Pignolatti and the St. Joseph Altar

OK, so it's taking me a little longer than I thought to finish documenting the St. Joseph Altar. Sorry about that. I do feel it is important to document the traditions of the past, so these recipes WILL get posted - eventually. And if you're interested, I created an entire photobook of the Altar. I have lots of pictures of the food and some recipes, but in the case of something like the Pignolatti, my few pictures don't do it justice. This post will be much more comprehensive. So, here we go.

These Sicilian cookies are so named because they resemble pinecones when they are finished. They are meant to symbolize the pinecones that Jesus played with as a child. I've seen it spelled Pignolatti and Pignolata, and it is pronounced pee-nyoh-LAH-tah. These are different from the Pinolate cookies you might be thinking about, but those can be included on the Altar, too. These are deep fried, hard, crunchy, sugar-coated piles of goodness.

There are two main parts to this recipe - the cookies, and then the coating and shaping of the cookies. The cookies themselves can be made a few days in advance if necessary, and must be completely cooled before moving to the next step. This recipe is HUGE and created a few of gallons worth of cookies (pictured to the right and in step 3 below), but you will be surprised at how fast you can go through the cookies once you start coating and shaping them. The cookies are pretty neutral flavored and you could certainly eat them just as they are - they are not sugary or sweet and just give you a taste of mild, comforting homemade goodness.

And this is definitely a recipe where you can't have too many cooks in the kitchen. You simply can't do this recipe with one or two people. Three, maybe. Four to six, even better.

The next step is when the fun comes in. You'll need a little extra equipment as I've listed below - the most important being a marble or granite slab - or something completely heat proof that the very hot sugar will not melt or radiate through. You'll be dumping hot, melted sugar straight onto it.

1. Melt the sugar until it is light golden brown and very liquid.


2. Pour cookies into melted sugar and remove from heat. Stir cookies until all coated.


3. Pour cookies onto oil-coated marble slab.


4. Begin to work quickly separating cookies into small piles. You can see that each person used two spoons to pull the cookies away and then push them into small piles. The sugar is still too hot at this point to use your hands.


5. Dip your hands in ice cold water and use your hands to begin shaping the piles of cookies into small pyramids - squeezing them together so the sugar will hold them together. Or use a metal funnel and stack the cookies inside. If the sugar starts burning your hands, quickly dip them back in the cold water and then start shaping again. (Try to dry your hands a little bit because too much water will keep the sugar from sticking together.)


6. Top with sprinkles before the sugar hardens.


7. You'll probably need to wash your hands and hopefully they didn't get too burned.

Pignolatti
5 cups all-purpose flour
9 eggs
Shortening for deep frying
2 cups sugar (several times over, at least 5)
Candy sprinkles

Oil
Large slab of marble or granite
Bowls of ice and water for hands
Spoons to separate dough
Metal funnels for shaping

Add beaten eggs to flour. Work with hands until a stiff, smooth dough is formed. Cut off small portions of dough and roll into pencil-like rolls. Cut into 1/4 inch pieces and fry in shortening until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and allow to cool completely. These can be made ahead of time and stored in airtight container.

Coat marble and inside of funnels with thin layer of oil. Melt sugar on low heat in very heavy pan (like cast iron, preferably not non-stick). Stir constantly so it doesn't burn. Cook until sugar is dissolved and has reached "string" stage. (Sugar will be liquid and turn medium-brown.) Remove from heat and quickly place two cups of fried dough into sugar and stir well until all pieces are coated.

Pour dough onto marble slab. Quickly use spoons to pull several pieces of dough together. Use funnels or hands to shape pieces into a pyramid shape. SUGAR IS VERY HOT. Dip hands in cold water frequently , but try to avoid wetting the dough too much because the pieces will not stick to each other. Sprinkle with candy sprinkles before sugar hardens. Move cookies to a parchment-covered cookie sheet for cooling.


A special thanks to my mom (Cheryl), her friends - Diane, Teeda, and Cheryl - and their spouses for inviting me to be part of this cookie-making tradition!!

St. Joseph Altar - The Italian Catholic Tradition

Chances are if you're not Italian and you're not Catholic and you're not from New Orleans, you've probably never heard of a St. Joseph's Altar. They are popular in pockets around the country (including the Chicago area), but the tradition thrives in the Italian Catholic community in New Orleans. On my recent trip to New Orleans, I had the wonderful experience of participating in a St. Joseph Altar, and over the next few days I hope to share some of the traditions and recipes with you.

This altar was very special to me. Some wonderful family friends wanted to host this altar and ask St. Joseph to heal my father's cancer. So many people worked for weeks making plans for the altar, baking THOUSANDS of traditional Italian cookies, simmering gallons of tomato sauce, chopping pounds upon pounds of olives for homemade olive salad, stuffing hundreds of favor bags, and asking for donations to feed more than 500 who were expected to come to the altar.

The origin of the altar to St. Joseph is said to have begun in Italy when the people of Sicily prayed to St. Joseph to save them from famine. When the rains finally came and the crops flourished, the people showed their appreciation with their most prized possessions - food.

