September 9, 2009

The New Basics Cookbook has been on my shelf for a long time, but I don’t think I’ve ever made anything from it, until I heard last week that one of its’ authors, Sheila Lukins, had passed away after battling cancer for only 3 months.  I decided it was time to put the cookbook into use by baking something from it in Sheila’s memory.

I’ve been on a lemon blueberry kick lately, hence the two batches of Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars, so I gravitated toward Sheila’s Lemon Blueberry Bread.  It’s described as a classic tea bread, but I would describe it as more of a cake or coffeecake.  I would also say that it’s delicious!  It’s so good that after I ate two slices, it became clear to me that it had to go in the freezer if I didn’t want the whole thing to end up in my mouth and then on my butt.

This bread is chock-full of blueberries and has a nice subtle lemon flavor in the background.  The topping tastes like cinnamon toast to me; don’t leave it off!  It makes the bread really special, I think.  I only made once change, since I don’t buy milk and didn’t have any almond milk in the house.  Instead of 1/2 cup milk, I used 1/4 cup orange juice and 1/4 cup water, and it seemed to work fine.

Thanks for the recipes, Sheila.  This one’s for you.

Lemon Blueberry Bread

Lemon Blueberry Bread
(The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins)

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 9×5 loaf pan (I used pan spray with flour included).

Stir topping ingredients together in small bowl until smooth and set aside.

In medium size bowl, combine sugar, milk, butter and egg until smooth.

In another bowl, toss flour with baking powder and salt. Stir this into wet ingredients; then gently fold in blueberries and lemon zest.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with topping. Bake 50 minutes, until topping is deep golden and has formed a thick crust. Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to wire rack for cooling.

Lemon Blueberry Bread

~BigSis

September 7, 2009

Labor Day Fireworks flickr photo by IceNineJon

Happy Labor Day! I suppose summer is officially over now. As a final salute to the season, I have a recipe for you. I haven’t been in the kitchen this weekend, so please forgive me for not including photos!  But trust me, this recipe is family-tested and approved!  And you already know what potato salad looks like anyway, right?

Here’s our world-famous SisFamily Potato Salad recipe, which originally came from SisMama’s dad. Ok, it might not actually be world-famous, but our family loves it! What makes it special? No to celery, green pepper, sweet relish and Miracle Whip! Yes to celery salt, a touch of mustard, boiled eggs and dill pickles. That’s how we roll!

SisFamily Potato Salad

3 to 4 pounds new potatoes, as close to the same size as possible
6 eggs, boiled and chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
4 to 6 dill pickles, finely chopped or use dill relish
2 tablespoons yellow or spicy brown mustard
Good mayonnaise to bind it all together: usually 1 cup or more
Celery salt to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes (unpeeled) until just tender.  Allow to cool just enough to handle and then peel.  They peel easier when they’re still warm.  Cut potatoes into medium-size chunks; not too small.  They break up a bit when mixed, and you don’t want to be left with mashed potato salad.  Salt and pepper the pieces while still warm, since they absorb flavors best while warm.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the egg, onion, and pickles together.  Add the mustard, mayonnaise and a few dash of celery salt.  Mix all together, then add in the potatoes and toss together gently. Taste and adjust for seasonings.  You may need to add more mayonnaise to hold the mixture together.  The potatoes will drink up some of the moisture as they sit for a while, so we usually make the salad pretty juicy to start with.  It’s best to make the salad a day ahead or at least a couple of hours in advance so all of the flavors can blend.

For a lower-fat variation, you could use low-fat mayo, but we aren’t big fans of that product.  And here’s a tip that I learned from a co-worker.  To mellow your chopped raw onions a bit, let them marinate for an hour or so in plain water or in lemon juice, then drain them and pat them dry.  The liquid takes out some of the bitter strong flavor.  It really works!  You could also substitute chopped chives or scallions for a milder flavor.

Potato salad is a main course in my veggie household, but it’s just a side dish in LilSis’ household of carnivorous guys.  Fortunately for them, she has an awesome brisket recipe and she’s going to post it for all of you with similar big appetites in your family.  Take it away, LilSis!

