Hot Cross Buns -- One a Penny, Two a Penny...

 It is a tradition amongst many Christian bakers to produce a batch of Hot Cross Buns (Click to sing the nursery rhyme!) for Good Friday.  And, if not, we stop at the local bakery and see if THEY made any.  These barely sweet firm rolls, served on a day when no meat is eaten,  are hearty tea treats of the first order--complete with a light buttery hum that is almost topped by the spice notes.  The pretty "X" snipped into the top (and often emphasized with a bit of icing painted into the grooves) lets the world--and you, too-- know what kind of bread this is.  An "X"  on bread can also be assumed to keep evil away.

I'd Just Like a Little Chicken and Salad, Please

More than once, I've heard Ina Garten say (about roast chicken), "That's all that anyone really ever wants for dinner anyway, isn't it?"  If you're like me, you love roast chicken, but it definitely isn't the only thing I ever want for dinner.  Hello?  I love pizza, lamb chops, Vietnamese soup, beef stew, salmon...   But there maybe are a few nights in the year when you really do just want  a little chicken.  If you're not in the mood to roast a whole bird tonight, this meal is for you.  Especially if you keep frozen chicken thighs (boneless and bone-in) in the freezer at all times--a great treasure trove for very fast meals.

I happened to have made a huge vat of potatoes and vegetables to go with some fried trout for breakfast last Friday.  Saturday night, all I had to do was cook the chicken and I was about ready to eat.

Frosted Brownies for You

On the rare occasion, you'll eat a brownie somewhere that, while you're unsure why, just doesn't measure down to the brownies sitting around most kitchens, potluck tables, or bakeries for that matter.  You are unsure why.  Maybe it's fresh.  Frosted? Tender?  Tastes of chocolate rather than cocoa and flour?  Not dry?  Not wet? Firm enough as in done, but definitely not gooey?

I make those brownies, she said... though I can't make them often.  Because I'd eat them, you see.  You can make them, too.  The differences between what are soon to be your brownies and the regular, old garden variety brownies are basic, but not always obvious.

Irish Fruit Scones

I borrowed a little bit of one of the More Time at the Table St. Pat's posts and hope you enjoy making an easy small quick bread.  Conquer it, make it yours!  Here's how:

Patted out dough waiting to be cut with a floured cutter or knife.

irish fruit scones     makes about 10  2-inch scones
Adapted for American kitchens-   original recipe by Edmund Cronin, THATCH COTTAGE, County Kerry 

 INGREDIENTS:

•  8 ounces all purpose, unbleached flour (1 3/4 cups approx.)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 50 g (2 ounces or 4 tablespoons) butter
• 50 g (2 ounces or 1/3 cup) granulated sugar
• 75 g (3 ounces or 1/2 cup) sultanas (raisins)--I used currants
• 1/4 pint/ 125 ml (1/2 cup approx) milk       

Cut-out scones waiting to be baked.

1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees C (425 F/ gas mark 7)
2. Lightly grease a small baking sheet.
3. Mix together flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl.  Cut in butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.  Stir in sugar and raisins or currants.
4. Add milk and mix to produce a soft dough.
5. Turn the dough onto a floured board or counter and knead about a minute until well-combined and holding together.
6. Roll out dough to about 3/4-inch thick.  Using a floured 2-inch cutter, cut scones into rounds and place on baking tray.
7. Brush with milk to glaze.
8. Bake 12 minutes or until done to your liking; I like them a bit crisp on the outside.
9. Remove scones to a wire rack and serve warm or at room temperature with soft Irish butter. (The Irish and many others might serve these with whipped cream rather than butter.)

Baker's notes:  I used a food processor fitted with a steel blade for steps 1-4, but I turned the mixture out and did the rest by hand, including working in the last of the milk.  The dried fruit would be chopped finely if you continued in the food processor much longer.  To do the whole thing by hand or with a pastry cutter would be fairly quick and simple, as well.  Some cooks would just use their hands to get the butter into the flour; I find it melts too much from the heat of my hands and prefer a metal cutting force of some sort--either the pastry cutter or the food processor blade.

Scone Song...listen here. 

Just out of the oven.  Best the day they're made.

 Here's the little booklet with the recipe I bought in Ireland right at the Thatch Cottage:

Ready for their close-up on my piano in the afternoon light.

People always talk about the green in Ireland; I loved the oh-so-blue sky:

Favorite Irish movie:  The Quiet Man with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.

Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Happy Saint Patrick's Day,
Alyce

Lentil-Wild Rice Soup with Kale and Sausage or Cleaning Out for Spring

There are moments when the seasons are about to begin changing that I start looking in the pantry, frig, and freezer and know it's time to use up a few things.   Today, this is what I saw:

•  A cup of green lentils.
•  4 frozen chicken sausages.
•  A bag of  frozen ham from Christmas.
• Lots of wild rice.
• Frozen small bag of tomato paste.  1/4 bottle white wine.
• Wilting parsley.
•   Lots of fresh kale.

Black Pepper-Green Onion Cornbread

I love beans and cornbread.  Plain old pinto beans with onions and maybe some ground beef--a bit of ham if you're flush.  I make them when life is fine and when life is low. I crumble cornbread into the beans or I butter it up and have it leftover with my coffee of a morning.  It is comfort food par excellence.  And, oh, by the way, it's simple and filling.  Honey?  Yes.  But not required.

If you're tired of your sweet cornbread, or wish for one of the grittier experiences of dining life, try this: 

Apple Crisp in One Minute or Sauteed Apples with Granola for Breakfast; What's In a Name?

 This is one of those odd little dishes that you could eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, or snack.  I like it for breakfast, but also know it's sweet-fast conclusion to a filling supper.  It might fill the bill when you're desperate for dessert and all your time was spent at

• the doctor's office, or
• the car repair place, or
• sitting at the airport, or
• fuming at the traffic that never moved, or
• work, reading a novel, playing the piano, talking to your best friend.

Salmon and Kale on Pea Risotto- With Music for Cooking

Here's another take on the salmon for one meal.  While this takes a little bit of time (risotto isn't as time-consuming as people make out, though), it's worth it as the leftover risotto is then lunch and perhaps a risotto cake in a day or two.  If you make extra kale, you can use it for snacks as this version is light, oniony, and crispy with a good dose of salt and pepper.  Try this:

Pan-Grilled Double Lamb Chops with Oven-Roasted Whole Carrots and a Make-Ahead Fresh Green Bean Salad

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's a menu you can make for you and a friend, you and a lover, or for special you with great leftovers.  Whatever you do, read through the whole thing before beginning.  This post features big double lamb chops (with a tapenade topping) grilled first and finished in the oven; meantime you'll roast large, whole carrots to go with it.  There's a make early green bean salad and I also give simple suggestions for wine and dessert if you scroll down to the end.

Start with a beautiful sparkler that needn't cost much.  I heartily recommend a New Mexico sparkling wine such as  Gruet rather than splurge on a French champagne.  Add some of the tapenade with baguette or crackers or a bowl of great potato chips--my favorite sparkler pairing.  Stay away from cheese; fresh vegetables would work wonderfully.  Just stick with something light; this is a big meal.  Lamb is a loving, but filling meal.  

If you're cooking for just you, open the wine, turn on the music, set the table, and enjoy a beautiful night.  If you've got a companion, the more the merrier.  Whatever you do, have fun cooking and taking care of yourself!

Make-Ahead Green Bean Salad with Cream Shallot Dressing    serves 2

This recipe calls for you to blanch the beans and fresh peas briefly in boiling water, drain, and cool quickly in an ice bath.  You can also cook them, separately, in the microwave for 2-3 minutes with just a couple of tablespoons of water in a microwave-safe covered bowl.

BLT Panini with Cheese

Trying to give a few L-Bs away (any takers?), I am not eating BLT Paninis.  Not that I couldn't have a half; I could.  But I'm counting my calories and watching my protein; I'm eating way more vegetables and I was already eating vegetables at every meal.  Dave (the hub), however, is not on my program.  South Beach really did the trick for him last year (as it didn't for me), so while he doesn't eat a panini every day--or any other sandwich--he does indulge once a week or so.

Anyone who cooks for themselves has their shortlist of easy favorites and my guess is the list often includes a much-loved, go to sandwich.  A panini morphs the most mundane into a warm, welcomed meal.  Takes vegetables and meat to a new combined level, if you will. Even a PBJ or everyday grilled cheese takes on a new life when made into a panini.   Leftovers breathe afresh when weighed down by cast iron until steaming hot and tender--think sliced cold chicken with roasted red peppers or pot roast with grilled onions.   (Don't forget to use a spread on the inside or to season your ingredients, except for PBJs, of course.)

Tomato Soup Faster Than You Can Say Grilled Cheese

I'm on a fitness program that includes lots of vegetable meals for lunch.  So instead of getting tired of one green salad after another, I switch off between soup, vegetables with vegetable dip, salad, and so on.  Luckily I cook.  Today I had a taste for tomato soup and no, I didn't want canned.  I have nothing against canned tomato soup and keep it in my pantry; there are days nothing else appeals.  But today I wanted real food.

