Recipe 56: Roast Chicken with Sorrel Cream Sauce

Challenge #1: I am a city kid, I didn't test things I found on the river bank floor as a kid, they were likely polluted. The river was the closest thing I had to a woods near my house. It was three blocks away, but provided a good spot to get away sometimes. So, I felt a little envy while researching sorrel and learned that one woman had eaten this off the forest floor as a kid, and made her friends eat it, and didn't know until she was older what it was. Now I've learned that it is similar to spinach, but its not really(more on that later).

So, where to get this stuff? I look at Meijers, they usually have most of my questionable stuff. But they were taking down the herb display and had oregano and rosemary left when I came through. I wanted to scream. Being it was a friday night after work, I nearly did. I went to midland and checked there-I needed to buy Jelly-Belly's for pacifiers to top the cupcakes for the baby shower. I started looking online, thinking this might be special order since its not winter here. I found very few suggestions and combed Meijers produce department again. Finally, this afternoon, during my third trip to a Meijer this weekend, at my very own Mount Pleasant Meijer, they have the herb rack back up, and I find the most expensive sorrel the above mentioned blogger I was envious of would never have paid for. But I'm on a mission and this recipe was still relatively affordable-another first for an Emeril recipe;-).

Challenge #2: The sauce calls for a dry white wine. I could use a cooking wine, but real wine gives a better flavor. However, I drink reds, not whites. I'm not sure which ones are dry much. I just know not to buy Table wine, these are usually sweeter. I found a nice Reisling I had been surprised by before. I picked that one out, but decided to see if Meijer's book section had a simple little black book of wines, or wine demystified there. They actually had a Wine Bible by someone who understood much more about wine than I ever will. It was somewhat overstimulating in all of its info, and might have been considered a wine encyclopedia. However, I did find a small section with the info I needed, by luck as much as not. And it suggested a Sauvignon Blanc for a dry cooking wine. Since I believe the Riesling tends to be a bit sweeter, I switched my wine choice to Sutter Home Sauvignon Blanc. Next time, I'm curious to see how the Reisling tastes.

After all the work to find the sorrel and pick out the wine, and to figure out how to quarter this bird, I think the roasting was the easy part. Last time I roasted a chicken, I left the bird whole and cut off what we needed. This time, I asked the meat counter at Meijer and they refused due to cross-contamination issues. It made me wonder if they wash their surface after every cut. Since they didn't have any pre-quartered birds, which I mentioned, I brought home the whole bird. James had originally offered to quarter it for me, but I didn't yet have the sorrel and didn't plan to cook it that day. I decided to attempt to do it myself. This didn't go quite as easy as I'd hoped. I called James for advice. It sounded like what I was doing, but I made him come over and help anyways. He was so supportive when he told me I had most of the cut made for him. I realized as I heard popping, I just needed to apply some more pressure. He proceeded to cut up some onions for me, then went back home to rest. He'd had a long day and he was sore.

I chopped the sorrel and added it to the butter then rubbed it all over the chicken and under the skin. I added the onion to the mix and the thyme with lemon zest as I did not find lemon thyme for this.I quartered the lemon and piled this and garlic cloves atop the chicken quarters as well as the onions and some of it around it. I thought it would add to the flavoring of the chicken better than packing it around. However, if you want crispy skin, you need to pile around not on the chicken. I then cooked the chicken for about 40 minutes and began to make the sauce while the chicken was resting.

I added the butter and the shallot to the pan, and heated the shallot, not letting it turn brown. I then added the wine and began to let it reduce. I'll be honest here, as I smelled the wine while cooking in the sauce, I wasn't sure I had chosen the right wine, or that I shouldn't have used something else. I could still smell the flavors after adding the heavy cream. Once I added the sorrel and spinach and lemon juice, as well as the chicken pan drippings, the sauce smelled much better. I nearly burned myself trying to get them out of the roaster. Oh well, wouldn't be the first time.

Note about sorrel: once I got it home I did taste it. It did not taste like spinach. It wasn't nearly as bitter. It was more like a Boston lettuce without as much water content and a crisp refreshing apple zing to the aftertaste. I thought it very nice and will be adding sorrel to our herb garden this year.

I did leave out the tarragon. James and I have pretty much determined we just don't care for tarragon. I think it would work very nicely with the flavors in this recipe, which complemented each other beautifully, but tarragon is just not something we like enough to include in most recipes.

I will definitely make this recipe again. James and I may have a new favorite. And its not terribly hard either, once you get the chicken quartered. For that, James suggested the pick of the chicks, in which case he knows each piece of chicken will get its own clove of garlic;-).

Recipe 55: Quinoa with Toasted Pecans

The challenge: small this week, Pecans take up a larger part of the food budget when you work for peanuts. I really need to start working more for pecans. Other than that, I think I have yet to encounter such a simple recipe in this book. That may be challenge #2-searching out an easier recipe.

I mixed 1 part quinoa to two parts chicken stock, brought it to a boil, then simmered for 15-18 minutes. In the meantime, I chopped 1/3 cup of parsley leaves and a 1/4 cup of pecans. I then toasted the pecans until they smelled good. I set them aside in a ramekin and enjoyed my morning coffee while I waited for the quinoa. Once it was ready, I mixed it all in together added a tablespoon of olive oil, and enjoyed a refreshing nutty breakfast with a parsley that added a nice bit of flavor to it. I didn't expect the parsley to be so enjoyable or this to be such an easy to make breakfast dish.

Challenge #3: get more quinoa and keep some chicken stock in the house. Yes, chicken stock, it appears to be for breakfast too. I will definitely make this recipe again. James had already eaten when I called him to tell him it was done, so I'll have to add his take on it later.

I will definitely make this dish again.

Recipe 54: Carrot Salad

The Challenge: coordinating dinner with James. First he forgot I had plans to make dinner, and pulled out chicken breast that needed to be used and got veggies ready. So, Wednesday night was out. I planned for Thursday night, but fell in Curves as I was getting ready to workout. I called him to tell him I'd be home early to put ice on my knee. I still planned to make dinner at this point. The knee was only bruised, but he so thoughtfully called and offered to pick up KFC for dinner. I really couldn't turn him down. I was planning to make MorningStar Spicy Black Bean burgers with the carrot salad, and part of me couldn't help but wonder if he wouldn't just keep making dinner till I made the veggie burgers for lunch on the weekend and served him one cold later. I decided my sweet James was simply being thoughtful. The next night, after wearing heels to work foolishly, and throughout shopping, I was ready to be done.

But he came over and offered to help even. I was grateful, my knee was ready to rest. It didn't get to right away, but I was on my feet less than if I'd been cooking for someone who didn't help with dinner. He even ribboned the carrots for me the way I showed him to;-), according to the book instructions. He also minced the ginger, garlic and sliced the shallot as requested. How sweet is this man?

I grated the lemon zest, juiced the lemon(found the new wooden reamer a wonderful tool), added the honey and salt, some cayenne(I don't know where my crushed red pepper went off to-might have left it at James'), and James chopped the mint.

I blanched the carrots in oiled and salted water, and whisked the vinaigrette with the above spices and olive oil and cumin powder. I skipped the mortar and pestle. I don't think I have one, and I didn't ask James to bring his over. I combined the carrots and the vinaigrette, then added the mint and cayenne pepper.

It was a nice, simple refreshing salad, but not one James would want made for him. He wasn't impressed. I think you really have to carrots or ginger and lemon juice to enjoy this dish more. James did think I might have added two much of one or the other, and since I'm known to have a heavy hand with ginger and I didn't measure the lemon juice, he's probably right. (But you are all sworn to secrecy!).

I myself would make this dish again, but probably for a dish to pass at a party or for a small brunch gathering with friends, probably using a little less lemon or ginger or both.

Recipe 53: Five Grain Salad

The challenge, Part 1: Amaranth-where in the world do I buy this? And can I get it for less than $10.00 (for about a pound)? I checked a local co-op. They used to carry it, but not any longer. I checked Meijer and Witbeck's(my local grocer), they didn't carry it either. I called the local health food and supplement store. They no longer carried it. James and I finally remembered the Spice Shoppe, but they went out of business in November. I looked online, and found the cheapest on e-bay for $2.10, but had to pay $6.95 shipping. I hate paying more than shipping costs. Even if it does come to my door. I estimated this was more than shipping costs. And everyone else wanted ten dollars or more for Amaranth. Finally, after nearly two weeks of searching-including Grand Rapids and Midland stores; I made a trip to the local health food store and inquired. Maybe she had some in back she hadn't sold. No, but she would order me some. I ordered it, to the simple tune of $4.49 for a pound and waited for it to come in.

The challenge: Part II, This recipe includes rice and long grain wild rice blend. Both take long times to cook-about 45 minutes. I only own two medium sized saucepans and one small one. One of the medium sized saucepans was being used for tomato sauce for a non-Emeril recipe. I do like to knock a recipe or two out during the week, so I don't have to worry so much about creating up to three recipes on the weekend. This recipe is technically five recipes in one. I started it Thursday night, only to find myself searching for something suitable to serve for dinner, as this was going to take some time, oops.

The great 5 in 1 recipe includes Amaranth, Quinoa, Millet and Wild Rice in addition to brown rice(fancier is better). I think I used Jasmine rice. I still subscribe to a food budget. Its also rice I used for a previous recipe. After I cooked most of the grains, and I think I overcooked the Amaranth, I put the recipe aside, as my bedtime arrived sooner than I liked. I revisited the recipe on Saturday evening after a family gathering. I re-did the Amaranth, realizing my ratios were off, and came out with a nutty, well-intentioned grain creation. I proceeded to dice the fennel, radishes, and chop the fennel fronds, I added the liquids, and segmented and chopped the orange and juiced 1 of the oranges for a liquid. Then I added the salt and pepper and mixed it in with the grains.

I tasted it before I put it in the fridge and thought I had near perfection. I put it in the fridge overnight and took to my brother's house for the last of our Christmas gift exchanges(thank goodness;-)). I did taste it in the morning, as a very small part of my breakfast--It was still good but was probably better the night before, when everything was mixed fresh.

The recipe calls for this salad to be refridgerated from 4 hours up to 4 days then served at room temperature. I personally, would mix it, and serve it still warm. I would also add more oranges.

It does make a lot, and I might make this recipe again, though James did not care for the flavor(not enough hot peppers, I think;-)). I think I will make it again upon request only.

