Dorothy? Who's Dorothy?

A back to back showing of The Wizard of Oz was on TBS during this past Sunday's dinner. We watched it while eating but took a break to get the scones ready. At one point I poked my head out of the kitchen to catch up on what was going on and "Surrender Dorothy" was on the t.v. screen. I gotta say that even while watching this as a little kid I was impressed that this girl, despite her fear, just didn't give up. Years ago when this was on CBS-TV, it was often on at this time of year and I'd remember watching it at Grandma's house when we were up North for Easter weekend. Grandma's Easter dinners (actually, all of her dinners) was HUGE. She'd usually make a ham. I have fond memories of coloring eggs at her house with my brothers and our cousins.

Last Night's Dessert - Scones with Fresh Strawberries

While shopping for yesterday's dinner at Kowalski's, Dale and I decided we really wanted scones with strawberries for dessert. Kowalski's used to carry some wonderful Bramblewood Cottage scones but we haven't been able to find them there for a long, long time. We couldn't even find any of their in- house scones that were plain. I decided to just pick up some Bisquick and make our own scones. Mom used to make pancakes from Bisquick when we were kids. We used the recipe on the box which made six good sized scones. They were really quite delicious with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

Sunday Dinner - Beef Roast

One of the things I remember most about Sunday dinner as a kid is roast beef. I remember visiting my Grandpa Les in Two Harbors, Minnesota and he absolutely loved Grandma Jean's beef roast. Dale and I tried our own version today. We stopped by Kowalski's and got a 3 pound beef rump roast. According to directions found online, the rump roast should bake for an hour a pound. That made for 1 hour. The directions on the roast said the same thing and that the temperature should be about 130 degrees at least. We browned the roast in a cast iron skillet and put it in our Le Creuset roasting pot in the oven at 350 degrees. After an hour our meat thermometer read only 65 degrees. We upped the oven temperature to 375 and let it go a bit longer. It took another half hour to reach a temp of 145. To the Le Creuset pot the roast was in we added carrots and onions. We boiled some red potatoes for good measure. It all ended up to be very delicious!

Dinner On Sunday Blog - Five Year Anniversary

When I began this blog five years ago I had no idea what it would become or if it would even last. Well, it's lasted this long so I guess I had something to say about food and sharing meals with others. I'd like to dedicate this 5th year anniversary post to my mom, Annie, with whom I've shared lots of meals over my last 44 years. She taught me three things about dining with others that have stayed with me: 1) Sit up at the table 2) Chew with your mouth closed, and 3) the importance of having polite and meaningful conversations with others. Thanks Mom, I love you!

How appropriate then that I had dinner with her tonight. Dale went over at about 3:00 today to help Mom with her taxes. I joined them at about 5:30. Mom made a delicious white bean chili. We had salads and bread along with it and also some wine. For dessert she made vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting. She had them in the Tupperware container that she's had since I was a little kid.

Here's the recipe for the chili which comes from the Minnesota Cancer Registrars Association cookbook and was submitted by Amanda Hlad:

White Chicken Chili

2 cans great northern white beans, drained

6 c. chicken broth

2 small onions,chopped

1 T. oil

6 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tsp. oregano

2-3 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

4 c. cooked chicken, cubed

1 c. sour cream

Combine beans and chicken broth and simmer. In frying pan saute oil, onions, garlic, and spices. Add to stock. Add chicken to stock and cook 30 minutes. Add sour cream and heat through, do not boil. Garnish with shredded cheese and sour cream.

Dinner at Bilbo Baggins, Alexandria, VA

For dinner on Saturday night, Pete and Steph took us to a restaurant called Bilbo Baggins in Alexandria Virginia. I started with a Hendricks martini which was mixed with way more vermouth than is to my liking. Mom had a beer as did Pete. For dinner I had house made tortellini stuffed with crab meat, salmon and fresh dill. It was served with an apple ginger Chardonnay cream sauce and was quite delicious. It's always wonderful to eat seafood when on the east coast. I did a little research and discovered that tortellini means "little twists". Mom had the grilled lamb chops and Pete ordered a steak.

According to Stephanie, the restaurant got permission to use the Bilbo Baggins as the name of the restaurant from J.R.R. Tolkien's estate in the early 1970's. Both restaurant and bar were rustic and charming. Bilbo Baggins is located at 208 Queen Street, Old Towne, Alexandria, Virginia.

Saint Joseph's Day - 2011

My patron saint is Saint Joseph and today is his feast day. Being just two days after March 17th Joseph has always fallen in the shadow of St. Patrick's Day. I've always felt Joseph deserves at least as much attention as Patrick as he was, after all, the foster father of our Lord and Savior. I mean, driving snakes out of Ireland is pretty cool but parenting can be, I've heard, just as miraculous.

Anyway, I've done some online research on how St. Joseph's Day is celebrated and one site pointed out that it is a big feast in many countries, especially Italy where St. Joseph's Tables are traditional. Elaborate meals and other foods are placed and displayed on the St. Joseph's Table. Another tradition is to bury an upside-down statue of St. Joseph in the ground in a hole in the yard of your house on St. Joseph's Day to make your house sell. Believe it or not I had actually heard of this before. If I ever wanted to sell the house I'm in now, I don't know that I could actually stick my statue of St. Joseph in a hole in the ground. I just couldn't. On top of that, it just seems too superstitious.

