QuiltLady – Page 154 – Chasing MY Life WHEREVER it Leads ME

TENDER WHITE CAKE with BUTTERCREAM or CREAM CHEESE BUTTERCREAM

CAKE
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
6 large egg whites, room temperature
3 2 3/4 cups + 2 scant tablespoons cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon CLEAR almond extract
1 teaspoon PURE vanilla extract powder
1 1/4 cups WHOLE milk, room temperature
2 ounces avocado oil

Preheat your oven to 335ºF.
Oil and flour two 8″ x 2″ cake pans or line 18 cupcake tins.
Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Whisk together milk, oil and extracts. Set aside.
Cream butter in a stand mixer until smooth.
Add sugar and whip 3-5 minutes on high until light and white.
Add in room temperature egg whites one at a time, letting each fully combine after each before adding the next.
Add in a third of the dry ingredients, combining well.
Add in half of the milk mixture, combining well.
Followed by another third of the dry, then the rest of the milk mixture and then the rest of your dry, mixing until just combined.
Add batter into prepared cake pans.
Bake at 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool ten minutes in pan and then turn out cakes onto a cooling rack for another 20 minutes.
Wrap cakes warm with saran and place into the freezer to flash chill to lock in the moisture.
Once cool, but NOT yet frozen, trim off the brown edges of your cakes and frost as desired.
Chill cake.

NOTE: Cake flour makes a much more tender cake, but you can substitute 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour. Cake flour and all purpose flour are NOT an exact substitution.

Everyone needs a good creamy, delicious frosting in the recipe file, but sometimes you need options. So here is a plain buttercream AND a cream cheese buttercream.

BUTTERCREAM
8 ounces egg whites (4-6 extra large eggs) room temperature
32 ounces (8 sticks) unsalted butter
4 cups powdered sugar
32 oz unsalted butter room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon CLEAR vanilla extract

Whisk egg whites and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl.
Whisk to combine on low then whisk on high, adding in your butter in small chunks, vanilla and salt. Turn mixer up to high and whip until light, fluffy and white.

CREAM CHEESE BUTTERCREAM
4 ounces salted butter, room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
pinch salt
1 teaspoon of QUALITY, PURE Vanilla

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla in a mixer until blended.
Add pinch of salt and powered sugar a cup at a time and continue to mix until sugar is WELL incorporated.

BRIOCHE PLUM TART ala Dorie Greenspan

Years ago (2009ish) I participated in a baking group called, Tuesdays with Dorie aka TWD, where we baked exclusively from Dorie Greenspan’s cook book, Baking: From My Home to Yours. There was one particular recipe that I REALLY wanted to bake, but I had to miss that week for some reason and am FINALLY getting around to making it.

I love the simplicity of the brioche in this recipe, but LOVE that it’s a bit sweeter than your average brioche. The dough is better made the day before – you get much better results from letting it sit overnight. I happened to have bought some sour plum jam at the Christmas fair just to make this tart with! It’s really hard to find plum jam in the grocery stores, even before the COVID19 shortages. Your beautifully sweet brioche dough is filled with tart jam and fresh plum slices to create a really fancy and decadent coffee cake!

BRIOCHE PLUM TART pg 54-55
DOUGH
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/3 cup whole milk, just warm to the touch
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon PURE vanilla extract

Put the yeast and warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir until the yeast is dissolved.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl, and fit the mixer with the dough hook, if you have one.
Working on low speed, mix for a minute or two, just to get the ingredients together. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 7–10 minutes, stopping a few times to scrape down the bowl and the hook, until the dough is stretchy and fairly smooth. The dough will seem fairly thin, more like a batter than a dough, and it may not be perfectly smooth which is fine.
Transfer the dough to a clean lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, 30 – 40 minutes.
Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall with a slap into the bowl. Cover the bowl again with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator.
Slap the dough down in the bowl every 30 minutes until it stops rising, about 2 hours.
After that leave the dough in the refrigerator overnight – it will be tastier for the wait.

the NEXT DAY

Generously butter the pan.
Press the chilled dough into the bottom of the pan and up the sides – don’t worry if it’s not even.
Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
While the dough is in the refrigerator, prepare the filling.

