meme – Page 2 – Peaceful Reader

Weekend Cooking; Rhubarb, sweet rhubarb

Even though the calendar says June Iowa is experiencing spring weather. I have a light sweater on as I type. Our old brick house stands on a very shady lot and our house is usually cool inside but this cool and rainy weather is throwing our growing season off a bit. While the farmers are unhappy I’m happy to slow down our growing time as there are two spring crops that I adore; asparagus and rhubarb. Asparagus is pretty easy to enjoy plucked straight out of the earth but rhubarb takes some time in the kitchen to bring out its essence.

My mom made me a rhubarb cake a few weeks ago; it was delicious but she didn’t leave me the recipe and I wouldn’t want to repeat anyway but I had several bags of rhubarb from my mom and my friend Janice that needed to be dealt with before we leave on vacation. I know, I know I could have stuck them in the freezer to deal with later but frankly that felt like a cop-out. I do well under pressure.

Two years ago when we had the pleasure of vacationing on The Outer Banks, NC my mother-in-law brought the MOST delicious rhubarb-ginger jam with her for our toasting pleasure. I stumbled upon this jam recipe the other day as I went through my recipe folders. I made it that day adding almond flavoring instead of ginger because I didn’t have any. I made it again Friday night because the first batch was licked clean from its glass container. The recipe is so easy.

Try it:

Rhubarb-Ginger Jam

(makes about 5 cups)

8 cups rhubarb in 1-inch pieces

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup crystallized ginger, chopped

zest of 1 lemon

Combine the ingredients in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over med.-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat to medium to medium and cook at least 20 minutes (it may take a little longer) stirring often, until the mixture thickens and mounds on a spoon.

Store in the refrigerator or put in sterilized jars to can.

Changes: I used brown sugar instead of white and I didn’t have crystallized ginger but I did have ginger root so I grated it but used probably only two tablespoons.

And here is my mother-in-law’s notes: “This can be eaten warm as a compote or chilled as a jam. I suggest straight out of the jar with a spoon. It would also make a great topping for ice cream or cake.”

It is just that good. I love it on a good piece of wheat toast or straight out of the jar!

{big fat rhubarb-lemon muffins}

That took care of two bags of rhubarb but I still had one more large bag and I took that and turned it into delicious rhubarb-lemon muffins. Oh, they are so good. Groovy Girl’s comment, “The rhubarb makes them so moist and the lemon makes them tart,” as she gobbled one up for breakfast. I replaced white sugar for brown sugar in the recipe as well.

This post is linked to Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking meme. Click her link to find many other food-related posts. Happy eating!

Chilly weather makes me think of soup!

Last week as the temperatures dropped down, giving me a reason to don gloves and my winter coat as I headed off in the morning, I dreamed of soup. I had lentils in my pantry and vegetables in the crisper. I have a usual lentil soup recipe but I wanted to try something different.

I pulled down Soup; A way of life by Barbara Kafka, one I don’t use often even though I love soup.

I found a delicious soup and I had most of the ingredients on hand.

Lentil Soup

(adapted)

1 T olive oil

2 strips of bacon, sliced into small pieces

3 large stalks of celery, chopped

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into small chunks

1 small yellow onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, smashed, peeled, and minced

1 T cumin seeds, ground

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

3 cups vegetable stock (it called for beef but I still only ever have veg. on hand)

1 1/2 cup brown lentils, rinsed

1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Freshly ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil and bacon over medium high heat. Stir in the celery, carrots, and onions and saute a little to soften. Add garlic, cumin, and chili powder and stir to coat veggies.

Stir in the stock, 3 cups of water, and the lentils. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the lentils are soft.

Remove from the heat. In a food processor, puree about half the lentils. Stir the puree back into the pan, add the lemon juice, and black pepper. Heat thoroughly. Top each bowl with parsley sprigs. Can be served with soar cream dollop. Served with big chunky bread to dip.

The soup was delicious…for my husband and I. The kids noticed the kick right away and Teenage Boy managed to finish his bowl using the bread to absorb the heat but Groovy Girl, even after stirring in several heaps of sour cream, still couldn’t make it through. She ate two more slices of the fresh bread to compensate.

The recipe originally called for bacon rind with an explanation of what that was, but I had good, farm fresh bacon in my freezer so I used that instead which pleased the teenager a lot as he has come to believe that every meal should include meat. So much for his vegetarian start to life. He is very much in the growing stage though. Hungry all the time.

I made this one day and served it the next and so somehow completely skipped the blender part of this recipe. Next time I will do it because I know it would add a nice thickness to the soup. I also thought this would be wonderful over brown rice.

