homemade yogurt

my mother is not a hippie

she would never be mistaken as "granola"

birkenstocks have never graced her perfectly manicured feet

however

when i was a kid

the dogs were fed brewer's yeast

our bread came from the health food store

red dye no. 2 was banned from the house

and

our yogurt was homemade

i thought it was so lame

my friends were eating

yogurt with dreamy flavors

of

coffee, chocolate and lemon swirl

while i  

was being brainwashed to believe

that mine

 while not sweet like pudding

was filled with acidolphilus

my best defense

against turistas

if ever i found my 8 year old self in mexico

with a head of  unwashed lettuce in one hand

and 

a tall glass of tap water in the other

here in lies the rub

now

as an adult

i love homemade yogurt

finding myself extolling the virtues

of

good bacteria

without apology

to anyone who will listen

 

 homemade yogurt

1/2 gallon milk (i use 2%)

1/4 cup good quality plain yogurt-room temperature

jams, jellies, honey, fruit--to serve

preheat oven to 185F.  heat milk in a pot that will best retain temperature over low heat until it reaches 185F.  once it reaches the desired temperature, pop it into the preheated oven and allow to sit for 30 minutes.  remove from oven and allow the milk to cool to 110F. when the milk has cooled to 110F add the yogurt and stir well.  it is important to keep the milk at 110F for the next 7-10 hours.(i have a warming oven that i use which will keep a consistent low temperature.  other methods can be a warming pad, creating a foil tent over a electric skillet, testing the residual heat of an upper oven, while the lower oven is on, placing the pot in a water bath and keeping the water at 110F)

after 7-10 hours you will see thickened milk soaking in the whey.  give this a good stir, then spoon into containers and  place in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours before eating.  

what i do next is not necessary, but hubster and i have different ideas about how thick yogurt should be. i like mine extra thick, he doesn't.  i place the yogurt in a sieve lined with cheesecloth over a large bowl, and let it sit for a few hours or overnight. the yogurt becomes the consistency of cream cheese, and the whey collects in the bowl.   i place the yogurt in one container and the whey in another.  when i make up my pots of yogurt, i whisk in enough whey to achieve the desired consistency. the extra thick yogurt is great as a spread on bread or for flavored dips.

i am linking this to
tuesday night supper club
a little birdie told me

easter bunny

want the beauty of a

white chocolate

easter bunny

with the taste 

of 

deep brown

bittersweet chocolate

?

me too

which is why

i 

dipped my 

bunny

in 

royal icing

now

 it has a

hard candy coating

and

looks like

italian pottery

i love it so much

it might never get eaten

Happy Easter

sugared orange tea cake

hey

remember those oranges 

that i sugared

and canned?

(click here to get recipe)

remember

how i promised to make lots of good things with them

well

i don't break a promise

so here is my first creation

a

gorgeous and moist cake

perfect with a 

cup of tea

sugared orange tea cake

(printable recipe)

1c + 2Tbs unsalted butter--room temp

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 large eggs--room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

10-12 sugared oranges

orange syrup (from oranges)

whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking powder in a bowl.  in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  add the eggs one by one mixing thoroughly after each one, careful to clean the sides of the bowl as you go.  add the vanilla and beat once again.  make sure the batter is thoroughly whipped before stirring in the dry ingredients.  once you add the dry ingredients, be careful not to over mix.  pour into prepared cake pan (greased and floured). smooth the top and lay the oranges on top, overlapping a bit.  bake at 325 until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes.  after cake is removed from the oven, but not yet cooled, pour a bit of the orange syrup on top, allowing it to completely soak in before adding more.  do not add more than 1/3 of a cup.