FILLING
6 LARGE ripe plums, preferably Italian prune plums
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds
3 tablespoons sugar

Halve and pit the plums.
Slice each plum in half and then into 4-5 slices. Set aside.
Toss the chopped nuts with the sugar and set aside.

ASSEMBLY
1/4 cup plum jam

Remove the tart pan from the fridge and push and press the dough up the sides of the pan.
Spoon the jam onto the dough and spread it over the bottom.
Arrange the plums cut side down in concentric circles covering the jam.
Scatter the nut mixture, and cover the tart lightly with a piece of plastic wrap. Place the tart on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat and let it rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.

BAKING

Meanwhile, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425°.
Bake tart for 20 minutes.
Cover it loosely with a foil tent to prevent the crust from getting too dark, and continue baking for another 10 minutes, or until the fruit juices are bubbling and the crust is firm and beautifully browned – it will sound hollow when tapped.
Transfer the tart to a rack to cool for at least 45 minutes before serving.

NOTE: This tart looks BEST when it’s made in a 9 inch fluted pan, but I also love using my 9 inch spring form for just about everything these days. I made a second one, but was out of the plum jam now and nuts so I substituted blackberry jam and heath bar pieces for the nuts. Guess what? It was even better!!!!

EGGS BENEDICT with LEMONY HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

Eggs Benedict is one of my all time favorite special breakfasts. I am not a Canadian bacon fan though and much prefer a tavern style ham or better yet leftover Easter ham :D. And the English muffin has to be crispy, but not too crispy so it soaks up the Hollandaise sauce! This is also a recipe I try to make in conjunction with white cake so nothing goes to waste since one uses egg whites and the other egg yolks.

Eggs Benedict is a multi-taskers recipe and requires more prep work than anything! Using super FRESH eggs also makes it better!

Despite the name sounding Dutch, Hollandaise sauce began in France and was originally known as Sauce Isigny, after a town in Normandy famous for its butter and cream. Hollandaise is one of the five mother sauces in French cuisine. Sauce Isigny is also still listed in French reference books. Ironically though according to Wikipedia the sauce can actually be traced back to the middle ages crediting it’s origins to 1651 in La Varenne’s Le Cuisinier François for “asparagus with fragrant sauce”.

EGGS BENEDICT with LEMONY HOLLANDAISE SAUCE serves 2

2 English muffins
4 LARGE, FRESH eggs
4 slices tavern ham, warmed

HOLLANDAISE SAUCE
4 tablespoons butter
4 egg yolks
Juice of 1 SMALL lemon – 1 tablespoon TART lemon juice
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon Frank’s original hot sauce
FRESH ground salt and pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
In a separate small bowl, beat the egg yolks.
Mix in lemon juice, whipping cream, hot sauce, salt and pepper.
Temper the egg mixture by adding a small spoonful of the hot melted butter to the egg mixture and stirring well. Repeating this process a spoonful at a time to slowly combine without curdling the sauce.
Once the butter has been completely incorporated, pour the mixture back into the saucepan, cooking on LOW heat, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
Remove from heat and set aside.

EGGS

2 tablespoons vinegar – I like to use apple cider vinegar to add a bit of tang to the egg.

Fill a medium size pot with about 3 inches of water and bring to a SLOW boil.
Reduce to a simmer.
Add vinegar (the vinegar helps the egg stay together all in one place)
Crack each egg into a separate ramekin.
GENTLY pour each egg into the water in separate areas.
Cook the egg in simmering water for 3-5 minutes, depending on how soft you want your egg yolk.
GENTLY Remove the poached egg with a slotted spoon.

ASSEMBLY

Toast the English muffin and LIGHTLY butter.
Top each toasted side with a slice of ham.
Top the ham with the poached egg.
Top with Hollandaise sauce.
Serve and enjoy immediately.

PLAIN OL’ ROAST CHICKEN like GRANDMA MADE

When I was at the butcher the other day he actually had WHOLE roasting chickens. They are getting really hard to find as everyone wants them either cut up into pieces or boneless and skinless. To me a whole roast chicken on a Sunday especially, seems like going to grandma’s house!

