Ham & Cheese Strata

I came across this recipe in the newspaper and saw it right away as a great idea for Christmas breakfast. It can be assembled ahead of time and them baked the next morning. Essentially, it is ham and cheese sandwiches covered with a cheese custard.

Coat a 9-by-13 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Make five ham and cheese sandwiches and place them in the pan. Some trimming will be required to get a good fit. In a large bowl, mix eggs, milk, heavy cream, salt, pepper and grated Parmesan. Pour the liquid over the sandwiches and gently press them down to maximize absorption. Arrange slices of mozzarella on the top like you would for lasagna. Refriferate until ready to bake.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in a 350° oven or until the center is set and the edges are lightly browned. After 10 minutes, slice and serve.

Bon appétit!

European Peasant Bread

A wonderful cookbook I have is Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? Well, it is too good, but also, it is true. The authors developed a basic bread recipe that is easy, and importantly, does not require kneading. The dough is mixed, allowed to rise in a container (not air-tight) then refrigerated until ready to bake. There are many variations of the basic recipe. I love the European Peasant Bread. Crusty bread with a marvelous crumb.

Yeast and salt are added to warm water in the bowl of my stand-up mixer. The flours, in this case, whole wheat, rye and all-purpose. It is mixed until incorporated then dumped into a container with a lid. Leave the lid slightly ajar as the dough will rise and then fall slightly over a two-hour period. Store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.

When ready to bake the bread, dust the top of the dough with flour and pull a hunk of about a pound from the container. Dust with a little more flour and shape into a ball by pulling the sides down and under. Place on a pizza peel that has been covered with cornmeal and let it rest and rise for 40 minutes.

Twenty minutes later, preheat the oven to 450° with a baking stone set on the center rack. The recipe calls for placing an empty broiler tray on a rack under the stone. This is for placing some hot water in to create steam during baking. I have tried it with and without the water with great results both ways. For these Christmas loaves, I used the water.

Sprinkle the top of the risen dough ball with more flour and using a sharp knife, make a cross or other decorative pattern. Slide the dough directly from the pizza peel onto the baking stone and add a cup of water to the broiler pan.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the crust is a deep brown and firm. Of course, larger loaves require cooking time adjustment.

Bon appétit!

English Toffee

Easily the most popular of my mother's recipes. Christmas cookie trays are incomplete without this English Toffee. I remember when I was a kid, my mother making this. The metal spatula scraping the bottom of the pan, constantly until that perfect temperature was reached. And then the hot candy being poured onto the marble slab to cool. Today I use that same pan and spatula, as well as that old candy thermometer. I have my own granite slab for the cooling. (I confess: I broke my mom's marble slab years ago, on accident).

One cup each of sugar and butter plus five tablespoons water. That's it. Well, there is a catch. Not all brands of butter work. Some won't brown. Some just don't get the right taste. I don't know what to say other than trial and error is the only way to go. Once you find a brand that works, don't forget it, like I do every year.

Cook the butter, sugar and water on high heat, stirring in one direction only, with the metal spatula. When the mixture turns a light brown, begin monitoring the temperature until it reaches 290 degrees. Immediately pour onto the granite slab to cool.

Coat with melted chocolate and sprinkle with finely chopped almonds. After the chocolate sets, turn over carefully and coat the other side with chocolate and nuts. When it is completely set, break into pieces.

Superlatively delicious. Ask anybody who has tried this.

Bon appétit!

No-Bake Cookies

Some call these Peanut Butter Balls. Not my mom. Nor me. They were No-Bake Cookies when I was a kid watching mom make them, and they will remain No-Bake Cookies now that I am all grown up and making them myself. The recipe even says so. Who am I to go against mom?

This is a pretty easy recipe. At first. Cream margarine, peanut butter and powdered sugar. Then add graham cracker crumbs, walnuts, coconut and vanilla. Then it gets a little more difficult. The dough must be worked by hand. Try a hand-mixer and you will burn out the motor. A stand-up mixer just isn't big enough to do a double batch and I would never consider making just a single batch. Form the dough into one-inch balls. It will be a bit crumbly so you'll need to pack them tightly.

In a double boiler, melt milk chocolate and some baking wax. Coat the balls in the chocolate and place them on waxed paper to set. I place the waxed paper on a cookie tray so I can place it in the freezer to expedite the setting of the chocolate.

