What Happens After Singleton

Ninfa's Verde Sauce (or how to catch a husband)

2012-03-01T21:55:00.000-05:00

Sometime after Dudley and I were engaged, but before we said "I will," I looked at him, batted my eyelashes and gave him my most winning smile, and I asked him when he knew he wanted to marry me. I mean, this is what engaged couples talk about right? As we ride off into the sunset, secure in our love, we're supposed to discuss these things: the birds breaking out into song, the breeze gently blowing, and the sun shining softly on our love. That soooo did not happen in this story. Dudley just looked at me, and you know what? I still have never heard the answer. I'm not sure if this means that Dudley still hasn't had that moment (funny haha) or if he just doesn't want to admit that he knew right away because that wouldn't be manly. I am pretty amazing after all, and I was driving when I first met him. We all know Dudley is a huge fan of my driving skills (um, yeah, that must be why any time I'm behind the wheel he's coaching me on changing lanes and driving defensively). I think some day I'll get an answer out of him, but I know that even though this verde sauce didn't exactly prompt a proposal, it certainly put another mark in the "Jessica ROCKS" column.

In Houston everyone has an opinion about Mexican restaurants and everyone has a favorite. And in a city with more Tex Mex than Starbucks this is a really big deal. I've been known to put on my whiner hat when I have to go eat what I consider to be inferior Tex Mex. As in, "I don't wanna go to (insert non approved Tex Mex restaurant) because we always have to go to non-approved-Tex-Mex-restaurant and I wanna go someplace that I like." Seriously. And luckily, Dudley and I agree that the original Ninfa's on Navigation is one of our favorites. Ninfa's is a chain of restaurants, but the original location on Navigation St. in Houston is out of this world wonderful. And when Dudley talks about their verde sauce his eyes shine and hearts circle around his head. So, a few years ago, when we were both in DC and sorely in need of a little kick, I googled "Ninfa's verde sauce" looking for a copy cat recipe that I could surprise Dudley with. And I found a recipe for the vraiment Ninfa's verde sauce, appropriately enough, on Homesick Texan's blog. And I followed the recipe and took a little bite and it was crazy -- almost like I was sitting at Ninfa's waiting for my enchiladas suizas to come to the table. It's uncanny how good it is. Dudley swooned; he consumed every last droplet of the sauce; and I gave myself a pat on the back.

This sauce is really easy to make, and worth every second of it, but the hardest thing to do is run down the ingredients -- especially if you live in an area where things like tomatillos aren't really run-of-the-mill. In Texas it's ridiculously easy to get tomatillos and they're pretty cheap to boot. Up here I had to buy a can of tomatillos at Whole Foods, but I was really happy that they worked out really well in this recipe. As with any recipe that calls for fresh jalapenos, a lot depends on the heat of the individual peppers. The peppers I used in this last batch were spicy so the sauce had a nice kick, but in general it's more of a mild salsa. Check out the recipe on the Homesick Texan's blog (and you can read all about her trials and tribulations waiting to get her hands on the recipe).

Fat Tuesday and Dirty Rice

2012-02-21T15:49:00.001-05:00

Today is Fat Tuesday and all over New Orleans (and myriad other cities around the world) people are nursing hangovers with hair of the dog. I always think it's rather anti-climactic that the actual day of Mardi Gras is such a low-key event. Quite honestly, for me Mardi Gras day is less about hurricanes and hand grenades and more about a totally indulgent pancake supper. Giant stacks of pancakes with butter and syrup, or even chocolate chips, bacon and sausage, the breakfast-for-dinner works. I'd actually been planning on pancakes for dinner tonight, but as fate would have it, I have some chicken breasts in my fridge that must be used (dinner plans last night went awry), so this year we're forgoing the usual Shrove Tuesday pancake supper. I did give some thought to chicken and waffles, but I eventually decided to go back to my roots in honor of Mardi Gras this year: we're having blackened chicken and dirty rice.

I know, it's not like it's gumbo or jambalaya, but when I was young and forced to eat Cajun food on a regular basis (read: before I learned to enjoy such things), blackened chicken and dirty rice was my very favorite meal. My dad always used Paul Prudhomme's recipe for dirty rice from his Louisiana Kitchen cookbook, and, seriously, it's so freaking spicy hot. I think this is due to the copious amounts of pepper (my dad always used white pepper) in the rice. But it's warm and spicy and flavorful and I love it. I made this dirty rice with brown rice, and I scaled back the spices, but other than that and the decided lack of chicken livers (they're what traditionally makes the rice "dirty"), I think it tastes pretty darn authentic.

No matter the blend of spices, dirty rice, like most other Cajun specialties, starts with the "trinity" -- bell pepper (usually green but I always go red), onion, and celery. There's usually sausage (andouille is common) and then the chicken livers. So, I know I've eaten dirty rice with chicken livers countless number of times in restaurants, and I'm certain that, though he'd never admit it, my dad has snuck chicken or duck livers into the dirty rice and I've eaten it with gusto, but I never add chicken livers to my dirty rice. And, you know what? It's still dirty and it tastes fantastic. I don't think my recipe is ever the same because it's based on what I have handy so I won't write it down here, but I'll give you a few links to get you started on dirty rice. And beware, it's supposed to have a kick!

Closest to Dr. M's Dirty Rice

Emeril's Dirty Rice (not as much spice or kick)

Dirty Brown Rice (a little healthier)

Happy Mardi Gras to all of you! We'll be enjoying this with some Abita, appropriately enough, and I'm definitely going to have some chocolate for dessert. After all, tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, and that's the point, right? To get it all out of your system before Lent begins. I still have to figure out what Lent is going to entail for me this year. I always give up chocolate, but I'm giving some serious thought to switching it up this year. Do you make a Lenten sacrifice? Or take something on. I'll have to decide what I'm going to do soon because time is definitely running out.

Friday Five

2012-02-17T17:27:00.001-05:00

This has been a pretty chill week around here . . . it might be the reason there are finally some blog posts up in this ghost town! I adore making lists and reading them, so I thought I'd give the whole Friday Five bit a shot. So, here you have it, five things that I'm loving this week.

1. Pittman and Davis grapefruit!

My dad sent us a half bushel of Pittman and Davis grapefruit all the way from the Rio Grande valley, and you better believe I've been loving every blissful section of them. Grapefruit is one of my very favorite winter treats, and the only real drawback to living up here (aside from the obvious) is that citrus will never, ever be local. You can see that the grapefruit have joined the basket of citrus on my table. I always have a big basket of citrus on my table in the colder months -- it's cheerful and good for you, too!

2. Pinterest

Adrianne has been telling me for months that I need to get on the Pinterest bandwagon, and I've steadily declined -- until now. Even though I'm even more convinced than ever that it's a tremendous black hole of time, I love it. It is so much fun to put all of your likes into one place. I'm not on Facebook, though, and that seems to be how you find friends on Pinterest. So, if you're on Pinterest, let me know because I'm an addict. I want to see everyone's boards. And if you're not on Pinterest, well, stay off or prepare to while away your days looking at pretty pictures.

3. Whitney

The other night Dudley was watching the news and he did a big eye roll when the Whitney Houston segment led the evening's stories. But, you know, even though Dudley thinks he has impeccable taste in music it's narrow as all get out. And I looooves me some Whitney Houston, and she was pretty high in the diva-off my sister and I had this summer. She had to be either 1 or 2 on my list. So, needless to say, I've been pilfering my iTunes library to listen to my Whitney songs this week. And, if I can't be reborn as a surfer girl or a USC song girl, I'd love to get the chance to belt like Whitney. In the meantime I'll settle for singing along at the top of my lungs.

4. Spring Cleaning

OK, it's not spring, but I've been taking advantage of my time this week to do a little (or a lot) of long-overdue cleaning and straightening. After all, it's nearly tax time so I'd best get my ducklings in one row.

