Sticky Business

I had always wanted to try making marshmallows, but never had the guts.   Then, my friend Jill told me a story about how she and a friend used to make them every year, but stopped doing it, and how she wanted to make some again,  but didn't want to do it by herself because it's kind of a big production.

A new tradition was born. 

Voila!  Marshmallows 2012!

She was right.  It IS a big production.  We were swirling around that kitchen like crazy people.  But it was really fun, and the marshmallows are pretty amazing.  So much better than the ones in the grocery store.  We made peppermint ones.  I have tons of them still, in the freezer, ready to pop into hot chocolate any time I want.

I roasted one over the flame on my stove the other day.  It was awesome.  There will be a mint chocolate s'more in my future.

So, thanks to Martha Stewart for this recipe, and thanks to my friend Jill for letting me come over for a day of marshmallow-making fun.  I think we should do another batch in the spring before we take the Daisies camping. All the other troops will be jealous.  Maybe we can even make homemade graham crackers too.  Because we are THAT mom. 

Martha Stewart Candy Cane Marshmallows

Ingredients

• Vegetable-oil cooking spray
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 4 packages (1/4 ounce each) unflavored gelatin
• 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 teaspoons red food coloring

Directions

1. Coat an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray; line bottom with parchment paper. Coat the parchment with cooking spray, and set pan aside. Put sugar, corn syrup, and 3/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring; let mixture come to a boil. Raise heat to medium-high; cook until mixture registers 260 degrees on a candy thermometer.
   
2. Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over 3/4 cup water in a heatproof bowl; let stand 5 minutes to soften. Set the bowl with the gelatin mixture over a pan of simmering water; whisk constantly until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat, and stir in extract; set aside.
   
3. Beat egg whites in the bowl of an electric
   mixer fitted with the whisk attachment
   until stiff (but not dry) peaks form.
   Whisk gelatin mixture into sugar mixture;
   with mixer running, gradually add
   to egg whites. Mix on high speed until
   very thick, 12 to 15 minutes.
   
4. Pour mixture into lined pan. Working quickly, drop dots of red food coloring across surface of marshmallow. Using a toothpick, swirl food coloring into marshmallow to create a marbleized effect. Let marshmallow stand, uncovered, at room temperature until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight. Cut into squares.
   

God Bless You, Tyler Florence

Sometimes - not often, but sometimes - I will cook something, and when I take a bite of it, it's like Holy Crap!  I can't believe I made something that is THIS awesome!  Sorry for saying "crap."  I know this is a Family Blog.  But last night when I put a bite of Lemon Ricotta Pancake in my mouth, it was truly a Holy Crap moment.

I had just enough leftover DIY ricotta to make these Tyler Florence ricotta pancakes.  I didn't make the apple topping.  Instead, I used some blueberry syrup from a local farm that one of my neighbors recently gave me. It was a perfect combination.

There are several steps to making these pancakes, but it isn't hard at all so don't be tempted to skip any of them.  Don't be shy with the lemon zest. And use a good creamy ricotta like Bel Gioioso.  Or, make your own!

These will make your family happy.  They might even love you more.  Unless your family has a kid who refuses to eat cheese, or anything made with cheese even if you can't even notice that there is cheese in there at ALL.  (That kid got quickie Bisquick pancakes.  More ricotta ones for me and Kev!  Heck yeah!)

Here is the recipe.  Make them.  I'm not kidding.

Tyler Florence's Amazing Ricotta Pancakes:

• 2 cups ricotta
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch salt
• Butter, for cooking
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting, optional

Combine the ricotta, egg yolks, buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. Sift the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together into the ricotta mixture and stir until fully combined. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form and then gently fold into the batter.
Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat and add a little butter. Cook 2 to 3 pancakes at a time using a 6-ounce ladle or measuring cup to pour the batter into the pan. The trick to perfect round pancakes to carefully pour all the batter in the same spot and let it roll out to a complete circle. Cook the pancakes on 1 side until they set. When small bubbles appear on the uncooked surface, flip the pancakes and cook until golden on both sides, about 6 minutes. Keep the pancakes on a plate set at the back of the stove under a dry towel to keep warm while you make the rest.

