BailiwickStudio

Tomatoes

My tomato plants have exploded in size, and they've turned into monster plants - growing up, over and through the fence to bother the flowers, sending vines going over the path to trip me up, and becoming such a forest that I can hardly see or reach the tomatoes - but oh! the bounty is wonderful! We're enjoying beefsteaks, cherry tomatoes, and small yellow pear tomatoes.

Early this morning I picked these...

and for breakfast ate this...

For your own yummy snack, rub a clove of garlic over some kind of rustic-style bread drizzled with olive oil. Layer fresh basil, sliced tomotoes, and crumbled feta cheese (I like the tomato & basil feta), and broil until the edges of the bread are crusty. Then sit in your garden and enjoy the incomparable taste of fresh-picked tomatoes!

I'm joining up again with Fishtail Cottage for Cottage Flora Thursday, and with My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.

Zuppa Toscana For a Cold Winter's Day

It's been very cold here in California - not at all typical. I love it! I've always disliked warm, balmy Christmas days. I'd say I wish it would snow, and my mom would reply that if it snowed all the kids who got bikes and skates for Christmas wouldn't be able to try them out, and I'd say I didn't care. Because I really didn't. I guess I'm selfish that way. This year though, we've already had a dusting of snow where I live just northeast of Los Angeles, and it's cold enough to snow again if the heavens send the right kind of clouds our way. It's even freezing down at the beach. So once again, I'm selfishly wishing for a white Christmas.

Soup always sounds good on a cold day, don't you think? This is a yummy copy-cat recipe from the Olive Garden restaurant. It's not exactly a health-conscious soup with it's sausage and cream, but that's probably why it's so yummy. I always make extra so I can freeze some for later.

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb Italian sausage
4 or 5 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise then into 1/4 inch slices
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 onion, chopped
1/2 can Oscar Meyer Real Bacon Bits (these are less fatty than real bacon)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups kale, chopped
2 cans chicken broth
1 quart water
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Remove skins from sausage. Bake approximately 1/2 hour in a 300 degree oven, drain on paper towels and cut into slices. (Another option is to cook the sausage in a pan with the crushed red pepper, so it's crumbled instead of sliced.)

Place potatoes, red pepper flakes, onion, chicken broth, water, and garlic in pot and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done. Add sausage, bacon, salt and pepper to taste, and simmer another 10 minutes. Turn to low heat, add kale and cream. Heat through and serve with crusty garlic bread.

I've never actually used bacon bits in my soup because I always forget to buy it and I don't keep it on hand, so we end up having to add a little extra salt. It's probably really good with the bacon bits. Buon apetito!

Comfort Food

I spent a few days preparing for and then recovering from a little outpatient procedure, and yesterday I felt just awful. I really needed comfort food, in particular - fresh homemade bread, hot from the oven. Do you ever have a craving for one certain thing, and nothing else will do? That's how it was with me and there was nothing I could do about it except bake a loaf of bread. I chose this recipe from SouleMama, which I've been meaning to try for ages. It was perfectly delicious, and a timely antidote to feeling horrid. I'm happy to say that today I feel back to normal. And there's still half a loaf, so I get to indulge in comfort food again - for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Yum!

A Is For Apple

Apples are the best! I may be presumptuous in saying that, but who doesn't love an apple? Did you know there are over 7500 varieties worldwide? They're a most versatile fruit... they can be eaten right off a tree or sliced and baked in a pie. They can be pureed for applesauce, squeezed for cider, chopped for salads, or carmelized for dessert. They are red, gold, green or striped. They're either sweet or tart, crunchy or soft, and have an amazing amount of goodness all packaged up into a perfect little shape. They even have history attached to them - think Eve, Johnny Appleseed, Isaac Newton, and even "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" ~

Here's a favorite Apple Crisp recipe... perfect for autumn evenings.
6-7 granny smith apples
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar (or less if you like)
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
Peel and cut apples into slices and place into square baking dish. Pour water over apples. Mix together the sugar, cinnamon, flour and butter, then sprinkle over the apples. Bake at 400 for about 40 minutes. It's delicious!

Chocolate Chip Cake

Last night I really felt like eating cake. Not chocolate, surprisingly, but something lighter. This is one of my favorite recipes, and you can switch out the flavor to either chocolate, lemon, or vanilla, so it's quite versatile.

Bundt Cake
1 pkg cake mix (vanilla, chocolate or lemon)
1 small pkg instant pudding mix (vanilla, chocolate or lemon)
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup water
1/2 cup oil
Chocolate chips or lemon zest (or any variation thereof - peanut butter or mint chips, white chocolate chips, crushed peppermint sticks, chopped cherries...)

Mix everything except the last ingredient together and beat for at least two minutes, then stir in that last ingredient before pouring into a greased 12-cup bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Cool for 5 minutes then invert (perhaps onto a wonderful $7.00 covered glass cake plate that you found at a flea market), and drizzle with melted chocolate, or sprinkle with powdered sugar, or leave plain like I did. Then enjoy!