5. Warm Chocolate Chip Cookies

In an epic failure of judgment I made a batch of chocolate chunk cookie dough (I used the recipe from Flour by JoAnne Chang and it's fabulous, btw) earlier this week. At the time, I had every intention of baking it and giving the cookies away. But then, after dinner one night I wanted dessert -- this is NOT out of the ordinary -- and there were two options. The nuclear option was to bake some of the cookie dough and have fresh chocolate chip cookies. The non-nuclear option was a piece of fruit. Of course I went for the nuclear option. And the rest is history because we've had warm chocolate chip cookies for dessert every night this week. This is NOT a good idea when your jeans are already a little snug.

Meet Huckleberry

2012-02-16T10:41:00.002-05:00

In my new little family we have yours truly and Dudley of course, and you probably remember Lucy, the yellow wonder dog, but I don't believe I've ever properly introduced Huckleberry. So, without further ado, meet Huckleberry!

Otherwise known as Dudley's wingman -- his counterpart to Lucy, if you will. It's actually my fault that Huckleberry is part of our family. You see, when Dudley and I first started dating, he lived in Fort Worth and I lived in Houston. One weekend I went to Fort Worth to visit Dudley and we took his family's dogs to the park. When we got there, I noticed an adorable puppy playing with another dog and his owners. Well, this puppy ran up to say hi, and of course, everyone loves a puppy, but as I was cuddling this fluffy little thing, the other dogs owners told us the puppy wasn't theirs, and it'd been at the park since they arrived. Uh oh.

So, Dudley suggested we call the little guy Huckleberry because he was just like Huckleberry Finn (this park is on the Trinity River), off on a great adventure and loving every minute of it. We knocked on every door looking for the lost puppy's home, because who would ever abandon such a sweet puppy, but no one knew anything about the little guy. I went back to Houston after the weekend was over, and Dudley spent the next three months trying to find him a good home. But, as you can see, Huckleberry is still in the picture and we are ever so thankful because he's the sweetest little black-nose-curly-tailed-brown dog you'll ever find.

Now, I adore Huckleberry, and I love my little family, but this guy is a rascal and a half. We're not sure what sort of blend of dog he is, but he definitely has a hound dog nose, and he will follow a scent to the exclusion of everything else around him -- including me yelling my fool head off. But he's also very soft, and he loves a good cuddle.

So there you have it, the missing piece of my little family. Oh, and did I mention that Huckleberry is what Dudley calls a "kitchen hound" -- he loves to be in the kitchen with me. Dudley spends most of his time when he gets home from work keeping the dogs OUT of the kitchen while I'm making dinner. In addition to the kitchen floor and following his nose, Hucklberry loves: car rides (seriously one of his favorite things in the WORLD), dead animal carcasses (we have a lot of crazy things like deer and raccoon carcasses up here) for eating or rolling -- GROSS, soft piles of blankets all around and over him for napping, property acquisition (you know, walks) and sunny weather. He hates thunder and loud noises of any kind. They make him put his curly tail down.

Now Huckleberry has officially been introduced, and you better believe he's a big part of Life After Singleton. Dudley often proclaims that the dogs rule our lives, and they do, but they're worth it!

Sweetings

2012-02-14T16:18:00.000-05:00

February 14th . . . it's the placeholder for all things pink, red, and oh-so-very fluffy. As in, it's so fluffy I'm gonna die; as in, it's so fluffy my little heart might actually explode. It does go pitter-patter in the midst of all of the red and pink happiness, but I haven't actually had the opportunity to find myself standing in Target, or Paper Source (be still my heart), overwhelmed by all of the fluffiness this year. In fact, I haven't even gotten my husband a card for our very first married Valentines Day together. I was going to make him a card, but even that hasn't happened as yet (there's still time!). But, somewhere in this maelstrom of daily activity, my brain started to think in sweetings again. Cupcakes, cookies, and pies, oh my! And somewhere I decided that red velvet cupcakes were very, very necessary.

Specifically, red velvet cupcakes with fluffy frosting and dainty little cookies adorning the top. This is definitely red and pink fluffiness, dontcha think? And do you know, my valentine didn't even get to taste one, but that's ok, I know the way to his heart: Mexican food. That's what we're having for dinner tonight. I dithered and dithered about what to make my very anti-Valentine's Day husband: should we have heart shaped pizza? But we've had a lot of pizza lately. An all red and white dinner? I didn't know about that -- it's kind of limiting, especially when tomatoes are seriously out of season. And then it hit me: Mexican food. It's his favorite and it's spicy and perfect and I haven't made any in ages. So here's to Valentines Day and Mexican food and fluffy red velvet cupcakes with dainty cookies. I hope your hearts and hugs day is filled to the brim with pink and red fluffiness in whatever shape blows your proverbial skirt up.

This is the red velvet recipe I used. It got rave reviews (red velvet isn't my thing -- I just don't understand the point of one measly tablespoon of cocoa powder -- so I'm not a good judge). If you want super fluffy mounds of icing, you'd best double the icing recipe.

English Gingersnaps for Di's Cookie Exchange

2011-12-07T19:52:00.000-05:00

Dudley and those closest to me would disagree (and rightfully so) but this is my preamble to this blog post: I don't care for rants and excuses. Period. HOWEVER, seriously, y'all, I am having some technological ISSUES over here! Issues with "Internet connectivity," issues with wireless, and issues using this crappy PC laptop rather than my beloved mac (and believe me, I know all of the issues with macs). So, cheers to December, and please send positive thoughts my way -- maybe all of these "issues" will sort themselves out soon, and I'll be back to blogging like I really, really want to do. In the meantime, pardon the ridiculously poor pictures on this post. This *insert four-letter word here* mouse pad (and any other mouse I try to use) on this *insert four-letter word here* laptop WILL NOT let me click and drag for anything. Seriously, I've been trying to edit them since last Friday. No joke. I'm so stinkin' irritated.

For the second year my blogging friend Di, of Di's Kitchen Notebook**, is hosting a virtual cookie exchange, and I'm delighted to participate (especially given my lackluster blogging for the past 12 months).

I think Christmas cookies have got to be my most favorite Christmas tradition. They're right up there with dinner and church on Christmas Eve and stockings and my mom's brunch on Christmas morning. I love anything that has to do with Christmas cookies. This is actually the first year in all of my years that I won't be with my family on Christmas, and it's the first year that I won't be around to bake the Christmas cookies for them either. Mrs. M has been baking up a storm, and it's a little strange to talk to my mom and hear all about the cookies she's baking. Cookie baking is MY domain -- I almost think that it isn't possible for my family to eat cookies made by anyone other than yours truly. In fact, I was actually going to send them their cookies . . . but Mrs. M has made dozens upon dozens of cookies already, and in a strange twist of events, she's going to send US cookies.

Last year for Di's Cookie Exchange I posted about Swedish Vanilla Cookies, the ne plus ultra of Christmas cookies in the M family. They're the gold standard, made and served only at Christmastime, and no Christmas would be complete without them. Right behind the SVCs, in my family, are gingersnaps. I love a good gingersnap, and for years we used my grandmother's recipe. It was a pretty good gingersnap, and I loved it frozen and dipped in milk. But then a few years ago I happened to see a recipe for Maida Heatter's English gingersnaps and I was intrigued enough to try it. This was the first time I deviated from the standard gingersnap recipe, and while I've tried many recipes for ginger and/or molasses cookies since then, this recipe remains my go-to gold-standard gingersnap recipe. And I know it's a winner because I managed to sell the gingersnap aficionados in my life, namely Mrs. M and PawPaw, on it. I've made some changes to Maida's recipe: the biggest change is to cut the butter back to get a cookie that's still buttery but also nice and chewy. I love this cookie because it's buttery, sweet, and chewy but it packs a nice hit of spice. There's nothing meek or mild about these gingersnaps! There you have it, in honor of the second cookie exchange, gingersnaps just the way my family likes them.