*you can add a bit of grand marnier to the syrup if you like.  you can also make a nice icing of confectioner's sugar with the orange syrup and drizzle for a lovely presentation.

allow to cool completely before removing from cake tin.

i am linking this up to
tuesday night supper club
and
a little birdie told me

sugared oranges

a couple of weeks ago

my good friend julie

handed me

two grocery bags

stuffed full

of 

blood oranges

amazingly sweet

stunningly hued

orbs of delight

best part

they were all mine

for the past fortnight

i have been

concocting 

all sorts 

in my kitchen

first up

 sugared oranges

*to make approx 9 pint jars

(printable recipe)

blood oranges-or thin skinned oranges

(this recipe uses about 180-200 orange slices)

granulated sugar

ground ginger (optional)

6 cups granulated sugar

3 cups water

1 cup blood orange juice

2-1" knobs of fresh ginger

choose your oranges carefully.  make sure they have thin skin and that they are not so large that they will not fit into the jars you are going to preserve them in. slice the oranges in rings no thicker than 1/8" beginning at stem end.  arrange in a casserole dish in a single layer, slightly overlapping.  once you have your first layer, sprinkle sugar to lightly cover.  lightly sprinkle ground ginger on top as well (no more than 1/8 tsp per layer). continue with a second layer of oranges and repeat with the sugar and ginger. continue until you have reached your desired number of orange slices. remember to reduce the amount of syrup if you are reducing the number of oranges.

sugar and ginger the top layer of oranges, cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit for an hour at room temperature.  after 1 hour or up to 2 (if waiting longer than 2 hours, place in refrigerator) lightly pack your oranges into sterilized jars--each pint jar will hold approximately 20 pieces.

 make the syrup.  

place the sugar, water, blood orange juice and ginger in a saucepan over medium heat. add the leftover juices from your oranges as well.  bring to a boil and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and the syrup appears clear.  remove from heat.  using a ladle, spoon the hot syrup over the oranges, making sure there are no gaps of air.  use a knife to maneuver the oranges so the syrup can seep through. leave a 1/4" gap at the top of the jar.

seal the jar and process in a water bath per standard canning methods. 

for tips on canning please click here

i processed my jars for 20 minutes at high altitude, but i cannot guarantee that this method will be appropriate for your batch.

And now for the big question

what would you use these for?

well,

coming soon is a

cake recipe using sugared oranges

but you can also use for

cocktail garnish-using the syrup in the beverage

dry them in a slow oven and dip in chocolate

top cupcakes and cheesecakes

sweeten your morning yogurt

garnish grilled chicken

be imaginative

the list is endless...

"snow eggs"

my mom was an

eat a piece of fruit if your hungry

kind of mom

cakes, cookies and pastries

were for special occasions

after dinner

a bowl of fruit

platter of nuts

and maybe

a hunk of cheese

would be placed in the middle of the table

we would

solve the world's problems

while the coffee brewed

if i wanted

a store bought

cream filled delight

i had to eat at a friend's house

i have still never tasted

an actual hostess snowball

but i get the gist

when i found this fabulous

vintage cake pan

at a local shop

i couldn't wait to make cakes

cakes

with creamy filling

robed in sticky marshmallow

and

covered with

dreamy

pastel-painted

coconut

cakes. like. these.

marshmallow cakes

makes approximately 18

1 batch devil's food cake (recipe here)

1 batch cream filling (recipe here)

1 batch marshmallow topping (recipe here)

colored coconut

butter, or spray cake pan and dust with cocoa powder.  fill to 3/4 full and bake in 350 oven until tester comes out clean

let cool completely before filling

meanwhile, make cream filling

using a pastry bag with a "fill" tip

squeeze about 2 Tbs of cream into the center of the cake through the large end of the egg

 to make your colored coconut

simply take about a cup of sweetened flake coconut and place it in a ziploc bag.  drop in 2-3 drops of food color and close the bag. massage with your hands until all coconut has a bit of color in it. set aside until you are ready to use.

do not make your marshmallow until you are ready for it. marshmallow sets up quite fast, if possible get someone to help you, this will help it go both smoothly and quickly.

