Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

My first job was working in a strawberry patch.  My sister's in-laws owned 7 acres of strawberries that they sold to the general public, and I landed the role as cashier for the people coming to pay for their u-picked strawberries.  Every morning I arrived promptly at 6 am when the berry patch opened and worked diligently throughout the morning directing people to the correct fields, weighing buckets of berries, and collecting money from patrons anxious to show family members their juicy and delicious collection.

I was convinced that I had the best job at the berry patch.  I watched my fellow co-workers trekking around in the dew covered fields, getting mud on their shoes and knees. I saw their red-stained fingers from picking berry after berry, and I heard about their strained arm muscles from carrying filled buckets of strawberries to the cash register.  All the while, I remained stationary at my post, sitting in my lawn chair perfectly angled toward the sun.  My feet rested comfortably on the top of my shoes, my sleeves rolled up to my shoulders, and my face tilted upward as to not cast a shadow on my neck. 

Sun goddess or cashier?  Hard to tell the difference.

Steak Teriyaki with Sugar Snap Peas

Teriyaki is a Japanese cooking technique for broiling or grilling meats which are marinated or basted in a soy sauce.  It is derived from teri- meaning glaze and -yaki meaning broil. Traditional teriyaki is actually not overly sweet;  it is made from equal parts sake, mirin (a rice wine), and dark soy sauce with a small quantity of sugar added. 

However most premade bottles of teriyaki sauce are overly sugary and artificial tasting.  Please don't use them.  I know that they are convenient and a real time saver for weekday meals, but bottled sauces are not good, maybe hinging on gross in some cases.  I have no personal vandetta against the manufacturer's of those sauces--they must make a living too.  However, making your own teriyaki sauce is not difficult and takes only a few steps.  Steps I feel are well worth your time.

This recipe for Steak Teriyaki with Sugar Snap Peas originally called recipe for 1/2 cup sugar, which I have already reduced and changed into a combination of brown sugar and honey.  This recipe makes a very good sauce, one that complements the steak and sugar snap peas.  Everyone in my family, especially our recovered picky eater and my 11-month old, loved this meal.  In fact, my son asked me to put this on our "make again" list...and we didn't have a make-again list before this meal.:-) 

I encourage you to make this sauce for other meats as well.  Chicken, burgers, and salmon would taste great smothered in this sauce too.

Rosemary and Garlic Focaccia

For many, many years, I was not brave enough to use yeast.  The process was overwhelming to me, and as a result, I would not attempt to bake any kind of bread.  There was a part of me that felt no need (no pun intended) to attempt bread.  Why hassle with yeast and go through the work of kneading when a wide variety of breads, buns, pizza doughs, and the like is readily available at the bakery and grocery store?  I'd like to say that I had some amazing pivotal moment or an epiphany, but I didn't.  One day, now many years ago, I simply decided it was time to try; I was already cooking and baking 90% of what my family ate, so why not?

What stood out the most to me about yeast was how easy the process of proofing is.  It's really just a matter of adding yeast to water, ensuring that the water is the right temperature, and allowing it to sit for 5 minutes to see if the yeast is active or not.  And the kneading?  With the use of a Kitchen Aid mixer, no kneading is necessary;  the machine does it for you.  Suddenly, the "big deal" with yeast and bread, was really no big deal at all.   And I'm glad I overcame my fear of yeast--otherwise I would never have experienced freshly baked breads like this focaccia.

Vegan Strawberry Curd

Curd is an intensely-flavored soft, thick sauce, most commonly made with a lemon, lime, or orange flavor.  Originally curd was spread on scones or bread as an alternative to jam for afternoon tea, but much has changed since it's 19th century use.  While curd is still great spread on scones, bakers of today use curd in endless ways.  Fillings for cakes, tarts, and cupcakes, flavoring for frosting, and additions to coffee cakes and muffins are a few common uses.  In my family, curd is also used for topping pancakes, spreading on English muffins or inside crepes, and adding to vanilla ice cream.

I also suggest that you try curd for advancing your picky eater's diet.  Curd is good for picky eaters because it's texture is in between jam and jelly, but with the same sweet taste.  If you have a picky eater, then you already know how difficult it is to switch and/or change any of the foods he/she will eat, but using sweet food items are easier than almost any other.  I am generalizing, but most picky eaters over the age of 2 will eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Change the type of jelly used in their sandwich, and they may not eat it.  Change to jam, and forget it.  In order to help picky eaters advance their diet, we need to find ways to slightly alter the food they already eat, and curd is a nice middle ground.   I've said this many, many times before, but it's worth repeating; one of the key components to helping your picky eater is to get them to a point where they trust your cooking from scratch.  From the foods you make, there is more room to manipulate ingredients at the pace that your picky eater can handle and slowly advance his/her diet to include more variety, more textures, more quantity, and more quality.

