A Dash Of Heat

Sometimes all it takes is a pinch of this or a dash of that to zing up a meal. This elevates any bland dish and makes it amazing. It could be an herb or spice, a chopped jalapeno or serrano.

Winter stews are always in need of some punching up. Yes, they're hearty and rib sticking but they can be a bit tasteless. Think about adding something as simple as freshly ground black pepper. Just doing this adds a bit of heat and color. For a bit more color, think pink peppercorns. These add a different kind of heat , similar to chilis and have a sweet fruitiness too.If you want a different flavor, dried ginger give any stew an Asian vibe with a more eye opening fire. This would be a great throw in if your stew has more cabbage and carrots in it. It can also be added to chicken stew too. Don't be afraid to flick a teaspoon into your stir fry either.  It's a nice way to balance out the other flavors. Another fire ball of a spice is smokey paprika. Many home chefs just associate it with dusting it on top of deviled eggs or giving color to roasted ham. Yet it can give layers of flavor and fire to even the simplest of dishes. One of the best recipes is chicken paprikash. This incredibly flavorful dish from Hungary , calls for hot or sweet paprika but you can also use the smoked kind. They're made from the same  crushed dried chilies but the smokey version has been smoked dried with oak. The flavor will just be heightened a bit more, highlighting the other ingredients such as tomato paste and sour cream.

Chilies also add to various recipes. There are so many different kinds that you can vary the same recipe with each one and get a different result each time. Most home chefs use jalapenos . They're fun to stuff with bacon and cream cheese or breaded and air fried. Yet, jalapenos can be sliced and mixed into all sorts of dishes.Try some in a meat loaf recipe. This is a great way to zing up a usually bland dish and transform it into something special. Serve with a side of guacamole or sour cream. Jalapenos can also jazz up any kind of burger.They can be mixed into the ground meat or layered with cheese and bacon for a hot of heat. Chopped jalapenos can also bring up the heat on crockpot chilis too. Other chilis such as the temp rising serrano can do wonders with simple cheese dips and even the famed artichoke one. Serrano chilies come in a variety of different colors and are smaller than jalapenos. The piri-piri is another spicy jolt that's used mostly in South African cooking. Piri piri or peri peri chicken is a delicious and fiery way to zing up an ordinary dish. It's usually a marinade that coats and soaks the meat for twenty-four hours before cooking.You could also use it for wings and thighs too,

Bring the heat to your winter cooking. Any dish can be zinged up with spices and chilies. Try them to liven up a blandly cool dish on a chilly night.

Into The Mix

Cake and cookie mixes can be time saving yet they really don't let home bakers get all too creative. However there's nothing wrong with adding to the mixes, spiking them up with flavor or color. It makes for fun baking and eating.

One of the easiest mixes to doctor are brownie ones.Yes, they're good on their own but they can be amped up. I recently did this with Duncan Hines Milk Chocolate Brownie mix. The mix does produce a delicious treat but I wanted something extra. Walnuts are the perfect nut for brownies, they go hand in hand.I added a small package of broken pieces or chips and they gave so much to the recipe.  You could add pecans or peanuts too if you wanted to. The Duncan Hines site has recipes for amaretto brownies along with ones spiked with ground red pepper. If you're adding this, experiment with various pinches of pepper. What you may think is not hot may be a four alarm fire for someone else. Cake mixes can also have an add in or two. Coffee granules can elevate any dark chocolate cake. A small dash of liquor  or even soaking a cake mix cake in rum. The last is the ultimate holiday cake, especially with a homemade hard sauce. Sprinkle cakes are still the cake of the moment. Just remember to add ONLY  quarter of a cup.  I used a full cup once and ended up with  two layers of unbaked disaster. Keep in mind that the sprinkles don't always have to be multicolored. Have all pink or all blue for reveal cakes. Use red and green for Christmas and orange ones in a chocolate cake for Halloween.

Cookie mixes can also be zinged up with all sorts of add ins. Over the years I've added mini chocolate chips to the Betty Crocker oatmeal cookie mix and red and green sprinkles to their sugar cookie mix. Any of these are fun add ins  - especially for a holiday tray or bake sale. M &M's are another great add in, whether they're the regular size or  the mini ones.One of the best additions is Hershey's Kisses to make Blossom cookies. They can be the traditional peanut butter ones or use a sugar cookie mix. Dust with cocoa powder after they're baked for an extra layer of flavor.If you're craving something healthier then think about tossing in some Raisins or Craisins - dried cranberries. They both add an old fashioned sweetness and color to any cookie, especially the spice and oatmeal ones. Nuts can also be a nice add in.  Put the nuts in a chopper first for a finer texture.Think pecans or walnuts to add more of a buttery flavor. Another fun idea is turning the cookies into sandwich ones.The filling is an easy mix of confectioner's sugar, vegetable shortening, butter and a few drops of vanilla extract. You could sub in cocoa powder for vanilla for a fudge-y kind of frosting.