Remember what went into this recipe and you won't need me to tell you these are simply delicious. Very very delicious. But don't just take my word for it. See for yourself.

Bon appétit!

Sugar Cookies

Today's Christmas cookie recipe is not an heirloom. It's just a sugar cookie recipe that I found online. Rather than just make plain old sugar cookies though, I added a twist. And then some.

The recipe was pretty straightforward. Almost boring. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Then vanilla. But wait. I substituted peppermint extract for the vanilla, and also added some green food coloring. Back to the recipe. Then the salt and flour. Chill dough for an hour.

I selected the Christmas tree template for my cookie press and dug out all the different sprinkles we have in the cupboard. Not just Christmas trees, but decorated Christmas trees.

And then everything changed. I was struggling with the cookie press, so Susie stepped up to the plate. Then we found that the trees were too small to decorate beyond simple sprinkles. And then the cookie press broke. Riggin' friggin' cheap plastic. Well, we got a bunch of cookies made. And Susie is checking on a new cookie press tomorrow. A metal one. The remainder of the dough is wrapped tightly in the refrigerator.

And, by the way, the cookies are quite tasty.


Bon appétit!

Jelly Balls

Also called Thumbprints. More so than they are called Jelly Balls. In fact, my mom is the one who called them Jelly Balls. Since it is her recipe, I will call them Jelly Balls as well.

Cream butter and sugar. Then add, in succession, egg yolks, salt and flour. That's it. Then comes the tedious part. Form one-inch balls and flatten them slightly. These cookies don't spread out so I manage to fit 20 on each cookie sheet. Press a thumb into the center of each to create a small crater. Place a small amount of jam (I use raspberry or blackberry) into the crater. Bake for 20 minutes. That's all there is to it. And they are so tasty!

Bon appétit!

Nana's Oatmeal Cookies

Back on the Christmas Cookie production line. Nana's Oatmeal Cookies were always one of my favorites. If I had to pick just one cookie, this would be the one. The recipe comes from my paternal great-grandmother from the 19th century. The real allure of this cookie lies in the frosting.

I never had the cookies that Nana made. She was too old by that time. But her daughter-in-law, my grandmother, made them every year. She would mix the dough, form it into rolls wrapped in waxed paper and chill them. She would then slice the cookies from the chilled rolls and bake them. I did away with the rolls and the chilling and the slicing. I mix up the dough, form it into one-inch balls and gently flatten them with my hand. So much simpler! And, I triple the recipe. I even had to buy an extra large mixing bowl just for this amount of this recipe.

Tripling the cookie recipe means sextupling (Is that even a word?) the frosting recipe. I have written of this frosting before. A mixture of powdered sugar, butter, cinnamon and coffee. I make so much because I like to have some extra. I love peanut butter and frosting sandwiches.

Bon appétit!

Potato Latkes

I bought yet another new cookbook. Joan Nathan's Jewish Holiday Cookbook. I had my eye on latkes. I found them in the chapter devoted to Hanukkah. They looked pretty easy to make, especially when I read that a food processor with a grater attachment would work. Instead of grating potatoes and onions by hand. My knuckles would be spared.

I grated a medium onion and three russet potatoes in a jiffy. At this point I should have squeezed any excess liquid from the mixture. But alas... I added a couple eggs and some flour. Salt and pepper to taste. And that was it!

I then heated about an inch of vegetable oil in a pan on the stove. As I grabbed a small handful of the mixture, I squeezed liquid from it and formed a patty. I gently laid them in the oil and let them cook for a couple minutes, until golden brown. The latkes were then turned and cooked on the other side.

They were drained on paper towels and then served with a dollop of plain yogurt. And they were absolutely delicious. Really really tasty. I was very pleased with the way they turned out. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Next time, and there will be a next time, I will squeeze out the liquid from the grated potatoes and onion before adding the eggs and flour.

Bon appétit!

Chocolate Crackles

From my paternal grandmother comes the recipe for Chocolate Crackles. A powdered sugar-coated chocolate cookie. I'd tell you they are a favorite of mine, but that wouldn't be fair. All my grandmother's cookies are my favorites. As with all the Christmas cookie recipes I undertake, I double this. At least.

