shazam your turkey leftovers

I am a bit embarrassed to post this "recipe" but it is really tasty. I picked up some fresh, whole wheat pasta and a teeny, tiny bottle of white truffle oil from Russo's last week. I needed to shop in the fridge for the rest since we will be out for a few days. I found some string beans with the turkey.

This dish was ready in under 10 minutes and the truffle oil glamed up the pasta and leftovers. It was so easy to make that instead of grating some pecorino I just used the pre-grated cheese. You will only need a itsy bisty drizzle of the white truffle oil. The oil will have to suffice and I will day dream about what it might really feel like to unlock the truffle case at wegman's and touch one of the real life truffles. (you have never seem the locked truffle case at wegman's?)

cookin' for yourself when you're sick

My achy self slept in until about 10 today and whatever it is I have came on fast and strong. It seems every time this year something comes on. Last year I spent Christmas/New Years with my family wrapped in sweaters and scarves... I was crazy sick but not contagious (per my doc) so I still was able to snuggle and hug my nephews. Can never get enough snuggle time with those two cuties!

I am craving my dad's chicken noodle soup and saltines. My mom use to make us something special when my baby brother or I was ill. She would bring us a bowl of grated apple when we were blue. Don't know what it was about that but it is what I miss when I'm under the weather.

I took some of my own mushroom advice and whipped up another quick food fix. I really need some warming, soothing soup and am too beat to invest too much time. This soup took less than 10 minutes to get on the stove and simmering away. This will require you to fish around in the pantry and fridge for ingredients. That being said this is a fly by the seat of your pants recipe, just the bare bones and your own creativity.

I always have a jar of mish mash stuff. I put my rice, noodles, beans and what not in jars and whatever does not fit in the assigned jar I put into one big collective mish mash jar. This soup recipe is also packed with anti-oxidants (mushroom and tomato paste).

Soups on before the tea kettle boils recipe
add all these goodies to the pot and bring to a simmer

• 6 cups broth
• 2 carrots, grated (who wants to chop when you are so sick)
• 1 cup bulking stuff : lentils, orzo, rice, sweet potato, yada yada
• 1 tsp celery salt (too beat up to chop celery)
• 2 T tomato paste
• sqeeze of lemon jucie (secret ingredient)

Between nose blows I can get whiffs of this soup and it smells fab.

mushrooms make cooking easy

and if you can purchase them dried it is fool-proof way to whip up a quick and healthy meal. I recently found an Asian store to pick up gobs of dried shiitakes. Shiitakes are easy to rehydrate and use in tomato sauce, soups, chili, cream based sauce for pasta or a turkey surprise (kinda like a chicken pot pie using whatever is on hand).

I have to admit I had a fungus phobia and never really ate mushrooms until about 6 years ago. Mushrooms are a powerhouse of anti-oxidants and boost your immune system...add some to your chicken noodle soup when you are feeling blue this winter!

Here is what whfoods.com has to say about shiitake mushrooms...

• A symbol of longevity in Asia because of their health-promoting properties, Shiitake mushrooms have been used medicinally by the Chinese for more than 6,000 years. Now that their rich, smoky flavor has endeared them to American taste buds, these exotic hearty mushrooms can be found in supermarket shelves across the U.S.
• Recent studies have traced shiitakes' legendary benefits to an active compound contained in these mushrooms called lentinan. Among lentinan's healing benefits is its ability to power up the immune system, strengthening its ability to fight infection and disease.

Here is what was for dinner last week. I was able to whip this up in 20 minutes and the only thing I had to pick up at the grocers was light cream and fresh cremini (did not need but I wanted a variety in texture and flavor)

• 4 cups cooked whole wheat pasta
• 1 1/2 cups dried shiitake (add to 3 cups water and simmer until tender - 20 min)
• 12 oz cremini mushroom, sliced
• 1/2 cup onion, sliced (optional)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup light cream
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or broth
• 1/4 cup grated parm (optional)
• 1 T flour
• 1 T extra virgin olive oil
• thyme
• salt (optional)
  

Add the olive oil and cremini mushroom (and onion if using) to medium heat sauce pan and simmer for about 6 minutes then add the garlic and re hydrated mushrooms to simmer about 4 minutes longer. When all cooked down and combined add the flour and blend well cooking for another minute. Add the wine and stir followed by the cream, thyme and grated parm.

If you find it is not thick enough cook a bit longer or add a dab of flour. If you find it is too thick use the mushroom water (from re hydration).

Toss in the pasta and enjoy!!! I enjoyed mine with a bottle of Viognier. I have been experimenting with whites and this one hit the mark and complimented this creamy dish.

beautiful, buxom bulbs . . .

of garlic! I was a little behind the game this year and missed the Thanksgiving garlic planting. Earlier this week I replanted some of my bulbs from last season and added some new varietals from D. Landreth Seed.

http://www.landrethseeds.com/

Here is what D. Landreth says about the bulbs I added to my collection...

The Asiatic Garlic

The Asiatic, a hardneck sub variety of the Artichoke Garlics, are not well known in the US. The plants are vigorous. The bulbs are smaller than other artichokes, but the flavor is intense. The bulbs are streaked and tend to mature very rapidly. They should be harvested as soon as their leaves turn brown.

The type of Asiatic Garlic that I picked up is the Asian Tempest. Sounds so exotic, ey?!

Asian Tempest: Originally from South Korea and introduced into the US by Horace Shaw in Oregon, this strain produces incredibly sweet raw garlic that is delicious when baked.

The Striped Garlic

The striped garlic, hardnecks, are so named because of the striking purple stripes and blotches on the clove skins and bulb wrappers. These are the most beautiful of all garlic varieties, mature earlier than the standard Striped varieties and they also have outstanding flavor.

