Marinated Goat Cheese, Olives, Artichokes and Tomatoes...

This is a great addition for buffet or luncheon.

• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh goat cheese, softened
• 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
• 2 teaspoons chopped thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
• Salt
• 1 quart extra-virgin olive oil
• 20 cooked baby artichoke hearts, from the deli counter
• 1 cup red cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
• 1 cup Niçoise olives
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar (add the day of serving)
• Toasted baguette slices, for serving

1.Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the pine nuts in a pie plate and bake for 10 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly toasted. Transfer to a plate and let cool.

 2.In a standing mixer, using the paddle, blend the goat cheese with the toasted pine nuts, rosemary, thyme and piment d'Espelette. Alternatively, blend the cheese in a bowl using a wooden spoon. Season with salt. Shape rounded tablespoons of the seasoned cheese into balls (I use a mellon baller).

 3.Pour 1 inch of olive oil (mixed with the vinegar if you've chosen this option) into a tall 1-gallon glass container. Layer the cheese balls, artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes and olives in the container with enough of the remaining olive oil to cover. Let marinate at room temperature for 24 hours. Serve with the toasted baguette.

 Can be made ahead and refrigerated for 2 days. *Adding the tomatoes shortly before serving. 

Luncheon for Margaret and Carol. Sunday June 26.

A Good Time was had by All...

An Excellent Muscadine from Duplin County.

 Grace's Famous Lasagne (she still hasn't given me the recipe!).



Douglas, Carol and Grace at Table

After Lunch there was the

de rigeur sightseeing... 



...followed later by Dessert on the Patio. Fresh Blueberry Crumble with Cherry Ice Cream. Yummy.

Margaret was our photog
of the Day, so she was

missing in most of the pics. 
I'm including this pic of our
Special Guest taken on our sightseeing rounds.

Whole Wheat Pancakes...

Ingredients:

•1 egg
•1 cup flour

•1 cup milk

•2 T oil

•1 T sugar

•3 tsp Baking Powder

•1/2 tsp salt

Mixing and Cooking Directions:

First thing you need to do is get your griddle heating. Turn flame on a medium setting. I use a cast iron skillet. Love love love cast iron.

Add egg to a mixing bowl. Beat egg lightly.

Add all the other ingredients and blend with a wire whisk. (7 yr old boys make great pancake mixers!)

Let rest for 3 minutes. The whole wheat flour will tend to thicken when it sets for a while. This is why I give it a rest for a few minutes.

Check your batter thickness and add milk as needed. I'll usually add 1/2 cup of milk or so. We like our pancakes on the thin side. If you like them thicker... leave your batter thicker.

Test your skillet to see if it is hot enough. Drop a tiny bit of water on the hot surface. Just a drop or two. When the droplets skitter across your skillet it is hot.

Pour your pancake batter on the skillet. I use about 1/3 cup. This will depend on how big you like your pancakes.

When the edges are looking a bit dry and you have bubbles over the top check the underneath. If it is nicely golden, turn to the other side. Cook until lightly browned.



Serve with hot maple syrup. Or homemade jam. For my meat eaters, bacon or breakfast sausage is a must as well.

"GLT"...

The classic BLT includes smoky bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes with a luxurious coating of mayonnaise. This baby is pretty much perfect as is.

Or is it?
My son loves this sandwich and since I most often skin my chicken, it works out when he's in town. As for me, I thought "never happen" to my palate.


Enter The Gorbals' GLT — a gribenes, lettuce and tomato sandwich.
Gribenes is chicken skin, rendered and fried until it is a crispy, crunchy layer of savory chicken flavor with a thin undercoating of smooth, velvety fat.
Bacon is really delicious, but, is there really anything better than chicken skin? The Gorbals tells us that the sandwich is extremely popular. When Chef Ilan Hall was asked why he put the sandwich on the menu, the grandson of a butcher said, "I don't know, it just made sense!"
Plus, now the dish is kosher.

Russian Orange Tea Mix...

This is a Great Drink for shrugging off the chill of an Autumn or Winter Day.  It also makes an excellent addition to Holiday Entertaining.   

