This is not one of those “super foods” I’ve spoken of before like pomegranates, quinoa, blueberries, or salmon. This is a super wonderful new food I recently discovered … a new ingredient. A difficult thing to do nowadays… find something new that most people honestly don’t know about. My discovery is nduja (en-doo-ya), a soft, spicy and spreadable salame (salami). Have you heard of it? Have you ever even heard of a spreadable salame before? I know, me neither! Nduja originated in Calabia, Italy. It is the perfect blend of spicy, tangy, and smoky. A little goes a good long way. Just a couple tablespoons are enough to enliven a whole pan of sauce. In Southern Italy, they spread it on grilled bread, on pizza, in pasta, or just on a cracker. This is seriously good stuff!

You can find it online at Boccalone, a super cool artisan salumi business located in Oakland, California. Just how cool are they? Their tagline is “Tasty Salted Pig Parts” … that’s pretty cool. Two 8-ounce chubs of Nduja costs $24.  That pound will go a long way to make some amazing dishes!  Here’s one recipe to get you started. Brilliant daughter, Marissa, suggested using the filling as a bruschetta topping next time – super idea – will do!  And just in case you missed it, the words of the day are “super” and “cool”!

Nduja Eggplant Roulades

2 large or 4 medium eggplant
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 ounces nduja
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
3 medium tomatoes
6 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, patted dry and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup finely minced basil
1/4 cup mild goat cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat a grill, a grill pan, or a broiler. Trim ends and sides from eggplant.  Then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Using only 3 tablespoons of the olive oil for eggplant, lightly brush both sides of each slice with oil and grill or broil in batches on an oiled pan or rack until golden brown and tender, about 5 to 6 minutes per side. Using tongs, transfer eggplant from the grill to a platter and keep warm. If using a grill pan, just remove pan from heat,  leave slices on pan to keep warm.

Heat the remaining tablespoon olive oil over moderately high heat in a large heavy skillet until hot and sauté the onion and garlic, stirring, until onion is golden. Stir in the nduja and use a spatula to break it up as it  blends into the onion mixture.

Meanwhile bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Cut an X in the blossom end of each tomato. Have a bowl of ice and cold water ready at the side of the stove. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water and blanch tomatoes 10 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to transfer tomatoes to ice water to stop cooking. Starting at the X, peel tomatoes, then dice.

Add both the fresh and the sun-dried tomatoes plus pine nuts and basil to the onion mixture and sauté, stirring, until the liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add goat cheese and stir, just until melted.

Remove skillet from heat and season filling with salt and pepper.

Place a generous tablespoon of filling at narrow end of an eggplant slice, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and roll up the slice, enclosing the filling. Make more roulades in same manner until all filling and slices are used. Sprinkle roulades with more Parmesan and serve hot or at room temperature as part of of buffet.

Makes about 12 roulades

We left early this morning for the drive down to Tucson to pack up Marissa and move her back to Scottsdale. Of course, I love having her home, so that is the really sweet part. But I also know how eager she is to “begin” her independent life, her career, and to have a place of to call her own. I remember that feeling of longing and yearning and wish all those wonderful things for her. But with today’s economy and job market, she is just one of thousands, probably hundreds of thousands, of young adults and college graduates in the same situation. Daily she is sending out resumes, searching on-line, reaching out to every possible connection; lucky to ever get a call, acknowledgement, or interview. So, we’ll store her furniture and other belongings that one doesn’t need when living with your family (meaning parents) in mini-storage and continue to give her all the love and support we can while she waits for her new beginning. And of course, if you are reading this and know of any positions or possible openings for a brilliant, beautiful, and bold graduate with a bonafide Journalism degree, (such as writing, editing, public relations, journalist, newspaper, magazine, etc.) who will move anywhere for an opportunity; please email or call right this very minute!

Happily, Marissa has some very generous, kind, and loving male friends in Tucson who will help us load up the U-Haul in the 100+ degree heat today. So, Alberto and Will and anyone else who is there today – these bittersweet treats are for you, as a small token of my thanks and appreciation. xoxo

No-Bake Haystack Cookies

2 cups (12 ounces) bittersweet chocolate chips, divided
1 3/4 cups butterscotch chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces dry chow mien noodles
1 cup peanuts

1/4 cup melted white chocolate chips, if desired

Line 2 or 3 baking sheets with wax paper.