Also, because the grain seeds for the non-rice portions of this tend to be a little crunchy and small, they get into sensitive teeth more than expected. Even the rice can sneak in there if you are not careful. Some people that tried it, while they enjoyed the flavor, found it difficult to eat due to their sensitive.

Then my oldest niece, Jessica tried it. Her grandma and I joked about the reports going back to her brother and sister: "Psst, don't eat the salad, its not good." I didn't catch the first part of whether she really told her sister, "don't eat the salad," or to eat it. The part we all caught was, "It's whole grain." I suspect its close to what Grandma and I were joking about, and we all overheard her, for a good laugh. The recipe may not be perfect, but its reasonably healthy;-) and still edible, as long as you like whole grain.

Recipe 52: Green Onion SpoonBread

The challenge: remembering that I wanted to add to this recipe when I made it. Epic fail;-). Most of the time, I have cooked a recipe exactly as it is listed in this cookbook, and most other attempts. However, in the intro, this recipe suggested adding garlic, corn or bacon or to let your imagination run wild. It still came out good, it just needed something. I was thinking paprika or peppers. A friend suggested bacon once I clarified that its like a corn bread, only moister than I remember ours being, and not as dense.

I felt like I was cooking grits with milk, buttermilk, heavy cream and a little salt and pepper, then adding green stuff and baking it. I had to include egg whites beaten to a stiff peak and their yolks got mixed into the batter first, but it still came out good and moist, and probably able to be eaten with a spoon of one desired. That's my guess with the name.

This bread is pretty quick and easy to make, which is a plus and it stays very moist.I will add some bacon crumbles and maybe some garlic cloves next time I make this bread. I may even post an update when I do. I will definitely make this recipe again, I expect it will even be requested, with additions. It may be interesting to see what James' imagination will come up with when he tries this tomorrow.

Recipe 51: Red Grapefruit Sorbet

Challenge 1: Find red grapefruits and get enough to make 2 cups of grapefruit juice...Most lemons yield about a 1/2 cup of juice. How much do grapefruits yield? Second...the red grapefruits have red skins, right? So, why can't I find any individual ones, even at Meijer. I finally gave in and bought a 5# bag. Six grapefruits should give me enough juice, and they're red, plus they're marked. I came home to look at James and say, "You like red grapefruit, right?"

"As long as you get me a grapefruit spoon," he replies. Hmmm...should be easy, except Meijer stopped carrying silverware, and its not in the gadget aisle that I can find. We shall revisit the spoon. I promise.

Next challenge, time. I reviewed the recipe. Black pepper, with red grapefruit, hmmm....this could be interesting. The recipe seems easy enough, except I need to chill the simple syrup blend overnight and get crushed ice for the ice cream maker. I had better start making ice.

James helps me crush the ice, he's a little gentler at ice crushing than I seem to be, though this is great for relieving frustration. Now, how much ice is enough to fit in the ice cream maker? Keep crushing ice, hmmm...could have used an ice crusher, alas, I don't have one. I'm lucky to have the ice cream maker.

Now to layer the rock salt and ice and I hope I did it right. 30 minutes later, when the ice cream maker stops agitating, it appears I did make it right. Tastes sweet and tart too, Now I put the lid on, and finish freezing the sorbet in the freezer overnight.

We had a nice after dinner treat that is pretty good, with a simple sweet tart flavor, and a nice way to enjoy some red grapefruit flavor. And yes, it comes out pink;-).

Now back to the grapefruit spoon. I check around Meijer again, nothing. I go to Witbeck's, nothing. I check other stores I'm at, and nothing. Does no one eat grapefruit anymore. I haven't been to Goodwill lately, where I'm sure someone donated one, but I haven't had time to check.

Finally, while buying a friend's bridal shower gift, I remember to check Target. They have a set of two, with cute little yellow handles. I buy them. While making the sorbet and I think about making another batch, James runs off with one grapefruit spoon, and the rest of the grapefruits. I think he'll like this recipe, then.

I will make this recipe again, especially with the ice cream maker, and not having to worry about metal coffee cans. James liked the flavor of what he has tried so far, here's hoping he lets me take some home...;-).

Recipe 50: Orangecello

Happiness, bottled. I think. However, I've had to pour more than one drink, so it must be fleeting happiness...alas...have a health.

So, take a bag of oranges, 8 to be exact and zest them. Set the oranges aside for another purpose-Orange cranberry sauce (though you need zest for that as well), orange-clove pomanders(lots of cloves;-)), etc...maybe orange curd to be made for rosemary scones...looks like I'll be making those again.

Zest oranges into glass jar, add alcohol(Everclear), seal tightly. Let sit four days until zest is pale and alcohol is orange. This scared James, so of course I was curious, but we haven't tasted yet. The Everclear itself is pretty strong.

Then you make a syrup, but its more water than sugar, a little more than 2:1. Stir frequently until sugar dissolves and syrup is clear, do not allow to boil. Allow syrup to cool, add it to alcohol blend and stir to mix. Pour into clean bottles with tight-fitting screw tops or corks, Set aside for two weeks at cool room temperature to allow alcohol to mellow.

So, I started on this about a week before Christmas, and it was technically ready Wednesday or Thursday night. I had James bring it out of the basement tonight while he was doing laundry. We tried it, of course. I thought it tasted like a screwdriver without all the orange juice. James made whisky face and declared it too sweet. Too sweet is what I love about it, though it has been making me crave sweets tonight.

I must admit, I went over to James' after 10PM to claim the cookies that were left there and some left over magic bars, all the while looking at the recipes for the healthier food I should be eating.

Its good, but will I make this recipe again? Probably, as it will make nice gifts for adults that have turned 21 or older and enjoy imbibing, and some days, when you definitely need a beer, but one won't cut it, maybe I'll pull this out again. My cares are certainly forgotten right now, I even listened to my best friend's complaints almost cheerfully tonight due to this stuff. It does make some things easier, the question is: will I get up in the morning? And how will I feel? But it is a fun little ride while it lasts.

Happy Imbibing...beware the gifts of Tanya, they may include strong alcohol;-).

Recipe 49: Meyer Lemon Pudding Cakes

Ooey-gooey molten Meyer lemon lava goodness...oh, yeah, babe. Here is Emeril's true genius at work. These babies are in the kitchen screaming warm ooey-gooey we've got you reduced to baby talk goodness. I will make this recipe again. I like lemons, I like lemon pudding...then they put it in cake, and bake it in a water bath. Now I see how they make chocolate lava cakes.

There was a challenge-there is always a challenge. Where in the world am I going to find Meyer Lemons? Not lemons, not any old lemon, not a farmer's market lemon, when all the farmer's markets are closed when I come home, but a Meyer lemon, one the Chinese crossed with a mandarin orange and got a better flavor and less acid. Where? I checked the health food store, I checked Meijer. I checked Witbeck's. I wondered and I pondered. Then I checked Meijer produce again, near the grapefruit, I needed ruby red for another recipe coming up. And in the single grapefruits and organic citrus, I found bags of 6 Meyer Lemons, and they did not entirely break my budget. 3 Cheers for reasonably affordable Meyer lemons!

So, tonight I creamed butter and sugar and zested six small Meyer Lemons that should have been zested six days ago, or left in the fridge until I really was going to make them;-). Then I laboriously separated the eggs one at a time and added the yolks to creamed mix. Then I added flour and most of the rest of what I needed to add.

Note for egg whites: Wash and dry bowl thoroughly and carefully before use, do not touch inside of bowl with hand. I only touched the edge. Keep all shells and yolks out of the egg whites, use clean and dry spoon or fork to remove egg shells. If any other debris gets in, especially yolk or oil, set aside for egg white omelet and start over. Eggs are very picky about forming stiff peaks. So I washed and dried my beaters, and took a deep breath after fishing out the egg shell with a spoon, and hoped I wasn't too interrupted. Then I proceeded to drop the beaters in set my mixer to 1. I got cloudy egg whites, then wondered at it for half a second, then proceeded to foamy, and wondered at it, keeping beaters in. This was my first time, that I recall. (I may have tried this before but with not much luck, so I gave in and used beaten egg whites.) I pulled the beaters up for a 1/4 of a second and put them back in when I didn't see any attempt at peaking. Then I started getting really foamy, then something cloudy and fluffy again. And when I thought I might be there, I gingerly pulled up the beaters and had peaks standing with points at attention! YES! I got lucky, damned lucky! I was so happy not to have to separate more eggs and do this again.

To my best friend, Andrea, I thank you for calling me Sunday to ask me about this, so that I figured out what I needed to in order to do this right.

Then I took the egg whites with stiff peaks and folded them into the egg yolk creamy mixture. As soon as I checked the recipe, I realized I forgot the buttermilk. I added the buttermilk and almost grabbed the mixer. Then I re-read, Do not overmix. i stuck to the spatula and mixed the buttermilk in carefully but as fully as possible.

Then I poured the batter into six cute little ramekins, and gave them a 1/2 way up the side water bath. I looked at the oven I was supposed to put them in, and realized the oven was not preheated. Oops. That's a quick fix. Turned oven on to bake, came back in five minutes and said warm enough. Then I baked them for 35-40 minutes. And dug the spoon in before I pulled any ramekins out to cool.

I will definitely make this recipe again, probably this weekend. I think I have a new favorite crave-worthy food. And drat, damn Emeril, there goes the diet, again!

Recipe 48: Creamy Spiced Rice Pudding

Shhh...don't tell, I've never been a big fan of rice pudding. Oh, wait, that's not a secret. But I wouldn't want to disclose that everywhere before I gave this recipe a fair shot. My hopes for this recipe were not as high as the Orange Cranberry Sauce, but I wasn't entirely disappointed either. I simply don't like bland food, and this is still bland. Though it got a fairly good reception when I treated James' family to midnight dessert on New Year's Eve. I didn't know how else to get rid of it;-).

So, this recipe calls for aromatic long-grain rice, such as Louisiana popcorn rice, Texmati, basmati, or jasmine. I got Jasmine. I couldn't find Louisiana popcorn rice. So, I got the one that met my budget instead. Since I think the aromatic of the rice plays a part and some people liked this recipe, if they find some Louisiana popcorn rice, I'll make it again or copy the recipe for them.