This recipe is for strawberry curd, but it can be changed into a variety of other flavors as well.  In addition, it is a vegan recipe, omitting the eggs and butter that are common in other curds; items that I assure you will not be missed in this recipe.

Spring Vegetable Pasta

Spring marks the beginning of my favorite season for vegetables.  Peas, asparaus, artichokes, leeks, lettuce, sweet onions, and scallions to name a few.  Using the tender and fresh produce of spring is a welcome change from the root vegetables of winter, and I want a little taste of all of them.  Jasper White wrote in FtLeavenworthLamp.com that fresh, locally grown produce is the holy grail of cooking.  His figure of speech couldn't be more true.  Fresh, in season produce is the most coveted component of cooking, and that is because in season fruits and vegetables not only look better and taste better, they also provide a better final product and are more reasonably priced.

This pasta dish incorporates some of my favorite spring produce:  leeks, peas, asparagus, lemon, mint, and chives.  The recipe uses vegetables that pair well with each other, following an old rule of thumb, if it grows together, it goes together.  The outcome is fresh and light, yet saucy, using no heavy cream, butter, or half and half.  It tastes like it came straight from the farmer's market.

Oatmeal Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Last week I chaperoned a field trip to the Oregon Food Bank.  I spent roughly three hours with an ambitious group of fifth grade boys trying to separate bulk raw oats into family-sized quantities. The kids were grouped into teams of three to weigh and box oats into 2 pounds bags, and almost immediately they naturally started to compete to see who could produce the most bags, the quickest, and with the least waste.  It was hilarious watching these kids turn an ordinary service project into a head-to-head competition.  And I'll admit, I had fun.  The time was enjoyable and moved quickly since we laughed our way through the process.

What I found even more hilarious was the boys' conversation as they were separating all the oats.  It very quickly turned to discussions of oatmeal cookies, oatmeal muffins, and all things oatmeal.  The smell of the raw oats did circulate around the room as we worked, and for foodies, aromas often trigger food memories and food thoughts, but what was fun for me was to see and hear average 10-year olds doing the same thing.

After the field trip, I went straight home and began searching for oatmeal cookie recipes.  I wanted to reward the kids for not their effort, but for their joyful and exuberant attitude while serving others.  I was proud of these kids and what better way to say, 'job well done' than to provide them with the a small taste of what they had been talking about for hours...an oatmeal cookie.

Orange Angel Food Cake with Caramel Sauce and Tropical-Fruit Compote

Angel food cake, which got its name because of its airy lightness, was once considered "food for the angels".   If you have only had the boxed or bakery Styrofoam replica, you may be left scratching your head and wondering what makes this cake suitable for angels.   This recipe will provide you with the answer.  Light, moist, and subtly flavored with orange and vanilla, you will feel as though you have ascended into heaven with each bite, and that is before the caramel or the tropical-fruit compote has been added.

In order to make angel food cake, there are several baking fundamentals that are essential to know.  Unlike other cakes, angel food cake is made with the omission of fat, and actually the presence of any fat (i.e., butter, oil, and/or egg yolk) will cause problems; therefore it is important that your bowls and utensils are clean and that you carefully separate the yolks from the whites.

Additionally, angel food cake gets it light and airy texture from beating egg whites.  Use eggs that are at room temperature to aid beating your eggs to a larger volume.  The addition of cream of tartar will also help you achieve the best results.  Cream of tarter, which is a common ingredient used in baking that helps stabilize and give volume to beaten eggs, is found in the spices and seasoning aisle in your local grocery store.  The cost of the bottle is well worth its price since there is no substitute for it and because it does not have a shelf life.

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

When your life is food centric like mine, you find yourself reading food-related articles more than one should.  Instead of filling my mind with intellectually stimulating articles, keeping up with current world crises, and finding out who was snubbed from the Royal Wedding invite list, I read cookbooks.  I also subscribe to The New York Times solely for their dining in, dining out section and read The Oregonian only on Tuesdays because that is when FoodDay is featured.  Because who could resist an entire section of a newspaper dedicated to cooking, food, and recipes?

