Posted on 07/19/2016 4:57:16 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
When I was younger and worked part-time, I would always start ‘Creating Christmas’ in July.
I made a lot of my gifts back then, and would start work on them and on planning food and decor, in Summer; and by the end of September almost everything except cooking and decorating the house was finished, and many recipes and notes were saved/jotted-down for cooking, decorating and shopping.
It made for much more leisurely holidays than I’ve enjoyed in recent years, and I’m trying this year to get back to handling things that way again.
A while back I bought a gadget that I’ve never used, but will include in my cookie-making this Christmas. It’s a little cutter that makes ‘pinwheel’ cookies (some people call them ‘windmill’ cookies) easy and very uniform:
You can buy one here:
http://www.kitchenkrafts.com/product/pinwheel-cutter/cookie-making-and-cutters>/a>
But you can cut these on your own, without a gadget; here is Lazarus Lynch on ‘TasteMade’, showing how to make ‘Peach Pie Pinwheel Cookies:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z16osXmwImM
My favorite gifts to make were always ornaments, and I went through a period where I made many of the beaded-and-jeweled ornaments similar to the ones sold in kits by 'The Cracker Box' in Pennsylvania, and for which you could also buy less expensive kits back in the '60s. But lately, I’ve become interested in more rustic decorations, and will be making some of these, this year:
They’re very easy to make, and require no sewing. There are lots of tutorials on the web, and this one comes from 'Shabby Fabrics':
https://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV_XtQ_tJ_A
-JT
This Week: Christmas in July!
(Busy! And posting very early this week.)
If you would like to be on or off of this weekly cooking ping-list, please send a private message.
-JT
Made some awesome asparagus stuff a couple weeks ago. And only learned to like it in the last 4 years or so.
Recipe later if anyone is interested. Pretty straightforward.
I’m ALWAYS interested in asparagus!
-JT
Bookmark
A pleasant summer afternoon here near the southern reaches of Puget Sound - 18 chicken wings in the smoker, fresh picked green beans from our garden and a pot of jasmine rice. Dessert will be small cantaloupe halves with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
My favorite asparagus. Snap the tough ends off. Steam until crisp tender. Wrap in prosciutto,
I like pouring olive oil, salt, pepper, a little garlic powder, and roasting in the oven until just done, still slightly crispy.
They’re also nice wrapped in thinly-rolled-out puff pastry dusted with finely grated parmesan cheese.
-JT
I’ve been using the rice cooker to cook artichokes. Just put a couple of cups water in and set the artichoke top down and cook about an hour. Any suggestions?
My favorite asparagus. Snap the tough ends off. Steam until crisp tender. Wrap in proscuito, sprinkle with shaved parmesan cheese, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and broil until slightly charred. Super yummy.
I think with ‘artichoke steamers’ (I actually have one, I think I’ve used it ONCE) you put the stems in bottom-down, so the thick part is in the water and gets cooked more, and the tops don’t get overdone:
https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Steel-Asparagus-Vegetables-Steamer/dp/B0000DE7UH
If your rice cooker has a steamer basket, I’d just cut them in half and steam them in the basket. That’s why I love my rice-cooker; I can cook the rice at the same time I steam a veggie.
Asparagus doesn’t really need anything more than some oil or butter, salt and pepper.
-JT
I’ll try cutting it in half. They were too big for the basket so I just took it out.
Sounds lovely! Cantaloupe was always my favorite as a kid.
-JT
I made tamales on Sunday.
I inherited my mother’s asparagus steamer, but I roast it with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little lemon juice, which is the way we prefer it.
Holy cow, cookies are my favorite thing in the world! I know some bakeries intimately. I love pepperidge farm & even $ Tree cookies, so your post perked me up. I bought warm cookies in town & took one to my hairdresser today. She was thrilled! (Although I have to say the cookies were overpriced : ( oh well, it was on my bucket list for the summer. They were good though! I won’t buy them again)
I always say that I will start Christmas things early, but then life & work gets in the way. You might be my motivation!
I love cookies!!!!!!!!!
I love tamales.
I think I’ve mentioned before how much I loved the old Swanson’s and Patio Mexican TV dinners - they were my first introduction to both spicy and Mexican foods.
I’ve never learned to make Tamales, though I’ve saved links and recipes for ‘someday’. I’ve always thought that this little gizmo was a great invention:
-JT
That’s the way I like it best, too; but if you’re using it in a recipe, like a quiche, the steamer is useful.
-JT
I suppose this rightly belongs in the gardening thread, but it has definite application to cooking as well. I’m a firm believer that every good cook should have their own “kitchen garden” out the back door.
Today I walked out of my garden with a bucket full of garlic bulbs, greens still attached. After a few days of drying, my year supply of garlic will be ready to store in a dark, dry place.
Growing garlic is ridiculously simple. Break up a head of garlic in late September and bury each clove “root end” down, about three fingers deep and about 8 inches from its nearest neighbor.
Keep the weeds in check (I cover mine with dead leaves for the winter) and they should be ready to dig up in July, when their leaf tips turn brown. That’s all there is to it. A six-foot stretch of border garden should yield about 30 to 50 heads of garlic. Enjoy!
Yes, as stated, snap off the white bamboo-type ends of asparagus and rinse in cold water. I sometime let them soak for about 10 minutes.
In a skillet, combine finely-chopped white/red onion, green/red/orange/yellow pepper, some Italian dressing, several pats of butter and some soy sauce. Medium heat (4/10) until reduced onions / browning.
While that’s going toss the asparagus into a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and salt and toss.
Into the skillet goes the asparagus. I add lemon pepper, garlic salt and concentrated lemon juice (1 tbsp. approx.). You could juice out a lemon, perhaps even slice it and add it in without the seeds.
Meanwhile, microwave some bacon with fat, chop into 1/2 inch pieces, and slide all that bacon and fat into your skillet. I let it run in the med skillet (4/10) for 10 or 20 minutes; depends on how you like your asparagus.
THEN, yes, top with Parmesan cheese.
For a variation, grill the asparagus after the olive oil and salt toss for some nice grill marks, then toss in skillet.
Enjoy!!!! It’s awesome!
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