Also involved are an equal amount of water, standard amount of cinnamon stick (about 3 inches long), a couple pinches of salt, 2 pinches ground cardamom, 1 pinch ground coriander 4 amounts of whole milk, 1/4 amount of heavy cream(plus more for serving), a little over 1/3 of the amount of brown sugar, plus more for serving. I used a little extra of the brown sugar and spices. I usually do spice heavily, and as I mentioned before, I don't like bland foods.

This took a little patience, as you heated the rice with water and spices first, boil, stir, cover and simmer on low until water is absorbed. Then you add the milk 1 to 2 amounts at a time until it is thick and creamy, about 8 minutes each time. Stir the rice frequently at first and near constantly as more milk is absorbed. It will stick to the pan if you don't.

When the milk is absorbed, remove the pan from the heat, cover, leave alone for 15 minutes. Rice pudding is to be served warm with heavy cream and brown sugar.

This pudding traveled in my new Christmas gift(a 3 quart enameled cast iron pot in red) to Cadillac for a New Year's Eve family gathering with James' brother and sisters. His other brother, Bill, smartly departed snowy Michigan for Florida. They have returned, I'm not sure why;-).

My favorite part of this dish was hearing that some people did like rice pudding and most were willing to try it. I try not to force my cooking on too many people. Though if they're good, I'm going to probably make you want them. My second favorite part of serving this dish was heating it up as the ball dropped and serving it after our champagne toast and hugs around the room. I thought we should have simply formed to concentric circles and turned in opposite directions, but that takes all the fun out it, I guess.

Most that tried the pudding enjoyed it, I was really glad for that. Even more glad though, was receiving Ben's suggestion that I add some orange pieces to pudding. It was a good suggestion, the citrus flavor went really well with the pudding. Ben added just lime to his serving before I put orange in anything and it added a nice subtle hint of something more than just rice pudding. I expect this pudding could pair well with many citrus flavor. I've also been told and have seen that some put raisins in the rice pudding, which would likely cook up well, just use less sugar. I'd be curious about bananas sometimes. I suspect that things that go well with milk would work really well in this pudding, especially those that go well with cinnamon and cardamom.

I will not be as likely to make this recipe for myself again, but if requested for a special occasion will kindly provide it. At that time, I may experiment with the bananas. But that could be another blog.

Recipe 47: Orange Cranberry Sauce

This recipe may become more than just a good recipe. It has potential to become one of my favorite memories of working through this cookbook. There have been recipes James and I both said: Wow! That's great! to, and recipes we've hated. (Others have told me Broccoli Rabe is very bitter as well). But James was adamant that he was not going to like this recipe. He does not like whole berry cranberry sauces. I, too, prefer the jellied cranberry sauce and generally will not attempt to taste a whole-berry cranberry sauce. I even considered jellying this recipe, but I make it as close to exact as I can the first time. I did consider and even suggest to James that we would like the whole berry one more because it was homemade and fresh. He didn't think so, he'd had those before. He would try it, but he probably wouldn't like it.

So, one evening when James and Briannag were visiting, I got out the cranberries and put them in the pan. I added the orange zest and juice(fresh squeezed by my hands). I added the port and tasted it--it was far too sweet. Then I added the sugar, cinnamon and cardamom. Only a 1/2 tsp of each spice is required. These can be very powerful spices. I stuck to this limit. Then I brought the mixture to a boil, stirring it often. Once it come to a boil, I reduced the heat to simmer for 10 minutes, maybe a little longer. James was commenting that it made my house smell wonderful. He still didn't think he would like it.

While I was simmering the cranberries, I toasted the pecans I had. I pulled them out of the oven after about 5 minutes, and tasted them. I thought maybe I had slightly overcooked the pecans but they were what I had and they didn't taste like charcoal, so I added them to the cranberry mix. I let the sauce cool down until it no longer burned the roof of my mouth as I tasted it. This took will power. Once it was cool enough to serve, I served up some for me, and brought it in for James to taste test. I was soon informed that I would need a second bowl as that was very good cranberry sauce.

And the second best part, I didn't need a sous-chef;-).

I will be making these later this week to can and present as "Enjoy me now" Christmas gifts. The recipe states "The sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve." I haven't tried freezing this recipe and I'm not sure I will. I'm not sure it will last long enough to, or that a big enough batch will be made at one time to require freezing. But it is a great prepare ahead of time dish for a party. I will definitely make this recipe again. I expect James will request this recipe again.

Recipe 46: Emeril's Roasted Duck with Candied Kumquats

This recipe includes a few firsts for me. This is the first time I recall ever having duck. This is the first time I have ever roasted a duck or cooked it in any way. I have also never had kumquats and don't candy very much of my foods.

So, I mostly thawed the duck...my life would have been a little easier if I'd have let the duck thaw a bit longer. I opened up the duck package, pricked just under the skin only, and dropped said duck into about three quarts of chicken and vegetable broth. I did not have duck or chicken stock, and water was the final option. I went with broth. It works for just about everything else;-). That was the easy part, not that any of this is particularly hard.

I then set to cutting a pound of kumquats into quarter inch slices, and tasted a couple as I put them in their bowl. They tasted like miniature grapefruits, but a hint sweeter. Then I put them in water and simmered them warmly about 5 minutes. Once they were drained and set aside, I began the candied part, in which I made a simple syrup of equal parts water and sugar with a cinnamon stick and 1/2 a vanilla bean including seeds. I boiled then simmered the syrup for about five minutes.
Next, I put the kumquats back in to cook for about 8 minutes. They became translucent and tender, as called for and I set the sauce aside.

Then came time to check the duck. I don't have any large meat forks, probably because I don't normally cook more than chicken breast for meat. So, I had the problem of getting the duck out of a stock pot that was already crowded with duck. I poured the broth into mason jars, planning to save it for soup. I worked a little at getting the duck out, first with two forks, then a knife and a fork, and tried a spatula and a fork. None of those efforts were working with me and duck. Finally, I pulled the duck out by the legs and set him down on the roasting pan resting next to the pot. As I was pulling out the innards, I realized part of him still seemed frozen. I put the duck back into the pot. I poured the broth back in. I cooked him for a few minutes more, maybe 15.

I poured the sauce back into the mason jars, still glad I had them out. I waited five minutes for the bird to cool a little and pulled him out by the legs again. I dropped him immediately on the roasting pan, and removed the rest of the innards, wondering which one had been the kidney, liver and heart, and if any of them tasted any good. There must still be a scientific mind in me somewhere. The innards went into duck stock with chicken broth for soup.

I forgot to pat the duck dry with paper towels, but I'm sure he dried while I removed the innards. I then seasoned him salt and pepper and roasted him for 30 mintues at 500 degrees. Duck got a real nice tan. I thought it was mighty fine work myself. I stuck my candy thermometer into the thigh joint and found him only done to 150 degrees. The package insisted duck reach 180 before he's done tanning. Emeril, didn't insist on a temperature, but I like my birds cooked;-). So, Duck went back into the tanning bed for five more minutes and hit 175 degrees in one thigh and 170 degrees in the other. I called that close enough and let him rest.

Meanwhile, I had been tasting the succulently sweet candied kumquats and forced myself to fold laundry in the basement to make the kumquats last until duck was ready. After I pulled the bronzed duck out of the oven, I let him rest for 15 minutes. I decided that since I had only talked to James on the phone, I would take him some kumquats, some candied some not, so he could try them and I'd test the four legged critter treats I made last night.I also planned to get two oranges for the Orange Cranberry Sauce I still need to make. I thought it would go good with dinner. I got all bundled up, and called James to let him know I was on my way and stepped out of my front door as he told me I shouldn't, it's pretty nasty out there. I agreed with him and promptly stepped back inside to shed myself of my winter armor and decided "It's not fit for man nor beast out there."

I set my stuff in my kitchen and proceeded to wait for duck to be ready. As soon as he was, I got out my pretty carving knife and sliced myself a piece of juicy, greasy duck. I thought duck was a little rich on his own, but adding the candied kumquats seemed to provide a great balance of sweet and a hint of tart with a bit of richness for a decadent dinner worth waiting for.

I will definitely make this recipe again, but duck is expensive, so not to often. And if I cook more than one, I need either a larger pot or two pots to cook them in. If you want to make a similar recipe without breaking your budget, it can be made with roasted pork too. I'll discuss pork when I encounter those recipes.

Reipe 45: Creamy Turnip Soup

I approached this recipe with curiousity and a little bit of concern after the homemade peach brandy nearly overpowered the butternut squash soup. I was also a little concerned about the time requirements, as some of these recipes are best accomplished with advance planning. The only real advance planning here was to get the ingredients and to chop everything up as directed to toss in the pot.

I also failed to stick to proportion requirements, fortunately soups are forgiving. I chopped all my parsnips (a mildly sweet, carrot like vegetable) first, to learn I didn't need all of it. I grabbed a couple stalks of celery when one would probably have yielded what I needed, but I did not throw in the entire bag of celery, tempting though it was. I'm not trying to make celery soup. I'll save that endeavor for either James, or after this cookbook...unless it does come up. I put in one large onion, also chopped, it looked close to what I needed. All of these went into the pot with some butter, twice the required recipe amount as I had lots of veggies going into the pot. I sauteed until tender, and lightly caramelized. In goes the minced garlic and thyme I pulled off the plant as I finished chopping turnips, I began to smell the garlic and thyme, very fragrant.

I tossed in the turnips, which were the only vegetable close to the correct ratio, I think...and I added extra chicken and vegetable stock or broth, whichever they put into those cute cartons I can close up and save the rest for later. I added the salt and pepper by pours, cranks, and dashes.

I brought it to a boil, like Emeril told me to, even if it did require a little coaxing. I left it to boil for a moment or two, but not more than five. I wasn't trying to kill the flavor here, it just breaks up some of the starch of the turnip.
I did taste some of the turnip raw, and found it to be similar to a potato, but milder, not quite sweeter, but possibly. I wouldn't eat this vegetable raw much, but it made for a great comfort food. Once I turned down the heat and let it simmer for 20-25 minutes until the turnips were tender, I pulled out the thyme and added the heavy cream. Then I scooped it into a blender and made the soup smooth. Next time, I won't puree the soup as long, I like it a bit chunkier than it came out. It felt like I was eating a light version of a chowder when I tasted it.

