Starters

Pizza Kebabs for The Big Game

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I looked on the blog for my work pizza kebab “recipe” the other day–thinking it would be great for Super Bowl snacks– and couldn’t find it. I had posted it on Facebook, but hadn’t blogged it. Perhaps because you might not really need a recipe for pizza kebabs. On the other hand, you might never have thought of them either.  I had to search out the photo, get the date, and save it to iPhoto as I hadn’t even kept it. A very sorry management practice!

For part of 2014 and nearly all of 2015, I worked as a Jenn-Air and Dacor chef, demonstrating and teaching cooking techniques at the local high-end appliance store.  It was mostly great fun and one of the things that most interested me was the need to invent quick attractive-to-the-masses recipes.

cropped-cropped-wp_20150429_008.jpgWhile I often teach a cooking class about pizza, I couldn’t figure out how to fit it into the time frame of my weekly demonstration. (And yes, in the class you do get to eat your work.  You also take dough home to try it out in your own kitchen. See below. I teach 1/2-sheet pan pizza-making. No special equipment needed. Feeds a bunch.) Continue reading →

Ina Fridays — Appetizers — Roasted Eggplant Spread

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Ina Garten’s appetizers are, like all of her recipes, lovely and luscious, but while making this I kept remembering how often Ina speaks about simple, store-bought appetizers like

  • olives
  • nuts
  • chips
  • cheese

and so on. The show sometimes drives along with Ina into town to pick up the ready-to-go food and I have to admit I’m always jealous of the shops she has available.   Her point is often that if you have too many nibbles with your apertif or sparkler, you’re full.  Not only that, who wants to spend not only the whole day getting ready for company, but making yet another recipe?  I not only agree with her, I follow those rules for entertaining and make things easy on myself.  I’ll also admit I adore potato chips and champagne. Continue reading →

50 Women Game-Changers in Food – #46 – Gael Greene – Corn Soup with Sautéed Scallops and Bacon

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“Do you sing, too?” I asked, tickling his tweed elbow.

I have a good friend who is fond of this phrase:  “She was born with the words, ‘Please peel me a grape,’ on her lips.”   That could very well have been said about spicy bon vivant Gael Greene (1933-  ), this week’s  number 46 on Gourmet Live’s List of 50 Women Game-Changers in Food.  Greene, the 40-year New York Magazine restaurant critic and columnist, novelist, and philanthropist from Detroit, is best known for her erotic encounters with food, as well as with the likes of Clint Eastwood and Elvis Presley.   Want details?  It’s all (probably not) chronicled in Greene’s memoir, the infamous Insatiable : Tales from a Life of Delicious Excess (Grand Central, 2007.)  And while I promise I’m not telling tales out of school, you can listen to her own description of Presley as appetizer here.

Lest we consider the ground-breaking critic light-weight or even shallow,  life-long achiever  Greene (still writing, appearing on “Top Chef,” and tweeting as I blog)  has also spent a sizable portion of her adult life making sure New York’s elderly poor had food come weekends and holidays: 

Marcia Stein: Citymeals began in 1981 when Gael Greene and Jim Beard, the founders, read that homebound elderly New Yorkers only got meals from the city Monday through Friday, and not on holidays. They were going very long periods of time without food. Especially over the holidays: at times when other people were over-eating, these people were alone and starving.

Gael and Jim called their friends in the industry; Gael called the city government and wrote about it. She was just as good at describing their situation as she is at describing food, and it made people aware. Checks started coming in, but you can’t just send a check to the government or the Department for the Aging. We had to create an organization that was a not-for-profit so we could receive the checks we were getting. So Citymeals started as a public/private partnership with the city’s meal delivery program.

We started feeding 6,000 homebound elderly, but the number has grown over time. Now we are feeding 18,000 every weekend and holiday.

We receive about 50,000 contributions a year to Citymeals. It’s a cause that New Yorkers have embraced. Six dollars a day can save a person’s life.