~BigSis

September 5, 2009

I just now thought of this??  Really?  Where have I been?  This is the easiest healthy hummus recipe ever, and dare I say…the most delicious?

As usual I haven’t been to the WallyMart or Tarzhay for groceries, so my pantry is bare except for 2 lonely cans of chickpeas.  I already used 2 other cans this week in a tasty chickpea salad with olive oil, lemon, mustard, lemon pepper and feta.  What else could I do with these 2 cans but make HUMMUS!!  You knew I’d say it, didn’t you?  The Hummus Queen lives!

So here’s my revelation.  Use store-bought pesto in your healthy hummus recipe!  I had a nice bunch of basil that I was going to make pesto from, but someone…

Gaby Baby the Basil Cat Burglar

…discovered it on the counter and has been secretly munching on it as a midnight snack over the last week, so needless to say, the surviving basil leaves were in sorry shape and they had to go to Herb Heaven (aka garbage disposal).

But store-bought pesto carries no shame!  And cheap pesto from Sam’s Club is just fine in this.

I use my basic hummus formula:  2 cans drained rinsed chickpeas + 1/4 cup olive oil + juice of 1 to 2 lemons + 2 tblsp tahini + seasonings.  Usually, I add fresh garlic and maybe chives or whatever herbs I have laying around.  Sun-dried tomatoes are awesome in hummus too, by the way.

But tonight, I skipped peeling and crushing garlic, and just added 3 tablespoons of that Sam’s pesto as an experiment.  And voila!  It’s so ding dang good I can’t stand it!  It has a nice pale green color, and the unmistakable flavor combination of garlic and basil, but it’s slightly subtle and not overpowering.

I’m dying to to replicate the artichoke hummus from Ziziki’s Greek restaurant, but until I do, THIS is my new favorite…Healthy Pesto Hummus!

~BigSis

September 3, 2009

Last Friday was our friend and coworker MoJo JoJo’s last day with us.  She moved back to her hometown to start her official awesome job as a CPA with a Master’s degree.  You rock, MoJo JoJo!  You worked hard for that and you deserve an incredible career!

So, for her last (sad) day with us on the job, I made Tyler Florence’s Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars.  I’ve mentioned before that I need very little excuse to bake…full moon, Tuesday, whatever. When a friend leaves, you can bet I’m going to bake.  I’ve been wanting to try this recipe ever since I saw Tyler make it on his Tyler’s Ultimate show on Food Network a long time ago.  These little dudes looked incredible, and have always stuck in my head.

My expectations were not too high.  These came out fabulous!  I loved them, and they disappeared pretty darn fast from the office.  So fast, in fact, that I didn’t get a chance to photograph them and had to make another batch over the weekend.  Oh, darn!

You can go to the Food Network site for Tyler’s recipe for these scrumptious Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars, but let me give you my notes.  A few people mentioned in the reviews that they thought the lemon flavor was too tart, or their bars didn’t set up well, or that the crust didn’t stay together.  After making these twice, I’ve discovered the solutions to all of these little issues.  These are the changes I recommend:

• The recipe calls for 9 graham crackers.  I used 1-1/2 cups of crumbs and it was perfect.

• Use 1/4 tsp of cinnamon instead of 1/8 tsp in the crust.

• Use an extra 2 Tblsp of butter in the crust (6 Tblsp).

• Use 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice in the filling.  The recipe calls for the juice of 2 lemons, which we know can vary wildly.  The first time I made these, the juice of 2 small lemons yielded 1/4 cup.  That produced the perfect texture in the filling, and the blueberries didn’t bleed into it at all.  The bars also cut beautifully.  The second time, I had medium size lemons so I used the juice of 3 halves, measuring about 1/3 cup.  Although I really liked the bit of extra lemon tang, the bars were a bit less firm, and the berries did bleed into the cheesecake somewhat.  The bars also cut a little less pretty.  All of the photos here are from the second batch, so you can see what I’m talking about.  So, 1/4 cup juice is the key!  And do use fresh juice for these!