I tasted the soup with and without the sour cream and found it an excellent addition to the soup. Sour cream will be added to each bowl I enjoy from here on out. I will say, even with the extra vegetables, this soup didn't seem to make enough to feed an army, which is mostly a relief, unless you are trying to feed an army. I'm sure it could be adjusted well enough, and they'd eat it.

Its cold and blustery outside and snowing on and off today. The snow isn't sticking much yet, but I'm already dreading shoveling my drive at 7AM in pajamas, knowing I'll have to do it when I come home again after the plows go through. So, its cold and snowy and windy and after an hour I have a warm soft soup. This creamy turnip "chowder" is a great comfort food for one of those days when your tired and not feeling great and just want a quick bowl of comfort without opening a can. I will definitely make this "chowder" again.

Recipe 44: Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

While I'm still a fan of the regular salsa with regular tomatoes, this salsa will take a new place in my recipe book. Made according to the recipe, it is a very good mix...if I recall correctly, James thought it had too much lime, which means I thought it was just about enough. All it needs are some bite size Hint of Lime Tortilla chips. I have not found them in bite size, but I keep hoping.

I thought this would take more work than using tomatoes, because tomatillos have to be husked and rinsed, but they didn't. I did soak them in a bowl of cool water rather than simply rinse them. Then they sliced in half quite easily, I chopped the onions into pieces, and added the garlic to the pan. Once I drizzled the vegetables and garlic in oil, I roasted them in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Then I put them in the food processor with the chopped jalapeno lemon juice and lime zest(I was fresh out of limes) some salt and pepper, and pulsed a couple of times. Then I poured it into a bowl, and made that a major part of my dinner for the night.

I ended up with a very good sweet tasting salsa, that a single person can easily polish off in a week. I nearly polished it off that night. Quick, easy, good, and homemade. I will definitely make this recipe again...watch the news front, I get to cook lobster for the first time soon. Before Christmas, for those of you who need a time frame.

Recipe 43: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

The great thing about soup, it quickly turns into a weeks worth of food for a single person...even a single person foisting some food off on her boyfriend because she has way too much. Some will most likely be frozen, it has to be...but I will not remember there's soup in the freezer until I move, or some freak event reminds me at the oddest moment when this info is of absolutely no use to me, and when I need it, I'll likely have forgotten again. However, I'll be cooking enough soup in this cookbook that I'll be going to my freezer for storage more often.

Now, onto the soup...I have always wondered how to make butternut squash soup, or any other squash soup, you start by cutting the squash into small 3" chunks, versus a big large oblong boat. Place the squash on a baking sheet, rimmed, and drizzle oil, salt and pepper on it. Roast it at 450 degrees for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in pan, add all veggies...onions, carrots, garlic, and herbs-thyme. Cook over medium-high heat for ten minutes.

After 10 minutes, add the brandy. I had to work in faith here, James only had homemade brandy, and he didn't remind me it was peach brandy until after I was done. I reminded him that if I made this at my house, it would be with the blackberry brandy he gave me sometime ago. I think the blackberry brandy could lend a fun flavor for this, but the brandy nearly overpowered the soup anyway. We'll save it for another day. In the future I might consider using half-and-half for creaminess and body instead of brandy.

Cook soup another five minutes...add stock and water... and bring to a boil.
James did insist on adding celery, I don't think this soup needed it. Reduce heat, simmer for 15 minutes, just like most soups. Add roasted squash to the pot and discard the thyme sprigs, if you tossed them in whole. I tossed in just the leaves and discarded the thyme sprigs earlier.

Now comes the fun part, because the squash is still in whatever size chunk you cut it into earlier, and that's not gonna get you pretty yellow orange smooth soup. So, grab a blender, pour the soup in, or immerse it, and make it smooth. I have a regular blender with a pitcher, and worked in batches. I got three batches and three and a half quarts plus dinner portions out of this soup. Way to much for one person to eat by themselves, or two to eat when they other person started another pot of soup that day.

I did feel the brandy overpowered the soup a little bit, maybe I should have cooked it off a bit longer or checked my times more closely. James added sharp cheddar cheese the next day, and said it improved the soup a lot.

I will definitely make this recipe again, but as before, with less brandy, maybe a half cup instead of a whole cup.

Recipe 42: Broccoli Rabe

After 41 good recipes by Emeril, some great and worth making again(as in, I already have, or am), I have found one that I will definitely not make again. However, I still feel Emeril is a genius about food, most of the time. Unfortunately, the bitterness of this vegetable, broccoli rabe, also known as rapini, almost made dandelion greens look sweet. The almost is key here, because dandelion greens are one of the most bitter foods I know. Even James did not finish this dish.

If you are one of the five or so people in the world who loves broccoli rabe, I say more power to ya. And for those five, or for the sake of no one thinking I boiled the flavor right on out of these greens, here is what goes into them: olive oil, crushed red pepper, garlic-thinly sliced, chicken stock and salt.

It was simple and quick to prepare, which was nice on a week-night, but it was just too bitter for our tastes. Good luck with your own greens/cole crops.

Sorry, Emeril, I will not make this recipe again.

Recipe 41: Corn Oysters

No oysters were harmed in the making of this recipe. This does not mean oysters will not be harmed in future recipes.

Corn, jalapeno, and cayenne pepper...many people take this and make a spicy cornbread or corn muffin. But that may be too ordinary for Emeril. He'd rather use a little less sugar and deep-fry it.

I must admit, I'd never been so intimate with a corn cob in my life. Usually, I put it to my mouth and chomp away. But Emeril insists you slice off the top of the corn kernels going length wise down the cob, holding the cob over a bowl. I was grateful for a shallow bowl and a short knife. The knife and the bowl do not always work together very well. Next you take the back of the knife and slide it down the corn cob, basically massaging out all the milky liquid you can. Then you slice off the rest of the kernels. After about two cobs, I found a good slicing point where you got the best of both worlds without having or being able to go back for the rest of the kernels. I utilized it on the last two cobs.

Then I minced the jalapeno, after I seeded and ribbed it and added in the spices and flour, and searched for the baking powder I'd left behind my dish drainer. If ever I go to cooking school, I fear I will fail Mise' en place(everything in its place), class. Maybe I just need to double the size of my kitchen and triple my counter space. First I have to be able to afford cheese and other expensive ingredients for this book. More about the budget later, for now, back to the food.

This recipe did call for heavy cream, but its already being deep-fried, so we know it is not healthy. Heavy cream can be healthy, in moderation, but there are waist-friendlier options out there. I did decide only to deep-fry half of the batter. I baked the other half. This served 2 purposes: 1)Some of this preparation was approaching a healthier form(I might try this with half and half or whole milk instead of the heavy cream in the future), 2)Deep-fry food needs to be served immediately, and a full recipe is hard to get rid of. Baked food can be left overnight.

I would also use less jalapeno for the baked recipe unless you like your food spicy. The jalapeno flavor with the cayenne comes through better in the baked recipe than it does the fried. When you bake it, you get basically jalapeno corn biscuits, that I expect James will ask for again.

Also, this recipe gets garnished with Essence of Emeril Creole seasoning, or whatever creole seasoning you have on hand. I bought the Essence sometime ago preparing for this recipe and used it. It did add a little spice to the semi-spicy corn fritter/oysterss, and its a little pretty but not wow and not required. They're called corn oysters, according to Emeril, because they resemble oysters. I think they're fritters or biscuits depending on the preparation.

I will definitely make this recipe again. I suspect James is already plotting ways to make it healthier so I will cook it more than once a year;-).

Recipe 40: Tuscan Kale With White Bean Ragout

I originally attempted to make this recipe at my best friend's house. But since I didn't pack up my entire pantry, and she doesn't much like Kale, we had to improvise. I used regular onion instead of the red onion, chicken boullion in water instead of broth, and simple little things like that. I also included half spinach in place of some of the red kale, because I couldn't find Tuscan Kale.

Having thought I had some left over kale and some of the ingredients, I chose to make it according to the recipe. I still haven't found the left over kale, it must be at Andrea's. So, we bought more kale, and I went with the regular, its what the store had. My sous-chef, James, and fellow food taster is now off strike(thank goodness) and sliced some onion and roughly chopped the garlic. and did any opened any number of cans for me...I really need a new can opener. I do love his patience. Now that James has been mentioned, lets get back to the food.

And, gasp, yes, Tanya bought and used canned food. Its the only way you can get Cannellini beans. And while any white bean can be used, when you forget to soak them, or you don't have good luck soaking them, you tend to lean a little towards the cans. I'm spoiled with Cannellini beans. They have a certain creaminess and a hint of sweetness that isn't found in other beans. As I type this, I hope that sweetness isn't due to added sugar, but since its in beans...as long as its not too much, I think we'll be okay.

So, you begin with a little oil, and carmelize your onion and garlic, just a bit with some crushed red pepper and a bay leaf. Then you add in the kale with some salt and pepper.

Add the wily-beans, tomatoes. Next comes a small amount of vegetable or chicken stock, though in the future I will try it with beef stock. Broth may be used in place of stock. Once the kale is wilted, serve with oil drizzled over it(I skipped this step) and enjoy.

James and I both liked it. Note about the beans...I thought I bought two cans of beans...but when I got the groceries inside, I only had one can. I searched high and low and wondered if I'd left them at the store 15 miles away that I was not going back to. I have not yet found Cannellini beans at our local store and didn't want to mix beans that night, so I used one can instead of two for the entire recipe. I wanted more beans, but if you have only one can of beans, it will work.

Later, after picking up my nephew for the weekend, I found the beans had almost rolled under the front seat of my truck. Maybe they weren't ready to meet Kale in a bath of vegetable or chicken stock yet;-).

I will definitely make this recipe again. And since it isn't terribly expensive, it might even be made regularly.

Recipe 39: Curry-Scented Cauliflower

Secret #1: "I'm not picky. I simply like the best." I'm sure someone else has uttered those words before...just not quite sure who. Secret #2: I have never liked cauliflower, especially in mixed veggies. I'd eat all the broccoli and carrots in there, but never ever the cauliflower...that's what trades and dogs were for;-).

So, I came upon this recipe with a wee bit of anxiety, but a good deal of hope, and a lot of faith in Emeril's abilities as a chef. But if I really didn't like it, that's what trades are for. Lucky for me, James does like cauliflower.

