Egg Summer Vegetables w Licorice Mint & Pecorino

For today's Breakfast, I had a friend over; using leftovers from our dinner (and garden) the night before, we made an omelet, well kinda, lol... I'm calling the meal: Eggs and Summer Vegetables. --She requested the recipe; I find doing a blog so much easier than writting it all down w a pen and finding the time to get it to each other... not to mention, we bloggers love to share. ;-)

Ingredients are per person. I.E.: (multiply it by how many people served):
4 large eggs
1/4 C fresh spinach leaves
1 chopped miniature sweet pepper
1 Tbl sliced red onion
6 fat grilled asparagus, roughly chopped into one inch pieces.
1 slice of lunch meat ham, slivered.
1 piece thick bacon, cut into 1/2 inch chunks.
Wht pepper, black pepper and salt.
*2 large Licorice mint leaves sliced or Tarragon will work too.
Pecorino cheese shaved with a potato peeler or a grater.

Directions:
1. Soft boil two eggs in salted water (wht done, yolk soft or semi-soft). (I poured off the boiling water, banged them in the saucepan to crack their shells and filled the pan with cold water, --letting sit while I did the rest of the meal prep. Then the peels slid right off once I came back to them! Slice eggs after peeled and place on plate first.
2. In a skillet saute meat, onion, and Sweet pepper (in that order, partially cook meat first, giving you the needed oil for the rest of the stir-fry).
3. Add spinach leaves and then asparagus to warm them. Lay stir-fry mixture over sliced eggs.
4. Fry two eggs over easy (wht's done, yolks runny), or poach would be better (hindsight, I'd rather have done that instead). Salt and pepper eggs to taste w both peppers and salt while cooking, before turning them. Note: If poached, wait until you spoon them out of the water to season them. The rich yolk will be your sauce as it flows between your vegetables; it is more rich than most creams (think of Eggs Benedict). Which is why I made toast to go with the meal, to get every drop of yolk! ;0)
5. Shave the cheese over your meal.
6. Arrange sliced Licorice Mint over your dish to finish!

*A note on Licorice Mint, also known as: Agastache rugosa (Korean Mint, Blue Licorice, Purple Giant Hyssop, Huo xiang, Indian Mint, Patchouli Herb, Wrinkled Giant Hyssop; syn. Lophanthus rugosus Fisch. & Mey). It is a medicinal and ornamental plant in the Lamiaceae family. It is called huò xiāng in Chinese and it is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. --I like to grow and cook with all sorts of herbs that are great for health and flavor! Tarragon also has that desired licorice taste and could subsitute just fine.

Using leftovers never got easier! ;0) Sooo EasY!

The Color Wheel of Vitamins and Minerals

Eating a Variety of Color:

I've read many articles over the years, saved some, although unfortunately, I can't recall all of the sources. I even studied nutrition and food in my nursing courses, but my greatest education came from my mother and being raised off her garden! I can thank her for my basic knowledge of herbs, vegetables, and fruits.

Peas, A good crunch, fresh, right out of the garden, you can pop them into your mouth!

Recently I have had a few conversations with girlfriends who are trying to lose weight and with a colleague who is also a foodie chef and it got me to thinking that is was time for a blog designed to share the good fortune of wonderful food! 

Eating the Color Spectrum for Good Nutrition

It is no secret that eating a variety of colors in your diet will give you a better range of vitamins and minerals, so perhaps sometimes we just need a reminder to mix it up! Keep in mind Noah's rainbow in the sky, the next time you head to the grocery store and pick up a variety of color! If you usually just grab banana's, try instead some plums and oranges for your sweet tooth. If you're hooked on corn, give broccoli a try tonight!

Image is Mediterranean food.

 Image: There is more than one way to make a taco.

Another strategy is to try new types of food, like Mediterranean, Middle Eastern or Asian; Today, you can find that the Internet is full of recipes to try! Unlike the fast food variety of Chinese food, instead of relying on unhealthy fat for flavor, expose yourself to flavor in the form of savory herbs, various peppers or spices, and a glorious rainbow of vegetables!

The Color Wheel of Vitamins and Minerals: 

·         Red. In fruits and vegetables, red is vitamin A (beta carotene) and vitamin C. Typically, red produce are also high in manganese and fiber. Choose red bell peppers, tomatoes, cherries, cranberries, raspberries, rhubarb, pomegranates, and beets. Red apples also contain quercetin, a compound that seems to fight colds, the flu, and allergies. Tomatoes, watermelon, and red grapefruit are loaded with lycopene, a compound that appears to have cancer-fighting properties.