Read the entire interview with Marcia Stein, Executive Director of Citymeals-on-Wheels on starchefs.com

But after you get your fill reading and listening — more by scrolling down– do a little cooking with Gael and try her

Corn Soup with Sautéed Scallops and Bacon  serves 4

  • 6 ears corn
  • 4 cups water (reserve water after the corn has cooked)
  • 2 tsp olive oil for vegetables
  • 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced                                        
  • Juice of half a lime
  • Clam broth, to taste
  • 2 slices bacon
  • 6 large sea scallops, quartered       
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper  
  • 1 tbsp chopped cilantro or basil

    • Cook corn in four cups of water. Remove corn, strain water of corn silk, and reserve cooking water.
    Cut kernels from cobs and reserve the corn. Return cobs to cooking water, simmer till water reduces   to half. Then remove cobs and reserve water.
    Scrape cobs with dull knife to extract all the corn milk and reserve this liquid.
    Sauté onions, garlic, and jalapeño in olive oil in nonstick skillet. Don’t let them brown.
    Add reserved corn kernels and corn milk to vegetables, then toss and cook on low heat for 2 minutes. Puree half of this mix in a blender or food processor.
    Add puree and remaining corn-vegetable mix to reduced corn water. Then add lime juice and clam broth, to taste.
    Cook bacon until crisp, drain, and cut into ribbons.
    Sauté scallop quarters quickly in bacon fat till slightly browned. Don’t overcook.
    Reheat soup. Add scallops and bacon to mixture in the corn water. Season with ground pepper and salt, to taste. Add more lime or clam juice if necessary.
    Serve in bowls with minced cilantro or basil sprinkled on top

    A little bacon garnish might not go amiss.  A nice grind of black pepper, too.

    While this soup is perfectly suited to late summer when the corn is as high as an elephant’s eye, I managed to snare a few fresh? ears from our local grocer, who had Fed-exxed a little out of Florida.  If you can’t find any corn,  I think you could use vegetable broth (along with the clam broth) and frozen (cooked) corn kernels.  You won’t have the same soup, but I think it would be tasty.  Corn cooking tip here, though I just bring the water to boil, drop the corn in, let it come up to a boil again, and cover it for 10 minutes or so.  The other great way is to microwave it or grill it right in the husks.  Easy and maybe the tastiest version, but not possible for this recipe.

    I did pepper and sugar – 1/2 tsp each- the corn-cooking water for this soup.  Oh, summer…hurry up!

    My best sous and lunchtime taste tester.

    At first taste, my excellent taster wondered what all the shouting was about.  By the second taste, he was hooked.  The subtle heat left a gentle warm buzz in the mouth and the corn and scallops provided good contrast in texture.   I had one small bowl leftover that I ran over to Paul, the owner of our two-doors down wine and beer shop,  The Wine Thief and Ale Jail.  Love living in the city do I.

    The Wine Thief and The Ale Jail

     I chose this recipe because I adored the idea of a mostly healthy  (ok, there’s bacon) seafood soup that used only 6 scallops for four servings.  I calculated about five bucks per serving, which is a less-expensive way to splurge on a little scallop action.   The soup sounded like a luscious and light warm-weather meal that could easily be made outdoors utilizing a grill with a side burner.  It might also serve as a small first-course offering for a special dinner.  I liked a sip of a great big California Chardonnay with this soup.

    Here’ s a review one cook left on epicurious fyi:
    I followed this recipe exactly. I was surprised that the color was not as bright as I had expected (sort of a dull yellow), and the texture was, well, corny. Pureeing the corn mixture did not make it creamy at all, as I could still feel the fibers of the corn kernels in my mouth. I decided to puree all of it, and then strain it, which yielded a something I would describe as a corn broth, great for poaching fish in or serving in shot glasses with some crispy shallots or scallops right on top. 

    by A Cook from Miami Beach, Fl on 07/10/06

    Fyi I pureed three-quarters of the corn.

    Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/reviews/Corn-Soup-with-Sauteed-Scallops-and-Bacon-234219#ixzz1tok3W1g5

    Want more Gael Greene?
    • Read  epicurious.com
    • Check out a NYT article about Gael here.
    • Visit Gael’s personal website, Insatiable Critic, here.
    • Follow Gael on twitter for a daily hoot.
    **
    If you liked this, you might also like my one-pan meal:
    Sole on Leeks with Salad
    I write with a tasty group of bloggers!  Please take some time and visit
    Val – More Than Burnt Toast, Taryn – Have Kitchen Will Feed, Susan – The Spice Garden
    Heather – girlichef, Miranda – Mangoes and Chutney, Amrita -: http://beetleskitchen.com.

