Category Archives: Recipe Ideas

These are ideas that can let your personality shine

Childhood

Posted on March 25, 2010 | Leave a comment

At age eight we moved to a large home on a mountain overlooking a lake. You should have seen me lugging rocks to build a retaining wall, using a miter to cut window moldings, or grabbing the automatic stapler with both hands to put up ceiling tiles in the basement.

When I talk about the Job Jar now it’s a good thing! Whether it was folding diapers, dusting, vacuuming or weeding we each had our things to do. The only thing is that it was never passed down to the younger ones, who got away with anything. But I digress.

Childhood is different these days. When a toddler waves at me from a supermarket cart I can’t say hello. Two tween girls wanted to come over here to play my keyboard last year, with an OK from Mom but Dad would get home from work and retrieve them post haste.

We didn’t have to lock our front door or our car. Yes, in high school several people I knew took drugs but I didn’t. I can’t imagine life as a twelve-year old girl today with Internet access and so many dangers. I wonder if parents are being too protective and creating monsters of their children who crave independence or will remain dependent forever.

Wouldn’t it be nice to go back to the time where we built sand structures or snow forts or sledded down the hill? While I’m past my child-bearing years my husband and I love children, especially our young relatives on which we dote. Some have the luxury of living a country existence and some don’t have that pleasure except on vacation.

We missed Thanksgiving at Nanny’s last year, first time in eight years. I missed the after-supper activities: pushing the little ones on the swings and looking at the horses. It’s a different world out there now, and parents should be extra-vigilant about their child’s safety but also let them learn and grow.

Yeah, I check all the locks every night. It was creepy when our garage door kept opening on its’ own, over the holidays. Husband Jim had to change the frequency to stop other garage door openers from opening ours and having full use of our home! Stay safe, Dee

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Posted in Editorial, Education, Pet, Recipe Ideas

Hoarding Mincemeat

Posted on March 25, 2010 | Leave a comment

It was in one store but was sold out way before Thanksgiving last year! I found a jar a few weeks ago and should go back and get more.

Before you say “ick” and “gross” know that most of the jarred mincemeat these days does not include meat and now they even give you the choice of brandy or no brandy. I say brandy, which infuses and sets the dried fruits and raisins that make this particularly British dessert.

Mom had two glasses to cut her pastry (I’ve given you the pastry recipe, for certain) and placed the bottom layer of pastry in a regularly sized muffin pan, filled it with her precise amount of mincemeat filling and added the top, or “hat,” according to my Aunt.

You’ll see my mincemeat woes as I now decorate my family’s pantries with jars of it, hopefully in the off-season so we’re ready to go over the holidays. Yes, I spent 2X the amount to FexEx it halfway across the country only to find out they had it already.

If you ask my husband’s family, it is an acquired taste, along with lebkuchen, that they have not yet acquired. Husband Jim can take more cayenne than I, yet I can take more nutmeg and cloves. I think that’s partly a Southern thing.

In the meantime, I’ll see if I can find some more mincemeat now so I don’t have to go crazy looking for it in November. I was just thinking of a trifle with mincemeat, applesauce, and nutmeg-spiced whipped cream. It sounds holiday-ish to me. Cheers! Dee

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Pancakes

Posted on March 7, 2010 | Leave a comment

Jim asked for a different breakfast today, something I’ve only tried a couple of times in my life and have not been successful at execution.

He wanted pancakes. That’s fine. We need to use up the last of our Grade A dark amber maple syrup we picked up in VT and transported to TX then here. I put my game face on and made the most of it, but used a mix.

In the past, when I was a kid my dad would make us pancakes for Sunday breakfast. I didn’t know if I didn’t like them for their sweetness (give me a savory frittata or omelet any day) or now I figure that it’s because I didn’t like the two strips of bacon or sausages to get syrup on them. Also, we weren’t using pure maple syrup.