Today I stumbled across an article written on Will Write For Food by author, editor, and writing coach Dianne Jacob entitled, "20 Terms For Selling (I Mean Writing) Recipes".  (OK, truth be told I didn't actually stumble across it. The article was sent to me via email because I subscribe to her blog.)  The whole point of the article was to showcase phrases food bloggers use to "sell" their recipes--phrases that should be omitted since they are really just tired sales pitches to snow readers into the kitchen.  Phrases like "perfect for any occasion", "packed with flavor", "minimum time and effort", and "ideal for busy weeknights". 

Oops.  I would have almost used each of those phrases for this Parmesan Roasted Potatoes recipe.  Not that I was going to try to sell you this recipe, I was just going to write about it in an honest and genuine way.  Truly.  But each of those phrases would have been accurate for these Parmesan Roasted Potatoes.  Well, not "perfect for any occasion". That phrase I would have not used because who wants a starchy side dish at your 5-year old's birthday party.  Even as much as my family enjoyed this recipe that would just not be right.

Sauteed Peas with Shallot and Mint

Everyone has one...a vegetable that you remember being forced to eat as a child.  For me it was raw tomatoes and I have vivid memories sitting by myself for hours after everyone else had been excused from the dinner table.  The house was bustling in every room but the kitchen, where I sat in deafening silence, still perched in front of a lonesome single slice of raw tomato staring back at me.  Haunting me.  I knew I could watch The Love Boat and Fantasy Island with the rest of the family if I could just stomach the tomato, but I never could.

For many people that vegetable was peas, and while most individuals eventually enjoy their once dreaded vegetable, peas continues to be one vegetable that many either love or hate.  Since the emergence of farmer's markets, produce stands, and community supported agricultural (CSA) farms, peas are making their comeback.  Ready or not, we are looking at more peas and maybe even more varieties than you have been accustomed to seeing.  With such attractive produce on the stands and being handed to you in your CSA basket, the question becomes what to do with them.  While I think they might be perfect with melted butter, salt, and pepper, I realize that might be considered child's play.  This Sauteed Peas with Shallot and Mint is an adult way to serve and eat your peas.  It's the spruced up version of plain buttered peas that makes getting your green vegetable quota easier than ever before.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

There is a thin line between muffin and cupcake, and today's bakers are barely able to stay on top of the slim fence line.  In many cases when bakers try to make delicious muffins, the ingredients and sugar content used pushes their muffins off the edge and into the land of cupcakes.

This Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin recipe is on the muffin side of the fence.  That is, unless you glaze it.  The lemon glaze is light and delicate, but the sugar content alone places it on the cupcake side.  You decide....to glaze or not to glaze?  For me, it just really depends on what day of the week it is and if I really want to run an extra mile or not to counteract the calorie load.

Greek Salad with Orzo and Black Eyed Peas

Greek Salad typically contains cucumbers, Kalamata olives, tomatoes, red onion, feta, oregano, and olive oil.  It's a universal staple as far as salads go and for good reason.  It's flavorful, colorful, and sturdy.  It's also not prone to wilting and easily transportable. 

Look at how attractive and fun these mason jars are filled with layers of ingredients for Greek salad.  Fill the jars, cover with lids, and refrigerate for up to 6 hours before serving.  Then simply place the containers on your favorite tray and they are ready for transporting (in style) to your next potluck or BBQ.  The reason the layering works so well is that the juices are in the bottom layers.  The romaine is near the top so it does not get soggy.  The feta is on top so it doesn't turn into sludge, and it's all garnished with a couple peperonici.  No frills.  No fuss.  If the mason jars are over the top for you, simply toss the ingredients in a bowl and go. 

This variation includes orzo pasta and black-eyed peas--ingredients that keep the salad vegetarian but add substance, protein, and antioxidants.  Substantial enough to be served as an entree with crusty bread; tasty enough to serve as a appetizer with pita chips; appealing enough to serve as a side salad with grilled leg of lamb or grilled chicken with tzatziki.

Grilled Fish Tacos with Avocado-Lime-Cilantro Crema

Fish and tacos, together in one meal, was a foreign concept to me when I first met my husband.  He was born and raised in San Diego where people widely enjoy fresh fish tacos sold from street vendors and restaurants alike.  I on the other hand grew up in the Midwest, where fish tacos are unheard of and quality fresh fish is hard to come by in grocery stores without paying an arm and a leg.  Although come to think of it, that might just be a reflection of my sheltered and therefore skewed life in the Midwest--fish tacos could have been circulating around me and I was just completely unaware.  I may never know the truth.

It only took one fish taco for my world to be rocked and my obsession to begin.  Now I seek out good fish tacos, whether that's listed on menus, cooked on street corners, lurking around the Internet, or showcased in cooking blogs.  This recipe on What's Cooking on the Mommy Porch? instantly caught my eye.