Melt 1 3/4 cups chocolate chips and all the butterscotch chips in a large microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute, stir and return to microwave 45 seconds at a time, until chips are completely melted. Stir in vanilla extract and then carefully mix in noodles and nuts until completely coated. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoon onto wax paper. Put in refrigerator to set. If desired, drizzle with melted white chocolate to “fancy them up”.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, using the same wax paper to place in-between the layers of cookies.

Makes about 3 dozen haystacks

The title of this post is frightening to anyone who really knows me. If I’ve ever left you a voicemail while I’m driving, you already know how I tend to go on and on and on. I begin with the reason for my call, with every minute detail imaginable. Then I will whine about how sad I am that I didn’t reach you personally. And if traffic is bad or there is a horrific driver in my path (and really, when isn’t there?!) I will tell you all about it. After that useless information, I’ll feel the need to let you know where, why, how, who, what, and where I am going.  But aside from the part you just read, this post is not like that…

Instead I am going to share with you some cool stuff of late… at least I think it’s cool stuff.

Today I added a new category to my LINK column, over there on the right of the page. It’s called “French Stuff I LOVE”. Some of the links are new and some I’ve moved from other categories, check it out. Actually, I hope you’ve checked out most of the links by now, there is some really great stuff there, cooking and otherwise.

I’ve been shopping on the web too much lately. A few things are more than necessary, such as my hair products from Ouidad. If you too have naturally curly hair, these products are must haves, especially the Climate Control. Honestly I could not live (as in could not live with the the huge frizzy mass that would be my hair) without it! A couple other purchases, I suppose I could live without them, but sometimes when you see something you love, you just have to snap it up before someone else does and you regret and mourn the loss.  The milk bottle crate is from Napa Style (seriously overpriced cool stuff) and the vintage cash register drawer from The Old Painted Cottage – one of the aforementioned links on the right with reasonably priced and cool stuff. The crate has arrived, the drawer is on it’s way. What about you? Do you shop on the web? Isn’t it satisfying to do so in your P.J.’s?!

Finally I want to share a few pictures from our recent trip to Dave’s hometown of Rockton, Illinois, which is on the Illinois/Wisconsin border. Rockton is a small charming midwestern town, actually a village, located on the banks of the Rock River. While Dave was growing up there, the population was under 2,000. When he graduated high school in 1975 it was 2,218. The 2000 census had it at 5,296, the 2010 count isn’t in yet…

If you have heard of Rockton before, it is most likely due to Rockton’s claim to fame from the 1940s through the 1970s – The Wagon Wheel. During its glory, the Wagon Wheel sprawled across more than 300 acres. It boasted attractions such as an air strip, golf course, restaurants, church, dinner theater, (both pictured below) dinner theater, and two ice skating rinks, where Olympic figure skating bronze medalist Janet Lynn trained.

Walt Williamson started the Wagon Wheel in 1936 as a hamburger stand and gas station.

Sadly, after Williamson’s death in 1975, the demise of the Wagon Wheel began. After a rash of suspicious fires in the 1990s, the site became an eyesore. In 2004, the once-famous resort was demolished and the site cleared.

But one Rockton gem still stands and has personal meaning to Dave and his family, an old stone house (above) that is actually featured on The Village of Rockton website gallery page. This house was the Hopkins’ family home that Dave’s father grew up in. The family sold it after Dave’s grandmother died, to the man who still owns it today. When we were visiting in July, we stopped to take pictures and were met by the gardener, a lovely woman, who allowed us to tour the yard and take pictures. The log-cabin style playhouse with red shutters (pictured at the top of the page) that was build for Dave’s father still stands there today and is used as the garden shed. It had a working fireplace, look for the chimney in the photo below. I am hopeful that the next time we visit, we will be able to tour the inside…

This concludes my random ramblings… the next post will surely include a recipe.