So, dad started making me one “crepe” but he didn’t thin the batter. He just took one big pancake, spread strawberry jam on it, rolled it up and put a bit of powdered sugar on top and I was brought back to the Adirondacks and the German musicians in the hills and my first real crepe.

To the present, on Friday I received my weekly order from a local organic producer who brings milk (in glass bottles), juices, breads, applewood smoked bacon and maple sausage. I usually cook up the pound of maple sausage one day then refrigerate the rest to quickly microwave for a couple of days. I cooked it up this morning.

Then I used some of the fat from the maple sausage to make pancakes. I waited until the bubbles burst to flip them and they were gorgeous, tasty thick cakes only made better by the sausages and pure Vermont maple syrup. I intend to change up breakfast a bit, keep things fresh. Thanks, Dad. Cheers! Dee

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Posted in Editorial, Recipe Ideas

Tortilla Experiment

Posted on February 25, 2010 | 3 comments

I wanted to experiment with flavors from a recipe I tried once, perhaps 15 years ago, and the quesadilla memories I have from a Texas restaurant from the past few years.

It was not a resounding success. It tasted good but presentation must be modified. The flavor profile is roasted chicken, shredded with caramelized red onions (our house smelled of onion for two days), refried beans and goat cheese.

The problems include that I softened flour tortillas in a dry skillet, making them soft, not crisp, and that I layered them too high so it made an unwieldy tortilla. I’ll try again and give you more specific information on tortillas/amounts.

We need smaller “cakes,” and crispier tortillas. Update forthcoming. Cheers, Dee

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A Worthy Effort

Posted on February 21, 2010 | Leave a comment

About 15 years ago I tried to create a play on a Mexican Torta. Please don’t tell Rick Bayless about this. He’s my inspiration on many things Mexican. This is in no way traditional Mexican fare, and was a failure of presentation but a good way to go on taste.

Today we were taking a vacation from our vacation so I got up and took the dog out at seven and Jim slept until nearly noon. He needed it, as we really pushed this week. I decided to make something simple, easy.

I bought flour tortillas (hey, we’re in a corporate place, do you expect me to get a tortilla press)? I even got salsa. I put two chicken breasts in the oven but only shredded one. Caramelized two large red onions, thinly sliced, and grilled six tortillas. I placed a layer of vegetarian refried beans on five layers, then onions, shredded chicken, crumbled goat cheese and a bit of salsa and built the “cake.”

There’s a reason wedding cakes have tiers. It’s so one layer doesn’t fall on another. It would’ve been better if they had warmed more thoroughly, also if I made two tortas, each with three tortillas, the top one brushed with butter or oil to crisp and make for a nice presentation.

I also had avocados on hand but didn’t use them. Instead I served a slice with lime wedges and a bit of sour cream. When I get it right I’ll hand off the recipe to you. I needed more melting cheese in it, it’s a project now.

Hope you’re having a good weekend. We like being home again but sitting in the shade by the pool in 75 degree weather has its benefits. Plus my hair and skin benefited from being in higher humidity and at 138 feet above sea level we had good air as well.

Congratulations to our Olympic athletes, it’s a joy to watch them compete. Cheers! Dee

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Getting By

Posted on January 21, 2010 | Leave a comment

Jim’s off to his monthly software afficionado meeting and I don’t expect him back ’til late tonight. I got sushi-to-go for lunch and will make dinner here soon. It’s one of my favorite casual meals made by my mother many years ago. For each person I take a large pita, cut it in half and separate the inside without breaking the exterior. Freshness is the key to be able to separate the inside to fill it. If you have smaller pitas make two per person.

Cook 1-2 slices of bacon per half, grate cheese of choice, add cooked bacon and cheese to pita and place in oven on sheet pan until cheese is melted and pita is crusty. Enjoy!