Don't be afraid to add to any cake or cookie mix. Put your own spin on these. A half cup of sprinkles or raisins, a shot of brandy or red pepper will make these average ingredients your signature mark

Your Easter Recipe Guide

Easter  is fast upon us and it's this week, Holy Week, that should be a balance of observance and preparation. Do you have the main curse settled? What about the sides? Will it be an Easter brunch or a potluck? Holiday dinner or  barbecue. Then there are the desserts.Is it all up to you or will it be a group effort? Will there be an egg hunt with treats too? It's time to start deciding and writing up lists.

One of the most important decisions is the main course. The most traditional choices are lamb and ham. The first is big in Mediterranean households, namely Italian and Greek.  Do you cook a whole lamb (which is not for the squeamish) or leg? If it's a small gathering , then a leg of lamb would be the best choice. Your butcher and some groceries can debone and butterfly it.Keep in mind that there are difference between New Zealand and American bred kinds.The American sort is meatier, fattier and sweeter than the other.You could also go with lamb chops too or the slightly tougher shoulder of lamb. Remember that lamb can also be barbecued.What should you serve with them? Fresh spring greens such as asparagus and peas. Ham is another beloved Easter main course. If you feel that it may take over your oven , then assign sides to guests .Another question to ask yourself, do you want it as part of a formal holiday meal or a brunch? That changes the sides. A more traditional dinner would have sides of roasted baby beet salad and possibly green beans with shallots and hazelnuts.Peas with mint are another lovely  side that's both fragrant and tasty. A brunch would not only have the ham as the centerpiece but also veggie laden quiches filled with asparagus and dandelion greens. Also make sure that there are mimosas and bellinis for the adults and juice and seltzer sparklers for the kids.

Easter is more a time of sweets, more so than savory bites. If you have the time, you can bake and ice a lamb cake.It is labor intensive work ( as my previous pictorial posts demonstrate) and it's easier to do if there are two people. Another festive and a bit easier  project is an Easter egg cake.It's just a one layer cake decorated with three or four dyed icings.  You can also buy an Easter egg cookie decorating set. Stop & Shop sells these and they come with already baked shortbread cookies, icing and candies for decorating.  This can also be part of the holiday activities for the kids. There is also the Peeps Coop  which has six already baked cookies to be assembled and decorated with bright yellow icing.  Sprinkles and jelly beans can be added for more dazzle.  As for the young ones, think about making Rice Krispies chicks and bunnies. It's making a whole sheet of the treat and then cutting the shapes with a cookie cutter. The mix can be tinted with food coloring  to make the pops more festive. Cake pops are another fun bite. Coat them in the various chocolates and dip in festive yellow and pink sprinkles. If the dinner is just adults , then end it with a light yet sophisticated lemon jelly roll dusted in confectioner's sugar. A raspberry trifle is also a sweet classy end to a ham or lamb dinner.

This is the time to make decisions for the holiday ahead.  Choose what dishes and treats will work for you and buy their ingredients. Then shop for the dinner ahead. It'll be easy with a list and a clear vision of what you want to make and bake,

Pomelos - The Best Citrus Fruit Ever

January is the time for citrus. Grapefruits, tangerines,clementines and oranges reign supreme  in the produce section yet there a new royal on the scene - the pomelo or the Chinese grapefruit.This beauty is not only super healthy but super tasty. It's the perfect sunny snack on a cold winter's day.

The pomelo resembles a grapefruit on steroids.Imagine if a bowling ball and a grapefruit had a child together.It would be this.:

Its" Latin name is citrus maxima or citrus grandis It goes by a variety of different names such as pamplemousse , pummelo or  pommelo. The Hawaiians call it the jabong while the British call it shaddock as they have for the last three centuries. It was named for a Captain Shaddock who introduced it to Barbados and Jamaica.. One theory about  pomelo's comes from Tamil, a dialect found on the Indian subcontinent, another is that it is a combination of pome - apple and melon. It is one of the original four citrus fruits that others derive from.It is a native of South Asia where it is eaten with salt.It's also sliced and put into salads whille its' juice is used in drinks. There is a warning however. Pomelos are famously known to lower blood pressure. Check with your doctor first if you can eat it if you're taking any blood pressure medications.It is good in cold weather because it has a larger dose of vitamin C than the other citrus fruits

I love this fruit. It's got a mild orange like flavor and it's far from being sour.  The only problem is peeling it. I was surprised to learn that the peel can be candied or dipped in chocolate. The rind is similar to an orange's, only a tad thinner.The correct way to peel it is making four to five slits in the skin  and start peeling. I usually just make one long slit and work at getting the skin off.  The problem with the pomelo is that it has a thick pink underlayer that kind of resembles compressed cotton candy or asbestos. This too has to be peeled away.in order to get the pulp.The slices are large. One person can't eat an entire one at once. Split it and put it in the fridge for the next day It can be juiced for a refreshingly light citrus drink. It can also be turned into a granita or Slushie too. Pomelo pulp can be used in salads too, giving an orange-y sweetness to a spinach or field green ones.The juice can be used in shrimp and scallop dishes as well.

