Archive for the ‘Special Occasions’ Category
Hello, Dear Readers:
Well, my continued apologies for being so darn late. I was going to write, then postponed a couple of times, then. . .I got sick. And as I explained in my last blog post, I said goodbye to my third kitty cat in 3.5 years. Not feeling up to much of anything; sometimes the words don’t come.
I still can’t believe she’s buried in the cold ground.
Me and the GER are still grieving for Jezebel the step-kitty, and now it’s his turn to get sick. He was self-medicating with Nyquil, but he must be feeling better, because his last email discussed beer. . . .
Me, I haven’t been sleeping well, so I’ve missed some walking with Neighbor K. I’m still walking, but haven’t been at the same time as K. She’s been very nice about it. I’m going to try again tomorrow for the 4 am wake-up call.
Thanksgiving was. . .solitary. That was unexpected, but since the GER got sick, it was just me. Well. . .I made some gluten-free bread over the weekend for turkey sandwiches. The seven-inch gluten-free apple pie was mine, all three pieces (not at once.) The cranberry sauce is gone, but I need to find a different sweetener than Somersweet; let’s just say I was stuck at home for a while.
Last night I made a turkey sandwich from last week’s Herb Roasted Turkey Breast, just like the one I made last year:
Turkey. Sammich.
I made this baby with some of the Just Mayo I have in the fridge. Obviously I don’t use it very often. (Those are flax seeds, which give the bread a bit more crunch.)
Also included for dinner was last year’s Green Bean Gremolata, plus some quinoa. I had intended to make some sweet potatoes, but that didn’t happen. It was OK.
Now onto our featured subject matters.
If you’re interested, here’s a nice article on Trader Joe’s. I actually have one of those big blue hot/cold bags on the left of that rack; it’s huge, works great, and it’s $6. A related company (somehow) is Aldi, which I’ve not written about much, because, quite frankly, I’m not a fan. A small produce section, a little meat, a few housewares, and about 80% of the floor space is dedicated to flour-based mixes and other processed foods. Looks like a convenience store food pantry to me, and every time I go in there, I wonder why. The first and second time, I had a coupon. The third and forth, I was looking for something or other and was disappointed. So, unless you buy lots of boxed biscuit and waffle mix, bagged snacks and other junk food, well, Aldi may not be for you. Your choice, of course.
Right before Halloween, I found this:
One way to get–or give–some brains. . . .
I didn’t buy them, but darn, that’s cute! If I had children around, you bet I’d be grabbing two of them.
Now, for those of you who have not been following this humble blog since its inception two years ago, my birthday was Sunday, October 26th. (Can you believe I’ve been food blogging for two years? Thanks, Akinnyi!) Now, last year it was a Saturday, and I also had a weekly paycheck. Not now, so I limited the spending. However. . . .
I started out (when I finally got up) with a Grand Slam from Denny’s:
Oh, yes. . . .
They also asked for proof this time, which I was happy to provide. I was reading Backwoods Home magazine at the time, and there’s that cute kitty picture to the lower right. Awww. . . .
Like last year, I subbed a couple of ingredients to have it gluten free, so it cost a little, but I gave the waitress a bigger tip. She brought the cut fruit first, so I nibbled on that before the plate came.
Next up was Starbucks for my free coffee, which was downgraded to a Skinny Hazelnut Latte instead of the caloric Hazelnut Macchiato. I also headed to Sephora, which, if you’re registered, offers a little gift on your birthday; this year it was a nice shade of lipstick, which I may try to buy more of at some point, with some mascara. Last year they had something for men which I donated to the GER; he loved it.
I made some gluten-free pizza like I did last year, and instead of a cake, I made cupcakes. . .but they’re not my best work, so no pictures. I did, however, on Saturday venture into Nothing Bundt Cakes for one of their gluten-free offerings:
![IMG_1227[1]](https://heatcagekitchen.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/img_12271.jpg)
While there is promise in this bag, I can promise it’s nothing like the one from Frost Bake Shoppe in The Woodlands.
![IMG_1228[1]](https://heatcagekitchen.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/img_12281.jpg)
What’s up with the spider icing?
Chocolate Chip Cookie cake.
