I'll Pecan YOUR Pie!

Your average pecan pie uses about two cups of pecans. Your average pecan pie usually has a sort of gelatinous corn syrup infused filling with a touch of bourbon. Most have only a bottom pie crust, and an open top.

This edition. from Martha Stewart, is not the average pecan pie.

• It contains a whopping 4 cups pecans. I wince every time I measure them out. SO many of my precious pecans going into one food...
• It is filled with a rich caramel, no corn syrup.
• Its baked in a skillet. Starting on the stove while make the caramel, the pie is topped with the pie crust and sent to the oven. One dish preparation.
• To present, you invert it.

I think next time I make it I'll cut back on the pecans a half cup to a whole cup. Not only is my pan a bit smaller than the recommended, but after the first couple slices, I'm sorry to say it, but I almost start picking through the pecans to get to the crust. Its pretty intense anyway, and I think it could carry itself with a reduction on the filling. Besides, if you have good butter, the crust is just about the best part!

And on that last picture, of the whole pie, I don't think its supposed to be that dark. Whoops...

All together, its about 1 1/4 cups of butter, almost two cups of sugar, and thats ignoring the 4 cups of nuts and cream. Pretty rich. Worth it.

Upside-down Pecan Pie

• 1 unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 cups pecan halves, (about 1 pound)
• 3/4 cup cream
• one pie crust
  

1. In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat, combine butter, honey, and sugars. Bring to a boil; let boil for 4 minutes. Add pecans and heavy cream, and boil 3 minutes more. Remove from heat, and set aside. Let stand about 30 minutes to cool. Using a wooden spoon, gently mound pecans and caramel slightly in center of skillet, leaving a gap between pecans and edge of skillet.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.with rack in the top third. On a clean, lightly floured work surface, roll out one disk of prepared chilled pastry to approximately a 7/8-inch-thick, 13-inch-diameter circle. Place the pastry over the skillet, carefully tucking the dough down against the edge of the skillet and around the edges of the mound of pecans. Trim the excess dough.
3. Place two rimmed baking sheets, one on top of the other, underneath the skillet to catch any drips while the pie bakes and to provide insulation for the caramel. Place skillet in the oven, and bake pie until the dough is just turning golden brown, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees, and continue baking until the pastry is cooked through and the caramel is bubbling up around the edges of the skillet, about 30 minutes more.
4. Remove the pie from the oven, and let cool about 20 minutes. Carefully invert the pie onto a parchment-lined tray or baking sheet (the pie is easy to transfer to serving plate once it has been inverted). Be careful inverting pie; the caramel is very hot. If the pie does not release easily from skillet, heat the skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds. Serve warm.

Best Butter Ever

This stuff is fabulous. I first found out about it at a pie baking class at down town Portland's Sur La Table. The butter they used was fantastic. It gave the crusts a incredible, almost cream cheese like, zing to it. Suddenly I found myself drudging through the pecans and caramel so I could get to the sweet sweet buttery crust. The biggest problem, it's not widely available as it comes from a small dairy in Clackamas. I have found it sold at two stores in Portland. Now that I'm back kicking it up in Baker, I've been managing my small hoard with a miserly iron fist. Stached triple bagged in my freezer, I'm cracking some out for my mother's birthday pie tomorrow. The best part about this butter? A nice high fat European style butter, it tastes as good as the $8lb imported danish butter or the $5 something-ish a half pound Kerrygold, and its only about $4 a pound.

Soda Pop

Never been a fan of fruit soda's. Grape, orange, strawberry, what have you. They just don't taste right. Its just an excuse to drink sugar fizz. Its grape flavor! That makes it all better!
Straight carbonated water has never been dear to me either. Its dry bubbles just highlight the sodium content making it taste somewhat salty, which in this case I find unappetizing. I'm working on it, but I've yet to be able to develop a taste for it.

The fix for both, Izze, naturally flavored blends of fruit juice with sparkling water. Each bottle counts for one full serving of fruit, and with no added sugar or artificial flavorings they show up your average grape and orange soda. They have a very fine fizz. Combining it with the zip of the fruit juice, its a very bright compliment. The fine misty smoke as you open a cool bottle, and the zing each time I take a sip... And I do sip it. Takes me about a day to drink one if I take my time, leaving it in the fridge between tastes. My reacurring favorite is their Clementine flavor. Carbonated orange juice that tastes like orange juice. Eureka! Pictured here is their pomegranate flavor.

