Lemon Poppyseed Loaf

October 6, 2014November 10, 2014 / featherheadlady / 1 Comment

Today was a baking day. I found a recipe for lemon loaf and made some modifications including the poppy seeds. I remember having lemon poppy seed muffins frequently at the Courtland Room in Jacobsons and when I tasted this loaf it reminded me a lot of those muffins.

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 T poppy seeds

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 T butter at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp lemon extract

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 T lemon zest

1/2 cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 350. With a hand mixer on low speed beat the eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, lemon extract, and lemon juice until well combined. Whisk together dry ingredients including lemon zest and poppy seeds and gradually add to egg mixture beating on low until well combined. Add canola oil and mix well.

Pour batter into a greased 9×5″ loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. After 10 minutes or so invert the pan. Allow the loaf to cool completely before adding the glaze.

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

2 T milk or lemon juice

Add the liquid to the powdered sugar gradually and continue whisking until the glaze is smooth and has a good drizzling consistency. You may not need a full 2 T of liquid. I used lemon juice for my glaze because I liked the additional tartness.

This will be a new favorite for us. I have some key lime extract so I may try using that with key lime juice and zest for a little different taste experience. But it’s all good.

TIP: If you have extra lemon or lime juice measure it out, put it in a zip lock snack bag, and store in your freezer. Next time you need fresh lemon juice for a recipe and you have no lemons you’ll be glad you saved that extra juice.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Farro Salad

October 2, 2014 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

I made country style pork ribs with homemade barbecue sauce for dinner and decided to make a healthy grain with sweet potato for a side. Farro is a grain with a nutty flavor, it’s chewy and it’s a great source of protein. When cooking the Farro make sure your sauce pan is deep enough. First try it boiled over and made a mess on my stove. I got a bigger, deeper pan, transferred the grain and water to the new pan and it boiled over again and made another mess! Now I know which pan to use next time. Other than the twice messy stove the recipe was easy.

3-4 medium sweet potatoes

5-6 cloves of garlic

5 T olive oil, divided

1 cup semi pearled farro

zest and juice of one lemon (about 4 T)

1/2 cup curly leaf parsley rough chopped

1/2 cup mint rough chopped

Preheat oven to 425. Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Put sweet potatoes and unpeeled garlic cloves on a jelly roll pan and toss with 3 T of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and roast 30-35 minutes flipping once until tender.

While the potatoes are roasting begin cooking the Farro. Remember my messy experience and use a nice deep saucepan. Cover the Farro with several inches of cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30-35 minutes until tender. Drain and toss with remaining 2T of olive oil in a large bowl.

When cool remove garlic from their peels and smash with a fork.

Add the zest and lemon juice to the garlic to make the dressing. Add the cleaned and chopped herbs and the sweet potatoes to the Farro. Dress and gently toss the salad. Salt and pepper to taste. Best served at room temperature.

With the the nutty taste of the Farro, the sweetness of the potato and the freshness of the lemon and herbs this salad is very hearty and yet refreshing. One recipe I saw for a Farro salad called for sprouts. I didn’t have any sprouts on hand but I think they would have been a good addition.

Apple Butterscotch Blondies

October 1, 2014 / featherheadlady / 1 Comment

It’s apple season and there are so many good things to make with apples. I found this recipe in one of my food magazines and decided to give it a try. We had bacon, lettuce, tomato and over easy egg sandwiches on sour dough bread for dinner and these made the perfect dessert. Another bonus is they are super easy to make.

Preheat the oven to 350.

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

6 T unsalted butter

3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)

1 tsp pure vanilla

2 large eggs

2 medium apples peeled, cored and finely chopped

1/3 cup butterscotch chips

I mixed everything in one saucepan. Melt the butter in the saucepan swirling occasionally until the butter begins to brown. Remove from the heat and whisk in the brown sugar and vanilla until the sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool briefly and whisk in the 2 eggs until well combined.

With the a rubber spatula mix in the dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking powder). Stir in the diced apples and butterscotch chips. Pour the batter into a 9″x9″ pan lined with foil. Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and the sides are set.

Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!

You might want to add a little whipped cream or a scoop of butter pecan or vanilla bean ice cream.

I will definitely be making these again. I might try substituting some golden raisins or chopped walnuts for the butterscotch chips. Of course I’d have to call them apple raisin Blondies or apple walnut Blondies. That’s the beauty of baking and cooking. You can make modifications to recipes to suit your personal tastes.

Beef Short Ribs with Vegetables

September 27, 2014 / featherheadlady / 2 Comments

I don’t cook a great deal of beef but I get some excellent cuts from a local organic farm. And tonight the short ribs sounded good. Beef short ribs, it’s what’s for dinner.

