Fun with Creepy Crawly Lake Monsters

Okay..kids put that thing back!

Yes they do pinch very hard!

This is the biggest one our son, George has every caught! His first gift to a girl…sort of.

We had some friends from China over and they were thrilled this these creatures.I am truly amazed at these fearless little girls! Half of George’s friends won’t even pick these up!

And George thought he was going to see these girls go running and screaming after he showed them what he caught.

I must admit, I have eaten them before and they are very good. But they are serving a purpose here on the lake. So no crayfish soup or boil today.

Look at this one…full of eggs. She has to go back in the lake!

Wow..that’s a lot of baby crayfish eggs! Science in the back yard!

Now they have mom involved!

Just thought I would share. Happy Creepy Crawly Crayfish Day!

 

 

Goat Cheese and Leek Tart

Goat Cheese and Leek Tart….using gifts of farm foods.

I was recently given some delicious gifts of homemade goat cheese, fresh leeks and organic farm fresh eggs. Each gift was from three different people. They all know me very well and how much I really love gifts of food. When I realized they had given me all the perfect ingredients to make one of my favorite dishes; Leek and Goat Cheese Tart, I couldn’t wait to make it!

Farm fresh eggs – these will be the best  eggs you have ever tasted!

There is nothing like fresh goat cheese. The texture is creamy and mild. Store bought works just as well, but if you can get your hands on the fresh stuff, choose that over store-bought. You will be amazed at the difference. You can find fresh goat cheese at many of the farmers markets.

Fresh eggs from chickens that eat more than grains have yolks that are bursting with color and flavor. The yolks almost taste sweet and will give whatever you are baking a beautiful deep yellow color. Many farmers locally have eggs for sale directly at their farms. Take a chance and stop by, you won’t be disappointed!

Leeks are a mildly flavored variation of the onion. They are perfect in dishes that you don’t want to overpower with onion flavor. Leeks let the other ingredients shine too. You don’t want to cover up the amazing fresh goat cheese!

You can use a prepared pie crust from the grocery store and press it into a pie plate if you don’t have a tart pan. Or, Follow the recipe below for a perfect tart crust.

These may not seem like very special ingredients on their own, but when combined, maybe your idea of perfect gifts will be of food too!

You can use a pastry cutter or a food processor

Pulse until butter is cut in.

Add water through the feed tube.

Okay – I know this is super anal…but I hate having a messy counter top, so I make it on a cookie sheet. See how  crumbly it looks? But, it comes together nicely.

I love this little pastry roller!

Leek and Goat Cheese Tart

½ cup whole milk

½ cup heavy whipping cream

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

¼ salt

½ cup fresh goat cheese

1 ½ cups of the cooked leeks

4 leeks (white and pale green parts, halved, and sliced thinly into ¼ inch-thick slices)

¼ cup butter

2 tablespoons of water

½ teaspoon salt

Prepared tart/pie crust

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

2 sticks butter ( I use salted)

1/4 cup ice-cold water.

Blend flour and salt. Cut in butter until sandy looking. Add water and mix until dough holds together. Set in a cool spot until your ready to roll out.

Directions for tart:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out crust to fit a 9 inch tart pan or pie plate. If using a tart pan, use pie weights or beans in cheese cloth to keep the dough from sliding down the sides of the pan.

Bake crust until dry and set about 30 minutes. Remove beans or pie weights and continue to cook until crust is pale yellow, about 15-20 minutes.

Leeks are good and easy to make.

To make the cooked leeks, melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add leeks and stir to coat. Add water and salt, reduce heat to low, cover and cook until leeks are tender, stirring often, about 25 minutes. Uncover and cook off any extra liquid. Cool.

Filling- whisk, milk, cream, egg, yolk, and salt together. Spread half of cheese on the bottom of the warm tart shell. Spread cooked leeks over cheese and top with remaining cheese. Pour milk mixture over cheese and leeks. Bake until filling is puffy and golden brown on top and center is set. About 35-40 minutes. Cool slightly and serve with grapes and crusty French bread.

“Excuse me, is that leek and goat cheese tart  I am smelling?” “If so, I’d really like some …please?”

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The Best Cakes Ever: Perfect Balance of Salty & Sweet

Best chocolate cake ever!

I know…I’m crazy….Crazy for cake!

