The Charmed Kitchen

We had a great day on Friday. The kids cooked excellent dishes. Here are some of the things they created. I am so proud of all of them for working so hard. I suspect there may be a few future chefs in this group!!!

Had the most wonderful time today. My dear friend Kathleen Cohill Varga has at last reopened her shop. Its been a long time since she had the shop in Peninsula. The new shop is in Wadsworth at 1719 Reimer Rd. It’s just a little bit west of Rte. 94. As always Kathleen will feature her products- jellies and jams like you’ve never seen before. Also her vinegars and local products from local vendors. Can’t say enough about how cute the place is and how warm and welcoming Kathleen is. She will also carry my books and herbs. Lets all get together and support her. Go to the shop- check out what she has to offer. Tell your friends.  She is open Tuesday to Sunday 11-6.

  Love you, Kathleen. You are like a sister- best wishes!!!!!

Some tips to keep you cool.

Cook once, use twice. Cook a double batch of meat, dried beans, pasta, vegetables, whatever.  Freeze the extra for another day so you don’t have to cook it twice.

Grill whenever possible. It keeps the kitchen cool, is generally a healthy way to cook and allows the cook to be a part of the party.

Be a seasonal cook. Market prices on seasonal vegetables and fruits are generally lower and the flavor of fresh produce can’t be beat. Use them in salads, desserts and on the grill. If you or family members have a garden, plan menus around the bounty that nature provides at this time of year.

Re-invent the sandwich. Go beyond peanut butter and jelly on white bread. Use interesting breads like multigrain, pita, tortillas, and bagels. French bread etc.  Then get a little creative with the fillings. Try crab meat salad, or turkey ham with artichoke. Try grilling a whole Portobello mushroom cap and serving with grilled onions and cheese. You can just pile up vegetables and have a sort of tossed salad sandwich.

Spill the beans. Canned beans are a quick way to make a summer salad more filling, or to make any one of a number of fun dishes. Just drain and rinse for high protein, high fiber and no-cook ingredients.

Pastamania! There are so many new and exciting pasta on the market take advantage and try one of them in an old recipe to dress it up. Pasta cooks quickly and can be cooked ahead of time. Pasta come in many flavors, colors and shapes and can easily add interest to your summer menu. Fresh pasta cooks even faster than dried.

Buy a roasted chicken at your local store. Now you have a healthy entree and can round out dinner with a salad and some bread. Also the leftovers can make great salads or sandwiches for additional meals.

Use the microwave for cooking potatoes or rice. It will not heat up the kitchen as much as conventional cooking methods and rice and potatoes make a good base for salads.

Drink up. With warmer weather comes the need for more fluids. Drink plenty of water, but also enjoy lemonade, iced herbal teas and sparkling fruit juices. Watch out for alcohol and caffeine laden beverages as they act as diuretics and can dry you out. These should be enjoyed in moderation in hot weather and never after times of strenuous activity when your body needs water the most.

Fresh fruit is often the nicest dessert. Fruit salads or kabobs can be served along with homemade sorbets and smoothies.

I have always had a special love for beans, green or yellow. When I was a kid my family would go out to the country on weekends, usually Sundays and stop at roadside stands on the way home. When they were in season we would always buy green beans. My Mom would boil them until just tender then pile them up on a big plate. She sprinkle them with a little salt and add a pat of butter to the top. We’d sit there and pick up a bean, run it over the butter and eat it. Can’t think of beans without thinking of my Mother and Sunday night bean feasts. To this day I like them simple.

One of the treasures in my bag this week from Blue Pike Farm are Yellow Roman or Italian Beans. They are so fresh I ate several raw while still at the farm.  Here is one of my favorite bean recipes. The Yellow Roman beans will pair up nicely with the other ingredients.

Green Beans with Herb Butter

1 lb. Green or yellow beans, washed and trimmed

¼ c. butter

¾ c. minced onionor shallots

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ c. minced celery

2 T. sesame seeds

2 T. chopped parsley

¾ t. salt

¼ t. each rosemary and basil

Boil or steam beans until tender, about  8 minutes. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, start sauce. Heat butter in skillet and add onion, garlic, celery and sesame seeds. Cook 5 minutes then add seasonings and cook, covered, 10 minutes more. Toss beans with sauce.  Serves 4.

Hearts and Flowers Pickles

I made sweet pickles today from beets, carrots and turnips cut into heart and flower shapes. I know, this makes me look like I have too much time on my hands. At the moment the opposite is actually true. I am pretty busy these days. I’ll blame it on Jonathan who gave me the idea the other night. I had turnips I planned on pickling and was going to add beets to them for color and flavor. I just wasn’t excited about it.  He suggested cutting out the veggies into little heart shapes. Well, I must admit I did want to make them after that- just to see how they would come out. I also added carrots to the mix. I peeled the carrots then ran the tip of a knife blade along them to make grooves. when I sliced the carrots the grooves made them look like little flowers. They are out of the canner and I must say they are adorable. Best to let them “pickle ” a few more weeks so I’ll let you know how they taste then.