Chocolate is melted then mixed with brown sugar and salad oil. Eggs and vanilla are then mixed in, followed by the dry ingredients flour, baking powder and salt. The nuts, which she lists as optional, finish the dough. Nuts optional? Not in my kitchen. The dough is fairly thin so it is chilled for about an hour or until firm.

I roll the dough into one-inch balls and roll them through powdered sugar, then onto an ungreased cookie sheet. (Silpat, I do love you!) Carefully, so as to avoid them rolling around on the pan, they go into a 350° oven for 10-12 minutes.

Just a personal note: while the dough is chilling, I clean up the dishes. There really is nothing quite like warm cookies from the oven with but a mixing bowl yet to be cleaned.


Bon appétit!

Melting Moments

Today's Christmas cookie recipe is for Melting Moments. I just love these light cookies. They do melt in your mouth. As long as you're patient and don't just wolf them down. It is a challenge.

The recipe calls for flour, corn starch, confectioners sugar, butter and vanilla. I substituted lemon extract for the vanilla. Just a little twist. Beat the butter until smooth then add the lemon extract and, gradually, the dry ingredients. (They should be stirred together before adding to the butter). Here is where I encountered a problem. I doubled the recipe so I would get a yield of about 6 dozen cookies. After I was done mixing, the dough seemed pretty thin. I checked the recipe again and realized I had quadrupled the amount of butter instead of just doubling it. Ooops. So I quickly stirred another double recipe of the dry ingredients and incorporated them into the dough. Whew! So I'd end up with a dozen dozens. But who's counting? The dough is then refrigerated for an hour.

After the dough has firmed up in the refrigerator, it is formed into one-inch balls and placed on an ungreased cookie sheet. (I use a Silpat, which I absolutely love!) I have some ceramic stamps for pressing the cookies flat. I used the snowflake for this batch. I press the stamp into granulated sugar before flatting the cookies. This helps keep the dough from sticking to the stamp. Twelve minutes at 375° or until the edges start to turn golden.

It's a little difficult to make out the snowflake pattern in the picture, but who cares? They are ever so tasty!


Bon appétit!

Chinese Almond Cookies

There is a section in my recipe binder labeled "Heirlooms." This particular group of recipes sees the light of day primarily in December. Here is where the cookie recipes from my mom, both grandmothers and my great-grandmother Nana are found. I am the official holiday cookie baker in the family and I declare it officially to be Christmas Cookie season.

I am starting with Chinese Almond Cookies, one of my mom's recipes. I usually start with this recipe because they hold up well in the freezer while I get the other cookies made over the course of the month. That, and they are pretty easy to make. Sift together the dry ingredients, cut in the butter, add egg and almond extract, roll into balls and place an almond on top while pressing down gently to flatten. Then bake. I did say it was a pretty easy recipe, didn't I? I have even simplified step one a bit. Instead of sifting the dry ingredients together, I just use a wire whisk and accomplish the say thing.


Bon appétit!

Peanut Butter & Jelly Bread

I recently bought a new cookbook called My Bread. It boasts a "revolutionary no-work, no-knead method." Now what bread lover could have resisted that? The recipe for Peanut Butter & Jelly Bread caught my eye on the first leafing through. I tried it once with disappointing results. Jelly leaked out during baking and burned on the sides of the loaves and the pan and the baking stone. But the finished product tasted good. Once I got past the burnt jelly. And the burnt peanuts. I vowed to try again in the future, with some modifications to the recipe.

The future came yesterday evening. I mixed the dough so that it could rise 12 hours and be ready to bake this morning. The first modification I made was to omit the peanuts from the dough. I think the peanuts in the dough of the first batch had allowed jelly to break through and burn. The peanuts would still be included in the recipe. Just at a different point. An interesting thing about this recipe is that water and peanut butter are blended and incorporated into the dough.

The next morning the dough had doubled in size and was ready for the next step. I divided it into quarters. (I had quadrupled the recipe). On a lightly floured pastry board, I spread each portion of the dough into a rectangular sheet about 8 inches wide by a foot long. Then I spread seedless black raspberry jam over the rectangle. I was careful this time to heed the warning about leaving an inch edge on all sides so that jelly wouldn't seep out. Now I added the peanuts which had been omitted earlier. I sprinkled them on top of the jelly.