• Even if you use less juice, still use the zest of 2 lemons.  It’s a real flavor booster and complements the blueberries beautifully.

• Make sure your berries are completely dry after washing them.

• I had a hard time telling when the bars were done, so I just stuck to the 35 minute baking time and they were on the money.

This is a SUPER easy recipe and I just adore it!  It’s going into my permanent file, and I’ll be making it regularly.  It’s creamy and rich and luscious, but also fruity and tangy.  It’s a winner!  I’m entering it into this week’s Tyler Florence Fridays, so check it out.  They post a roundup each Friday of all the Tyler recipes submitted for the week, and one recipe gets to be on Tyler’s blog.  Fun, huh?

Next time, I’m going to sprinkle a few raspberries in with the blueberries.  Try this one!  You’ll lurve it!  (We miss you, MoJo JoJo!)

~BigSis

September 1, 2009

How about a hilarious video for Tuesday?  If your Monday beat the stuffin’ outta you like mine did, you could use a laugh or twelve today!  I like all of the cute kiddo and crazy cat videos, but after a while they all start to look the same.  This video…not the same.  And that’s a good thing!  Trust me; this may be the best video to hit YouTube in years!  It’s certainly the most creative that I’ve seen!  It’s short so give it a watch…I’ll wait…

Did I exaggerate?  If you know of a better video…please send me the link.  Til then, this rules!  I’m watching it again.

~BigSis

August 29, 2009

Photo Credit: dolphin-gallery.blogspot.com

Before I say anything else, can you even imagine in your wildest nightmares that someone could viciously stab these beautiful animals to death?  That they could grab one of these babies and slit its’ throat?  What kind of human being can do that?  What kind of human beings are we if we KNOW that’s happening and we don’t throw the biggest international hissy fit known to man until it freakin stops?

Back on August 14th, I talked at length about the Japanese dolphin slaughter that’s been taking place every year, which was just brought out into the light in “The Cove” documentary.  I’ve been keeping up with the developments since I saw the movie and wanted to give you an update.

• The city of Broome, Australia has had a sister-city relationship with Taiji since 1981.  They just severed all ties with Taiji because of the dolphin slaughter. Bravo, Broome!  We already loved Australia, but now we do even more!

• The dolphin drives usually start on September 1 (this Tuesday), but Rick O’Barry thinks Taiji may delay it a little because of the current publicity.

• The Mayor in Taiji has said that all residents have to be tested for mercury poisoning (from hair samples).  Since dolphins are 5000 times as toxic as Japanese law allows, people are being saved as well as dolphins.

• If you’d like to see more detailed information, there are several videos available of live chats with the Director of “The Cove”, Louie Psihoyos.

For more information and to help end the slaughter of these dolphins, go to any of these links and join the fight:

http://thecovemovie.com/

http://www.takepart.com/thecove/

http://savejapandolphins.com/

The links are also in the right sidebar in the Animals section under BigSis’ Favorite Links.  Let’s keep doing everything we can do…it’s making a difference but there’s a long way to go!

Just think with me for a second.  If Taiji did NOT conduct their annual dolphin slaughter this year – from September to March – 23,000 dolphins would live instead of suffering a horrendous death.  That’s 23,000!  Please help!

~BigSis

August 26, 2009

Being vegetarian, a tomato sandwich in the summertime is one of my staple meals.  Great whole grain bread with mayo, and locally grown tomatoes.  Plus a good dash of salt and Penzeys shallot pepper.  Avocado, pickles and lettuce are optional.  Ah, but there’s another kind of tomato sandwich out there. Let me explain.

Take a nice thick slice of GOOD tomato…do NOT use the crummy pinkish faux tomatoes that the grocery stores try to pass off on us.

Add a thick schmear of goat cheese with a spoonful of pesto mixed in.

Top with another thick slice of tomato.

Roll in seasoned flour, then egg, then panko breadcrumbs and saute til golden brown.

Sprinkle with salt.