I will be at the Blue Pike Farm market tomorrow (July 12)  from 4-7. I’ll have my jams and jellies, zucchini bread, herb packets and chocolate beet cake. Last time I’ll be at the market until August. Blue Pike Farm is located at 900 E. 72 Street- just South of the Shoreway and North of St. Clair.

It is going to get hot again. I got this recipe from Brad Reynolds via Carl. I thought it might be a nice idea for you to try. I made the soup and LOVED it! Wasn’t sure but I must admit the taste was great. There was the sweetness of the watermelon balanced out with the earthiness of the beets. I added the stock to the first batch I made but found myself enjoying the taste of soup without it on the second batch. Sort of a super healthy smoothie. I made a bigger batch the second time.You gotta love the color, too. So pretty.

Brad thanks so much for your recipe!!!

Cold Beet and Watermelon Soup

1 part diced beet (cooked)

1 part diced seedless watermelon

Put in blender

Add Chicken or Vegetable stock to taste/consistency

Add salt if desired

Dollop with Creme Fraiche or Sour Cream or even Greek Yogurt, if desired

Garnish with fresh mint.

With any cold soup- chill well after you make it. You might even want to chill the bowls and spoons.

If you are awash in squash like I am right now another zucchini recipe is a good thing. What’s nice about these is they cook so quickly you won’t heat up the whole house making them. Oh, and they taste yummy, too.

Zucchini  Pancakes

2 medium zucchini

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 T. flour

¼ t. baking powder

1 t. salt or to taste

Pepper to taste

2 T. grated onion, I used dried chopped onion

½ c. oil

Trim zucchini and grate coarsely. Place in large bowl.  Add the rest of the ingredients, except the oil and stir to combine. Heat oil in a skillet. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of the batter into the skillet. Cook several minutes per side or until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels and serve. Serves 6-8.

OK folks, here is the other beet cake recipe- using raw beets. As an added bonus I am also including the Parsnip Cake recipe.

Beet Cake

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups shredded fresh beets

1 cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350 °.  Grease and flour 13×9 baking pan. Beat eggs, sugar and oil until light and fluffy. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add to egg mixture and mix well. Add vanilla, beets and walnuts. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed. Pour into pan, bake for 45 minutes, or until a pick comes out clean.

Parsnip Spice Cake

1½ c. flour

1 c. sugar

1 T. ground ginger

2 t.  each baking powder and cinnamon

¾ t. each salt, nutmeg, allspice and cloves

3 eggs

½ c. oil

½ c. whole milk

1 t. vanilla

2 c. packed peeled, shredded fresh parsnips, about 3 large

½ c. toasted, chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 13×9- inch baking pan. Combine flour and sugar with dry ingredients and set aside. Whisk together the eggs, oil and milk and vanilla and pour over the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined and then stir in the parsnips and walnuts. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes or until tester comes out clean.  When cool dust with powdered sugar or frost with cream cheese frosting.

Chocolate Beet Cake

This post goes out to all my friends in the NEO foodies group. Our first annual potluck was an explosion of passion, fun, love, energy and great food. I want to name all of you- but fear I will forget too many. I will try, though. Thanks to Larry  and Rai Collins for hosting and for the idea to begin with. Kay Ryan, Susie Sharp, Kevin Scheuring ( grill master), Pat Hartmann, Liga Zemesarajs, Judy Novak, Diane Sikorski, Timothy Smith, Quintin Brail, Nancy Heller and even a surprise visit from Ryann Anderson. So fun putting names and faces together. Thanks, too, to Linda and T.J. Roby for letting me park at their house and for being such dear friends for so many years. So many people worked so hard to make it a success. Weather was perfect and staying to watch the sunset by the lake was the perfect end to a perfect day.

My contribution was a chocolate beet cake that was enjoyed by many. As promised I am posting the recipe for all of you. Love and hugs!!

Chocolate Beet Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

3 large eggs, beaten

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, Canola or corn oil

1½ cups grated cooked beets

2 teaspoons vanilla

Powdered sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine flour, soda, salt, sugar and cocoa in a bowl; set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs and oil. Beat in vanilla and continue beating until well blended. Slowly beat in dry ingredients until well mixed; stir in beets. Pour into a greased and floured 9×13-inch baking pan. Bake at 350° for 25 to 35 minutes, or until cake bounces back when touched lightly with finger. Cool in pan on a rack. Frost cooled cake or dust with powdered sugar.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. Cream cheese, softened

3/4 c. powdered sugar

1 stick butter, room temperature

Beat all together until fluffy. Frost cake and refrigerate until ready to eat.