Then I happened to catch the episode of Emeril's _Fresh Food Fast._ He made them look easy, and told you how delicious your kitchen would smell...like you've been cooking Indian food all day. They did smell wonderful, and surprisingly, tasted good too. Not perfect, not exceptionally great...but good until I got into the middle of the cauliflower and tasted only cauliflower. It was a small transgression for this dish, and since cauliflower is healthy and this dish is very healthy, its worth another look.

The recipe tells you to mix all the other ingredients in a bowl, then pour over the cauliflower, coating it evenly. Emeril on TV shows you to sprinkle each ingredient over the cauliflower then add the ghee...being careful to toss and coat it evenly.

I sprinkled the kosher salt...a little more than I needed, oops; the curry powder, cayenne pepper, and the garam marsala (aka mix of 5 to 7 warm indian spices). Then I poured homemade ghee (clarified butter) over top. I tossed to coat and popped in the oven for almost 20 minutes. I forgot to stir midway through cooking. They still came out pretty good.

I will make this recipe again, just with smaller cut florets of cauliflower;-).

Recipe 38: Mashed Rutabaga

This was easier to make than I thought, though it is tough to chop the rutabagas...James, having more patience than me...by a smidgen, and more strength, tends to dice the rutabaga smaller than I did. Otherwise, its made very similar to mashed potatoes. Emeril does tend to use heavy cream...My upbringing used milk, when we got real potatoes...but this is Farm to Fork and I do it the way the recipe says first. It includes thyme and chives as well as a little butter, and salt and pepper to taste, of course.

It did have some of the slight bitterness left to it, but overall, it turned into a pretty good dish. However, I have learned that since usually I'm feeding 2 of us...I should halve each recipe as I was eating mashed rutabaga for lunch for a few days. Lucky for me, its pretty good, and something I will make again. I expect rutabaga is slightly more bang for your buck than starchy over-farmed white potatoes...And 1 rutabaga should yield just enough mash for James and I and will be considerably less chopping.

To make this more diet friendly, I would use a 1% or 2% milk, or even a half and half instead of heavy cream. I'm sure the cream gives excellent flavor and body, but when calories matter, use a lighter milk, or use cheese. Hmmmm....I see another tangent...

I expect we'll have to try this with cheese sometime...the question is, which one? I'm thinking a really sharp cheddar would go well with it...but so would parmigiano-reggiano...or any other hard or most soft white cheese.

I will definitely make this dish again...with cheese! ;-)

Recipe 37: Pumpkin Pie

This blog probably should be read in conjunction with Recipe 36: Pumpkin Puree, as I put a good portion of the pumpkin puree into the pie.

I was reminded today that a good, homemade pie crust takes time (and sometimes planning-not my strong suit). The good news is, instead of two days, like I ended up doing for the cheesy creole tomato pie, I made this in only a couple of hours. Its not difficult work, and its great if you have small errands to run or other chores to catch up on, or just want to sit down with a good book. But this time, I had my nieces over and didn't get to it last night. I had promised my nieces pumpkin pie after lunch. They were disappointed to hear they'd get it after dinner instead, but that comes later.
First, I began mixing the flour with butter. Salt may go in and a tablespoon of sugar I believe. When I had rubbed all the butter in, which James kindly provided as I had run out of sticks, I added the water, shaped a disk and wrapped it in parchment paper I'd been working the dough on and then plastic wrap. My nieces got hungry, so we made lunch and knocked out some quick errands. Then I pulled out the dough and played kind of smart. Normally you roll the pie crust out on another surface and transfer it to the pie pan and play with excess dough in the edges. That all sounded like too much work. So I put flour in the bottom of the pie pan, dropped the dough down, and proceeded to form the dough with small circles beginning in the middle. It requires a little attention but it was far easier than rolling out and transfering and fluting the edges or imprinting with a fork. Your dough will be a little thicker than the standard 1/8" in this case. I like doughy dough. Now, pop this back in the fridge, review the recipe...may as well start on the pumpkin when I bake the pie crust according to this.

I sat down to knit and watch the ending of "How to Train Your Dragon" again, then let the girls play outside for a bit. When the pie crust was ready, I sprayed the parchment paper with cooking spray, placed it in the pan, poured dried beans on it as weights and baked it for about 15 minutes. I began working with the pumpkin at this point creating the puree in the previous blog. Once I got the pumpkin, some juice, and the heavy cream in the blender and realized I had probably enough pumpkin for two pies, I decided to make a smoothie out of some and pie out of what I needed. I added spices. I did ad lib here a bit. The recipe called for a 1/4 tsp of each spice. That seems miniscule to my tongue(James may have begun to burn off my tastebuds after all...at least some of the better working ones). Of course, it could be that I like spices too. I included a full teaspoon of cinnamon and at least a full teaspoon of nutmeg. I kept the ginger and cardamom to a half teaspoon each. I thought about clove, and next time I expect I will add them, but this recipe did not call for them. After I mixed in the spices, I remembered the eggs. I worked the eggs in...this is much easier to do in its own turn earlier.

Then I poured the batter into the crust and popped it into the oven for nearly an hour. Not more than ten minutes after the pie was in the oven, the girls began to ask when it would be done. "I'll send some home with you for after dinner." I told them. They reminded me I'd said after lunch. I explained the pie wasn't ready yet, and proceeded to knit while I waited some more;-).

After the pie came out of the oven and cooled down, I cut some slices, piled two little girls into my truck with treats and drove them home. I remembered the pie, I forgot the 1 night rental movies. I was really glad my rentals are still half off.

When I returned home to my left-over pie, I decided I'd had my dinner, so I would taste a slice. I'm thinking now I should have made the second pie, even if I don't need it. Not only did it have a good flavor, it had an earthy quality you can't find in the store bought stuff. And pies are always better with fresh ingredients.
When I mentioned the earthy quality you can't quite place, he'd mentioned that he saw a show on a cooking channel the other day that equated nutmeg with earthiness...I'm liking nutmeg more and more now. I think it gave this pie an excellent flavor, even if it does become an earthy nutmeg pumpkin pie...I'm sure we can find a fascinating way to shorten the name without using the acronym for it.
I didn't even need whipped cream, though it would have been good.

I will definitely make this recipe again...when I have a weekend to devote...or just want to kick back and read a good book.

Recipe 36: Pumpkin Puree

This blog pairs with the next blog, yet to be written...I expect it will be finished tonight or tomorrow, depending on times. I started this recipe last week...I found a nice beige 6# pie pumpkin and bought it at my local farm market. It was a little more than I needed, but I figured I'd figure out something to do with the rest...if it didn't all end up in the pie.

The pumpkin did still need to be seeded, and cut and cut and cut some more. I believe we worked with eighths of the pumpkin when it was done...its still not easy to cut through, silly pumpkins. I did think about carving or painting the pumpkin first, but decided I wanted to use the insides for pie more.

So, I cut the pumpkin in half, scooped out the seeds and proceeded to cut it into eighths. I lined the baking sheet with parchment paper(it makes life so much easier) and I arranged the pieces on the sheet. I drizzled them with olive oil...and used a little more than the recipe called for.

When I got ready to make the pie...I began removing the rind/skins. I used a paring knife as it did not peel as easily as I'd hoped. then I chopped the pumpkin into pieces and attempted to strain the solids through a cheese-cloth lined sieve(which I had to buy this week). I wondered as I read through the recipe if this was really the approach I wanted, seems like that would give me more of a pumpkin juice than a pumpkin puree. After a couple of attempts to put the pumpkin through the lined sieve, I said to heck with it and dropped it in the blender.

I know, I know, that's the quickest way to kill a blender. So I looked in the fridge and found some orange strawberry banana juice to help the pumpkin process in the blender. I probably should have pulled out the food processor that was kindly given to me after I killed the last blender, but the food processor was in the cupboard under the counter, and the blender was already on the counter and is easier to assemble. I need to switch that arrangement around;-). Alas, enough with the organization woes...back to the puree.

The juice helped a little, but did not give it quite enough juice, so i checked the recipe--as not to add too much extra liquid, and dumped in the heavy cream the recipe called for. Finally, we got the start of a blend. I think this made enough for two pies really, and if I'd prepped two pie crusts, I'd have made it. I might have some puff pastry left...but that's a different blog.

As for the extra...I ended up adding the spices, some clove(not included in the original recipe and some brown sugar to make a smoothie. I left out the eggs due to not cooking them.

I will definitely make this recipe again...probably with a smaller pie pumpkin and some cloves.

For the pie, you'll have to catch the next blog...which may be written after laundry gets folded tonight...

Recipe 35: Emeril's Quick Cabbage in Beer

I have a secret...I am Irish-German and I don't like cooked cabbage. So, I wasn't too sure if I would like this one. So, I did my best to keep an open mind, prepped the butter, 2 c. onions, bay leaves, crushed red pepper, minced garlic, salt and heated in the pan for a few moments...making a note to buy older sweeter onions that don't have me tearing up with the first three cuts.

I had frozen the onions for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to cut. It was, this time. Then I minced the garlic on the sulfur soaked cutting board and wished I'd thought to mince the garlic first...note to self...mince garlic, buy vidalias. Panoche onions aren't too bad for tears either.

Then I cored and chopped the cabbage into 2" sections and added it to the pan. I added all the cabbage-the recipe said to add it half at a time and let it wilt in the pan for 5-6 minutes per batch. I left it until it started to wilt, then added the beer.

I purchased Leinenkugel's Fireside Nut Brown Ale for the beer because I like it...when I added it to the cabbage(which is pretty stinky), it smelled like beer and fermenting cabbage. I wished I had simply bought budweiser for this. I expect I would have gotten the same result...smelly cabbage.

I have tried the cabbage...and a full serving, not just a bite or two. I still didn't care for it. I may try it again tomorrow to be sure...I am a glutton for punishment some days..and I will get James opinion, and hopefully he will comment on this as he likes cooked cabbage instead of raw cabbage.

Funny thing is...if you mix the beer in for mayo in slaw, I'd probably love it, and declare it genius, James would probably hate it;-) I may have to put that one up on Blindly Dash! at some point.

Recipe 34: Honey Vanilla Goat's Milk Ice

Welcome to the wonderful world of Ice cream making. I do have to wonder if no cookbook author works from scratch anymore, but I'm not sure how much that would have saved me...but that's what best friends are for, and Curves pals, right?