Eating our Curds and Whey

One way to slow things down, if that is what you're trying to do, is to make your own cheese. I got this kit from Kev for Christmas, and couldn't wait to try it, so on Friday, I went to the health food store and got some organic pasteurized (but not ULTRA-pasteurized) milk, and on Saturday, we made homemade ricotta.

The process was simple.  You just add a little water and citric acid to the milk, add some cheese salt (note to self - find out how (if) cheese salt is different than regular salt), and heat up the milk slowly until the curds separate from the whey. (There are tons of recipes on line if you don't have a kit).

Curds and Whey

Then, you pour it in a cheese cloth to drain out the whey, and you are left with a beautiful, delicious ball of ricotta cheese.

Which can then be made into a beautiful and delicious lasagna:

Heck yeah.

We had the lasagna last night for Sunday Dinner.  One of the few "jobs" that Daphne doesn't complain about is setting the table.  She really loves doing it.  So, last night, I asked her if she could get the table ready by passing out napkins and forks (she was extra happy to do this because she got me some pretty napkin rings for Christmas).  Kev had to go in to work for a little while yesterday, and had just gotten home and gone upstairs to shower while we got dinner on the table.  Suddenly,  Daphne dashed into the kitchen and asked if she could be the waitress.  "Um...OK,"  I said.  She switched into high gear.

"Mom!  Can you make me a menu?!  Mom!  Do we have any vases?!"

She put on an apron and got down to business.  I helped her make a menu (Daphne won't eat cheese, so I made her a separate little dish without it):

I helped her make a fancy centerpiece.  She remembered that she had a small jar of roses from a recent birthday tea party she attended, and we put to use my crafty bottle candle holders.  She put the seashell on because she said, "It will make me feel calm if I get nervous."

When Kevin came downstairs, to his surprise she welcomed him to the "restaurant," and led him to the table to look over the menu.  I sat down, and she asked us if we'd like to start with something to drink.  She was so professional!

Then she took our orders.  Kev was "Coustamar 1."  She even used short-hand...see the little arrows?  That was to show that we were splitting the Side of Grapes.  It was so dang cute and funny.  She would hurry into the kitchen, bring our food and drinks, then go back to the kitchen, take off the apron, and re-appear as Daphne.  When we needed the waitress, she would excuse herself to go to the restroom, go back into the kitchen, and put on the apron again.  It was like eating dinner with Clark Kent.  At the end of the meal, she disappeared into the kitchen again.  We heard scribbling, and she returned with the check (25 $)!  Kev handed over his credit card and gave her a $1.00 tip.  Best meal we've had in a LONG time.

The cheese we made was honestly really really delicious.  So fresh.  We had some on a cracker with a little bit of raspberry jam just to try it out and MAN it was good.  We have quite a bit left, so tonight for dinner we're having lemon ricotta pancakes. I'll let you know how they turn out.  Tomorrow, we're going back to that restaurant for some left-over lasagna.  Can't wait for that. 

Sometimes, Dinner Can Just be Cheese

Happy New Year!  I have resolved to get back to writing in this blog more regularly because I like it and I miss it.  Plus, I got two new cook books and an immersion blender and some DIY cheese for Christmas, so there you go.  Blog fodder.  But first, I wanted to show you the pretty new wooden board that Kev got me for Christmas, which I used last night for the first time.  We had cheese for dinner.  Cheese is a great dinner.  And it's easy and versatile.  I usually choose three types of cheese, and supplement the meal with a fruit (grapes, apple slices), a dip or spread (hummus, quince paste), a meat (last night we had some Wegmans chicken strips, sometimes, I just have ham or salami slices), and some bread and/or crackers.  Pretty and easy and delicious.  (By the way, brie + quince paste is awesome on a cracker or slice of bread.  Brie is also great with raspberry jam or honey.)  Dinner doesn't have to always be a big giant meal that takes all day to cook. Sometimes, it can just be cheese. 