Nothing Bundt Cakes has stores popping up all over the place, so if you’re interested, I give it a big. . .meh. (There is actually one next door to Trader Joe’s in The Woodlands, across the street from Frost Bake Shoppe. No kidding.) Seriously, it wasn’t bad, it was just. . .OK. If you’re dying for something sweet and that’s the only place besides a convenience store, go for it. Otherwise, I’ll wait. I’m guessing it’s the replacement for the cupcake craze, but that hasn’t subsided yet.
Somewhere between Denny’s and Baybrook Mall, then home, I received another present: streptococcus bacteria. That’s right, I got strep throat on my birthday. I didn’t know about it until Tuesday, either. Monday I was REALLY tired and bowed out of a morning walk with Neighbor K, but figured I’d just stayed up too late or something. That’s all it is, right? I decided that Tuesday would not be the same–I walked with K, then headed to Starbucks for two fingers of regular in the big decaf. It worked! What a productive day! Then the GER had some fish, so I drove down to his place to get it, and on the way home, fatigue set in again. When I finally got in and shut my door, not long afterwards the “ring of fire” in the back of my throat happened, all at once.
Owwww. . .I was sick.
Makes sense, right? With a 24-48 hour incubation period, and I had full-blown strep. On Wednesday, I headed to the Redi-Clinic in Friendswood for a positive strep test and another round of amoxicillin, which I finished taking the following Friday. That evening, after starting the amoxicillin, my temp was running 101.2. Is this any way for a grown woman to get sick?
Count your blessings, ladies and gentlemen: My brother’s mother-in-law passed away a week before. The day he returned from up north, our uncle passed away suddenly after some medical difficulties at 74 (which isn’t really “old” anymore.) I stitched up some handmade things to send my aunt, (our mother’s sister), his widow, with a sympathy card, but haven’t heard back from her yet.
Later that night, I logged into Facebook to gripe about the strep, and one of my copywriter friends posted about one of her clients whose wife had a really bad kind of cancer and was given a week to live.
If that wasn’t bad enough. . .my walking partner, Neighbor K, was doing some housework and was standing on a broken pub-height chair. I think you can guess what came next. She’s going to be fine, but was injured enough to where she couldn’t get up and walk in the mornings with me, and was home from work for a few days.
K sent me a text message while in traffic asking me to take the Daft Pug out for a walk and feed him. No problem there, but when she told me more, I gave her the lecture about standing on a chair! Wal-Mart has stepladders for $15 (or they used to but they’re cheap.) Heck, she could have borrowed mine! But I make myself available if she needs something. We picked up her car from the urgent care clinic the next day.
I very quickly stopped griping about strep throat, OK? I’ll take the strep, thanks very much. Takes a week to get rid of for good, and I’m needed elsewhere.
Now, despite all that, my birthday was made a lot happier due to the actions of friend of the blog AK, who took me seriously when I posted this silly thing on my FB wall on September 29th:
Dear Santa:
The holidays are coming and I’ve been very, very good. Check with the HPD, they’ll vouch for me. No tickets, accidents, or assault charges again this year. 🙂
I would like to ask for the Suzy Homemaker washing machine and dishwasher, both of which are now on eBay. They work, just like they’re supposed to. I promise I will take good care of them and use them happily. I can wait on the stove, since there are frequently a number of them available.
But if someone gets them before you or your elves are able to bid and win, I’d be happy to have the Super Grill or the stand mixer in working condition. Please note that as happy as I would be with the Super Grill, I can’t cook a whole turkey with it.
Also, would you please bring Jezebel a nicer attitude. She’s getting pushy around dinnertime, especially when I’m eating. I can’t make a cup of coffee without her meowing in the kitchen.
Also, please let me know what gluten-free treat you’d like me to bake for you this year so I can leave whole bunch in a basket by the fireplace. The cat won’t touch them, honest. Let me know if they need to be sugar free as well. I can make some lovely gluten-free vegan raspberry scones that nobody ever turns down. I promise they won’t taste like baked flour balls, unlike other baked items you’ve had.
Thank you, Santa.
Sincerely,
Amy
Along with it was the listing for this Suzy Homemaker washing machine, which I posted with the “letter.” I was just messing around. . . .