Yes, I miss Jim and really should have gotten fish tonight because he’s allergic to it and I love it. But we’re getting by, as all I had to get today was pita and my lunch. Cheers! Dee

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Posted in Editorial, Recipe Ideas

Sundance

Posted on January 15, 2010 | 1 comment

The PIB’s are back. This is our first year living up here on the mountain during Sundance. PIB, in localese, means Person In Black. We couldn’t find a parking space downtown Park City and the festival hasn’t even started yet, so ended up coming home to a local fish restaurant with a neighbor who flew in to get ready for Sundance people to come in. As I believe I’ve mentioned, the window for “locals” to get tix was first week of November. Who knew?

Apparently roads and restaurants will be packed until end of the month and the only way to see a film is to camp out in the cold and hope that someone sells you a ticket on the street before the film begins. Not for me. I’d rather be invited.

Our neighbor is a musician and documentary film maker. Very interesting folks we meet up here. Sometimes because we have dogs, sometimes a burst pipe. Anyway, he took me to see another property and while it doesn’t work for us (doesn’t give me an office or the ability to get our “stuff” out of storage) it’s fascinating to see other neighborhoods and homes as we may have to look sooner rather than later. We love this place and it’s ideal except we need a two-car garage and more storage space. And our stuff!

I have to have a working kitchen, whenever we’re anywhere longer than a week. At my age the nomadic lifestyle should be packed in a bag in the attic, but instead we have high ceilings! I don’t mind it usually, but for five years we’ve had a dog, so it’s going to be more difficult as time goes on. Going out to eat 3X per day is more than I can take. If my father complained about our talking about food at family gatherings, having to get everyone together and go to a restaurant B, L, and D is insurmountable. Give me a flat where I can make eggs or a bowl of cereal with fruit and a glass of juice. Let my husband go to lunch with the guys from work while I have a grilled cheese sandwich I made at home. And in Scotland I’ll make my own burgers, not the hockey pucks they serve in restaurants, but I will go out for mussels and fresh salmon!

We are very lucky to have our place overlooking the nature preserve as we’ve seen elk and coyotes and watched the Greater Sandhill cranes rear a young colt. They’ll be back in March and it would be a joy to see them again. No, I don’t have a high-tech camera with huge telephoto lens but I’ll try my best to get you some wildlife shots this year.

It’s time for pot roast and stew. I’m going to make chicken fajitas tonight (was last night until we neighbors decided to go out) then Mom’s simple pot roast if I can find the right meat. It’s also a good time for my Beef Carbonnade, with beef, onions, bacon and beer. Can I find egg noodles up here? Nothing says warmth and coziness than hot beef stew in front of a fireplace. Cheers! Dee

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Posted in Editorial, Recipe Ideas, Utah

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Ideas

Posted on January 12, 2010 | 3 comments

I picked up a couple of recipes from one of my butchers yesterday. I’ll try them and pass them on (with his permission) if they work for me. I always love a great stew recipe and haven’t anything but a basic rub recipe that’s in my brain. I can’t even find the smoked paprika recipe I made six months ago and have been using all this time!

No cookbooks. I’m starting to buy a couple of magazines from local newsstands but I’ve also bought Eric Ripert’s “On The Line” which has very small print. I’m 2/3 of the way through “Save the Deli” by David Sax. I enjoy the way he writes but end up craving a hot pastrami sandwich on rye with brown spicy mustard, a latke, and a bowl of matzo ball soup, and I can’t get them. And the only place he lists out here in this, can I say godforsaken, place is glatt kosher in someone’s living room. We’re in serious Mormon territory, but not so serious up here on the mountain. This may involve a visit to the gorgeous new Temple. Architecture, pastrami, get my drift. Hey, we need a serious deli up here!!!

Last night I made great burgers with 85/15 grass fed beef, melted Vermont sharp cheddar and arugula. Plus quartered cluster tomatoes and a few organic fries. This morning I smell onion in the frig. It’s sitting next to a red pepper that doesn’t have much more life in it. Plus grated cheese from last night. I’m thinking Dee’s version of a Denver Omelet/Frittata this morning before tackling the DMV and bathroom cleaning! You have a great day! Cheers, Dee

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Posted in Editorial, Recipe Ideas, Utah

Hot Pants

Posted on January 9, 2010 | Leave a comment

We thought we had everything in our winter arsenal but were missing one thing. Ski pants. I can don a pair quickly in the morning to take Zoe out instead of long johns and jeans, and Jim can take her out on a snowy weekend afternoon or evening. Now all he needs are good ankle-high boots and gaiters for deep snow. So the ski pants will go on easily because right now my head, hands, feet and core are warm but my legs freeze in low temperatures. These should help.

