Navel Orange Marmalade

Here is another recipe to use up some of that citrus hanging out in your yard. We have a navel orange tree in our yard, usually I make a fresh freezer jam with them, but this year I thought I'd try to make marmalade. Mostly because hubby likes marmalade better. He really appreciates bitter drinks and foods. I have to point out, however, that navel oranges are sweet and not that bitter, so don't expect a jam that tastes like that from the store. It simply won't be as bitter. With all those caveats, this is a good jam and really pretty. I also give variations below for spiced orange marmalade and an even less bitter version. Adapted from a recipe by David Lebovitz.

Preserved Lemons Two Ways

It's citrus season again. There are lots of lemons and oranges in our yard and the yards of friends and neighbors. I've collected a fair number of lemon recipes over the years. Some I've already posted. This post is about salty delicious luscious preserved lemons. I add them to soups, salads, pasta, curries and so on. Here are two versions for making them. One is the more traditional 30 day version and the other is a quick 3 day version. Both are great. And both last a long time in the refrigerator, as long as you keep dirty spoons and your fingers out of them.

Spiced Lentil Soup

I’m enjoying lentils this winter. They are delicious and filling. I love this recipe, it uses a combination of spices that make the lentils taste exotic. Feel free to increase or decrease the vegetables and spices. Adding toppings can make or break a soup. Try adding preserved lemon, parsley or sour cream instead of yogurt. This recipe can be vegan. The recipe is adapted from Emile Guelpa.

Cranberry Sauce

Wish I had gotten this up before Thanksgiving, but if you are like me, I make it for the December holidays too. This one is flavored with orange and is delicious. It is beautiful, deep red and vibrant with flavor. Trust me on not using orange juice, it really doesn't add any flavor - use orange zest. Trust me too on the salt, it makes a difference. Of course, if you have to watch your salt intake, don't use it. Enjoy!

Black Bean Soup

I really like beans. Any kind of bean. I especially enjoy soups made with beans. Here is a nice one made with black beans. It comes together quickly and easily. If you want to be more complicated, make the beans from scratch. Toppings for it can be as varied as your imagination. The one pictured had chopped red bell pepper, cilantro and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. Hubby likes pureed soups so this one is blended, but you can leave the beans whole.

Baked Bananas with Chocolate

Fall is here. Time for sweet desserts containing chocolate. I really like bananas when they are on the green side. When they are all yellow with little brown spots, I try to find things to do with them that don't involve eating them plain. Here is a nice little recipe for bananas and chocolate. It comes together fast, cooks fast and tastes really good even though its not the prettiest dessert. Give it a try next time you have a couple ripe bananas.

Lentils with Saffron Yogurt

Lentils are nice in the fall. They cook quickly and are so adaptable. You can make soups, stews, mock meat loaf, salads and so on. They take to different spices and vegetables and come out delicious. I find I don't make them enough. And every time I make a batch, I'm surprised by how wonderful they are. This is a very easy, short ingredient list recipe. Add more water to make it more of a soup and add different toppings to make it your own. It is adapted from a recipe at 101 Cookbooks.

Blackberry, Nectarine, Plum Shrub

Another way to use up end of summer fruit.  Make a shrub! These delightful syrups work well with soda water, or in mixed drinks or in a salad dressing or .... They are vinegar based, so you will taste the vinegar, but it is so much more than just flavored vinegar. Give it a try. It'll put hair on your chest, oops, did I write that out loud? I adapted a recipe from The Kitchn.

Peach Basil Jam

It's the end of summer. Time to use up the last of the peaches and, wait for it, basil. Yes basil. Surprisingly, peaches and basil taste delicious together. I love to get jams put up for the winter. Nothing better than a nice English muffin, pot of tea and some homemade jam to help chase the winter blues away. As with all my jams, it is not a sealed jam and needs to be refrigerated or frozen. 

Plum Torte

This was really good. And very pretty. You can tell we liked it by how much is gone in the photo! It fed us for 2 days. Shared some with my neighbor who also really liked it. Give it a try with plums or experiment with other fruits. Adapted from a David Lebovitz's adaptation of a recipe from Marion Burros.