So, I wrote down and bought all the ingredients for this Ice Cream. Honey was on hand, it usually is. I located Goat's Milk at Meijer, and there is a farm in Gladwin, about 20-30 miles away that will sell me some, but she needs notice. The health food store gave me her number. Greentree Food Co-op only sells goats milk in powdered form. I bought the milk at Meijer. I bought the vanilla beans there too...it was 50 cents cheaper and easier. I stopped at a local farm market in town, and bought the eggs. Then I read the entire recipe before I got started...(I learned this trick after a couple of long and drawn out recipes that left me eating dinner way too late). Mix first three ingredients in a large, heavy bottom saucepan. When milk is hot, remove pan from heat and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes to allow vanilla and milk to get better acquainted.

Discard vanilla beans, or put them each in half a bottle of McMaster's canadian whiskey and allow to infuse for a few weeks. Give one to your best friend for Christmas. Nothing says love like homemade vanilla. You may need a little more, I usually don't. But its good. And you get more bang for your buck...especially if you are on a budget.

Back to the Ice Cream...next you beat the eggs until lemony. I do not have a mixer, I used the blender...add them to the milk mixture slowly, stirring often so they do not curdle. Chill in the fridge two hours to overnight. Check. I do have a fridge...a fridge that's worth most of the rent payment;-).

"3. Freeze the ice milk in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions." Ice Cream Maker? Ice Cream Maker! I just said I don't even have a mixer...but an ice cream maker! Does this man think I'm made of money. I just dropped $15.00 on the ingredients and spent another $5 on honey two weeks ago. And now, where am I supposed to get an ice cream maker...oh, my. Well, at least I read it through first....

Deep breath...try freecycle. I offered to share the ice cream even...and no one offered one. So I checked Amazon.com for used...$20 and up, plus expensive shipping. Ugh...move on to e-bay. Don't forget the thrift stores. E-bay had some, but I kept getting out-bid. I'm still on a budget, wouldn't ya know. Thrift stores did not have any...I got a roasting pan from one...but not an ice cream maker. I did find a sno-cone machine...but expected this needed a real ice cream maker. I'm still at a loss.

I did check Meijers as well...they have most everything. I didn't see one my first time through, and thought maybe it was seasonal. The next time I went, I checked again: $30.00. If I squeezed hard, I might be able to squeeze it in...but I just wasn't sure I could do that.

I mention it at Curves along with my options. One lady told me her son has one, but he's in Ionia and she's not going down there until Tuesday and won't be back before Curves closes.
--If I get it, I'll still share the ice cream with him, I tell her.
Later, someone else did ask me about my luck in finding one.
--Not yet, I have a bid on e-bay, but you know how those can go.
--Well, there's one at a yard sale in Farwell, which is about 5 miles from me. It's $6.00.
--I should go get it, but I'm tired on a Thursday evening after work. I should get dinner.
--I can pick it up, its right on my way home.
--Thank you, I'll pay you back if you get it.

I did check Meijers as well...they have most everything. I didn't see one my first time through, and thought maybe it was seasonal. The next time I went, I checked again: $30.00. If I squeezed hard, I might be able to squeeze it in...but I just wasn't sure I could do that.

I didn't get to Curves on Saturday to check, darn my luck. And I ended up talking to Andrea on Friday. I'd been researching ways to freeze ice cream via the internet. Now, let me back up half a step out there...you might be wondering...didn't she make the ice cream in a coffee can as a kid. Some of you might even remember that I have child labor (nieces and nephews) I could borrow for this. I had the small, quart size coffee cans even. I did not have a large, metal maxwell house can...Folgers and many other brands have gone plastic, that may not be as useful. I priced out the coffee...$7.89 was the cheapest I believe. I was nearly kicking myself for not buying whatever Meijer had on sale last week, when I still had grocery money.

I considered the double baggie method, but didn't see that working out too well with ice cubes and rock salt.... In addition, that would require borrowing child labor as well, or putting James to work...and I wasn't sure how either of those would pan out. Finally, after calling my best friend, and reading about some areas online where they simply said, pop it in the freezer for 6 hours. Andrea suggested I remove it and stir it periodically. So, I bought a freezable plastic quart container, and made the ice and poured it in.

At Curves on Tuesday night, near the end of my workout, I spotted a box with my name on it...and the name of my ice cream angel...whom I may owe $6.00 for an ice cream maker and certainly some ice cream.

I stirred the ice cream the first night, a time or two, and the next morning...then forgot about it until tonight. I even drank the milk that didn't fit in the container.

This makes a very good, creamy sweet goats milk drink as well as ice. I do have more of a thinner texture similar to ice milk, but the flavor makes up for any lack of perfection in texture and technique. I will now have to get the stuff to try this recipe again, or maybe a cheaper recipe in my new ice cream maker as well. I could pimp out my vanilla beans again, but that may be a lot to ask of them...I could also add in a couple teaspoons to a tablespoon of my home-made vanilla and try the recipe that way...my options are endless...

But yes, I will definitely make this recipe again...Now, where to put the ice cream maker?

Recipe 33: Triple Chocolate Pecan Fudge

I will definitely make this recipe again! It was not difficult, not even tricky, and I got rave reviews. It did require a little patience...a lot of good chocolate and kind of pricey pecans, but it is sinfully delicious and downright irresistible. I ate three pieces the first night alone...then I had to offer it up on yahoo! and facebook! Since I only had one offer for me to deliver to my brother, when I specifically asked for pick-up orders...I packaged it up and took it to work and to my class.

I'm now known as "evil," amongst my coworkers and classmates. One of the class instructors thought I was being nice, when really, I'm attempting to protect my own waistline. But with three chocolates and 3 cups of sugar, and a little half-and-half, and some nice flavorful pecans you get a sinfully flavorful fudge without too much richness or too much sugar. Even James thought it was good fudge and he doesn't like fudge(so he tells me). I'm thinking this could make great Christmas gifts too;-).

I will definitely make this recipe again.

Recipe 32: Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Easy and quick, and mostly affordable...if you're a careful planner. The brussels sprouts may have been the toughest part to prepare, as you need to cut the ends off of each one, then toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper, then set them on an baking sheet in an even layer. I simply lined my baking sheet with parchment paper and baked for about 25 minutes. They shared the oven with the chicken I roasted so they got quite done on top, as they were close to the burner. They still turned out good.
After the sprouts roast, and are lightly caramelized around the edges, toss them with minced garlic, oil, lemon zest and Parmesan. Make sure they are coated evenly, and add more Parmesan. These were excellent, and maybe I was just hungry, but I ate about half a pound of these things, which does equate a serving. When I passed them onto James, they disappeared quickly with the comment: "You can make more of those anytime you want."

The good news is he likes his veggies;-). We will make this recipe again.

Recipe 31: Homemade Mozzarella

Here is a fun weekend activity...don't try it on a week night as it can take some time. Don't get me wrong, while it can be fun...it does take some work, and I'm not sure I've gotten this recipe quite right. The first part of cheese making may have been mentioned in the Homemade Ricotta post in which I had to locate cheese salt. I found a place in Grand Rapids that has cheese making supplies. This is a very good thing...as I would need rennet, an enzyme that helps milk coagulate, for this recipe. As well as citric acid and cheese salt.

I later discovered after looking at my salt that I did have on hand the substitute for cheese salt, which is Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. But back to rennet...I purchased this one weekend with Andrea and bought a couple of sodas to try from this shop. I also most likely brought home a specialty beer, though I do not remember which one, possibly Screamin' Pumpkin. So, we come back to Andrea's and I put the rennet in the freezer like the clerk told me too...the rennet is still in Andrea's freezer.... What's a forgetful girl to do? I mentioned it to a co-worker who kept forgetting the rennet for about a week. So, I went to the local health food store, and was so glad to find the rennet, I splurged on a $5.00 gallon of organic milk...wow, that stuff is expensive.

All that said and done...finally;-), I begin the process and attempt to set everything out where I can get to it...this 12oz cheese log sure has a lot of components. The citric acid gets mixed with some cool distilled water, and the rennet gets mixed with less distilled water, still cool. these get set aside...
and the milk gets heated...first the citric acid goes in to a fair amount of stirring. Then you heat it to a seemingly low 90 degrees...then the rennet goes in, and 30 seconds of stirring...then you get a 5-10 minute break, while you cover the cheese and leave it alone.

Once the curds and whey separate good, you get to dice it(slice all the way to the bottom in a crosswise pattern), then the stirring and heating begins...up to 110 degrees this time. Now for the stirring, 2 to 5 minutes, longer for firmer cheese. Then you get to drain the whey from the curds using a "cheese-cloth" lined heat proof strainer. The curds might be too small for cheese cloth, use muslin. In the meantime, get some water hot enough to burn your tender hands...185 degrees, so once the curds are separated from the whey and folded gently, you can dip them, and fold some more for elasticizing.

I am really not good at the elasticizing part...gonna take more practice. In the meantime, fill a large bowl with ice and cold water, and have it ready off to the side.

After the whey is drained fold the curds gently and dip into hot water...i could go on...i probably will...after a few to a few dozen dips in the 185 degree water, and more folding of curds 30 seconds each time, you get to stretch hot cheese and mold it into form. then you get to the easy part, once its formed dip it into ice water and let it sit for ten minutes. Then you get to place it in an airtight container and store it soon, if you don't eat it all on the spot, as its at its best out of the ice bath.

It takes some work, and might contribute to a bit of a sore back, but it is wonderful when it comes out right.;-)...even if my first batch was a little grainy.
I will definitely make this recipe again...I am tonight, with milk James got for me...next time, he's helping me make this cheese;-)

P.S. I did start this at 9PM tonight, using milk I wasn't sure shouldn't be used, and was finished at 11:30PM, while blogging during the down time...I didn't do the recipe exactly, I left the muslin bag on and squeezed the bag for some of my folding. I also left it in the muslin bag to form and now have a ball of mozzarella cheese that is a little tart, but is better than expected. Yeah! I also added a secret ingredient to flavor it even more as we indulge in this old-fashioned delicacy, so it can be done on a weeknight, but its better done on a week-end, in my humble opinion.

Best of luck in your cheese-making habits.

Recipe 30: Eggplant Parmesan Napoleon with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Eggplant Parmesan I've had before, but I don't recall deep-frying the eggplant. Maybe that's where the Napoleon comes in. I have to double check the recipe next time. This recipe makes six, and I'm only one, sometimes two, when I get James to help. I bought three entire eggplants for this recipe. Since re-heating deep-fried foods usually doesn't work well, I only deep fried one set of slices.

