Posted on 08/02/2020 5:01:12 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
I’m a fan of eggplant. It’s commonly said that eggplant hasn’t much taste, but soaks up other flavors; but I like its own taste.
I think I’ve posted this before, and can’t remember where I found it; but it’s one of my favorite things to do with eggplant – if you also like tahini, you’ll enjoy this:
ROASTED EGGPLANT WITH TAHINI DRESSING
2 medium eggplants (about 1 1/4 pounds total), trimmed and halved lengthwise
coarse sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
DRESSING:
3 tablespoons well-stirred tahini
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons hot water
1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
For Eggplant: Heat oven to 425°F with rack in middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (It helps to first sprinkle the eggplant halves with salt, and let them "drain", flesh side down, in a large colander for about 30 minutes before roasting. This helps to reduce the moisture content of the dish.)
Put eggplant pieces on prepared baking sheet, flesh-side up. With the tip of a sharp knife, score flesh, about 3/4 inch deep, here and there, or in a 'grill-mark' sort of grid. Season eggplant with salt and pepper, and drizzle with oil. Roast, rotating pan once halfway through, until eggplant flesh is soft and collapsed and edges are deep golden, 35 to 40 minutes.
Dressing:
While eggplant is roasting, in a bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Remove eggplant from oven and sprinkle with salt.
Transfer to serving plates, drizzle with half of the dressing and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with remaining dressing.
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Another thing to do with eggplant is Caponata, great with a good crusty loaf of Italian bread; this recipe is from Martha Rose Shulman:
https://therecipefile23.blogspot.com/2017/03/caponata-martha-rose-shulman-yield.html?m=1
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While we were waiting to see the SpaceX splashdown today, I found a couple of fun things on YouTube.
This is National Geographic’s interview with WWII veteran Richard Arvin Overton of Texas, who was 109 years old at the time this video was made; he lived to be over 112 by the time he passed (video is about 12 minutes long):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXyfCGDnuWs
And this is a very sweet man serenading his donkey (very short):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu-yDS6IVB4
NOTE If you don't have either of these spices, crushed red pepper works as a substitute in a pinch.
BLUEBERRY JAM MUFFINS / YIELD: 8-12 MUFFINS
ING 3/4 c Flour 3/4 tsp b/powder 1/8 tsp salt 1/4 c butter 1/2 c sugar tsp vanilla 1 egg 1/4 cup milk 6 tbl blueberry jam
DIRECTIONS SIFT flour, baking powder and salt. Cream butter. Gradually add sugar, creaming well after each addition.
Stir in vanilla, egg. Beat well. ADD flour alternately with milk, beat in each addition til smooth.
SPOON batter into greased and floured muffin pans, filling each about 2/3 full.
Place 1/2 tbl blueberry jam in centers, press lightly into batter.
BAKE 25 min at 375 deg. Cool in pan 10 minutes.
SERVE hot w/ plenty of butter.
Apple Cream Torte
CRUST Cream 1 1/2 sticks of butter, 1/3 cup plus 3 tb sugar;
add 1/2 tea vanilla, 1 1/2 cup flour. Mix well. Press on bottom
and 2" up sides of greased 9" springform.
CUSTARD CREAM mix well 8 oz cr/cheese, 1/4 c sugar. Add one egg, 1/2 tsp vanilla.
ASSEMBLY Spread custard cream evenly over crust. Add combined 2-3
lge peeled/sliced Granny Smiths, 1/3 c sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon; sprinkle w/
bit cinnamon. Bake 450 deg 10 min; reset to 400 deg; bake 20-25 min.
Cool in pan. SERVE in wedges.
Corgettes? Just be sure to be careful of rogue cucurbitacins.
This is a story about the incident I remember, Summer of 2015:
https://www.thelocal.de/20150821/courgette-stew-kills-pensioner-in-heidelberg
This happened last month: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/12134566/mum-poisoned-rogue-courgettes/
(The latter is making think of the seed packets people claim to be finding in the mail.)
Huh.
The latter makes me think that there was an issue with growing conditions.
Anyhoo - I’ve never gown Zukes; and never had a problem with any from the grocery.
But even the normally mild bitterness is the reason I generally prefer the yellow Summer squash.
ING cup regular or whole wheat pastry flour 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp b/soda 2 eggs 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt - or sour cream 3 Tb veg oil
(can use avocado oil) zest of 2 lemons 2 Tbl lemon juice
Glaze: cup conf, zest of 1 lemon about 2-4 Tb fresh lemon juice
Stir ing adding juice gradually until glaze is spreadable.
METHOD Foil or parchment line 8 or 9x9" square pan, leaving extra for “handles.”
Stir ing by hand until smooth (about 30 sec). Spread batter in pan; bake 350 deg 20 min.
Cool in pan 5-10 minutes. Lift out of pan and spread glaze over warm brownies.
I used to make this every year for the birthday of a neighbor who requested it:
Roy’s Butterscotch Pie
First, make a pastry for a 1-crust Pie:
1 C. sifted all-purpose Flour
1/3 C. plus 1 T. butter
½ tsp. Salt
2 to 2-1/2 T. ice water
Sift Flour with Salt into medium bowl. Cut in Shortening until mixture resembles coarse corn meal.
Quickly sprinkle ice water, 1 T. at a time, over flour mixture. Mix gently until just moist enough to hold together. Shape into ball, wrap or cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Roll the dough out between sheets of wax paper to fit into a greased pie plate. Pierce bottom with fork. Bake at 450 for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden.
Cool completely on wire rack before filling.
Filling:
In a small saucepan, combine
¼ C. cornstarch
¾ C. light brown Sugar
¼ C. granulated sugar
½ tsp. salt.