Halushki

This week I went back to my Ukrainian roots. My Dad was Ukrainian and this is one of the meals my Mom would make for him. Mom was not Ukrainian but she was always happy to make food my Dad liked. Halushki is one of those dishes that many countries in that part of Europe make, just had slightly different names. I've updated it just a tad by using olive oil instead of bacon fat. My Mom, of course, made it with bacon. This recipe is from a cookbook I got back in the 60's. It is called the Book of Golden Recipes and was compiled by St. Anne's Ukrainian Byzantine in Youngstown, Ohio.

Corn Chowder

So are you getting tired of corn on the cob? Does anyone ever get tired of corn on the cob? Well I do. Here is something else to do with corn on the cob: make soup. This is a fun soup because you roast most of the ingredients and use the corn cobs. How cool is that? This is vegan.

No Recipe Minestrone

Pretty sure anyone who actually knows how to make Minestrone is going to cringe when they read this "no recipe" recipe. I used to follow Minestrone recipes, but at some point I figured out what I liked and went from there. I hope you enjoy the creativity of this recipe and give yourself permission to make it up as you go! This can be vegetarian or vegan.

Pizza

Here are two pizza recipes I've tried recently. The tomato one is definitely a keeper, I've been looking for excuses to make it more often than I ought to. Isn't it gorgeous? The BarBQ one is delish and a nice change from all the cheese often found on pizza. I usually keep the cheese to a minimum on my pizza anyway as I just find it too oily, clumpy and a coverup for a not so good pizza. I use a cornmeal crust from Nugget grocery store, I don't make my own crust. Use what works for you. Both recipes are vegetarian and the cauliflower one can be vegan.

Gazpacho Two Ways

This summer is overflowing with tomatoes and cucumbers. One way to use some of those luscious tomatoes is in gazpacho, a cold tomato soup. Do not make this unless you love love love tomatoes. I'm including two recipes. One is a chunky version. It is our favorite. Both Craig and I like to chew when we eat soup. It is also super easy, except for the chopping, and uses tomato juice. The other is a blended soup that I just tried this year and we really liked it. It does require digging out the blender, however. It is made with only fresh vegetables, no juice. I hope you try one or both of them, they are delightful!

Jammin'

I've been jamming' this month. This post has three jam recipes: spiced blackberry-nectarine, plum and green tomato-ginger. All of them turned out delicious. The nectarine gave some oomph to the blackberries and the spices added interest. And plum is just fabulous with nothing but plums. My neighbor decided to take out her tomato plants, so I asked if she planned to use the green ones, she said no. I said I can make a jam! Adding a little crystallized ginger perks up the old taste buds. Try one of them - they are easy and fun to make.

Fresh Bean Salad

I love a good farmers market. My love affair with them started way back in the 90's when I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area. The first one I went to was in Berkeley. Over the years I sampled many, including in El Cerrito, Richmond, San Rafael, Oakland, San Diego, Sacramento and of course San Francisco. Each one has its own charm. For example the one in San Rafael was held next to a building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, in Richmond there were live chickens and ducks for sale and Berkeley had fresh butter beans late in the summer.  

Blueberry Lime Jam

I've been on a jam making spree. Summer fruits bring it out in me. Blueberries are not my favorite berry; they are just OK. I know, I know, they are good for me. In my defense I do love blackberries, raspberries  and strawberries.  And they are good for me too! This jam brings out the flavor of the blueberries and adds a little kick with the lime. Blueberries have quite a bit of natural pectin, so the jam really sets up well. It's an easy one for the novice jam maker.

Boozy Peach Jam

This is one of those divine jams with just the right amount of bourbon flavor. It is sweet, scented with vanilla and oh so wonderful on English muffins. It is adapted from a recipe by Cooks Illustrated. I think it is best made with peaches that are not overly ripe. And of course always make sure your peaches or any fruit you use for jam, are delicious! No amount of sugar or bourbon for that matter will make up for not good fruit. I prefer it with yellow peaches, if you try white, I don't think it will set up as well and may be overly sweet. If you try white peaches, however, let me know how it turns out.

Asparagus Frittata

Asparagus is delightful. It can be used in so many ways, including in a frittata. I like frittatas because they don't have a crust. I usually make them in a frying pan on the cook top and finish them off under the broiler. This recipe is entirely baked, so it reminds me of a quiche without the crust. I think I liked baking the frittata a bit better, it seemed easier for me. Tip for runny baked things is to set the pan on the oven rack or cookie sheet before pouring in the liquid. That way I don't slop it all over trying to get it into the oven. Getting it out is easier because it is solid once cooked.