PLAIN OL’ ROAST CHICKEN serves 6-8

5-6 pound WHOLE roasting chicken
FRESH sea salt and ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme, split half into springs, half into leaves only
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 LARGE shallots, thickly sliced
4 carrots cut into 2-inch slices
8 baby gold potatoes, halved
2 stalks celery, thickly sliced
2 cups chicken broth
Avocado oil

Preheat the oven to 400°.
Remove the chicken giblets and throw away the neck. Dice the other pieces and place on the bottom of the roasting pan.
Rinse the chicken inside and out.
Remove any excess fat and pin feathers.
Pat the outside dry.
Generously salt and pepper the inside of the chicken.
Stuff the cavity with the half of the thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic.
Tie the legs together with kitchen string or silicone bands and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.
Place the shallots, carrots, and celery in a roasting pan.
Toss remaining thyme (leaves only) with the avocado oil and some more salt and pepper. Pour over the veggies the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper.
Arrange potatoes around the edges.
Pour chicken broth into roasting pan.
Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours (cover with foil for the first hour), or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh.
Baste ever 10 minutes after removing the foil.
Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with foil letting it rest 15 minutes.
Strain juices and make gravy from the drippings if desired to serve over the potatoes.
Serve and enjoy!

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 17 of 2020

Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up
with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

GOOD MORNING I sure hope you are all doing well throughout this unprecedented time! I pray this is all over soon. The loss of life and economic devastation is hitting the world, our nation and our individual communities so hard! I truly believe that life as we knew it will never be again, though I pray I am so wrong!

I have been keeping as much as possible to my routines as much as possible though I did take some time yesterday and create a “What did you do during COVID-19 chart” to make me feel better about what I accomplished during these past weeks. You can see it HERE.

I’ve been trying to pay more attention to nature around here also. It seems that everything is the same for the animals – the geese are back at the pond nesting in the same place and the osprey too up on their perches. And the hummingbirds are still demanding to be fed by emptying their feeders regularly. Spring has sprung as the early bulbs have bloomed and just about passed, pansies and the clematis are really taking off and beginning to trail up the trellis, and the tomatoes and zucchini are really starting grow strong and tall. The nasturtiums are doubling in size every day or so it seems and the lizards are back sunbathing on the rocks in the afternoons.

Here’s a suggestion also. Set your calendars. According to this article at Physics-Astronomy.com, the moon, Jupiter and Venus are going to be showing off for us on the 16th of May 2020, by aligning in a rare position that will form a smiley face in the sky!

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING Today and tomorrow are supposed to be pretty nice, but after tomorrow the temperature drops and we really are supposed to get that promised rain. I have on Levis, a purple 3/4 sleeve t-shirt and gray pops.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE Hot water and Carrot Apple Pineapple squeeze food

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE, WEEKLY TO DO LIST, HOUSE & CRAFT PROJECTS, APPOINTMENTS

MONDAY	gardening & pruning cleaning & laundry quilt
TUESDAY	quilting menu plan
WEDNESDAY	jigsaw puzzle – I really want this finished quilting
THURSDAY	paperwork, filing & organization
FRIDAY	Hubby blood appointment – the only thing even on this week’s calendar
SATURDAY	Farmer’s Market I WISH!
SUNDAY	cleaning and laundry

WHAT IS ON THE DVR, I LIKE OR ON THE LIST TO WATCH / SOMETHING INTERESTING I WATCHED FINALLY I started Outlander and will be binge watching it most the week and am still watching a bunch of Hallmark movies I taped as well as the last of the cooking shows.

WHAT I’M READING For some reason I was having trouble getting into my last book, The Cookbook and have switched oven to Jana DeLeon’s Bayou Bodyguard. I’ll go back to the other after and see if I can get into again as it got good reviews and I don’t like to not finish a book! Sometimes, just switching genres helps me.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

We have been super busy with projects while the weather was nice. We had a super productive weekend, but this was one of the biggest projects – re-grouting the pavers into the backyard.

The sky the other night was gorgeous. Unfortunately, this picture doesn’t do it justice.

We had the BEST artichoke this past week also! Super tender, sweet and just plain YUMMY!

