Steps On the Journey - Archive

Seasoned and specialty salts- BACON SALT!

Posted by heidiannie in crafts | Recipes - (15 Comments)

I made these up for my family.

We were going to meet tonight to celebrate the fact that we are family.

And that we missed our time together over the holidays.

But there is a huge snowstorm on the way and possibly 9 1/2 inches of snow.

So- it may be a while before I get to give them these little tokens of love and

good taste!

Bacon salt, fine sea salt w/herbs de Provence, Vanilla

salt, and Black Hawaiian salt with hickory smoke.

Olive oils and balsamic vinegars.

Bacon, pink Himalayian salt, and 3 colored peppercorns.

I found the recipe here, on Chopinandmysaucepan.

I added just a bit to sauteed cauliflower and it was transformed!

Vanilla salt- Hawaiian red salt and vanilla beans- great

in cookies, salted caramel Anything, lightly salted on

sweet muffins.

Fine sea salt w/herbs de Provence.

This is great on pasta, in pizza dough, on any veg that needs

a little pizzazz!

Black salt with hickory smoke.

This is perfect on pork shoulder to make pulled pork.

Or rubbed onto turkey breast before roasting it.

All packaged up and ready to go

But I’m not going to see them tonight.

So- if you were supposed to be there tonight- I’ll try to get

them to you.

And if you are reading this and want one of these salts-

let me know and I’ll send some to two of you chosen randomly!

(in which)The doldrums give way to moments of p-p-p-Pleasure

Posted by heidiannie in BREAD! | Folksy | menus - (18 Comments)

Strange title, that.

But really descriptive.

I am in the midst of the mid-winter doldrums.

Depression. Down in the dumps.

The business of the holidays are over- and so is the magic and

mystery. We have celebrated both spiritually and physically-

met together and rejoiced with those we love.

And now everyone is scattered.

And it is January.

There is snow.

It is kind of beautiful, but it is also cold and I really hate when the sun shines

on snow- it’s blinding.

Today, however, I made a lunch up from various leftovers and it was very pleasing

to the palate and the ear.

Everything started with a P!

Fresh pineapple and pomegranate salad!

Potato soup!

Pulled Pork!

Pumpkin seeds or pepitas to garnish the soup and of course, my can of POP

(I know it is called soda in other parts of the world- but I call it pop)!

And my purple thumb from cleaning the seeds out of the pomegranate.

So- my alliterative luncheon gave me a moment of pure pleasure.

It happens that way sometimes.

BTW- did you notice the buns? Fresh bread also makes me happy!

What is making you happy today?

Meat and more meat.

Posted by heidiannie in menus | Recipes - (14 Comments)

My husband loves meat.

I love potatoes …and bread…and veggies… and chicken and fish, and meat.

But not like Frank.

When we go out, he asks for his meat without seasoning.

Without sauces. Without salsas.

But he does like gravy.

So when I made this roast, the gravy was acceptable.

I made a gravy using burnt sugar syrup and allspice as seasoning.

After taking the meat out of the pan and covering it with foil, I added 1 1/2 Tablespoons

of the syrup ( I made the syrup here to use in a cake recipe)- then I added 3/4 cup of

broth to the drippings and stirred it with a whisk. Heat the drippings back up and

then add 1/4 cup cold water with 2 teaspoons of cornstarch stirred into it. Add salt

and pepper to taste, and simmer until thickened. Then pour over sliced beef and

boiled potatoes before serving.

The gravy tastes caramelized but very savory.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

more meat.

This is the pork shoulder I bought to make pulled pork.

Again- meat.

I rubbed it down with Hickory smoked salt and put it into the

crock pot all day on low- about 8 hours.

Hickory salt with black Hawaiian lava salt rub.

Again- pulled pork with barbecue sauce for me—- plain for Frank.

I use a bbq sauce with mango and guava in it- from the Dixie Bar and Grill in Hawaii-

Because it just makes it taste so very good.

I couldn’t even take the time to take a picture of Frank’s sandwich with plain

pulled pork- he likes it that way- but I was busy.

Eating mine!

Apple Cardamom Upside down cake- recipe

Posted by heidiannie in Recipes | Steps on the Journey - (5 Comments)

This is the best morning cake I’ve ever eaten.