Speaking of families, Dudley doesn't like gingersnaps. I'm in the process of deciding what sorts of cookies to bake this year, and it will be interesting and fun to see what sorts of new cookie traditions unfold in my new little family!

English Gingersnaps

Adapted from Maida Heatter

Ingredients

2 cups of flour

2 teaspoons of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar (you could use dark brown for a more intense flavor)

1/4 cup molasses

1 large egg

Sugar for rolling the cookies (I prefer raw sugar)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, and black pepper.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and then the molasses.

Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Note: if you are using a stand mixer be very careful not to over-mix the dough. It's better to finish it by hand with a spoon than to over-mix the dough! Chill the dough for at least 20 minutes (it will be very soft) or until you're ready to bake it. This is a great dough to make ahead and then bake.

Scoop rounded teaspoonfuls of the dough and shape into balls. Fill a small bowl with sugar, and roll the balls of dough in the sugar to coat. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove the cookies from baking sheet and allow them to cool on a rack.

** My apologies: I can't click and drag to highlight and create links to other blogs or recipes. Please visit Di's blog, Di's Kitchen Notebook, and the recipe for Swedish Vanilla Cookies is in the archives of this blog.

Mustang Sally Rides Again (and a tour of my kitchen)

2011-11-03T13:59:00.001-04:00

Some people name their cars -- I name kitchen appliances. I use them all of the time; they help me out and make life easier, and I think it's only natural that a little personification takes place. Have you met Mustang Sally?

Here she is. She's not the biggest or the newest (my mom gave her to me about 6 years ago for Christmas) but she's a workhorse! Now, in the more-is-more spirit, I did tell Dudley the other evening that I would happily have a Kitchen Aid mixer in every fruity color of the rainbow lining the walls of my kitchen (and I really would as long as I knew we'd never have to move again), but Mustang Sally is my trusty kitchen workhorse friend. The kitchen was the first room I unpacked when I moved into this house, and I couldn't find Mustang Sally for days. I was starting to think that someone must have absconded with her when, one evening I went to go look for a pair of pajamas and, low and behold, the box I opened revealed Mustang Sally and her other missing friends, namely

Babe the Blue Blender. She's feeling a tad bit underdressed in this picture without her top on, but not to worry, I've since found it. And, no, I wasn't drunk when I packed up the house a year ago, but you might think so if you encountered the boxes I packed. Anyway, Babe and Sally are quite happy to be back after a year-long sabbatical, and now they have a new colleague:

Yup, Snow White. Sally and Babe have long dreamed of Snow White and the diversity she would bring to the kitchen environment; truth be told, they were a little tired of putting in OT on tasks that Snow White could handle much easier than they can. Snow White was a wedding gift from my grandmother (thank you, MawMaw!!!) and I really couldn't be happier to have her. Actually, I've wanted a food processor for the looooongest time, and when I went to register I was being cheeky and I told the lady who was helping me that I was getting married so I could get a food processor. I thought this was hilarious because, seriously, if I wanted a food processor that badly I could really just get one, but she took me seriously and was pretty taken aback. It's all lovely in the end though because I got to marry Dudley AND get a food processor -- isn't life great? And the kitchen is unpacked, wanna see the aftermath?

And, my friends, that is just a small, small cross-section of the crap. It made me question several times over why I need so much crap. But, I love it all, and darn it, I use it too (much to Dudley's everlasting chagrin -- I think he has sweet dreams about throwing it all in the garbage). But the problem with yours truly and all of this stuff is . . .

Is it an itty bitty little kitchen? Or did the Swamp Thing develop a penchant for interior design? Perhaps a little bit of both. Welcome to my green kitchen -- and I'm not discussing eco-friendly here. Green cabinets, green countertops, green, green green. I actually like the color green, in fact, one of my dream kitchens (yes, I have several) looks like this:

Le sigh. I love this kitchen. My kitchen does not look like this kitchen. No biggee though -- that's why it's nice to have Mustang Sally and Snow White around: friends in the kitchen make it feel like home. There's just one problem with this kitchen: storage. I have 7 cabinets and 6 drawers and no pantry and no basement or closet, you get the drift.

And, although you certainly can't tell from this picture, I hate having anything on my countertops (but, come on, coffee takes precedence over aesthetics and clutter). Cabinets 4 and 5 hold the pantry set-up. Cabinet number four holds that oh-so-marvelous-what-were-people-thinking-40-years-ago wonder of invention, the lazy Susan (and, by the way, who is Susan and WHY is she so lazy?!):

Gag. Now cabinet number 5 is Dudley's second favorite thing about the kitchen:

Little known fact: I married a neat freak. I told Dudley that perhaps when he starts freaking out about the manner in which I leave my clothes and shoes strewn about he should just open this cabinet and feel his love for me overflowing out of his heart. Do you want to see Dudley's most favorite part of the kitchen?

He organized my two trusty (read: most used) oven mitts on the towel bar over the range. He said it reminds him of mud boots wedged in the back bed of a pickup truck. If you don't know what I'm referring to then you need to visit rural Texas for a few months (if it ever starts raining again). Speaking of organization, you might be wondering what kind of a badass shoe horn I used to stuff all of my kitchen accouterments (that's what we're calling the crap these days) in my green kitchen. I actually couldn't find a shoehorn that incredible, but I ended up repurposing some drawers that were in my closet and getting a butcher block cart for Mustang Sally, Snow White, and the whole gang to party on:

And, yes, there's a pot rack (I'm not a fan). I sorted spatulas and tongs, etc into crocks, and the pastry brushes get to live on the counter, too. They're VIP these days. That coffee mug is on the counter because the handle broke in the move and it needs super glue. The only problem is that I keep forgetting to purchase super glue so it remains on the counter until I remember to do so! And there you have it, my happy little green swamp-thing kitchen. Oh, you didn't know? Yeah, there's a monster in the kitchen, he lives behind this door:

I thought surely this was a pantry, I mean, how could it not be? But actually, no, it's a monster's lair:

Scary, right? You should here the screams and bangs that come out of this closet. I generally keep the door closed. Then there's the other scary part of the kitchen: the top of the refrigerator.

Wah, wah, wah. This is what Dudley likes to call a sh*t-show. If he's feeling particularly fresh he might add a few more colorful words. What can I say, it's a work in progress! Stay tuned to see how it all unfolds.

A Singleton No Longer

2011-10-27T10:24:00.000-04:00

Here we are: Mr. and Mrs. Singleton. We're back in the mid-Atlantic . . . and there will be more on all such things to come. I'm still buried in boxes of what I affectionately refer to as CRAP. In fact, I'm off to go try to make a happy home for my little family.

Oh, and guess what? Blogging to resume again -- woot! I'm excited to stretch my blogging legs.

Heartland Turtle Bars

2011-08-05T13:08:00.000-04:00

One of the funny things about "my gap summer" has been the absence of cookbooks from my every day life. Lately things have been so crazy that, yes, I still cook and bake, but I do such things from rote memory. Desserts tend to be of the cobbler or pie variety because that means I can just whip up the crust or topping and then have my way with the abundance of stone fruit that's in season right now. But I miss my cookbooks terribly. I love paging through cookbooks looking for fun recipes to try. Maybe someday soon they will make it off the shelf -- poor, neglected things. The "Baked" cookbooks are some of my very favorites, and last winter (or was it fall, I really can't remember?) I was fortunate enough to attend a class with Matt and Renato of Baked Brooklyn fame. And, oh my gosh, y'all, they're like the cutest things ever. I just want to scoop them up and put them in my pocket. If you ever have a chance to go to one of their classes or book signings I highly recommend it! They are just ridiculously nice . . . even though they don't understand why making caramel sometimes stresses me out! These Heartland Turtle Bars were one of the first recipes I flagged when I received Baked Explorations. Mrs. M loves anything turtle (chocolate and caramel) and anything with oatmeal so these were sure to be a hit around these parts. But you know, heartland got me thinking a little bit. Until last summer I'd never been to "The Heartland." But last summer I flew from D.C. to Chicago, and then from Chicago to Lincoln, Nebraska. And then from Lincoln I drove to the teeny tiny little town of Red Cloud, Nebraska. I was on a little pilgrimage of sorts: to see the town where Willa Cather grew up and the land that's so prominently featured in many of her novels. Oh, I presented a portion of my thesis, too.

