Donut Army

This is one of the more interesting things I have tried in the kitchen lately. I felt like I was playing God - making a pie from a fruit that most had never considered before.  They said couldn't be done. Finding a recipe from a 1970s Southern cooking cookbook on cantaloupe pie, I realized that we had lost yet another regional foodways tradition. And I wanted to do my part to revive it! Unfortunately, the original recipe was insufficient. As many older recipes are known to do, it had vague instructions -- the kind of instructions that make sense to the person sharing the information -- these steps are so innate, that they are difficult to pass along to others. But, to those new in the world of baking cantaloupe pies, I found the recipe less than ideal. While using the original recipe, I realized that it just was not going to work. Too many pieces were missing from the instructions, and I did not sense that the pie would set up. So, mid-pie, I jumped to the in...

This dish is surprisingly delicious. An unusual way to go through some of that eggplant that might be piling up over the summer. And the creamed feta spread turned out to be a great multi-purpose cheese spread. We enjoyed it in omelettes for the rest of the week! Grilled Eggplant with Creamed Feta Splendid Table podcast 2 medium eggplant 7 oz feta 3/4 c yogurt 1 T basil, chopped 1 T parsley, chopped 1 T mint, chopped olive oil Slice each eggplant lengthwise into 5 or 6 long steaks. Sprinkle with coarse salt and allow to stand for up to an hour as you prepare the creamed feta. Crumble feta into a bowl and mash with a fork. Stir in yogurt, 3 T water, and the chopped herbs. Season with black pepper, but do not salt. Rinse eggplants gently and pat them dry. Brush with olive oil and place on a grill, or a grill pan that sits over an open flame. When tender (5-6 minutes on each side) and charred in patches, lift them off the grill and place o...

Quick muffins are always a great way to start the morning. For this, I assembled the wet and dry ingredients the night before, stored them separately in the refrigerator, and then combined and baked in the morning. Quick and easy breakfast addition! Zucchini-Carrot Health Muffin The Global Vegetarian 1/2 c canola oil 1/2 c orange juice 1 c brown sugar 1 egg + 1 egg white, beaten 1 tsp vanilla 2 c flour 1 T baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp nutmeg 1 c zucchini, grated 1 c carrot, peeled and grated 1/2 c dark raisins, or, 1 c walnuts, diced Preheat oven to 350. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, juice and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla extract and continue whisking until batter is light. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the liquid ingredients, forming a batter. Gently fold in zucchini, carrot and raisins or walnuts. Pour batter into sprayed muffin tin and bake 20...

I totally jumped on this bandwagon, about 3 months after the wagon left the station. Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country were running a series of cooking challenges related to old-style cooking. As a collector of old cookbooks (and the study of how much less sugar ingredients used to use), I was intrigued! This was one of their summer 2012 challenges. This cake turns out beautifully! Of course, most cakes with 1 1/2 c of fat in them often turn out beautifully..... Cold Oven Pound Cake Cook's Country 1 c butter 1/2 c shortening 2 1/2 c sugar (originally called for 3, but that seemed excessive) 3 eggs 1 1/2 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp mace (something I added - it's considered pretty standard for pound cakes) 1 c milk 3 c flour Do not preheat oven. Grease and flour a 10" tube pan. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla and mace. Be...

Update from 2020 - I continue to make this recipe, at least once a year. I have, on occasion, "cheated" and used pre-made pie dough. Not as flavorful, but definitely faster to assemble. Original post from 2012 - This galette was a little bit of effort, especially since I'm not 100% convinced on this crust recipe. But it was very much worth it - light, airy, slightly lemony. It was a perfect summer dinner. I made this crust twice in one evening, and both times, I got a lovely crumbly texture (note the crumbling down nature in the photo below). It was not remotely pliable, as the directions imply. But that's OK - it still tasted great. Just be prepared to work with whatever you've got - it will still taste good. Also - I got the crust prepared the second time, and then we had a power outage for about an hour. So, these photos have poor color quality because of the lighting conditions. By the time the lights came on again, we had already eaten! ...

A very easy side dish to prepare, and a simple variation on wild rice. Will make this again and again! Wild Rice and Carrots Cooking Light , July 2012 1 c wild rice 2 1/2 c water 1 1/2 tsp unsalted butter 1 c carrot, thinly sliced 1 T parsley, chopped 1/2 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp salt Bring water to a boil and add rice. Lower heat to a simmer, cover, and cook according to package directions (around 40 minutes). Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add carrot and cook 8 minutes, or until tender. Stir in rice, parsley, pepper and salt. Cook 1 minute, then serve.