 

2 cups Tang orange drink mix
1/2 cup instant tea mix (plain)
1/2 cup instant lemonade mix
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix ALL ingredients well and store in airtight jar at room temperature.

When ready to prepare, put 2 tbs. mix in coffee mug and add boiling water.

A splash (or more) of Grand Marnier, a Cinnamon Stick, some Reddiwhip for a topping and you're ready to take a bow.

Best Spice Cake...

This is an exellent dessert for the Fall Season and  Thanksgiving Staple at my Home.  Taking extra care in Frosting/Decorating the cake is the real Secret to Success.

Cake:

3/4 c.   sifted all-purpose flour
3 tbsp.  cornstarch
4 tbsp.  pumpkin pie spice
     1 c.  walnuts (ground finely with spices)
        5   large eggs (room temperature)
2/3 c.   sugar
3 1/2 tbsp.  unsalted butter (melted)

Preheat oven to 350.
Butter and flour a 9" round/2"sided cake pan, parchment bottom.
Sift first 3 ingredients into bowl. Set aside.
Combine eggs and sugar in large bowl.  Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (bowl not touching water).  Whisk mixture until has the consistency of lightly whipped cream (4 min.?).  Remove bowl.
Beat mix with electric mixer until cool and  mixture forms ribbons when mixer is lifted.  Sift in flour 1/3 portion at a time, folding each portion in.  Add walnut mixture and melted buttter, fold in.
Transfer the batter to preped pan.  Bake 25 min. or until tester comes out clean.
Run fnife around edges of cake and turn cake out onto cooling rack.  Cool completely.

Frosting/Topping(s):

Carmel:  1 1/2 c.  sugar
                    1/2 c.  water
                        1 c.  whipping cream

In a large heavey suacepan, stire sugar and water ove medim heat until sugar is disolved.  Increase heat and boil w/o stirring until mixture is deep amber in color (brushing down sides with wet pastry brush and swirling pan occassionally)(9 min. ?).  Remove from heat and stir in cream until smooth.  Return to heat and, stirring until boil and color darkens slightly (1 min?).  Pour into bowl and refrigerate until cool.  Some of this will be used in Frosting.

Syrup:  1/2 c.  water
              1/3 c.  sugar
              1/4 c.  Bacardi Dark Rum

Stir water and sugar in small saucepan.  Remove from heat, add rum, cool and store at room temp.

Frosting:   15 oz.  cream cheese 
               6 tbsp.  unsaled butter
                1 1/3 c.  caramel

In large bowl blend these two ingedients together using electric mixer.  Add caramel in fourths, blending well each time.

Decoration:  1 c.  coarsly ground walnuts

Now, let's put the cake together.
Cut the cake in half.  Place bottom half, cut side down, onto plate (I prefer cake boards for frosting/decorating the cake).  Drizzle with 5 tbsp. Syrup and frost with 1 1/2 c. Frosting.  Place top half, cut side down, drizzle remainder of Syrup (top) and Frosting (top and sides).  Press ground nuts into sides.


Notes: 
Don't OVERfold ingredients.  If you do, it will tend to make the cake less fluffy.
I double the topping and use a bit more, at my discretion.  My crew likes their desserts extra sweet.

Cranberry Cream Cheese Bars...

It's Autumn.  Let's get started with the Season's Fair with this Sweet Treat.

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 (16 oz.) can whole berry cranberry sauce

1. HEAT oven to 350°F. Spray 13 x 9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.
2. COMBINE flour, oats, 3/4 cup brown sugar and butter in large bowl until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture; press remainder firmly onto bottom of prepared pan.
3. BAKE 15 minutes.
4. BEAT cream cheese until fluffy in small bowl. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth; stir in lemon juice. Spread evenly over partially baked crust.
5. COMBINE remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar and cornstarch in small bowl; stir in cranberry sauce. Spoon evenly over cream cheese layer. Top with reserved crumb mixture.
6. BAKE 40 minutes or until golden. Cool. Chill. Cut into bars.