Anyway, traditional St. Joseph's day meals tend to be meatless since the holiday tends to fall during Lent. My request to Dale was that we have shrimp scampi for this momentous occasion. We used a recipe from the Eating for Life cookbook by Body for Life guru Bill Philllips. This tends to be healthy fare so we doctored it up to make it taste a whole LOT better. Here's the recipe:

"Shrimp Scampi [from p. 167 of the Eating for Life cookbook by Bill Phillips]

Ingredients:

2 portions whole-wheat penne pasta (about 4 oz. uncooked) [We at LEAST doubled that]

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 portions raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 1/2 lb.)

3 Tbsp Butter Buds, divided [Butter Buds? As if! We used real butter]

3 Tbsp white wine

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 lemon halved

3 Tbsp reduced-fat Parmesan cheese [Reduced fat? No way.]

2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Prepare penne pasta according to its package directions.

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil and garlic in a wok or large skillet over medium heat.

3. Add shrimp to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until it's almost pink (three-quarters done), about 2 minutes.

4. Add 1 Tbsp of Butter Buds and white wine to shrimp; saute about 2 more minutes.

5. Place cooked pasta in a large mixing bowl and combine it with remainder of the Butter Buds and black pepper; mix gently.

6. Add cooked shrimp to pasta and gently mix it all together.

7. Divide into two portions and spoon onto plates. Top with a squeeze of lemon, Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley."

Dinner at Warren and Gary's House

Warren and Gary are a couple neighbors that I met last summer while walking Sophie. It's funny we hadn't crossed paths before as we've all been in the neighborhood since 1997. They moved into their house probably a month before we moved into ours. Well, better late than never, huh? They actually looked at the house Dale and I live in now but passed on it. I sometimes joke that we got their sloppy seconds.

They had also invited their friend John over whom we hadn't had the pleasure of meeting before. He was quite a wonderful fellow. We started out with cocktails. Gary made me a Tanquerey martini. He used quite a bit more vermouth than I ever would but I won't hold that against him as it was still quite good. Dale drank red wine, Gary had a vodkatini and Warren had a rum and Coke.

Dale and I brought over a salad with a basic balsamic vinagrette. Warren made lasagna with a side of cauliflower. For dessert Warren made a bread pudding and for the bread he used panettone (pictured above). Here's what James and Kay Salter have to say about panettone in Life Is Meals:

"Panettone, the light, delicious cake emblematic of Christmas throughout Italy, originated in and is a specialty of Milan. The Admirable authority on Italian food, Waverly Root, considered it the world's best accompaniment for breakfast coffee. Made in a high domed shape that is sometimes thought to honor the domes of Lombard churches, it contains butter, milk sugar, eggs, raisins, and bits of candied fruit."

"The name 'panettone' is probably derived from pane, meaning 'bread,' and tone, the suffix for 'big,' although there are competing versions. Panettone should be warmed just slightly before serving to diffuse the buttery flavor, and it is also excellent toasted."

It worked very well in bread pudding.

(Top illustration by Fabrice Moireau)

Baked Rigatoni - The Finished Product

Yum

Silver Hour with Baked Rigatoni - Wednesday March 2, 2011

Dale was out of town last week so we didn't get our 'Silver Hour'. He's back home and we're both looking forward to the one tonight. Dinner will be baked rigatoni which is very much a comfort food for us.

Here's how we make the rigatoni:

20 oz. ground turkey or Italian Sausage

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1 and 1/2 jar spaghetti sauce

parmasan cheese to taste

Put in baking dish and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Dinner On My Own

When Dale is out of town I usually indulge in my favorite simple meal. Rotisserie chicken and a pretzel bun, both from Kowalskis, and a salad. This salad is hearts of romaine with Annie's Goddess dressing. Sophie looks intrigued. Dessert was a slice of truffle roulade from Kowalskis (of course!).

Eating Out - Lizz Wright at the Dakota

I had the most incredibly cruddy day today. I'm so glad I had plans to see Lizz Wright tonight at the Dakota Jazz Club with my good friend Noel. Noel ordered some wine and I had a Bombay Sapphire Martini. We both had the house burger. The food is always fantastic there. Lizz Wright has one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard and I'm not exaggerating. I'd listen to her sing the phone book. Anyway, great food, great music, great venue with a great friend. After a terrible day I feel renewed.

A Mini High School Reunion

The world keeps getting smaller and now because of Facebook it's smaller still. A couple of years ago I joined FB and reconnected with a number of high school friends and acquaintances just before my high school reunion. Some continue to pop up. Recently one of these people, Mike, approached Dale at the gym because he recognized him from a picture posted on my FB account. Dale told me of the meeting and, long story short, Mike and his wife Charisse came over to our place for dinner tonight. It was wonderful to reconnect. We had both forgotten in what class we met but determined that we had at least been in Spanish together in 8th grade and also a government class as seniors in high school. There was a lot to reminisce about including teachers, classmates, classes, et cetera. I observed how I find it interesting that in high school one spends so much time trying to define how one is unique and different. Yet years later you realize that you really had a lot in common with everybody, namely your age, school, neighborhood, city, era; things we never would have considered unifying at the time.