It is a well-layered recipe, with a lot of depth. Battered and deep-fried eggplant, with tomato sauce in the middle and fresh mozzerela and freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese on top, then broiled for a few minutes. Its kind of like a deep fried eggplant pizza margherita...so if you're craving pizza, consider this recipe.

As you may know, or have guessed, James likes his food pretty spicy, and I like mine a little spicy, but not near James Learman spicy(burn your tonsils off spicy). However, with only 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper, even I found the tomato sauce to be a bit bland. However, since sauces keep well, and I made the entire recipe worth of the sauce, I added a fresh cayenne pepper to the jar I put the sauce in and let it sit overnight. The flavor was just about perfect after that. James would have even called it passable.

This recipe did call for Peanut Oil for frying. Having heard it has a good flavor, I ponied up the extra dollar for the peanut oil and found the rumor to be true. I love when that happens! Normally, I cheat and buy canola oil or vegetable oil for deep-frying. James offered to take the rest of it off my hands and nearly lost a hand in the process;-). Instead, I strongly recommended he get his own peanut oil, this time.

We also found that when I put the eggplant under the broiler again to heat them up the next night, and almost burned them, they were a much better texture for eating. The peel on the side was still a little tough when we had them originally...when broiling with cheese...your dish is probably not done until the top is mostly brown, not just spotted.

It took some work, but is a fun and different use for eggplants that I hadn't tried yet. I enjoyed making this recipe, though I'd rather make it for the nieces and nephews on a weekend day, only I'd call them eggplant pizzas and keep the tomato sauce mostly bland...though I will sneak in some extra cayenne and some smoked paprika to bump up the flavor a little. I will definitely make this dish again.

And thank you James, for being my sous-chef in all of this;-)

Recipe 29: Braised Kohlrabi with fennel and leeks

Did I ever mention that I like some adventure with my cooking? I also like a little free with my cooking. Free is even better when the chef that created this cookbook has no concept of a food budget, as I've mentioned before. I'm really glad I didn't try to cook a different recipe every night;-). But back to my adventure...
I'm a part of the Mount Pleasant FreeCycle group on Yahoo!. Every once in a while, someone posts something I could use or even need. And it happened one day, that someone posted Kohlrabi for free, garden fresh, take it all if you want. I was a little surprised, and I wasn't due to make this recipe yet, but fennel and leeks were available, the leeks, barely, so I inquired. In actuality this home was about 20 minutes from where I work and I wasn't doing anything else that night, so I made the drive along all the country back roads to the north edge of St. Louis to find this trailer on a lot with a large pool and a huge garden space. I felt bad that I'd interrupted dinner, but I apologized, found a box in my truck of stuff I'd meant to pass along on freecycle, but the woman never came to pick it up. I took the clothing out, and proceeded to dig up some very large kohlrabi.
I came home with it, and described it to James as a green potato. He was at work by this time. After some research, because I only needed three and I picked about a dozen, we determined it was also referred to as a cabbage turnip. I only like cabbage in coleslaw and I've never had turnips either. But I did find a website with a few recipes, and James went to work on his share of the kohlrabi.

I saved out my three, and a couple extra just in case, cut them into wedges, and proceeded to follow the recipe. Olive oil, butter, kohlrabi, fennel, leek, dry white wine, chicken stock/broth*, thyme, salt, pepper and fennel fronds.

Note on the chicken broth/stock--I used what I had and what I borrowed from James. In the future, I will make sure to have vegetable stock/broth on hand as I think the chicken stock may have been a little powerful for this recipe.

It had a very mild flavor...I can hear James saying, 'Pass me the hot sauce and the cayenne pepper, will ya?' But its a good mild flavor, and certainly included a fun little adventure.

I expect I will make this recipe again, hopefully without the twenty minutes of driving. I will probably grow my own kohlrabi next year. This could get to be even more of an adventure;-).

Recipe 28: Sausage Stuffed Bell Peppers

I was amazed when I saw the number of peppers this recipe required, but then I realized it made 4 servings, as most of these recipes do. I purchased all 5 Bell peppers, some red and orange as well as green. Next time, there will be more red and orange than green. I bought sweet italian sausage for this, but not as fresh as the recipe called for. I still ate a fair amount of sausage before it ever made it into the recipe. Then I wonder why I'm not sticking to my diet...diet, schmiet...it was good.
I halved the peppers, seeded them, and I cooked the brown rice. I cooked the sausage first, then I cooked the rest of the fillers--onion, garlic, tomato, salt, pepper. I was supposed to cook them all together it seems, but it still worked out. I began this dish on a tuesday night, and decided I wasn't staying up forever until it was all done. So, I put the components in the fridge and made it Wednesday evening. It turned into a very nice dinner for James and I, we both went back for seconds. I did slice the sausage instead of crumble it, and next time, I might try it crumbled...and with a little more Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese in it. But they had an excellent flavor that spoke of cooking that you only get when you go home, or in my case...to grandma's house;-).

I will definitely make this recipe again.

Recipe 27: Spiced Zucchini Bread

What do you do when your co-worker hands you squash that really are bigger than babies some women have given birth to? And about a week later, brings you more, just smaller ones? Oh, and did we forget to mention the 3 medium sized zucchinis you bought at the farmer's market on the way to deliver one of the humongous zucchinis to your best friend? Regardless of the Provencal style stuffed zucchini, and the tomato, leek and zucchini galette(puff pastry veggie pizza), and other creative uses-temporary door stops, if need be you will end up making zucchini bread. I don't think zucchini pickles well.

Before Emeril, zucchini and I have always had a rocky relationship...the elements were just not quite right...my nephew would not eat my zucchini bread after a while. It wasn't ever bad, it just didn't match his Grandma Judy's zucchini bread. It was always light in color(the skins left on give it the color) or something else just wasn't perfect about it.

So I began my journey to making zucchini bread again. I made it the first time, following the recipe relatively closely...I ended up with closer to three cups of zucchini than two, so I added a little extra of each of my dry goods; and I doubled the cinnamon, just to see. I forgot to add in and toast the walnuts, but since I was attempting to get every ingredient in the recipe in, even if not in the correct amounts, I pulled the zucchini bread out of the oven, chopped a large handful of walnuts, and drizzled them over the bread and muffins I was baking. I popped them back in and had a fun element of toasted walnuts on top. I felt like a frickin' genius.

I gave it to James and he asked for more, and promptly took his half of the loaf home and made it disappear. As I made batch number 2, out of the first run of zucchini I decided to take some into work. Jeff was amazed at my instant turn around on bread delivery as he gave me more zucchini. That evening, I made him a loaf and a dozen muffins as well.

The next time I made this loaf, almost out of necessity, and I have a few more batches to go, I put in a little more zucchini than the second batch, a little too much flour, I added half brown and half white sugar, and I replaced about half of the oil with applesauce. It was a little more dense than the others were. I'll add a bit more zucchini again--I have to use these things. And I'll keep the flour closer to the prescribed amount. I will still use the applesauce in place of some of the oil and we shall discover if that is causing the dryness-though I have not experienced that in the past.

I think I will take some of this into my class tomorrow and maybe make a loaf tomorrow night to spring on my nephew and see if its up to his high standards. The rest of us love it, so maybe this time I'll tell him its just him.

Since I already have, I'm sure I will definitely make this dish again.

Recipe 26; Crostini with Ricotta and Spring Peas

This recipe was a little tougher for me than some of the others. I almost set it aside until spring, but James likes peas and insisted I just buy them frozen and make it anyway. I did tweak a little bit in this recipe.

I decided on a multi-grain baguette instead of a french bread or roasted garlic baguette. I toasted the crostini in olive oil with salt and pepper as instructed. I added garlic to the ricotta, as well as olive oil and shallot. I did skip the mint, I forgot I had some on my window sill and a little in my front yard. I wasn't sure it would work. Knowing Emeril, I should know better and should go chop p a tablespoon plus a teaspoon and add it now. It could work well in here after all.

To the peas, which need to be blanched (brought to a boil and placed in ice water immediately after they boil), I added parmigiano-reggiano cheese and fresh basil leaves after James and I took turns mashing the half stubborn peas into the bowl. Next time, bigger bowl and a potato masher...and fewer peas...I might be eating peas as a snack all week. There are worse things I suppose.

To finish, you spread some of the ricotta mixture on the crostini(toasted bread) and spoon the peas on top of the ricotta mixture. Then you have cute little light snacks or hor d'oeuvres.

For James, and in the spring, when I can get fresh spring peas, I will definitely make this recipe again.

Recipe 25: Provencal Style Stuffed Zucchini

Excellent...a little work, but most good food is worth a little work.

This recipe called for 2 cups bread crumbs. Just having received a food processor and since I have a hard time using all the bread I buy or make, I took some day or two-day old bread, cubed it and dropped it in the food processor. Panko, eat your heart out...you can get the best bread crumbs in the world at home for free. I used my brown irish soda bread for this.

The flavors made for a great combination, the sausage gave this dish a nice spice, the parmesan reggiano you grate just before you toss it in adds a pleasant little nip in there and the parsley, garlic and salt and pepper along with some onions make this a near perfect dish. The tomatoes add a great texture and flavor as well.

When zucchini comes back in season next year, I will definitely make this recipe again, especially with the fresh made brown soda bread crumbs and all.

Recipe 25: Watermelon Limeade

Mmmm...I love a good smoothie...but I must be careful...watermelon has a high sugar content...must drink this with activity of some sort in summer.

Yum. Take 1 small seedless watermelon, cube it, toss it in blender with a little juice to get it started; add 1/2 cup sugar and 1 cup fresh squeezed lime. Allow to chill until cold.

The recipe says to strain out the solids. I find this no fun. I like the thickness of the product I'm drinking and with a little ice it could make a great smoothie. Maybe I should take this to the local coffee shop and suggest a new drink for them;-).

If you are watching your weight, this should replace a snack or at least half of it, or be accompanied by some housecleaning or gardening to keep those extra hundred calories from taking up a permanent residence on your hips, or your belly.
If not, enjoy carefully anyways;-)

I wonder how this will taste with vodka. I will make this recipe again.

