January and the 'Must Make' Soup List ...

If you take a look at the sidebar of The Spice Garden this month, you'll find my personal 'must make' list of soups. I am finding such inspiration around the web and from my friends' foodblogs! I'm also digging around in my cook book collection looking for some new inspiration. I invite all of you, dear readers and friends, to make your own list of  'must make' soups ... and post a few! I'll be looking around the web all month. By the time February arrives, I'm hoping to have a whole list of soups for experimenting with for the rest of the winter!

Tomato Confit with Pasta and Creamy Goat Cheese

If you've got a vegetable garden of any size, you're probably getting a bit tired of dealing with the mass of tomatoes coming your way by this point. I know I am. I still can't stop myself from making a few last tomato indulgences, though. Still up is my annual batch of Honey and Lemon Tomato Salsa and one more batch of tomato sauce. Then, I think, we will have used most of the tomatoes and the rest will go for BLT's, Caprese, chopped for omelets or added to salads, stuffed and roasted. We will certainly miss them in January, but right now they are as plentiful as ants in an anthill.

Bake Your Own Bread - Vienna Bread and Ramblings

Here's where I ended up, but first ...

Snap Shot Saturday - Up North

Silent Bob and I took a jaunt this past week Up North ... we drove up through the northern section of New Hampshire ... an area known as The Great North Woods. Towns like Dixville Notch, Colebrook, Stewartstown, Wentworth Location ... all of them isolated and quiet, dot the region. This shot was taken from the rest area along Rt 91 just before coming into New Hampshire from Vermont. The shot looks east toward the Franconia Range of the White Mountains ... Mounts Lafayette, Lincoln, and Liberty are the likely suspects  ... the clouds are spectacular ... yes?

Normally, there is a bustle of outdoor sportsmen at this time of year ... skiers, snowmobile enthusiasts, and winter hikers. This winter has been a bleak one for the North Woods folk, though. There has been very little snow and record warm temperatures.  Hence, the tourists are few and far between ... we had no trouble getting tables in the local diners, finding parking spots at the local sporting goods store or driving into the gas queue at the local pit stop. My heart goes out to the locals, as the economy is slow and it's showing around the towns.

So why, Snapshot Saturday? I found this neat photo share on Debbie's blog , The Friday Friends. Debbie is taking a photography course right now (lucky girl!). She has another blogging friend who hosts a Saturday photo share ... and I thought it would be fun to participate. I DO love taking snapshots!  What about you?


So check out everyone's Saturday Snapshot posts at Alyce's blog at home with books  !

My Seven Links ...

... from a small idea, much has come 

Being recognized by a fellow blogger is a big thing, but whoever thought to start this 'Seven Links' thing was really pushing the envelope. I am honored that my friend Devaki  from over at Weave a Thousand Flavors thinks enough of me that she would like to see what I think of my work.  I am, however, intimidated by the task! It's difficult being impartial. It's difficult to judge your own work, to sift through the portfolio of all you've done and evaluate ... and sometimes, it's embarrassing.

I've found myself re-reading back posts and sometimes thinking, Who wrote that drivel? Who photographed that? What was that blogger thinking rambling on about that ? Oh, gosh .... never mind! I guess the exercise here is to NOT be so hard on oneself, but instead, look at the project as a chance to slow down and really celebrate the work ... so my links ... after much kerfluffle... and some added storyline because the concept of food memory is one of the things that first inspired me to start this blog in the first place

Most Beautiful -

... a simple and elegant cake with the softest of frostings and the freshest embellishment

Making cakes with floral and herbal decorations has been 'my thing' for a long time. I have a picture of my daughter, Sara holding her birthday cake up for the camera. It's a large heart shaped single layer cake with icing this exact shade. It has a wreath of beautiful fresh gladiola flowers placed around it - flowers in shades of deep pinks and whites. Sometimes, I think, the food memory dictates the creative response to a new project. So this is my 'most beautiful' inspired by that other 'most beautiful grinning child' ...

Blackberry and Sour Apple Cake With Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Another Beautiful Cake ...

