil.
Serve with toast, crackers or everything bagels. Great as is.
Serves 6 to 8.
*Note: I used the regular carving type pumpkin for this recipe, the sugar pumpkin or 'pie pumpkin' featured above is for decoration and other uses, including but not limited to pies, baking vessels, serving bowls, etc...
Friday, June 28, 2019
Fish Tips For the Summer!
We have access to many fishing outlets here in these beautiful mountains. Where we live is the second oldest incorporated town in Virginia, second only to Jamestown! We are residents of the Leesville Dam and Leesville Lake area, plus there is Goose Creek and other waterways and ponds to choose from. Goose Creek is where many people enter the river to float into the Staunton River, which runs by our nearest town and my high school Alma Mater, Altavista.
There is avid hunting in this area as well, full of wilderness, full of life. We have bears, coyotes, bobcats, rattlesnakes, moccasins, both water and copperheads, too many deer, even the rare black coyotes, which is just a product of genetics. I saw one that had been hit in the road one morning, it looked like a skinny bear cub with a dog's face. I was only able to glean this description going about 45 mph, on my way taking the kiddoes to school. When I came back through, it was gone, taken for its coat or picked up by VDOT, the first theory probably the most accurate.
Luckily, one of my sisters and her husband, who is an avid hunter and "angler" came through and got out to investigate and clarified my best guess, having never seen one before. But Yeah, the phrase "Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My" for sure. This area is amazing from the nature and natural beauty standpoint. The people are pretty solid too.
Back to the lesson at hand, tips and tricks for cleaning and deboning smaller or pan sized fish, because let's be honest, we are not always going to bring home a whopper, plus these are most the flavorful in my opinion. I like to use a small pile of salt to help anchor my grip on the fish. This way, you can scale this guy more efficiently, which is the first step if the fish has scales. I line my cleaning station with cardboard if possible, any will do, empty pizza boxes are perfect for this kind of job, absorbing all the excess yuck while you work. After scaling, you are free to remove the head and entrails. The featured fish is a white perch. This my technique to butterfly your protein. Gloves are advised, particularly for the hand holding the fish while you work.
I lay the fish on its back and hold it like a book I'm about to start reading. I start at the top and carefully but firmly, make a cut through the bones along where the rib bones meet the back bone. I cut all the way down til I get to the stomach area. I then lay fish on its side and place a hand firmly on the top run my knife down along the backbone, all the way to the tail. The fish should lay flat at this point, like an open book.
You can remove the rib bones by carefully sliding your knife under the bones at the top or bottom of the ribs and working the knife upwards or downwards, pressing against the ribs. Repeat on opposite side. Scrape belly flaps to aid in extracting bones from this portion. Normally, I would use my filet knife also, the chef's knife is to cut through the bone, but it fell down behind the damn sink. Drat!
After you remove all the yuck with a few good swishes and salted soak, at least 1 hour, your fish is ready for whatever comes next! Well, gotta go, just got a mess of fish from my fisher guy/bnl Will, back to the lab I go, because, "practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect." I'll always remember that banner Mr. Temples, our beloved band director put up in the band room, he was possibly the best band director to ever live, just Phenomenal! Today's Catch of the Day, Bass! Stay tuned for fresh, new recipes featuring these 'puppies'.
The remaining bones are easily pulled out with the fins. Extreme Caution Advised, especially for Children and Inattentive Adults! |
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Ending Discrimination: The Ugly Food Movement
We as consumers, naturally want the 'best' and 'most' for our buck, or at least what we perceive as such. Now that is all fine and dandy as certain things go, for instance; we wouldn't pick up a loaf of sandwich bread that is already smooshed or a carton of eggs with cracked ones or even a box from the shelf, that has either a razor type slash or is slightly marred in any way.
Monday, June 10, 2019
5 Cheese/Pepperoni Keto- Fabulous Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Recipe:
6 chicken breasts, skinless, boneless and about 6 to 8 oz. each
1 pkg. deli sliced or bulk pkg.pepperoni
12 slices Provolone cheese
1 8oz. pkg. Italian cheese blend
EVOO
Italian Seasoning
SPST (Salt and Pepper to Suit Taste)
Preheat oven to 375*F.
Carefully make a slit along side of each chicken portion, without going all the way through. You are essenially making a pocket for the cheeses and pepperoni.
Each chicken portion gets :
2 deli sized or 6 small pepperoni
2 slices Provolone Cheese
1 Pinch Cheese Blend
Layer ingredients, then fold in half to insert.
After all breasts have been stuffed, place in baking vessel sprayed with cooking spray or drizzled with olive oil.
Arrange chicken evenly spaced and drizzle with olive oil and SPST.
Sprinkle with Italian Seasoning.
Bake covered about 20 minutes, then remove foil.
Cook until chicken starts to turn golden and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Continue until cheese is melted and internal temp. reaches 165*F.
Let stand for several minutes before serving.
Goes well with Cauliflower Mash, (cauliflower steamed or cooked in chicken stock, then SPST, little cream or milk and butter, optional)