Carrots

30 Days :: 6

The last few days have been incredibly lovely - the air has a last lingering hint of Winter, but at the same time a promise of Summer. Which evens out to... Spring! Spring makes me think of bunnies, and bunnies remind me of carrots, and this train of thought ended up at Carrot Cake. Here's a delicious recipe for you - one that's very Springy!

Carrot Cake

4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, applesauce, both sugars, and the vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in carrots, then pecans. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 40-50 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
8oz package of cream cheese, softened
3-4 cups confectioner's sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
1 tsp vanilla
In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients and beat until smooth and creamy. Frost top and sides of the cooled cake.

White Love

I could say that white is practically my favorite color except that it isn't truly a color, is it? But if you add just a smidgeon of other colors it turns into lovely shades of white - like vanilla, linen, cream, eggshell, snowdrop, ash, pearl, ivory, sugarcane... the names are so luscious! I think what I love about using mostly shades of white and neutrals in a room is that you have to use textures to make it visually interesting - from fabrics to paint treatments to ironstone displays to shutters at the window. It's the play of light and shadow that gives the room life. To me, it's a most tranquil kind of room.

On a different note, and in keeping with my color scheme for today, here's another recipe from my Women's cookbook that is outstanding. It's white, too!

Chicken Linguine Alfredo

Light Alfredo Sauce

2 tsp butter or margarine

2 tbsp finely chopped shallot

1 clove garlic, crushed

3 tbsp flour

1 pint (2 cups) fat-free half & half

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese [use freshly grated!]

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp white pepper

Linguine Mixture

8 oz uncooked linguine

1 1/4 lb chicken breasts for stir fry

1 jar (7 oz) roasted red pepper, drained and thinly sliced

1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

In 2-quart saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Add shallot and garlic, cook and stir 1 minute. Remove crushed garlic. In medium bowl beat half & half and flour with wire whisk, add to saucepan. Heat to boiling, stirring frequently. Beat in sour cream with whisk. Reduce heat to low, cook 1 or 2 minutes or until heated. Remove from heat, stir in grated cheese, salt, and pepper.

In 4-quart dutch oven, cook linguine as directed. Drain, rinse with hot water, return to pot and keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat 12-inch skillet over medium heat, add chicken and cook about 5 minutes until no longer pink in center [I prefer to grill the chicken in my grill pan, and then slice it thinly].

Add chicken, bell peppers and Alfredo sauce to linguine, stir to mix. Cook over low heat until thoroughly heated. Garnish each serving with shredded cheese and parsley.

Makes 6 servings, and for those of you counting calories this has 430 calories per serving.

Soup for a Winter Day

I got this cookbook recently, and I really love it! It has basic recipes ranging from breakfast to desserts, but it focuses on healthy eating and lists everything you need to know about the vitamins, calories, cholesterol, etc. in each recipe. One dish I really like is this minestrone soup. Yum! It made quite a lot (the level is down a bit in the pot because we had already eaten two bowlsful). I had plenty left over to freeze and pull out for myself for dinner when my husband wasn't home. Here's a teaser recipe...

Minestrone Soup

1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, undrained

1 15 to 16 oz can great northern beans, undrained

1 15 to 16 oz can kidney beans, undrained

1 can (15 oz) whole kernel corn, undrained (or frozen)

2 medium stalks celery, thinly sliced (1 cup)

1 small zucchini, sliced (1 cup)

1 small onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1 cup shredded cabbage

1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

2 cups water

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 extra-large vegetarian vegetable bouillon cube

1 clove garlic

Grated Parmesan cheese, if desired

In 4 quart Dutch oven, heat all ingredients except cheese to boiling, breaking up tomatoes; reduce heat to low. Cover, simmer 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until macaroni and vegetables are tender. Serve with cheese. Makes about 6 servings.

Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

Yesterday was very grey and gloomy. I even saw snow flurries - an unusual occurance where I live. But on my kitchen table was a bowl of summer sunshine, made even more vivid by its contrast to the colorless day outside. These lemons begged to be made into something, so after googling for some lemony options I decided on "Lemon Sponge Pudding Cake". mmmmmm! In case you need a little sunshine on your own grey day, here's the recipe...

Lemon Sponge Pudding Cake

1 cup sugar

3 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 large eggs, separated

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp lemon zest

1/3 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup milk

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 325, and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter 6 1-cup ramekins (I used a spray instead.) Set aside 2 tbsp of the sugar. In a mixing bowl cream the remaining sugar and butter, then add the egg yolks one at a time. Beat in the vanilla and lemon zest. Add the flour and salt and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, gradually pour in the lemon juice and milk. Set aside. In a clean bowl beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form, then add the 2 tbsp sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter, mixing only until incorporated. Carefully pour (or use a ladle) the batter into the prepared ramekins. The batter doesn't rise much so you can fill them almost to the rim. (I only had enough batter for 5 ramekins.) Place the ramekins in a larger baking pan and pour hot water into the outer pan until it's halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until sponge cakes are golden brown. Remove the ramekins from the water and allow to cool slightly before serving. Dust the tops with confectioners sugar and dress up with whipped cream and/or fresh fruit.