This is the typical sort of dinner you’ll get at our house on a day when I don’t want to venture out in the 110 degree suffocating heat just to get groceries! I will do anything to avoid leaving the air-conditioned loveliness that is my house! First I look in the refrigerator – not much there. More smoked pork, but we’ve had that 2 days in a row, so that will not fly with my guys. Produce drawers – bell peppers, wilting green onions, romaine that has about 24 hours before decisions must be made, and a surprisingly good looking bunch of cilantro. Next stop – garden – ugg! Everything is looking sad, drought ridden, and parched! Snip off the last bit of tarragon and get back into the A/C! What about the pantry – nothing at all inspiring. There is pasta, but that’s always sitting there…. Why in God’s name do these people need to eat every darn day – don’t they know how hot it is?!?!  OK, compose thyself. Last stop the freezer – oh the glorious coldness that flows from the freeze finally gives me the inspiration I have been so very desperate for! What miracles do I find there? Nothing all that much really – shrimp, edamame, and peas – but it is enough.

Peas, now those are a story on their own! The thing you need to know about peas is that…. I Do Not Eat Peas. In any and every instance, other than today, the only reason you would find peas in my freezer is when I have purchased them to use as an ice-pack for injuries.  Frozen peas are excellent injury ice-packs! They mold and form to a hurt knee, elbow, wrist…whatever ailment they are needed for, you can not beat a package of frozen peas to make the ouchie feel better, honestly, frozen peas are better than a mommy’s kiss!

But eating those peas – No Thank You! Where could a girl such as myself acquire such a distaste and violent reaction to the innocent little pea… two words… canned peas! It’s sad but true, I grew up on canned vegetables. Aside from iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and the occasional corn on the cob; fresh vegetables were not known in my childhood home. And frozen vegetables – barely knew they existed. The only proof of them was on the TV, courtesy of the Jolly Green Giant or Bird’s Eye commercials.

My husband, Dave, on the other hand – he grew up with not only frozen vegetables but fresh as well. He fondly recalls sitting on his back porch in Rockton, Illinois, shelling peas from his dad’s garden. So before this evening, guess how many times I’ve cooked peas for him in the 25 years we’ve been married or the 28 years we’ve been together?  If you know me, you may have already guessed the answer correctly – not once! Oh sure, I’ve scantly added them to paella (then easily picked them out of my portion.) Or layered them in the classic overnight layer salad (which includes iceberg, peas, sugar/mayonnaise, bacon, green onions, hard cooked eggs, etc). Then when I dish up my own plate, I just scoop around the peas and pick off the few that cling to the sweet mayo layer. But actually cook and serve peas as the main ingredient or side dish for dinner – never, not once!

Not until today. Why today? I don’t know, I was at Trader Joe’s a couple days ago, and saw the little bag of frozen petite peas and just felt sorry for Dave and my fierce resistance all this time to serve him his happy childhood memory just because of my own not-so-pleasant childhood memory.  Really -there is only one word for that – selfish. So, you have to know that when I say this pasta with peas is good, it must be Really Good …  ‘Nuff said!

Pea, Edamame, and Shrimp Capellini

2 or 3 large garlic cloves, peeled
Leaves and tender stems from 1 bunch cilantro
1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
12-ounce package frozen shelled edamame
12 to 16-ounce package frozen petite peas
1/2 pound peeled and deveined shrimp, cut into bite-size pieces
12 to 16-ounce package capellini (angel hair) pasta
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Meanwhile, turn on a food processor fitted with the steel blade, and drop the garlic in through the feed tube, to mince.  Stop the machine and scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Add the cilantro and tarragon leaves to the bowl, and process until finely minced. With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil through the feed tube. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

When the water in the pot comes to a boil, salt generously, add the edamame and peas; cook 3 to 4 minutes. Remove vegetables from the pot with a strainer or a slotted spoon, and place in another bowl. Return water to the boil and add the shrimp.

Boil just until pink and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the pot with a strainer or a slotted spoon, and add to bowl with edamame and peas.

Return water to the boil and add the pasta; cook al dente following the instructions on the package. When the pasta is cooked, remove 1/2 cup of the cooking water and add to the bowl with the cilantro mixture. Drain the pasta, and add to the cilantro, toss to combine. Stir in the edamame mixture and toss to combine.  Divide between 8 serving bowls, top with Parmesan and serve.