Your Recipe, My Kitchen

Several weeks ago, Mary posted a super rich, butterscotch Bundt cake on her website, One Perfect Bite. Now, Mary comes to us with so many great recipes and I don't know why this one stuck with me over all the others, but it did. I am heartily glad it did too! Silent Bob and I loved this cake! His sweet tooth got a real jolt when he took the first bite! A moist swirled center of the cake is wrapped in a crunchy lower crust and coated with a sweet caramel pecan drizzle .... so good! I loved my slice with a hot cup of black coffee - I don't normally drink my coffee black, but the sweetness of the cake demanded a rich almost bitter foil. Perfection and I mean it! Thank you, Mary! You have re-confirmed my love of cake!

Braised Chicken Thighs and Oven Vegetable Risotto

Dom, my ever interesting and fun blogging friend from the UK, posted a chicken recipe over the weekend that made me sit up and take notice - an obscenely easy and delicious take on risotto with braised chicken to accompany. My goodness, I thought ... what a nice dinner for our guests on Sunday. Dom's recipe used legs and thighs - bone in, but I had skinless and boneless thighs, so I played a bit with his recipe, but not much!

Zucchini Tart ... Easy as Pie!

Two zucchini recipes within a week? Well, it IS that time of the summer! Every time I think I have the zucchini mound on the countertop wittled down, another batch comes through the back door ... and it is SO shiny and smooth and fresh that I just have to do something else with it! So yesterday, I made two zucchini tarts and shucked some corn to have a nice Meatless Monday supper.

This is an easy tart to make, but there are a few different steps (read- more dirty bowls). It's light and less 'quiche-y' than other vegetable/egg tarts. Look at the recipe and you'll see what I mean. My friend Gundel shared this recipe with me when she visited us from Germany. Her method of wringing the moisture from the grated zucchini saves the tart from being soggy. The addition of the crumble topping is brilliant, too. It adds just the right amount of crunch with just a hint of Parmesan tang atop the more subtle salty Feta in the filling below. A good use of zucchini!

Grilled Teriyaki Steak Tips

This post is short ... and sweet, kinda like these shortened steak tips.

Cathy, my friend, has a marinade that is so simple and easy that it would be sinful not to pass it on to you. I was extremely busy this past week - travelling across interstate lines for a family bash, making a Daring Bakers' challenge, and tending two kittens and two dogs that are going through cultural clash (if ya know what I mean!). Still, a girl and her man have to eat (if ya know what I mean!).So, Cathy's marinade was just what I needed.

I threw the marinade together and soaked the tips overnight. When I got back from the flying trip (very late at night) I was able to relax and sleep in, dawdle a bit during the day with the animals and know that dinner was set. Whacked up a few potatoes for roasting, steamed veg from the garden and dinner was ... on. the. table.

When you make them, don't forget a nice red wine. Cheers!

Steak Tips Teriyaki

One day before you want to have the tips, make the marinade, trim the tips of any gristly edges, trim to about 5 -inch sections, and place them in a ziplock bag. Squeeze the air from the bag and seal. Massage the marinade around the tips,place the bag in a bowl and pop it in the fridge.

Grill the tips to medium -rare on a grill pan or on the outdoor grill. Easy as pie, right?

Marinade:

½ c. soy sauce

¼ c. brown sugar
½ c. orange juice
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. black pepper

This marinade is enough for 1 to 2 lbs. of sirloin tips... go ahead and double it for more servings!
Accompaniments: Green peppers and Vidalia onion chunks are great additions to the grilled tips. Just sayin’.

An Homage to Alice Waters ...

Alice Waters opened a can of worms when she began advocating for schoolyard gardens and a curriculum that incorporated food science, growth, cooking, and nutrition in schools nationwide. Our nation's rate of obesity has grown dramatically since WWII; we are a product of too many processed foods, too much time in front of the television and computers, and too little time out in the world moving around and gaining an understanding of all it takes to raise and supply the nation with food. Consequently, this trend is being reflected in our children's increased obesity and onset of diabetes in all age demographics. Alice Waters set out to propose one solution ...

Pulled Pork in Spicy Red Sauce with Cole Slaw

 

There's nothing like a big old sloppy, gooey pulled pork sandwich with an ice cold beer!