I expected everything to be brown and I was shocked that it was so green. I expected the plains to be flat and I was shocked at the rolling nature of the terrain. I expected to see cornfields . . . and I saw cornfields! I think to some people it may seem like the most boring of trips, but I thought it was lovely. The people of Red Cloud just could not have been nicer. From the ice cream social we had one evening to the salad luncheon, to pot roast dinners at the Starke Round Barn it couldn't be more different than the hustle and bustle of my world. And then, of course, there's Cather herself.

I love every Willa Cather novel I've read, and at this point I think I've read almost all of them. And, I think if you haven't read My Ántonia or Death Comes for the Archbishop then you're missing out. I went to Red Cloud and half expected to see Jim and Ántonia come running across this prairie. It looked just how I imagined as I was reading the novel during a large bout of snow in D.C. the previous winter:

"As I looked about me I felt that the grass was the country, as the water is the sea. The red of the grass made all the great prairie the colour of wine-stains, or of certain seaweeds when they are first washed up. And there was so much motion in it; the whole country seemed, somehow, to be running." - My Antonia

That's my experience with the Heartland, and I'd say these turtle bars live up to their description. They're certainly wholesome and inviting. We didn't have any trouble gobbling these up at my house. If you have a chance to read some of Willa Cather's novels, and you can get to Red Cloud, I thought it was a great trip. I'd actually love to bring Dudley back with me some day . . . who knows what will happen? And if you're dying for an ice cream social, a mixer at the train depot (the REAL train depot that Cather used), and a salad luncheon, check out the Cather Foundation's website: they have the dates set for 2012. And, no, they have no idea that I'm writing this; I just think it's a neat experience and my nerdy self would like to share!

Heartland Turtle Bars

adapted from Baked Explorations

Servings: 24 bars

Ingredients

For the bar topping and base:

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 and 3/4 cups rolled oats

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup toasted pecans, chopped into large pieces

1 and 1/2 cups chocolate chips

For the caramel filling:

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

10 tablespoons ( 1 and 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into cubes

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

For the bar topping and base: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Butter the sides and bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass or light colored metal baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper so that the paper overhangs the pan on two sides. Butter the parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Use your hands to rub in the brown sugar. Add the oats and stir until the ingredients are evenly combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour in the melted butter and stir until the entire mixture is wet and combined. Spread two-thirds of the mixture across the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven to cool (but leave the oven on). Sprinkle the pecans and chocolate chips across the cooled crust.

For the caramel filling: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the sugar and butter together. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly (the caramel will begin to darken at this point). Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the cream, and pour the caramel directly over the chocolate pecan layer. Use an offset spatula to evenly distribute the caramel. Sprinkle the remaining oatmeal mixture onto the caramel and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Let the bars cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then place the pan in the refrigerator and chill for 1 hour to firm up. Cut and serve.

Carrot Bran Muffins

2011-08-03T11:13:00.000-04:00

You know those kind of embarrassing moments that we all have? The ones that will randomly pop into your head and you immediately flush and think (getoutgetoutgetout). Even if it's been about 15 years and you've soooooooo moved past it? I have many such moments: moments of sticking my foot in my mouth, moments of extreme clumsiness. Like the time that Dudley and I were at a wedding and the top of my dress slid down while we were dancing. I'm told it made some great footage on the happy couple's wedding video. Shudder. Or the time that I was leaving Spanish class my freshman year in high school and I slipped on one of the top steps and fell all the way down the stairs. And my skirt flew up. And there were many boys standing at the top of the stairs laughing fit to kill. If memory serves I stood up and did a curtsy. We all have those moments. I know it's not just me, right?

Even though I regularly trip over my own feet, and even though people I've only met for about 3 hours of my life have a video with me in a strapless bra with my dress around my waist, and even though I regularly say really stupid/inappropriate things at the wrong time, at least I can turn out a decent treat from my oven. In my experience, there isn't much that a muffin or a cookie won't fix. And if you show up with something delicious for people to munch on, all of the sudden you can transform from being "that girl" to "that girl who brought those amazing muffins." or cookies. or cake. You get my drift. These muffins are so delicious but they're secretly healthy, too. If you make delicious and healthy things that makes you a goddess, right? I like to think so. I like to bake a batch of these and take them out of the freezer one at a time to have with my coffee in the wee small hours of the morning.

Carrot Bran Muffins

Adapted from A Taste of Home Recipes

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons molasses
1-1/2 cups grated carrots
1 cup raisins (optional -- I left them out!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease (or line with paper baking cups) a muffin tin with 12 cups. In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Combine the eggs, buttermilk, oil and molasses; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in carrots and raisins (once again -- I left them out). Fill cups 3/4 full. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm. Yield: 1 dozen.

My Gap Summer

2011-08-02T17:04:00.000-04:00

It's August 2nd and I haven't posted all summer. Lit-trally. It's been kind of a strange summer around here. D and I are still headed down the aisle but the only difference is that now it's only 6 weeks away rather than 6 months away. Except part of me still feels like it's 6 months away. Miss A is off doing a rotation at USC for the next month so I'm absent the very fun distractions of her presence. Dr. and Mrs. M are (finally) moving into their new house. It's a good thing except, oh, Mrs. M broke her leg pretty.darn.badly a few weeks ago and she can't walk. Their new house has stairs . . . lots and lots of stairs. It's still hotter than the firey pits of Hades in Houston but it has rained here. There hasn't been a lot of rain, mind you, but it rained. Oh, yes, things have certainly been happening around here: that's just the teensy tiniest tip of the iceberg.

Dr. M in his new back yard. This was about a month ago when it actually rained.

I don't really know why I haven't blogged. I've certainly been cooking and baking (except for about 2 weeks after Mrs. M broke her leg when Dr. M and I succumbed to store-bought cookies). I think I started blogging to communicate with people, and lately I have had all of the communication I need via wedding plans, family plans, moving plans, you name it. If I'm being perfectly honest, I think I was a little worried that the blog may turn into a huge pile of dirty laundry airing out in cyberspace, and I don't air my dirty laundry. If you want drama I highly recommend the Real Housewives -- it will satisfy your inner need for dramatics.

I don't know about you, but a glass of wine makes me feel so much calmer!

So, after one month I thought I'd start blogging again . . . and things got really crazy. And after two months I wondered if I needed to bury The Singleton in the Kitchen. I do love it, and her, but all this neglect is getting a little ridiculous. And then I thought perhaps ASITK might be reborn as something else. And, quite honestly, I still haven't decided. I suppose I'll see what happens in the next couple of months. So many fun things are happening, and even the things that aren't fun are rather humorous, but I've gotten out of the habit of picking up my camera and making note of it all. I think it might depend on how badly I want to get back in that habit.

