a fun birthday present!
A few summers ago when she was in college, my cousin Christina took on an incredible project — she was the cook for a Christian summer camp. She cooked for more than 100 people everyday! I remember her calling all of our family members to ask if they had bulk recipes. I think our grandmother even called some restaurants that she frequents to ask for recipes in large quantities.
In addition to being a fantastic cook, she has an incredible heart for the Lord. Christie is one of the most generous people I know. So I wasn’t surprised by her thoughtfulness when I got a birthday present in the mail from her this week but I was TOTALLY delighted.
She was with her husband, Colin, at the oldest continually operating farmers’ market in Ohio last week when they stopped at the spice stand. They got three bags of flavored sugars for me that I can’t wait to try!
This is the lavender powdered sugar. Christie says she adds to flourless chocolate tortes – yum!
You can’t see it in this picture, but there are the tiniest purple flecks in there and it smells so heavenly.
I can’t wait to try this next one — orange cinnamon sugar. Christina said she has used it on cinnamon toast! I was thinking I may try rolling sugar cookies in this before baking them.
And finally, the one I am most excited about because I didn’t even know such a thing existed — raspberry powder!! This is going into a bowl of whipped cream ASAP!
I’ll post about using these soon — and if you have any ideas for what I can make with them please post them in the comments!
Thank you so much Christie! Love you!
fish tacos
Houston is the land of fish tacos. I had never even heard of a fish taco until I visited here with Whit in college. We have lots of fish in Louisiana but no one ever puts them in a tortilla. In Houston, on the other hand, they’re on the menu at every Mexican restaurant. Can someone please explain this to me?
We really like the fried fish tacos at Berryhill — they tempura fry the fish (I think it is cod) and top it with cabbage and a dressing that reminds me of a Mexican version of Thousand Island Dressing. Really, really delicious, but this baked version is much easier to make at home. And also delicious!
Start by placing the tilapia filets in a glass baking dish (8″ x 8″) and sprinkle cumin and garlic salt on them. Squeeze the lime over the seasoned fish.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Cut the fish into long slices for the tacos.
Now, time to assemble the tacos! Some of the things we like on ours are Mexican rice…
And sour cream, fresh salsa, and sliced avocados.
I hope yall will try this soon! It is a really easy weeknight dinner — from start to finish it only takes about 25 minutes. And you get all of your food groups folded right into one taco!
Fish Tacos
2 tilapia filets (about 12 ounces)
cumin
garlic salt
1 lime
tortillas
Mexican rice, cooked
sour cream
avocado, sliced
fresh salsa
Place the tilapia filets in a glass baking dish (8″ x 8″) and sprinkle cumin and garlic salt on them. Squeeze the lime over the seasoned fish. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.
Prepare the Mexican rice. You could make it from scratch but I like the Adolphus brand because it is so easy and tastes homemade.
When the fish and rice have finished cooking, assemble the tacos. Our favorite condiments are sour cream, avocados and fresh salsa. We also add the rice to the tacos instead of eating it on the side.
cinnamon doughnut bread pudding
I blame this creation totally and completely on my dear friend Brooke. It’s not that I am complaining because it is ever so good. But after you scroll down and see the number of eggs and amount of butter that you are adding to the sugary glazed doughnuts, you might be tempted to curse me for sharing this with you.
Here’s what happened….we were lazy and forgot to make breakfast for Sunday school the last time it was our turn so we ran by Shipley’s and picked up a couple dozen glazed doughnuts. Not that anyone was complaining.
Anyway, we had close to a dozen left over after class and were trying to pawn them off on someone when Brooke suggested that we make a bread pudding out of them.
After that, it was all I could do to get out of there with them under my arm, fending off everyone that suddenly wanted one last doughnut. For at this point, I HAD to go home and make the bread pudding.
So, here’s how to make it:
Start by tearing all of the doughnuts into small pieces and put them in a greased 9″x13″ dish.
In a bowl, combine the milk, eggs, egg yolks, melted butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.
Remember the vanilla from the Grateful Bread that I told you about in the Emmy Lou post? This is it. And look at all of those vanilla seeds. It is GOOD stuff.
So anyway, pour the milk mixture over the doughnut pieces. Smush them down with your hand so they all soak up the liquid.
Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar over the whole dish and bake for an hour at 350 degrees F.
And then, oh my gosh, serve it warm with maple syrup. Because it would be a sin not to.
Cinnamon Doughnut Bread Pudding
score one for houston
Jen and I went to the Houston Dairymaids warehouse on Saturday to check it out. We’d heard lots of great stuff about it and had visited with the Dairymaids at the Rice Farmer’s Market but had never been to the warehouse. I heard they just had an AC installed so I figured it was as good a time as any to visit.