·         Orange. Just a shade away from red, orange in fruits and vegetables signifies a similar vitamin and mineral profile. You’ll get vitamins C, A, and B6, potassium, and fiber in choices such as butternut squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupes, oranges, pumpkins, orange peppers, nectarines, and peaches.

·         Yellow. Banana is probably the first yellow fruit that comes to mind. It delivers potassium and fiber. It is the most calorie dense fruit you will find, which means it will also keep you full longer. Potassium and fiber, vitamin A, and magnesium you will find in other yellow produce, such as spaghetti squash, summer squash, and yellow bell peppers.

·         Green. Dark leafy greens are packed with nutrients, and because they are low calorie, they are considered "free food" in most diets. This means pile them on your plate! Dark leafy greens provide a staggering number of vitamins and minerals, compared to ice berg lettuce, that is more like consuming water. The dark leafy green group is spinach, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, field greens for lettuce salads, broccoli and asparagus. Because of their rich lutein content, which aids eyesight, and foliate, which supports cell reproduction, they are well worth eating. So green it up! The calories only show their ugly head if you add salad dressing or butter on them. Try instead, a mixture of minced garlic, black pepper, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and a touch of olive oil. --And Instead of adding butter to cooked greens, try steaming them in chicken broth.

Play with your food!

·         Blue. Think blue, and you’re most likely picturing a bowl of blueberries, one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants. They are also loaded with fiber and make an incredibly versatile addition to your diet. Rather than eat plain pancakes, try making a whole-grain pancake and add blueberries to the batter! --And then add several raw ones on top, adding more yum to your cooked breakfast! Eat them by the handful, sprinkle them on cereal, or add them to salads for a sweet, different and delicious taste!

·         Purple. This group includes vegetables like red onions and eggplant, and fruits such as blackberries, Concord grapes, currants, and plums. Purple indicates the presence of anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants that protect blood vessels and preserve healthy skin. You can also find vitamin A and flavonoids in purple vegetables like radicchio, purple cabbage, purple potatoes, and purple carrots. If you garden, try some of these "Easter Egg" colors; an added benefit: Kids may be more inclined to eat them!

      










White. White may not be much of a color, but white vegetables, such as cauliflower, rutabagas, and parsnips, still shine with vitamins and minerals like vitamins C, K, and foliate, and they contain fiber. Don’t forget onions and garlic, which have a compound called allicin that seems to protect the heart and blood vessels from damage. Although, unlike the folk-lore they do nothing to keep the imaginary vampires away. ;-)

If your fruit and vegetable basket has been limited to peas and grapes, exploring the rainbow of choices available at your local farmers’ market or the produce section of your grocery store, will reward you with a bounty of vitamins and minerals as well as delicious meals! Bon appetit!

Star Cookies and Christmas Goodie Hand-Outs

I made some Christmas cookies and was asked how I got the star in the middle. I was also asked a question about how these cookies compare to the thumbprint ones. And the last question that my friends inquired about: what was in the filling and what was in the glaze? I had a friend ask me last year if I knew of an inexpensive way to ship cookies (she didn't want to purchase the tins). This year, I figured out a way, so I will share that too. So, wha la... you ask and you shall receive the recipe, lol. ;0)

Here are the finished star cookies cooling on their racks. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 C unsalted butter

1 C wht sugar

1 egg

3 C's flour

1/2 tea salt

A Jar each of two kinds of jelly preserves (this yr I choose strawberry and orange marmalade, so I could have some red cookies and some that looked gold; raspberry works really well too).

2 C's confectioners sugar

2 tea almond extract (optional what kind of extract you use).

This yr I also dbled this recipe to get this many cookies in the photo, minus what my family ate before taking pic, lol.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray butter Pam on cookie sheets.

2. In Large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in the egg.

3. In a second bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add to the creamed mixture. Dough will be stiff. On a nonstick pie mat or lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough out to about a 1/8 - 1/4 inch thickness. Cut this bottom Cookie into shapes (star or round is usually what I do; as you can see in the image, I did round this yr).

4. Set cookies on the cookie sheet, not touching, so they can rise a bit.

5. Put a dollop of jam in the center of the cookie.

6. Roll out the remaining dough and cut into the round shape w a star in the middle, or a star shape w a smaller star in the middle (any shape is fine). Note* If the dough gets too warm, it will be hard to handle, if this happens, just put the scraps into the refrigerator to chill a bit. This will make them also stick less to your cookie cutter.

7. Bake for 10 minutes, this will vary on how thick your cookies are. Watch until done, is what I typically do. The edges should be a slight golden brown on a few, but the bottoms should not be doughy.