Book Review: The Gap Year

2011-08-02T16:51:00.000-04:00

A while ago (read: when I was still blogging more than once every two months) I received an invitation to read and review The Gap Year by Sarah Bird. So, honestly, I was a little hesitant to say yes at first. And now I'm going to sound like a person I hate. Because truly, I harbor an intense dislike for people who say things like: "Oh, I only read "X"literature, I find that popular fiction isn't stimulating enough." Blugh. Seriously -- you're that cool that you only read Great Works of Literature? Oh, and the Encyclopedia Britannica when you're finished with the New York Times every day? Seeeriously? And believe you me, I have met my fair share of people who have told me just that. I dig the "great works." But here's the thing, I dig some not-so-great works, too. I happen to love chick lit. I don't get to read it very often, but I like it. But, back to my original point, I was almost positive that The Gap Year was not going to be my cup of tea. It was just a feeling. But Lisa Munley, who turned my on to The Kitchen Daughter, offered me this chance and I decided I'd like to read the book. She did tell me that it featured food. And I do love to read about food.

I'll spare you the synopsis. After teaching students how to summarize ad nauseum I don't care to ever summarize again. Besides -- you're all smart and you know if you want a synopsis you can simply look at The Gap Year on Amazon.com. What I will tell you is this: I was very pleasantly surprised by The Gap Year. I was expecting a novel that was saccharine sweet and altogether too touchy-feel-y for my taste, but it wasn't. The novel revolves around the changing relationship of a mother and a daughter from two completely independent points of view -- right down to the typeface used. And, how interesting, really, that Sarah Bird chose to give us two independent points of view, but never an all-access pass. There is always a question, always enough to keep us guessing and turning the pages. This was not a novel I had to force myself to read, but rather one that I didn't want to put down. It's entertaining and thought provoking, and it isn't remotely nice and neat. I'm not referring to the prose but to the story. I like that Sarah Bird doesn't engage in too much authorial hand-holding. Her characters aren't perfect, but she doesn't make excuses for them either. And, at the end, I was still left wondering about choices and decisions. I suppose that is a sign of a good novel: if you are left questioning and wondering at the end. The Gap Year begs for a discussion of sorts, but it's easy enough to read in small increments and this leaves me thinking that it might be a good read for a book club?

As for the food aspect of this novel, I think I'll leave that little tidbit out. I'll just add this: at my very competitive high school, gap years were for people who didn't get into the college of their choice. So they "took a year off" to beef up their applications. But this application of a gap year is all the more interesting, in my opinion. I'm thinking I might need a gap year myself. For more information about Sarah Bird you can visit her website!

As I Live and Breathe

2011-07-11T08:26:00.000-04:00

I took a rather unexpected sabbatical -- isn't it funny how life works out sometimes?! If all goes according to plan I'll be posting again by the end of this week.

Pink Lemonade Days

2011-05-26T09:36:00.002-04:00

Memorial Day weekend is finally upon us. It's the official kick-off weekend for summer, and I, for one, am looking forward to summer this year. Who am I kidding -- I look forward to summer every year! No matter your profession, the rest of the year might be for adults but summertime brings out the child in all of us, don't you think? All of this sunshine and warmth seems to beg for things like pools, sprinklers, and popsicles. When I was little summertime meant there were Eskimo Pies and ice cream sandwiches in the freezer in our garage. Summer meant swimming every day and the green hair that came with all of that chlorine. Summertime was about swim meets on Saturday mornings; mosquitoes, sunburns, and riding bikes over to friends' houses.

My mom and I were reminiscing about summer vacations the other day, and she said, "do you remember when I used to lock you guys out of the house?" That would be affirmative. I guess for moms (and dads) summer vacation isn't as idyllic as all that, and Mrs. M would lock the back door so she could get things done in peace and quiet inside the house. At the time I thought it was just about the meanest thing any mommy could do, but looking back, I can see how keeping a gaggle of 10 through 12 year-olds in the backyard for an hour would do great things for your sanity (because in the summer it was never just her own children, it was their friends too). Mrs. M also used to fine us a quarter each time we left the back door open. I don't think it really worked because eventually she had my dad install one of those hinges that makes the door swing shut each time.

My mom had her hands full in the summer -- all moms do, right? She had her kids and all of their friends. She was the one who drove us around to all of our summertime activities be it horseback riding or art lessons or whatever random day camp (I swear, we did everything from golf and tennis to Camp Mozart) we were doing that week. She was the one who kept the freezer stocked with Eskimo Pies and ice cream sandwiches. My mom was (is) also very fond of pink lemonade, and in the summertime we usually had a big pitcher of pink lemonade in the fridge.

Do you all read The White Library blog? I happen to love this blog, and Sandra has a feature called "Saturday's Sweet." Mother's Day weekend the "Saturday's Sweet" was these pink lemonade cupcakes, and it immediately made me think of my mom. Mrs. M loves pink lemonade (any lemonade, really), and when I told her about these cupcakes she was immediately interested. That settled it: pink lemonade cupcakes would be the perfect dessert for Mother's Day. Not to mention, it's already steamy hot here in Houston, and pink lemonade in any form is refreshing.

The cupcakes are actually really easy to make because they are based on (gasp) a box mix. Eek! I don't usually go the box mix route, but I'll say this, you really don't have to worry about whether or not the cupcakes will be moist with a box mix -- especially when there's a package of vanilla pudding added as well! The pink lemonade flavor comes from Country Time Pink Lemonade powder in the cupcake concoction, and frozen concentrated pink lemonade in the buttercream frosting. I was a little nervous that these wouldn't really taste like pink lemonade, but not to worry, they taste EXACTLY like pink lemonade. They were a resounding hit around here, and I have a feeling I'll make them again. They are perfect for summer gatherings, or baby showers, or sweet birthday parties. I'd be lying if I said I didn't plan on trying to bust these out from scratch, but I'm not sure they would be as moist or as tasty. Did I mention that these cupcakes are super moist and very tasty? I always have a hard time finding appropriate candy to decorate with, so I decorated these cupcakes with those new sweet and sour Twizzlers. I cut them to look like a little straw poking out of the frosting. And a lemon Jelly Belly sat right on top. If you'd like to see some seriously adorable pink lemonade cupcakes and the recipe, check out this post on the White Library.

Mrs. M, Adrianne, and yours truly

There you have it, pink lemonade cupcakes for my momma, to show her how much I love her and appreciate all that she has done, and continues to do, for me! And pink lemonade cupcakes to celebrate the arrival of summer and all of the long days of fun that accompany the season.

Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

TWD: Oatmeal Nutmeg Scones

2011-05-24T15:15:00.001-04:00

I like words. I like words like serendipitous and fiduciary, assiduous and erudite, fractious (it just sounds better than cranky), nefarious, and turpitude. I like manumission even though I missed it on the GRE and I'm still slightly bitter (but, as Dr. M told me afterwards, I will never again forget what it means to manumit someone!). I also love the word juxtaposition. It's a great word. In art history classes we used to talk about the juxtapositions of figures and moods; in English classes we might discuss the juxtaposition of certain light and dark metaphors in Othello; and right now we can discuss the juxtaposition of the oatmeal nutmeg scones and the grass I placed them in for this picture.

Ummm, random much? I choose to think my higher, morning brain saw the wisdom in juxtaposing the refined teatime treat with the grass. But, then again, maybe this works? These scones, thanks to the addition of oatmeal, are a little more rustic than a traditional scone. And my scones, thanks to my impatience and fear of overworking the dough, are very rustic indeed. And, oats are a grass . . . my oatmeal scones are sitting in the grass. You know how sometimes you just know you've gone a step to far? It might be best to leave the categorical nature of this post behind, don't you think?

Regardless of refinement or rusticity -- these scones are seriously, seriously delicious. In fact, here is how I'd sum up the oatmeal nutmeg scones: best.scone.EVER. Boom! They are just so tasty with a great texture, a great flavor, and a je ne sais quoi that I can't quite put my finger on. I ate one with butter and apricot jam, and then I ate another one plain because they are just that good. Then I put the rest in the freezer to enjoy at a more reasonable pace. Patricia chose this phenomenal recipe. Check out her blog, Life With a Whisk!