AK is an awfully nice person, and knows that I’ve had a difficult year. So, without telling me, she bought it and had it shipped to me, arriving a week before my birthday.
Here it is, no kidding, mine, all mine:
Happy Friday, Dear Readers:
I’ve got a few things to tell you about before the ice cream. . .but it’s worth the wait. I bought a different brand of melatonin, and it for whatever reason, I couldn’t sleep. For a week. I’m finally taking the correct brand, and I’ll sleep like a big kitty now. (Until I have to buy more.) That’s why I’m late writing this–I’ve been half-awake and half-asleep all week. Ugh.
Speaking of the feline species, how about a cat sandwich? I have a brother who likes to say:
“Cat–the *other* white meat.”
“Cat–it’s what’s for dinner.”
Don’t panic–Jezebel and all the other kitties are safe. I found this on Facebook, (HuffPo also has a short article) and it’s just too cute not to pass on.
Cat sandwich. Perfectly normal, right?
Hope I didn’t scare anybody! I might try to make one of these one day, or at least buy one. I think it’s cute. They’re sold by Amazon Japan, but right now are out of stock. I only found one book on sewing cat beds on the American Amazon site, but it’s a Kindle book. I guess sewing cat beds aren’t the hot thing just yet. Jezebel’s bed needs a softer cover–she doesn’t like the heavy duck I used, so one day I’ll get a yard of something soft and furry to cover it with.
Ok, no more sewing news.
The HeatCageKitchen garden is doing great, despite the weeds, which is one of my to-do projects for the 3-day 4th of July weekend. In addition to weird little frankenberries in the hanging basket, there is a thicket of lettuce growing in one of the pots, and will soon be teamed with a couple of beautiful gifted tomatoes from the GER’s garden soon for a. . .salad. There is also one Anaheim chili pepper growing, and it seems to double in size overnight. There will be more coming later, but for now, it’s my first.
Anaheim chili pepper. You’ve seen these, right?
What do you DO with this? Well. . .you’ve probably seen them in your local grocery store, but the only recipe I have for them is a grapefruit salsa, which I’ve been making for 20 years. I love it. I’ll post that recipe when I make it, so you can see it. I make it when I take those grapefruit off my Buddhist altar, if I don’t just eat them outright or make something else with them.
No tomato flowers yet, but I hope to see them soon. That plant survived an unusually harsh and long winter, but it seems to be doing fine. No other tomato plant survived anything. But the basil is doing well and growing fast, so I should be able to start making some pesto soon. Maybe if the tomato plant does well, I can cobble up some caprese salad, too. I’ll keep you posted.
The infamous GER also called me on Monday telling me to come get some fish he’d caught. He went fishing had more than he could deal with, and I was afraid it would fill an ice chest. It was a good amount, but not too much. He says it’s “Red Drum,” but I have no idea what that is. No matter–he’d filleted it nicely, and I know it was fresh because I bit on a fish scale when I was eating some. No complaints.
When I saw the size of these fillets, the first thought that came to mind was “River Monsters.” But a little olive oil, salt and a sprinkle of my favorite Cajun Land Creole Seasoning with Green Onions, baked for about 15 minutes (if not less) and it’s delicious.
![IMG_0617[1]](http://heatcagekitchen.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/img_06171.jpg)
No, the cat food has nothing to do with it.
Now onto the ice cream.
Remember the blueberries the GER brought last week? I made ice cream last Sunday! (Yes, it’s gluten free, ha, ha, ha.) I still have some, since it only requires 1.5 cups of blueberries. Instead of sugar, I used SomerSweet, and that’s my recommendation for sugar-free; the original recipe calls for sugar. Should you decide to make this recipe, what you use to sweeten it is entirely up to you.
I do recommend everything else the same as in the recipe, and not using, say, fat-free cream cheese or skim milk instead of the regular stuff. If you do, I cannot guarantee the outcome. (Read: you’re on your own.)
Ready?
The finished product. Yes, it’s even better than it looks.
There is a story as to how I got to this point. Hop in and I’ll tell you all about it on the way. . . .
First, of course, you prep your ice cream maker. In my case, it involves freezing the big bowl thingy for 24 hours. Once that’s done, you assemble everything else.