Today, people host a St. Joseph Altar to ask St. Joseph for a favor or blessing, or in thanksgiving for a favor received. Almost everything on the altar is based in tradition. All items are donated by the hosts or community - upholding the tradition of "begging for donations." All food is given away to those attending. Any money raised from candles or petitions or donations is given to the poor.

In addition to setting up this elaborate display of breads and desserts, the altar also feeds anyone who come to pray to St. Joseph. The food at the altar includes no meat, probably because St. Joseph's day falls during lent or the fact that meat was scarce in Sicily after the famine. Our altar served more than 500 people who enjoyed Pasta Milanese, crawfish pie, stuffed artichokes, olive salad, green bean and artichoke casserole, fresh bread and so much more.

FAVA BEANS
Everyone who visits a St. Joseph Altar wants to take home a fava bean, or lucky bean. History states that during the famine in Sicily, the fava bean thrived while other crops withered and died. Tradition holds that whoever carries the lucky bean will always have money in her pocket or food in her pantry. They also serve as a reminder to pray to St. Joseph. As a child I remember my grandmother having a small collection of fava beans in her wallet and on her nightstand.

A large bowl of fava beans was placed next to the altar with small stacks of prayer cards. By the end of the evening, the bowl was almost empty. Beans were also placed in the "goodie bags" that were available. The bags also had a pieces of blessed bread (which you should throw outside in a storm to calm the skies), several Italian cookies (recipes to come later) and a St. Joseph prayer card.


BREAD
Blessed bread is a very important part of the altar. Not only are their full loaves of bread, but much of the bread is baked into symbolic shapes, such as crosses and animals.

Over the next few days, I'll be posting some traditional recipes and more photos of the altar. I hope you'll be back!!

Here we go again!

Wow! Where does the time go? All you gals with full-time jobs, full-time families and full-time blogs are my heroes. Sometimes I feel like I'm getting a whole lotta nothing done. I have a backlog of posts in my head and I really want to get them together. I have a ton of things to work on for the deli and a couple of personal projects going on too. I say this all the time - I'm living my life in two hour increments - enough time to keep afloat, but not enough time to concentrate and really focus on something.

But here's where I embrace it all. Make the most of it. Git 'r done. (Ugh! Did I just say that?) It's that little thing called time management that I've been chasing after since college. Coincidentally, today also marks the first day I am really back on my low-carb diet after a two week hiatus because of a long weekend in New Orleans and my kids' Spring Break. So I'm recommitting to everything today. Using my time more wisely. Making healthier choices. Being a little more patient. Striving to be more productive. Who's with me?

Just sayin'

Dear Waiter in Fancy Restaurant,
Please don't tell me that you'll substitute my side dish for another side dish and then charge me for the other side dish. It makes me look and feel like a cheap bitch for questioning $3.95 on a $140.00 bill (which I didn't), and you look like a schmuck who can't get the bill straight (and just leave a bitter taste in my mouth after those delicious scallops).
Thank you.
Kristin

No Knead Bread - Everybody's Doing It

I think I have OCBD. Obsessive Compulsive Bread Disorder. Maybe that's what happens when you've been on a low carb diet for nine months. The other day when I saw that recipe for Cuban bread, I couldn't resist and wound up making three loaves. Now I'm obsessed with this No-Knead Bread. I know lots of foodie blogs have made this recipe from the New York times, and as I was kneading and kneading the Cuban bread, I started thinking about the no-knead recipe.

Before I could even Google it, a chef friend of mine in Portland (Brendan) sent me his version of the recipe. I'm going to copy and paste it word for word because he has some good ideas about the flours and how to make the recipe work.

The only real difference between Brendan's recipe and the NY Times recipe is that second rise. Now that I've made this loaf several times, I don't think it makes a huge difference, but without the rise the loaf is a little more dense, and with the rise you get bigger holes. The crust is A-MA-ZING either way.

For my first loaf I used 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup bread flour, 1/2 cup Ground Flax Seed Meal and 1/2 cup Almond Meal. I would recommend a teeny bit less water for this combination. My second loaf was 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 bread flour. My next loaf (on the counter as I type this is all regular flour with about a teaspoon or two of dried garlic and dried oregano. I want my next loaf to be all grainy with seeds and nuts, but I'm going to have to wait a little while longer while I'm trying to stick to my low-carb diet.

So, why am I making all of this bread when I'm on a low-carb diet? I have no idea. I think it has something to do with the fact that I have gotten bored with indoor, winter, low-carb, meat and vegetable cooking, that I need a creative outlet. I've given away a couple of loaves to friends and neighbors and my kids have eaten a good portion of it. Of course I've tasted along the way, but I'm trying to keep it to a minimum. No weight gained so far, just slow losing. Still hanging out around 33-34 pounds.