Their lite versions use a 90:10 split carbonated water to juice ration in place of the 70:30 in regular. They're very similar to straight carbonated water, but with just a hint of flavor and sweetness to nock out that salty aftertaste.

Cheers!

Pea Soup and Crap Chowder

Soups have been slipping one by one into my kitchen. They have done this a total of twice. No big feat... but I share.


I was bedazzled by a bag of green split peas in the grocery store. As I was admiring their uniform green plasticine sheen, I realized I had never partaken of split pea soup. Much like lentil soup, pea soup gets a pretty bad wrap for its appearance. As Jordan describes his family's version "It looks just like cartoon vomit." Sounds appetizing of course, but both lentils and peas are so healthy, packing a ton of fiber and protein with no fat and hardly any carbohydrates. And both are relatively cheap... And I had to try it some day.

I set about searching for a recipe with vanity in mind. I searched images of pea soup. The most hideous looking (though still delicious sounding) recipes contained cubes of ham and carrots and various bits and chunks. The prettiest of all were made with fresh peas looking wonderfully vibrant, and an interesting cold soup using frozen peas. Of the prettiest dried versions the most fashionable had little besides peas and onions. A pretty greep puree with a dollop of cream (mentally added) puddled in a shallow bowl caught my eye. Turns out it's Emril Lagasse's recipe.

Under the surprisingly eager eyes of both my little siblings, I prepared the soup mostly by the recipe. I cautioned them that pea soup was not very popular. Though it was a wonderfully healty and even delicious soup, people were mean to it because it doesn't look very pretty. They were caught by the drama, and as a result ask me its status every 5 minutes through the process. They both enjoyed it. I enjoyed it. My parents did as well. A definite success. Sadly we forgot about the leftovers and they perished. A moment of silence...

Moving on, the latest soup has no photo's, but was tasty. A combination of bacon, clams potatoes, and cream along with some other integeral ingredients comprised a wonderful clam chowder. Though dubbed far before its completion "Crap Chowder" by my eagerly sarcastic brother, the children did try some. It had a lot of clams, so I don't begrudge them their ample leftovers. They did praise its flavor however. Which I thought a total plus.

Another Strike Of Pie Day

I have taken it into my head, as is oft my want, to practice my art of cookery in my ample spare time. Being returned to my native kitchen, I am much obliged to begin said practice. I started small. A batch of oatmeal nut cookies with a small amount of chocolate and no raisins. A day later, I followed with another batch of cookies, to replenish the first, and a batch of 6 loaves of bread. It was a take on an AllRecipes for so called Fabulous Homemade Bread. I replaced half the bread flour with whole wheat flour for that extra fiber, I mean, texture boost.


At anyrate, the bread was pretty fine. I baked two loaves and froze the rest in the form of two more loaves and a batch of rolls. They should be good later. Other than the shape laking a bit of height, the bread was perfect. Very light and tasty.


But I digress. We are not here for the bread. We are here for pie. I took a class on it a while back, and have been meaning to work on my skills for a while now. So I made a couple batches of crust. To practice see. All of a sudded I had a fridge with 4 pie crusts resting within! Whats a girl to do? Bake some pie, of course, but what variety? Going with what had on hand I grabbed a bag of frozen blueberries. As life usually goes the berries were all shriveled and yucky, so I had to go to the store anyway. And so with some wingin-it skills, and two bags of berries I came up with this.


Two-Berry Pie
1lb- Frozen Blueberries
1lb- Frozen Raspberries
1 double pie crust batch
1/2 C sugar or so
1-2T corn startch
I rolled out the crust in the pie dish brushed it with a beaten and left it in the fridge.
While I mixed the sugar and corn starch and tossed it with the berries.
I poured the dusted berries into the crust, dabbed some butter about it, and topped it with the other crust. I formed it up, then brushed it with more of the beaten egg, sprinkled granulated and turbinado sugar on it and popped it into a 400 degree oven for 15 or 20 minutes till it started to brown, then I dropped it down to 350 and cooked it for about 40 minutes or so till it was hot and the crusts looked done, covering it halway through with tinfoil so it wouldn't burn.

Did I stress the wingin-it bit?

It turned out wonderfully. Eating the whole thing amongst the 5 of us within 3 hours, the pie claimed an average of 2 slices per person (two children included here). And I'm telling you we aren't big on the baked fruit thing. Or even the pie thing... But it was good.