Serves 8

The recipe for Red, White, and Blue Red Velvet Cupcakes follows,

but first…

What is your happiest or earliest memory of celebrating July 4th? Mine is standing in my maternal grandparents’ backyard, holding sparklers with our big extended family all around. That would include my grandparents, mom, dad, brothers, sister, cousins, aunts, and uncles. There could be up to 43 of us at any one time, given that my mom is the oldest of eight. We would either barbeque hot dogs and hamburgers or there would be big buckets of KFC scattered around, and always huge watermelons … and … soda! We were allowed to drink soda – at my grandparents’ house!

Grandma and Grandfather Lorts lived just off 36th Street and Camelback – and they had a pool – we did not. So it was always a treat to go to their house on weekends, as we often did during the summer. We would literally be stripping off our cloths, as we were running up the driveway, to reveal our bathing suits underneath. We’d race as fast as possible through the house and out the backdoor and make a beeline straight to the ever-growing line of cousins at the diving board. When I was really young, my mom’s 2 brothers and 2 youngest sisters were still teens and lived at home, so they were the designated life-guards. A task I’m sure they dreaded! But we adored, admired, and loved them so much; we wouldn’t have gotten that feeling from them, even if they had told us directly to our little sunburned freckled faces what huge pains to their social life we were.

So we would swim until we were literally waterlogged and our fingers and toes were shriveled and wrinkled. Then the parents would force us out of the pool; using screams and threats and then they’d insist that we eat! Even though we were probably starving from all that diving, not only off the board, but also diving for pennies at the bottom of the deep end (an always popular game since you got to keep all the pennies you retrieved), we did not want to get out to eat! Because getting out and eating meant one thing and one thing only – you could not get back in the pool for at least 1 hour (60 full minutes!) AFTER you took your last bite of food. And I am telling you, our parents (and all those aunts and uncles and grandparents) would literally set a timer for 60 minutes! Never mind that 60 minutes to a kid is about as long as 5 hours are to the average adult – that was The Rule. A rule more important and more enforceable than “No using pool as a toilet.” Why? Because if you dared to stick even your baby toe in the pool before the imposed time restriction was lifted, you would certainly and absolutely be overcome with piercing stabbing cramps and …. You Would Drown! Yup, you would die, no two ways about it. You would immediately develop unbearable stomach pain, sink to the bottom of the pool, like a stone, and be dead as a roadkill! Nothing could save you from this fate! Not your big strong 19-year-old uncle. Heck… not all the uncles in the world could save a child who had been foolish enough to enter the pool after… let’s say… 56 minutes!

To this day, I honestly don’t know if parents back in the 60′s really believed this whole “cramps” thing or if it was just the way to get themselves some much needed rest from the constant unending barrage  of ….  ”Uncle Mike, throw me up higher!” and “Uncle Harry, it’s my turn for a whale ride!” and “Aunt Bev, pleeeease throw another penny in for me!” or “”Mom, watch this! Mom? Hey Mom! MOM! WATCH ME!” …. OK, I guess I honestly do know the answer.

So, after the swimming, the eating, the full HOUR, and the swimming again, it would be dark. And Grandfather would bring out the sparklers (even sometimes when it wasn’t the 4th!) and, oh I just loved that!  Sparklers were my “Grandfather’s thing” and I loved my grandfather so very much! So that meant that I loved (and still love) sparklers!

Then we’d all go inside. Some of the families would pack up and go home because they had a long drive. But we always stayed, because we lived around Camelback and 86th Street, not all that far, and because my parents loved to play cards. They’d stick us kids in the living room to “rest” and they would play in the den or around the kitchen table, depending on how many there were.  I would try to be as quite as possible so I could listen to them laugh and fight and scream at each other and gossip and giggle and holler and laugh some more. If it was an especially intense and long game, they would put us all down to sleep in bed together in my grandparents’ and aunts’ rooms. Oh, how I loved that… because that meant that we were staying longer and even if I was actually sleeping, it was a warm, wonderful, and  happy place to be.