    Linda A – There and Back Again, Nancy – Picadillo, Mireya – My Healthy Eating Habits
    Veronica – My Catholic Kitchen, Annie – Most Lovely Things, Jeanette – Healthy Living
    Claudia – Journey of an Italian Cook, Alyce – More Time at the Table
    Kathy – Bakeaway with Me, Martha – Simple Nourished Living, Jill – Saucy Cooks
    Sara – Everything in the Kitchen Sink

    Cook with a – band – on,
    Alyce

    Bacon for Breakfast; Bacon for Lunch

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    My sweet husband adores bacon.  God love him.
    I like bacon.  Why not?  It’s great with eggs and it’s an incredible UP when you need a taste boost for the start of a soup, chicken salad, tomato sandwiches, et al.  And, oh, the scent of it.
    But I don’t adore it.    I adore chocolate.  I adore Pinot.  (Oregon Pinot Noir)  I am a Pinot girl, in fact. 
    At 57, I enjoy being able to say that.  I have a couple of girlfriends who feel the same way.  I have guy friends who certainly feel that way. 
    But back to bacon.  I only have to SAY, “Bacon.”  I don’t even have to cook it.  And Dave is entranced.  Hanging around.  If I actually start cooking the stuff, he is in the room and doesn’t leave.  So, there you go.  If you want to attract someone to the nth, fry bacon.  No one ever told you? Ach.

    I think this is common.  I posted a note on fb last Friday that I was cooking a pork tenderloin with bacon twisted around it, fixed with toothpicks.  I had more interest in that than anything I’ve cooked in months.  Loved ones, think about making this.  Soon.  Simple?  Pretty much so.  Fragrant?  Ahhhh.  Earthy?  Mmm hmm.  Easy to harmonize?  I thought so.  A couple of Granny Smith apples, a bulb of fennel (go ahead and get one–ask the produce guy) and a big onion.  Some green beans on the side.  A light Pinot; you don’t need a great big heavy one, I don’t think.  Maybe a little bread.  I did some pears poached in port for dessert; you can do what you want.

    Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Apples, Fennel and Onions

    1 pork tenderloin
    Kosher salt; freshly-ground pepper
    3-4 slices thick bacon

    2T olive oil

    1 fennel bulb, fronds removed, end cut, sliced into half-moons about 1/3″ thick
    2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, sliced
    1 large onion sliced

    Preheat oven to 350 F.

    Salt and pepper well the pork tenderloin and wrap it with the bacon pieces, securing ends with toothpicks.

      Meanwhile, heat a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat; add olive oil.  Place bacon-wrapped pork in the center of the pan and surround with the fennel, apples and onion.  Salt and pepper well the vegetables and apples.  When the meat is very-well browned, turn and let brown on the other side.   Stir the vegetables and apples.  When that side is looking crispy, move the pan to the oven to finish cooking.  It may take another 10-15 minutes or so.  Using an instant-read thermometer, remove the skillet from the oven when the meat registers 150F.  (Others will tell you 155; I like it a bit rare; it will continue cooking)  Cover with aluminum foil for about 10 minutes before carving and serving.  Slice meat in 1/2″ p ieces.  Place cut meat at the center of a large platter and surround with fennel, apples and onions.  Serve with green beans or whatever vegetable you like.

    Poached Pears in Port  (from FINE COOKING)

    In a 4 qt skillet, pour 1 cup port wine.  Add 1 cinnamon stick and a few peels each of lemon rind and orange rind.  Peel four ripe, but firm Barlett or Bosc (or your choice) pears and slice off a tiny bit off one cheek to make a flat side.  Place the pears in the wine mixture and heat over medium-high heat.  Cover and reduce to a simmer, cooking for an hour or so until pears are tender when pierced with a knife.  Eat warm, at room temperature or cold with a little of the thickened port sauce spooned over.  You can add a little heavy cream if you like.

    Sweet      

     Did you wonder about an appetizer?  Of course I had one.  And I was testing it out for my Cooking with Music class, which was the very next day!  Here it is: 

    This is a Ricotta Pine nut dogoodie that is served with crostini (grilled bread).  I’ll blog it with the cooking class, but if you have to make it soon…..

    Mix one cup ricotta with 3-4 T torn fresh mint and season well with kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper.  Lottsa pepper.  Heat over medium heat a small saucepan with  1/2 c honey and 1/4 c pine nuts.  (Amounts negotiable.)  When quite warm and gooey, pour over the cheese mixture and serve with crostini or crackers.  (I heard Tyler Florence talk about this once and committed it to memory.  Yummy.)