Pomegranate Jelly

We are lucky to share a pomegranate tree with our neighbor. It has wonderfully huge deep red fruit in the fall. We eat lots of pomegranates and I juice a fair number of them. I make jelly with the juice. This year, we had lots of fruit and I had lots of juice. I got tired of making jelly so I froze enough juice so I could make jelly later in the year. Recently I pulled it out of the freezer and made a batch of jelly. It is so spectacular. Since I love my PB & J - I use it as the jelly.

Broccoli Soup

So many times I try to make a broccoli soup that reminds me of the broccoli, rice and cheese casserole my Mom made for holidays. But, sigh, I can never quite pull it off. Last time I tried, it was a glorious mess, albeit edible  This recipe is a good substitute, a whole lot lighter and makes for a good lunch or light dinner. Make sure to serve it with a good crusty bread so you can sop up ever drip. This is vegetarian if you use vegetable broth. 

Fresh Strawberry Pie

It's coming up on Craig's birthday. Thus far we've had a steak dinner, clafoutis, a King Arthur Supreme Pizza and tonight a fresh strawberry pie. He loves pie, any sort of fruit pie.  When strawberries come into season, he starts talking about Marie Callender's strawberry pie. Of course, I think I can make a better strawberry pie, one like my Mom used to make with her home grown strawberries. This recipe is nothing fancy, just made like your Mom used to make it. Next up for his B'Day is a gelato cake from Devine and a bottle of single malt. Oh, he is going to love it!

Clafoutis

It is getting to be that time of the year when I make lots of clafoutis or flaugnarde. Clafoutis is properly the dish made with cherries and when made with other fruit it's called a flaugnarde. This version was made with rhubarb, and it is one of my favorites. And since I had just bought some very nice strawberries I added a handful, sliced. Cherry clafoutis recipe is below, too!

Strawberry Jam

I really like strawberries. Growing up on the Ohio farm, my Mom had a large strawberry patch. We'd have strawberry shortcake til it came out our ears. She froze them and made jam. She also sold them to make a little money she set aside to buy things like a dishwasher and microwave. In March of this year when I went for a visit, she said strawberry jam was her favorite. Since it is strawberry season in California, I decided to head to our local growers get some and make jam. I plan to take her a jar next time I visit. I adapted a recipe from David Lebovitz.

Ramen Noodle Soup

Here is a soup made from instant ramen noodles. Comes together quickly and tastes delicious. With summer here, we've been cooking outside more. Craig loves steak and sometimes we have some left over. This happened recently so I turned the left over steak into this quick ramen soup the next day. The recipe is adapted from one by Cook's Country.

Lovage

Once again the farmer's market entices me with produce I've not cooked with before: lovage. Lovage is a green that looks a bit like flat leaf parsley and tastes like celery. It is strong flavored and tougher than parsley. And well, I like celery and parsley, so I thought what the heck, I can figure something out to do with it. And I did. I made soup. It's really simple only a few ingredients and nice for a light dinner, just add some crusty bread and a glass of wine. This is vegetarian, but not vegan. I also decided to make it into a simple syrup to mix with gin & soda water.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

The dog was sick, she threw up. Being the good dog mommy that I am, I made her a sick tummy meal for the day. Boiled chicken and white rice. Luckily, I ended up with some leftover chicken and decided to make chicken salad sandwiches. I'm a sucker for mayo. I know, not good for me, but.... In my defense I usually use half mayo and half yogurt, I figure the yogurt cancels out the bad in the mayo. Hope I'm right. This makes enough for two hearty sandwiches, you can double it of course.

Green Curry with Tofu

This is such a colorful stew/soup with plenty of tasty veggies. You can use Thai green curry paste from the store or make your own. I use the store version. If you want to try your hand at making one, there are plenty of good recipes on the inter web  This is vegan, however if you prefer, you could use chicken. This recipe is adapted from one at 101 Cookbooks.

Cauliflower Soup

This is a silkie smooth, curry flavored soup. It smells wonderful and tastes fabulous. I do enjoy cauliflower and curry together. I make an Indian style cauliflower curry dish that always hits the spot. This soup uses a Thai style curry paste. It is adapted from a recipe at 101 Cookbooks. It is vegan.

Watercress Soup

My hubby loves watercress. He says it's because it's so unusual to find. It is a fun green, with its peppery flavor. Reminds me of proper British teas with little sandwiches and hot tea. And scones and cakes and so on. Luckily we went to the farmer's market last weekend. They had artichokes, asparagus, citrus, strawberries, a bunch more produce, and watercress! Craig snagged a couple bunches.