Mike and I had martinis before dinner. Mike's was vodka and mine gin. Dale and Charisse had wine. For dinner we had lasagna which I've made for years and is based on my mom's recipe. I remember Mom making it for the first time when I was about 12 years old. I absolutely loved it and now consider it one of my favorite comfort foods. Here's how I make it now:

1 - 1&1/2 pound Italian sausage (or ground beef/turkey)

1&1/2 jars a spaghetti sauce

lasagna noodles (I use about 11 or 12)

15 oz. ricotta cheese

1 egg

chives

4 cups mozzarella

Fry off meat and add spaghetti sauce to the pan. Prepare noodles but only cook them for about half the recommended time as they will bake in the oven. In medium bowl combine ricotta and cheese and set aside. Begin layering items in greased pan. Spread some of the meat mixture on the bottom of the pan and cover that with about four lasagna noodles. Spread some of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles and then cover this with some of the mozzarella. Repeat until ingredients are used up. Cover with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, oregano, and nutmeg. Oven should be heated to 350 degrees. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Cover and let cool for about 10 minutes.

[Note: for a healthier option we use ground turkey, "light" dairy products, and egg whites. For high octane we go with fattier ingredients.]

Dale made green beans and garlic bread.

I find lasagna to be great for entertaining because it can be made ahead of time and you can have cocktails with guests while it cooks.

Coffee

I love morning coffee. I usually have two mugs a day which probably translates to about 4 cups. Dale got me addicted to the stuff but not until about 12 years into our relationship. I think its funny I'm more the coffee junkie now as he used to drink about 6 cups a day and has now cut back to 1. It probably wouldn't hurt for me to cut back a bit although I've heard that 4 cups is about the limit to what the daily intake should be so for the time being I'll hold steady. I take mine with cream and sugar while Dale usually takes his black. I will say it does make me look forward to getting up in the morning.

Top: Illustration by Nouar

Bottom: Coffee Mug from our collection. Quote by Eleanor Roosevelt says "Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery, Today is a gift"

Valentine's Day 2011

The kids were cookoo at school today. They weren't bad but they sure were geared up for Valentine's Day. I can't say I blame them. I remember what a big day it was for me - addressing the Valentines, making a Valentine's box, passing out the Valentines. It was all very exciting. My class was feeling that same excitement and I'm just glad they had a great time!

Dale dug out the grill from the snow and put on a new tank of propane. He grilled steak, made oven baked brussels sprouts, garlic bread and a salad.

One of my students came in with her mom this morning and they brought me a HUGE apple pie from Lund's. Dale and I ate it tonight and it was delicious.

My cocktail of choice tonight was a Hendrick's gin martini. Dale had some red wine.

Bank Restaurant Minneapolis - More Pictures

Early Valentine's Day Dinner - Bank Restaurant Minneapolis

Dale and I had an early Valentine's Day dinner tonight at Bank Restaurant in downtown Minneapolis. The restaurant is located in what was formerly the grand lobby of the old Farmers and Mechanics Bank.

The building is so stately and the inside so beautiful I feel compelled to provide a little background information. The following is information regarding the bank from Wikipedia:

"The 1942 Farmers and Mechanics Savings Bank building in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, is a former bank building that is now the home of a Westin Hotel The building is an example of the Streamline Moderne phase of the Art Deco movement and is notable for its bold relief sculptures of a farmer and a mechanic framing the main entrance. The sculptures were designed by Warren T. Mosman, who headed the sculpture department at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. The structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006."

"The walnut-paneled main banking hall of the building is now the lobby of the hotel. The taller wings of the building once held offices, but now house 214 hotel rooms. The hotel conversion preserved several historic features of the bank building. The main banking lobby with a 34 foot high ceiling, marble staircase, and carved wood emblems have been retained. The original bank vault on the lower level is a conference room, while the former safety deposit vault is now a wine vault and the entire bank has been made in to a restaurant, called B.A.N.K. The restaurant kept as much of the original woodworking from the actual bank as possible. Former offices now serve as private dining rooms and the teller counter now serves as a bar."

We arrived a little early and got drinks at the bar. I had a Bombay Sapphire martini and Dale had white wine. For dinner I had the Five Onion Soup and Dale had the ceasar salad. We both had the pan roastedpork tenderloin as entrees. For dessert I had a chocolate waffle with maple ice cream. Dale had the cookies and milk.

This amazingly grand space evokes a bygone era and easy to get lost in while dining.

The bar at left is the former teller counter of the old Farmers and Mechanics Bank.

Silver Hour - Wednesday February 9, 2011

When the days are bitter cold and the nights still long, it's nice to have something to look forward to during the day. The kids at school have been inside for recess for nearly the last two weeks and are starting to go buggy. This in turn is making ME go buggy. I love looking forward to dinner and cocktails. Tonight's dinner is a mostly homemade chicken pot pie. When I say 'mostly' I mean that we're not getting a frozen Swanson pot pie. We use a pre-made Pillsbury pie crust, a store bought jar of chicken gravy, a couple cups of grozen mixed vegetables, a couple cups chopped up chicken breasts, and a little thyme. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes and your comfort food is ready.

Pickled Herring

Saturday evening Golden Hour tonight. Dale made steak and brussels sprouts. For an appetizer he picked up some pickled herring. I grew up with pickled herring. We mostly had it around the holidays and I absolutely loved it. So did my Dad.