Another modification I made was to leave out the peanuts from the bottom of the pan as well as from the top of the loaf once in the pan. They burned easily and made the egg wash difficult to apply. The sheet was then rolled up, much like a jelly roll. Carefully. Then ends were tucked under and the loaf placed in a oiled loaf pan. An hour more of rising and then into the oven for an hour and a quarter. The results were much better this time around.


Bon appétit!

Upside-Down Pear Chocolate Cake

I bought another cookbook. This one is called Rustic Fruit Desserts and it is a feast for the eyes to skim through. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, tomorrow in fact, I wanted to supplement the dessert spread which usually consists of pies: pumpkin and pecan. The book is organized by seasons. Quite handy. I paid careful attention as I pored through the section devoted to fall fruits. And then I saw it. The Upside-Down Pear Chocolate Cake. It would fit nicely into a Thanksgiving spread. Not too ostentatious, yet elegant nevertheless.

I started by caramelizing water and sugar, then pouring the mixture into a buttered cake pan. Next I fanned sliced pears around the edge. The batter was pretty simple. Melt some butter and dark chocolate then transfer to a mixing bowl to which sugar and eggs were added in succession. Then alternately I added the dried ingredients and some whole milk. C'est tout!

Spread the batter on top of the pears and caramel, then into the oven for 40-45 minutes. Cool on a rack for a quarter hour, then invert onto the serving plate. Five minutes later, carefully remove the pan. Again, c'est tout!

We'll be seeing more from this cookbook. Much much more. Trust me.

Bon appétit!

Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I was feeling a bit creative. I took a one-pound portion of pork tenderloin and sliced into it, "unwrapping" as I went, so that I was left with a flat sheet of meat. I spread some tomato paste over the surface then positioned reconstituted home-dried tomatoes in a single layer across the sheet. I carefully rolled the tenderloin back into its original shape. Now to the pan. I spread a layer, about a half-inch thick, of pesto mixed with bread crumbs onto a baking pan. This would serve as the bed for the meat. I placed the meat on the pesto bed then used the remained of the pesto-crumb mixture to completely enclose the tenderloin (see photo). Then into the oven for 30 minutes.


I should have used skewers to hold the meat's shape because it kind of came apart during baking. And a few more minutes in the oven would have been better. But, Susie and I both loved the finished product. I served it with falafel that I made from scratch. (I'll save that for another time.) Some lettuce, pico de gallo, hummus, tahini and yogurt finished off the plate.

I learn most effectively from my mistakes, or seeing something I could do differently. This was no exception. But as I said already, it was a delicious meal.


Bon appétit!

Venison Chili

One of my Special Olympics bowlers is a hunter and got a deer this year. He gave me some of the meat. (Thank you Richard). I thought I'd try my hand at venison chili. So I did a quick Google search and as it turned out, decided upon the first recipe that I chanced upon. Who wouldn't have? This one had bacon in it! I picked up the few ingredients I didn't have, on hand, including the bacon, and got to it.

The liquid ingredients, onion, garlic and seasonings went into a pot to reduce. So simple! I diced the bacon and fried it, then sautéd the venison cubes in the bacon fat. (Mmmm!) Here's where I departed from the recipe. I drained the grease and liquids from the meat before adding it to the simmering pot. Half an hour later, it was ready to eat.

Pictures of chili just don't have the aesthetic quality of other foods. But in the interest of full disclosure, I decided to add one anyway.

Bon appétit!

Fusion Cuisine

Does anybody NOT like puff pastry? I didn't think so. I picked up some puff pastry shells on the way home from work today. I was feeling a bit mischievous as well. That's where the filling for the shells comes into play. Puff pastry smacks of fine cuisine. To me at least. And I love dichotomies. Contrasts. Things that might make the casual observer look twice. Or more.

Back to the filling. Delicate pastry, meet the trailer park. Frozen green peas and diced Spam. (I just watched that Monty Python's Flying Circus episode again). Not just plain old Spam either, but Hickory Smoke Spam. Some diced onion as well. Served on a bed of macaroni and cheese. From a box. Not even a national brand. I used a little extra grated cheddar cheese to augment the powdered version that comes in the box.