Done in under a half hour, this lusty (I almost said perky, but perky it isn't) soup just about jumped out of the pot, put its arms around me, and begged me to eat it.  If you have no fresh basil, increase the Herbes de Provence (or a combination of dried basil, thyme, etc.) to a teaspoonful and then test taste it.   Easily vegan and gluten-free (without some of the garnishes), this meal will heat everyone up despite the weather.  It's sunny, but snowy in Saint Paul today.

Oven-Baked Vegetable Soup with Poached Egg

Warm, comforting, simple winter fare.   How does that happen without creating a heavy meal?  Like this:

Spirea at SW corner of house

•  A big pot of vegan vegetable soup (see below for recipe--it's WW 0 Points) stored in the garage frig.  A small bowl stored indoors in the kitchen frig.  3 degrees Fahrenheit with winds creating below zero wind chill.  Hm...probably skipping the trip to the garage.   Next:

• Oven heating to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Alyce tripping to the basement store room to fetch onion soup ramekins. Quick, thorough wash and warm up of the bowls (with hot water) while soup heats on stove.
• Pouring about a cup of hot soup into the bowl.  Making a hole in the middle and pouring in an egg  cracked into a measuring cup.  Sprinkling with salt, pepper, and a little grated Parmesan since I had it.   (continued...)

• Placing bowl on rimmed sheet and baking about 18- 20 minutes for runny eggs and about 23 for soft-set.  25-30 for hard set--a guess, as I only let mine go to 23!
• Happily dining.

Enjoy!

30-Minute Vegan and Gluten-Free Vegetable Soup a la Provence

Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself as you stay warm,
Alyce

One-Pan Seared Salmon with Red Peppers, Onions, and Spinach

All in one pan in, oh, maybe 15 minutes, including chopping time.

Maybe I'm an unusual cook in that when I am home alone and cooking for myself, I cook the most gorgeous healthy meal I can find in that refrigerator.  I often make a big pot of soup just for me. Perhaps many people are like this; I really don't know.  I save the Beef Burgundy (not that Beef Burgundy is UN-healthy) for when the hub comes in from work on Friday night.  I wait for the burger in summer when he's grilling out back. (If we're out at the local bar--in Minnesota this is mostly about families, games, and beer-- I am the weird one out--ordering the veggie burger and wine.)  Last weekend, I made ribs for Dave.  I was sick of winter food, so I did eat some, too.  I even made potato salad, though I made it with vinaigrette, not mayonnaise.  Loved doing it, but I don't make ribs for me.  And it's not because they're time-consuming.

Scones for Breakfast; Scones for Lunch

  

I'm a biscuit maker from way back, but as a Scot, scones and I have always loved one another.  A tiny bit sweet and lovely with butter, jam, cheese, ham or honey, they're biscuit like in taste and texture, but are also just enough different that you'll become pretty obsessive about them once they're made once or twice. 

Clean Out the Frig One-Crust Chicken Pot Pie

I stretched an 8" pie crust into one for a 9" pie--it works, but it shows, too.

We had friends to dinner Friday night for Zucchini Soup with Pistachios (testing soup for the book), Lemon Roast Chicken (a six-pound roaster), Rosemary Potatoes, Garlic Green Beans, and Cherry Pie.  Pretty American, huh?  And lest you think that was too much, we had potato chips and sparkling wine for starters.  Just because I had a sparkler left from the holidays and I'm not embarrassed to say one of my favorite things is champagne and potato chips.   Well... The pie crust was a vegan one to avoid use of dairy (allergies) and I didn't even realize I'd have enough left for an 8 or 9" pie or a pot pie top crust.  (I created my own vegan pie crust--not terribly difficult!  Afterward, I decided to google vegan pie crusts--only to find some people use vodka for the liquid in them.  Who knew?  I might start making vegan pie crusts more often.)

Cooling the pie in the dining room where I won't knock it down like I did last time.

So-

One-Pan Lemon Chicken with Mushrooms and Shallots

 You may like boneless chicken breasts more than I do.  I'm much more fond of bone-in chicken breasts for many reasons.  And I'm even fonder of whole chickens, period!  But there are moments when a boneless chicken breast or two is just simpler, faster, or more useful.  Not often, but occasionally.  And if I'm in need of fast, this is what I do...

I can't call this  a recipe...but if you must:

Microwaved Potatoes and Onions with Asparagus

Happy New Year!

I haven't yet recovered from Christmas, much less New Year's.  I don't know about you, but while it's mostly beautiful and full of family, friends and  good food (and church, if you're me), it is also occasionally a tad much.  Holiday meals, travel with goodie bags in the back seat, food gifts, meals out...it goes on a bit.  I have one friend who woke up December 26, said Christmas is over, and drove in to the office.  Time to move on.  I was not there, as I totally buy into the 12 days of Christmas...but I get it.  And today is the ninth day of Christmas.  9 Ladies Dancing!

Christmas Omelet with Cranberry-Blueberry Muffins

Dinner Place will be on vacation for a short while.
When I've cooked a bunch more, I'll be back.  Make merry! 

While it isn't the best time of year for tomatoes in North America, there are some.  In other places, there are beautiful tomatoes available because it's summer!  Wherever you live, this is a very simple and luscious Christmas morning breakfast just for you!  If you're sharing Christmas with a few other people, enlist help and make two at a time or turn the oven on and keep each omelet warm as you make the others.  However you do it, you'll be happy you did.  And you'll be good until dinnertime.

Add a little fresh fruit and maybe a cranberry-blueberry muffin (link below) for a larger meal.


Tender is the word.  Gentle is the method.  Don't over-mix or over bake.  Butter?
Here's the Dinner Place Link for my Cranberry-Blueberry Muffins.

christmas omelet for one

• 1 teaspoon olive oil or butter
• 2 eggs or 1 egg and 2 egg whites, beaten together
• Pinch each kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves
• 4 large basil leaves, optional
• 3-4 slices fresh tomato
• Optional garnishes:  1 tablespoon salsa or grated cheddar  

Heat the butter or oil in a small, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until bubbling (for butter) or nearly smoking for oil.  Meantime, beat together the eggs with the salt and pepper.

Pour eggs into the pan, let set about ten seconds, and lifting edge of omelet with a spatula, let the uncooked portion of egg slide under the cooked portion.  Repeat until eggs are set.  Add spinach, basil (if using), and tomato.

Fold omelet over using spatula and tip onto warm plate.  Serve warm or at room temperature with salsa or cheese, if desired.

Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce

Cranberry-Ginger Bread Pudding for 2--Breakfast or Dessert?

I have a thing about making desserts in individual portions. I'll own it.  I'll fess up. I guess I just think they're cute.  Manageable.  And I love bread pudding at holiday time.

I find myself, when in a good kitchen shop (like COOKS of CROCUS HILL on Grand Avenue in Saint Paul and in Stillwater--both in Minnesota), browsing around for ramekins, over-sized cups, and so on.  Anything that will go in the microwave, oven, or convection oven.  One of my regular ovens and my microwave are also convection ovens by design.  Did I get the verb-subject agreement here?
Sounds wonky.  In a pinch, one-cup glass measuring cups could be used.  Make sure they're oven-safe or they could shatter in the oven.

Cornbread Muffins: Just 6 (And a little Sweet Baby James, too)

I hope you don't break down and buy the little Jiffy mixes that make just six muffins.  I know it's tempting.  But it doesn't take much to keep a little cornmeal on hand.  To say nothing of flour.  Could you make a whole cornbread for one person? Of course  you could!   (In fact, scroll down and I'll give you a link to my own skillet cornbread recipe.) Still: what if you don't want leftover cornbread or you'd like to freeze individual portions?  Then this little recipe is just for you.  Or you and your friend.  Try this:

six cornbread muffins

• 1/2 cup each yellow (or white) cornmeal and white, unbleached flour
• 2 tablespoons white, granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
•  1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon grated or finely minced onion

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.   Place a  greased  6-muffin tin in the oven to heat for 2-3 minutes.  (Do not use paper liners.)  Half of a 12-muffin tin works, too.

Mix dry ingredients (flours - salt) in a medium bowl. 
In a mixing cup or small bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (butter-onion.)
Pour milk mixture into flour mixture and stir until just well-blended.  Don't over mix.

Remove muffin tin from oven and, holding carefully with mitts or pot  holders, pour or spoon batter, dividing evenly among the six muffin cups.   Bake for about 15 minutes or until muffins are firm, golden, and toothpick inserted at middle comes out clean. Do not overbake.  Serve hot with butter and honey.

Wrap leftovers well and store at room temperature up to 2 days or freeze up to eight weeks.

Want to bake a whole skillet cornbread?  Double the ingredients for the muffins.  Heat a 9-inch cast iron skillet (or similar size Pyrex dish or baking pan) on the stove and melt a teaspoon or two of butter in it; swirl or brush well all over inside of pan.  Pour batter into pan and let cook two minutes or so stove top.  Place in oven and bake about 20 minutes or until golden and toothpick inserted at middle comes out clean.  Do not overbake.

 Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce

P.S.  I have a really big collection of Christmas music, so I limit myself to one new album per year.
 I just bought the new James Taylor Christmas album....love it. (I'm not paid to toot this guy's horn, but he's been a favorite of mine a long time.  I'm so  happy to see him still coming up with new stuff that he obviously enjoys doing. Give it a listen.  Enjoy every moment, friends.)