Left over cake is….a true test of my will power. Few things can derail me. The only thing that beats cake is my husband sweet talking to me (I’m afraid, that I will never get over). Cake is a close second. Coming in at a close third is bed time. I tend to run a little hot (over doing myself) and at the end of the day, bed is all I can think about after 8pm.

I don’t like anything to control me, especially food. Cake has lots of things going for it. It’s usually beautiful to look at. It smells like goodness. The texture melts away, and it tastes like heaven in your mouth.

Okay, I know there are some bad cakes out there…from the over sized super dee duper bake a thousand cake in one day bakeries & Markets. Those cakes taste like chemicals. Sometimes, people who bake cakes forget about salt and their cakes taste like nothing more than a sugar cube. Those cakes remind me of the first time I had rock candy as a kid. I was super excited to taste the pretty looking pink rocks that ended up tasting like the sugar bowl that sat on my kitchen table. Blahh! Oh and don’t get me started on fondant..double yuck!!

Rib, anyone?

So how can a cake derail you from your deepest will power and convictions? With the perfect combination of sugar and salt. A few years ago, I remember reading about the worlds perfect food combinations that are irresistible. They all had the perfect combinations of salt & sweet. Think of things like caramel corn and hummmm; sweet corn on the cob with salty butter dipping down your fingers. Or, salted caramel, waffles and fried chicken and sweet BBQ ribs. I know your with me. Those things are irresistible, aren’t they? Yes, I’m hungry too.

So here is one recipe of many for perfect chocolate cake. There is a bakery in Minneapolis that makes a cake similar to this one and they call it the Yum Cake- how perfect! I have to agree with them. They are one of the few bakeries that get it right.

Simply delicious

Treat yourself to a little piece of heaven tonight. Note, I said a little piece. Then give the rest away. You will make yourself happy and those that you gave some love to. Or, you could have a love hate relationship with cake like me. You’ll be standing in the kitchen, minding your own business then all of sudden you here that small cakey voice calling to you. Saying things like oh, one little taste won’t hurt. Before you know it one little sliver has led to another little sliver and by the third little sliver you will be wishing you had just taken a normal size piece in the first place. Cake love…hate…or what ever you want to call it.

Duffus welcoming his new playmate D2

Even my kitty and doggy-Duffus remind me of chocolate cake with butter cream frosting.

Incredibly Irresistible Chocolate Cake

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s one bowl chocolate cake

Makes three 8-inch cakes, 24

2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 ¼ cups buttermilk or powdered buttermilk with equal addition of water
2 eggs, plus one yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups brewed coffee, cooled to luke warm temperature

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with Baker’s Joy (worth every penny). Line the bottoms with parchment and spray with Baker’s joy.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Easy to make!

With the electric mixer on low-speed, blend for about 30 seconds. In another bowl, combine the oil and buttermilk and blend on low until moistened.

My secret ingredient

Whisk the eggs and coffee together, and add to the oil and butter milk. Make a well in the flour mixture. Pour the liquid ingredients in and beat on low for 30 seconds. Beat on high for an additional 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Batter will be very wet. Pour into prepared pans and tap out any air bubbles.

Bake for 38 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cakes cool for about 10 minutes. Carefully turn them out onto the wire racks and cool completely. Remove the paper liners. Proceed to frosting the cake… your almost there.

 

Recipe For Success: Planning a Big Party

Feeding frenzies!

My biggest job ever..feeding 5,000 at the Muck Ruckus last August. Talk about stressful!

From time to time we all seem to get an opportunity to throw a large party. Summer is the season of weddings, graduations, and family reunions. I know what a big under taking this can be. Catering food for a large event can be scary and downright paralyzing from the fear of getting someone sick from the food at your party. After owning and running other large-scale food businesses, I have created some steadfast advice that will help you feel confident and have a beautiful party or event.

• Planning ahead of time is the most important part of having a great party. Take time to sit down and go over all the details from start to clean up. More times than I would like to admit, I would plan out my event and forget the clean up part, costing me extra time and money. Thinking through all of the details will help you avoid big ugly surprises.
• Plan your storage space carefully, especially for perishable food items. I remember speaking with a gal many years ago about catering her daughter’s wedding. She wanted advice on how to cook large amounts of food at home for 150 people. She wanted to do this herself. The first question I asked was, “do you have enough space in your freezer or fridge to hold 150 pieces of chicken which is equal to 56 lbs or roughly half the size of me? Plus, don’t forget your side items and the space they take up too.” She immediately asked me to cater her daughter’s wedding for her. Large amounts of perishable food must be stored carefully. No wants their party remembered by the fact everyone became ill.
• Communication is key. You will need other people to pull off a big party. I make a list of everything that needs to be done, when and who will be doing what. Stick to the list and make adjustments as you go. Make sure you communicate this to your friends and family who will be helping you. You will want to enjoy the party too and by taking time to explain what’s going to happen everyone will be on the same page. Then tape it to the wall where everyone can see it. That way, they don’t need to keep coming to you for direction, interrupting you from visiting and celebrating at your own party.
• Draw it out on paper. I call these valuable visuals, flow charts.
  

