Giveaway Winner + a nostalgic lesson in doughnuts

Congratulations to Rufina, the winner of the Vintage-Inspired Measuring Spoon Giveaway! You can check out her blog, Being Rufina, here.

A special thank you to EVERYONE who took the time to enter and share their nostalgic kitchen-centric utensils and memories. I was really inspired by your stories, and will be sharing a few of them (as well as one of my own) in upcoming posts. In the meantime, here is Rufina’s memory. Happy reading – and happy weekend!

As soon as I read the requirements, I ran to my kitchen.  I started rummaging around in one of my utensil drawers, sure that I still had kept it, and I found not just one, but two!  My grandmother’s doughnut cutters.

My father always says, “No one makes doughnuts the way my mother used to make them.”  And he is right.  I can almost smell them now.  The sweet, cinnamon, sugary, rich scent of fresh frying homemade doughnuts.  I used to watch as my grandmother made the dough, rolling it out on her large wooden pie board, and cutting them out with these very cutters.  The “holes” were saved too,  fried up. Nothing went to waste.  And Lucky me, I also saved her recipe box, so I still have her handwritten recipe card for this family treat.

Typing this out exactly as written:  (I have no idea who Peon was, but obviously someone who’s doughnut recipe my grandmother found good enough to copy!)

Peon’s Doughnuts

2 eggs, 3/4 c.W.Sugar, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 c. milk, 2 1/2 c. flour,3 level tsps. B.Powder

1 tablsp. Crisco, 1/2 tsp. salt

 

Beat eggs, sugar, Crisco-

Sift flour, B. Powder, nutmeg, salt

Mix alternatively with milk.

That’s it!!  No other instructions.  I will have to rely on memory to try and get the dough thickness right. I believe she fried them in Crisco. When I try to make these to surprise my father, I will have to wear one of her cherished aprons that I also kept.

I remember they always seemed to turn out perfectly, and then my grandmother would lay the fried doughnuts and doughnut “holes” out on paper towels, sprinkling with icing sugar, regular sugar or else leaving plain.  It always amazed me how a flat disc cut out with these cutters would puff right up into a perfect doughnut,  which was then served warm, soft and so delicious.

Simply the best childhood nostalgic memory, taste and smells.  Thank you for bringing it back in full living color to me!!  

Recipe: Spinach Artichoke Dip

At least you’ll never be a vegetable – even artichokes have hearts.   amelie

Choke a guy named Artie once, and nobody ever lets it go. (Just kidding.) Ah the mighty artichoke. What’s not to love? Spiky outer leaves provide a suit of armor, protecting the tender heart within. (Sounds like a metaphor for several of my ex-boyfriends…) During the 16th century, it was considered scandalous for women in the 16th century to partake of the pleasures of artichoke eating. (It was also thought to be a potent aphrodisiac for men.)

A few centuries down the road and into future, it’s obvious the artichoke should be welcomed into all our diets – men and women alike. Research has identified the artichoke as a natural antidote to a host of ailments including heart disease, cancer and birth defects. Among antioxidant-rich foods, artichokes are often overlooked, however a July 2006 study tested the antioxidant levels of more than 1,000 foods and beverages and found that artichoke hearts had the highest level among all vegetables measured. They came in fourth among all foods and beverages analyzed in the study. That means artichokes beat out more commonly referenced antioxidant-rich foods such as blueberries, red wine, chocolate, coffee and tea.

Cynara, the first Myth Artichoke
According to an Aegean legend, the first artichoke was a lovely young girl who lived on the island of Zinari. The god, Zeus was visiting his brother Poseidon one day when, as he emerged from the sea, he caught sight of a beautiful young mortal woman. She did not seem frightened by the presence of a god, and Zeus seized the opportunity to seduce her. He was so pleased with the girl, who’s name was Cynara, that he decided to make her a goddess so that she could be nearer to his home on Olympia. Cynara agreed, and Zeus looked forward to the trysts to come whenever his wife Hera was away. Soon thereafter, Cynara began to miss her mother and grew homesick. She snuck back to the world of mortals for a brief visit. After she returned, Zeus discovered this un-goddesslike behavior. Enraged, he hurled her back to earth and transformed her into the plant we know as the artichoke.

A few tweaks to a favorite spinach dip – and voila! Delicious artichokeness with a low-fat spin.

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SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP

Ingredients

• 2 cans artichoke hearts, unmarinated
• 1-1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 block chopped spinach, frozen or fresh
• 1 8-oz brick reduced fat cream cheese
• 1/3 cup low fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• optional, chopped water chestnuts for added crunch

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix all ingredients in a baking dish, reserving 1/2 cup mozzarella for toping. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle additional 1/2 cup mozzarella and broil until the cheese browns. Serve with tortilla chips, french bread, pita slices or keep the calorie count down and serve with crudites.