5 or 6 short ribs trimmed of fat

Kosher salt and pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1 fennel in a large dice (fronds, stems and core removed)

1 large onion in a large dice

2 large carrots sliced

3-4 stalks of celery in a large dice

3-4 cloves of garlic minced

2 T tomato paste

1 bottle dry red wine

rosemary and thyme

4 cups beef or mushroom broth

Put ribs on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Generously salt and pepper them and put in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

Heat oil over medium high heat in a heavy Dutch oven. Add diced vegetables and cook over medium heat about 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Add minced garlic and cook 2 more minutes.

Pour in the bottle of wine and tomato paste. Cook over high heat until mixture is reduced by half…approximately 20-25 minutes.

Add salt and pepper and 1 tsp each of rosemary and thyme. Put the ribs in the Dutch oven with the veggies and wine reduction. Add 4 cups of broth and bring to a simmer. Cover and put in 300 degree oven for about two hours until ribs are tender.

Remove ribs to a platter and cook the veggies and broth over medium heat until reduced by half…about 20 minutes. Put the ribs back in and heat through.

We had mashed potatoes but you could serve them with buttered noodles or just a good crusty bread.

Since the oven was going to be on for 2 hours I decided to roast some beets. I peeled them and put them in a casserole dish lined with heavy duty foil. I put some olive oil and kosher salt on the beets, sealed the foil tight and roasted the beets. I love finishing them with balsamic vinegar. I put a cup of vinegar in a saucepan and simmered it until it was reduced by half. Before serving I slice the beets and drizzle the balsamic reduction over them. They are always excellent.

TIP: Recipes are always asking for a tablespoon or two of tomato paste. A little trick I learned a long time ago was to open one end of a can of tomato paste and put it in the freezer for an hour or two. Then I take it out, open the other end of the can, push the paste through and slice it into 4 or 5 slices. Put each slice into a little zip lock snack bag and freeze. When you need a tablespoon of tomato paste it’s ready for you!

The short ribs were excellent. Enjoy!

Apple Blueberry Crisp

September 25, 2014 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

Apple crisp with blueberry sounded like a great idea. It’s what was for dessert.

Preheat oven to 350

6-8 Macintosh apples or another good baking apple

1 cup blueberries

lemon zest

juice of 1/2 lemon (1 Tablespoon)

1/4 c sugar

grated nutmeg (about 1/2 tsp)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 c flour

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 c white sugar

1/2 c oatmeal

1 tsp cinnamon

1 stick cold butter

Peel, core and slice apples. Toss with lemon zest and juice, 1/4 c sugar, and spices. Spread apples out in a deep 8×8 casserole dish that has been greased or sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle blueberries over apples.

Whisk together flour, sugars, and oatmeal. Work butter into dry ingredients with your hands or use the paddle on your stand mixer. Sprinkle the crisp over the fruit and bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Serve warm with whipping cream or vanilla ice cream.

This recipe can be doubled and baked in a deep 9×13 pan. In case of bubble-over you may want to put the pan on a foil lined cookie sheet.

Salmon Patties aka Burgers

September 25, 2014 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

Do you remember salmon patties and creamed peas from your childhood? Actually I don’t. I don’t think we ever had salmon patties but almost everyone I know remembers them. And not necessarily fondly. I decided I wanted to give salmon patties a try. Minus the creamed peas. Corn on the cob instead.

1 1/2-2 pounds salmon; fresh is best (skin removed, bones removed)

1/2 red or yellow bell pepper diced

3/4 cup panko crumbs

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 T soy sauce

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp salt

Pulse the salmon in your food processor. If you don’t have a food processor cut into a small dice.

Add the remaining ingredients to the salmon and and gently combine. Don’t over mix. Form into patties or burgers. Lightly oil a heavy skillet. I used my cast iron. Heat the skillet over medium heat and cook 5 minutes per side.

Serve on a bun with lettuce, tomato, mayo, a nice slice of onion. Or with no bun and sides of your choice like corn on the cob, red skin potatoes, left over Mac and cheese or creamed peas.

If I had had these salmon patties as a kid I think I would remember them fondly.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

September 22, 2014September 25, 2014 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

Stuffed bell peppers…it’s what’s for dinner.

1 pound ground beef, pork or turkey

4 sweet bell peppers (red, yellow, orange or green…you choose)

1 T olive oil

1 medium onion diced

2 stalks of celery diced

pepper tops diced

2-3 cloves of garlic minced

1 cup cooked long grain white or brown rice

1 pint/can stewed tomatoes

1 14-oz can tomato sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1 T dried basil

1/2 cup shredded asiago or Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cut off the tops of the peppers and remove the seeds. Par-boil the peppers in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes. Remove and put the peppers in a casserole lined with non-stick foil. Preheat oven to 350.