The side dish, zucchini stuffed with rice, came from a can. It's a product of Bulgaria that I picked up at Foti's Greek Deli in Portland. A great little place to eat as well as a small grocery store where you can pick up a few hard to find items for Greek cooking, such as pastitsio, a straw-shaped pasta. For the record, I had a gyro. I almost always have a gyro when the opportunity presents itself.


Bon appétit!

Fried Green Tomatoes

There were a few tomatoes still on some of the lingering vines. Unlikely that they would ripen at this point. What to do? Fried green tomatoes! Yeah, that's the ticket. I have a wonderful little book called the Too Many Tomatoes Cookbook so I looked up the recipe for the Southern staple. Another incredibly simple recipe! Just like I love 'em. Slice unripe tomatoes into quarter-inch slabs. I used one of those cheap plastic mandolin-type slicers and it was a breeze. Dredge the slices in seasoned crumbs. I just used some store-bought bread crumbs already seasoned. Then fry the slices in vegetable oil on medium-high heat for about four minutes per side, or until nicely browned. Drain on a paper towel and serve with your choice of condiment. We used a little barbecue sauce, though I ate several without anything. Very tasty! I may need to see the movie now.

Bon appétit!

Halloween Cookies

I bought a cookie press thinking ahead to the Christmas cookies I make every year. Lo and behold there was a pumpkin template. With Halloween just around the corner, I was off to the races. I made three batches: one following the recipe that was on the back of the cookie press packaging, one substituting lemon extract for the vanilla and almond extract, and one using maple flavoring. To color the dough I used equal parts of red and yellow food colorings. Somewhere between 1/2 tsp. and a full tsp. They came out of the oven warm and yummy. Susie decorated them with cheery little faces and stems. Little do the happy little cookies know of their fate. I do know. And I know I love my new cookie press.

Bon appétit!

Chicken with Sage & Walnut Pesto

Susie gave me a new cookbook recently. Pestos, Tapenades & Spreads. I made a batch of the Sage & Walnut Pesto. OK, OK. A double batch. I took a couple chicken breasts, dried them well with a paper towel, then spread a thin layer of the pesto on them. Into an olive-oiled pan and into a 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes. About 10 minutes into the baking I thought I could add some reconstituted Italian heirloom tomato slices. A few minutes before removing from the oven, I laid a thin slice of provolone on top and let it melt.


I served the chicken with some domathakia. Dolmas. Canned dolmas. Canned? Yes. Canned. I found them at a Greek deli & grocery in Portland and had to try them. They are delicious.

Bon appétit!

Pulled Pork with Polenta

This will serve two: me and Susie. Take a half pound of pork tenderloin and cut it into 3-4 inch pieces. Boil it in salted water for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Remove the meat and discard the water. When the meat is cool enough to work with, use a fork and shred it into threads. Return the meat to the pan and heat with some mojo chipotle marinade and some pico de gallo.

For the polenta, empty a tube of prepared polenta into a sauce pan and add milk while mashing until smooth but not too thin. Add some thyme, rosemary, thinly sliced leek, and grated manchego cheese, stirring until well incorporated.

To serve, place some of the polenta on a plate and top with the pork. That's all there is to it!

I am serving some mixed vegetables and a side salad with the entree. Just some frozen mixed vegetables to which I add some reconstituted dried tomatoes that I prepared earlier. I am also throwing in a couple cubes of the frozen basil puree.

Bon appétit!

Mexican Chocolate Cake with Nana's Frosting

Another co-worker is moving on to...different things. And that means I had to make something for the going away shindig. Yes, had to. I went with a fairly simple recipe for a Mexican Chocolate Cake. Mix the dry ingredients, add the wet ones, mix until smooth. 25 minutes in the oven and it's done. It was.

The picture doesn't really show the cake part. Just the frosting. And that Dear Reader is the point. The frosting recipe comes from my paternal great-grandmother, known to us all as Nana. She used it on her oatmeal cookies. I do too. And as cake icing. And to make a marvelous peanut butter and frosting sandwich. It is true. A fairly simple recipe. Butter, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and coffee. Caffeine and sugar. This gets one going in the morning. You'll just have to trust me.

I found that the cake, with chocolate and cinnamon, goes beautifully with the cinnamon and the coffee in the frosting.

Bon appétit!

