My Grandmother's Butterscotch Pie Recipe

Do you have a recipe box?

Is it neat and tidy with all of the recipes filed in the proper sections behind carefully labeled tabs?

If you needed your recipe for...oh....Butterscotch Pie, for example, would you simply flip the box open, go to the tab labeled PIE or DESERTS and sort through your carefully alphabetized cards until you came to "B" where you'd find it waiting, exactly where you left it?

If you have that type of recipe filing system, would you come to my home for an intervention?

Summertime, and the Livin' is Easy!

It's sunny and beautiful here today. The perfect early summer day. Just a hit of a breeze. The windows are open. Since I had some lemons left over from the cookies that I made on Friday, I made Lemonade. Peaceful looking,  isn't it?  Makes you think about how beautiful and serene my life must be, doesn't it?!

I sat outside on the patio for awhile. Enjoying listening to the birds sing and watching the butterflies on the flowers.

And pretending to be COMPLETELY OBLIVIOUS to the fact that, a mere 10 feet away,  my kitchen table looks like THIS:

 and my dining room table looks like THIS:

 Just keepin' it real for ya, people! We now return you to images chirping birds and gentle breezes (and the recipe for the perfect lemonade).
  

I found that the secret to perfect lemonade is to start by making sugar syrup, also known as "simple syrup". Dissolving the sugar in hot water disperses the sugar in the lemonade more effectively, instead of having the sugar sink to the bottom.

Perfect Lemonade Recipe 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar (can reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 cup water (for the simple syrup)
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 3 to 4 cups cold water (to dilute)

Directions:

1 Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely.
2 While the sugar is dissolving, juice 4 to 6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice.
3 Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Add 3 to 4 cups of cold water, (more or less) to the desired strength. Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes. (I generally skip this step because I'm too impatient thirsty.) If the lemonade is a little sweet for your taste, add a little more lemon juice to it.
Serve over ice with sliced lemons.

xo,

S

All About Lavender and My Favorite Cookie Recipe

I LOVE lavender!  The color, the look, the smell, and yes, the taste of it.  Lavender and I are "buds" (yeah, I know...sometimes I can't help myself).  I also love to cook. And bake. I suppose that I should admit that there are times when there's a full-on cooking extravaganza that goes on in my kitchen involving all of my small appliances, several bowls and ingredients that need to be hauled in by truck...okay, maybe it's not THAT bad.

  

 

This is culinary lavender. Specifically, French lavender. It's mild and it makes WONDERFUL cookies. Like these.

 

Don't be afraid. I only had about ten minutes for lunch today (which is when I mixed the dough) so this is NOT an extravaganza. The photo above is ALL of the ingredients. Yep, that's right, all SIX of them. Had I not been trying to make things "beautiful" to show them to you, I would have made the entire recipe using one bowl. The longest part of the process is the time that they spent in the refrigerator while I went back to work.

Lemon and Lavender Shortbread Cookies

Adapted from Food and Wine Magazine June, 2002

• MAKES ABOUT 1 1/2 DOZEN COOKIES 

Ingredients: 

1. 1/3 cup sugar
2. 1 teaspoon dried lavender blossoms, finely chopped
3. 1 1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
4. 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
5. 1 cup all-purpose flour
6. 1/2 teaspoon salt 

Directions: 

• In a medium bowl, mix the sugar with the chopped lavender and grated lemon zest. Using an electric mixer, beat in the butter at moderate speed. At low speed, beat in the flour and salt until a soft dough forms. Transfer the dough to a sheet of wax paper and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Form the dough into a 4-inch log and chill for at least 45 minutes longer.
• Preheat the oven to 350°. Slice the dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and place the rounds on ungreased baking sheets. Freeze the rounds for 10 minutes until the butter chills.
• Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Transfer the baked shortbread to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make Ahead The cookie dough log can be frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw slightly before slicing. The baked shortbread  cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

This recipe makes a tiny batch of cookies. About a dozen and a half. Around my house, this is a good thing because the men that I live with think that these cookies are way too "girly". Of course, they eat them anyway.  But there's grumbling. And some not-so-subtle references to chocolate chips.

xo,

S

P.S. The flowers tucked into the napkin are from my garden:  Hidcote Lavender and Nigella, "Love in a Mist."  How adorable is THAT for a  flower name?!

Linking to:

Between Naps on The Porch 

Coastal Charm 

Country Momma Cooks 

Home Stories A to Z 

I gotta try that 

Not Just a Housewife 

Simply Klassic Home 

Six Sisters 

Under The Table and Dreaming 

You're Talking Too Much 

 Featured at:

Saturday Night Wrap Up

When it comes to family, friends, and good food, I've found that keeping plenty of all three on hand is my preference and being creative and flexible is usually the best approach to any of them!