when you are ready, arrange your filled cakes on parchment paper in groupings of what color you will be topping them with

now 

make your marshmallow topping.

while the marshmallow topping is still slightly warm, but is perfectly fluffed, stop whipping.  immediately begin topping your marshmallows, simply by pouring a bit of marshmallow on top.

 if you are doing this alone, stop after every two or three and generously sprinkle the coconut on top and sides. if you have a helper, allow them to immediately follow you with the coconut.  your marshmallow will set up within 5 or so minutes.

don't panic, just be aware.

i think these would be just darling wrapped and hidden in the garden

for a truly joyous

easter egg hunt

  

spring freeze

i have a really 

positive and beautiful post

to share

very soon

one that celebrates

my and hubsters

love affair

with our cabin

i will share

all that goes with

restoring a once cherished home 

of a disco era character actress

slash

 avid rare rose collector

which

because of

years of neglect and abandonment

is now a bit sagging

however

under our charge

it is making a comeback

from

barely standing

to

a sturdy home

we live in southern california

where winter is a whisper

and flowers can be in bloom year 'round

except in the mountains

in the mountains

winter is a fickle mistress

warm and lingering one minute

bitter hovering cold the next

last year

completely unprepared for frost

rather than morning dew

on mother's day

we found ourselves

fruitless

eight beautiful trees

in mid-bloom

all rendered barren

at the wispy whim of mother nature

and

our carefully planted

vegetable garden 

turned to compost

overnight

thankful

that we live in modern times

and that all did not have to be lost

we replanted the garden

even with a short summer

were able to both

enjoy the bounty it sprung

and

 provide forage space

for our bees

which brings me to today

once again

we find ourselves

thinking about the weather

huddling at the hardware store

debating with the town folk

each of us sharing an opinion of

how cold will it get

and

how long will it sit

at

40 we have hope

at 

30 it can be hit or miss

at 

17 it is a matter of how much will be lost

not if

here's the deal

i don't care

that i can go to a grocery store and find

5 varieties of pear

peaches as sweet as sugar 

cherries with a flush to rival crimson of anger

that.is.not.the.point

the point is

we have trees

trees that have potential

potential that is being shattered

and i won't have that

neither will hubster

we are fighting fire with fire

scrappy and sure

armed with

christmas lights

garbage cans

plastic bags

and

contact paper

giving it the good fight

because

come summer

we have plans

plans like

pear brandy

plum jam cake

cherry pie

and

peach cobbler

just for starters

plans that won't be thwarted

even if it means

standing in freezing wind

stringing twinkle lights

four months after christmas

a day for cake

today is national coffee cake day

good thing

because 

it is rainy 

and windy

 just the kind of day

to sit in front of the fire

with a cup of coffee

and a piece 

of this amazing cake

with sugary topping

piled high

printable recipe can be found

  here

roasted swordfish on garlic crouton

one of the great things about my life

is that it has been well lived

i have gathered great friends 

along the way

friends from all walks of life
and

all parts of the world

friends who know

i don't answer the phone

before 9 am

on a saturday morning recently

i was up early

reading my email

one came through from an old friend

currently living in memphis

it said 

"you awake?

i have a question for you and i don't want to wake you"