We were thrilled to sample all of the cheeses and we oohed and ahhed over the olives but the real winner was when we saw this sign:
Sorry for the fuzzy shot — I was trying to be discreet because I’m sure they already thought I was crazy when I started hyperventilating upon spotting mayhaw jelly in Texas. People, this is a TRUE DELICACY and you usually aren’t lucky enough to find it outside of Louisiana.
I’m sure it will be no where near as good as my mom’s but I bought a jar to try. Y’all should head up Airline this Saturday and pick one up too. Of course, it is delicious on biscuits or toast, or you can serve it with cheese (which is probably why they are selling it at the Dairymaids’ warehouse), or — best use yet — you can use it to make the PB&J cookies!
dehydrator verdict: success!
I love the dehydrator!!
This morning before I left for work I put sliced bananas on one of the trays. They weren’t even quite ripe when I put them in but they were really sweet and almost caramelized after they dried.
On two of the other trays (on the fruit roll sheets) I put taco chip “batter”. I’m completely sure that is not the right word for it but it was essentially a liquidy mixture of corn kernels, cheddar cheese, red bell pepper, cumin, cayenne and salt — all pureed.
The “batter” turned crispy and when I pulled it out I was able to break the sheets into small chips. I’m not sure they taste exactly like a taco but they definitely taste like a Mexican corn chip. Really good!
It was such a success that I decided to peel and slice some peaches and plumcots that were over-ripe and threw them in there for the night. I can’t wait to try them in the morning…
Anyone else have a dehydrator? Any ideas or recipes you want to share?
I threw this salad together the other night before a late Pilates class. I wanted something light but with enough heft to get me through the class. This was perfect. Plus, it took less than 10 minutes to make so it definitely works for a quick weeknight dinner.
I loved that each bite had sweetness from the peaches and saltiness from the prosciutto.
Peach, Prosciutto and Butter Lettuce Salad
For the dressing:
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. honey
3 tbsp. olive oil
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
For the salad:
1 head butter lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
2 large ripe peaches, peeled and sliced
4 thin slices of prosciutto de parma
2 tbsp. dry roasted sunflower seeds
10 mint leaves
2 oz. goat cheese
4 slices French bread
1 tbsp. olive oil
In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the dressing. Whisk quickly so the mixture emulsifies.
Drizzle the olive oil on the slices of French bread and toast for 5 minutes at 350 degrees. When the slices of toast are light brown, remove from the oven and spread a thin layer of goat cheese on each. Put them back in the oven and broil for 1 minute.
Preheat a skillet over medium heat; when it is hot, lay the slices of prosciutto in the pan. Flip the slices after a minute or two. Cook until slightly crispy. Remove from the pan; when cool, tear into small pieces.
Combine the lettuce, slices of peaches, torn prosciutto, sunflower seeds, mint and dressing. Serve with goat cheese toasts.
note: I used white peaches, which is why they look like pears in the picture above; pears would probably be good too.
food dehydrator
Y’all! I just ordered a food dehydrator from Amazon.com. I am going to be the queen of dried fruits and beef jerky!
AND I will finally be able to try some of those vexing Alinea recipes. Coming soon to the blog: Prosciutto, passion fruit, zuta levana. Translation: prosciutto and passion fruit ice cream sandwich. Yes!
When I was looking for food dehydrator recipes the other day, I even came across a web site with the method for drying your homegrown pot. Ha! No worries though; I won’t be trying that one.
Do any of you have dehydrators? What do you use it for?
simple sunday: rustic peach tart
Rustic fruit tarts are one of my favorite desserts to make because they are so easy. There really isn’t a recipe and there are only 4-5 ingredients.
Use whatever fruit is in season — peaches, plums, strawberries, blackberries.
Here’s what else you’ll need:
In a bowl, combine the fruit with cinnamon-sugar. I don’t measure this — I usually just use enough to make a thin layer on the fruit.
Roll out the pie dough on a cutting board. Pile the fruit mixture in the middle of the dough.
Start folding the edges of the dough back towards the fruit.
Throw a few slices of butter in the middle of the tart. Sprinkle the crust with sugar crystals.
Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 17-20 minutes. Remove from the oven when the crust is light brown and the fruit is soft.
Slice into eighths and serve with vanilla ice cream. Yum!
Rustic Peach Tart
1 pre-made pie crust
5-6 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced
cinnamon-sugar
3 tbsp. butter
sugar crystals
In a bowl, combine the fruit with cinnamon-sugar. Roll out the pie dough on a cutting board. Pile the fruit mixture in the middle of the dough. Fold the edges of the dough back towards the fruit. Throw a few slices of butter in the middle of the tart. Sprinkle the crust with sugar crystals.
Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 17-20 minutes. Remove from the oven when the crust is light brown and the fruit is soft.
seriously BEST EVER roasted beef tenderloin
My nightmare would be working in the test kitchen at Cooks’ Illustrated. I love practically every recipe that they publish or show on their PBS show and I love that each one is perfect because it has been tested 30-40 times.
You read that right — they remake each dish more than 30 times to be sure that the measurements are correct, the right ingredients are used, and the cooking times and methods recommended are exact. But seriously people… I love cooking but I get bored if we have green beans two days in a row.
Though their repeat testing would kill me, I am super grateful that they are all up in Boston somewhere testing away. Because its that determination that produces killer recipes like the one for the PERFECT beef tenderloin.
Take a 6-7 lb. tenderloin and slice about 3-4 inches off of each ends. Save the ends for a future use (like grinding for burgers — YUM).
Tie the tenderloin at two-inch intervals so it is an even diameter along the whole roast. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the kosher salt over the whole tenderloin, cover with saran wrap and let sit on your counter for an hour.
In a small bowl, mix the pepper, garlic, and remaining salt with 4 tablespoons salted butter.
Pat the meat dry with paper towels and rub the tenderloin with the butter mixture. Really cover it here. There’s nothing to be ashamed about. Except maybe my cholesterol. Worries for another day….
Put the tenderloin on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet in the preheated 300 degree F oven. After about 20 minutes, flip tenderloin.
While the meat is cooking, finely chop the shallots and garlic. Mix with softened butter, salt, pepper and parsley. Set aside until the roast has come out of the oven.
Roast the tenderloin until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 135-140 degrees F, about 55 to 60 minutes. The tenderloin will continue to cook after removing it from the oven, so take it out about 10 degrees rarer than you want to serve it.
Transfer roast to cutting board and spread 2 tablespoons shallot-parsley butter evenly over top of roast; let rest about 10 minutes. Remove twine and cut meat crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices.
Roasted Beef Tenderloin
1 7-lb. beef tenderloin
2 tbsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp black pepper
2 tablespoons minced garlic
4 tablespoons butter, softened
Trim tenderloin of all fat and silver skin and cut each end off about 3-4” to make it the same diameter from end to end. Reserve ends for future use.
Tie the tenderloin crosswise at 2-inch intervals using cotton twine. Sprinkle roast evenly with 2 teaspoons of salt, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
In a small bowl, mix the pepper, garlic, and remaining salt with 4 tablespoons salted butter. Pat the meat dry with paper towels and rub the tenderloin with the butter mixture.
Put the tenderloin on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet in the preheated 300 degree F oven. After about 20 minutes, flip tenderloin. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 135-140 degrees F, about 55 to 60 minutes. The tenderloin will continue to cook after removing it from the oven, so take it out about10 degrees rarer than you want to serve it.
Transfer roast to cutting board and spread 2 tablespoons shallot-parsley butter evenly over top of roast; let rest about 10 minutes. Remove twine and cut meat crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices.
Shallot and Parsley Butter
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Combine all ingredients in medium bowl.
simple sunday: (practically) healthy mojitos
This is a great summer drink that comes from my parents’ bar. They make super drinks.
The fun thing about this drink is that it doesn’t have simple syrup in it – it used Diet Sprite instead. It gives it the needed sweetness and bubbles but without all of the sugar. Which makes it perfect for bathing suit season!
Start by squeezing a few limes.
Cut the other limes into quarters and chop the mint leaves into small pieces.
Put a few of the mint leaves and lime quarters into each glass and add just enough lime juice to cover the bottom of the glass.
Muddle the lime and mint leaves.
Add crushed ice and a shot of rum, then top with the Diet Sprite.
Serve immediately to Aunt Frannie. Preferably alongside a hot plate of fried yuca root and empanadas. On a beach.
Or on your back porch. Whatever.
And if y’all want this before noon 5 pm, try making it without the rum. This makes a dynamite virgin mojito.
Diet Sprite Mojitos
16 oz. Diet Sprite
4 oz. rum
20 mint leaves
5 limes
Squeeze the juice from three limes. Slice the other two limes into quarters.
In the bottom of each glass, place 5 mint leaves, two lime quarters and just enough lime juice to cover the bottom of the glass. Muddle the limes and mint leaves.
Add crushed ice to each glass then fill with 1 oz. rum and top with Diet Sprite until the glass is full. Serve immediately.
Is there any wine left? 