The following is from The Deluxe Food Lover's Companion:

herring: This huge family of saltwater fish has over a hundred varieties. The popular herring swims in gigantic schools and can be found in the cold waters of the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans. In the United States, two of the most popular members of this family are the American shad, and the alewife, both of which are anadromous, meaning that they migrate from their saltwater habitat to spawn in fresh water. Herring are generally small (ranging between 1/4 and 1 pound) and silvery. The major exception to that rule is the American shad, which averages 3 to 6 pounds and is prized for its eggs - the delicacy known as shad roe. Young herring are frequently labeled and sold as sardines.... Pickled herring have been marinated in vinegar and spices before being bottle in either a sour-cream sauce or a wine sauce. The term can also refer to herring that have been dry-salted before being cured in brine.

Silver Hour - Wednesday January 26, 2011

The Silver Hour is a dressed down version of the Golden Hour. Usually held mid-week. Tonight the menu was tuna steaks, steamed green beans, rice pilaf, and salad.

Dinner and a Movie - 1

Last night Dale and I went to visit our friends Julie and Regina for dinner and a movie. Julie made some very scrumptious burritos. Dale and I brought the leftover tres leche cake from the other night. It was all very delicious. The movie was High Anxiety with Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, and Harvey Korman. It was all very funny.

Good food, good fun, good movie, good friends.

Oh, yeah, and the werewolf scene gets me every time.

Dinner Party - Saturday January 22, 2011

Last night Dale and I hosted a dinner for some friends Dale knows from a spin class he takes on Saturdays at the gym. Michelle, Dale's spin instructor, and her husband Steve along with his classmate Fred and Fred's wife Linda all came over at about 6:00 pm. This dinner was rescheduled from a December date during which the city experienced 18 inches of snow and caused us to cancel. Appetizers and drinks came first. Dinner included lasagna (made by me using Mom's recipe), steamed green beans with olive oil and salt, and garlic bread (both made by Dale). Dessert was a tres leche cake from Cafe Latte in St. Paul which was brought over by Fred and Linda. It was all amazing and tasted fantastic.

W.S. Gilbert said "When planning a dinner party, what's more important than what's on the table is what's on the chairs." This get-together was a nice combination of wonderfully warm people. Dinner was lovely and the conversations were engaging. We talked of Christmas, our families, religion, and politics. I know the latter two are usually to be avoided but everyone was pretty much on the same page and respectful of everyone's opinions. Everyone was surprised when we discovered it was already midnight. This is again proof to me that some of the best times in life revolve around shared good food and good people.

Christmas Traditions: The Christmas Pickle

It's a sham! Well, at least I think it is...

About a year ago I was shopping with a friend and I came across a glass pickle ornament. I mentioned that I thought it was a funny object for a Christmas tree ornament. She informed me that it was some German tradition and that because I have partial German heritage I should know all about it.

Well.

According to "tradition" the pickle is supposed to be the last ornament hung on the tree on Christmas Eve. The first child to find the pickle on Christmas morning gets an extra gift from Saint Nicholas. This doesn't hold up as the German St. Nick doesn't arrive on Christmas Eve but on the 5th or 6th of December. Also, German children don't open their presents the morning of Christmas but on Christmas Eve.

One story says that a Bavarian-born man who fought in the American Civil War was captured and began to die while being held prisoner. He begged a guard for a pickle before he died. The guard granted his wish and the pickle gave the man his strength and health back.

In another story, originating in Berrien Springs, Michigan, two medieval-era Spanish boys are traveling home from school for the Christmas holidays. They stop at an inn for the night but the innkeeper is a rotten fellow who stuffs the boys in a barrel of pickles. Saint Nicholas soon stops by and taps the pickle barrel with his staff and the boys are freed. Berrien Springs is the self-proclaimed Christmas Pickle Capital of the World. A parade which is part of its December Christmas Pickle Festival is led by a Grand Dillmeister who gives out real pickles along the parade route. You my then purchase German glass pickle ornaments at the town's museum.

Oddly, few in Germany ever have heard of the Christmas Pickle.

Scam or not, it looks like the 'legend' of the Christmas pickle is here to stay. I bought the one pictured above just for fun this past season. I even found smaller pickle ornaments packaged in a pickle jar at the Sur la Table kitchen store.

From The Deluxe Food Lover's Companion:

"pickle n. Food that has been preserved in a seasoned brine or vinegar mixture. Among the more popular foods used for pickling are cucumbers, pearl onions, cauliflower, baby corn, watermelon rind, pig's feet and herring. Pickles can be sour, sweet, hot or variously flavored, such as with DILL for the popular dill pickle. pickle v. Top preserve food in a vinegar mixture or brine."

New Year's Day 2011

Woke up late this morning thinking about what a glorious time I had during the progressive dinner we participated in last night. What a great way to end 2010. Dale and I have spent the day lounging around reading and napping.

Over the past holiday season I've had a chance to share meals with a lot of people who are important to me. I am spending time thinking about how the meals we share enhance our lives and our relationships with one another.

One of my favorite books is Life Is Meals by James and Kay Salter. Here is the January 1st entry from the book:

"The meal is the essential act of life. It is the habitual ceremony, the long record of marriage, the school for behavior, the prelude to love. Among all peoples and in all times, every significant event in life - be it wedding, triumph, or birth - is marked by a meal or the sharing of food or drink. The meal is the emblem of civilization. What would one know of life as it should be lived or nights as they should be spent apart from meals?"

Dale and I ate canned chicken noodle soup from a can along with leftover brioche and tapanade. We then watched Christmas in Connecticut and then Shop Around the Corner. Steve stopped by to pick up the lens cover from Mary's camera that she forgot last night. He told us that they woke up this morning talking about what a wonderful time they had last night. We told him that we had done the same thing!