Soo goood.

And So It Spreads

Welcome to the wonderful, suductive, and hungry world of foodporn. With flickr and digital photography abounding, its becoming impossible to see it all, let alone try it all. Dont be discouraged!

TasteSpotting gets gives you some prime images. Eclairs speak tongues, but there are beautiful food finds for all levels of eaters here. A collection of beautiful square food things with links to their information (no beautiful blog to save till you have time). From sushi to the chocolate chip to what the heck is that... Take a gander. Feed your addiction. Go to bed hungry.

All I can say... dang, I wish my camera could get that close.

Olive

I wonder if I shall ever enjoy eating olives. I dont mind the tin flavored ones from the Albertsons can. The ones from jars however have given me considerable trouble. I dont know as I've bought the right kind. Did I leave my chedder and buy the first block of blue I could find? In such a case with olives it would be little wonder I havnt aquired a taste for them.


I want to try an olive with a vague olive oil flavor. No tin. But not strangely bitter, mouth drying, grainy goo held together by a rubber skin! All marinated in some sort of pickled concoction, no less! I need to research which is a mild flavored olive, and try a nice brand.






Further down on my list of purchasing, a bottle of Lucini Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Its pretty, green, and I've been recomended by several to try it. They have some in stock at my Bella's (a beautiful little gourmet store). Fifteen dolars give or take. I think I might get some soon. I'll need to pull some sorta crazy Italian cookery masterpeice to show off all my great ingredients. Sun dried tomatoes, olive oil, pine nuts... I've got some goods. And mascarpone is now only $7, down from its original $15 per imported tub! Hopefully this new brand will be equally tasty.


Up next, been craving a salad from a local restraunt. Realized that because it had no dressing, I could replicate it myself. Just need some flavor power houses, some quick grilling and pow. Angry Chicken Salad, as it was called. Bacon, mushrooms, onion, bell pepper on romain with chicken. I got it down. And I'll toss on just a little bit of my favorite ceasar 'cuz thats how I like it.

Dubliner and Mushrooms

Its a darn fine cheese my friends. A simple one to get used to. A mild buttery Parmesan like flavor and sweet aftertaste. Which is probably completely incorrect terming to the experts of cheese consumption. My father compared it to sharp Swiss cheese that’s been mixed with buttered mashed potatoes, if the connoisseurs like that description better. It’s become widely accessible even to folk who live in the boonies, like myself. Try some!


I had portabellas for dinner last night. I picked some up at the store with some garlic and an onion, and the culinary magic began. (And I'm talkin, the kids were eating it too!(Don't count on it though... Its mushrooms and onion for goodness sake!))

Stuffed Portabellas of Savoury Delight

4 Portabella's
8 Slices of Bacon (or more...)
1 Clove Garlic
1/4 Cup diced onion (or so)
4 slices Cheese (Peperjack works nicely, though I like Munster. I think something mild and white works best.)
Parmesan (Optional... I used a tiny bit on the one pictured)
Kosher Salt
Olive Oil
(get creative! Try using less bacon and adding finely sliced chicken or steak instead!)

Preheat oven to 400 f

Remove stems from the portabellas. Twist and wiggle and they should come off right at the base. Set these aside. Brush the cap of the portabella's with olive oil, and drizzle onto gills. Place on a baking sheet and bake about 5 minutes to 10. They'll look juicey, dark, and shriveled.

While mushrooms are baking, cook bacon (and other meat if using). Set aside to drain on paper towel lined plate.

Pour off some of the bacon grease from the pan. Peel the skins off the stem (this might not be necessary but I've always done it. And slice and dice into nice lil bits. Heat the bacon greasy pan, toss in onion, crush in garlic and then add the mushroom trimmings. Cook till the mushroom bits are soft and the onion is all caramelized and slightly translucent.

Break the bacon into small bits and add to the mushroom onion mix and toss. Get your baked portabella's, sprinkle with some salt, and fill equally with the bacon mixture.

Place a slice of the cheese of your choice on each, and your grated Parmesan if using. The put in the oven on broil till cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.

And there you have it. Savoury extraordinaire!