Homemade creme fraiche and homemade vanilla extract
You mix up the creme fraiche, cream cheese and 3/4 cup of the sugar/sweetener:
![IMG_0589[1]](http://heatcagekitchen.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/img_05891.jpg)
The add the eggs and vanilla:
![IMG_0590[1]](http://heatcagekitchen.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/img_05901.jpg)
Time to heat the milk and cream–carefully, or you’ll have a huge, stinky, difficult-to-clean mess on your hands.
Don’t let this mixture boil–you only want it to warm up and steam, about three minutes.
When it’s warm, you add part of it to the cream cheese mixture, then put the whole business back on the stove and cook it until it’s thick. Again, do not let it boil. When that’s done, turn off the heat and set up your bowl in the ice bath, then use the strainer. (Obviously I’ve done some prep work, and got the ice bath ready before I started.)
Straining the mixture, giving it a smoother texture.
As you can see, a little bit of lumpiness remains, but not a lot. You could skip this step, but. . well, that’s up to you. When done, let it cool in the ice bath for a bit–but don’t drop water in it on the way out.
Delicious, but not yet. Gotta wait.
While this cools, get on with the berries. Toss 1.5 cups in a pan with 2 tablespoons sugar/sweetener:
Blueberries and SomerSweet. Delicious on their own, but stay with me.
Cook them up, and mash half of them up while they cook, and until the blue stuff becomes thick and syrupy.
Cooking the blueberries
Here’s where I differ a little from the recipe–when the ice cream mixture is cooled down, and you’re ready to add it to the ice cream maker, remove the bowl from the ice water bath, dry off the bottom of the bowl, add it to the ice cream maker and turn it on. Turn your attention to the blueberries–add them into a separate bowl, put the bowl into the ice water bath, balancing it so that water doesn’t seep in, and let it cool.
Chill the blueberries now, while the ice cream is freezing.
At this point, you’ve got the ice cream in the ice cream maker, it’s plugged in, turned on, and doing what it does best.
Ice cream in the ice cream maker, getting frozen. YUM.
It’s coming together now. Are you with me? Yes, it’s very much worth the trouble.
Once the ice cream is a nice, stiff, frozen consistency,
Ice cream!!
Take out half, and add it to your low-sided container, then add half the cooked blueberries on top:
The bottom half, or part 1
Repeat with the second half of the ice cream, and the remaining cooked blueberries.
Done! (Yes, I know, it looks like a big mess. It’s not.)
At this point you cover it and freeze it until. . .it’s hard. I put a layer of plastic wrap on top, and put the container’s top on it, then froze it.
And that, Dear Readers, is how you get to this point.
![IMG_0603[1]](http://heatcagekitchen.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/img_06031.jpg)
A lot of trouble, yes, but this ice cream is really, really, really good, and worth the trouble.
I actually haven’t eaten any yet, because, well, I’m waiting for the GER to come by and have some. Unfortunately, he had a ROOT CANAL this week, so he’s not been up to doing much, poor thing. But it’s frozen, so I can wait a while, or maybe make more later.
What happened after that?
I made too much creme fraiche, so the remainder became chocolate creme fraiche:
![IMG_0609[1]](http://heatcagekitchen.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/img_06091.jpg)
So did the remaining cream cheese. But it looks the same as the creme fraiche, so I’m not going to bother you with a picture of that one. Just toss a few things together and whip up with your hand mixer.
I don’t even know how many times I ran the dishwasher last weekend. I just re-washed the ice cream maker’s insert and moved on to the next one. This is what some of us call FUN.
I’ve also made, since then, Cinnamon Ice Cream and Coffee Ice Cream from my favorite book, and to use up the egg whites from the Cinnamon Ice Cream, I’ll make some grapefruit sorbet soon.
It’s that time of the year–make some ice cream!! This one is a bit more troublesome, but very delicious. Recipes abound online and in books and magazines, so find one that looks good to you and go for it. And if you have an ice cream maker–what are you waiting for?
Enjoy!
Afternoon, Dear Readers:
Here in Houston, the weather has warmed up, the clouds are gone and it’s a lovely day. I say that not to make anyone jealous, but to remind you that winter always turns to spring. Eventually.