(1/2 whole wheat flour, 1/2 white flour)

NO-KNEAD BREAD

TOOLS: bowl, large (like 3-4 qts min.)
Spoon, large & strong (I like wood for bread rather than metal)
Plastic Wrap
Measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Oven safe baking vessel w/ good fitting lid- like a 2-3 quart Corningware or enamel coated cast iron w/ lid, or a SMALL Dutch oven. Do NOT try w/ foil as lid- will not work- needs a proper lid

INGREDIENTS:
.25 tsp Yeast, active dry (sounds like not enough, but trust me- it’s plenty)
1.25 tsp Salt (I prefer Kosher salt)
3 cups Flour**** see notes below- esp for Health
1 5/8 cups Water (sometimes a little more [not critical to be exact as more is OK]- see flour notes)
.5 tsp **cornmeal OR rolled oats OR dry cous cous OR wheat bran…(see note in 3rd paragraph of METHOD section)

METHOD:
Combine salt, flour(s), yeast in bowl & stir well. Add water all at once (but somewhat slowly). Stir to combine & wet all flour- usually about 15-20 stir/folds will do. Cover w/ plastic wrap and place on a counter for 12-18 hours. (18 only in winter, really). Should be about double original size.

Preheat to 425-450*F. Place baking vessel (without lid, for now) in oven to get intensely hot- like at least 10-15 minutes at temperature.

Remove vessel from oven. Sprinkle **cornmeal (or other choice from above) around bottom of pan (simply acting as a dessicant to make removal from pan that much easier later on). NOW, working rather quickly so pan doesn’t cool down too much, pour/scrape your dough into the vessel using wooden spoon to help get it out of bowl. If dough does not spread easily, gently shake baking vessel a little bit to disperse. Place vessel back into oven & cover w/ room temperature lid. Close oven & bake for 25 minutes (same temp). After 25 minutes, open oven and remove lid & bake about 25 minutes more. Remove pan from oven and tip loaf out (should come easily). IMPORTANT- place the loaf (using towel as it is HOT) on a cooling rack for at least 90 minutes. If you are w/out a cooling rack, improvise something to aerate the loaf. Store in same container you baked it in after cooling (b/c it fits there!) for up to 4 days before it starts to go stale. Freezes well too.
Enjoy!

NOTES ON FLOUR-
You do not need bread flour- All purpose works fine (bread flour works also though)
Personally, for health & flavor reasons, I like to mix in different flours.
My standard is 1 cup All Purpose, 1 cup whole wheat flour, ½ cup rye flour, and a ½ cup wheat bran (the actual bran of the wheat kernel- not a cereal- look in bulk section of good grocer for it) As long as it adds up to about 3 cups total, you can’t go wrong.
I also add to this healthy version 2 TBS Sunflower seeds and 1 TBS flax seed in the initial mixing- raise up that good cholesterol and add fiber….
--Courtesy of Chef Brendan from the Bronx in Portland :)

(whole wheat flour, white flour, flax seed, almond meal)

Cuban Bread

Well this sure isn't good for my low carb diet. I don't know what got into me, but when i saw this recipe in the Chicago Tribune, I couldn't resist. And fair warning, not only did I make this bread, but I made three loaves. My kids gobbled down the first loaf, so I decided to make a double recipe. I have a neighbor who takes his snow blower and clears the sidewalks around the entire block - I thought he was deserving of a fresh loaf. The last loaf was for my husband and kids, again. And I ate some too. :)

The best thing about this bread was the crispy crust. The inside was dense and really tasty - the kind of bread that you want to dip in olive oil or smear with butter. I think the next time I make this recipe, I'm going to add some rosemary to the dough.

I'm still trucking along on the low carb diet. I gained a few pounds this past weekend after taking the kids out for fried fish at Del Rhea, making tortelini to go with some almond meal-coated shrimp (recipe coming) and a few glasses of wine. But I've gotten to the gym every day this week and I'm drinking lots of water. I've given myself plenty of time to lose the next 10. I'm headed to New Orleans in two weeks, so before then I'm going to try and be really dedicated. Because what you eat in New Orleans, doesn't stay in New Orleans. It stays on my butt :)


Cuban bread

CUBAN BREAD from the Chicago Tribune

This recipe doubles easily. The extra loaf freezes well; thaw it at room temperature for several hours. Wrap in thick foil and warm in a hot oven for 10 minutes before serving.

2 envelopes active dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)

2 1/2 to 3 cups flour (I used three)

Cornmeal

Dissolve the yeast, sugar and salt in 1/2 cup of the warm water in a small bowl. Let stand until bubbly.

Mix the remaining 1/2 cup water with 1/2 cup of the flour in large bowl until smooth. Stir in the yeast mixture until smooth. Stir in 2 cups of the remaining flour until soft dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead, adding remaining 1/2 cup flour as needed to form a slightly stiff dough, about 10 minutes.

Put dough into a large oiled bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 2 hours.