it was sent at 7:45am

i loved her for her courtesy

i called her 2 minutes later

and in return

she shared with me an amazing recipe

roasted fish on garlic croutons

she found it on epicurious

i have changed the recipe a bit

but really only slightly

because it is so perfect
just like the lovely who shared it with me

 roasted swordfish on garlic crouton

olive oil

2 bunches fresh spinach

tomato sauce

1/2 cup onions--finely diced

3 anchovy fillets

large can whole tomatoes

3 garlic cloves--coarsely chopped

about 10 basil leaves

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 Tbs brown sugar

2 Tbs capers-drained
fish

4 swordfish filets or steaks about 7 oz each

olive oil

1/4 tsp dried chili flakes

salt and pepper
garlic crouton

4-1/2" thick slices country bread

1 clove of garlic-cut in half

preheat the oven to 450F
for spinach

in a skillet, heat a bit of olive oil over medium heat.  quickly saute the spinach until it is wilted but still has its color.  remove the spinach from the pan and set aside. quickly rewarm just before serving
for tomato sauce
heat a large skillet and add enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. add the onions and cook until they begin to sweat. add the anchovies and cook until the anchovies have disintegrated into the oil and onions begin to get golden brown.  toss in the garlic and give it a few stirs. add the tomatoes, crushing each one to bits, by hand, as you add it. give it a good stir and leave to simmer on medium heat for about 15 minutes. just before removing from heat, stir in the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, basil leaves and capers. taste for salt and pepper. keep warm
for fish 

meanwhile put a little bit of olive oil in the bottom of a casserole dish.  place the fish on top.  season with salt and pepper and chili flakes.  drizzle a bit more olive oil on top. place in the oven and cook until the fish becomes opaque, about 8-10 minutes.
for garlic crouton
place your bread slices on a sheet pan in the oven to toast. slice the garlic clove into 2 pieces
once the bread is toasted, lightly rub each slice with the garlic.
to assemble
while everything is still warm, place a garlic crouton on each plate or on serving platter.  top with spinach.  next place a piece of fish on top of the spinach. generously bathe in the tomato sauce.  drizzle a little balsamic vinegar over the top to serve.


i am linking this up to
a little birdie told me
and
hearth and soul blog hop

brown-butter bacon shortbread with bourbon-maple glaze

at a recent food-swap

i traded jam for 

browned butter shortbread 

it was
out of this world

within minutes 

of finishing the very last crumb

i was conspiring to make my own

the gal with whom i swapped

was kind enough to share the recipe 

from gourmet magazine

(insert long sigh and whimper mourning the loss of this fabulous magazine)

while browning the butter

i was reminded a bit of the smell

of bacon

caveat

i have been know to swear
that i smell bacon

at a kosher deli

i'm only slightly obsessed

i do draw the line

at

chocolate covered bacon

don't love it

but

here is what i do love

these 

crispy, nutty, salty 

with a throat warming

bourbon glaze

 brown-butter bacon shortbread

with bourbon-maple glaze
*this recipe only slightly resembles its inspiration. the addition of bacon, bacon fat, nuts, and glaze are all mine
original recipe here
(printable recipe)

shortbread

4 oz browned butter-cooled to solid in fridge

2 oz bacon grease--cooled to solid in fridge

1/2 tsp grey sea salt (kosher is fine)

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup bacon--cooked crispy and finely chopped

1 1/3 cup+ 3 Tbs all purpose flour

1 cup toasted and chopped pecans

in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the cooled butter, cooled bacon grease and brown sugar. add the salt and vanilla and stir to mix.  mix in the bacon bits, then the flour. mix only to fully incorporate the flour, do not over mix. 

remove the dough from mixer and form into a cylinder on plastic wrap

roll the dough into the chopped nuts, cover and place in refrigerator.  let rest in fridge for an hour.

when ready to bake, heat oven to 350f. slice the roll into 1/4" slices and place on lined cookie sheet, leaving about 1/2" between each cookie. these will spread a bit.

allow to bake about 10-12 minutes or until they start to brown on the bottom. remove from oven and let cool.  

once cool, drizzle with glaze.

bourbon maple glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp maple syrup

up to 1 Tbs bourbon

place powdered sugar in a bowl. stir in the maple syrup.  add bourbon 1 tsp at a time until it reaches a nice runny consistency, that will barely hold its shape.  pour into a piping bag or use a spoon to decoratively drizzle over the cookies.  allow to sit until the glaze has firmed up.

i am parading this recipe

is if it is a

pig at the county fair

at foodbuzz' baconalia

with 

fingers crossed

that it is blue ribbon worthy