Sauté diced onion, pepper, celery and garlic for 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Add meat of your choosing and brown. Remove from heat. Stir in rice, seasonings, and asiago or Parmesan cheese.

Combine tomatoes and tomato sauce and whisk together. Add approximately one cup of tomato sauce to meat and rice mixture. Fill peppers. Top with remaining tomato sauce.

Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and top with shredded mozzarella and bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and peppers are thoroughly heated. Plate peppers and top with some of the tomato gravy.

Serve with crusty bread, apple sauce and a tossed salad.

Today someone posted a recipe for stuffed pepper soup. Maybe tomorrow I’ll use the leftover peppers and make them into soup.

Addendum:

Day two of stuffed peppers. I decided to reinvent the leftover peppers and make soup. I sliced a carrot, diced a medium onion, diced a couple stalks of celery, and shredded a cup or more of cabbage. I put a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a heavy soup kettle and once it was hot sweated the vegetables for 3-4 minutes. I added a pint of stewed tomatoes, 4 cups of chicken broth, and the leftover peppers that I had diced. I also added a can of cannellini beans for a little extra protein.

I brought the the soup to a simmer and simmered it until the flavors were married.

I thought the soup was yummy served with some crusty bread and crackers. If you have family members who refuse to eat leftovers reinventing them is a perfect option.

Apple Slices in Cinnamon Red Hot Syrup

September 22, 2014 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

It’s apple season! I’ve been in a canning frenzy this month and I had to do apples. I got a bushel and a half of apples; a variety of apples because the combination of sweet/tart and textures makes the best apple sauce. I made several batches of apple sauce. I use minimal sugar…maybe a half cup of sugar for 7 pints worth of apples and a bit of cinnamon. Mostly I just want the bright, natural taste of apples in the sauce. Apple sauce is very easy to do. Peel, core and slice the apples, put them in a large kettle, add just enough water to keep the apples from burning and cook over medium high heat until the apples are tender. I like chunky apple sauce so I mash the apples with my potato masher or you can use an immersion blender.

Ladle hot applesauce into hot, sterilized jars leaving a half inch of headspace. Use a wooden or plastic spatula remove air bubbles and put the two piece lids on the jar. Process pints in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. Remove and put hot jars on a towel or wooden board to cool. Voila! You have applesauce to enjoy all winter. Well I did a LOT of applesauce and wanted to try something different so I got out my Ball Blue Book and found a recipe for…

Apple Wedges in Cinnamon Red Hot Sauce

8-10 pounds of apples (use firm apples)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup cinnamon red hot candies

2 cinnamon sticks broken into several pieces

2 tsp whole cloves

1 tsp ginger

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups white or cider vinegar

2/3 cup light corn syrup

More peeling, coring, and slicing! You may want to treat your apples with fresh fruit produce protector or lemon juice to keep your apple slices from browning while you work.

Combine remaining ingredients in a large heavy kettle and slowly bring to a boil.

Add apple wedges to syrup mixture, stir, cover and simmer 4-5 minutes. Pack hot apples into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Ladle hot syrup over apples leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Remove any air bubbles. Adjust caps and process in hot water bath for 15 minutes.

They look beautiful! They will be wonderful to serve as a side with pork or poultry. The red hots and ginger give them a little kick. Apples are all canned. Now I need to find space to store them all!

Pesto

August 13, 2014 / featherheadlady / 1 Comment

A good friend gave me a beautiful bouquet of fresh basil from her garden.

I find my salad spinner to be the best tool for washing fresh herbs.

Once the basil is clean and dry it goes into the food processor:
2 cups of packed basil leaves
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup pine nuts
and pulse until leaves are finely chopped. With food processor running on low add in a slow, steady stream:
1/2 cup good olive oil

Add salt and pepper to taste.

If you’re going to use immediately stir in:
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

I froze mine using a silicone ice cube tray. Cover tightly before putting in the freezer. I will add my Parmesan when I’m ready to use the pesto.

Now all we need is some pasta.

In the Beginning…

August 13, 2014 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

I love to cook. I love to feed people. I’m not a gourmet. I have no professional training. I’d never make it on Top Chef or on Chopped. But I love to experiment and to try new things. I love to share my creations with people. Sometimes they are awesome. Sometimes, maybe not.

I hope my blog will entertain you and maybe even inspire you.

PS. My daughter named my blog “The Finnish Dish.” Most of my recipes are not Finnish but the best parts of me are…so in fact I am the Finnish Dish!

The Finnish Dish

Cooking in Michigan with Ruth

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