Now on to the cupcakes; during a teen cooking class last week, the kids whipped through the recipes so fast that I had them whip up this cupcake batter so I could post this recipe before I left town. Thank you guys for doing that for me and I hope I didn’t break any child-labor laws, since I didn’t allow them have any of the actual cupcakes. Hey, don’t judge, it’s because the cupcakes weren’t done baking before the kids were picked up by their parents! I took two pictures of the class.  The first is of all 10 of them smiling sweetly and the second is them looking longingly at the cupcakes that they will not get to eat…

Red, White, and Blue-Red Velvet Cupcakes

Cupcakes
1  3/4 cups self-rising flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1  1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, divided
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Frosting
8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar

1 to 1  1/2 cups small fresh blueberries
3 or 4 rolls red-colored fruit roll-ups or fruit snack strips

Cupcakes: Arrange the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and cocoa and set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then add the red food coloring and vanilla.

Mix in one third of the flour-cocoa mixture, then 1/3 cup of the buttermilk. Add another one third of the flour-cocoa mixture and another 1/3 cup buttermilk, and finally, the remaining one third of the flour-cocoa mixture.

Remove the bowl from the standing mixer and use a rubber spatula to make well in center of the batter; pour in the remaining 1/3 cup buttermilk, vinegar, and baking soda.   When bubbles form, stir batter with spatula until well combined.

Divide batter equally among the paper lined muffin cups. Bake cupcakes, switching positions of the pans halfway through baking, until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.   Cool 10 minutes; then remove from pans and transfer to rack and cool completely before icing.

Frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in medium bowl until smooth. Add in powdered sugar and beat until completely smooth and creamy.

Spread frosting on tops of cooled cupcakes.

Arrange blueberries in 3 tight rows of 3 (for stars) in the upper left quarter of each cupcake.

Cut the roll of fruit roll-ups into strips that are about 1/8-inch wide. Place 6 red fruit strips across the remainder of the cupcake surface in rows (for stripes) atop frosting. Refrigerate to allow frosting to firm.

Makes 16 to 18

One of my dad’s favorite salads is a 3-bean or 5-bean or… if possible, a dozen-bean salad. Personally, I find many of the multiple-bean salads out there to be bland. So I created this Three Bean and Corn Salad for my dad. Needless to say, he loves it. Of course, it’s hard for me to make anything that my dad doesn’t like. Whenever he’s finished his meal, here is what he says, “Honey, you done good!” I have to confess, just typing that now, made me smile. I love you, Dad!

Three-Bean and Corn Salad

15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
15 ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
15 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 orange bell pepper, seeded, cored, and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded, cored, and diced
10 ounce package frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained
1 small red onion, peeled and diced

1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1  1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 chipotle chile, finely minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

In a large bowl, combine all the beans, both bell peppers, corn, and red onion.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice, sugar, cumin, salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic, and minced chipotle. Stir in cilantro.

Pour dressing on bean and corn mixture and toss to combine well. Chill thoroughly, at least 40 minutes, and then serve cold.

Serves 10

Before I begin telling you more than you may ever want to know about tomatoes, their seeds, “seeding” them and tomato water…. I have much more intriguing and interesting information to pass along. I added a new name to the Blogroll over there on the right. It is called “Linger” and is listed under the “Super Non-Cooking Stuff” category, directly below “Larry Fitzgerald”.  Which actually is appropriate. Since I met and began teaching Larry to cook, more than five years ago, I sometimes consider him to be just like a 3rd kid. And “Linger” is the new blog of one of my actual kids – Marissa, my gorgeous and talented daughter. (BTW, mom’s are totally permitted to brag and say things like that – especially when it is true!) Marissa recently graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Journalism and a creative writing minor… so it is natural for her to have a blog – she’s a writer!  Please check her out when you have a second, she just got the site up about a week ago and it’s already looking great!

Now on to the task at hand… tomatoes….

You may think that the reason recipes call for tomatoes to be seeded is to… well, remove the seeds. While the seeds may bother some people, the real benefit of seeding tomatoes is to get rid of the water liquid/juice found along with the seeds in the tomato’s interior chambers. Excess liquid makes some dishes soggy, such as salsas and pizzas, and other dishes gummy, such as pasta salads, especially if they sit for awhile before being served.