    Ok, folks…there ya go.  Make it and tell me about it.  I have to know!

    Two-Dog Kitchen and Around the ‘Hood, Including Fitness


    It’s been a busy week, but the pups have been happy as clams; Dad was home for three days in a row!

    Tucky-Bucky letting it all hang out one morning.


    Why God gets me up early.
    The light on my backyard when the dogs go out for the first time.
    First dusting of snow…early in the light.

    Why I have dogs: I need tennis balls in the dishwasher, of course.

     Fitness update:  This last week, I skipped the gym all but one time.  Life got crazy.  Did I let it all go, though?  Nope.  I did Denise Austin on the DVD.  I hiked the ‘hood with Gabby.  I lifted weights at home.  I did my stretching routine.  I watched what I ate–mostly.  Or ate what I wanted, but not too much.  Teaching an Italian cooking class could have done me in (and the crostata almost did), but we made the ricotta starter, a roasted vegetable soup, pizza margherita, and a veal stew as well.   Took all afternoon Saturday and the students stayed for dinner to eat and see what wines fit where….  (Another blog.)  But I was sensible and remembered how strong I long to be.  That’s the crux.

    Meantime, I’m applying for  new jobs as my job winds down at The Church at Woodmoor.  We are getting ready for Thanksgiving in St. Paul, as well.  Good thing I have a dog sitter; an SUV ran into my old vet/kennel today!  At the same time  THAT was happening, I was driving up to a staff meeting at work in Monument,  where there was a 40-car pile-up on I-25.  I saw zip.  Thank you, God.

    Grilled Asparagus with Tex-Mex Dip or Spring Eats in the Snow

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                                     Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush. ~Doug Larson

    Living on the edge of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, I’ve seen snow every month of the year.  Sounds impossible to most folks, but it often warms up for the many false springs (and sometimes summers) we love and then turns stormy bitter overnight.  July 4 can bring mountain snow, though probably not down here in the Springs.  We once sat through an outdoor July concert in Woodland Park until we couldn’t stand the blowing snow anymore and ran down the hill to McDonald’s for coffee. (Not a lot of choices.)  We never put away our jeans and sweatshirts and we  keep a coat, a candle with matches, a bottle of water, and a chocolate bar in the car 365 days a year. You’ve heard this tale.

    Still, like most Americans, we dream of spring in March, and hey, we sometimes get a little.  It was 65 the other day and, inside the house it was above 70.   Turned the oven on to bake bread (Irish Soda, of course) and the kitchen was soon 75.  Two days later, it snowed all day long and we were building fires, warming up soup, and snuggling our toes inside wool socks.  Ah, Colorado:  no water and weird weather.  Not always a good combination.   Praise God for central heat and gas stoves and food trucked in to places where it can’t be grown.  I guess? 

    Friday night, as I set the table and lit the candles, I knew I had a light meal that needed either an appetizer or dessert.  As I’m currently cutting my caloric intake by 25% a day in a concerted effort to seek health, I decided on  a vegetable appetizer.  A pound of asparagus bored to death in the frig had a little bit to do with it; I’ll give that to you.  I never tire of grilled asparagus (or as my good friend Sue says, “I’d pay anything for it.”) and, given the time constraints (dinner was almost done and Dave had begun the music), grilled sounded good.  I promise I won’t blog asparagus anymore this spring. (Fingers crossed.)

    When I shot this pic, I realized I probably didn’t even need to do it.  No doubt there were multiple shots of grilled asparagus stored on the computer.  Finding them (my photos need organizing pretty badly) was another story.  I clicked two times and above you see one of those.  Gives you an idea of my skill level.

    These were skiiiiiiiiiiiinneee asparagus (doesn’t equate with good or tender), so I knew they wouldn’t take long to grill, and, while I like them almost done, I don’t want them limp.  Time to think of a dip, a sauce, a topping, a …whatever.  I’m crazy about fresh lemon squeezed over asparagus; it’s one of my favorite things.  Kinda old, though,  Alyce.  What else?  Some finely chopped peppered cashews?  Hmmm.  Getting better.  What about salsa?  Atypical.  What about salsa and Greek yogurt?  Hepped up with garlic?

    Sounding better all the time and was quick as spit.