New Year's Eve 2010

This year we were invited to a progressive dinner for New Year's Eve by our neighbor from across the alley, Mary. Dale and I took the appetizer course and served crackers and brioche with the options of brie with fig jam, basil pesto, or a sun-dried tomato tapanade as spreads. We also served red grapes, honey crisp apple slices, wasabe peas, and cashews. For drinks we offered a 2009 Beaujolais nouveau, champagne, beer, and mixed drinks. I was surprised how many people wanted martinis. Our neighbor Gary wanted his usual vodka martini. I used Shaker's vodka which is made here in Minnesota. Gary likes his with a healthy portion of vermouth. Mary also wanted a vodka martini but with no vermouth. I just passed the bottle of vermouth over the drink a couple times. She said she didn't even need that much! Our neighbor Kevin decided he'd like to try a gin martini. I used Tanquerey and I think he was surprised by how strong it was. He said he liked gin but, sensing his inexperience in regard to martinis, I made him a smaller one than I usually do. He wasn't able to finish it and took it to the next course which was salads at his and Jenny's house. I thought this was funny and have to say I really admire his commitment to finishing it. I put a glass pickle ornament on the tree just for Gary to find. He found it almost immediately and got a special present for his effort which was a small Christmas troll pin. The troll was dressed up like Santa Claus.

Like I said, the next course was salads at Kevin and Jenny's home. The salad was delicious and I think Jenny said it was from the Nordstrom department store menu. I'll have to ask her for the recipe or google it.

Next we went to Warren and Gary's for the main course. Warren made an Indian dish called tiki masala, I think. It was also fantastic and I need to get the recipe. I think he said it was from Cooks Illustrated magazine. They have a fireplace and Gary had a lovely fire going when we got there. Their cat Big Boy laid himself out in front of the fire and seemed to have a fine time lounging there as we ate dinner.

The final course was dessert at Steve and Mary's house. Mary made a delicious goat cheese cheese cake with a pineapple compote and also pot de creme. Merriment ensued with dancing (I particularly remember moving to Hot Sauce by Thomas Dolby) and watching the countdown on ABC with Dick Clark who I think was looking particularly good for his age. Jenny brought out her medicine cards and everyone got a reading for the new year. We stayed until one a.m. It has been quite a while since Dale and I have stayed up until (or past) midnight on New Year's Eve.

What a delightful evening.

Christmas Traditions: Orange Pomanders

Ever since Mom told me about getting oranges in her stocking as a girl in the 1940's, I've tried to incorporate oranges into Christmas decorating. I've read that in the 19th century, the well-off would use orange pomanders as part of their Christmas decorations because oranges were considered a rare treat and something of an extravagance. The citrus scent combined with the smell of cloves smelled heavenly and probably helped to alleviate basic household odors. How to make them? I used a pin to help start the holes for the cloves and then simply added the cloves. Nothing could be easier and they look great.

Christmas Traditions: Fondue

I've written a couple of times about my family's tradition of fondue on Christmas Eve. I decided to do a little research on this thing I've eaten for 45 years on December 24. Here's what I found out...

According to James and Kay Salter in their book Life is Meals, the town of "Gruyeres is about seventy miles northeast of Geneva as you head into the heart of Switzerland. It produces one of the two cheeses - the other being Emmenthaler - that are the basis for fondue, which comes from the French verb fondre, 'to melt.' "(p. 391) Also, "Fondue likely originated in remote mountain villages during winters when food was scarce and people softened their old, hardened cheeses over a fire, scooping from the pot with pieces of bread." (p. 391)

I know that my mom uses Gruyere cheese, but I'm not sure about the Emmenthaler. I guess more research is in order.

Holiday Brunch 2010

On December 23, Dale and I hosted a holiday brunch. We invited our friends Chris and Alyn who brought along with their very mobile and delightful toddler son Ellis. We also invited our friend Eric who brought along his delightful boyfriend Erich. The menu included champagne, mimosas, an egg bake, sausages, hash browns, mixed fresh fruit, and a maple pecan bundt cake. Everything turned out quite well but I was particularly excited about the bundt cake as it was the first one I ever made.

The recipe for the bundt cake is from Nigella Lawson's book Nigella Kitchen and can be found on page 239. Use of the fleur de lis bundt pan that I bought a few months ago made this particularly fun.

The recipe for the egg bake is from one of those Pillsbury Classic Cookbooks (you know, the kind you get at the grocery store check-out lane) and is dated from May of 1993. The recipe is found on page 21 of that publication and is as follows:

Confetti Egg Bake

Ingredients:

Half cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 (9 oz.) pakage of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed to drain

Half pound bulk turkey Italian sausage, cooked

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

Half cup chopped green onion

1 (2 oz. jar sliced pimiento, drained [I used a 4 ounce jar]

6 eggs

1 cup half-and-half

Half cup shredded Swiss cheese

Half teaspoon paprika [I forgot to add this]

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 8-inch square (1 1/2 quart) baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Layer Cheddar cheese, spinach, Italian sausage, mushrooms, green onions, and pimiento in spray coated dish. In medium bowl, combine eggs and half-and-half; blend well. Pour egg mixture evenly over layered mixture. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese and paprika.*

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Let stand 5 minutes before serving. 6 servings.

*Note: This can be assembled a day in advance. Cover and refridgerate. Bake at 350 F. but increase the cooking time to 40-50 minutes.