You can choose to either discard the seeds and liquids after seeding the tomatoes, or you may want to save the juices and use them in a chilled soup or even a cocktail. Click here for an article from Bon Appetit about doing just that.

To seed a tomato; cut the tomato in half around its equator. If saving the juice, place a sieve or strainer over a bowl. If discarding the seeds and juice don’t bother to use the strainer. Grasp a tomato half in one hand and gently squeeze it over the strainer/bowl to remove the seeds and the juices. Then slice or dice as directed in the recipe.

Chiles Rellenos Dip

3 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
4 green onions, white and green portions, minced
4-ounce can ripe olives, drained and chopped
Three 4.5- ounce cans chopped green chilies, drained
1 chipotle chile, finely minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1large garlic clove, peeled and minced

1 pound shredded Mexican cheese blend
Tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with non-stick spray.

Place the seeded and diced tomatoes in a strainer and allow them to drain for 10 minutes. Then pour out of strainer and onto paper towels.

Once the tomatoes have been on the paper towesl for at least 3 to 5 minutes, proceed with the recipe.

Combine all ingredients, except for the cheese and chips, in a medium bowl, pour into prepared baking dish.  Cover with shredded cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve warm from the oven with tortilla chips.

Serves 8 to 10

A few days back, my teen students had their graduation lunch and chose quiche as one of their buffet menu items. Since our time to cook on graduation day is a bit more limited, I made the crust dough ahead and refrigerated it so that when the kids arrived they could roll out and blind bake them immediately. They then proceeded with the recipe, making the filling, baking the filled quiche, and then going back to the beginning to make the crust dough, so they had the experience of actually making the recipe in its entirety. So what’s the point of me telling you all that back-story? The point is, I then had two disks of dough in my refrigerator – hence my utter brilliance in making these lovely wild mushroom tarts for Father’s Day to go with our Steak au Poivre.

You will notice from the photos that I decided to make three rectangular tarts, while the recipe instructs to make a 9-inch round tart. That is because I had two sets of dough and I also knew that with my limited freezer space – two long ones would fit much better than a big old round one.  I have to say, in general, I really do like the rectangle pans better than the round.  You never have to worry about the center of the crust becoming soggy and they are easier to cut and to serve. So if you enjoy making sweet and/or savory tarts, you might consider investing in this great size and shape too.

Now, as for the wild mushrooms, use whatever type you like. Costco sells a large container of wild mushroom mix and also a large bag (as you’ll see pictured here) of dried shiitake mushrooms. And just about all grocery stores sell small packages in either their produce or gourmet sections, as does Trader Joe’s.  That reminds me, when do you suppose Costco and Trader Joe’s are going to start paying me for all the free advertising I give them here?!? Wishful thinking… love ‘em both anyhow!

Wild Mushroom-Gruyere Tart

Crust
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons (about) ice water

Filling
1 cup water
1 ounce dried wild mushrooms
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
10 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup peeled and minced shallots
2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
3 tablespoons minced fresh herbs (such as thyme, tarragon, sage, etc), divided
3/4 cup whipping cream
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
2/3 cup grated Gruyere cheese, divided

Crust: Blend flour and salt in processor. Cut in butter using the pulse button until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add enough ice water to just bring dough together.  Gather dough into into a disk. Wrap in plastic, chill 45 minutes.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into an 11-inch round and fit into a 9-inch tart pan, trimming excess dough. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Filling: Bring 1 cup water to boil in saucepan. Add wild mushrooms; remove from heat and let stand 30 minutes. Using slotted spoon, remove mushrooms from liquid; pour soaking liquid through a cheesecloth lined strainer into a clear glass bowl or measuring cup and set aside. Coarsely chop mushrooms.

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over high heat.  Add chopped wild mushrooms and sliced white mushrooms.  Season with salt and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes.

Add shallots and sauté 2 minutes.  Add Cognac and the reserved mushroom soaking liquid. Boil until almost all liquid is absorbed and evaporated, about 3 minutes. Mix in 1 tablespoon of the minced herbs. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line crust with foil.  Fill with pie weights and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights and return to oven until crust is golden, for about 10 minutes.  Maintain oven temperature.