A while back, I came across a post that had a simple way of treating a pork shoulder to a massage with some great Tex-Mex spices, a long slow bath in a bubbling broth spiked with chilis, cilantro, onions, and garlic and then a pull session with a finish in some picante tomato sauce. Golly! What could be better, I thought?

Take the pulled pork and the picante sauce and make enchiladas! Yes ... it was stellar! Pam @ For the Love of Cooking graciously gave me permission to use her recipe in a recipe share. I've made this recipe twice since first seeing it. It is in my personal cook book at this point. It's that good ... and it's totally adaptable to so many other applications!

A New Week- A New Batch - Honey Muffins

Orange Glaze Drizzled Honey Muffins

Last weekend, Susan over at From Beyond My Kitchen Window made the most delectable and healthy muffins. I told her that I'd be getting out my mixing bowls and making them my muffin-of-the-week as soon as possible. Well, it's Sunday and it's a new week and I've just come home from being on the road for a week-long junket. Silent Bob and I took a road trip to Cleveland, Ohio. There was yummy (but not very healthy) food consumed on the road - can you say baseball park hotdogs, beers, deep-fried calamari, mango margaritas, cheesy enchiladas, and grilled paninis? Did we take pictures of food? Of course not! We were too busy stuffing our faces to think about photography ... sorry. On the way home, I got to thinking about making the muffins and of course, I started thinking of ways to change them up a bit ...

Your Recipe ... My Kitchen - Victoria's Armenian Meatball Soup

thick and smooth tomato/chicken soup, succulent meatballs, chickpeas, and rice with just a hint of lemon and mint topped with a dollop of sour cream

I happened upon a new foodblog the other day while searching for a new soup to make for our weekly soup supper. Victoria over at  Mission : Food was featuring a tomato-based meatball soup that was so delicious looking that  I couldn't resist! Of course, I always have to play with recipes to make them 'my own', but in this case, very little needs to be done! This soup is just so hearty and delish! Compare the recipes and choose the one that suits your taste ... but, by all means, give this soup a try! It's wonderful!

Well, Hoop-De-Doo! Thanks, Chris and Amy!

It's always nice to get a nod from fellow bloggers! I had a nice surprise when I opened my dashboard this morning  ... Chris and Amy of  A Couple in the Kitchen had been there and given me a blogging award ! Well, that sat well with toast and coffee! Thanks guys! Of course, all things come with a few strings attached and this award comes with some too.

Whole Wheat and Seeds - On A Bread Quest

A post in which Susan discovers which side HER bread is buttered on!

Spreading the Love ...

What better time than this week to spread some 'heart healthy' recipes that I've recently had on my 'must try list' ... remember that list I wrote of a few days back? I love chocolate and cakes and cookies as well as the next foodie, but some of these recipes will warm the cockles of your heart in a different way ...

Kay's Hazelnut Chewies ... Sugar Bliss!

Remember that 'must-try' list of recipes you've had going for a while?  The one from food bloggers who you admire? Whose food looks and sounds soooo good? Here is one of MY list items ... Hazelnut Chewies, as Kay over at  The Church Cook calls them. I was doing a whole lotta baking over the weekend for my church friends and since it was World Nutella Day, and since I'd been drooling over Kay's cookie recipe for a few days, and since I knew many of these cookies would be eaten with happy hearts, I put a huge platter of them together and got them ready to pack off to church.

Crackers! A Dedication to Heather @ Pretty Peas ...

Her crackers looked SOOOO good ... SOOO tempting ... that I took a bit of my Sunday afternoon and duplicated her recipe. Please send any comments or kudos to Heather!

Silent Bob and I had a VERY late night last night ... the last of the holiday parties. Too much brew and too much rich food., which leads me to a question. What do YOU have when you have overindulged, are morning sick with baby in utero, suffering from stomach bug, whatever?  I usually suck down water and eat crackers. 

When I got home from said debauchery, I headed straight for the couch and some passive entertainment. I cruised the Net and found (among other things) Pretty Peas' weekend offering (while I nursed a big glass of water). It was kismet. I sent off a 'comment', made the dough, put it in the fridge to chill, and crashed on the couch for a bit. Roused myself to roll and bake, cut some excellent local cheese and poured some red wine (please don't judge me!). Then, we watched a football game ... ahhh Sunday afternoon during playoff season!