A Classic Recipe ... Warm Pear Crisp

Sometimes you just want a simple homey dessert for that evening cuppa. Sometimes one should listen to one's inner voice when it whispers. Go to the tried and true and work up a classic.

Ribs, Rice, and Roasties

Let's get this out of the way real fast. These are probably some of the BEST ribs I have ever had - spicy hot ... 'make your lips tingle' hot ! This barbeque sauce is a tangy sweet hot concoction that clings well and needs minimal basting. It stays shiny and caramelizes well in the hot oven (or grill!) that finishes the ribs.

Pasta Carbonara

Are there a kazillion ways to prepare a pasta carbonara or is there only one pure recipe that rests securely in every Italian grandmother's mental recipe file? That's a question I pondered today, as I opened my cupboard and went in search of something  'carbonara'.

Let's back up for a moment, though. When I rolled out of bed today, I knew there was a rack of ribs thawed in the fridge, just waiting for me to give them a good rub and cozy them up in a slow bake before applying a hot baby back  BBQ sauce ... but by the time I gave them their rub, I thought better of rushing that spicy transfer ... and as Scarlett always said, ' I'll think about that tomorrow because after all, tomorrow is another day ...'.

Instead, I turned my thoughts to a big warm bowl of pasta tucked into a carbonara sauce that would be like velvet. Some crunchy green and sweet bite mixed with an al dente fettucine. Some salty meaty prosciutto in little strips. Some walnuts toasted in a bit of walnut oil. Some firm and tangy Parmesan stirred in at the last minute to form cheesy strings. In other words, I went straight for the 'pasta fix'. 

Calvados Apple Upside Down Cake

I know! I promised myself to cut the sweets a bit in the New Year, but when I invite friends to dinner I must make dessert. Please pardon my expediency when I say that I have been meaning to figure out how to make a consistently good up-side down cake ... so ... I sat thinking about it the other afternoon, as I was planning the menu for last night's 'friends dinner'.  Yesterday afternoon, I plugged away at a recipe for a dense (almost bread-y) lemon flavored cake that has a double layer of tart apples and a Calvados-laced caramel syrup that soaks the top of the cake.

Warm Chicken and Andouille Soup

My day started with a peek out the window and a marvelling at the frost feathers that had formed over night on my bedroom window. So beautiful and everchanging!

Friends Helping Friends ...

"Whatever the hand may find to do, let the heart go forth in union."

Image - Oddfellows Heart In Hand staff circa 1920

Just very quickly, folks! I have a blogging friend named Trissa who blogs from Australia. With her permission, I'm passing this post on to you ...please read and do as your heart dictates.

Brisbane and a huge swath of Queensland have been devastated by mass flooding. If you've watched TV or listened to radio in the past two weeks, you've seen some of the heartbreaking stories surrounding this natural disaster. We, in cyberspace, can do much to pass info along and provide links for effectively helping where we can. I urge you to check out Trissa's post. Thanks, friends!

The Devil Made Me Do It! - Silent Bob's Birthday Cake

There are times when I find myself baking a new treat, KNOWING I don't really need it. The sweet tooth or an impending dinner party or a birthday is on the horizon though. Duty calls. Those are the times that I turn a blind eye to the mirror (and the scale) and forge on, promising myself that I will have one piece and pass the rest around for others to share.

Top Twenty ...

Illustration from Cinderella - Charles Perrault

While others may be listing their New Years resolutions, I have been pondering the evolution of cooking and kitchenware. I got this book  for Christmas and have been so engrossed in reading it! Last evening over dinner, Silent Bob and I were talking about all the incredibly important kitchen inventions that have made life easier and more efficient for cooks and chefs world-wide ... and safer for everyone who eats. I kiddingly said we should make a Top Twenty list, so we started one ... please add your thoughts in the 'comments' section. Oh, and know that these are not in any order of import ... just as we thought of them.

So, here we go ...

1. Stove (in all its manifestations) - Making the move from the fireplace must have been earth-shattering for cooks of the nineteenth century!

2. Wire whisk - This girl can't imagine trying to make meringue without one!

3. Tempered steel knives - They sure beat rocks and lesser metals!

4. Non-stick cookware - Oh man, do I love my non-stick wok and fry pans!

5. Dishwasher - I still remember getting my first dishwasher and feeling like I'd hit Lotto! The time for clean-up was SOOOO drastically reduced!

6. Standard measuring utensils - As a cook who wants to pass on recipes, I want them to come out for others as they come out for me ... these tools sure help in that department!

7. Mesh strainers - These sure beat using cheesecloth, which is a b*^#! to clean!

8. Microplane - I don't know what I ever did without the one I have! Thank-you, Sprout Kate!

9. Silicone spatulas - No more degenerating spatulas because you forgot and stirred the tomato sauce or custard with your cheap rubber spatulas!

10. Tupperware (in all its manifestations) - Thank-you, Mr or Mrs. Tupper for figuring out nesting leftover keepers!

11. Cherry/olive pitting tools - Nothing says, 'Tedium'  like making a cherry pie without one of these little tools! The world is a better place because of them ... and my shirts and fingers have been saved those stains!

12. Ziploc bags - Everything is easier with these bags in your drawer! Marinating, tenderizing meat, saving leftovers, storing bug-prone staples ... life is easier with Ziploc!

13. Rings/lids/and jars - Canning equipment sure makes saving and storing food safely a cinch ... and no more dealing with melting wax for sealing!

14.  Refrigerators - Having an icebox, fridge, whatever right in the kitchen sure makes life easier for storage and food safety!

15. Pastry bags with attachments - Pretty food is just such an aesthetic joy!

16. 17. 18. 19. 20  .... and here is where we stopped ... so what do YOU think? We await your comments so that we can argue over them a bit  (rather, have scintillating dinner conversation over their merits!).

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Pssst! One year ago today :  A Treat ...