Chicken Pot Pie

Comfort food on a Friday evening. Life is good. I decided yesterday to make a chicken pot pie for dinner tonight. From scratch. Mainly. I was looking for an easy way to put together something that Susie and I would really like. Puff pastry sheets to the rescue. Susie stretched the sheets to fit the pie pan while I cut up onion and potatoes. Adirondack
Blue potatoes. I followed a recipe, loosely, for the gravy: butter, chicken broth, flour, salt & pepper. When it thickened, I added the spuds and onions, some frozen mixed veggies, and a couple chicken breasts that had been diced.

I poured the mixture into the pie pan and turned it back over to Susie to add the top of the crust. Before she covered it, I snapped this picture. Check out the blue potatoes! Although they look more purple than blue. Then into the oven for 30 minutes at 400. Or until the crust was golden.


The verdict was unanimous. We both loved it! But we also agreed that an additional 10-15 minutes in the oven would improve the pie. Next time. And there will be a next time.

Bon appétit!

Rainbow Cake

My grandmothers were my inspiration for cooking. They still are. My mom too, to be fair. All equally. Let's get that straight right away. The recipe for Rainbow Cake comes from my maternal grandmother. Typed with little annotations between lines and in margins. A true heirloom. It is essentially a butter cake batter with a twist. The batter is divided and dyed with food coloring. No two come out the same. Ever. They all come out looking pretty groovy. The picture here is a file photo from my archives. Today's version, still in the oven, has four colors. The pink, green and yellow seen here, plus blue. Blue food intrigues me. As kids we would eat one color, then the next and so on. Technically, we played with our food.

Bon appétit!

Berry Cobbler

Again with the cobbler? Yes. Again with the cobbler. I am becoming convinced that just about any fruit or berry can be made into a cobbler. This time I used something called "Berry Medley" from Fred Meyer. I had a coupon. Blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. The fruit mixture seemed a bit high in the baking pan so I am glad I thought to put a pan under it. Just in case of overflow during baking. It did, but I achieved the same old result: delicious!

Bon appétit!

Roasted Asparagus

While the salmon is resting after coming out of the oven, this dish, another favorite for entertaining (and eating) can be nearly completed, assuming a wee bit of prep work is done.

I take a handful, or more, or less, of my dried tomatoes and soak them in hot water for at least an hour before I am going to bake. Trim the asparagus. The best way I have found is to grab each stalk at each end, with thumbs and forefingers. Bend until they break. Asparagus is quite cooperative in snapping at just the right place. Discard the tough bottoms and lay the remaining spears in a baking pan. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Season with a little pepper. (I am a bit arrogant so I use fresh crushed black pepper). Place in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and shuffle the spears a bit, sprinkle the drained, semi-reconstituted tomatoes over the asparagus and return to the oven for about 7 more minutes. Could this be any easier?

Bon appétit!

Baked Salmon with Pesto Crust

This is one of my favorites. For serving when we have guests. And for eating. Elegant and so very, very simple. All you'll need is some salmon, dried bread crumbs, and pesto. OK, four, a little olive oil for the pan.

I buy pre-cut portions of salmon at Fred Meyer. They are uniform in weight, and in shape. (Important for baking time). I buy cheap packaged bread crumbs. The pesto will add the flavor. And I have pesto that I made and froze. The trip to the store is the most difficult part of this recipe!

Now the easy part. Mix the pesto and bread crumbs until a thick paste is formed. No measuring required. Just eyeball it. Then set the salmon portions on a working surface and blot them dry with a paper towel. This will allow the pesto crust to adhere better. Grab some of the crust mixture and work it onto the top surface of the salmon. As thick or as thin as you'd like. Just be even so cooking will be even as well. (See picture).


Place the crusted salmon portions in a baking dish that has been oiled and bake at 400 degrees for approximately 25 minutes. Let the fish rest for 5-10 minutes after removing from the oven. Just do it.

Bon appétit!

Strawberry Cobbler

Never heard of it? Me neither. Blackberry. Yes. Peach. Sure. Why not strawberry? Why not indeed.

Thicken the berries over heat with a little corn starch, a couple cups sugar, and a a splash of lemon juice. Pour berry mixture into a 9 x 13 inch baking pan and spoon the cobbler dough on top. It will expand so don't worry about covering the whole surface. In fact, you can't completely cover the surface. There isn't enough dough for that. Don't forget to sprinkle the top with a little sugar for a sweet, crunchy crust. 25 minutes in a 400-degree oven and it's done. Ready for vanilla ice cream to melt over it, blending with the berries. Mmmmm.