Christmas Day 2010

Dale and I had a lovely and quiet Christmas morning. We spent time relaxing and enjoying each other's company and looking at our beautiful Christmas tree. We also spent some time getting ready for having Mom over for Christmas dinner. The plan was to eat at about four o'clock so I began getting the beef stroganoff ready shortly after eight o'clock am. Last year we prepared Julia Child's recipe for beef bourguignon and, while incredibly delicious, it took a huge chunk of time to prepare on Christmas Eve. This year we decided to go the easier route and use the crock pot beef stroganoff recipe that we've been using for years. I'm pretty sure that this is the first year we've made it for Christmas dinner. It's one of our favorite winter recipes and this is the first time we've made it this season. It's also extremely easy to make.

Mom came over at 3 p.m. and we had drinks and appetizers (crackers and hummus). We watched the ending of Ben-Hur on Turner Classic Movies while Dale got the egg noodles for the stroganoff and the broccoli ready. We were eating by about 4:30. It was all very delicious. Dessert was a Buche de Noel from Kowalski's (at 54th and Lyndale Ave. So. and also my favorite grocery store) and coffee.

We then spent some time reminiscing about how Mom celebrated Christmas as a child. I've recently been doing a lot of geneology research into the French Canadian branch of my family tree. My great-grandmother Cora (Alma) Driscoll (Fugere) was from French Canada and I was curious to know if she had passed any French Canadian Christmas traditions down to my grandmother Jean Wagner (Driscoll). Mom said she didn't think so. She told me that my Great-Grandma Cora had never taught any of her children French and that Grandma Jean (hereafter referred to as Baba) resented that. Mom said she didn't think my great-grandma passed down any specific Christmas customs to Baba.

Mom talked a little bit about how her own Christmases played out as a child. She said they never did anything on Christmas Eve but that she and her siblings opened their stockings on Christmas morning. She said she always got an orange in her stocking. They would go to church and then come home and open presents. Each child got only one present because money was very tight when she was younger. She said that one year she got a slip as her Christmas present.

I remember quite clearly my own Christmas traditions while growing up. Christmas Eve day was usually pretty relaxed (for us kids at least). Mom I'm sure was getting ready for Christmas Eve's fondue dinner and doing last minute preparations for Christmas Day. Dad always did his Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve day. I remember going with him to the Southdale shopping mall one year when I was probably 12 or 13. I was surprised how dead it was as the mall that day. I had supposed more people would be doing last minute shopping but that was not the case. I don't know if that was an anomaly for the time or not. It sure isn't that way today. We'd start the fondue dinner at about 5:00 pm with the cheese fondue. I remember helping to stir the cheese on the stovetop while Mom slowly added more cheese the pot. It would then be added to the fondue pot on the dining room table. We'd then dip chunks of stale French bread into the cheese. It was delectable!! We'd move on to the meat in oil fondue after the bread in cheese. Mom always had beef stew meat for the oil fondue. She'd mix together a special ketchup-like mixture for dipping the fried meat in. In maybe the late seventies or early eighties she added scallops to the oil fondue. She made a special herbed butter to dip the scallops in after they were done in the fondue pot. After the meat fondue she would get the chocolate fondue ready. I remember dipping strawberries and bananas in the chocolate. It was divine! I remember being amazed at how much I could eat when we'd do fondue. It was easy to pack it all in due to taking breaks between the courses to get the next course ready and because we had to eat slowly during each course. That's just the nature of fondue. It takes time to prepare each little morsel!

Christmas morning began with opening stockings once everyone was awake. Stockings were always chock full of good stuff. One year Mom put an orange in each of our stockings and I was very perplexed. Not disappointed, just perplexed. Why would I have an orange in my stocking when I could walk to the kitchen and grab one from the fruit basket? Mom explained how she always got an orange in her stocking as a child and what a rare treat it was to have citrus fruit in the winter. It made sense as far as I was concerned and I appreciated the mini-history lesson. Due to this story I try to incorporate oranges with cloves stuck in them into my Christmas decorating as an adult.

We'd go to mass at Annunciation Catholic church after opening stockings and eating a light breakfast. After mass we'd open the presents from underneath the Christmas tree. At about 2 p.m. we'd have a Christmas feast. The meal was usually a repeat of Thanksgiving dinner but some years we had ham instead of turkey. After dinner I'd call whoever my best friend was at the time to wish them a Merry Christmas. We'd then talk about everything we got as a Christmas present. The evening of Christmas day was usually spent recovering from the food and excitingment by watching Christmas programming on T.V. Once the VCR came along we'd spend the evening watching Christmas movies.

Christmas Eve 2010

Dale and I sang together at the 4 p.m. Christmas Eve service yesterday. Mom and her friend Lynne attended. Before the service began I had a small glass of champagne. After the service we went to Mom's where we started dinner with cheese fondue. My family has been doing fondue on Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember. We also used to fondue meats in oil for many years but for about the last 10 years we have not been doing that as our tastes have changed and the oil now tends to be a gut bomb on our digestive systems. When Sam was home for Christmas a couple of years ago his wife Becky prepared the whole fondue shebang starting with cheese (bread being the dipping item), then meats (mostly beef and scallops) in oil, and finally chocolate fondue with fruits. Again, we've been doing it as long as I can remember so it was quite a trip down memory lane.