Wiggles and Food

I'm struggling with my self. Reaching down into the deepest realms of what my mind has marked personality and searching frantically. What do I want? Web MD or Bicycle Monthly? The waiting room is crowded. The single chair buffer is a luxury threatening to vanish if another patient party should enter. Were talking ailing possibly contagious people here! They aren't exactly my peer group either. Mind you, I wouldn't fit in with the secret pregnancy test or sports team physical group of my age, but I'm talkin not a one of them couldn't get the senior citizen discount no questions asked. This wouldn't bother me too much- the age not the discount. I'm not particularly age-ist at my supreme maturity level. I really don’t have a problem with it. I don’t. But they’re staring at me! I try to imagine just for a moment what they might be seeing from their perspective. Short haired hoodlum girl child who obviously must be missin her schoolin, probably to get a drug test or other unmentionable.

Forgetting to turn the scrutiny external once more, I sit for a good moment feeling terrible. But before long I am distracted. I've watched out of the corner of my eye. I've done the Casual Glance over, and the Room Scan. And it’s true. That lady across the room staring at me. You don’t make eye contact 3 times in a row on properly spaced Casual Glance unless they're staring at you. This wouldn't be half the debacle it was if I had a decent magazine!

Tossing the MD aside I begin furiously flipping through the biking magazine. I'm completely lost. It’s talking about proper foot grips and obscure training tools. They're advertising a new bike design. I spend a moment drooling over it. It says ergonomic. It has lots of features. It’s pink and named something like Diva. It's probably expensive. Enough for my drool. Soon though the rapture passes and I give up. Tossing the magazine back on the table - that is passing it to my mother to do so- I resign myself to the inevitable staring contest about to ensue. Rest my eyes for a few seconds.... And she's gone. Crap, now how am I going to amuse myself?!

The door opens and a plump nurse in flowery scrubs summons me forth. I stride across the room toward her and the entrance to medical advice. I get about halfway, falter and look behind me to see if my mom is coming. She raises her eyebrows and slaps on a mock-encouraging smile. I shuffle forward, ever pulled by the nurses summons, glancing back hesitantly. Mother sighs, shakes her head, and follows. Score one for the puppy dog look. We march back through winding twisting halls lost in the labyrinth. I'm weighed measured and finally our guide leaves us alone in a cell. Only me with my charm and charisma could turn that bare utilitarian exam room into a superfluous throne room. I step up to my dais, and perch on its... paper lined cushion. Without a back to it I hunch and fold my arms. I feel deflated.

And then my doctor walks in. If you didn't think mothering type when you first saw her you probably think friend. She's not everything I might have imagined for a doctor/counselor/mentor, but she's close enough to throw money at. Things that I noticed about her... shorter graying blond hair, perfect teeth and a smile that still lively. I could see myself going to lunch or to backpack Peru with someone like her. She's smart but not imposing or arrogant, she's candid, unjudgemental and she understands the patients feel pain! She's great.
Anyway, I leave my visit feeling comforted that I have a doctor of my very own. Also a bit sore as my hand was frost blistered and bleeding. But it was only a little frost blistered and sore. I was in a good place. She had given me the quest of exercising at least 3 times a week, eat a variety of foods, and drop simple sugars all to feel my best and increase endorphins. And thus ends my blog prologue.

What I wanted to say is I've been on a health food binge for the last week or so. I've worked on the sugars... I'm hopeless but I'm working! I've been trying to use lower cholesterol alternatives in most of my cookings and the low sugar options too. Since my last food blog I've ran out of inspiration to cook. So the health food trip has made me even more creative than I am when I'm creative. Basically, I've had more whole grain, yogurt buttered, flaxseed creations than you could imagine. Lots of protein stuff too. Lots of fiber. My latest creation, an unholy concoction of Quaker oats, honey, egg, vanilla, baking powder, flax, cream cheese, whole wheat... pancake like goo, inspired by and named after the Wiggles' Crunchy Munchy Honey Cakes. I stirred it all together and cooked it on the griddle. Didn't even use butter! And it wasn't blatantly sweet...
Other than that... The painting goes well. Sort of. I inhaled stripper... wallpaper stripper vapors a bit much and irritated my airways... But it works so well! I've bought the paint and it may be even better than I imagined it would be. As I was drifting of to sleep I decided I should paint an ironwork pattern border along it. Either the top border or a divider type thing. Using a nice dark silvery gray color and going all intricate. I post pics if I come up with an exact pattern. Or better yet, show you when it’s all done! Like that'll happen...