Y’all, it just dawned on me that I didn’t recommend anything for Valentine’s Day dinner. DUH.
Sure, you could go out to dinner. Have you ever tried to get a reservation for Valentine’s Day? No, I don’t mean Golden Corral. . . Jack In The Box is usually open. So is Carl’s Jr., if you have one in your area–they have sweet potato fries!
Or just go out and find a place to eat. You’ll be elbow-to-elbow with all the other star-crossed lovers. Forget that! Make dinner for your sweetie–but don’t go overboard. You need something easy that won’t take long. So here you go.
One of my newest favorite foods is cannellini beans. You know, the white kidney beans, usually from Italy. They are SOOOO good. I have a number of recipes calling for them, but my absolute favorite is, once again, from Nigella Lawson. It’s a simple white bean mash that can take the place of mashed potatoes and tastes so much better.
Thing is, you have to do it exactly as the recipe states. However, I’ve fiddled with it a bit to make it just for lunch. I’ll explain that in a minute.
Tonight, if you can get some nice little steaks and three cans of cannellini beans, (don’t forget olive oil, lemon and garlic) you’re all set–just make sure dessert is delicious, too. (It does not have to be chocolate, OK?) You make the beans first, then cook up the steaks and squeeze the lemon into the hot pan to deglaze it. The most time it takes is for making the bean mash. You can find the entire recipe here.
A steak dinner on Valentine’s Day? Of course!
Now, I have, on a couple of occasions, accidentally bought those little great white beans, or whatever they are called, because I simply grabbed the wrong can. This is easy when you buy Goya, because the cans all look alike. Darnit. They work, but are not as tasty as the cannellini.
Since my job ended on January 31, I’ve been eating white bean mash nearly every day. Why? I love it! With turkey, meatloaf, or whatever I feel like cooking up, it’s simple. And I also figured out how to make it in the microwave.
Rinse one can of beans and dump it in a microwave safe bowl; preferably one like a Grab-It with rounded sides and wide. Add to it a goodly amount of olive oil (maybe 1/8 cup, just eyeball it), and grate in a clove of garlic and some lemon zest (one small or half a large.) Microwave it until it’s hot. Take it out (put it on something heat-safe) and get a wide, flat spoon (a round wooden one works great) and mash to your heart’s content. Taste, and dd a bit of salt if you think you need it (mine always do) and mash until you get the same nubbly consistency, or it’s good enough for one person to devour.
I took that to work many times. Now that I’m not working, I just need to make sure I keep cannellini beans in the pantry.
That’s all for now.
Happy Valentine’s Day, and Enjoy!
Dear Readers:
Here’s a re-blog from GF And Me, a blog dedicated to gluten-free foods with some gorgeous chocolate treats for Valentine’s Day, and probably better than mine.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Good evening, Dear Readers!
Winter hasn’t gotten the memo to knock it off. Atlanta is getting blasted again. It’s cold nearly everywhere.
I am so cold, I put on my one and only pair of long johns to go walk my neighbor’s pug today. I might wear them to bed. As I write this, it’s 36F, and we’ll have a high of 53 tomorrow, if we’re lucky. BRRRRRRRrrrrrrr. . .at least the rain will end.
First, an update from the garden: in addition to the ping-pong sized tomato growing in incredibly cold and wet weather:
Guess I’m getting another one. It won’t get much bigger than that before it starts turning red. And, finally, the radishes are coming!
I read in one of my magazines that radishes are very easy to grow. I found a packet of seeds in the deck box and dug up some dirt. They mature very quickly, although this seems to be taking longer than the 30 days stated in the magazine. That’s OK. I hope neighbors K, R and T like radishes if they really take off. Next time I’d like to try those cute French Breakfast radishes, which are red on top and white on the bottom (root end.)
Now, the mint has come back strong, since we’ve had rain and I’ve watered a few times. One of the main reasons I grow it is so I can make Nigella Lawson’s Corsican Omelette. I thawed out the Goat Cheese from a recent Trader Joe’s trip and beat some eggs. What the recipe says is to fold it in thirds. This time, I finally got it folded!