Turn the dough out onto the board. Punch down slightly; form into a round loaf. Lightly oil a baking sheet; sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaf on sheet. Score an X into the top of the loaf. Cover; let rise about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a kettle of water to a boil. Place bread in cold oven. Place a large baking pan on the shelf below the bread. Pour the boiling water into the pan. Close the oven; heat to 400 degrees. Bake until golden and bottom sounds hollow when tapped, about 35-40 minutes. Cool on wire rack at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition information: Per serving: 205 calories, 3 percent of calories from fat, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 43 g carbohydrates, 6 g protein, 584 mg sodium, 2 g fiber

Traditional New Orleans King Cake

I know today is Mardi Gras and I should have posted this last week, but I wanted to get it up before it was completely out of season! The King Cake is a Mardi Gras delicacy! Officially you can start buying and serving them on the day after Twelfth Night (January 6) through Mardi Gras day, but you can pretty much order them online all year 'round, but that just wouldn't be right. :)

Buying them in New Orleans is cheap ($6 - $15), but getting them delivered around the country gets expensive (upwards of $50). I get one delivered every year (thanks, mom!) for my Mardi Gras party, which this year was actually a Saints' superbowl party. But I was having a big crowd this year so thought I'd try making my own to have another on hand.

This recipe (adapted from here) is what I would consider an old-fashioned king cake (like the old McKenzie's if you know what I'm talking about), not like the Randazzo's filled danish-like King Cake that I love so much.

TRADITIONAL KING CAKE
1/2 cup warm water (100-115 F)
2 tablespoons yeast
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 teaspoons
3 1/2 - 4 cup flour
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest (I didn't use this)
1/2 cup warm milk
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup butter (softened)
2 teaspoons cinnamon (I used about 4 or 5, mixed with a a Tbls of sugar)

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash

Sprinkle yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar over warm water in a small, shallow bowl. Allow to rest for 3-5 minutes, then mix thoroughly. Set bowl in a warm, draft-free place until yeast starts to bubble up and mixture almost doubles in volume, about 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, mix 3 1/2 C flour, 1/2 cup sugar, nutmeg, lemon zest and salt. In mixing bowl of a heavy duty electric mixer or food processor, combine yeast , milk and egg yolks. Gradually add dry ingredients, and softened butter, adding additional flour, as necessary to achieve a medium-soft ball. Knead dough, again adding flour if necessary, until smooth, shiny and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Place dough in a covered, buttered bowl , in a warm, draft-free place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. In the meantime, butter a large baking sheet and set aside. When dough has risen, remove and punch down. Sprinkle with cinnamon and form into a cylinder, then twist this cylinder into a circle. Pinch the ends together to complete the circle. Once again, cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 375° F. Brush top and sides of cake with egg wash and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack completely before hiding baby doll inside or icing and decorating. Cover with icing (below) and then sprinkle with purple, green and gold sugar.

ICING (My own recipe)
3 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 block cream cheese, melted
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar, cream cheese and vanilla together. Add water slowly until desired consistency is achieved. Should be fairly thick and not runny.

Muffuletta Crisps - A Low Carb Mardi Gras

The title of this post is complete sacrilege - a low-carb Mardi Gras. Whaaaa? If you've ever been to New Orleans, you know that the day (and the week before) is filled with Popeye's Fried Chicken, New Orleans Original Daiquiris and King Cake. Good thing I'm not in New Orleans this year - that's how I blew my low-carb start to last year. And I didn't have my Mardi Gras party this year because I had a Saints Superbowl party instead. So all is good in my little low-carb world.

Have you had a Muffuletta? You'll usually hear it pronounced "muff-uh-LOT-uh," but some people (like my mom) say "moo-foo-LET-ta." Either way, it is a giant sandwich, more than capable of feeding 2-4 people. Arguably the most crucial part of the sandwich is the bread, a dense, large, flat sesame seed bun about 10 inches across. It is split and then filled with Capicola, Genoa Salami, Mortadella, and Emmentaler and Provolone cheeses. It is all topped with salty, oily olive salad.

My Muffuletta Crisps are an easy, low carb way to bring a little New Orleans to your diet. You can prepare the salami a day in advance in you'd like.



MUFFULETTA CRISPS
1 lb. Salami, sliced(about 30 slices) (Genoa optional)
1 jar Olive Salad or Giardiniera, drained
1/2 cup finely shredded Provolone.

Place salami slices on baking sheet and bake in 375 oven for 8-10 minutes. (Salami will crisp like bacon and shrink in to small "bowls." Edges will be darker. Remove from baking sheet and drain on paper towels. After cooling, place salami on serving platter and fill each bowl with olive salad. Sprinkle all with provolone cheese.

Optional: Before baking you can top each piece of salami with a small slice of Capicola ham for an extra layer of meat.

Almond Meal Bread

O . . . M . . . G. It's me. I can't believe it has been so long since I've blogged. I have a ton of photos I've taken of the food I've made over the past few months, but just haven't sat down long enough to write anything.