Gobble down.

Rinse and repeat.

Are you with me?

I heard about this idea from a tomato recipe contest the Washington Post conducted.  Last year’s winner used this method, but included bacon (I don’t eat Babe), Boursin cheese instead of the goat cheese and pesto, and Italian breadcrumbs instead of the panko.  Besides my pesto version, you could also use a dollop of the Hatch Green Chile and Garlic Goat Cheese that I did a couple of days ago.

Helllooo, my darling Sammie.

Fried Tomato Sandwiches with Pesto and Goat Cheese
(adapted from Mary Joe Sweeney’s winning recipe)

1 large ripe tomato
1 nice thick chunk of goat cheese
1 Tblsp pesto
Flour, well seasoned with salt and pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
Panko breadcrumbs
Olive oil or canola oil for sauteing

Core the tomato and slice it into 4 even slices.  Mix the pesto into the goat cheese.  Add half of it to one slice of tomato, and top with another to make a sandwich.  Repeat with the rest of the goat cheese and the 2 remaining tomato slices.  Dredge in the flour, then the egg, and then the breadcrumbs.  Saute in oil until golden brown, then carefully flip and lightly brown the other side. Remove from heat and immediately salt the sandwiches. Drain briefly on paper towels, and serve hot.  Makes 2 sandwiches.

Like LilSis’ little baby quiches yesterday, this is a recipe that allows you to do whatever you want with it.  Use any soft cheese you like, but remember that if it’s not soft and gooey, it won’t get melty before the tomatoes get yukky.  Add in olives, herbs (chives would be good), garlic, scallions, anything you can think of.  A little shredded parmesan would be good mixed in with the breadcrumbs too.

Fried Tomato Sandwich with Pesto and Goat Cheese

~BigSis

August 24, 2009

The Hatch Green Chile Festival is in full swing! If you haven’t gone “Hatch Crazy” before, now is the time! What’s the big deal about the Hatch Green Chiles? They are green chiles that are only grown in Hatch, New Mexico. They are delicious, and they’re only available for a short time each year. Here in Texas, we’re already hot and spicy so when Hatch time rolls around, we go nuts!

You can do a million things with these flavorful peppers. I wandered through Central Market the other night amidst the Hatch Green Chile frenzy, and they were sampling these things in the store:

• Hatch Green Chile Monterrey Jack Cheese grilled in sourdough bread (unbelievably scrumptious)

• Hatch Green Chile Pesto wrapped up in a tortilla with mild sliced roasted peppers

• Hatch Green Chile Cheese Bread

They also had these items all made with Hatch Green Chiles: tortillas, tortilla chips, sausages, hamburger patties, hamburger and hot dog buns, chili con queso, popcorn, twice-baked potatoes, and meatloaf!  So apparently there isn’t anything that a Hatch Chile can’t do!

I decided to use some of my roasted pepper stash in a goat cheese spread. I’ve been buying a Hatch Green Chile Goat Cheese from a little local goat farm for the last couple of years, but sadly they recently went out of business so I made my own easy version.  I used the mild variety of the peppers, so please check the heat level of your peppers and adjust the quantity you use in this recipe if yours are hot.  Trust me!  The hot ones are hotter than heck, and if you use a whole 1/4 cup of them in this recipe, your hair will absolutely be on fire!  Not to mention other parts of your body!

Hatch Green Chile and Garlic Goat Cheese

Hatch Green Chile and Garlic Goat Cheese

4 garlic cloves, crushed (I used 6 cloves cause that’s how I roll)
1/4 cup roasted and chopped mild Hatch Green Chiles
Olive oil for sauteing
8 ounces goat cheese
Dash of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
Pepper to taste

Saute the crushed garlic in the olive oil over low heat for a minute or two, but do not brown.  Add the chopped chiles and saute for another 30 seconds.  Add to the goat cheese, and mix to blend well.  Add the Frank’s Red Hot and pepper to taste.  Serve with crackers or crudite.

