Blueberry Pie

Ingredients:

Pastry for 9 inch double crust pie
4 c. fresh blueberries*
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. corn starch
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. butter
Turbinado sugar to taste.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt and cinnamon. Sprinkle this mixture over the blueberries.

Pour berry mixture into bottom pie crust. Dot with butter and then put the top crust on. Crimp edges of pie crust an brush with 1 egg white mixed with 1 tsp. water. Sprinkle turbinado sugar over top of pie - adding as much or as little as you like.

Bake pie on lower shelf of oven for about 50 minutes.

*Fresh blueberries are highly recommended. I've tried it with frozen and it just is not as good.

Apple Fritter Bread

Makes one 9x5 inch loaf

Ingredients:

1/3 c. light brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 apples (granny smith or other tart firm apple good for baking), diced
2/3 c. sugar + 2 Tbsp.
1/2 c. butter (softened)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 c. milk plus 1 to 3 Tbsp.
1 c. powdered sugar


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9x5 in. loaf pan with cooking spray. (you can also line the pan with parchment at this point to make removing the whole loaf from the pan easier after baking. If you do this, also spray the parchment paper with cooking spray. Spraying the pan before laying down the parchment will prevent the paper from sliding around as you fill the pan.)

Mix brown sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon in a bowl and set aside. Toss apples with 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar and remaining tsp. cinnamon in another bowl and set aside.

Beat butter and remaining 2/3 c. granulated sugar together with mixer until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time and the vanilla.

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in another bowl, then add to creamed butter mixture and beat until blended. Mix in 1/2 c. milk until smooth.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan; add half of the chopped apple mixture. Sprinkle half of the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture over the apple layer.

Pour the remaining batter over the apple layer and top with the remaining apples and then the remaining brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Lightly pat the apples into the batter. Swirl the brown sugar mixture through the batter with a butter knife.

Bake until done when tested with a toothpick - about an hour and 10 minutes. (If your bread is browning too fast, cover with aluminum foil during the last 15 minutes of baking time.)

Let loaf rest for 15 minutes, then remove from the pan. Place on a wire rack to cool completely before applying the glaze.

For the glaze: Mix powdered sugar with remaining 1 to 3 Tblsp. mil, thinning to desired consistancy. Drizzle the glaze over the bread.

a big green summer

Dear Mom,

Well summer is officially here!  We kicked-off grilling season here in a pretty big way - a pretty big green egg kind of way.  For the past three years or so the hubs has been talking and talking and talking about this charcoal grill he wanted to buy.  I am 100% for him helping out in the kitchen and taking the reigns in the summer when we light up the good ol'Weber, but he became obsessed with this grill called The Big Green Egg.  It's actually a combination grill/smoker/outdoor oven, so I've always been intrigued but the price-point kind of scared me away.  About two weeks ago I came home from work to discover on my coffee table several brochures and cookbooks re: The Big Green Egg.  Without even asking, I knew, we were getting one.

So far it has been totally worth it.  We have made some fantastic things, chicken wings, pulled pork, brisket, pizza, grilled chicken.  Oh my!  I will need to start posting recipes once we have a little more practice.

On Sunday, the hubs woke up at 7am to start the brisket...  Needless to say, I've never been more in love!  Brisket takes a long time - like 8-10 hours.  So, I had a lot of free time to get things done around the house, laundry, get a little gardening in, all while taking intermittent coffee (until around noon, then beer) breaks relaxing outside next to the smoker watching the hubs tend to the smoke.  It was a perfect Sunday!  What else did I do besides make cole slaw?  (Still working on a recipe, vinegar or mayo based? I cannot figure it out, a debate for another day!)  I made dessert/snacking/brunchy cake.  (Yes, brunchy is a word as of today.)  Ricotta-blueberry-lemon pound cake.  Yum!  Great with coffee, great after dinner, great in the afternoon.  Surprisingly light and citrusy but still moist and dense from the butter and ricotta, with little pops of tart blueberry.  It worked out quite well as blueberries were on sale and I had half a leftover tub of ricotta in my fridge. Perfect!

blueberry ricotta lemon pound cake

cooking spray
1-3/4 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup ricotta cheese
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp lemon zest
1-1/2 cups blueberries
2 tbsp AP flour

Preheat oven to 325.  Spray a 9" loaf pan with cooking spray.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Rinse the blueberries and toss with 2 tbsp flour (to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake).

Using an electric mixer (stand or hand) beat the butter, ricotta and sugar together on high speed for 3 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition.  (It will look curdled.)

Remove mixer and stir in lemon zest and vanilla by hand.  In 3 or 4 additions, mix in by hand the dry ingredients.  Stir in the blueberries, do not over mix.

Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 20 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.  Check the cake after the first 40 minutes to see if it is browning too much - if it is, loosely top with aluminum foil and continue baking.  When out of the oven, let cool for 10 minutes then gently loosen onto a cooling rack.  (Running a knife along the edge will help loosen the cake from the pan.)

changing tastes

Dear Kristin,

I've lived long enough to know that things change over time. In fact, many of my own likes and dislikes have changed. For instance, there was a time when I liked:

• Talking on the phone
• Playing Barbie dolls with my friends
• Partying

Today, I avoid talking on the phone (unless it's to you, of course) like the plague. I've become jaded in my old age and now view Barbie dolls as instruments of sexist propaganda, and as for partying - well, unless it's a pajama party for one in front of the television on a Friday night, well - let's just say I'd rather not, thank you very much. So, basically I've become a hermit. Today my favorite pass-times are:

• Reading
• Watching old movies (preferably ones starring Cary Grant)
• Running (by myself) on a nature trail

Some of these changes may be for the better, some maybe not. I've also noted that my tastes in food have changed over time. I used to like:

• Spam (yes - I did indeed like it - at least until I was old enough to question what it is really made of)
• Orange aid that came in a paper carton like milk - uncarbonated and full of sugar and empty calories
• Tea with milk and sugar (now I can't imagine diluting a good cup of tea with anything unless I have a sore throat - then I will tolerate some honey)

Some foods I used to HATE:

• Spinach
• Onions
• Steak (or beef of any kind)
• Mushrooms

Today these are among my favorite foods, and I can't imagine not having them as a regular part of my diet. These are certainly changes for the better - right? Spam vs. steak? No question.

While I still can't eat raw mushrooms, I do enjoy them when they are cooked, and have even expanded my mushroom munching to include quite a variety. Among my favorites are shitake mushrooms. They have a very distinctive taste that seems to brighten up anything dish they are in - for example, this easy mushroom chicken dish. (Note the way the spinach found its way into this dish as well!)

chicken with mushrooms and asiago cream sauce

2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt
pepper
1/2 c. flour
4 Tblsp. butter (divided)
1/2 lb. shitake mushrooms, sliced *
1/2 lb. white button mushrooms sliced
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 c. white wine (dry is better)
3/4 c. chicken broth
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. shredded Asiago cheese
Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Pound chicken until it is of an even thickness. Season with salt and pepper, and dredge in flour.** Shake off any excess flour.
2. Melt 2 Tblsp. butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and saute until nicely brown (about 5 minutes) on one side. Flip chicken and cook for an additional minute. Remove the chicken from the pan, set aside and keep it warm.
3. Add the remaining butter to the skillet. Lower the heat, add mushrooms and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, or until mushrooms are softened and somewhat browned. Add garlic and continue to cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add wine to the skillet, stirring up any bits of mushroom or chicken that are sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until most of the wine has evaporated. Add the chicken broth and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until liquid has reduced by half.
5. Reduce heat to low and stir in the heavy cream. Add the Asiago and stir constantly until melted. Return the chicken to the skillet and let it simmer in the sauce just until it has heated through and the sauce has thickened a little more. Serve immediately, sprinkling with Parmesan cheese if desired.

*You probably can mix & match whatever kinds of mushrooms you like best.
**Wegman's sells a wonderful dredging flour that can be used instead. It already contains salt and pepper, so if you are using the dredging flour there is no need to salt and pepper the chicken before dredging.

but fat is flavor!

Dear Mom,

One of the biggest and best surprises of going Whole30 is that fat is actually your friend.  The no-fat/low-fat trend of the 80s/90s has been shot down by many experts which is great news!  While this doesn't mean that I should run out and slather everything I eat in vast quantities of butter and bacon fat, it does mean that I need not feel ashamed that I put a little butter (or ghee, dairy is verboten on W30) on my roasted sweet potato.  I have a good friend who is also a chef (the best possible kind of friend) who says "Fat is Flavor" and I can't agree with him more.  The biggest thing that I learned while on W30 was that I didn't need to put cheese on everything!  It is of course necessary at times (pizza, lasagna) but not required for everything, and if I'm going to splurge on cheese you can bet that its not going to be the low-fat variety (unless it is naturally a lower fat cheese like feta - yum!).

I found this recipe in a magazine and tweaked it slightly to be W30 compliant.  Its really easy and a slow cooker recipe to boot!  I recommend making the sauce the night before and then before heading to work the next morning just put everything together in your slow cooker, set to low and its pretty much ready when you get home.  You could make it with chicken breast to be lower in fat, but chicken thigh has so much more flavor.

chicken tikka masala

2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
1 medium onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. ginger, grated
2 tbs. tomato paste
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 tbs. garam masala
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper (less is you like it a little less spicy)
1 tbs. arrowroot powder (or 1/3 cup water and 3 tbs. flour)
4-5 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
cooking spray
1 cup coconut milk

cilantro
cooked rice (or cauliflower rice)

Heat the oil in a deep skillet, add onion, ginger and garlic.  Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until fragrant and translucent.  Add the tomato paste, cook until the paste gets darker in color (2-3 minutes).  Add the crushed tomatoes, spices and salt.  Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.  Remove pan from heat and stir in arrowroot powder (if using flour, mix flour and water together and stir into sauce, cook sauce with slurry at a simmer about 5 more minutes).

Coat the slow cooker with cooking spray.  Add the chicken thighs and top with the sauce.  Cook on low heat 8-hours.

Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred, return to slow cooker.  Turn heat to high and add coconut milk, cook uncovered for 15 minutes.

Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro.