Rock Climbing in Golden and a Triple Birthday Party

This weekend most of my family went rock climbing over at North Table Mountain and had a wonderful time. Each of them remarked about how much fun they had.

On Sunday we had a triple birthday celebration at my Aunt Kathy's house. She hosted a wonderful part. We had a rib roast, steamed broccoli and carrots, crusty sour dough bread, mashed potatoes and salad. For dessert we enjoyed a French Silk pie with vanilla ice cream. She also made a Strawberry sauce that had a bit of Grand Marnier which Ethan really liked.
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Aunt Kathy was kind enough to share recipes for the favorites from the meal.

Clam Dip

6.5 oz. Clams (drained)
3 oz. Cream Cheese
2 TBL Mayonnaise
2tea. Onion, chopped
2 tea. Parsley (or cilantro), chopped
1 tea. Worchestershire
Dash of Hot Pepper Sauce

Combine all ingredients and chill to allow the flavors to blend. Serve with crackers.

Yield 1 cup (double recipe for a group)

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Cold Raspberry or Strawberry Sauce
from: The New York Times More 60 Minute Gourmet Meals

1 pint Fresh or Frozen Raspberries or Strawberries (or 10 oz. Frozen)
1/2 Juice of a Lemon (or 3/4 Juice of a Lime)
1/4 - 1/2 cup Sugar
2 TBL. Framboise or Grand Marnier

If using fresh fruit, rinse and pat dry.
Put the fruit in a food processor with the lemon/lime juice. Add the sugar (use 1/2 cup sugar if you are using frozen fruit or 1/4 cup for fresh fruit) and blend thoroughly. Add the Frambiose or Grand Marnier.

Yields 1 1/3 cups.

Missing the Deviled Egg Gene - Cooking with My Mom

My mother is known for her deviled eggs. It is almost assumed that she will bring a large try for her contribution to a potluck. My husband and son might have them daily, if they could. While I can make them taste just a good, I seem to be lacking the "Deviled Egg" gene that my mother has. Sadly, it was not one of the talents she passed on to me. Nonetheless, I decided to get together with her and make a tutorial of the process. Here we go:

(I love my mother's handwriting. Isn't the giant thumb tack fun?!)

Deviled Eggs ala Gay

6 Eggs (older ones peel more easily than fresh ones)
1/4 cup Mayo
1 tea. Vinegar
1 tea. Mustard (the yellow on-your-hot-dog kind. Add more if desired)

1. Place your eggs in a pan with cool water. Be sure to set them down very gently so that they do not crack. Boil the water. The eggs will jump around a bit, but that will be okay since they warmed up with and started to cook as the water temperature increased. At my altitude it takes about 15-17 minutes to become hard boiled. Some areas can take less time or up to 22 minutes. Here's the thing - you want them hard boiled, not soft. If you boil them way too long the yolks turn green. They taste the same, but they look kind of funny and a bit gross that way. Once you think they are done you empty out the water and fill the saucepan (with the eggs still in it) with cold water. Let this sit long enough to cool the eggs a bit. I think we waited 5 minutes.

2. To remove the shells you tap them against the side of a surface, like the kitchen sink. then begin to peel off the shell. We begin at the bottom of the egg as there is a natural air pocket there. Be sure to be gentle or you might knick your egg whites with your fingernails. (This is where my technique leaves something to be desired.) Rinse the peeled egg and begin the next one.

3. Cut the eggs in half and remove the yolk. Do this by placing the rounded end of a spoon in between the widest part of the egg white and the yolk. Be very gentle when doing this.

4. Place the egg yolks, mayo, vinegar and mustard in a bowl. Use a fork to mash it all up until it is pretty smooth. Adjust the flavor according to your taste. You might want to add a touch of salt or maybe even hot sauce.


5. Use a clean spoon to scoop out some of the mixture and place it in the hole in the egg white. Some people sprinkle a small bit of paprika to add a bit of color contrast.

They are best that day, but will keep for the next day, too.

Thanks for the help, Mom. I love you!

Hummus, Pita - Some Fun Variations

I am part of a small group of teachers who are writing standards and benchmarks for the ESL teachers in our district. It is my turn to bring the treats tomorrow. We are all hungry after work so each person has provided something savory and something sweet. I decided to make three flavors of hummus that I will serve with pita crisps, carrots and celery. I had hoped to make brownies, too, but ran out of time. I'll take Hersey's Kisses instead. Here's what I made:


Classic Hummus and Black Olive Hummus from Choosy Beggars


Basic Hummus

* 1 19 oz can of chickpeas
* 2 tbsp Tahini
* 1 clove garlic
* 1/4 cup fruity extra virgin olive oil *
* 1 lemon
* 1/2 tsp kosher salt or sea salt
* 1/4 tsp ground cumin
* 1/8 tsp cayenne **


1. Dump everything, except the chickpeas (garbanzo beans) into the bowl of your food processor and give it a good whirl to get everything chopped and mixed.


2. Drain the water from the chickpeas into a cup so that the liquid can be used to thin the hummus to your liking. Place the chickpeas in the food processor with the other stuff and run until it is as thick and smooth as you like it.

Here's how much you need if you want to make a base for three different flavors:
* 3 19 oz cans of chickpeas
* 6 tbsp tahini
* 3 – 4 cloves garlic, depending on size
* 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
* 3 large, luscious lemons
* 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt or sea salt
* 1 tsp ground cumin
* 1/2 tsp cayenne


Variation 1: Black Olive Hummus

1 batch of Classic/Basic Hummus (or 1/3 of the amount above)
3/4 cup briny black olives, preferably kalamata
1 – 2 sprigs of fresh oregano, or 1/2 tsp of dried


Choosy Beggars opted to hand chop and mix in the olives, as well as the oregano. I simply tossed them into the food processor with the chickpeas.


Variation 2: Indian Style Spicy Hummus

1.5 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp very hot paprika OR 1/2 tsp chili powder + 1/2 tsp paprika + cayenne to taste
1 tsp cumin


I had also hoped to make a Red Pepper and Feta Hummus that I found over at Gimme Some Oven blog, but I did not have red pepper in any form. This was part of a week of hummus recipes. I look forward to trying some of them out:

Roasted Red Pepper & Feta Hummus Recipe
(Original recipe)

Ingredients:

* 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained (juices reserved)
* 1/2 cup roasted red peppers (about 1 whole red pepper, roasted and peeled)
* 1/4 cup feta cheese
* 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
* 2 Tbsp. tahini
* 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
* 1 Tbsp. olive oil
* 1 tsp. cumin
* 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika (or sweet paprika)
* pinch of salt, to taste

Method:

Add all ingredients to a food processor, and blend until smooth. Add in 3-4 tablespoons of water (or leftover chickpea juice) until the hummus reaches your desired consistency, then blend until smooth.

Garnish with crumbled feta, chopped roasted red peppers and/or chopped parsley if desired. Then serve or refrigerate.

Ali’s Tip:

If you’re not a huge fan of feta, feel free to sub in another crumbly cheese (gorgonzola, goat cheese, bleu, etc.). OR this recipe is also completely delicious without the cheese!




Peppy's Pita Bread (courtesy of Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

* 1 1/8 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in bread pan of your bread machine, select Dough setting and start. When dough has risen long enough, machine will beep.
2. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll and stretch dough into a 12 inch rope. With a sharp knife, divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6 to 7 inch circle. Set aside on a lightly floured countertop. cover with a towel. Let pitas rise about 30 minutes until slightly puffy.
3. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Place 2 or 3 pitas on a wire cake rack. Place cake rack directly on oven rack. Bake pitas 4 to 5 minutes until puffed and tops begin to brown. Remove from oven and immediately place pitas in a sealed brown paper bag or cover them with a damp kitchen towel until soft. Once pitas a softened, either cut in half or split top edge for half or whole pitas. They can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for 1 or 2 months.
(note: My pitas came out okay. They were more life puffy crackers, which might be okay for my use. I think I was the problem, not the recipe. We are preparing for having our carpets cleaned so I simply did it in between other things, not paying enough attention to the recipe. I may have to try it again.)

I might even go one step farther and make some of them into flavored pita chips using a recipe from Cooking with Michele.

Pita Crisps
Yields 32 chips

2 pita breads
Olive oil spray or butter spray (or 1/2 cup melted butter)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt

Cut pita breads into eighths, then gently peel apart the layers to create 16 triangles from each pita bread. Lay flat on foil lined baking sheets and spray liberally with cooking spray or spray butter. (If you are using melted butter, toss the pita crisps with melted butter in a bowl.) Combine spices and sprinkle over the top of the pita bread, then bake at 375 degrees until crisp and lightly browned, about 8-10 minutes. Let cool and serve with hummus.

---A note to Liz = I'm glad you like the blog and the recipe for the meatballs. I thought they were great! Thanks for taking the time to comment. ~Tammy