Then I took it OUT of the pan:
Better luck next time. Hey–it’s EDIBLE, OK? Note: this wouldn’t be a bad thing to split with your honey when you have breakfast in bed, or just breakfast together.
So, onto the news. . . .
This week is Valentine’s Day, and so I thought I would send a few things your way to make your V-D special. No, I can’t help you find the love of your life, or make him/her love you, or bring romance into your life, I can only help with the chocolate part.
Me? No, there isn’t a “someone special.” There isn’t anyone even close to that description. HPD told me to stop dating ’cause they can’t keep coming over to take them away. Restraining orders get expensive, too. My friends have specific instructions if I ever say those words, “I’m getting married.” Let’s see who’s brave enough to carry out a rescue mission.
Yes, I’m exaggerating. A little. But enough about me. . . .
I got an email a little while ago that Starbucks is offering a buy-one-get-one on latte drinks this Friday (February 14th) from 2-5 pm at participating stores. If you don’t know what that means, check out their online primer for lattes. Me, I’d go for the Skinny Flavored Latte with sugar-free hazelnut syrup in it. YUM. A lot less calories than the Hazelnut Macchiato.
Or I could just make myself a cappuccino/latte at home and toss in the hazelnut stuff. My choice, right?
So last year I wrote a post with several chocolate recipes for Valentine’s Day, and it’s still there if you want some. But the one thing that people equate with the day is chocolate covered strawberries. These babies are not in season this time of year, but thanks to expanded agriculture, they are available year round. Sure, they’re expensive, and in many cases very decorated (labor!) That’s all well and good, but if you want to do them yourself, it’s not too difficult. But let me tell you, there’s a trick to it.
Years ago I was talking to my Mom. They’d gone to Ponchatoula, LA to get some strawberries during the season (the best, BTW) and she was attempting to chocolate-cover them. Mom was melting the chocolate and pouring in cold heavy whipping cream. Guess what? The chocolate seized up! I explained that next time, try heating the cream and pouring it into the chocolate, melting it that way. I guess it worked, she never mentioned it again.
If you want to try your hand at it, here are some suggestions from Food Network’s website. Having done this a time or two, you must work fast, since the chocolate will firm up quickly. Don’t burn the chocolate, use parchment or wax paper, and don’t make a mess, please.
Now, last year I told you about the ex-boyfriend who, when we lived together, got sick with me for Valentine’s Day. A couple of weeks ago I was on the phone with him, and just for fun, I said, “Hey, what are we doing for Valentine’s Day?” I was joking of course, but he sort of took it differently. Next thing I know, I’m cooking dinner for him again! Well, he can’t make it this week, and I wouldn’t have done what I did for Christmas, but I would certainly make him something tasty, complete with dessert.
Tonight on Facebook, Joey Jones posted a short “survival guide” for us singles on Valentine’s Day. Pretty good, and if you’re sad about being single. . .don’t be.
Now, about 5 years ago, I think, I went to a “single girl Valentines dinner party,” and I brought dessert. Not just any dessert–a Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova that went over VERY well. As I’ve mentioned before, chocolate and raspberry are my favorite combination, and I’d knock over Shaquille O’Neill to get to it. But in this case, I was good, and they wouldn’t let me take home what was left. I baked it in a heart shape, which is easy to do since it’s meringue. While I don’t have a picture of it anymore, it came out perfect, and looked like this (but heart shaped.)
Nigella Lawson’s Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova from Forever Summer. VERY good choice for many occasions
That will amaze friends and family alike. And–guess what? Bonus–it’s gluten free! No kidding–no flour or anything like it, although there is sugar, so you’d have to take that into consideration if your honey is diabetic. (There’s always Somersweet.)
If the chocolate-raspberry route isn’t for you, there’s also Nigella’s Cappuccino Pavlova, but that has corn flour in it, which I think is what we call corn starch, so it’s got a bit of a flour-like substance in it.
You know, I didn’t mean to turn this into the Nigella column, but I guess I did.
Whether you hang with friends or camp in with a significant other, or like me, hang out with the cat, just enjoy what there is to enjoy, and it’ll be great.
Happy Chocolate, I mean, Valentine’s Day!