Now it is much warmer out and it may stay that way for the next couple of weeks but I’ll be ready when it decides to get cold on me again.

This post is linked to Weekend Cooking at Beth Fish Reads. Click on her link and find many other wonderful food-related posts. I’m not going to think about soup though again until the weather takes another dive.

Everyday Food; A reason to make brunch…

(Source)

This recipe for Walnut-Chocolate Sticky Buns is a perfect reason to invite a few friends over for a late morning meal. I love this small recipe magazine from the Martha Stewart publishing company. It fits easily in my bag so I can take it to the store with me and each edition has a wide variety of recipes.

While writing this post though I could not locate the recipe on their website-frustrating-as I wanted to use the photo from the mag. It also has a side note that says I can find a video for this recipe using my iPad-I couldn’t find that either. Once I make them I’ll share my own photo. For now, enjoy…

Walnut-Chocolate Sticky Buns
Makes 9
(I’m going to make a double batch, of course)

2/3 cup heavy cream, divided
1 1/3 plus 2 T. packed light-brown sugar, divided
1 packet (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
2 1/4 cups unbleached (spooned and leveled), divided,
plus more for work surface
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, divided, plus m ore for bowl and pan
fine salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts (I think pecans would be great also)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat 1/3 cup each cream and water and 2 T. sugar until liquid registers 110* – 115*. Add yeast. Let sit until foamy (my favorite part), 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and add 1 cup flour. Using mixer, beat on medium to smooth. Melt 2 T. butter; add to bowl, along with 1 tsp salt and egg, and beat until combined. Beat in remaining 1 1/4 cups flour until combined. Transfer to a buttered bowl; cover with plastic top. Let sit in a warm place until doubled, 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 350*. Butter a 9-inch round baking pan (2 inches deep). In a pot, bring 3 T. butter, 2/3 cup sugar, 1 T. water, and 1/2 tsp salt to a simmer over medium. Cook until sugar is dissolved; whisk in remaining 1/3 cup cream. Pour into pan.

3. On a floured surface, stretch or roll dough into a 12 x 18-inch rectangle. Spread remaining 3 T. butter on dough, leaving a 1-in border on long sides. Sprinkle with remaining 2/3 cup sugar, nuts, chocolate chips, and 1/4 tsp salt. Starting with one long side, roll dough into a log. Cut crosswise into 9 pieces. Arrange over sauce. Bake until sauce is bubbling and rolls are golden, 30-35 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Run a knife around edge before inverting onto a platter. Serve warm.

Is your mouth watering? Mine is.

Weekend Cooking is a delicious meme hosted by Candace at Beth Fish Reads. Click on her link to find many interesting food-related posts.

Top Ten Series I haven't finished but should…

This meme is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Most of these are unfinished due to the time crunch that is my lovely life.

1. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull. I’ve read the first three and want to finish.

2. Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I read the first two and moved on.

3. Rick Riordan writes faster than I can read. I have the last book of Percy Jackson and the two more Kane Chronicles and I haven’t even started on his other series…

4. Michael Scott’s The Alchemyst. I’ve read these first 4 and have two more to go.

5. Anna Godberson’s second series, Bright Young Things. (not as riveting as The Luxe)

6. Lois Lowry’s The Giver series. Keep meaning to get this done and now the last one is coming out.

7. The Daughters series by Joanna Philben. I’ve read one and want to read the next two.

8. Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments series. I loved the first one. Promise to finish series before movie arrives in theatres!

9. Kristin Cashore’s Bitterblue. I’ve read the first two-loved them.

10. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. I want to read the second one, Lola and the boy next door, before the last one is out.

When I first started writing I thought I was keeping up but my list easily kept growing! Thanks to the lovely ladies at The Broke and Bookish for reminding me of all I need to read this Fall. I’ve already clicked around to many other TTT and I have a new list started, Series I need to read!

Weekend Cooking; One World Kids Cookbook

One World Kids Cookbook;

Easy, healthy and affordable family meals

by Sean Mendez

(2011)

“The most important ingredients in any meal are: Love, bonding and sharing.”

Great advice for families everywhere! Groovy Girl and I checked this book out from the library and browsed through it two days ago while we ate breakfast together. Many of the recipes included odd ingredients that made her not interested. We did love the photography and the sage wisdom sprinkled throughout made it a perfect start to our day.

“To the above, all you need to add is a dash of patience, a pinch of creativity and a heaped cup full of enthusiasm?”

Each two-page spread features a country with a map, facts and proverbs related to food or culture. This would make a wonderful tool for school as students research about another culture or country.