Tonight was sauteed boneless pork loin with roasted carrots and mashed potatoes with garlic. The carrots suffered a bit from being in the oven too long because Jim didn’t come back with the dog in a timely manner. The pork was ever so slightly undercooked. I cooked Jim’s more so it was better but I only took a bite and put mine in the frig for further cooking. Timing is everything.

We haven’t had the worst of it yet. We’ve had barely anything and are gearing up for blizzards with high winds and snow. What do we do when the power goes out overnight and we have no heat and the pipes may burst? We spent a couple of years getting together the perfect hurricane kit. Now that’s in storage half a country away and it looks as if we’ll have to start again. We’re now members of REI so will get a discount on camp meals. We do have a gas grill outdoors for food and a gas fireplace and stove. We’ve seen our next door neighbor’s place flood itself and the neighbor on the other side so know what burst pipes can do, like split a commode in half.

This is new plowed/groomed territory for both of us but I intend to keep on cooking, and hope you will as well. Cheers! Dee

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Posted in Editorial, Recipe Ideas, Utah

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Cheating

Posted on January 8, 2010 | 2 comments

Last night my love arrived home bearing two TX license plates, sans Texas star, but they do say The Lone Star State. We sold the car in another state so TX advises us to keep the plates. I’ve never been one for posting license plates on our living room walls, or five-pointed stars to remind one that one grew up in or lived in TX for a time.

So, the plates mean that the Honda has gone to a good home and that we’re settling in to a cold weather existence with two AWD vehicles equipped with the best snow tires available. Jim got his rubber floor mats for the Volvo today and ordered me some because he didn’t have mats on the car he got two weeks ago. I have the expensive carpet mats and the driver’s side is filthy from mud and guck.

That’s where the cheating comes in. I’ve two pair of boots now, that I hate to wear except to walk the dog. But on a nice, sunny day when everything is melting I wear open clogs and end up in an icy, mushy parking lot that was not cleared out overnight. I end up with wet feet and a wet, dirty car. We’ll take care of the car next week when the mats are shampooed and real, sturdy rubber mats are installed throughout. It’s the translation to another climate and world that is a bit unsettling.

I grew up in cold weather and snow, and Jim promised I’d never have to shovel snow again. Well, here we are and maintaining the decks is no problem for me. Just a few shovels full. The rest is taken care of by the HOA. It’s drying shoes and boots and the dog and mud and salt. We were told a mud room was a must out here, they were right.

The cold weather begs other issues and aside from roasting (I’ve a decent roasting pan here and an excellent one in storage) I’m looking to find out about dutch ovens, particularly Le Creuset and what sizes I’d need for the two of us and for entertaining. I’m thinking perhaps a 2 qt for risotto or side dishes or mac and cheese just for us. Perhaps 4.5 qt for guests? I have to go look at them. I’d like to be able to roast a fillet or whole bird in the larger one or make a nice stew. I do not want oval because my burners are round and unless it’s big enough (too big for us) to go on two burners, it’s an affectation.

Warm food for cold climates. With the cars, boots, dutch ovens and altitude, this year has truly brought us to a new place. I’d say about now that we’re surviving the change, not yet thriving. But we’re living in someone else’s home with all their things so only Jim and I and the dog are familiar. Jim even has all new non-banker clothing so sometimes I don’t recognize him! Funny that the safe car he bought looks like it belongs to a banker! For all of you living in cold weather and warm, cheers! Dee

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Posted in Editorial, Recipe Ideas, Utah

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