While the crust bakes, make the custard filling. In a medium bowl whisk cream, yolks, egg and remaining 2 tablespoons herbs. Set custard aside.

When crust is golden, remove from oven and sprinkle 1/3 cup cheese onto the bottom of the crust.  Cover with mushrooms.  Pour custard over mushrooms.  Top with remaining cheese.  Bake until filling is set and top is golden, about 30 minutes.

Cool on rack 15 minutes, then and serve.

Serves 8

Steak au poivre is French for pepper steak. It is a classic French dish and traditionally uses filet mignon, but any high quality cut of beef you prefer is fine to use. I served this on Father’s Day for my own wonderful father, Gene Otter, and my husband and the wonderful father to our children, Dave. Those two dads prefer the manlier bone-in ribeye to the filet, so that is what I used. The peppercorns form a crust on the steak and make a wonderful contrast to the rich and creamy brandy sauce that accompanies it. In France, common side dishes are mashed potatoes or pommes frites (French fries), but we went with another French classic, a wild mushroom tart (tomorrow’s recipe) and our house favorite, Parmesan asparagus. Good stuff all the way around!

Steak au Poivre

4 (1-inch-thick) bone-in ribeye steaks
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup peeled and finely minced shallots
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, divided in half
1/2 cup Cognac or other brandy
3/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Pat steaks dry and season both sides with salt.

Coarsely crush peppercorns in a mortar and pestle or in a sealed zip-lock bag with a meat pounder or with the bottom of a heavy skillet, then press crushed pepper evenly onto both sides of steaks.

Heat a large heavy skillet over medium high heat until hot, then add oil, swirling skillet, and sauté the steaks in 2 batches, turning over only once, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to a baking sheet and keep warm in the preheated oven while making the sauce.

Pour off fat from skillet, then add shallots and 2 tablespoons of the butter to skillet and cook over meduim low heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits (the fond), until the shallots are well-browned, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add Cognac using extreme caution; it may ignite (if it does, immediately turn off flame and remove from heat, until flames subside) and boil, stirring, until liquid is reduced to a glaze, about 3 minutes. Add cream and any meat juices accumulated on the baking sheet and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, anther 3 minutes, or so. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and cook over low heat, whisking, until butter is incorporated. Pour sauce over steaks and serve immediately.

Serves 4

I found  out today that I am older than the fajita. This makes me seriously depressed! I can deal with being older than say; cell phones, laptops, GPS, and a wide assortment of of technological gizmos or even the microplane zester!  But older than fajitas… that’s just not right!

According to Wikipedia, “ Sonny Falcon is believed to have operated the first commercial fajita taco stand at a weeklong outdoor event in Kyle, Texas,  in 1969 (let’s just say I was already in elementary school by then). He also went to rodeos, fairs, and outdoor festivals selling his fajita taco. An Austin reporter christened him ‘The Fajita King’ and Falcon was able to trademark the name.” And according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word fajita is not known to have appeared in print until 1971 (at least I was still in grade school at the time).

Originally only skirt steak was used for this Tex-Mex icon, but today, popular meats include chicken, pork, shrimp, and just about all cuts of beef.  As an example; my sister Sloane had boneless bottom round on hand, so she marinated it overnight and we grilled that up for a quick and delicious fajita dinner. Thank you Sloane, and I have to say that the Dos Equis and my winning our 7 person/3 hour marathon of Mexican Train Dominoes did relieve a tiny bit of my new found realization about just how old I am!

Sloane’s Fajitas

Juice of 6 limes
1/4 canola oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

4 pounds boneless bottom round, thinly sliced across the grain
1 of each; red, yellow, and orange bell peppers; seeded, cored, and sliced
1 large sweet onion, peeled and thickly sliced

10 flour tortillas, wrapped in foil
2 avocado, peeled and diced
Pico de gallo
Sour cream

In a medium bowl blend together the lime juice, oil, garlic, vinegar, cilantro, sugar, red pepper flakes and cumin. Pour 3/4 of the mixture into a 1 gallon zipper-style bag and add the beef, seal and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or even overnight is fine. Pour the remaining 1/4 of the mixture in another gallon zipper bag and add the bell peppers and onions, refrigerate and marinate at least 1 hour.