My Food Revolution "Moonlight, Munchies and Mason Jars" appetizer gathering turned into Food revolution "Moonlight, Main Course and Mason Jars" dinner at around 3:00 Saturday afternoon.  I scrapped most of the original menu, went to the market for some organic chicken breasts, and just over four hours later, dinner was served!

I had already baked a loaf of rosemary bread with asiago cheese and garlic which stayed on the menu. Also a "keeper," the greens that I picked from my potager.

Rosemary bread with Asiago Cheese and Garlic

Tossed green salad with fresh strawberries, toasted almonds and strawberry poppy seed dressing.

The main course became grilled balsamic-marinated chicken and vegetable shish kebab. Red, green and yellow bell pepper, purple onion, and tomatoes provided the color and 18 year old balsamic vinegar provided the basis for the flavor.

Additions to the menu (because not everyone in the group likes wild rice):

Wild rice with pecans dried fruit and pearl onions

Whole wheat penne pasta with spinach, smoked mozzarella cheese, red pepper, and  cayenne.

For dessert,  fresh fruit with (or without) homemade vanilla yogurt and homemade granola.

 Crisis avoided.

I'm happy to share the recipes with you if you'd like them, but in the interest of time and space, I've added only my favorite below. It's my "go to" summer salad dressing. Especially now, when strawberries are at their best!

Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
• 3/4 teaspoon poppy seeds

1. Whisk together vinegar, sugar, salt and mustard.
2. Slowly drizzle in oil and whisk until mixture is creamy.
3. Process strawberries  in food processor or blender until smooth and add to the mixture. Stir in poppy seeds.
4. Chill until ready to serve.

 
Let's keep this revolution going, shall we!? I'll add more recipes to the blog now that summer fruit and vegetables are  more readily available in the Midwest and my potager has started to produce.

Bon Appétit!

xo,

S

Munchies, Moonlight, and Mason Jars

 

In case you didn't already know it, this Saturday is FOOD REVOLUTION DAY!  I'm joining celebrity chef Jaime Oliver, thousands of other people around the world, (and just a few of my friends), to raise awareness about eating real food, cooking without processed ingredients and, in general, putting FOOD back on the agenda. It's intended to be a day to get people talking about  and sharing, and cooking, real food from fresh ingredients. It's about educating our children (and ourselves) about our right to good food.  I've been "talking food" and cooking with my sons since they were young and I've seen, first hand, the impact that education has made now that they're making many of their own food choices. 

I'm hosting a small gathering tomorrow night, cooking with fresh ingredients from local sources (including lettuce from the Potager that I built earlier this spring).  I wanted it to have a casual feel and yet, to have a sense of purpose. I wanted a theme that would be memorable enough to cause my guests to be reminded of the reason that we're together (I mean, other than our common love of food and sparkling personalities! *wink*)

Given that I have boxes of my Grandmother's mason jars sitting in the cabinet waiting for canning season to roll around again and given that they're FREE,  I decided to incorporate them into the theme for the evening. Out of that, the theme was born:

MUNCHIES, MOONLIGHT, AND MASON JARS

 I made simple, triple-fold invitations using an image that I found at The Graphics Fairy.  

The decor: Vintage Kitchen Cooking and Baking Items

Clear and Turquoise Mason Jars: 

• Filled with Epsom Salts  and votive candles on the table and the patio
• Filled with White spring flowers: Peonies and Daisies (since the town flower of CH is the daisy...we even have an annual festival called "Daisy Days" which is held on Father's Day Weekend).
• As holders for silverware and beverages

The centerpiece:

• Colanders: filled with fresh produce and mason jars with flowers 

The SWAG (purchased at Dollar Tree):

• A Spray Bottle filled with home made veggie wash
• A Veggie brush and peeler
• A Re-usable bag for produce 
• A  list of the dates, times and locations of farmer's markets in the area.

              Recipe for veggie wash:
              Ingredients:
             1 Cup water
             1 Cup white vinegar
             1 Tablespoon baking soda
             Juice of 1/2 lemon
 Combine all ingredients and put in a spray bottle.  Spray produce with solution and let sit for 5 minutes. Rinse well.


On the menu: 
 Appetizers: 

• Jaime Oliver Pineapple with Bashed up Mint Sugar
• Jaime Oliver Bruschetta 
• Jaime Oliver Crostini
• Assorted veggies and dip

Desserts (made and served in Mason jars):

• Strawberry Shortcake
• Banana Pudding
• Malted Vanilla Pudding

I'm sure that there will be last minute additions and changes but the main thing is, I'm doing what I can to spread the word and I hope that you will too.

If you're hosting an event, (or even if you're not), please let me know how you're celebrating so that I can include you in the wrap up post. Check back for photos and details on Sunday.

Have a wonderful weekend!

xo,

S