8. Remove from cookie sheet and let cool on racks.

9. In a smaller bowl, mix together the confectioners sugar and extract to form a glaze. Add water one teaspoon at a time if the mixture is too thick (I think I added around 9 tea's per single batch). You want the mixture to drizzle glaze over the cooled cookies. Let the extra just drip off.

You can use two separate cookie cutters to make the wholes in the center (one just much smaller than the larger one). But, here is how I did it:

This cutter comes w many different changeable shapes:

The bottom cookie is left just round, or it could be a larger star.

Here are the jams and extract I used. You can also use gelled icing to color your cookies; I sometimes do, but didn't this yr:

The difference between these cookies and thumbprint cookies is that they are really two cookies on top of each other. The thumbprint style is a thicker cookie that you press your thumb into and fill with filling. These are much thinner because together they make one cookie. You can also use crushed hard candies, I've done that in previous yrs.

Here is how I managed to pass them out, without purchasing multiple tins:

You just need tissue paper (I used white this yr), Glad wrap (optional), cellophane (I used green this yr), ribbon, parchment paper or wax paper, scissors and a handmade tag.

First lay out your material like this:

Cut this large sheet into two:

Note the ribbon is diagonal to make a candy cane stripe.

Wrap the cookies. I added the Glad plastic wrap to keep it fresher, but that is optional. Cut Parchment or Wax paper into circles to place between the cookies, so they do not stick together.

Here is a pile of handout cookies. Twist the ends, tie with your ribbon. Add tag, curl ribbon with scissors, and your done!

--And of course, this is how you can return Tupperware to your generous friends who gave you goodies. ;-)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone!

Boston Creme Cupcakes
The donut or pie turned into an individual cupcake!

Whipping cream icing:

*Note: Rarely do I use the store bought pudding mix (for me the scratch version just tastes better), but it is a shortcut and these days, I can appreciate saving time. Half of the time I've made the cupcake mix from scratch, but half of the time I've used boxed mixes, bc today's boxed cakes are pretty good! It simply depends on my time limitations. "From scratch recipes" are at the end.

List of Ingredients for cupcakes:
1 1/4 C's cold whole milk
(3-4 oz) box vanilla pudding mix or filling recipe (scroll to bottom for the recipe)
1 Tbl vanilla extract
12 cupcakes made from yellow cake recipe (scroll to bottom for the recipe) or a box of yellow cake mix
1 C heavy cream
(12 oz) pkg semisweet chocolate morsels
1/4 C powdered sugar, sifted (optional; I made some w/o chocolate for my son, who doesn't like chocolate)
Optional: 1/4 C whipping cream
Directions:
1. Bake cupcakes:

Directions Continue; while cupcakes are cooling:
2. Combine milk, pudding mix, and vanilla extract in a Lg bowl. Beat mixture with a hand mixer.
3. Place mixture in refrigerator for 15 min's.
4. Spoon filling or use plastic wrap method for filling into a pastry bag fitted with a tip (I used a 230 Wilson tip)
5. Fill cupcakes w vanilla filling by inserting tip into top of cupcake and squeezing a couple of Tbls of filling into ea cupcake. Note: don't over fill, or cupcake will fall and lay lop-sided or go flat once it cools.

The cupcakes now have filling in them.

6. Heat cream in a small heavy saucepan over medium-heat until bubbles appear around the edges. (Don't let it get too hot, do not boil, or it will change the chocolate). Remove from heat, add chocolate morsels to pan, and whisk until smooth.
Note*: If you prefer a thicker icing, (the kind that does not drip over the sides of the cake), you can add 1/4 C of whipping cream that has been whipped. Gently fold it into your semi-cooled chocolate. Or if you wait for your chocolate to completely cool, it can be spread instead of dripped (even w/o the whipping cream). ;0) So many choices, --I admit: I usually make a whipping cream chocolate and a drizzled one too. Both options are so yummy, and both are too rich, lol... that is a good thing. ;0) [The difference btwn the two: one is more like the drizzle you find in a Boston Creme Pie (see last image of this post), the whipping cream icing is more like you would find on a regular cake (the first image of this post)].
7. Spoon or drizzle glaze over cupcakes, or you can spread with a knife.
8. Refrigerate until set, at least one hour.
9. Optional: Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

An easy way to fill pastry bag with filling:

Tip #1:

Take plastic wrap:

Place filling (vanilla pudding) in middle of wrap, fold plastic wrap around the filling:

Before Twist:

After twist, don't twist too hard, or it will explode, wanna know how I know that? Lol:

Enter twisted plastic wrap through tip whole and cut to tip. Or cut short and pastry bag will hold cream.