Here the fish is marinated in a bath of spices, lime juice, and olive oil and then grilled until flaky.  The outcome is light and flavorful fillets that will cause those of you who feel that battered fish is a requirement for good fish tacos to pause and reconsider your point of view.  The fish pairs perfectly with the avocado, lime, and cilantro sauce, or crema, which is both balanced and delicious.  Just as in most fish tacos, it is the crema that steals the show, and when added to a corn tortilla filled with simple shredded cabbage, these fish tacos are lacking nothing.

Perfect Simple Roast Chicken

Thomas Keller is a renowned American chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author who has won multiple culinary awards from 1999 to present.  His landmark restaurant, The French Laundry, that has been on my bucket list for years and when I land foot for the first time in Napa Valley, having a meal there will be numero uno on my itinerary.  Keller's culinary likes and dislikes are highly sought after, so much so, that he was one of 50 chefs who was asked, "What would your last meal on earth be?"  The answers, subsequent recipes, and interviews are detailed in a book entitled My Last Supper. 

I have not read the book, but I did see this recipe for Simple Roast Chicken that Thomas Keller listed as an item for his last meal on earth.  I think of all the most amazing recipes I know, all the decadent meals that have been prepared for me, all the tastes, aromas, sights that I have experienced in restaurants around the world, and I'm not sure that I would select a simple roasted chicken.  The recipe piqued my interest and I made it that evening for dinner trying to decide what made this roasted chicken so special.

Strawberry Banana Cream Pie

Move over bananas, your best friends are sharing some of your tart space.  The end result is a party--a marvelous strawberry-banana-custard-sugar-cookie-vanilla-whipped-cream-party that is the perfect finish to a beautiful meal.

I know that one look at the ingredient list and the steps involved is going to send some people running.  Let me assure you of something before you try to flee--you will not be disappointed.  This pie is better than any vanilla pudding in a box cream pie recipe out there and that's before you add the sweet and juicy strawberries.  Of all the steps, making the custard is the one that needs your undivided attention, and in my opinion, is the most important.  It is the diva of this pie and is what will make it or break it.

Custard for some people seems like an overly daunting task, but as long as the eggs are tempered and you don't scorch the custard, you should be set.  To temper, or acclimatize, add a small quantity of hot milk to your yolks and whisk like crazy.  If you add a large quantity of hot milk, the eggs will cook or curdle instead of incorporating into the mixture, and if that happens, you're toast.  Finished.  Fini.  The same is true if you are not whisking constantly.  You will be whisking for each step of the custard.  Do. Not. Stop.  Add the remainder of the hot milk in a slow and steady stream and you will have successfully incorporated the yolks.  That is the first half of victorious custard; the second half is cooking and thickening, a process that will move quickly.  The key here is avoid scorching the pan.  Again, you will be whisking like crazy, but in addition to that, do not be afraid of lifting your pan off the heat if things seem to be progressing too fast for you.  The custard should be silky and creamy; however don't panic if you have some lumps in your custard.    Simply push the custard through a fine sieve to remove the lumps and no one will know the difference.

Gnocchi with Squash, Spinach, and Prosciutto

Spring has sprung, but the weather in the Pacific Northwest is below average and we have been getting our share of heavy rain.  So even though we are surrounded with blooming daffodils and tulips, I'm still craving comfort food-the kind that warms your body and soul from the inside out.   This gnocchi recipe does just that.

Gnocchi (pronounced /noh kee/) are small Italian soft dumplings typically made from potatoes, flour, semolina, bread crumbs, or a combination of these ingredients.  They are delicious, filling, and versatile, and are most often eaten as entrees or as an alternative to pasta.  While they are available dried, frozen, or fresh in vacuum packed containers in supermarkets or specialty grocery stores, they are not difficult to make from scratch.  

Gnocchi is typically paired with pesto or tomato sauces, but in this recipe, the gnocchi is tossed with sauteed butternut squash, spinach, and prosciutto making this entree perfect for fall or winter (....and apparently our unseasonably cold spring.)   This recipe calls for the time saving measure of purchasing your gnocchi, but next week I will walk you through some step-by-step instructions to make your own.  Stay tuned!

Strawberry Sherbet

Sherbet, sorbet, sherbert, ice cream, granita...what really are the differences between all these frozen desserts?   Am I the only who is constantly confused by their definitions?

Sorbet (or sometimes called granita) is a dairy-free frozen dessert made primarily of fruit puree, sugar, and water.  It tends to have a grainier or icier consistency than sherbet, which is from the omission of milk and/or fat.  Sorbets can also be made with chocolate, champagne, wine, and/or liqueur.