Russia’s food proverb:

“The rich would have to eat money if the poor did not provide food.” (perfect moment for this conversation)

We settled on Rice with vegetables (like I need a recipe for that…) but this dish is from Somalia and we plan to try it soon. I have to admit adding the wide variety of spices to the recipe will make it very new for me. Groovy Girl liked the vegetable choices except she requested we use only 1 garlic clove not 3!

Rice with Vegetables (Somalia)

1 cup basmati rice, rinsed
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 courgettes/zucchini, diced
2 peppers, any colors, diced
1 vegetable stock, cube
4 cardamon pods
4 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp curry powder
2 1/2 cups water
4 T olive oil
salt/pepper

Heat half the oil in a large pot. Fry onion and garlic for about 8 minutes, stirring often. Add the cinnamon stick and spices, and cook for 3 minutes to release their flavor. Pour in the rest of the oil.

Add the remaining vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Rinse rice until water runs clear. Add rice and water to pot, crumble stock cube in and bring to a simmer. Cook rice according to package instructions.

Remove cardamon pods and cloves, if you can find them!

Tasty Tip: This dish is also nicely finished off with a handful of raisins or your favorite fresh herbs. For those addicted to spice, sprinkle some Tabasco over your dish and tuck in!

Directions include step-by-step photographs featuring young chefs which really adds to the kid appeal.

My favorite proverb comes from Spain:

“For wine to taste of wine, you must drink it with a friend.”

Countries included:

Russia, Brazil, USA, China, New Zealand, India, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, Morocco, Columbia, Somalia, Spain, Philippines, Iran, Australia, U.K., Ghana, Greece, and Jamaica.
My favorite recipe hailed from Morocco-couscous with chickpeas and peppers. An extra section on smoothies is included plus lots of cooking tips.

Check out Superchef‘s review with another recipe, Chicken and Spinach Curry from India.

This post is linked to Weekend Cooking, a meme hosted by Candace at Beth Fish Reads. Click to her site for many more food-related posts.

Top Ten Tuesday; Top Ten books that make you think…

It’s been awhile since I’ve particpated in The Broke and the Bookish’s weekly Tuesday meme and as I mentally promised to blog more in September I’m jumping in. There were several on her list that I completely agreed with.

1. The Book Thief-Death as a character was an amazing point-of-view to read from. This should be required reading at the high school level.

2. Revolution-I didn’t know much about the French Revolution before reading this book and I had to do some research to make it all fit together.

3. One Thousand White Women-made me question my knowledge of Native Americans and our government. Plus the whole book makes you feel like you are reading a true account and I kept having to tell myself “this is fiction, this is fiction…”

4. Along Way Gone: Ishmael Beah’s tale of his years as a boy soldier in Sierra Leonne. I had to stop many times to readjust my ideas and attitudes toward the human race. My husband lived in Sierra Leonne as a young boy and we shared many in-depth conversations about this country.

5. The Poisonwood Bible-Challenged my ideas of what a family and faith meant.

6. The Lacuna-like Revolution this book made me search for more information about the artists and the time period, opening up a whole new era for me.

7. The Red Umbrella-I learned so much about Cuba and what it was like for immigrants to settle here.

8. The Newman’s Own Organics guide to the good life-This was the first great book I read about being mindful of all that I did. Simple things stuck with me like why preheat as the first step of a recipe. Yes, we know that when baking something it is important to preheat but for cooking dinner there isn’t a reason in a world for that oven to heating up the entire time I work on a casserole in order for it to cook properly. If you lean toward organic this is an essential guide.

9. NutureShock-Made me rethink how I teach and how I parent; mind-blowing and well-written.

10. Stiltsville-A brilliant novel that shares so many snapshots of our world; women, gay, rich, poor, married, divorced, difficult and happy that you can’t help but think more profoundly after reading this adult novel.

Weekend Cooking; My favorite cookbooks.

My mom is going to be here tomorrow for Easter dinner. I’m Spring cleaning today. Deep down cleaning. Dusting, rearranging, organizing, dispelling clutter. Soon I’m going to vacuum all the pet hair. A natural offshoot of cleaning is to cull some of the old and this idea brought me to my cookbook cabinets. I blew a fine layer of dust about and took a long look.

I know I get many recipes from the internet; blogs and Pinterest and I do have several magazine subscriptions, thanks to my mom, but my cookbooks are somewhat sacred. Something my mother taught me. I don’t get rid of them easily and I don’t buy them very often. As I reorganized this cupboard (I tend to stuff printed recipes in randomly even though I have folders to put them in) I reflected on my top 5 favorites.