Back to the present. Following the fondue we had spinach salads with Mandarin oranges and walnuts. Dale and I brought the dressings namely Annie's brand raspberry vinaigrette and Annie's papaya poppy seed. Dale and I chose to use the papaya poppy seed while Mom and Lynne had the raspberry vinaigrette. Both went very well with the Mandarin oranges. Mom broiled steaks after we finished the cheese fondue. Mine was rare and very delicious. Dessert was Baba dessert which I named for my baba, Jean (Driscoll) Wagner, because I could never remember the name of the dessert itself. It was a very lovely dinner and evening and nice to continue with our traditional Christmas Eve foods!

Thanksgiving 2010

I still find myself thinking a lot about how much the holidays have changed for me over the last few years; the loss of Dad with whom I spent 41 Thanksgivings and Christmases; the loss of the family home where many of those Thanksgivings and most of those Christmases were spent. I have a new understanding of being thankful for being able to spend this Thanksgiving with Mom and Dale. Sadly, the shadings of this newer understanding are colored by the loss of my father.

In 2005 Dale and I started the tradition of cooking the turkey and cranberry sauce here at 4309 and then bringing it to Mom and Dad's. For Thanksgiving 2006, the Thanksgiving just before Dad died, we did the same thing. Dale, Mom and I celebrated Thanksgiving 2007 on Stevens Ave at Mom and Dad's house. Sadly, Dad was not with us. In 2008 we brought the turkey over over to Becky's house to celebrate with her and the boys as Sam was in Iraq. In 2009, Sam, Becky, and the boys were in Leavenworth, so we did the whole meal for the first time at our house with Mom joining us. With the just the three of us it was quite different than the Thanksgivings I remember at Grandma Lex's house in Two Harbors with 20 or so people but still just as fun and quite cozy at that!

That brings us to 2010. It'll be the three of us again. I got up this morning and had coffee while reading the holiday issue of Martha Stewart living (my own little Thanksgiving tradition). I watched a bit of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC but decided to turn in off when they brought the U.S. Pizza Team onto Rockefeller Plaza to toss pizza dough in the air. At this point I made the pumpkin pie and just pulled it out of the oven. It smells great. Here's the recipe I used:

Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust [I'll admit I didn't make my own crust but used a Pillsbury refrigerated one instead. Still very delicious.]

3/4 cup white sugar [I used C&H bakers sugar.]

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground gingerm [I used one full teaspoon]

1/4 teaspoon gound cloves [I used a heaping quarter teaspoon]

2 eggs

1 (15 ounce) can Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin

1 (12 fluid ounce) can Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Combine sugar, salt cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. beat eggs lightly in large bowl. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell.

3. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 digrees F.; bake for 40 to 50 or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. [Note: I checked after 50 minutes and the knife did not come out clean. I checked at 55 minutes and the knife did not come out clean. The edges of the crust were not burning so I put it in for another 5. The knife STILL did not come out clean so I set the pie on a hot pad on the stove to cool. I seem to remember this is what happened last time I made this recipe.] Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. (Do not freeze as this will cause the crust to separate from the filling.)

Dale and I started warming up the oven for the turkey just after noon and opened a bottle of champagne. We made a toast to a Happy Thanksgiving.

Ginger

After the church service today at Gethsemane Episcopal Church in downtown Minneapolis, Joanne, the hospitality guru, directed me to the spread of cookies she had laid out. "You're own personal recipe?", I asked. Joanne's response: "Yeah, right." She pointed out the chocolate chocolate chip, butterscotch, oatmeal raisin, and the ginger cookies. Ginger snaps have long been one of my favorite cookies and not having had one in a long while, I went for those. Mmmmm. Even though they were store bought they were very tasty.

I love my mom's cookies. She recently brought me a bunch of her chocolate chip cookies. I usually put them in the freezer and eat them right from there. In fact, I have some on hand now and just ran to grab a few as I write this. She used to make ginger snaps too. I remember moving to my apartment on Girard Avenue in Minneapolis and mom phoning and asking me if there was anything I missed from home. My response?: "Ginger snaps". She made me a batch.

The following is from The Deluxe Food Lover's Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst:

"Ginger; gingerroot. A plant from tropical and subtropical regions that's grown for its gnarled and bumpy root. Most ginger comes from Jamaica, followed by India, Africa and China. Gingerroot's name comes from the Sanskrit word for 'horn root,' undoubtedly referring to its knobby appearance. It has a tan skin and a flesh that ranges in color from pale greenish yellow to ivory. The flavor is peppery and slightly sweet, while the aroma is pungent and spicy. This extremely versatile root has long been a mainstay in Asian and Indian cooking and found its way early on into European foods as well. The Chinese, Japanese and East Indians use fresh gingerroot in a variety of forms - grated, ground and slivered - in many savory dishes. Europeans and most Americans, however are more likely to use the dried ground form of ginger, usually in baked goods."

Yes, I love that peppery and slightly sweet taste. Note to self: ask Mom for her ginger snap recipe. It's high time I start making these on my own.

Not too long ago Martha Stewart had an article in her magazine about ginger snaps in a February issue. It may have been in the Good Things section. Anyway, it said that ginger snaps go mighty well with raspberry jam. I thought I'd give it a try. Not having Mom's recipe, I went to the grocery store to look for some ginger snaps. In the cookie aisle along with all the Keebler brand cookies I found a bag of Rippon Good brand ginger snaps. The cookies come out of Rippon, Wisconsin and were quite good if but a bit drier than homemade cookies. And yes, they go extremely well with raspberry jam.