Mix well, then stir in 2-1/2 C. milk.
Over medium heat, bring to boil, stirring. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly, and remove from heat. Stir half of hot mixture into 3 egg yolks that have been lightly beaten.
Mix well, and return this mixture to the saucepan.
Bring back to boil, stirring. Boil 1 minute longer and remove from heat. Stir in 2 T. Butter and 1 tsp. vanilla. Pour immediately into pie shell. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400.
3. Meringue:
3 egg whites at room temperature
¼ tsp. cream of tartar
6 T. granulated sugar
Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 2 T. at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
Spread meringue over warm filling, sealing to edge of crust.
Bake 7 to 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden. Cool on wire rack, away from drafts, at least 1 hr. before serving.
............yummy...............
Sriracha-Honey Popcorn Clusters
ING Ingredients ¼ cup coconut oil ½ cup popcorn kernels ¾ cup coconut oil
¾ cup honey 3 tbl sriracha 1 tsp kosher salt 1 tsp vanilla ¼ tsp b/soda cup honey roasted peanuts
PREP Preheat the oven to 250 deg. Line two sheetpans with parchment or foil.
METHODI n a large pot, heat the ¼ cup of coconut oil and then add the popcorn kernels. Put the lid on and cook the popcorn over medium heat until all of the kernels have popped. Move the popcorn off of the burner, add the peanuts and set aside.
In a 2 quart saucepan, add the remaining coconut oil and the honey and bring to a boil. Let cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for about 4-5 minutes. Turn the heat off and add the sriracha, salt, vanilla and baking soda. Stir rapidly as it will foam up.
Immediately add the syrup to the popcorn and peanuts and toss well, coating the popcorn as evenly as possible. Divide the popcorn between the two sheetpans and bake for 60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes and rotating the sheet pans. The finished popcorn will be a deeper color and it will be crispy. When you first pull the popcorn out you can press clumps together or leave alone and it will be like caramel corn.
Let the popcorn cool completely.
SERVE or store airtight a week.
HOMEMADE COFFEE CREAMERS
=======================
Ing 1 1/2 c condensed milk 1 cup milk (whole, almond or coconut) 1-2 tbsps maple syrup 1 tsp arrowroot 2 tsp vanilla or 1 vanilla bean
Directions
Place ingredients, the special flavorings in pan over low to med heat; whisk 2-3 min til thickened. Serve or cool and refrigerate as desired.
Flavored Creamers
Cinnamon Strudel: 1 tsp cinnamon + 1 tsp almond extract
Chocolate Mint: 1 tbsp cocoa + 1 tsp peppermint extract
French Vanilla: use vanilla bean reserved from soaking or tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Almond: 1 tbsp cocoa powder + 1 tsp almond extract
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Direction---Ingredients for Homemade Condensed Milk 2 cups milk (whole, almond or coconut work) 1 cup raisins. Place the milk and raisins in a bowl, cover and soak overnight in the refrigerator or on the counter for 4-5 hours (this can also be done in a saucepan over low heat for 30 minutes stirring frequently). 2. Pour the raisins into a strainer over a bowl or glass pitcher and discard the raisins (or eat as a snack).
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THX!
I’m a tomato addict!
Drab month of March is marked by decreased sun exposure....... associated with a drop in serotonin levels.
That can lead to major depression as a seasonal pattern.
The positive light-induced effects of serotonin are triggered by sunlight...... that enters through the eye.
I wasn’t depressed until I saw my country burning.
If anything is ‘depressing’ me, it’s BLM, Antifa, and the idiot liberals who - tacitly or directly - have supported this outright criminality, and encouraged divisiveness and chaos.
“Summer of Love”?
That’s something I’d expect to hear Kammala Harris utter, between tokes.
Uh, oh. Trying BLT mac salad with sour cream. Next experiment - cream cheese.
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/sour-cream-macaroni-salad/
ING Pillsbury French Bread dough (or use Pillsbury Grands Biscuits) 1/2 stick butter cup sugar 2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg
PREP (a) brown butter on med-low 5 min (turns light caramel color; smells slightly nutty; set aside to cool.
(b) combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
(c) Cut or scissor dough into 32 slices. Flatten and place on parchment or wax paper.
METHOD brush each slice w/ brown butter. Then sprinkle w/ sugar mixture. (ALL of the cinnamon sugar!) Stack the dough slice on top of each other. (some stacks will have five some will have six slices.) Slice stacks down the middle. Place two sliced stacks, side by side, cut side down into greased muffin tin. Repeat to make six muffins.
CHEF NOTE put the muffin tin on a larger, rimmed baking sheet to catch butter/sugar overflow.
BAKE golden 350 deg 20-25 min......cool 10 min in pan. Gently remove.
SERVE w/ tubs of creamery butter.
We've documented Bonne Maman's collections of delicious jams in their yearly advent calendar a few times before, and for good reason. The limited-edition flavors are some of the best, and the calendar is one of the most giftable items out there (if you can snag one early). Each year we await the latest edition's arrival, and lucky us: the 2020 Bonne Maman advent calendar is available to order now.
We know it's mid-August, but with shipping times across the country being touch-and-go during the pandemic, there's no time like the present to get ahead on holiday gifts. Bonne Maman's advent calendar sells out rapidly every year, so if you were hoping to gift the 2020 edition or order one for yourself, it's a good idea to grab one now.
Great gift........
D’OH! Already sold out via Amazon!
Direct. 2 per customer. $34.99/each
https://shop.bonnemaman.us/products/bonne-maman%C2%AE-limited-edition-2020-advent-calendar
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