    Here’s how I did it:

    Grilled Asparagus with Tex-Mex Dip

    1# fresh asparagus, washed and trimmed
    1T olive oil
    Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
    1 c plain, non-fat Greek Yogurt (or any plain yogurt will do)
    1/3 c best quality salsa (make sure it’s gluten-free)
    pinch each table salt and fresh ground pepper
    1 clove garlic, grated or smashed well

    Heat grill outdoors or stovetop grill to medium-high.  Brush with olive oil and lay asparagus on grill in an even layer.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.  Grill, turning once, for 8-10 minutes.  Meantime, make dip:

    In a small bowl, mix yogurt, salsa, salt and pepper, and garlic.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

    Place grilled asparagus on serving platter with a bowl of dip and enjoy.

    2-Dog Kitchen Continued
    Sing a new song; enjoy a new spring,
    Alyce

    Emily’s Takeover

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    Today I decided to takeover not only my mother’s blog but her kitchen as well. I’m on vacation from seminary (follow my blog!) and decided to make a delicious dinner for my parents. I live in a dorm and eat in a cafeteria, so I don’t get a chance to do real cooking very often. I’m not a great cook, but I can follow directions pretty well. Today I wanted to stretch my culinary skills. We invited over some friends, and we watched the snow continue to fly. For some reason I gravitated to French foods or at least foods that sound kind of French. I had no idea if everything would go well together, but I didn’t know when the next chance for me to cook would be. It helps that I’m at home in safe place. In case something went wrong I could pull out the big guns (crying) and Mom would jump in and fix it. That didn’t happen although I had lots of questions.
    –
    Menu:
    –
    Hummus and Fresh Vegetables
    Tuna Croquettes with Sauce Remoulade
    French Onion Soup
    Alyce’ Sweet Balsamic Salad
    Creme Brulee
    –
    Starters: I bought hummus (garlic) at the store and arranged on a cute plate these things:
    celery, asparagus, English cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots
    –Dish #1 : Tuna Croquettes –I’m not sure what I expected here, but they were a little like incredibly good crab cakes. Except! I didn’t have to pay for crab. I used tuna in pouches.

    Recipe by Alton Brown
    I had seen this recipe on Alton Brown’s show Good Eats. It sounded good. It turned out good. Because the panko is lighter than normal breadcrums, each little ball of tuna-ie delight was crispy but not heavy. I can’t see these croquettes as a full meal, but it was a satisfying appetizer. Even though the recepe online shows the croquettes with some sort of thick sauce, there was no recipe! Mom whipped up a sauce made of mayonaise, shallots, dill pickles and dijon mustard. She called it a Revved Up Tartar Sauce which then we realized was close to a sauce remoulade.
    Dish # 2: French Onion Soup—This one doesn’t bake, nor does it have a ton of heavy cheese- just parmesan when you serve it. Oooo la la ! The house smells like heaven.
    –


    Carmelizing the onions above. Ina says 20 min; it took 45.

    The soup cooking.. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH———-


    Here (above) are the parmesan croutons for the soup. Good all by themselves, too.

    Recipe by the Barefoot Contessa (also found in the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook from 1999)

    I have never made soup before except by heating up the insides of a can. So when the idea went off in my head to make French onion soup, I was confused. “Don’t you know I don’t cook?” I told myself, but I just wouldn’t listen to me. So I found what looked like one of the easier French onion soups in the world. The hardest part was slicing the onions. I had no idea how to slice an onion properly, but I found out that once you cook them it doesn’t really matter if you sliced them ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. It’s important to get all the onions about the same size if you can. It did take twice as long for the onions to brown than the Barefoot Contessa told me, but I assume that’s because I’m in Colorado and the altitude makes cooking weird sometimes. I used a sweet sherry that made a big difference in the final product. The house still smells wonderful from the onions and butter that were the base of the soup. I finished the soup about an hour and a half early and just left it on the stove until our friends showed up and we were eating the first course. It warmed up very quickly and was delicious.