Kiwi Lime Tart

2011-05-22T23:14:00.001-04:00

I spent the summer before my senior year in high school working as a nanny in and around New York City and it's environs, if you will. It was an interesting experience for me -- I'd never been exposed to things like weekend houses in the Hamptons. I remember one weekend we were at at a huge house and our hostess was explaining that when they purchased the house she went and bought a staggering number of linens, etc for all of the bathrooms in the house. Someone said to her, "I hope you went to a white sale," and her response was that she never liked to shop sales because she figured if things were on sale then they probably weren't as good. That just blew my mind because I come from a family where thrift is a serious virtue, and I happen to love a sale. I mean, before then I would have asked, doesn't everyone love a sale? I've been known to score a particularly good bargain and feel light-headed with the knowledge of my saved pennies.

So, perhaps not everyone likes a sale, but I know I'm not the only person who just loves scoring a great deal. Take my dastardly daddy: one of his favorite mottos happens to be, "only dopes pay retail." Recently Dr. M happened across a grocery special, 10 kiwi fruit for $1. And, as he proudly proclaimed to me and anyone else who happened to be around, he "backed up the truck." This is fine and dandy, but kiwi fruit are, in my opinion, best in small doses. They have some pretty strong enzymes (you can use kiwi in a marinade to tenderize meat) and if I eat too many kiwi at once my mouth will pay the price. These enzymes also mean that the fruit doesn't bake particularly well. So, what to do with Dr. M's stash of kiwi fruit? I've had the recipe for Kiwi Tart with Lime Curd in Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Pie and Pastry Bible flagged for what seems like forever, and it occurred to me that this was a fantastic opportunity to try out the recipe.

The tart is really simple to put together. It's a component tart with a sweet tart dough crust, lime curd filling, and kiwi on top. The original recipe calls for the tart to be dotted with blueberries; however, blackberries seem to be plentiful right now and I thought they might work just as well as blueberries. The lime curd is just outstanding, and oddly enough these two tart-sweet flavors play very well with the rich crust. The only problem I had was with the kiwi reacting with the filling to create something of a watery mess after the remaining 3/4 of the tart sat in the fridge overnight. I think if you make this tart it might be best to serve it to a large crowd the same day you make it. You could certainly make all of the components ahead of time and then assemble the tart the day you plan to serve it. This tart used up about 4 or 5 of the kiwi fruit in Dr. M's stash, and I think that's pretty darn acceptable! In my opinion, the lime curd is the real star of the show. It has just enough tart lime flavor, and it's light and refreshing enough for summer evenings. I had a great time sampling the plain lime curd even before it hit the tart shell!

As I mentioned, this tart is really a component dessert. This means you can use your favorite tart dough (any rich buttery cookie-like recipe will be fantastic with the lime curd). Rose Levy Beranbaum has a blog, Real Baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum, that is an excellent resource for anyone looking to make her recipes. I am also of the opinion that, if you're interested in baking pies, The Pie and Pastry Bible is an excellent investment. You can find an excerpt of this recipe on Google Books.

Lime Curd
adapted from The Pie and Pastry Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

about 1/3 cup of lime juice
(note: the number of limes you will need varies greatly depending on the quality of your limes! I had to juice about 5 limes to get this much juice)
1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
2 teaspoons of grated lime zest (you might zest the limes before you juice them)

Next to your stove, have a medium sized bowl with the lime zest in the bottom. Place a strainer over the bowl.

In a saucepan, beat the egg yolks and sugar together. Add the lime juice and butter. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly (don't forget the sides of the pan!) until the liquid is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. The mixture will change from transparent to opaque, and if you run your finger across the coated spoon it should create a visible line. The curd must not come to a boil or else the egg yolks will curdle! When the curd has thickened, remove the pan from the heat and pour the curd through the strainer into the bowl with the lime zest. You may need to press the curd through the strainer with the back of your spoon. Stir the zest into the strained curd, and then allow the curd to cool before pouring into the tart shell.

Note: if you need more information on making curd please check out Real Baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum.

TWD: Maple Cornmeal Biscuits

2011-05-17T15:31:00.000-04:00

I've decided that if something calls for corn in any way, shape, or form, chances are I'm going to like it. Honestly, I'd never baked sweet things with cornmeal before Dorie Greenspan came along, and I probably never would have, but it turns out that I love cornmeal in my sweets. I always liked cornbread and grits and incarnations of corn on or off its cob, but cornmeal in sweets, breakfast or later on, is delightful. Well, let's be honest, I must have been some sort of pollinating insect in a former life because I love pretty, happy colors. And cornmeal is a lovely shade of yellow; it just sort of makes me happy when I look at it. And then there's the nice little textural thing that happens when you bake with cornmeal: suddenly baked goods aren't quite so delicate in the crumb. Whatever it is, I've decided I like it.

I like these biscuits, too. Perhaps that's because they're easy enough to stir up and bake first thing in the morning while your coffee is brewing. That's always a plus. And perhaps it's because they taste sort of like sweet cornbread in a drop biscuit form. Or it might be because they are even better with butter and a nice dollop of apricot jam. Maybe it's the lovely yellow color? I do like them, though, and I think they would be perfect for brunch. I also think they might be tasty at dinner alongside chicken.

These biscuits are drop biscuits . . . meaning they're the perfect juxtaposition of frou frou and rustic with the cornmeal and all that jazz. As I mentioned, they are ridiculously easy to put together. I used Lamb's Stone Ground Cornmeal from Converse, TX (actually, mine is from Randall's but you know what I mean!). This cornmeal is fantastic if you like a stone ground cornmeal. Thank you to Lindsay for choosing this recipe. You can visit her blog, A Little Something . . . Sweet! if you'd like to check it out for yourself.

Steak Salad for Almost Summertime

2011-05-15T05:27:00.005-04:00

I know, believe me, I really do know that it is technically still spring. We have another month to go before summertime officially arrives. If I were in Washington, DC right now, I'd be on the lookout for the first strawberries of the season. Perhaps I'd be enjoying asparagus? It's definitely still spring. It's still spring in Texas, too (and OH MY GOSH it rained yesterday) but, y'all, it feels like summertime. You know what summertime feels like, don't you? Summertime feels like cold drinks and frosty popsicles melting in the sun. It feels lazy and happy. Summertime also feels like wearing shorts and flip flops; it feels like when your legs stick to the seat of the car because they are sweaty in the 95 degree heat. It's been sort of warm here. Actually, it's been really warm here. Lucy even had to dig a hole to reach the cooler dirt. It's a rough life:

Every time she goes outside she digs just a little bit deeper. You know, I'd really rather not have a hole in the ground, but as far as holes go, the placement is pretty good (i.e. not in a noticeable spot). A dog's gotta do what a dog's gotta do. And as for the rest of the yard, well, I suppose it still looks like spring. Things are growing and blooming:

The hydrangeas are back after the winter weather.

And we actually have big 'ole green tomatoes on the vines. It's been a rough year for the tomato plants in this yard. They've had everything from blossom end rot to worms to fungus. Ugh. But, fingers crossed, things are looking up for the tomato plants.

And little baby cucumbers, too.

I love the curlycues cucumbers put out. Aren't they just the cutest? And so functional, too!

The lemon tree has blossoms. The lemon tree had blossoms once before this spring. I was so excited, and the blossoms opened and they smelled divine. You know what happened? Nothing. No fruit. Nada. So I'm not holding my breath this time around, but still, the blossoms are fun to watch.