 

 

RECIPE: Grandma Maxine’s Chocolate Sheet Cake

This is my grandma Maxine. The one on the right, in the pink. Technically she is my “step-grandmother,” but nothing about her has ever felt “step” to me. I can say with great certainty that Maxine is one of the best cooks in our family, possibly the country, maybe even the world and/or entire universe. I am biased, of course…but seriously, it’s true.

Arriving at my grandparents’ doorstep, two things were a certainty:  you’d be greeted with a warm welcome and you’d leave with a happy belly. Hash, Homemade chicken and noodles. And my personal favorite, Chocolate Sheet Cake.

I was lounging around in bed this morning listening to NPR (a favorite weekend past-time) and stumbled across this great story from Mo Rocca. Regretful over the passing of his grandmother, Rocca set out across the globe and into the kitchens of the truest culinary masters: grandparents. Along the way he learned as much about life and love as he did about cooking. Click here to listen to the story.

I promise this blog isn’t always going to focus on grandparents, but coming off the heels of “Life, Death and a Dinner Table,” it felt too timely not to share. Happy listening – and happy weekend!

ps: A little gift from my recipe stash to yours. This is one of those recipes that is deceptively simple. There are no glamorous ingredients. It reads like something off a pilgrim’s grocery list. It doesn’t even look that special when it’s complete. But I can pretty much guarantee as soon as you life the fork to your mouth it will change your life, leaving you with a whole new appreciation for the wonders of baking. All other cakes will become instantly inferior. You may even be tempted to hide it from house guests so you don’t have to share. Yes. It is THAT good.

 

Grandma Maxine’s Chocolate Sheet Cake

CAKE INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 Tablespoons cocoa (heaping!)
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 whole eggs (beaten!)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

FROSTING INGREDIENTS

• 1-3/4 stick butter
• 4 Tablespoons cocoa (heaping!)
• 6 Tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 pound powdered sugar (minus 1/2 cup)

DIRECTIONS
In your favorite mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add in cocoa. Stir together. Add boiling water, allowing mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour liquid mixture over flour mixture. Stir lightly to cool.

In a large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, vanilla, baking soda and beaten eggs. Stir buttermilk mixture into chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, prepare the icing. Melt butter in a saucepan adding cocoa. Stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add milk, vanilla and powdered sugar. Stir. Pour over warm cake. Optional: garnish with pecans.

Slice cake into squares. Pour yourself a glass of milk. Eat and enjoy.

Hello, I am so delicious.

Dinner: Vegetarian Pasta Salad

Penne + tomatoes + kalamata olives + chickpeas + cucumbers + goat cheese crumbles …drizzled in lemon juice and olive oil. Toss and serve.

Recipe: Tart on Tart Pie

There are two kinds of people I simply don’t trust in life: 1) People who don’t like dogs. 2) People who choose cake over pie.

If you fall into either of those categories, stop reading this post now and seek immediate treatment. Assuming you like dogs and pie (or at least pie) continue reading.

In the world of fruit pies an eternal struggle has been going on for centuries: cherry vs apple. It’s fair to say this epic battle has not only resulted in the dissolution of friendships and marriages, it has lead to some disappointing dinners as well.

In order to settle the debate once and for all, I have devised a solution. I like to think of it as a little “Tart on Tart” action. So with no further ado, I give you Tart-on-Tart Apple Cherry Pie.

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Tart-on-Tart Apple Cherry Pie

INGREDIENTS

CRUST
1 pre-made frozen crust. I simply can’t bring myself to battle homemade crust. If you are a masochist, a quick google should provide plenty of crust recipes. And maybe after you master that impossible skill, you can teach me how to fold a fitted sheet, too.

FILLING
1-2 cans tart cherries, drained
3 tart apples, peeled and sliced (I use granny smiths, but you can mix it up)
1/2 cup sugar
2 T. flour
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves

TOPPING
3/4 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
6 T. butter, chilled and cubed
3 t. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine cherries, apples and dry filling ingredients in a bowl. Stir and spoon into crust.

In another bowl, mix together topping flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter cubes using your hands to blend the butter into the dry mixture. If the mixture is excessively greasy, add more flour. If mixture is too dry, cut in more butter. Lightly pack topping over the filling and place pie on a baking sheet covered with tin foil. Bake pie until topping is golden (approximately 35 minutes. Cover crust edges with foil to prevent over-browning. Reduce oven temperature to 350F. Continue baking until apples in center of pie are tender when pierced with a fork and filling is bubbly and thick at pie edges (approximately 25-35 minutes.) Cool and serve.