Despite the last few blog posts you see for cupcakes and frosting, I have been sticking pretty well to my low-carb diet. And that's part of the problem. Chicken and vegetables is not an exciting thing to blog about. But what IS exciting to blog about is that I've lost 34 pounds (since June 2009)!!! And if you count the last 8 pounds that I've lost over and over since Thanksgiving, I've probably lost 237! :) Just this past Thursday I hit my goal weight and I've decided to lose ten more. I went from a size 14 to a size 8, and I'm even wearing a pair of size 6 jeans. In addition to the low-carb diet, I'm doing at least 30 minutes of cardio just about every day, plus some simple hand-weight lifting.

I'm still staying away from bread, pasta, rice, sugar, and potatoes. But I saw a few recipes lately using Almond Meal or Almond Flour. Almond Meal is finely ground almonds and Almond Flour is the same but with the oil removed. I've read that they are pretty much interchangeable. I picked up a bag at Trader Joe's and I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with it, until I saw this recipe.

ALMOND FLOUR BREAD

-3 1/2 cups Almond Flour (I used Almond Meal)
-3 eggs
-1/4 cup melted butter
-1 tsp. baking soda
-1 cup yogurt
-1/4 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients together. Bake in 350 F oven for about 45 min. (I think I went closer to an hour). Let cool almost completely in pan to ensure it stays together.

I served it with this:
HONEY BUTTER
4 Tbls. Butter (softened)
1 Tbls. Honey

Mix together well. Serve on bread or vegetables.

Well I don't have a carb count for either of these, but I know that the bread has WAY fewer carbs than regular bread, and the honey is the butter is all carbs. So unlike some of those ways that I've tried to replace carbs with look-a-like carbs (like spaghetti squash for spaghetti), this was REALLY good. The bread was moist and nutty. I used almond meal that included the almond husk, which you can see in the bread. If you can find it, shelled and unblanched almond meal will make a lighter colored bread.

I've got a couple more low-carb posts coming your way. But then I'll have no choice but to blog about king cake and brownies. :)

Chocolate Buttermilk Frosting

Remember those cupcakes I made a couple of weeks ago? And how I wound up making WAY too many? Well, rather than give them all away, I stashed a dozen in the freezer just waiting for an excuse, I mean, opportunity to come along to enjoy them. And since most of the cupcakes were wasted in the undiscriminating palates of 6 yr. olds, I wanted to make sure these were topped off well and would be completely appreciated. And surprisingly, as much as I love baking and cooking, I had never made a frosting from scratch. Why? I don't know - must have something to do with the allure of those little-plastic-easy-to-use tubs.

I still had some buttermilk left over from making the cupcakes, and knew that it would make for a very rich and creamy frosting. My friends requested chocolate, so chocolate it would be.

CHOCOLATE BUTTERMILK FROSTING
1/4 cup butter
3 1/2 Tbls. unsweetened cocoa powder
3 Tbls. buttermilk
2 1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine butter, cocoa and buttermilk in a saucepan. Bring just to the boiling point. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Slowly add 2 cups of powdered sugar while stirring well. Add remaining powdered sugar until frosting reaches desired consistency.

Lesson learned: Be sure to sift the powdered sugar or there will be little lumps in the icing, but it will still taste just as good.

And once again, one of my kids ate only the icing and one of my kids ate only the frosting. At least the adults enjoyed the cupcakes to the fullest.

P.S. - I frosted this cupcake myself. Isn't it cute?!

P.P.S. - Check out my story on honey marinades at Trib Local.

Great Seasonings from French Market Produce

The New Orleans French Market has been around for nearly 300 years. It is much more than a flea market. You can find local artists, jewelry, handbags, clothing, souvenirs, food and so much more on the couple of hundred of tables that line the pavilion. Although fewer vendors have been at the French Market since Katrina hit, on Saturday and Sunday they are almost back up to pre-storm levels.

All summer long I've been using these great seasonings I picked up at the French Market. Let me state upfront that I bought these seasonings just like everyone else - no freebies here. (But if some fabulous company (hint, hint) offered to send me some of their fabulous products to try and/or give away, I wouldn't turn them down :) ) I just want you to know that I found these on my own and decided to write a review on my own.

French Market Produce is not a new company, but I believe these seasonings are (along with their cute logo). I have three of the five varieties - Killer Tomato Seasoning, Sea Lime Tro, and Garlic King. The remaining two are Boogalee Fleur De Lis, and Red Beans and Ricely Yours. At $6.50 a pop, they are a little expensive, so I might pick up the other two on my next trip in November.

With all of the fabulous tomatoes I've been growing this summer, I knew I had to have the Killer Tomato Seasoning. It's the one I've used the most. It is a coarse grind of Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Vinegar Powder, Basil and Cayenne. It was so great sprinkled right on my fresh tomatoes. The vinegar powder gives it a little tang that I love!

What I love the most about the Sea Lime Tro and the Garlic King is that they are a very fine grind. When I sprinkle them on meat, they practically melt. They do have a tendency to make me sneeze, but it's a good sneeze. The Sea Lime Tro seasoning is a combo of Sea Salt, Lime Juice Powder, Chipotle Chili Powder, Pepper, Garlic, Citric Acid, Cilantro, and Lemon Oil (plus Silica Dioxide). The first thing I tried it on was grilled Mahi - it was fabulous. I've also had it on Tilapia and I'm sure it would compliment any fish. The Garlic King is a little more basic - just Garlic, Black Pepper, Onion, Crushed Chili & Parsley. I've used it on pork, burgers and chicken.