Sherbet (or sometimes called sherbert) is a frozen dessert made from primarily fruit puree and sugar, but also contains milk, egg-white, gelatin or some type of fat.  It contains a creamier texture, similar to ice cream, and contains 1-3% fat, any more fat and the dessert is no longer sherbet, but ice cream and any less fat than 1% and it is now water ice.

In general, I don't care if I am eating sorbet or sherbet.  Any frozen dessert on a hot day is satisfying to me:-)

Strawberry Coffee Cake

In honor of National Coffee Cake Day, I made a Strawberry Coffee Cake.  Well, National Coffee Cake day was yesterday, and I made this delicious coffee cake on Saturday, but today is the day that I am going to officially celebrate.  I had no idea there actually was such a thing as National Coffee Cake day until yesterday when I read One Perfect Bite, but I thought I would still honor coffee cakes around the world by sharing this delicious recipe with you.  Plus my mother asked me to find some good breakfast recipes.

This Strawberry Coffee Cake was one of those recipes that makes your whole house smell amazing.  It truly smelled like a strawberry candle had been burning in my house for hours.  The taste was the same, well, not waxy like a candle, but the same sweet, vanilla-ee, strawberry-ee, cake-ee aroma is also what you taste with each bite.  Strawberry goodness inside, crumbly goodness on top, with a perfectly moist cake layered in between.  Together its all wrapped up into one sweet little package.   Delicious.  Mom, you will love this for breakfast with your friends.

I'm curious though...being that it is National Coffee Cake day...what is your favorite coffee cake?  What flavors are in it?  What kind of pan do you bake it in?  Do you like it with or without a crumbly topping, some kind of fruit, filling, and/or nut(s)?  Where did you find the recipe?  I would love to try some more varieties and I need your help.

Cookbook Winner!

I used the above random number generator and the result was number 14...that means the winner is jenniferbof3!  Congratulations Jennifer....you have 48 hours to contact me via email at mamahollioni@gmail.com to claim your The Best Simple Recipes cookbook.  You're going to love it!

Ginger-Pork Spring Rolls



Have I told you how much I am enjoying my new cookbook lately?  I love it.  I realize I may have OD'ed on talking about The Best Simple Recipes cookbook, but it just might be my new favorite right now.  Dinner has been ready in under 30 minutes every day this week, and this Ginger-Pork Spring Rolls is another one of the fabulous recipes that emerged from within its contents that will now be a staple in our house.  (You still have one day left to win your own copy.)

Why?  For one, every member of my family ate and enjoyed these spring rolls--from the gourmet, to the picky eater, to my 9-month old (who just ate the filling chopped up).  For another, it was a cinch.  I feel as though it took longer to clean the kitchen than it did to prepare and cook.  And another, they were fresh, light, nutritious, delicious, and satisfying.  My children were asking for seconds and my 7-year old ate 3 (three!)--each loaded with broccoli, carrots, purple cabbage, cilantro, and pork.  Need I say more? 

Southwestern Salmon Cakes

I recipe hunt a lot.  Most often I am browsing haphazardly for nothing in particular--just looking for any recipe that sounds good to me at the time. I bookmark many recipes (more than I will ever cook in this lifetime) and come back to my list when I am ready to make a weekly menu and subsequent grocery list.  I frequently surprise myself when looking back at my bookmarked list, either forgetting about a recipe all together or wondering 'what on earth was I thinking?' when a second glance gets a grossly different take than the first.

This Southwestern Salmon Cake recipe was one of those recipes that I had bookmarked a couple of weeks ago.  I found it in my new cookbook (The Best Simple Recipes...which could be yours) and I was caught by surprise with the recipe. It looked instantly delicious to me, but then it just sat there, bookmarked, and forgotten about it.  If I had made this weeks earlier when I originally bookmarked it, I would have already made it again.  Probably even twice by now.  It was that good, and it could not have been easier to make.  The outcome was a crisp exterior encasing a tender, fresh, flavorful interior. The accompanying lime and cilantro mayonnaise (oh-my-goodness-de-lish-us) was not only wonderful, it also perfectly complements the salmon cake and gives it an extra southwestern punch.  Just like the first recipe I tried from this cookbook, this one too was easy enough for a weekday meal, but good enough for company.

Even though Salmon cakes were traditionally prepared with canned or leftover cooked salmon, America's Test Kitchen recommended only using fresh.  I have only made this recipe once and I followed ATK's instructions.  From what I tasted, I wouldn't change one. single. thing.