    Mom made a quick salad to go with the soup so that we would have something green. It was kind of like this:
    –
    Dish 3a. Alyce’s Sweet Balsamic Salad
    .
    10 cups mixed greens (she used baby arugula and baby spinach
    1/3 c chopped walnuts
    1/2 c cherry tomatoes
    Juice of half a lemon
    Pinch ea: kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
    2T Balsamic Vinegar
    1T honey
    4-5 T extra-virgin olive oil

    1/4 tsp kosher salt

    1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
    .
    I think she made the dressing in the bottom of the bowl first. She whisked together the vinegar, honey and salt and pepper. Then she drizzled in the oil until it was all mixed pretty well.
    Greens, walnuts and tomatoes went on top in a large bowl, which was refrigerated until we needed to eat it. Then Dad tossed it and served it on salad plates.

    Dish #4: Creme Brulee See top and bottom photos, too!
    Recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook edited by Ruth Reichl (2004)

    Here-above- I am doing something Mom says is “tempering the eggs.” Otherwise, the hot cream will scramble the eggs and we don’t exactly want breakfast tonight.


    SO GOOD! One neighbor raved, “This is the best creme brulee I’ve ever had!” I usually bake a type of cake for a dessert, but I really wanted to try something different. I think Creme Brulee is super fancy and grown up. Turns out it’s not that hard to make if you’ve got a torch handy. Mom said the key to a good creme brulee is good heavy cream and high quality vanilla. As a Masters student I understand that it makes sense to buy the cheap vanilla, but after eating this creme brulee I will NEVER buy cheap vanilla again. The creme was creamy and smooth. The brulee (expertly burned by my father) was crackling and crisp. If you want people to think you can make incredible desserts but you don’t know if you really can, this recipe is for you! It does take some specialized equipment (ramikins, torch), but invest in that equipment and it will pay off.
    (Mom says you can use plain old Pyrex custard cups and put the creme brulee under the broiler; you can do without the special stuff but it’s so fun to torch something, says Dad.
    The best part about cooking for people is that you get to spend time them and show them you care. I hope you enjoy these recipes and take over YOUR mother’s kitchen some time.
    Check out the rest of the creme brulee pictures below…………………..
    .
    God Bless,
    Emily
    power tools


    Mom’s note: Wow! I love having anyone cook like that for me. AND the creme brulee was, there’s no other word: silky. Thanks, Emi. Come home anytime.

    Summer in the City-Tomato-Basil Goat Cheese

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    Home again, Home again
    Jiggity Jog

    Margo and Mark’s Magnificent Back Yard
    This is summer, isn’t it?

    It is a day of, shall we say, mixed emotions. Today is the last day of my conducting class at University of St. Thomas. It is also the day before we head home, slowly wending our way through the Badlands toward home and our own bed, house and loved neighbors and friends. Leaving Minnesohhhhhta is bittersweet and that puts it mildly. Out my door and down a few blocks west (toward the Mississippi River) lies the campus, full of newly-loved people and dreams come true. One block south sits Mac Plymouth United Church (combination PCUSA and UCC) and many good friends in the surrounding neighborhood. Lots of good meals, wonderful music…memories of worship alive–changing and continually becoming something it had never been before. A worship goal to hold in your hands and smile at.

    My view as I walk out my front door:


    Not sure what I’ll miss most. You guess.

    My car stops automatically when it sees this sign. There’s absolutely nothing I can do about it.

    I return home a different person; I will never again look at music in the same way and my years’ old conducting method (gotterdone, but by the seat of my pants), has been wiped away and replaced by something I’m only beginning to glimpse. A newbie art at 55. If God calls us to do the things he needs, be very sure he also calls to what heals.


    Still a real movie theater two blocks down

    Big breath, close this chapter. Move on to another life. I thought I’d leave you with some images of life in St. Paul. They could speak for themselves (I’ve put in a few notes)– though the dog is my friend, Max and, while Max DOES indeed speak volumes, you can’t hear her from there. Because I’ve enjoyed so much great cheese, I’ll leave Summer in the City here in Minnesota with a cheese starter.


    Pizza you grab and bake at home; worth the trip ——the very best of the take homes.


    Oh, are we cooking? Ok……………….I remember now.
    The recipe for today is a quickly managed cracker or sliced baguette topping to share with someone you love or to take as a house gift if you’re going to dinner. Buy an inexpensive ramekin, fill it with the cheese and wrap it up with saran and a tiny bow. This cheese will keep a day or two (longer if you leave out the tomato until right before serving). I would hug a Sancerre with this cheese. While I am a red wino, my very favorite wine in the world is probably a


    Tuesday night bagpipe practice at Macalester College

    Sancerre, which is a sweet (not literally) Sauvignon Blanc from the north side of the Loire. Get your map out. The smoothest thing about a Sancerre may very well be its price. If you want a top level red wine, you are going to pay dearly. However, a GREAT, aromatic and versatile, lipsmacking Sancerre will set you back only $22-$27. You can buy very drinkable Sauvignon Blancs for much less.