You can order these online or pick them up while you're in the French Market. They'll also sell you the creole tomatoes to put the seasoning on (in season, of course).

Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes

It's birthday time at our house, so I've been busy baking. We had both a family party and kindergarten girls party for my 6-year-old. Cake at the first party, cupcakes at the second and cookies (posted later) for the goodie bags. I wanted to make the Martha Stewart buttermilk cupcakes, but it was a huge recipe that made 36. I really only needed 12 and I was having trouble with the math!! I found this recipe at Baking Bites and ultimately decided to double it, just to make sure I had enough for the party. Kindergarteners love cupcakes!! But then I wound up making 36 cupcakes anyway. Ack!! Since I'm being really strong on my low-carb diet, I will be giving most of the rest away to my lucky neighbors. And I gave one to the mailman.


Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes (makes 12-24)
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour (I used cake flour)
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
¼ cup butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ tsp almond extract
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350F. Place liners in a 12 cup muffin tin. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until it looks creamy. Beat in the egg and the vanilla and almond extracts until mixture is smooth. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until almost combined. Add buttermilk and stir, again, until almost combined. Add the rest of the flour and stir until all ingredients are mixed in.

Divide batter evenly into muffin cups (2/3 full). Bake for 18-20 minutes at 350F, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool for 10 minutes and then remove from the muffin pan. Cool completely before frosting.

The above picture is my finished cupcakes (goodie bags in the background). They may not be as beautiful as store-bought, but I think the kindergarteners will love them just the same. The more icing, the better! And the batter came out very light and fluffy (I did have just one bite without the icing). This recipe would also make a great cake.

UPDATE - What a realized today is that most kindergarteners will eat only the cupcake or the icing, but not both. Making from-scratch cupcakes for little kids probably isn't necessary!! But I'm sure everyone else will appreciate them. :)

Pear and Cherry Cobbler

My friend Amy is the lucky recipient of pears that do not belong to her. Her neighbor has two pear trees and said he just really doesn't want to pick them any more. And I am lucky to have Amy as my friend. We left her house the other day with half a grocery bag of pears, and I just knew I would have to make a cobbler. Looking back now, I think I was more in the mood for a crumble, but this cobbler did just fine. And just about now you're saying, but Kristin, what about that low-carb diet? Yes, I did have a few bites, but I shared the majority with family and friends. A girl's gotta live, right?

PEAR AND CHERRY COBBLER
(picture is before cooking)

• 2 cups sliced pears
• 1/2 cup cherry pie filling
  
• 2 cups sugar, divided
• 1 stick butter
  
• 3/4 cup flour, 1 Tbls. flour
  
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 egg

Mix pears with 1 cup sugar and 1 Tbls. flour and let stand. Put butter in 2-quart casserole and place in 325° oven until melted. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and remaining 1 cup of sugar. Mix well. Whisk together the milk and egg; slowly pour the dry ingredients into the wet to make a batter. Pour the batter over the melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon pears over the batter. Put small spoonfuls of the cherry pie filling (trying to get more cherries than filling) over the pears. Do not stir. Bake at 325° for 50 to 60 minutes, or until light brown on top. Serve hot or cold with ice cream or whipped cream.

Of course, you can probably use just about any fresh fruit you like - peaches, cherries, apples, nectarines. And if I had given this dessert a little more forethought, I would have used fresh cherries and just put them in the sugar/flour mixture with the pears.

Spaghetti Squash Alfredo with Spinach and Tomato

This whole thing was an accident. It started when I put my bag of fresh baby spinach in the freezer rather than the refrigerator. Whoops. Guess I can't make a salad with that anymore. In case you didn't know, fresh spinach, when frozen shrinks up and gets very watery. Not very pretty.

And then my daughter put a spaghetti squash in the grocery basket thinking it was a cantaloupe or melon of some sort. I've made spaghetti squash once or twice before and I knew it was a great thing for my low-carb diet. I was just trying to figure out what to do with it.

Then I was moving things around in my pantry to make room for this week's groceries and found a jar of alfredo sauce. One thing led to another and yada, yada, yada . . . dinner. Because I used the jarred alfredo sauce and the spinach was already wilted, this did not take long to throw together. Just a little advanced time needed for the spaghetti squash. (Be sure to slide past the recipe for two cool things!)

SPAGHETTI SQUASH ALFREDO
WITH SPINACH, TOMATOES, AND CHICKEN

1 Spaghetti Squash
1 jar alfredo sauce (I used Classico)
1 bag (6 oz) baby spinach (fresh or accidentally frozen)
4 plum tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
1-2 cups chicken, chopped (I had leftover rotisserie chicken)

Cut squash in half and scrape out all seeds. Brush pulp with olive oil and cover in foil. Bake in 350 oven for about one hour. After cooking, use a fork to scrape out the pulp. Keep warm. In a saucepan over medium heat, pour in alfredo sauce. Add spinach and chicken and stir well. Heat 5-10 minutes. Add tomatoes, stir and immediately pour over spaghetti squash.