  Here is an old chart from a wedding. The circles are tables not including the chairs.

  I measure the space where the party will be and how the traffic of people will move around the party. I also draw out the serving tables and where the food will be served from. There is nothing worse than going to a party where no one can get to the food table or the lines are clogged and your great-grandmother faints from standing in the food line to long. Allow a 24” circumference per person when you make your scale model for a party. Cut out the circles and move them around your flow cart to make sure you have enough room for everyone to move freely.

  

  With some thought you can cater anywhere!

  

  Freezer space it critical with perishable items

  

  Mega amounts of food is scary!

  

  Do you have all the tools?

Taking time to think through these simple items can take you party from disaster to success regardless of what kinds of foods you served. Most people won’t remember what they ate at your party, but they will remember how they felt. Enjoy the process and celebrate each facet of party planning. Planning eliminates stress and can even make it a fun! Happy wedding, graduation, and reunion planning! Summer is finally here.

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Potato Love: Simple Oven Roasted Potatoes

Mr. & Mrs. Potato and their two children.

My husband asked, ” do the french make these” I said no, there not pretty enough!” If they do, they line them up in a pan and call the something fancy Like, potatoes Anna. You must  say this with your nose in the air to get the full effect.

There is not much wild about potatoes other than I am wild for them. I Love potatoes. Reds are my favorite. They have less starch and a smooth texture.

It’s easy to love humble things. Especially humble people. I love the not so humble people in my life too. Some people are more like rutabagaies; pungent, inconsistent and I can’t eat one everyday. Some people are like potatoes; sweet and smooth, and consistent and are always there for you. Like I said I love potatoes.

There is nothing special about the potato. Wait, what did I just say? There is sooo many special things about the potato. Let’s count just a few of them.

1. Chips
2. Fries
3. Baked
4. Stuffed
5. Tossed
6. Mashed
7. Smashed (don’t get them mistaken for mashed)
8. Boiled
9. Roasted
10. Fried (not to be confused with fries)

How many other veggies have that kind of an resume??

Enjoy the simple pleasure of a potato in one of my favorite forms.

Oven Roasted Red Potatoes

4 large red potatoes ( I like Nord or Adirondack red)

3 table spoon of olive oil

1-2 tsp Lawery’s seasoned salt.

Chop potatoes into large pieces, about 1 x 1″ size pieces. Toss with the oil. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 20-25 minutes. Super easy and goes well with any wild or tame meats.

I like roasted potatoes with grilled fish,

More things I love…

Duffus’s new best friend… Daneetoo!

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Bee Happy It’s Spring: Baking with Honey

The new Bees are in their hives. The Queens are laying and my honey supply is dwindling. So hurry up and make some honey bees!

Making things with honey is very satisfying. I love knowing I’m using a wild natural sugar. This is honey oat bread! My favorite bread recipe.

Honey Oatmeal Bread

The last of three jars.

I love homemade bread but I try to limit how much I eat of it. Gluten doesn’t bode well with me. I should say more like bloats with me. My daughter a dietetics major, made a suggestion yesterday, that I should use regular flour because it has less gluten….she is so smart. So the next time I make this I will try it with AP flour. She is brilliant! As for this post, we’ve got full octane gluten full bread flour.

 

The original recipe is almost 20 years old. Yes, I was a doodler.

I usually make this in my bread maker (I let it do all the kneading for me), but your can make it by hand. Both work great.

Pretty isn’t she?

 

I always use parchment paper.

Using parchment always makes life of a cook easier. Don’t bake with out it!

All rise…the honorable bread has entered the room.

I slide my bread right on to my peel to let it rise so I disturb it as little as possible.

Ready to bake bread.

You will love this recipe. I promise!