Asparagus

Asparagus is abundant! I like it so many ways, in soups, pasta, curries, stir fried, and so on. Here is a really simple side dish I came up with recently. It is easy and the asparagus flavor shines.

Lemon-Rosemary Chicken Orzo

Once again a delicious pasta meal. This one has chicken, but you could make some adjustments for a vegetarian dish by leaving out the chicken and upping the veggies, perhaps add some squash or green beans. This recipe helped me use up more of my lemons and is a one pot meal. One pot meals are my favorite. Less to clean up. It is enough for two and can easily be doubled. Adapted from a recipe by Ellie Krieger. 

Garbanzo Bean Tomato Curry

This is a fast week night meal. And it is delicious and vegan if you leave off the yogurt. I like to serve it with the cabbage cilantro slaw and brown basmati rice. When I had lots of fresh figs, I made a fig chutney that goes well with the curry. If you haven't made any chutney lately, a good quality grocery store brand works fine. Last time I made this, I didn't have any garbanzo beans and used white kidney beans instead. I actually liked it a little better, the beans were softer and creamier.

Chocolate Weird Cake

I've renamed this cake. It is now called Chocolate Weird Cake in honor of Teresa Favuzzi who recently passed away. She was a strong disability rights activist and a kind and generous person. She often sang a song "weird is good." The recipe is a good one to make with grand kids as it all happens in the pan you bake it in. I've made this recipe for so many years that I've long since forgotten from where it came. This is a vegan cake. 

Saint Patrick's Day

I always thought corned beef was a mysterious meat created in back rooms with special ingredients. Or maybe it came from some unknown beast. I also wondered why it didn't taste more like corn. You'd think a farm girl like myself would have had a better understanding of what corned beef was, but I didn't. A couple years ago I found out how to make it and was astonished at the simplicity of it. And how utterly delicious homemade corned beef is! How come more people don't make it if its that easy and good I asked myself? Beats me. Here is the recipe I use to make corned beef, I adapted it from one by David Liebovitz. 

Lentil Soup

Here is a simple lentil soup. Don't let the lack of ingredients fool you, it is delicious and filling. Nice for a simple light dinner with salad and bread. The recipe is adapted from one in Lulu's Provencal Table by Richard Olney. It is vegan if you leave off the yogurt.

Spinach Ricotta Shells

I've made some version of this meal for about 30 years. I originally got the idea from an American Heart Association recipe for lasagna during the low fat years. Obviously I abandoned the low fat thing somewhere along the way. It comes together easily. You can make parts of it in advance. You can use grocery store red sauce or make your own; it is adaptable to your situation and time constraints. Craig, of course, loves it. Anything with pasta is a hit. It is vegetarian, but not vegan.

Petrale Sole in Parchment

Nugget grocery store (not the casino) had freshly wild caught petrale sole. It looked good. Petrale sole is firm with a mild taste, not mushy like regular sole. I wanted to bake it in parchment paper. I find cooking fish in the house even with my fan going full blast tends to leave an odor in the air. Baking it in parchment really limits the smell, plus it tastes divine. Hubby is not fond of fish. So I, sometimes, cook mild flavored fish and make a sauce.

Orange Jam

Ever since we moved to a house with a navel orange tree in the back, I've looked for ways to use the oranges. Some years we get a bumper crop, other years just a few. This year it was just a enough to have fresh oranges for a few months. If you have never had backyard oranges, you are missing out. They are juicy, brightly flavored and gorgeous. One of the things I found to do with them is make orange jam. Not marmalade, I'm not a marmalade fan, it is too bitter. Instead this jam tastes like fresh orange juice on your English muffin.

Tahini Pasta

I was pretty skeptical this would taste good. Tahini is a bit bitter for my taste. But, wow were we surprised. This was so good. My hubby did not once ask where the tomato sauce and hamburger was.  That was a real coup for me! Once again I sneaked in a vegan meal. Wink, don't tell him. I was inspired and adapted a recipe on 101 Cookbooks. This was pretty easy and quick.

Overnight Oats

coconut banana chocolate

Happy Valentine's Day! These recipes are for your heart. I admit it, I've gone overboard in love with wait for it ... overnight oats! I was late to the party and really just discovered them last month.  I know, I know, where have I been? These two recipes are my current favorites. Coconut-banana-chocolate and coconut-mango. As you know overnight oats are easy to put together and are a big help on those have-to-dash mornings. I also love them on lazy Sundays when all I want to do is lie in bed, read the Washington Post and snuggle. 