Lessons learned: If you're on a low-carb diet and want spaghetti squash to satisfy your craving for pasta, forget it. This meal was delicious, but next time I think I'll just pour the sauce over a piece of chicken.

OTHER NOTES:

My friend Mara over at What's For Dinner is having a yummy Alouette cheese prize giveaway. Be sure to check it out.

And I want to shout out a special thanks to Katie at Salt and Chocolate. I won a bottle of her homemade Bourbon Vanilla Extract. It smells SOOOO good. I can't wait to use it. Thanks!!

Blue Cheese Broccoli Slaw

Well, despite my last post, I am still working hard at my low-carb diet. I've hit a couple of minor bumps in the road, but am still down 20 pounds. Woooo hoooo!! But if I'm going to keep making dishes like this cole slaw, I'd better stay off the carbs. This is a pretty high fat dish, but it is SOOOOOO yummy. I was actually surprised at how good it came out. I served it with buffalo-seasoned chicken that I had in the crock pot all day.

I reviewed lots of blue cheese cole slaw recipes. Ina Garten's Blue Cheese Cole Slaw recipe has 13 ingredients and lots and lots of chopping. I'm sure it's good, but I don't have that kind of time. After looking at a few other recipes online, I came up with the following:

BLUE CHEESE BROCCOLI SLAW
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. sugar (I used Stevia equivalent)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 bag broccoli slaw (10 oz. I think)
5 oz. crumbled blue cheese

In a bowl, mix together mayo, sour cream, sugar, salt and pepper. Add broccoli slaw mix. Stir well. Add blue cheese and mix well. Chill for an hour or so for best flavor if you have time.

My New Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie

Everyone has their own personal favorite - some with more sugar, some with more chocolate chips, some with nuts. And even if you're not eating your favorite, chances are the one you're eating is still pretty good. Of course I'm talking about chocolate chip cookies. Ever since I watched that Alton Brown episode with the Flat, Puffy and Chewy chocolate chip cookies, I've tried lots of recipes, but strangely enough, not one of Alton's. Finally this weekend I tried two - the chewy and the puffy - both living up to their name. I'm going to have to say my favorite was the Puffy. No wait, the Chewy. Ok, the Puffy. Final answer.

I made minor changes to both and loved them, so I know the original recipes (below) will be great.

THE CHEWY

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used 3 tsp vanilla)
  
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used 1 cup white chocolate chips and 1 cup crushed oreo cookies)
  

Hardware:

• Ice cream scooper (#20 disher, to be exact)
• Parchment paper
• Baking sheets
• Mixer

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

THE PUFFY

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter-flavored shortening
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour (I used AP Flour)
  
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used 2 1/2 teaspoons)
  
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used chocolate chunks)
  

Hardware:

• Ice cream scooper (#20 disher, to be exact)
• Parchment paper
• Baking sheets
• Mixer

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the shortening, sugar, and brown sugar in the mixer's work bowl, and cream until light and fluffy. In the meantime, sift together the cake flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside.

Add the eggs 1 at a time to the creamed mixture. Then add vanilla. Increase the speed until thoroughly incorporated.

With the mixer set to low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the shortening and combine well. Stir in the chocolate chips. Chill the dough. Scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 per sheet. Bake for 13 minutes or until golden brown and puffy, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool and store in an airtight-container.

The results: The chewy cookies stayed chewy until the next day. They spread a lot so they were pretty thin and my chocolate chips and oreos seemed to pool in the middle. Maybe because I didn't chill enough. The puffy cookies were beautiful. They were amazing right out of the oven and were lightly crunchy, yet tender the next day. I love the chocolate chunks in them. The hard part about the Puffy is that you need shortening and cake flour, neither of which I normally have in the house.

Two More Honey Marinades

I'm still working my way through the honey we received from a friend the other day.

Here are two more marinades I created:

HONEY LEMON ROSEMARY
1/4 cup honey
Juice of three lemons
Zest of one lemon
2 Tbls. olive oil
1 Tbls. chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and Pepper to taste

HONEY TERIYAKI
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce (I used low-sodium)
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 Tbls chopped fresh ginger
2 Tbls. olive oil
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
8 chunks dried pineapple (Weird, I know, but we had a box of these lying around. I'm sure fresh pineapple would work just as well.)

The honey lemon marinade I used on bone-in chicken breasts. I put the honey teriyaki over pork tenderloin. I marinated it over night and then put the pork and the marinade in a crock pot for about 6 hours.

Tomato Herb Chicken

Tomato season has finally arrived in Chicago. Since we got so very little warm weather this summer, my tomatoes were taking forever to ripen. Slowly over the past few weeks, I've gotten quite the harvest of big yellow tomatoes, red cherry tomatoes and red roma tomatoes. Too bad I missed a bunch while we were on vacation.