We bought a huge basket of fruit off of a truck in Onancock and had plenty of apples to eat up- so I ended up

making this cake 3 times- that’s right THREE times- in the 2 1/2 weeks we were down here over Christmas!

I can imagine it only gets better over time- but it was always gone before I got back to have another slice!

Make sure you make it in a round metal cake pan- the first time I made it was in a square glass pan and the

caramel on top didn’t brown or spread into an appetizing looking topping!

Recipe:

Ingredients:

6 TBS. unsalted butter, divided

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup flour, AP

1/2 tsp cinnamon, plus extra to sprinkle on apples

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cardamom

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 large apples, peeled and cut into slices

Method:

Preheat oven to 375F.

Melt 4 TBS butter in small pan over low heat, add brown sugar and stir.

Allow to bubble for 2 minutes and pour into bottom of 9" pan and spread- set aside.

Peel and slice apples and arrange on top of prepared pan, sprinkle apples lightly with cinnamon.

Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Warm the milk in a small pan, add butter and melt. Let cool slightly.

Beat eggs, add sugar and beat for 5 minutes until the sugar dissolves- add to flour , then milk, making a smooth batter.

Pour over apples in pan.

Bake for 45 minutes, then cool in pan for a full 15 minutes. Turn over onto serving plate.

Great served with lightly whipped cream.

I made this version in a glass square pan- good, but pale and not enough caramel on top.

The third version had glazed pecans added after baking.

Change up the spices to your liking- I would leave out the cloves and use nutmeg.

Or allspice. The only spices I would keep constant are the cinnamon and the cardamom.

If you try it, let me know what you did, and how it turned out !

Pizzelles- a recipe

Posted by heidiannie in Recipes | Steps on the Journey - (9 Comments)

They cook up like waffles- only much thinner and crispier.

They are crunchy and aromatic and taste like anise.

You make them two at a time- so it takes a LONG time to make 3 1/2 dozen. It takes

twice as long to make 7 dozen and you burn a lot if you get involved in multi-tasking.

But when everything goes right and they come out golden and delicious- they can

be addicting. My husband ate 5 while we were talking about the upcoming wedding

of our nephew the other day. He had his hand out for the sixth and I asked him to

slow down- he was eating them faster than I could make them!

So- here’s the recipe I used.

3 large eggs

3/4 cup granulated white sugar

1/2 tsp anise extract

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup melted butter

1 3/4 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

small pinch of salt

Beat the eggs and sugar together until all the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is

just a little stringy. Add vanilla and anise extract ( you can leave out the anise if you

prefer just a vanilla flavor). Add just a bit of the melted butter, beat it in well and then

add the rest of the butter. Sift together the flour and baking powder and add !/4 cup at

a time with your mixer on low so that the flour doesn’t jump back up at you.

Add salt at end and give it one more mix.

Preheat the pizzelle iron- waiting until the red light turns green and then lightly oil and

place one largish teaspoon of batter ( it will be rather stiff) into the center of the round.

Close down lid and wait until the light turns red and then back to green and open top- about 2 minutes.

Place on wire cooling rack until stiff and cooled and then stack them up!

I only paid about $12 for the iron a couple of years ago- it was a good investment!

A perfect day for this …

Posted by heidiannie in Recipes | Steps on the Journey - (12 Comments)

It was Thanksgiving today in America!

I made my usual sausage and walnut stuffing.

And 4 dozen dinner rolls.

And a pumpkin pie.

But it was also the 36th anniversary of our wedding for my husband and myself-

and I had my heart set on this-

a Berry Meringue tart!

I got the recipe here at cityhippiefarmgirl’s blog. And I’ve been thinking about it

ever since. Meredith was here for our celebration and since her next stop is Canberra,

Australia, I decided to make a version of the Pavlova for her.

Pavlova’s are a distinctly Australian ( and New Zealand) treat and they usually don’t

have a pastry shell. But Brydie’s looked so good I couldn’t get it out of my mind.

I started off with a short pastry crust- I made a regular pie dough ( 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 stick

cold butter, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 cup ice water) and then I rolled it out and place another stick of

unsalted butter in a thin layer on the dough. Then I folded it in thirds, and then folded

it into thirds again and refrigerated it. When it was cold I took it out and rolled it out and

placed it into a deep dish pie plate and baked it after scoring the surface with a fork in

quite a few places.

When it cooled I mixed together whipped cream and marscapone cheese and about 1/4

cup sugar and put a light layer of this on the bottom of the crust.

Then I made meringues-

and placed them on top of the layer of cream and cheese.

And then I piled the rest of the whipped cream mixture on top,

added the berries and sprinkled sugar over the top.

It was delicious! I cut the tart into 10 pieces and the adults all

had a piece. Most had never had Pavlova before- and they loved

it! I am making this again. Maybe for Christmas.

The blackberries and strawberries made a stunning display- and were perfect together.

Because this is my new favorite dessert!

Thanks, Brydie!

Baking and Decorating in Chincoteague!

Posted by heidiannie in BREAD! | Family | Recipes - (16 Comments)

Oatmeal and apricot cookies!

Mantle piece in dining room.

Christmas tree!

The tree is decorated JUST for Meredith! The camel, elephants, and kangaroo

all represent her travels- (Iraq, Thailand, Australia). The mermaids, lighthouses,

firetrucks,seahorses and keys represent her house on Chincoteague. The teapot and

cups on a tray- her preferred hot drink- and it all speaks of the sailor and places she has

been and hopes to go. The pink flamingo is just to remind her how she needs to

have a sense of humor- (she hates pink, hates flamingoes, and hates the big picture

of a huge pink flamingo that graced the hallway of her house when she bought it!)

And, just in case you thought that one picture of cookies doesn’t count for much

baking…..

-here’s a loaf of Italian bread I made yesterday!

Recipe for cookies-

1 stick butter

3/4 cup of white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 heaping cup AP flour

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

apricot and pecan paste*

Mix together the first five ingredients until smooth and creamy.

Measure all the dry ingredients into a bowl and stir, then add to

butter and sugar mixture. Take a pinch of the apricot and pecan paste

and wrap cookie dough around it and place on parchment papered

baking pan, about 3 inches apart.

Bake at 350 F for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown.

Apricot and pecan paste

1 1/2 cups dried apricots

1 cup chopped pecans

2 to 3 TBS white pear basalmic vinegar

1/2 cup honey

Put all ingredients into food processor and

run until everything is a paste. Place in loaf pan lined with

parchment paper and cover top with another sheet of paper,

weigh down top to compress.

(See how Celia at Fig jam and Lime Cordial, makes a variation of

this in a fig and walnut paste- or an almond and apricot version. )

Jambalaya and Dirty rice

Posted by heidiannie in Folksy | Recipes | Steps on the Journey - (8 Comments)

The days are getting shorter- and the rain keeps

coming down. The nights are cool- sometimes down-right

nippy. The rose bushes are still hard at work, putting out

little buds that may never bloom- there is a killing frost

on the way.

It’s time for Jambalaya- Spicy and warm- tummy filling-

sensory overloaded Jambalaya with ham and sausage and

plump white shrimp.

(I keep the shrimp separate because my husband doesn’t like it.)

Ingredients:

1 ham bone with ham still on it.

1 pkg. shrimp (medium 31-40 pieces)

5 HOT sausage links- cut into smaller pieces ( Andouille or Chorizo- or even Hot Italian or Hungarian)

1 onion, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1 green pepper,diced (or hot peppers if you can handle it!)

1/2 tsp dried thyme- ground

1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning

2-3 cloves garlic crushed

1 large can diced tomatoes

1 cup water

2 TBS chopped parsley

A couple of good shakes of Cajun spice seasoning

( or tabasco sauce or cayenne pepper)

3 or 4 TBS olive oil

2-3 TBS butter

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

Pour a few good slurps of olive oil in a large pan, add the butter and

heat until butter is melted, not browned.

Sautee up the shrimp with the crushed garlic- one layer at a time until the

shrimp are pink. Using a slotted spoon, take out the shrimp and put in a bowl

to cool so that you can take off the shell later. Leave behind the butter and

juices to sautee onion, green pepper and celery until soft, then add the ham

bone and sausages and simmer until sausages lose their pink and add the

diced tomatoes. Then add the water, cover and let the whole mess simmer

for about 45 minutes on low, stirring occasionally.