Mmmmmm pie filling.

 

FOLLOW REVEG OF THE NERD ON FACEBOOK BY —> CLICKING HERE <— (works just like a magical teleportation machine, no?)

“Everybody in the F’n Pot!” Soup (aka Taco Soup)

Everybody in the pot!

I should preface this post with kudos to the dear friend from whence it came. I should also state the recipe was given to me with explicit instructions not to deviate from the instructions whatsoever. Of course I, being me, immediately deviated in every conceivable way. And it was awesome. My apologies, old friend. And now…with no further ado, I give you “EVERYBODY IN THE F’N POT!” SOUP*. (*Commonly referred to as “Taco Soup” in less dramatic circles…) 

Once in awhile a girl comes across a recipe so good, she finds herself thinking absurd things – and I am not talking your run-of-the-mill “makes me want to run out into a field and twirl” fantasy. I am talking more like “With this soup I am pretty certain I could snag a ruggedly handsome lumberjack husband with Midwestern values and a high IQ who will build us a house with his own two hands where together we will raise three strong, smart, talented children and spend our weekends roasting marshmallows over a backyard fire pit whilst throwing sticks for our retriever named “Blue.” (Because, you know, it only makes sense if I’m hypothetically marrying a lumberjack named Paul Buyon.)

Oh wait. I fear I’ve said too much.

But what I am really trying to say is this soup f’n rocks. And I’m not the kind of girl who throws the f-word around like a hot potato at lunch. Actually, it’s more of a chili than a soup, and although the original recipe includes meat, even during my omnivorous days I never really found the meat necessary. Instead, I beef it up (pardon the pun) the beans, which makes it plenty hearty. The exclusion of ground beef also makes it a VEGAN chili, which should merit some sort of additional bonus points in veggie world if you ask me. Or at least some extra good karma.

Below you will find my standard version of Taco Soup, but more often than not, this dish becomes an excuse to clean the pantry. I pretty much toss in any array of beans, veggies or anything else I have on-hand. Fresh cilantro? In  the pot. Jalepenos? In the pot! I am fairly convinced you cannot screw it up. Also, it makes a TON, so assuming you would like to win friends and influence people (or just maintain existing friendships so you always have someone to drive you to the airport at 5 am) , this is a great way to do just that.

Side note: For some reason when I make this dish, I always imagine the beans are listening to Barry Harris’ “Dive in the Pool.” Not sure why I associate soup with legume raves, but there you have it. And once they’re down the hatch? Well, that’s when the party really begins.

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BASIC INGREDIENTS
2 cups diced onions
Several cans of beans (pinto, kidney, red, black, navy, great northern – the sky is the limit!)
1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles
2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans diced green chiles
1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS
Small can chopped jalepenos

Fresh cilantro

Corn chips and shredded cheese for serving

DIRECTIONS | Brown the onions in a large skillet; then transfer to a large slow cooker or a stockpot. Add all remaining ingredients and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove. While you wait, check out this bean-friendly history lesson on BEANFEAST.

To serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with corn chips and cheese if desired.

Voila! You are master (or mistress) of the crock pot! There is nothing you can’t do now. (Except maybe fold a fitted sheet.)

mmmushrooms: they’re what’s for dinner.

Tiki hut surrounded by black sand beach or a portobello mushroom? You be the judge.

There was once a time in my life when the thought of eating a mushroom sounded about as appealing to me as eating the styrofoam container in which the mushrooms were sold. I can only assume my fungi-phobia must have been attributed to something I had heard as a child, which forever linked the term “mushrooms” with expressions like “thrives on manure heaps.”

Though I don’t remember how or when, somewhere along the way I decided to give mushrooms another try, and a culinary love affair was born. Even prior to my veg conversion, I would have put a good portobello burger up against a beef patty any day of the week.

In celebration of my first official night of born-again vegetarianism, I decided to hitch myself back on the wagon by way of homemade portobello burger. Dinner consisted of…

• Portobello burger with a slice of tomato and red onion, baby spinach, goat cheese and an easy aioli on a whole-wheat bun
• Red potato rosemary fries pan roasted in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt
• Vegetarian baked beans from a can (Because…why not? It’s not like I carved them open with a pocket knife hobo-style.)

If you have never attempted to cook your own portobello burger, it is only slightly more complicated than rudimentary culinary tasks such as juicing lemons and trying to insert the straw into a Capri Sun. You can do it!

[recipe after the jump]