Mostly I've been eating right off of the vine, raw with just a little salt and pepper, sometimes a little balsamic vinegar. But I just had so many cherry tomatoes, I just had to find some way to use them.

TOMATO HERB CHICKEN
3 cups Cherry Tomatoes, sliced in half
2-3 Tbls. chopped herbs (I used basil, oregano and chives)
3 Tbls. olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Toss all ingredients in a bowl. Spread tomatoes on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350. Pour tomatoes over cooked chicken breasts. Top with cheese. Return to oven until cheese is melted (about 3-5 minutes).

This was so simple and so delicious. The tomatoes were so sweet. This would be great over pasta, too, but since I'm on this low-carb diet, that means no pasta for me. It would also be fabulous on fish.

Stevia is my new best friend

Even though I haven't mentioned it in a while, I'm still on my low-carb diet. I started off all gung-ho in January, then a trip to Mardi Gras in February threw me off track for several months. I picked it back up seriously in mid-June, after another trip to New Orleans. It is really hard to not eat carbs in New Orleans - I miss the food so much and just about everything is fried or on a piece of french bread, or both. And the New Orleans Original Daiquiris is probably the worst offender - a great big styrofoam cup full of sugar-y alcohol laden goodness. Luckily when I went back in August, I was determined to stay carb free and passed up all of my favorites (mostly). Sugar-free snoballs were my worst vice.

I've given up diet soda, too. The carbonation, the coloring, the caffeine, the artificial sweetener. I just figured it wasn't doing me any favors. I was drinking mostly water with a little bit of Crystal Light thrown in for some variety. But this week, I decided to start making Green Tea Iced Tea - and. Green Tea is all the rage - Lipton, Snapple, all the big guys are making green tea - either with unsweetened or sweetened with sugar or fake sugar. As a southern girl, you know I need my tea sweet.

Some time ago I read about Stevia - a natural herb sweetener that was not readily available in the US, but had been around for hundreds of years. You could buy it at specialty stores and it was marked as a "food additive" rather than a sweetener (something to do with the FDA and sugar lobby, so I've read). Only recently has the FDA approved it.

Trader Joe's carries stevia in several forms - packets, powder, pills and liquid. Each form has a different strength so be sure to read the package and find out how much you need - probably a lot less than regular sugar. Stevia has no calories and no carbs. The packets (which are a mixture of stevia and a neutral powder) were fine for a while when I was putting them in a cup of tea, but now that I've moved on to quarts of iced tea, I bought the full strength powder. It comes with a teeny tiny scoop. The green tea iced tea is so refreshing - I really wish I would have had it all summer. I know most people know how to make iced tea, but I had to fool with the recipe a bit to get it the strength I like (which is pretty strong and average sweet). Here it is:

GREEN TEA ICED TEA
Bring one quart of water almost to a boil. Turn off heat. Add 6 green tea bags and steep for five minutes. Add 7 (teeny tiny) scoops or 6 packets of stevia. Stir well and pour into two quart pitcher. Add one quart cold water and stir well.

I've got lots more to say about stevia, but I will save that for another day. :)

Bloom Where You Are Planted

Last summer I made this little piece of yard art, using an old window from my Chicago-bungalow style house and stencils of my daughters' handprints. The butterflies and smaller flowers are actually my daughters' fingerprints.
If you can't read the top it says "Bloom Where You Are Planted." I can't seem to find the origin of the saying, but it is often used in a religious context and I take it to mean, sort of, do the best with what you have. This little window has been moved around our home a lot - it was in the front yard, it was near our back gate, and somehow earlier this summer it ended up on our patio. So it was only fitting that some little random plant decided to start growing right in front of it.

But it's not just a random plant - it is a tomato plant. We noticed a sprout growing in the cracks between the bricks of our patio. Now, I'm pretty sure I didn't plant a seed a there. We're not quite sure how it got there, but it really took to heart the saying on my little window . Here is the full photo of our tomato plant:
And not only has it gotten absolutely huge with almost no tender loving care, extra water, special support stakes or fertilizer, it has many, many tomatoes ready to turn color. I normally plant a variety of red and yellow tomatoes and I am hoping these are yellow grape tomatoes, but I really have no idea until they turn. And check out the actual base of this plant, just squeezed between the two bricks. I'm guessing there must be some strong roots heading straight down.

Makes me wonder how much more I can do with all I've been blessed with. If this plant can thrive in bricks for goodness sake, I can certainly prosper with the support of a loving family, a beautiful home and so many, many blessings. Here are a few lessons from my tomato plant.

1. Sometimes it doesn't matter where you are - even the rockiest road can be the beginning of an amazing transformation and growth.
2. Even without support, if you search deep enough, the nutrients are there for you to thrive and blossom.
3. A little bit of sunshine paired with a little rain can go a long way. You've got to face what comes along and go with what you've got.
4. Make the most of what you have and in the end your efforts will be rewarded.
5. Sometimes you just gotta do what the sign says - like it or not.

Enough philosophy from me. Back to recipes tomorrow. :)