Recipe 24: Tomato, Leek & Zucchini Galette

Yum. But I bet you're wondering: What are leeks and what is a galette? Leeks are large green onions with a better, slightly milder flavor; possibly a little sweeter. They still provide enough sulfuric acid when cut to make you leave the room;). A Galette, according to wikipedia: is "a is a general term used in French to designate various types of flat, round or freeform crusty cakes." According to me: it is a pizza/pie crust made using flat bread.

For this recipe, preparation, preparation, preparation. I decided to make it one evening after attending a civil war reenactment thinking it would take an hour from start to finish. I should have roasted the garlic that morning or the night before. Since time was running out for getting dinner on and I had to return my niece home before bedtime, I needed the pizza/galette done sooner than later. I skipped the roasted garlic and was grateful I bought roasted garlic goat cheese for this. I think there may be angels looking out for me after all.

There is a fair amount of slicing in this recipe, but its not too much...thankfully. Most of it can be done while the puff pastry firms up in the freezer. The fun part is spreading the goat cheese on while the puff pastry is actually frozen. I found a wooden spoon worked better for this than a knife. A rubber spatula is also suggested. The goat cheese gets mixed with olive oil, thyme and the roasted garlic. I expect it would be even better with the freshly roasted garlic in it, but some days you must substitute. The zucchini also gets mixed with olive oil and salt and pepper.

The leeks get sauteed while you mix up the goat cheese, the tomatoes drain while you mix up things and assemble other. After the goat cheese is on, you scoop the leeks around the entire puff pastry, leaving an inch on the outside to fold up the crust. Then you add the drained tomatoes, blotted dry with a paper towel, arrange them a circle around the entire pie crust, except the edge. Next comes the zucchini. Add a nice layer of zucchini, covering the tomatoes, then top it with a half cup of freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese. Make sure the cheese is even. Fold the crust over the edge of the tomatoes/zucchini and pop in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes before you touch it to serve.

Note: my 8 year old niece didn't think she'd like this and asked to watch a movie while I was making it. I had her help me add tomatoes, taste test the leeks and the goat cheese. Other than that my pizza pan has holes in it so the crust cooked quicker than estimated and burned slightly in some spots, she liked it.
James thought it needed meat. I thought it was a great vegetarian pizza.

My brother and sister-in-law may be getting a goat for Christmas;-)

Recipe 23: Bay, Thyme, and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

I think I may have a new favorite food...and it is allowed on some diets! Now I want to celebrate. These potatoes just happen to be similar to a South Beach Diet recipe I'd been meaning to try, except Emeril adds a few more spices, and potentially, a little more olive oil.

Tonight, however, I was reminded of the importance of marking your jars when you store homemade spices or buy in bulk. I added chili powder in place of smoked paprika. I found and added the smoked paprika as well, and some cayenne for heat. I was reminded of mise en place(french for get your stuff in order first) and the need to organize my kitchen. But I muddled through the process.

These potatoes are excellent, especially roasted on the herbs. They browned very nicely and held a great flavor and texture. I can't wait to make this recipe again. They are roasted on a bed of rosemary, thyme and bay leaves with oil and salt and pepper in which they are supposed to be tossed. Next time, I will drizzle half the oil on the pan, lay down the herbs, add a little salt and pepper and toss the potatoes directly on the pan instead of in a separate bowl. I did use the bowl for the potatoes when I was finished, but one less step is always nice.

I will definitely make this recipe again. Its a great semi-healthy comfort food. Yum!

Recipe 22: Herb-Crusted Halibut(Catfish)

At this time, Halibut costs $10.00 for 12 ounces, frozen. Fresh was not available. But Emeril included a nice save: any flaky whitefish will work. When I found Catfish at $7.00 a pound, I still cringed, but I bought a pound and decided I could work with that. Then, I'll be honest, I let James pay for it, he eats a lot of this food anyways...I should get him to add his comments...they can get interesting too.

However, we were cooking at Andrea's in Grand Rapids and that's two hours away. I did learn to make a list of the things I need to take as I forgot a couple of key ingredients. I did remember to put the catfish in the cooler bag. I added lemon juice to a bowl(I forgot to bring the lemon and Andrea doesn't keep this stuff on hand). I skipped the dill, James does not like it. I used dried tarragon Andrea had on hand. I had James chop the parsley and skipped the chervil. I have never seen chervil, nor heard of it before this point. If I had heard of it, I have long since forgotten it. I'll find it for next time I make this recipe, maybe. I do not recall if I added any other herbs. I did add in the black pepper.

Next, I salted the catfish fillets and rubbed mustard and oil on them, placed them in the pan and let them fry for 3 minutes on either side. While the fish were frying, I mixed the arugula with olive oil and placed it on four plates in quasi-equal portions. When the fish was done, I placed it on the arugula and served it up to primarily silence. Which when one is eating, silence may be golden.

I expect I will make this recipe again...Yum. Potentially more on Chervil to come, if I really discover what it is, as opposed to the idea that its a chef's prerogative to exert superiority in that he can name many more herbs than I can;-)

Recipe 21: Homemade Ricotta Cheese

I think I did it...I made ricotta cheese. And it was mostly good. Note: when making cheese use whole milk, much of the flavor comes from the fat. I may research ways to make it less fattening later.

This cheese was easier than I expected. There is a lot of stirring involved. Pour 1 Gallon of Milk in the pan, add citric acid and cheese salt. It is okay to use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt if you cannot find/afford cheese salt. It was $3.79 for 8 ounces and you don't need much. I ended up using 2% milk for this cheese. When I make it again, I will make it with whole milk. This batch came out a little bland.

So, how does one make ricotta cheese...line strainer with muslin; pour 1 gallon of milk in stock pan...bigger is better here, add salt and citric acid...this helps the milk curds coagulate...stir often, milk scalds easily. Once you reach 150 degrees on the thermometer, you must stir constantly. I promise, your arm will not fall off. You are only working to reach 195 degrees or when the curds and whey separate. This took me about a half-hour over medium to medium-high heat. When the curds and whey separate, take milk off the heat and let rest for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, ladle the curds into the cheese cloth; you will end up ladling the whey too...the pan is big and still kind of hot. I expect it makes less mess than pouring. I used a piece of muslin a little over the size of a fat quarter. Once the cheese mix was ladled into the strainer, I tied the cheese cloth (muslin) off, and I found a hanger to hang it on.

I did not consider where to hang my cheese when I made the original recipe, so there was a little fumbling at this stage. I found a hanger and hoped it would hold up against the cheese for hanging. Then I looked around my kitchen area and backroom(which is carpeted) and I decided I would have to let the cheese drip dry in my shower. I hung it up on the nozzle and let it drip, removing all washcloths and scrunchies from the area. It did lead to a fun facebook post that I now had a cheese-like substance draining in my shower. However, my friends, in all their wisdom did not comment. I'm not sure if I'm proud of them, or disappointed;-).

In the morning, I took down the cheese and it still tasted just a little bland. I added a spattering of salt to the bottom of the dishes I planned to keep it in, but that didn't do much. So what do you do when you have a pound of ricotta cheese and only 1 or 2 people to eat it...you can either bake it or bake it in stuffed shells. Then James suggested I make lasagna. I did, and that's not in the cookbook, so that may be another blog for another day.

It was still good. I will be making this recipe again...soon after I attempt mozzarela cheese. I did encounter enzymes that assist one in making cheddar cheese...I may have to some research. My friends and family may be getting cheese for Christmas...I doubt applesauce will last that long around me.

Recipe 20: Buttermilk Candies

Somedays, you stumble on something so innocent, so good...you're not sure you should be there in the first place. I poured in two cups of buttermilk and twice as much sugar and somewhere in there added a quarter cup of light corn syrup...later I tossed in a stick of butter, and 2 tsps or so of vanilla extract. I wonder if I found the secret to certain commercial candies...an old favorite: Werther's original.

I probably gained three pounds, maybe five, just taste testing this batch of candy last night. It was so good and creamy, and while I didn't quite get to the softball stage as my pan was not quite big enough for this, we did get a delicious sauce that went very well over apples. My boss was kind enough to let me use work money to buy some apples for this treat. What an awesome boss I had...

Do beware the sugar coma...but if you're having a party or want some nice christmas gifts and have a little time, a little buttermilk, a lot of sugar, some cornsyrup, butter and vanilla...and kind of enjoy making fudge...get to work and enjoy the ooohs and aaahhhhs this recipe is sure to bring. How cute would it be to wrap these in wax paper or mini muffin cups, drop a handful into a baby food jar, decorate the jar and give them away as christmas gifts? I expect I'll be making this recipe again, in part to do just that...after I lose 10 more pounds, so I can afford to gain back 5 and still have lost;-).

Recipe 19: French Bread Crostini

I substituted my favorite white bread-roasted garlic bread (for two), from Meijer, to make this, brushed on some olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper...ooooh....weeee....wow! Bam! There ya go. Use the roasted garlic bread and you have a winner every time. I will definitely make this recipe again, with the roasted garlic bread. If I'm watching my waistline, I might try a multi-grain baguette.

Recipe 18: Eggplant Relish Crostini

Yummy. Yum, yum. We were hungry when this was finished, but James finished off the bread before he made much of a dent in the relish. The fun part of this dish was watching people either say: "I've never had eggplant," or "I couldn't figure out what those square things were." I did enjoy getting to expose people to a vegetable they may have never tried in a non-threatening way. I believe both people enjoyed it. I used a roasted garlic bread for the first crostini, which James may have liked more than the eggplant relish, but it helped it along. The next day, I tried with a plain french baguette one of us had bought and it was not nearly as good. Though this recipe makes enough for a small party, there's still some in my fridge. As long as its good, I'll serve it with stuffed shells and marinara sauce tomorrow night.
I will definitely make this recipe again.

Recipe 17: Provencal-Style Stuffed Zucchini

What do you do when you are gifted two zucchinis that are bigger than children women have birthed? You can make them into bread, or you can stuff them and play up the cheese factor to cut them up to make German U-boats...I ate U-boats for nearly a week. I'm glad to be done with this barge.

He was good, would've been better if I'd have heated and seared the zucchini, or grated and popped him into zucchini bread...the other half will meet its match in bread tomorrow night most likely. However, for a mix of bread crumbs, Parmigiano-reggiano cheese, parsley, minced garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, zucchini, pork sausage, minced onion and tomato, this was pretty good. more tomato would have helped it along as well as searing the zucchini, which I forgot. Still good...I will make this recipe again, using smaller boats(zucchini), but probably not this year.