Honey Oatmeal Bread

1 1/4 cup water

2 tsp yeast

3 tablespoons honey

1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 1/2 cup bread flour

2/3 cup old fashion oats

1 1/2 tsp salt

If you are using a bread maker, follow the manufacturer’s  instructions on the dough setting. Each bread maker is different. Continue with the recipe when the dough is ready for the final rise.o

By hand the old fashion way:

Mix the yeast and the water together with one tablespoon of the honey and let sit until puffy and foamy. Just like in the pic here.

Some seriously nice looking yeast!

Mix the dry ingredients together. Add the yeasty water and the rest of the honey and oil, Knead by hand until smooth (with the little lumps of oats), about 8 minutes. let the dough rest for about 30 minutes covered in a bowl. Punch the dough down and knead again for another 5 minutes. Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper on a peel or cookie sheet and spray dough with olive oil and cover with plastic.  Set dough in a warm spot and let rise until doubled in size.

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Bake until bread is golden brown, about 35 minutes.

How’s this for cuteness? They go well with my favorite things! Bread, butter, honey, kittens, and my  sweet Gee~!

PS I love my new camera!

 

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Food Fight: Exercise vs. Pizza & Cake

I wish I could run like this!

Ever feel like you are in a constant food fight? Not a typical food fight in the high school lunch room, where kids are literally throwing food at each other, but one that is a little more subtle. More like a fight between “good” vs. “bad”.

“I’ll do anything for a piece of that cake mom!”

These are the real food fights we battle every day. Do you tell yourself things like; I shouldn’t eat that, but it tastes so good, or I know if I eat that I won’t feel so good afterwards, or even ask, “is this good for me?”  You’re not alone. The fight against what is good for us and what tastes good is a daily dilemma for most people.

Recently, I was getting ready to go for run. I had to think of what I had eaten that morning to determine if it was going to be a good run or not. I know from past runs or exercise work-outs, that when I eat lots of sugary foods I cannot run or perform as well. I also, know if I eat too much salt I can swell up like a balloon and my feet resemble the feet from the movie character Shrek. As I get older, (which is happening all too fast) I feel the effects of my food choices more easily. If I consume a diet to high in sugar, salt or fats I can feel the effects sometimes for days and I can’t do the activities I’d like to do very well. I love to feel good, but I also like to eat good tasting foods and sugar too. How do we find a balance that will help us do the things we enjoy, but also eat the things that taste so blasted good?

The first step in winning the food fight is figuring out what foods seem to bother you. When I first realized my sugar vs. running dilemma, I cut out most sugars out during the work week so I could exercise without feeling crummy. Then on Friday nights, I would reward myself with a yummy healthier version of a sugary treat and homemade pizza (my one true weakness).

My running vs. sugar has become less of a battle, but I do slip up here and there. On those days when I’m not feeling at the top of my game, I will walk, because I always feel better after doing something instead of nothing. Life is all about adjustments and persevering through battles and because we live in the land of plenty; food will always be one battle we will fighting for a long time.

Now that the good weather is finally here I am seeing people outside exercising everywhere and it encourages me to do the same. It also makes me think twice about eating that second cookie or loading up on something that will create more of a challenge than putting on my running shoes or worse, my swim suit.

This Friday night my body will be soar and I’ll feel worn out, but I will be entirely content when I Thank the Good Lord for pizza and cake. It always tastes better when I’ve worked hard for it!

Enjoy the battle!

Lisa’s Pizza Dough

2 2/3 cups bread flour

1 tsp yeast

1 ½ tsp coarse salt

9 oz water at 110 degrees

2 Tablespoons of olive oil, divided

My little work horse!

In a bowl or food processor combined yeast, salt and flour together, add water and oil. Mix in the food

See how the dough forms together…now it’s done!

processor until dough forms a ball (30-45 seconds) or knead by hand until dough is somewhat smooth (6-8 minutes) on a floured surface.

Dough will be very sticky!

Work it baby!

Place dough in a well oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Aaah resting…so peaceful.

Let dough rise for about 1 ½ hours until doubled in size.

Divide dough into 2 equal pieces and stretch out each piece by hand on parchment paper with your fingertips (dough will be sticky).  Brush each pizza crust with remaining oil. Top with your favorite toppings and cheese. Bake in a preheated oven at 550 or as hot as your oven’s temp will go. Bake directly on the middle oven rack until toppings are bubbling and cheese is golden brown.

Beautiful pizza

Parchment paper will turn brown and fragile so be sure to use a cookie sheet or peel when removing from the oven.

Look at that beautiful crust!

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