It happens now that I am about to tell you my goal, I've realized I failed it today. I've been taking a picture a day as featured on www.photojojo.com . It’s been really nice and getting me out and snapping. But I didn’t today. Hmm... I did make some prints of my stuff the other day. Maybe one day I'll post some film ones.

At any rate, if anyone has some good idea's for lentils other than soup, let me know.

Last thing, did blog derive from the log? And if it did, where did the 'b' come from?

Mandarin Chicken Salad And Meditations On Meth

Fear fatigue. It's amazing what a terrible thing it can be. Spending hours doing absolutely nothing... My day today. I got one thing done. Cooked dinner. And mainly sat around stairing a lot and feeling like a bum. Well, there's always meth. -_-

This salad is love.

Ginger Mandarin Chicken Spinach Bowtie Salad of the Gods!

Salad: Toss together all but the oranges.

8oz. Bowtie Noodles
2 Cups Chicken (chopped and cooked)
6 oz. Spinach
11 oz can of Mandrian oranges
1/2 C Diced Red Bell Peper
1/2 C Diced Red Onion
1/2 C Cucumber (Sliced and quartered)

Dressing: Mix together

1 tsp Fresh Ginger Grated (or finely minced)
1 or 2 cloves Garlic Crushed (or finely minced)
1 packet Liptons onion soup mix
1/3 C Rice Vinegar
1/4 C Orange Juice
1 Tbs Sesame Seed Oil
1/4 C vegetable oil

Drain the oranges and add to salad with the dressing. Toss gently to mix in oranges and coat salad with dressing.

And there you have it! I'll get some pictures next time I make it.

Meditations On The Upcoming

A room that matches my blog, only a bit darker. My monitor is very dark. That is why all of my pictures look faded on your average monitor. I cannot see them at all untill I lighten them some. I leave them a bit dark, but it hasn't been enough. I'm stripping... the walpaper off my room and painting it purple. A nice light purple and the possibility might exist that I paint the trim in brown. Funish it with a dark silver spirally bed and silky sheer curtains...

A bit of a college visit. I might skip over to visit a college soon. Portland State... I have deepest suspicions about it, but I shall take a gander. My mother, a friend, and myself should be popping down there in the next couple of months to check it out, and the sights in portland. I've never spent a great deal of time there. An hour really at state theatre competitions. It was plesent then... we'll see.

First I have to get my hair cut. Then I have to graduate highschool. I'm going to do an independant study French class. This is after I make up half a math credit. Go figure. If you dont do the homework you dont pass the class. Dont my B's on tests with no prep work make up for the measely old homework crap?!

A Costco trip is in store as well. Olive Oil. Good stuff this time. Nuts... *sigh* Spices... some cheese's. Another 8lbs of butter or so... Heck to the rest of it. I'm there for the food. (and maybe some cute pj pants like last time, a video game, or... food). Yeah, I'm there for the food.

A massage next week. My first. This means I'll have to shave doesnt it... Yes. Yes it does.

A week full of food. Tomarrow... ~THE SALAD!~ I'll post the recipe. It needs to be online! To make a name for it you would have to include all of the ingredients... Ginger Mandrian Orange Chicken Spinach Salad... Does that work? Its delishous. It has those ingredients with some orange juice, garlic, rice vinegar, red bell, red onion, cucumber, liptons onion soup mix. My mother, sister, and myself have been known to make a double batch (serves 12) and eat it all before the night was over. Normally we only eat 2 or 3 portions per individiual its good, this stuff is great. My father and the lil siblings hate it... no massive hunk of meat? vegetables? Its beyond them.

The next day...
Lunch: Pad Thai
Dinner: Chicken legs with a herbs de province rub.

The next night
Manacotti with spinach ricotta filling
A Gratin of Leeks (I've never cooked with leeks before! I'm so excited!)

I'm not sure what this night, but it will have pork. It will be smoky mesquite like with cumin and chillie powder. It will have fettuccini. I will probably use my wok.

Ramen pork stir fry stuff....

And cheap freezer turky gravy potato goo i bought. Yes, I do eat freezer food. Sometimes I crave it specifically. Much like the basic sauce of chines food dishes.

Uh... hash browns? We bought 6lbs... ooo... maybe some bowtie pasta with italian herbs and chopped vegetables. I'm lookin into some pizza quesadilla stuff too. If i got the time the motivation and the forsight... we will eat well.