Prepare a grill to medium-high heat.  Remove the beef from the marinate and grill directly on the rack, discard the marinade. Cook about 4 minutes per side. Meanwhile remove the vegetables from their marinate and place them in a grill basket and cook for about 6 or 7 minutes until the vegetables are just barely limp and beginning to char slightly.

While the peppers and onions are cooking, place the foil wrapped tortillas on the grill to heat though.  When all is cooked and heated; serve by topping warm tortillas with a few slices of beef, peppers and onions. Top with avocado, pico de gallo, and sour cream. Roll up the tortillas to enclose the filling and enjoy.

Makes 10

Tomorrow, the previously long-promised limoncello dessert recipe will appear!  In the meantime, I thought you might enjoy a couple limoncello cocktail recipes to tide you over and enhance the long holiday weekend.

As for me – I am still trying to catch up from the exceedingly relaxing and lazy vacation. After spending a week at an all inclusive beach resort where we had our own butler to fulfill our every wish, it’s been an adjustment getting back into the swing of it. On top of that, summer kid’s class begin on Tuesday, so I’ve been turning over the kitchen and grocery shopping like crazy for the last couple days. I really could use a little cocktail for myself! Above is one last picture from our magical week – dinner at the teppanyaki style Japanese restaurant.  Aw, good times!

Limoncello Mojito

1 handful fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup chilled limoncello
2 tablespoon superfine sugar
1/3 cup chilled club soda
Mint leaves, garnish
Lemon wedges, garnish

In a cocktail shaker, put a small handful mint leaves, add fresh lemon juice and superfine sugar.  Use a muddle to mash well.  Add a large handful or scoop of ice and shake vigorously. Strain, dividing into two high ball glasses.  Add 1/4 cup limoncello to each glass and divide club soda between the glasses. Stir eachand garnish with mint and lemon wedges.

Serves 2

Italian AriZona Iced Tea

1/4 cup chilled limoncello
Ice
AriZona brand diet green tea with ginseng
Lemon wedge, garnish

Pour limoncello into a high ball glass, fill glass to the brim with ice. Top off with iced tea. Stir and garnish with a lemon wedge.

Serves 1

Today is my baby’s 19th birthday! We’re spending it in Turks & Caicos on our family vacation. Our suite includes butler service and our butlers, Minto and Ellen, made the day extra special. While we were out getting spa treatments, they hooked up our room with a full blown party.

It included an array of towel sculptures, champagne, birthday cake, appetizers, iPod blasting reggae music,  a “dance instructor”, Minto’s signature drink – the “Equalizer”, and even girls from across the way! Currently, Connor is back at the spa getting his final treatment of the day, a tropical massage, before heading out for sushi dinner. Happy Birthday, Connor! We love you!

Graduation was wonderful! We stayed at the Marriott Starr Pass Resort in Tucson, which was beautiful. Had a celebratory dinner at J Bar after the big event, which was beyond delicious. Went back to the girls’ house for a dessert party after dinner, which was the perfect way to end the night. Then the next day, we were able to spend a relaxing morning with our graduate at the resort pool and then had a fun lunch at Frog & Firkin (a University of Arizona hang-out) before heading back to Phoenix.  All in all – a momentous and memorable weekend!  To keep with the theme of relaxation and ease, here’s an “easy-breezy” and versatile dish that can be used as an impressive appetizer or a quick dinner. To make it a meal, just toss with cooked linguini or spaghetti and add garlic bread.

Shrimp and Olive Salad

36 peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp with tails left intact
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
36 pitted Kalamata olives
2 cups diced seeded tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven broiler to high. Line a baking dish with foil. Lay shrimp in a single layer on foil, drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with oregano. Toss to coat well.  Broil for 3 minutes on one side, remove from oven and turn over, broil other side for 2 to 3 minutes until pink and cooked through. Set aside to come to room temperature.

In a large bowl combine olives, tomatoes, parsley, remaining 1/4 olive oil, lemon zest and juice. Add shrimp and toss to blend.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Serves about 12