In particular order with recipe titles linked to my posted recipe:

The Healthy Kitchen; Recipes for a better body, life, and spirit by Andrew Weil, M.D. and Rosie Daly. (2002). This book has been so well loved it is coming apart at the binding. It splits open right at the Vegetable Lasagna recipe I’ve made dozens of times in the last 10 years. My other top recipes in this book include the Miso soup, Tomato, Corn, and Basil soup, Seared Salmon with orange glaze, and the Lemon cayenne tonic. Filled with pages of healthy information about spices, eating mindfully, and tips from both Weil and Daley I’ve learned plenty.

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. (1997). This one looks used as the top is peppered with post-it notes sticking out like a yellow mohawk. My favorites recipes include the page of peanut sauces, Thai tofu and Winter squash stew, and Sweet potato muffins with candied ginger. My mother-in-law gave me this book for Christmas one year and the inside front cover still holds the sticky note she included telling me how much use she thought I would get from this book. She was right.

Fresh from the vegetarian slow cooker by Robin Robertson. (2004). This one my mother-in-law also gave me when she gifted me with a new slow cooker. I’ve made the Caponata for book club, the No-Hurry Vegetable Curry, the light and easy vegetable stock, the Pintos Picadillo, and the Lentil Soup with Kale. Right now I have chili cooking in the same slow cooker and I’m excited for our chili and baked potatoes.

Not Your Mother’s Casseroles by Faith Durand. (2004) This one I actually bought myself and it is newer than the other three. The Baked Cheesy Chili Grits, the Simple Pot Bread, the Pot Chicken and Potatoes in Cinnamon-Saffron Milk, and the Baked Buttermilk Pancakes are all fantastic recipes from this book.

Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentis. (2005). My kids could eat buttered pasta every day of the week, making this book a perfect match for us. Now they love several of Giada’s pasta dishes, making it easy to upgrade their taste buds just a notch. I also started making my own pesto from her recipe and love it even more in the winter as a pull it out from the freezer. The Checca sauce is an easy summer favorite, the white bean dip with pita chips is perfect for happy hour, and the Lemon Spaghetti is too die for because I have a thing for lemons.

Now that I’ve made myself hungry by paging through my favorite cookbooks I realize I need to explore them more, perhaps challenge myself to choosing a recipe from one of them on a regular basis. I don’t want them to get old and dusty. Cookbooks are like friends, something I want my daughter to experience as well.

I happened upon an article in my Real Simple magazine and found this pie baker extraordinaire, Beth Howard of The World Needs More Pie. She lives just down the “road”, well, a few towns over but I’m thinking Summer ROAD TRIP. I want to check out her pies, she has a new cookbook out, and she lives in the American Gothic house in Eldon, Iowa.

Happy Cooking~
This post is linked to Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Click her link to find many other food-related posts from a wide variety of bloggers.

Top Ten Tuesday; Books to read in a day.

This weekly meme is featured at The Broke and the Bookish. Click the link to read other blogger’s lists. This week the subject is books that kept you on the edge of your seat, read-the-whole-day kind of books.

1. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. I remember the first three books in this series kept me reading through the day. I remember the excitement of the early delivery, the frenzy. Pure joy.

2. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly. I loved this character’s moodiness and enjoyed reaching back to the French Revolutionary time period.

3. Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier. A retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses, I felt transported and did read it in about 2 days. Really should go back and read more by this author.

4. Mudbound by Hillary Jordan. Just finished this one and loved the changing perspective in each chapter. Proves every story does have more than two sides.

5. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. Loved Death as a character. Creepy, unique perspective of the Holocaust.

6. The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi Durrow. Sad tale but her writing made me want to keep reading to find out what was happening.

7. Shiver by Maggie Steifvater. I loved how she created wolf characters who shifted~made me love wolves.

8. The Luxe by Anna Gabbenstein. The first one grabbed me, transported me, and piqued my interest, with all its twists and turns, until I turned the last page.

9. The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. It was long and worth it. The story was riviting and well-told.

10. I’ll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan. Tells the captivating story of two boys, abused by their homeless father, who make it despite the many roadblocks they struggle with.

11. Still Alice by Lisa Genova. Alzheimer’s disease was unraveled right before my eyes and it made me sob.

12. Graceling by Kristin Cashore. This was an amazing fantasy book. I loved the world Cashore dreamed up and even like the second one, Fire.

13. Claire Marvel by John Burnham Schwartz. My husband read it and I loved listening to him talk about it as he read it. I read it right after and loved it just as much. The story of missed opportunity and love.

14. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. Another great fantasy book-Gaiman created a marvelously creepy underground world.

15. Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu. A fairy tale world lies right out there in that woods beyond your neighborhood-be careful where you tread.