The pomelo is a huge drop of sunshine on a cold January day. Buy one and enjoy it's light and refreshing  taste. It's the perfect antidote for all this snow and ice.

The Maine Shrimp Drought

Once again global warming is ruining how we eat. This time it's the Maine shrimping industry that's being hit. What that translates into is shutting down fisheries and locals losing jobs. It also means that the taste of Maine shrimp will be a memory.

Mary Pols who's more into sustainability than cooking and a regular contributor to Down East wrote this extensive and in depth look into her native Maine's  shrimp industry.It's the main story in today's New York Times Food section. This won't be the first time the industry will be closed. It first happened in 2014 when regulators shut down fishing. The hope was that the shrimp would reproduce enough to replenish the waters and jump start a local industry that was ion the verge of dying. Now the fisheries are being closed through the upcoming year - and it's not the fault of local fisherman. Rather it's climate change - and in effect - all of us that are responsible for this problem. To the average person Maine waters may still seen chilly - even in the summer but water temps have been rising four and a half degrees since 1906. This results in poor egg production and even poorer survival rate for shrimp larvae. Fisherman still want to bring them in. After all, they reason, why not reap what's left?There's also a plus in all of this. Prices for them will rise thanks to the scarcity which means a bigger profit.

Maine shrimp isn;t really widely known outside the state. They're a very small breed, usually used in shrimp cocktails, soups and shrimp salads. They similar to Oregon shrimp in color - a bright reddish pink and size.  Many Downeasters prize it, using it in all sorts of dishes. There have always been cookbooks written about it, the first starting in 1906 with the Proved And Tested Cooking Receipts by The Ladies of The Universalist Society of Rockland. The dish reflected the times, shrimp a la creme, a dish similar to Lobster Newberg. Local home chefs even canned it.Politicians tried to raise its' profile as did Everett F Greaton, the executive secretary of Maine's Development Commission and a booster of all Maine products.He served Maine apples stuffed with the crustaceans (!!) to the governor of the time. Mind, you this was back in 1942.More modern recipes include the roadside favorite, deep fried shrimp served piled high in a paper tray and doused with ketchup. For home chefs interested in cooking Maine shrimp, be warned. They are very expensive.Prices can range from $70  fro just two pounds!use them in bisque or salads, They're not really good for kabobs or as an hors d'ouevres.

Maine shrimp are just the latest victims in the climate change disaster. Hopefully the ban starting January 1st will help in saving them. However, it's up to us to also try to preserve them.

The Easter Cupcake Exravaganza

Easter is here and I wanted to do something fun yet familiar. Of course I chose cupcakes with that sinfully yummy cream cheese icing that I got from All Recipes' web site. Here's how it went down :

I used Duncan Hines' Devil's Food cake mix which is a little more intense than their average ones I 've previously used. The cupcakes had to be baked  five minutes more because of the batter's density.

I used the cute bunny and chick cupcake papers from Target.

This is raw

This is baked.

Here is that great icing being made.

I added two tiny drops of McCormack's food coloring red, (looks like the icing got cut and bled)

More blending with the electric mixer to get this blushy  shade of pink.

And voila! - Sprinkle on candy bunnies also for Target!!

HAPPY EASTER, EVERYONE!!!

My Little Cake Shop

One more piece of my bake shop puzzle arrived today. The Ohuhu cake stand arrived, thanks to Amazon.

Soon I will have my icing spatula and icing comb to create those professional looking lines on the iced sides of a cake. I also have my Wilson icer

Thanks to my new , and sadly overworked oven, I will be trying all sorts of fun recipes and decorating. This week I will be making homemade fudge along with carrot cake cupcakes and banana bread.What I am looking forward to is making my friend's favorite cake - butter with chocolate buttercream. This will my masterpiece. It will have combed sides along with delicate puffs of icing along with  pink buttercream roses and pale green leaves.

My baking days are starting up again.I'm looking forward to all sorts of creations, from coconut macarons to chocolate chip cookies to elegantly iced cakes.

And a few fudge bars too.

Watermelon Summer's Fruit

Yesterday's Times Dining section had another interesting article about watermelon. It;s the perfect fruit for right now. It's cool, crisp and sweet, perfect for these hot days.The piece had a variety of helpful hints too that are useful in picking out melon. Let's face it , there's nothing like the perfect wedge of watermelon.