But, the lime tree has six little limes on it. That sort of makes up for the lemon mishaps. And here in Texas, even though it feels otherwise, we are in full springtime gear. I have to keep reminding myself that it gets MUCH hotter than it has been. The difference between May heat and August heat is like night and day. We have, though, transitioned from heavier winter fare to lighter summer meals. My sister made this salad for dinner a few weeks ago and it was so tasty. I think it is a perfect meal for longer and warmer days.

The salad is remarkably simple: grilled flank steak atop a bed of mixed greens, boiled new potatoes, and hard boiled eggs. She made a shallot-dijon vinaigrette to dress the greens, and I just fell in love with this meal. We had cream of asparagus soup with this salad and it was such a lovely spring dinner. So, whether or not it's full-blown spring or just the beginning of the warmth and longer days where you are, I think this would be a lovely seasonal meal.

Adrianne's Steak Salad

Ingredients:

For Salad:

1 1.5 to 2 pound flank steak

8 ounces mixed baby greens

16 tiny new potatoes, washed

5 hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

For Dijon Shallot Vinaigrette:

4 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon minced shallots

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

2/3 cup olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper

For the vinaigrette:

Make the vinaigrette first. In a bowl, whisk together lemon juice, minced shallots, Dijon mustard, and honey. In a thin and steady stream, whisk in the olive oil until the mixture is emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the salad:

In a small pot of lightly salted boiling water cook the potatoes for about 12 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain and set aside to cool to room temperature. Cut the potatoes into halves or quarters.

Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Liberally season flank steak with salt and freshly ground pepper. Brush grill rack with oil. Sprinkle steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill steak to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steak to work surface; let rest 5 minutes. Slice flank steak into 1/2-inch pieces across the grain.

Meanwhile, toss mixed greens, cooled and cut potatoes, and eggs with the vinaigrette and Parmesan cheese. Arrange this mixture on plates, and top with sliced flank steak.

It couldn't be easier, right? But it's so delicious. I hope you like it just as much as we did!

Happy almost summertime!

Smart Little Cookies

2011-05-13T18:48:00.000-04:00

My Aunt Suzy is my mom's youngest sister. She's actually closer in age to me than to my mom, how about that? And . . . when I was little Suzy used to do very cool things with us. She was the person who would take us to Astro World all summer long when we (meaning H, A, and yours truly) thought that Astro World was, like, the coolest place ever. She and my mom's 2nd youngest sister (4 out of 5), Jennifer, were very present when we were growing up. They coached swim team, took us to the movies, babysat for us, I truly cannot imagine what my life would be like without the two of them! Even after Suzy got married and had her own child she always made a huge effort to be there for graduations and birthdays. And I was lucky enough that she and her family lived in Houston for a little while when I was in high school, and then our paths crossed again when we both lived in the Dallas area. And so, in the course of history, I babysat her daughter and the circle continued. She is one of my favorite people, and the only person I know who could convince me to run 26.2 miles in the Happiest Place on Earth. She rocks.

She also has a Ph.D., and last Friday she was in town for her hooding ceremony. Sooo, I motored down to UTMB to see Suzy in all of her glory. I wanted to make her something to commemorate the day, and I didn't want to go the mortarboard route because . . . well, it just seems so high school. College maybe? So, I thought. And I thought. And I thought a little bit more, and all I could come up with was to make letter cookies that said "Suzy Ph.D." And, then, even though the longhorn is technically the symbol for UT Austin, I thought it would be snazy to add a little Bevo action to smarty-pants cookies. And, appropriately enough, it turns out that all University of Texas ceremonies conclude with "The Eyes of Texas" so I think that the longhorn works here. Suzy certainly liked him (even though his horns broke on the way down to Galveston!)

I have used the Baked sugar cookie recipe forever, but this time I used Bridgette's cookie recipe (see the blog Bake at 350 if you'd like to know more) and I really liked it. I thought it was much easier to get a nice, thick cookie for decaorating with this recipe, and the flavor is nice. It turns out that it's nearly impossible to find lowercase letters, so I settled for using these cookie cutters for the project.

I made the cookies, and I packaged them up and took them to Galveston to congratulate Suzy. And, even though I think graduation ceremonies are terminally boring and dull, it was worth every minute! It was so inspiring to see the final step in her journey. I remember when she started the program she was commuting from Alabama to Galveston. Then they moved to Galveston and lived through the destruction of Hurricane Ike. Suzy wrote her dissertation while teaching and working at night. I think she is such an amazing example of what perseverance and hard work can achieve.

I should add, Suzy is definitely NOT all work and no play! She is the person responsible for my love of a margarita, and I think it's fitting that we both had one to celebrate that evening! It was a fun, fun evening of celebrating, and I was once again reminded of how nice it is to be in Texas and take part in all the family fun around here.

"I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
-- from Walden by Henry David Thoreau

Congratulations, Suzy!

Peanut Butter Jelly Time

2011-05-04T14:23:00.001-04:00

This past semester, on any given weekday at about 3 pm, chances were you'd find me driving south from the 'burbs whilst munching on a pb&j sandwich. I seriously hate eating in the car, especially while I'm driving, but the alternative was to sit in the adjuncts' office or some other equally dismal place and eat my sandwich. My schedule was such that I'd work from about 5 am to 9 or 10 am at a fairly well known retail store (hint: do you need to organize anything?) and then I'd jump in the car, drive 45 minutes north and hastily make myself look like a person who might know a thing or two about writing, reading, and such things. By the time I hit the road again I was staaaarving, and let me tell you, that pb&j tasted so freaking delicious. Repeating certain things does get tiresome, but you know I am very, very particular about my pb&j: crunchy peanut butter and strawberry jam, thank you very much. At any rate, I suppose hunger really does make everything taste better, because every day I would snarf my sandwich while driving and wax rhapsodic about the simple pleasures of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Then I would think about Ina Garten's recipe for Peanut Butter and Jelly bars. There are many recipes like this around, but I often flip through Barefoot Contessa at Home and pause on this recipe. Seriously, what genius to turn the oh-so-humble but ever delicious and satisfying pb&j into a dessert treat? I think it's a great idea, and because I just love Ina Garten I thought her recipe would be a fantastic place to start. It's a fairly simple recipe (and how great that we both prefer Skippy peanut butter) and it bakes up in no time. I might just comment that this recipe, like many Barefoot Contessa recipes, is not for the faint of heart. Two sticks of butter and 2 cups of peanut butter is substantial. Dr. M does like to say that food should be made with butter and love, and I think that if you subscribe to that notion, then these bars fit the bill! As for the "jelly," Ina calls for raspberry jam, and even though I'm partial to strawberry in my sandwiches, I had a hunch that a tarter jam was necessary to cut through the richness of all of that butter and peanut butter. I used a jar of Stonewall Kitchen black raspberry preserves and I thought it was a nice contrast with the peanut butter flavor in the bars. The bars were well-received, and I would make them again. I have to say, though, if I'm craving peanut butter and jelly I think I'd always prefer a sandwich!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Ina Garten

1/2 pound (2 sticks) of unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups (18 ounces) creamy peanut butter (recommended: Skippy)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (18 ounces) raspberry jam or other jam
2/3 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan. Line it with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.

Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with a knife or offset spatula. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don't worry if all the jam isn't covered; it will spread in the oven. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.