Add spices and herbs, checking on the liquid so that the ham is surrounded by

sauce. Leave to simmer another 20 to 30 minutes- then tear or slice off ham pieces

about the same size as sausage pieces.

Add cleaned shrimp for another 10 minutes of simmer time, and serve next to

or on top of pasta or rice- or next to some dirty rice.

Dirty rice is made up of :

rice, onions-red and white,sausage, ground beef,celery,green peppers,chopped giblets,

garlic,tabasco sauce,chicken broth,smoky paprika,cumin,parsley,cayenne pepper,and

anything else your palate desires!

Jambalaya- with shrimp- it’s good eating Spring- Summer-Winter-or FALL!

And it’s what we’re having for dinner tonight.

Add some good cornbread for dipping in the sauce- it’s comfort food all around!

Coriander and Orange glazed Pork chops- recipe

Posted by heidiannie in menus | Recipes | Steps on the Journey - (9 Comments)

These were the highlight of my weekend.

I loved all the people I interacted with-loved the books I read-

enjoyed all the activities- BUT- these remain a shining moment in my

memory!

It is Autumn here in Ohio. The recipes are a little heavier and more

nourishing for the body and soul. The light and lovely dishes of summer

are yesterday and there are more soups and stews on the stove.

But these pork chops would be good anytime of the year!

They are savory and sweet- satisfying, but not too heavy- they smell divine-

and they are not very expensive.

Here’s the recipe-

4 nice loin chops

2-3 TBS ground coriander

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 TBS olive oil

1/2 cup orange marmalade, preferably home made

S + P, to taste

Method’:

Heat oil in large cast iron skillet, add garlic and sautee until translucent. Remove

from pan.

Rinse chops and dry with paper towels. Dredge or sprinkle with ground coriander.

I ground my own coriander ( I always have lots of coriander- because my cilantro goes

to seed so quickly- I keep planting more which gives me LOTS of coriander!

I like it fresh ground and like to use my mortar and pestle! Smile

So after grinding it up, I used a fine sieve and sprinkled the coriander on top

of the chops.

Add salt and pepper, and they are ready to put into the cast iron skillet.

Fry them up- browning both sides-

Then take them out and add the marmalade. Deglaze the pan, stirring the

marmalade into the pan juices and put the chops back in and turn several

times while simmering the chops in the glaze.

Cook on stove top until chops are done and looking shiny with the glaze.

Then dish them up and scrape all the glaze on top of them and serve with a

side of rice pilaf and green vegetable and salad.

Add crusty rolls-

And you have a wonderful dinner!

Fall baking…

Posted by heidiannie in Recipes | Steps on the Journey - (10 Comments)

When the temperature goes down, I am so happy to be baking.

I love to eat bread and baked goods anytime.

But heating up the kitchen in the fall and winter is just so smart-

and eating carbs seems to right when it is colder out.

SO- having said all of that-

I baked some very delicious seeded rye this last week.

My slashes were too deep and the sourdough was very

active and it kind of blew off the gluten cloak and bordered

on exposing itself- but it was (is- I have half a loaf left for

toasting!) delicious and hearty.

And I made an orange cream cheese pound cake for Allyson’s

birthday. It was beautiful, inside and out- and so very toothsome!

I love the look of farm fresh eggs- the yolks are so yellow!

Here’s the recipe!

Ingredients:

1-8 oz package cream cheese, softened

1/2 c butter or shortening

1 2/3 c granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 1/4 c all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 TBSP baking powder

1 c milk

1/2 c chopped walnuts

2 TBSP grated orange peel

1/4 c orange juice

Method:

Combine cream cheese and shortening, creaming well.

Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, beating well after each addition.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix well after each addition.

Stir in walnuts and orange peel.

Pour batter into 2 greased and floured 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 3 inch loaf pans.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Then sprinkle orange juice or syrup over loaves. Remove to wire rack to finish cooling

They were a little plain- so I added a streusel topping-

1/2 cup flour

3 TBSP butter

1/2 cup sugar

Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour and sugar and sprinkle over

the batter and bake as above.

YUM!