    Some of the great stuff from St. Paul Cheese and Breadsmith


    While the cheese (including from the Farmer’s Market) has been topnotch, I am still fond of creating something on my own. I am in the process of finding out more about making goat’s cheese myself, but in the meantime, why not make this starter for late summer? It is also a good omelette filling or sandwich spread. Have a go; it takes……….oh……5 minutes??

    TOMATO-BASIL GOAT CHEESE SPREAD
    serve on crackers or toasted, sliced baguette

    4 oz goat’s cheese at room temperature
    4 oz ricotta cheese
    2 cloves garlic, minced finely
    1 medium tomato, seeded, juiced*, and minced
    2T fresh basil chiffonade (shredded, “ragged” in the French)
    1/4 t Freshly-ground mixed pepper
    1 t grated lemon rind

    Do this in the way you like best. Either put the whole kit and caboodle in the food processor and let it have its way with the cheese or put it in a bowl and mix the love of life into it by hand. Either way, you could make a meal on this if you had to. Dreaming cooks might add a little milk and use this for a veggie dip.

    *Cut tomato in half. Take each half and, with one hand, squeeze it well over a bowl to extract juice and seeds.


    Bye, Max


    Lifelong thanks to teachers Angie Broeker (Head of Choral Activities) and David Jenkins (Liturgical Director)———-
    I’ve sung so many new songs I can’t name them all; now you try–
    Alyce

    Summer in the City-Steak with Mushroom Green Beans

    / More Time at the Table / 5 Comments

    (Summer nights in Colorado……….)

    We spent the last week at home (see end), away from our pied a terre St. Paul. So, above pic is certainly our night deck in Colorado Springs. Still! We cooked a birthday meal worthy of the rented apartment kitchen and just perfect for a summer celebration, so thought we’d share it with you and continue the Summer in the City theme—it’s just summer in Colorado Springs this time.
    Somehow, summer birthdays sometimes seem to suffer. It just doesn’t seem like a big celebration when it’s too hot to cook or bake indoors…… Think Fourth of July menus–cook-outs all. The rest of summer is picnic or beach fare, nothing fancy. So whattodo when your loved one has chosen a hot July for his birthday? For all the years of our marriage, I’ve baked David’s favorite Pagliacci’s Cheesecake (from the lovely Canadian restaurant of the same name) in the wee small hours of the morning, as Sinatra would say. Escaped the heat and made the man happy. No time for all that this year; I had left the cheesecake ingredients in the apartment in St. Paul. What to do?

    (Cherries almost ready while home;
    Tony picked them for us…..
    We’ll have them Thanksiving)

    In the Springs, God is undeniably closer because he set Marigold’s Cafe and Bakery right over on the west side on Centennial, not too far down the road from my house. We hopped on over and let Dave take his pick out of the bakery case. He chose key-lime tart topped with meringue and what a light, airy, not too sweet little ditty it was for the warm night coming up. I had to really suck in my pride that day; I love to see Dave tuck into that cheesecake and watch his face after the first bite. (Another day………) While at the bakery, we grabbed a couple of baby whole-wheat baguettes, a miracle of baking Marigold’s accomplishes daily or more.

    As we had not planned our trip home, we had little in the frig and did not want to stock it fully, so planned an easily shopped for and cooked 60’s birthday meal as follows (Serves 2)………………….


    Fat Asparagus with Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce
    Chalone Chardonnay
    Ranch Foods Direct Filets
    Baked Potatoes with Butter and Sour Cream
    Fresh Green Beans with Garlic Mushrooms
    Whole Wheat Baguette (bought)
    Key Lime Meringue Tart (bought)
    Best Cab in your cellar *(Happy Birthday)

    *(Cabernet Sauvignon from CA or
    Bordeaux from France)

    ————————Meal Plan————–
    Ok, clear counters, do a few dishes and unload dishwasher before you start if you have to. (In heaven, this won’t happen; all kitchens will be ready to cook in whenever anyone enters them.)

    Head for the stereo and put on the birthday person’s favorite music….
    Keep it coming.