If you use a real pastry bag, clean-up is a snap, just throw away the plastic wrap and the bag is clean. ;-)

Hint #2:

Or just drape pastry bag over glass to fill. *(Put your Wilson tip at the end of the bag before filling). This is so much easier than spooning into a hand-held pastry bag! This is a disposable pastry bag, but I've used regular bags this way too. 

Fill cupcakes with filling:

Add optional powdered sugar over 'chocolate drizzled' cupcakes:

Enjoy ;0)

 Optional yellow cake recipe:

2 eggs

1/2 C butter, softened

1 C sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 C's (sifted before you measure) cake and pastry flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 C milk

Hand mixer/beat sugar and butter together, add eggs. Add vanilla and milk to wet ingredients' bowl; Mix dry ingredients into a bowl. Combine the two. ;0)

Optional homemade filling/pudding:

1/2 C sugar

1/4 C all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 1/2 C's whole

1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine first four ingredients. Slowly stir in milk. Place over medium heat. Stirring constantly, bring just to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Place plastic wrap over, touching the top of filling to prevent a film from forming.

Autie Lisa's Lemonade

Auntie Lisa’s Lemonade was originally published in 1996, since then, I have added the idea of making syrup, instead of just combining the sugar with the water. Times and techniques change and this is considered the better way today. ;-) I also mix it up and do the variation recipe sometimes, and it was not in the 1996 publication either. ;-) Enjoy your yummy Ice Cold lemonade!

Ingredients:

5 lemons

5 limes, 5 oranges

3 Qts water

1 ½ -2 C’s white sugar

Directions:

Optional prep: Thinly slice one lemon, one lime, and one orange and place one slice in an ice-cube tray, filling with water and making ice cubes with the slices in them.

1.       Cook on stove-top the water to a boil, add sugar; making syrup. Stir until sugar is completely melted into the water.

2.       Take off stove and let cool.

The strainer will catch the seeds. 

3.       Meanwhile, squeeze (or juice machine) the juice from four of the lemons, 4 of the limes and 4 of the oranges; pour into a gallon container.

4.       If you did not make the citrus ice cubes, just thinly slice the remaining fruit and set aside for garnish.

5.       Add syrup to juice according to taste. (Some will like it sweeter and use all of the sugar syrup; others will like less of the sweet syrup, choosing a more tart taste).

6.       Serve on ice with the fruit slices froze into its ice cube trays. Or just serve on ice with the fruit slices added as a garnish into the lemonade mixture. Makes 13-16 servings, (about one gallon).

I grow my own citrus. This is an image of some limes (yes, those orange-sized green things are limes) that I waited to long to pick. They are huge, lol. Not sure if they will yield much juice, but we will see. ;-)

Variation: For a pulp-like juice, an option, instead of squeezing out the juice of the citrus, is to puree’ the entire fruit, peel and all; making a less clear juice. The peel adds a thickness that is worth trying to see which way you like your lemonade best. Try a half recipe of each version the first time to see which way you like it. The white part of the peel doesn't seem to make it bitter like we would assume. ;-) Note: Also a dash of salt will take away any possible bitterness to whichever recipe version you choose.

This recipe makes very pretty lemonade with all the colorful peels and fruit! Enjoy! ;0)

This time of year, there is nothing that says Autumn better than Mulled Cider.

Yummy..........................................................................................................................................................................................

Fall, it is now not too hot, and not too cold to enjoy some outdoor family FuN.

Taking a thermos of this hot beverage will add to the atmosphere of your outdoor enjoyment.

Ingredients: 

1/2 Gallon of fresh, unfiltered apple cider (or make homemade apple cider from smooched cooked apples from your local orchard) I grow Granny Smith and Gala trees, so your backyard tree works fine too. ;-)

2 large oranges (one just for decoration)

15 cloves

4 sticks of cinnamon

15 allspice berries

1 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg

7 pods of cardamon or (whole coriander seed)

1/4 C brown sugar

1 apple (optional)

Directions:

1. Pour the apple cider into a saucepan, cover, turn the stove-top to medium-high heat.

2. Use a vegetable peeler to peel one of the oranges, to also be used for for a garnish later. Insert half of the cloves into the peeled orange. (or just skip the fancy part and throw the cloves and a cut up orange, peel and all into the pot). Add the rest of the ingredients to the orange and pot. Keep covered and heat the mulled cider mixture to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes on low heat.

3. Use a fine mesh sieve to strain the hot mulled cider to catch the solid pieces of spices and orange.

4. If for adults, you can spike it if you like w: Bourbon, brandy or rum.

5. Serve hot. Add a cinnamon stick, orange peel, apple slice, or an orange wedge w several cloves poked into it for a garnish. (See picture of garnish).