Tandoori Tofu

tandoori tofu

Here is an interesting take on Tandoori Masala chicken. Use tofu instead! I essentially used the same recipe as for chicken Tandoori with a few tweaks, including cooking it in the oven. I've always liked Indian food. When I make it, it turns out pretty Americanized I'm sure, but I still enjoy it. The special part of this recipe is actually the sauce. Hubby loved the sauce and poured it over everything on his plate, even the broccoli. This makes only enough for the two of us. 

Baked Oatmeal

I like oats made this way.  It is easy to put together into one baking dish, bake and then yum. I started on oats a few years ago when my cholesterol was a little high. The doctor suggested eating more oats. I still do it, even though they keep changing their minds about how high is too high and what will make a difference in how high it is. This recipe is vegetarian and adapted from one I saw on 101 Cookbooks. Her recipes are super.

Lemon Pasta

I have too many lemons this time of year. I think I've mentioned this before. I spend time searching and testing lemon recipes. This one turned out very good. The flavor is bright and it feels creamy in the mouth. If you use oil instead of butter, vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and a vegan cheese, it can be vegan. This is an example of simple delicious food that I easily can make. I think I adapted it from something I found in the Raley's Magazine. I sprinkled it with some of my left over lemon bread crumbs.

Hickory Nut Cake My Sister and I Made as Kids

me and my sister

When my sister and I were kids, or maybe teenagers, we found a hickory nut cake recipe somewhere in a book we were reading. I had the impression it was one of the little house on the prairie books, but now don't think that is right. 

Anyway, we had a hickory nut tree on the farm and my Dad liked them, so we thought we'd make it for him. Of course, he had to crack the hickory nuts.  Have you ever tried to crack a hickory nut? They are super hard. Dad used to get out the hammer. This is why the recipe has such a quantity range for the nuts -- you just use what you feel like cracking! 

Baked Eggs

I got this idea from a post on 101 Cookbooks. She posted a recipe for poached eggs on rice. While her recipe looked really good, I wanted something a bit easier for me to put together (no poaching, plus I had no greens or some of her ingredients) and to use up my left over rice. This means you should experiment and use what you have available.

Veggie Bowl

Here is a nutritious and easy meal for when you have left over veggies, protein and fruit. Some might call it a salad, but lettuce is not the main event here.

Start with something green and leafy, like bok choy, chard, kale (if you use kale, cut it fine then rub it for a few minutes with some lemon or oil to help it breakdown and it will be easier to eat), spinach, or lettuce. Then add toppings. 

Toppings will generally fall into these categories: roasted, raw and pickled vegetables, protein, fruit, grains, seeds, nuts and anything else hanging out in the refrigerator. Then top it with a nice dressing, I like to make a rice vinegar, garlic, mustard and olive oil dressing. 

Here is a bowl I made recently.

Garbanzo and Spinach Orecchiette (Little Ears) with Crispy Lemon Bread Crumbs

This is one of those vegan recipes I slip in every once in a while. If it involves pasta - I can pretty much feed my hubby anything. I found this recipe in the Sunset Magazine about a year ago. I've made a few changes and adaptations to it. It makes about 8 cups. Enough for four people. We don't really like left overs unless they are pasta, so we are good with larger pasta recipes.

It comes together pretty quickly. My strategy is to chop up what needs chopping first so I can then focus on the cooking.  Since I'm a pretty slow chopper, it helps me not feel stressed and rushed if I'm trying to chop, cook, etc. all at the same time. That might work for you too.

Quick Pizza Night Dinner

I don't always cook from scratch. Friday night is usually pizza night at my house. Our custom has been to order a pizza for delivery.  Now that we are doing the retired-on-a-tiny-fixed-income gig, we are cutting corners where we can. We decided to see if we could get a grocery store pizza for less than what we pay for a delivered pizza. We wanted something good and not too heavy. Usually we spend about $30 for a medium delivered pizza (we end up with a couple pieces left over for snacking the next day). I like to limit my cheese intake on pizza, mostly because it is clumpy and greasy and high in calories.  Most pizza places these days will provide less or no cheese. Unfortunately, this is not the case with grocery store frozen pizza, so frozen pizza was out of the question.