    Preheat oven to 400 and place washed (Idaho) potatoes (poke 3-4 holes in them first) in the oven.
    Note: You could choose sweet potatoes. Same drill. Skip butter and sour cream. I like them plain with a whisper of salt and pepper or ground cayenne and cinnamon.

    If the weather is too hot, do them in the microwave while you grill the steaks. Take steaks out of frig and let them come to room temperature. Wash and trim green beans and asparagus.

    Quick like a bunny: rinse mushrooms, trim and slice. Uncork wine to let it air (taste………..) and set table so that someone WANTS to sit at it. (All this. Just for me??) Set up coffee pot and put some pretty cups and dessert serving plates nearby. Slice bread and (because you’re at altitude!) cover; set on table with butter. Place a small bowl of sour cream, butter and salt and pepper on table. Ok, now you’re ready to cook.

    ——————————————————- STARTER———–

    Fat Asparagus with Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce
    (file under: WHAT TO DO WITH FAT ASPARAGUS BESIDES SOUP!)

    1 # fat asparagus
    1/2 c crumbled gorgonzola (or any blue cheese)
    3-5 T milk
    freshly ground pepper

    In a small, heavy-duty saucepan, mix milk and blue cheese. Set heat to medium-low. Meantime, place fat asparagus on a big dinner plate with a couple of tablespoons of water. Cover with another dinner plate (or plastic wrap if you are brave). Cook on high in the microwave 2-3 minutes until al dente. Remove from microwave and drain; place on small plate. Shower with a strong dose of freshly-ground black pepper. Stir sauce well and put a dallop (a cross between a dab and a dollop) on each plate. Dig in. Good hot or cold. Could be made ahead. (Eat while cooking steak.)


    ——– MAIN COURSE COMPONENTS————————————

    Table is set; wine is airing; starter is on table. Potatoes have been baking half an hour or so………Begin with the beans… Here goes——————–


    MUSHROOM GREEN BEANS
    (not your mother’s green beans)

    1# green beans, cleaned, trimmed and cut as desired
    1 large onion, peeled and sliced
    1-2 T butter
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    8 oz button mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced
    Salt and pepper

    Bring about 2 qts of salted and well-peppered water to boil in a 3 or 4 qt. saucepan. Place beans and sliced onions in pan and lower temperature to medium. Let cook until as done as you like. I like them fairly well-done, which might take 20 minutes. Si place (do as you please in Italian.) Meantime, melt butter in a large skillet and add mushrooms. Cook until about half-way done and add garlic. Continue cooking until mushrooms are tender and smelling heavenly in your house. Drain beans well and add to mushrooms, stirring gently. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat. (Return to heat and warm when steaks are almost done) Set aside while steaks cook.

    ——— RANCH FOODS DIRECT FILETS ———-
    Meat market off Fillmore in Co Spgs

    Preheat indoor or outdoor grill to medium high.Take filets and coat with canola oil on all sides. Salt and pepper them well. Sear them on both sides and outer edges. Lower heat and place in 350 oven if cooking indoors, or, close cover of gas grill and cook for around 5 -10 minutes, watching closely until 120 degrees for rare, 125 for medium rare, 130 degrees for well-done. Remove to serving plate and cover for 5 minutes. You will have steak beautifully cooked in a very even way. Goal: as little gray as possible on the meat.

    Enjoy starter and Chardonnay while steak cooks………

    almost a surreal steak……….

    ————- Meal plan continued—————————–

    Re- warm beans in skillet as steak cooks. Remove potatoes from oven and check for doneness by inserting sharp knife into middle. If it goes in and out easily (and the potato “gives” when squeezed lovingly), it’s done.

    Start the coffee.
    Plate the meal and head to the table.

    Give thanks to God for the blessings of your life, the birth of your loved one and toast the birthday person. Enjoy the meal slowly and be proud of yourself. You didn’t have to go to a steakhouse for a birthday meal, did you?


    Here’s how it looked on our table… It ate just as well…..

    Notice how some of the blue cheese sauce ended up on the steak——-yes!

    After the meal, love that bakery dessert together………
    No one cares if you didn’t make it. (except you!)

    Sing a new song,
    Alyce

    ——————————————————————————————

    Lovingly written………in memoriam

    Noah Robert Wilkerson

    on earth: June 26-June 30, 2009
    in our hearts: Forever