Christmas 2009

Christmas becomes more meaningful every year. I've been doing lots of reading this season about the traditions of Christmas. I've known for a long time that so many of the traditions found at Christmastime predate the Christian era. During the time of the solstice attention naturally turned to the hearth, home and family due to shortened days, colder weather, and extra time that came with the completed harvest. More time indoors due to the weather and winter vacation allow me to focus on hearth, home, and family. As a teacher I've always enjoyed having a two week winter break during the last part of December as a time to turn my attention to getting ready for Christmas, ponder the past year and think about what lies ahead. It is a natural time to reflect. The religious aspect of Christmas has always meant so much to me and I grow in that appreciation year after year as well. I think of the stories in the Bible in which Jesus shares a meal with others and appreciate being able to do just that with my own loved ones. I'm sure Christ's birthday celebrations looked quite a bit different than what we've created to help commemorate his birth. I admit that part of the energy I get in all the preparations for the season come from actually wanting to create a welcoming place for Him as an actual guest.

I can't believe the holiday season of 2009 is past. There were many wonderful experiences this past Christmas and New Year's that will live on forever in my memory. Corny but true. Christmas Eve was lovely this year. Dale and I went to Mom's condo for cheese fondue and steak. This is the first time we've done a Christmas dinner at Mom's new place. It was difficult not having Dad with us. I found myself really missing him as I stirred the fondue cheese and listened to the Kingston Trio Christmas album. During Christmas Eve day Dale and I worked on the beef bourginon recipe from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I wrote an entry on that book so long ago and finally made a recipe from it. I once played sous chef to a friend who was making that same recipe 20 years ago. All I did then was get the film of skin off the mushrooms and the skins off the pearl onions. We weren't so fussy with the mushrooms this time around and boiled the skins off the pearl onions. The gently falling snow made it a magical day and contributed to the beautiful atmosphere for the 5 hour total prep/cook time that the recipe took. A couple martinis helped to make it even more magical. I ate too much at Mom's that night and probably had one drink too many. I was not quite recovered from my cold and hit a brick wall after the processional song at midnight mass. This caused me to conk out and I ended up on the couch of the church gathering room for the remainder of the service. Ah well. It was a magical Christmas Eve none the less. On Christmas Day Mom came over for the beef bourginon we worked so hard on the day before. My good friend Noel joined us as well. I felt much better on Christmas Day.

Dining Alone Part 2

The tastes in last night's smoked salmon pizza were fantastic. Not a bad evening for having to dine alone. Of course, the only thing that would have made it better would have been having Dale here with me...

Dining Alone

"Solitary dinners ought to be avoided as much as possible, because solitude tends to produce thought, and thought tends to the suspension of the digestive powers. When, however, dining alone is necessary, the mind should be disposed of cheerfulness by a previous interval of relaxation from whatever has seriously occupied the attention, and by directing it to some agreeable object."

-Thomas Walker, 19th-century writer

OK, it's difficult to avoid dining alone lately as Dale has been on Madeline Island for the last 2 1/2 weeks and has about 3 1/2 left to go. The most recent events to occupy my mind have been a lower body workout at the gym followed by visits to Lunds and the former Ken & Norm's Liqours. I am now helping to make my mind cheery with a Bombay Sapphire martini. Kay Salter has said that "solitary dinners are inevitable and, far from being avoided, can be pleasant, providing you like your own company." I find myself to be mostly tolerable (and somewhat pleasant with a martini under my belt) so I'm going to try to make eating alone tonight an event.

When Dale and I are together, dinner is usually a joint venture. Except for our Golden or Silver Hours (basically a mid-week Golden Hour with less to drink and a part of a chocolate bar instead of a full dessert), meals are mostly low frills. Dinner is made together and eaten in front of the TV. Sometimes the entertainment is a show on HGTV. Sometimes its a reality show, Family Guy, a DVD, or what have you. In addition to sustenance, it is also equally important the event of preparing the meal separates the events of the day from winding down for the day.

Tonight's music is Trip Tease by Tipsy (just downloaded from iTunes) and the dinner will be a smoked salmon pizza from Jacques Pepin's most recent cookbook More Fast Food My Way.

Fall Golden Hour Kickoff 2007

Okay, the Golden Hour Kickoff was last Sunday with beef stroganoff and pumpkin pie, but, tonight really feels like the Golden Hour Kickoff as it is back to central standard time. Dale and I are having a chicken pot pie with canned (oh well, no one's perfect) turkey gravy. It will be delicious! We'll have asparagus as a vegetable and we're listening to Anita O'Day on the stereo hi-fi system as it all cooks. What could be better? Jo Stafford was playin' earlier. Before that was Dave Brubeck.... Sophie got a little chicken and Homer was asleep. Victoria (rest her soul) could not be with us. I miss that cat.

Tonight we'll have PUMPKIN PIE for dessert. Whipped cream will most certainly be available as the topping of choice. Desk Set with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracey (beard and purse that they were) will play as dinner is served. Meet Me in St. Louis will be the movie of choice next time around.

Drinks: I started with a Sidecar but didn't have enough brandy for a second. The second and third were martinis. I like to have a martini... Two at the very most... Three I'm under the table... Okay, technically I've only had two since I didn't have enough brandy for a second Sidecar but I'm on my third drink but I'm not under the table... I'm still standing (although I'm not done with the drink yet)... Okay... I hear the plates coming out of the cupboard in the background... I better check on how things are going....