The article written by Dining regular, Kim Severson, is really a homage to the fruit. She writes about growers trying to create the perfect hybrid. Growers are looking for seedless ones, with crisp flesh that has a vegetal but sweet flavor, more organic than candyish. There's also the quest for a thicker rind, which would make future melons better for shipping. The color ios also being improved with a greener rind and much more vibrant,pinker flesh.

Severson's article also has some interesting recipes, There's a watermelon surf and turf that includes halibut. That wouldn't be my cup of tea. I would prefer a fiery watermelon salsa. There's also a cucumber watermelon salad with pistachios that I could see accompanying grilled chicken. There are also tips about how to thump melon and how to distinguish a ripe melon;s sound (more tenor than bass according to Ms. Severson).

Watermelon is the best treat in this weather.It's not only cooling but it satisfies your sweet tooth.It's also healthy and low cal. You can eat as much as you want and not feel guilty!

Lovin' From The Oven

Well,tomorrow is Valentine's Day and hopefully all you baking savvy foodies are busy with flour and sugar. Nothing says loves like a fresh baked treat whether it be a batch of muffins or a devil's food cake with rich , fudge frosting. You don't have have to knock yourself out. There's Pillsbury and Duncan Hines to turn to if you're a lousy baker.

What to make? Hey, everyone and I mean everyone loves chocolate chip cookies, even Pillsbury';s Slice and Bake kind. There's nothing like the taste of brown sugar and dark, bitter chocolate melting on one's tongue. Sugar cookies are good too. Use heart shaped cookie cutters and then dust with red sugar. A better deal is to ice them with pastel frostings and write cute messages on them. For a more sophisticated batch try gaufrettes, buttery thin wafers that work well with either coffee , tea or a sweet dessert wine.

If you want your valentine to start the day off with some love think about baking biscuits or muffins for breakfast. There are some quick mixes out there that you can create an almost immediate batch of them. they're also not that elaborate to whip up so you can spend your energy making other breakfast goodies. Fresh bread , although, not necessarily thought of as romantic, also makes a nice opener to the day. There's nothing like it to go with bacon and eggs or a big country omelet.

If you're planning on a full dinner for several, then think about making a cake or cupcakes. Red velvet, though a bit more complicated to make than the average is a perfect end for an informal gathering. A plain pound or Bundt cake served with fresh strawberries and cream (or Cool Whip) is a great way of ending a Valentine's meal.If you're throwing a Valentine's Day buffet, then think about ending it with chocolate and vanilla cup cakes iced in pink and white.

Show your love this Valentine's Day by baking your heart out. Have a batch of something hot and sweet waiting for your beloved.

Pepper Is Hot!!!!!

A week ago I wrote about salt. Now it's time to write about its' companion: pepper. Don't discount this amazing spice as just another seasoning for your burgers or mashed potatoes. Like salt it has been elevated to gourmet level these days with stores and web site selling a variety of different ones. With these peppercorns you can turn the most boring food into something exotic and spicy.

Pepper has been around for thousands of years. Our black pepper comes from the tip of the Indian subcontinent and was considered currency during the early years of global exploration. Its' name derives from the Sanskrit pippali and the Latin piper. Back then pepper had been used to mask the taste of rotting meat. Now it's used to add zing to any dish.

For foodies there are stores and web sites specializing just in peppercorns. Before you buy, know that there are not just black peppercorns, but also pink, white, and green ones as well. Black and white peppercorns actually come from the same plant but the white are the more mature ones that have had their black husks removed. Green peppercorns have a slightly different taste. They're pistachio in color and have a fruity green flavor similar to -well those green peppers you stuff. Pink peppercorns look more like tiny cranberries and have a slightly sweet-peppery taste to them. They would be perfect for dressing duck or making a fiery vinaigrette. There are other peppers worth mentioning: the Szechuan and the French. The first is used in the cooking of the same name. They have a fiery fruity taste and a zing guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes. The second is the French , blend of black and green peppercorns, excellent for seasonings and rubs. There is a great website where you can learn more and buy pepper in bulk. Go to www.bulkpeppercorns.com

If you're too busy to web shop ,then try your supermarket's local spice section.
McCormack, the giant and grand daddy of all spice companies has good cracked pepper. I tried it in my chicken tarragon salad for zip and the peppers really livened it up. I plan on using it again when I make a lemon pepper marinade for my tofu chicken strips. It has a wonderful fire and also adds a certain crunch to anything. Try it in your marinades or just as a good coating on grilled veggies and ribs.

Pepper is hot, in more ways than one. It's a great spice to rediscover and add to traditional dishes for more zest. Make it a part of your summer.

Tarragon-Pepper Chicken Salad

2 cans chicken chunks (deviled chicken)
5 t0 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons dried tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons cracked pepper

Mix chicken and mayonnaise until well blended. Mix in tarragon and pepper. You can adjust the amounts to satisfy your tastes.
Serve on crackers or on kaiser rolls