Now for the test. Delicious. I will reduce the amount of berries a bit next time. It's just a little too saucy. But then again, who would complain about too many strawberries?

Bon appétit!

Tomatoes

What are we supposed to do with tomatoes? Lots of tomatoes. Even though it was an off year, due mainly to mediocre soil preparation on my part, I have harvested a lot of tomatoes. It certainly could have been a lot worse. (Did I really mean worse?) But I did plant 19 different varieties of tomatoes and, even though each individual plant was by itself a little disappointing, I have picked a lot of tomatoes. I ask again Dear Reader: What am I supposed to do?

Answer: dry them. After tiring of tomato sandwiches and BLTs that is. I discovered drying tomatoes last year. Soaked in warm water for an hour or so before using them in cooking, the concentrated flavors of the reconstituted little gems is unparalleled. Really. Truly. Honestly. And it is such a simple process!

Step one. Pick tomatoes. Check. (A sample of one of my harvests is above).

Step two. Cut tomatoes. There is no set thickness, or size, or anything. Granted, cutting a large tomato in half might require a week to dry. And we don't want that now. Do we? We don't. They don't even have to be uniform. They will all get dry in time. We have a simple dryer and I spread the fruit on the trays, place the tray on the dryer, and plug it in. 130 degrees for however long it takes. All day. Overnight. It depends.

When they are thoroughly dry, I place them all in a resealable bag and pop them in the freezer for a couple days. This takes care of any lingering nasties.

Finally, I place them in an airtight storage jar. Ready to use at will or whim. They look lovely too. Especially when there is a mix of red, yellow and green. One of my favorite uses for these is in roasted asparagus, but that will have to wait for another day and another post.

Bon appétit!

Basil

One cannot have too much pesto. It serves so many purposes. Pasta sauce. Crostini spread. I have even used it as a hot dog condiment. So, it should follow that one cannot have too much basil. But I grow close to a hundred basil plants each year. So unless I am prepared to make pesto for an extended period, I had better come up with a way to deal with that much basil.

I have heard that one can put basil in a blender, add water, liquefy and pour into ice cube trays. I could have cubes of frozen fresh basil to drop into sauces and soups the whole year round. It sounded so easy that I began, without checking any reference as to how to do this. Where would the fun be in that?

For batch one I placed about 2 cups packed basil leaves in the blender, added 2 cups water and pushed the button. It was that easy. I went to pour the results into an ice cube tray and found it was just a wee bit too much for a single tray, and not near enough for two.

Back to the beginning. Two cups basil leaves and this time, three cups of water. Liquefy and voilà, green goo. Without making too big a mess, I managed to get most of the aromatic liquid into the ice cube trays. Comfortably.

After the cubes are frozen, I'll put them into an airtight container and have a reason to make soup this winter.

Bon appétit!

Fried zucchini

Across the street from the main gate of Hellenikon Air Base there was, and may still be for all I know, a little restaurant. A taverna called The Onion. It was the first place in Greece outside a military dining facility at which I ate. Twenty-three years ago. There was prepared the best zucchini I have ever eaten. Zucchini slices fried just until crisp. I don't know why I wanted to try to recreate them after this many years. Maybe just so I could have something with which to begin this blog.

I started by slicing a zucchini, about 1 1/2" in diameter, into slices about 1/8" thick. I poured olive oil, about 1/4' deep into a frying pan and turned the heat to high. When the oil was hot, I took the zucchini slices and dredged them in semolina flour and placed them in the hot oil. Don't crowd them in the pan. I counted out 10 per batch. After a little while I could see the sides darken and turned the slices, one at a time, and let them cook on the other side for a couple minutes. Remove them from the oil and place on a paper towel to drain excess oil. If desired, sprinkle with a dash of salt.

They came out pretty good. Not great. Just pretty good. I ate them just as they cooled and didn't try any condiments. Thickened yogurt with garlic would be pretty good. Maybe ketchup if that is your thing.

Were I to try this again, I might use semolina, instead of semolina flour, for a better texture. Maybe run through an egg wash before that. Maybe not.

Suggestions?

Bon appétit!