Hatch Green Chile and Garlic Goat Cheese with Tomato Dippers

Whatever your pepper pleasure is, make sure to take advantage of these peppers while they’re in season!

~BigSis

August 22, 2009

Tomato Salad with Feta, Basil and Balsamic Reduction

One of the bummers of summer coming to an end is that excellent tomatoes vanish.  The days of collecting big bags of succulent locally-grown tomatoes from the farmer’s market will be long gone.  Boo.  Before that happens and I go into withdrawal and deep depression, I’m making all of the yummy summer tomato recipes that I can.  Here’s a recipe for a delicious fresh tomato salad that couldn’t be easier.

Don’t let the fancy title fool you.  It’s way simple, and you can use whatever quantities and whatever ingredients you like. You could add roasted red pepper, mint, olives, capers, pine nuts…anything your little heart desires!  As my old boss would say, you’re only limited by your imagination!  He would also say that it’s easier to ask forgiveness rather than permission, but the company folded so I’m thinking that maybe that wasn’t such a good philosophy.  🙂  This salad is good though!

Tomato Salad with Feta, Basil and Balsamic Reduction

1 large tomato
2 small or 1 medium tomato, chopped
2 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Dash of lemon pepper
2 tablespoons or more feta (I like more!)
Lettuce for serving
Balsamic Reduction (cook 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar over low heat until it thickens slightly.  Cool before using.)

First, make the receptacle for the salad.  Turn the large tomato upside down,with the stem side down.  Make 4 cuts, like you’re making an asterisk, but don’t cut all the way through; only a little more than 3/4 of the way down.  You want to be able to spread the “petals” of the tomato to make room for the salad to sit.  Place the tomato on a bed of torn lettuce.

Mix the chopped tomato with the basil, lemon juice, olive oil, lemon pepper and feta. Toss lightly together, and spoon into the center of the prepared tomato.  Drizzle with the reduced balsamic.  Voila!  Vive la Summer!

~BigSis

August 20, 2009

I called this post Dorm Room Organizers, but these ideas could be used in any student’s room or anyone’s office.  I can personally ALWAYS use more organizers.  I’m a little bit of a fanatic about them…ok, a lot fanatic.  One perfect obsessive example is my pantry.

But enough about me.  Back to the organizers.  You say organizer, I say Container Store!  Oh, sweet mystery of life, at last I’ve found you!  I adore Container Store.  And you may know it’s the #1 company to work for, at least in Texas.  Their employees seem so darn happy, don’t they?  I think I would be if I worked in organizer mecca, however, I wouldn’t be happy when payday rolled around because I would owe the company money.

First of all, the Happy Organized Home Sale is running until September 7th.  My favorites:  Those skinny huggable hangers for $6.99 ($3 off) and their slim folding step stool for $19.99 ($10 off).

Back to back-to-school!  You see how easily I’m distracted in this place!  As always, Container Store has some incredibly cool things for your back to school organizing needs.  I love their organizing tips section for back to school.  You can shop by closet, walls & doors, desk, laundry, bath or storage.  Or you can search by your style of dorm: artistic expression, booksmart, a natural fit, high fidelity, big ideas or fashion forward.  Choose natural fit, for example, and you get this:

Container Store Natural Fit

Gorgeous, isn’t it?  Below the photo, you get a list of all the products used, along with their prices.  I’m loving the bamboo clothing rack ($129) and the coordinating magnet bamboo boards ($14.99 each).

Container Store Mini Mantel

Also, in the category of things-you-didn’t-know-you-need-but-now-must-have is this little mini mantel ($14.99) that grips onto your bed post.  This would be perfect if your dorm room didn’t have room for a nightstand.

And before we leave Container Store, don’t forget all of the awesome Elfa carts that make organizing simple.

And, one last thing.  There is a really cool web site that you must check out if you’re an organizing junkie like me.  It’s Jeri’s Decluttering and Organizing News.  She’s done posts recently on cool ideas in cork bulletin boards and on memo boards with pretty fabric coverings. Love these!

That’s it for today, gang!  Now get out there and organize something!

~BigSis