PS.  Daphne said, "Dad! Go look at the board in the dining room!  It looks just like restaurant food!"

Whatever Floats Your Boat

Here's a trick.  If you are making baked potatoes, and you think your kid will probably say things like "yuck" and "I don't like baked potatoes," then tell them you are very excited because it is Potato Boat Night.  And tell them they can put whatever they want in their potato boat, like salt, peas (?), and leftover pork ragu, and that melty cheese is completely optional.  They might just get all excited and, in the spirit of Potato Boat Night, make toothpick sails for the potato boats, and then eat the whole thing with no complaining. 

I know I promised a chicken trifecta.  I will get to it soon.

PIE!

My friend Emily has a good job with a lot of perks, but unfortunately, it isn't really doing a lot for her soul.  Let's face it.  Not many of us have jobs that do anything for our souls.  Those jobs are hard to find.  Emily does have some hobbies, however, that are GREAT for her soul.  Running, knitting, reading, and making pie.  She is especially good at making pie.  Like State Fair of Texas Blue Ribbon Winning good.  Winning a blue ribbon at the State Fair of Texas is HUGE.  Those Texas ladies are serious about their pie, and she showed them how it's done.

Emily has decided to write a pie book.  For her soul.  I am 100% in favor of this.  And because I am her friend, I have already read the first couple of chapters (which are great) PLUS I got to be a recipe tester for this Nutella Buttermilk Pie.  Yesterday, I cleaned the glass on my oven door.  Since you could actually see through it for the first time in four years, I thought there needed to be something in there worth looking at.  So, it was the perfect day for pie recipe testing.

After I put the pie in the oven, I saw this guy on my kitchen floor.  Apparently, he heard there was going to be pie.  With Nutella.  Who can resist that?  You can't tell, but he is HUGE and scary.  I covered him with a tupperware container and tried to ignore him.  Ugh. Let's get back to the pie.

TA-DA!

Isn't it pretty?  And it tastes really good, too.  Daphne was running around the house singing, "Awesome, awesome...awesome, awesome...awesome, awesome... "

I'm sorry to say I can't post the recipe.  You will just have to wait and buy the book.  But, you will totally be glad you did.  I'll let you know when it's at an Amazon near you.

I'd Like to Propose Some Toast

Well, hello there, food blog!  It's been a long time!  Let's just say, summer didn't inspire a whole lotta cooking.  We were hot and busy and out of town a lot, so it just didn't happen.  But now, fall has arrived.  My favorite season.  It's time to start thinking about soup and stew and pumpkin bread and pie.  Oh, yeah.

I do have a few things to post from the last couple of weeks, and I thought I'd start with some toast.  I love toast.  And recently, I've been making it by grilling bread on my grill pan.  I just brush some good French or Italian bread with some olive oil and grill away.

Making a frequent appearance on my grilled toast is my new friend, avocado:

I thought I didn't like avocado.  I hate guacamole, so how could I possibly like avocado?  But I recently tried it in it's non-guacamole form and loved it!  I had it at a party, wrapped in prosciutto with a little melon.  Delicious.  Then, I saw it on some toast in a copy of Bon Appetit, so I decided to make my own.  All I did was grill the bread with olive oil, rub a little garlic clove on the hot bread just off the grill, spread on some avocado, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle on a little more olive oil.  So good.  And healthy!  Bonus!

Last week, we had pasta, so I decided to make more toast.  This time, I added pesto and parmesan cheese to the grilled bread and warmed it in the oven to melt the cheese a little.  Yum. 

I like all this toast.  I'm sure there are a million possibilities.  I like that, too.  Possibilities are good.  And toast is easy.

Coming soon, chicken marsala, chicken apple curry, and white bean chicken chili.  A CHICKEN TRIFECTA, if you will!  And stay tuned also for my attempt at being a recipe tester for my friend Emily, who is writing a book about one of my very most favorite things ever: PIE. 

It's good to be back, food blog.  It's good to be back.

Question of the day:  What is your favorite thing to put on toast?