I’m not good at following directions and I couldn’t stop at ten. All 15 of these I highly recommend because they kept me on the edge of my seat or tucked down in my covers reading until late in the night.

Weekend Cookies;Cherry Oatmeal Cookies Variation

Happy Birthday to my husband, Gregory! It’s a big one and he’s not all that excited about it. I made him a special breakfast this morning of grits, Fresh Air bacon, scrambled eggs, and biscuits and peppery gravy. He was in heaven with all his favorite breakfast foods at the table.

Last night I made these cookies for him because he loves oatmeal cookies. They are delicious and next time I would double the recipe. The directions say it makes 50 cookies-I beg to differ-as I even made mine nearly bite-sized as I could see the dough disappearing.

(Image Source)

Adapted from So Sweet! Cookies, Cupcakes, Whoopie Pies, and More by Sur La Table. (This book was well worth the $11 I paid for it and I notice it is less than $10 on Amazon now)

Cherry Oatmeal Cookies
~~(makes about 50 cookies)~~ (makes about 30 cookies)

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 Stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 T. granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 salt
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup dried sour cherries

1. Preheat oven to 350*F and position rack in the center. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. (I used my silicone mat)
2. Place the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth. Scrape the bowl well. Add the egg and vanilla and blend well.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture all at once. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and blend slowly, just until there are no more patches of flour. Scrape down the bowl.
4. Add the oats and cherries and blend on low until just combined. Remove the bowl from mixer and stir gently a few times to make sure everything is incorporated.
5. Using a small ice cream scoop or a spoon, portion tablespoon-sized mounds (I did teaspoon size) onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 13-16 minutes, until cookies are golden brown at the edges and still a bit pale in the center. Transfer to a cooking rack and let the cookies cool.

I did not have dried sour cherries in the house but I did have raisins and dried cranberries. My husband loves oatmeal raisin cookies and I tossed caution to the wind by adding the cranberries as well. He loved them-the cranberries add a snap. I would like to try the dried cherries at some point but who needs a trip to the grocery store for just one ingredient?? These cookies were very quick to make-perfect for time-crunched baking. Enjoy!

This recipe is linked to Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking meme. See hers and the long list of other food-related posts by clicking over to her site.

Weekend Cooking; Flavor of the Week

(My breakfast)

What a title. I’ve been reading Flavor of the week by Tucker Shaw for a day or two and while the story is less than fetching each chapter ends with an interesting recipe. Last night this is the recipe I ended with and as I drifted to sleep my thoughts were on breakfast already. Tucker Shaw is the food editor for the Denver Post so it makes some sense that his recipes would be memorable.

Hot-Buttered Maple-Baked Oatmeal (my notes)

2 cups old-fashioned oats (not instant or quick)
pinch (sea) salt
1/3 cup maple syrup
3 cups whole milk (i used 1%)
1 (farm fresh) egg
1 T. vanilla (real)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon (hefty sprinkle on top before baking)
raisins, coconut flakes or almonds for topping (all optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Position rack in the middle of the oven.
2. In a large bowl combine oats and salt.
3. In a smaller bowl mix together the maple syrup, milk, egg, and vanilla. Pour over oats; mix well.
4. Pour the oat mixture into a glass baking dish (I used a 9 x 13). Bake for about 40 minutes, stirring once midway through. Remove from oven. (We stirred it at 20 minutes and only let it cook another 10-it was perfect)
5. Sprinkle the oats with brown sugar and return to the oven for 5 minutes. The brown sugar will get all melty, which is exactly what you want.
6. Serve in warm bowls with a big hunk of butter and a drizzle of maple syrup that you’ve zapped in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Top with yummy toppings. We had little bowls of brown sugar, raisins, cranberries, and walnuts at the table to sprinkle as well as a little milk pour on top.

My husband did the stirring at 20 minutes and he thought it looked done at that point. As our 9-year-old bounced on our bed earlier he told her about this delicious idea for breakfast and she seemed at best dubious! She was like “I like my regular oatmeal. This sounds too baked, too dry, too crunchy!” He didn’t want it to turn out like her worst ideas and truly it was creamy and wonderful with less cooking time. You decide.
It serves four and all of us had a big heaping bowl. Groovy Girl’s last words “This is actually good. I hope you make it again.” Made my day.

This post is linked to Beth Fish Reads weekly cooking meme, Weekend Cooking. Click her link to check out the other foodie posts and read her thoughts on Beer Wars, the film.

Next up on my to-do list. Cleaning the guinea pig’s cage with Groovy Girl. I know; I can feel the waves of jealousy!