TWD: Basic Marbled Loaf Cake

2011-05-03T07:34:00.000-04:00

Halfway through my junior year I switched apartments and moved from living by myself to living with an acquaintance of mine. We combined apartments, and L (who is now one of my very best friends) was convinced that we could fit all of our combined things in the two bedroom apartment and still have very cute digs. And, for the most part, we did have a very cute little apartment! Dr. M came up to see me one weekend (I think he had a conference?) and he walked in the apartment and immediately looked quite bemused as he said, "Well, more is more." Dr. M prefers a simpler approach to life. This has come up a few times as he and my mom have been building their house. Dr. M doesn't like wood to be painted . . . at all. And he is still having trouble understanding why my mom would choose any color other than "white" to put on the walls. Dr. M likes a pretty minimalist approach to decorating, and I tend towards the opposite, color-filled clutter-ish end of the spectrum. Mrs. M splits the difference.
Dr. M's ideal living room:

photo courtesy of Farnsworth House

A "singleton-ish" living room (because I could never really decide). Don't you love all of the books? I could feel at home in this room:

photo courtesy of Elle Decor

Dr. M likes a white, monochromatic color palette:

photo courtesy of Interior Original

But colors and patterns galore for yours truly! And, yes, I am fond of chintz:

photo courtesy of Elle Decor

What on earth does all of this decor discussion have to do with pound cake? Just that, in the world of desserts, I would put pound cake in the minimalist group. It stands on it's own simple integrity, but people like me can see it as a blank slate (just like all of those white walls!). I made the black and white version of this cake (with dark and white chocolate) and I thought it was a nice cake. Dr. M gobbled this thing up, he loves pound cake. And everyone else nibbled on the cake, too. I had high hopes of fiddling with a strawberry/lemon version of this cake, but alas, I haven't the time right now. I was hoping maybe it would taste like strawberry lemonade . . . wouldn't that be cool? Carol is hosting this week's TWD. Please check out her blog, The Bake More, to see her cake!

April Showers . . . bring May Flowers Cupcakes

2011-05-01T01:22:00.002-04:00

It is Dudley's habit to call me in the evenings as he walks home from the metro. Usually at about 4:45 in the afternoon I try to make sure I have my phone close to me so I can be sure to answer his call. Dudley is, to put it mildly, not a slave to technology or modern communication, and if I miss his call then I just have to wait for the next call. The other evening he called and began the conversation with this query: "Has it been raining all day in Houston today?" To which I replied, "It is NOT funny to joke about rain in Houston right now."

My beloved Gulf Coast is a place of rain showers and thunderstorms. It's hot, humid and full of bugs and reptiles. People hate this . . . or, shockingly enough, some people love it. I happen to be one such person. With this heat and humidity comes an abundance of green. Summers in Houston tend to be verdant, and the green of grass and trees (algae in your pools even) is ever present in the line of vision. But I can count on one hand the number of rainy days we have had in Houston since I returned this past August, and this is just an odd thing here on the Gulf coast. Nonetheless, even without our April showers everything is in bloom as we begin the month of May. In this neck of the woods I think we are long past spring and cruising quickly towards summer. It is hot outside, the sun is strong, and it feels like summertime in the afternoons.

In Houston I will continue to hope for rain, but as Mrs. M likes to remind me, I must be careful what I wish for (because sometimes when it rains it rains for days, even weeks on end). In the meantime I just have to be thankful for the sunny days and flowers galore. It's a far cry from winter, and I am the first person to admit that I love the steady lengthening of days in the march towards summer. Spring is just full of unvarnished potential. The beginning of a new growing season fills one with hope of wonderful things to come. In something of a non sequitur I will tell you that Dudley and I sometimes debate the best part of baseball season. I like the spring; in the spring anything is possible, and, who knows which teams will make it to the post season? I love the promise and the potential. Dudley, on the other hand, likes the fall and the excitement found in the tension around the post-season and the race for the pennant.

To celebrate spring and all of the long, fun days to come, I thought these chrysanthemum cupcakes would be just perfect. Now, of course, chrysanthemums are fall flowers, so I need a bit of poetic license here. They are cheerful and fluffy, and I think they're just about perfect for May Day. You can find the directions for piping these flowers on Martha's website or in her Cupcakes book. When you look at the pictures you'll notice that her flowers look MUCH better than mine. Well, first of all, hard as I might try (and I DO!) I am sooooooo not Martha. But, second of all, do make sure you pipe these in a cool environment. It was warm in my kitchen as I piped these, and the heat from my hands didn't do much for the buttercream, either. So these poor flowers just sort of wilted. Mind you, they are tasty no matter what they look like! You will need a number 80 fluted pastry tip to achieve the petals of the flower. My flowers are sitting on top of One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes, and if you haven't made these yet, please give them a try. They are seriously the most carefree cupcake to bake, in this singleton's opinion. And, happy May Day!

From "Spring in the South" by Henry Van Dyke

Now on the plum the snowy bloom is sifted,
Now on the peach the glory of the rose,
Over the hills a tender haze is drifted,
Full to the brim the yellow river flows.
Dark cypress boughs with vivid jewels glisten,
Greener than emeralds shining in the sun.
Who has wrought the magic? Listen, sweetheart, listen!
The mocking-bird is singing Spring has begun.

TWD: Cornmeal Shortbread Cookies

2011-04-26T01:35:00.005-04:00

When I was little I went to a little private school, and chior was mandatory. Now, I can't carry a tune and I have never been able to carry a tune, but I liked chior. I like to make a joyful noise, if you will. I sing in the car, I sing to Lucy, I generally sing when no one else is around to hear my off-tune little performances. But, I was in chior until 8th grade. That year, when we were performing for whatever Christmas choral event (for the life of me, I can't remember) I decided it would be a good idea to whisper to my friend next to me at the top of the risers (remember, I'm tall, so I was always in the back, or top, row). And, you can bet your bottom dollar that after the performance my mom and dad pretty much yanked me by the ear and put me straight in the car to go home. No cookies or punch or anything! And, I remember I was completely mystified, at first, as to what I'd done wrong. My parents were furious, that's putting it mildly, that I'd done anything other than "behave like a well-bred southern young lady" (oh, if I had a nickel for everytime Dr. M instructed me to behave like a WBSYL I wouldn't have to work today) that evening. Giggling and whispering inbetween songs is NOT something well-bred southern young ladies do. I learned my lesson that night and I never forgot it.

Mind you, this is certainly not to say that I have always behaved like a WBSYL . . . not at all. But, that evening, after my parents both had their say and their fill (or perhaps even during the tirades) I realized that I was expected to behave a certain way some times, and I could be a little more laid back other times. It's strange to me that I never realized that before, but I think that evenings giggling and whispering was a little bit of a test on my part, and I suppose you could say either I failed or my parents passed with flying colors. So, WBSYL on the outside? wbsyl on the inside? I think so, but does that mean you can never have any fun? The other day a guy I work with asked me if I drink and I replied in the affirmative. Actually, I said, "you mean alcoholic beverages?" But, yes, that's what he meant. And he said that was strange because I "didn't strike him as the drinking type." Hmmm, what is the drinking type? The type who keeps a flask in her bag? The type who stumbles in drunk to work, or loudly proclaims how hungover he or she is?

Maybe shortbread suffers from the same sort of labeling? I usually put shortbreads in the delicate, teatime type of cookies. I think shortbread is at a far, refined end of the cookie spectrum. But this shortbread, in a way, seems to defy that label. Yes, they're delicate, rich, buttery, and everything shortbread should be . . . but these cookies are also spunky with the surprising crunch from the cornmeal. They refuse to be stereotyped; they're New World crop meets Old World baking tradition; and they are seriously delicious. These cookies are hands down my favorite shortbread cookie EVER. The lemon zest is so refreshing and they are buttery, crunchy bites of wonderful. I used European style butter because I was down to my last two sticks of butter (gasp!). Thank you to Dorie for developing this amazing recipe that defies sterotypes! And thank you to Valerie, of Une Gamine dans la Cuisine, for choosing such a great recipe this week. Do check out Valerie's blog, it's full of amazing goodies.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T01:26:00.000-04:00

“Welcome, happy morning!” age to age shall say:
“Hell today is vanquished, Heav’n is won today!”
Lo! the dead is living, God forevermore!
Him, their true Creator, all His works adore!