This is the huge, beautiful Chesnok Red bulb in the photo. Chesnok Red: Standard Purple Stripe. From Shvelisi in the Republic of Georgia, this outstanding garlic is perhaps the most consistent of any of the varieties offered. The large bulbs average 9-10 cloves. Flavor is excellent.

This reads like a pedigree, doesn't it? A garlic pedigree! beautiful

greek christmas sweets

okay, I am beat after a weekend of baking (Dan was a huge help)! I need another Glenna massage. The house smells of sugar, citrus, cloves, and cinnamon. Here is are some photos of the cookies and cakes we prepared this weekend for delivery this year. They are yummy, no good for you Greek sweets. I left out my very favorite (a vegan cookie that is dipped in a honey syrup) because one should only have so many honey soaked goodies at one time. So, take a peak!

The box contains

• Revani : a sweet syrup soaked caked made of a semolina flour blend and studded with walnuts
• Baklava : I use orange peal and cloves to flavor my syrup... mmm..
• Kourambiethes : a butter and almond cookie (above photo) baked with a clove stud then dusted with confectioners sugar
• Koulourakia : a twisted cookie that is perfect for dunking ...kinda like biscotti

leftover cheese ball and turkey enchalada-sanga...

yea, sounds kind of icky but . . . necessity is the mother of cheese ball and turkey enchiladas.


I am not going to post a recipe. This was a simple dinner that was rather tasty. I caramelized some onions, added garlic then set aside. Whipped up some rice and dug some corn from the freezer. Have some tortillas (corn or wheat..hopefully high fiber) that are still rollable? Use them. They are so old they don't roll? Then make this a layered dish using stale tortillas. Don't have stale tortillas? Make polenta and layer it into a cheese ball turkey enchilada-sangna.


I happened to have a jar of trader joe's enchilada sauce. You don't? Then just whiz some diced tomatoes in the food processor to a nice chunk and add some of your favorite tex-mex seasonings.

I did not have cheese for my enchiladas... but I did have a weird blob of left over rosemary and parm cheese ball lurking in the fridge! Once it melted in the dish Dan had no idea (insert evil laugh here) and he loved it. (more laughter)....

craft show redemption...via gardening

Well, I was certain I would never find a vendor I loved more that the sweet sellers. I did and I spent like mad (well, not really I'm a bit of a tightwad).

I made my Christmas list lickidy split.... gardening gloves (with a wrist wrap so no dirt under the finger nails), long gardening gloves for protection from raspberry bushes during pruning, a weeding hand tool, garlic, garlic garlic and the most glorious books about heirloom tomatoes, melons and squash. Go to B&N some day and look for tomato book and I am certain you will find more books on how to cultivate marijuana than tomatoes.

She also had the most glorious tomato cages. Dan and I have a plan for the tomato trees we plan on growing next season. We will see how that works out!

I picked up the garlic varietals that are in the photo and if I have not reminded you, my gardening friends, your garlic should be in the ground in the next few days.

The books are written by Amy Goldman. I am learning so much as I go along with this gardening process and she is a recognized expert. All 3 of the books are as beautiful as they are informative and I will suffer until Christmas when I can tear off the paper and devour these books. When you check out Amazon I have to tell you the I only paid $30 for the squash book. Dan and I struggled over buying out her inventory just to sell them on Amazon for $90 (they are listed at $200). http://www.amazon.com/Heirloom-Tomato-Recipes-Portraits-Beautiful/dp/159691291X/ref=pd_sim_b_2

Christmas Craft Shows is it about the crafts or food...

mmm... I suppose that depends on your perspective. Sure, I can sketch a quick pic or paint a lovely little work of art or design flowers into a fab arrangement. Walk in my shoes and it is all about the food, the more sugary the better. There are 2 vendors, in particular, that sell hard to resist sweets at this show and my book just happened to nestle in with the Amish made treats.

(there is a point to this sugar jibber jabber....keep reading)

I believe that I may have a compulsive disorder and not one that keeps my house in particular order, a sugar compulsion. I try my best to keep it out of the house. I don't particularly like baked fruits and have only eaten 2 apple dumplings in my time (today being the 2nd). It is easy to resist the dumpling for it's one flaw... the apple mush inside. How am I to resist dumpling that is a sweetened, buttery dough baked to golden perfection? Simply put, for the all the goodies that it is wrapped in...sugar makes me do it and all sense goes out the window and on to my hips. In my defense, I only had 4 bites of this dumpling and Dan had the pleasure of finishing it. I only had 4 bites because I plan on buying one of the Amish made toll house chocolate chip whoopie pies. That sweet icing sandwiched between two cookies will give one a healthy dose of sugar burn but that is what the french pressed coffee is for!

Then there is a gal named Marinell the beautiful baking diva (as seen in the above photo with Dan and her freshly baked choco chip coffee cake). This baking angel lives so close to this event that she finds the time to bake every night and bring her delicious creations each morning to share with a choice, lucky few. Yesterday it was brownies...moist brownies with huge chucks of rich chocochips. Dan loves her tasty delights. One of our favorites is her chocolate rum cake. She does not give out recipes which made me stretch my virtual muscles to begin a marathon of a recipe hunt. My hodgepodge recipe was not as good as hers....maybe I need more rum.

So, long and short is a great book that I picked up at a recent library book sale (support your local library by donating your time, books and buying their donated books). This is a book I did not know I was searching for and I'm slowly enjoying. Just as you would slowly enjoy a freshly prepared cannoli and smooth cappuccino (only like max crema's can make).

If you are interested in the history of sugar and our love affair with this treat pick up this book it is a great fun read. "The Taste of Sweet" by Joanne Chen at http://www.amazon.com/Taste-Sweet-Complicated-Affair-Favorite/dp/0307351912/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259856494&sr=8-1