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
BREAKFAST	YOGURT & HOT WATER	YOGURT & HOT WATER	YOGURT & HOT WATER	YOGURT & HOT WATER	YOGURT & HOT WATER	CHILE CORN CHICKEN CUSTARDS	EGGS BENEDICT
LUNCH	TURKEY & CHEESE WRAPS	GRILLED CHICKEN & TOMATOES	MEAT & CHEESE WRAPS	??	SALAD & FRUIT	HAM SANDWICHES	??
DINNER	ANITPASTO PASTA SALAD	NATCHITOCHES MEAT PIES & SALAD	PORK STUFFED SHELLS & SALAD	C.O.R.N. (clean out refrigerator night)	CHEESY STUFFED PIZZA RING & SALAD	HAM & BROCCOLI NOODLE CASSEROLE	C.O.R.N. (clean out refrigerator night)
DESSERT		CARROT CAKE

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS
BAKED PINEAPPLE CASSEROLE
CARROT RAISIN SALAD
PINEAPPLE ORANGE ROAST HAM
PASTA WITH CREAMY ARTICHOKE MUSHROOM RAGU

FEATURED PARTY LINKS FOR THIS WEEK

RECIPES TO LOOK FOR THIS NEXT WEEK OR SO

WHITE CAKE with CREAM CHEESE BUTTERCREAM
updated ITALIAN GARLIC SUPREME PIZZA
EGGS BENEDICT
PORK CHOPS in TOMATO GRAVY
POPPY SEED BLUEBERRY ROLLS

INSPIRATIONAL

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

WHAT DID YOU ACCOMPLISH DURING THE COVID-19 STAY IN PLACE ORDER? A.K.A. HOW LIFE IN ISOLATION IS GOING!

I’m normally a homebody, but I DO normally shop every couple days for fresh ingredients for scratch cooking in between the home projects and we like to get out for a meal or two and see friends. I especially miss my munchkins and seeing Janie! BUT, being told to stay home and NOT being able to shop for the FRESH ingredients is a whole other thing! I am NOT a can and box girl for cooking!

My ‘”STAY AT HOME” time actually began LONG before being told to at the end of February with a bad case of bronchitis. Since I was first diagnosed with Systemic Lupus and found out that my “weak” area was my respiratory tract and ANY infection which I became easily prone to, I have been a MAJOR germaphobe. I get Howie Mandel though I believe Howard Hughes was an extremist I refuse to become. It was PURE self preservation! It’s how I have stayed alive all these years. Now here we are in 2020 and I can FINALLY say, WELCOME TO MY WORLD!

SO, it occurred to me that maybe I’d feel better about all the time confined if I composed a list of everything we accomplished during that time that was not a day to day type of chore. I know I missed a few things probably, but after reading my list I’m just happy to say we didn’t just sit around and watch Netflix though there was plenty of that too! 😀

WEEK 1	Grocery shopping before I knew I shouldn’t A lot of television, computer and reading while I recuperated cleaned out kitchen drawers menu planned repaired downspout drain dusted and vacuumed
WEEK 2	paint shelving unit to match hope chest created whiskey barrel planters to cover old tree stumps dusted and cleaned door jambs watched Hallmark movies & shows I missed when I was in college menu planned rebuilt garden planters started jigsaw puzzle
WEEK 3	cut quilt pieces for 2 quilts Farmer’s Market, NOT, but a girl can dream! cleaned out photo file repaired mudroom step and added missing molding pieces to mudroom rebuilt and stained garage step watched more Hallmark movies and shows I missed when I was in college menu planned added fence bottom cleaned out email SPAM folder
WEEK 4	paperwork and filing menu planned planted flowers and hummingbird vine watched more Hallmark movies and binge watched shows I missed when I was in college cleaned curio cabinet and washed all the crystal cleaned and washed the ceiling lights and fan globes pressure washed ALL the concrete front and back cleaned all the eaves and removed the wasp nests cleaned and painted metal porch furniture vacuumed again
WEEK 5	weeded cleaned out and straightened linen closet menu planned worked on Mirepoix quilt Polished kitchen counter tops worked on Christmas ornament “hooks” scrubbed garden tool shed and painted it organized pantry set sprinklers on timer for spring watering vacuumed garage and washed window curtains scrubbed window awnings free of moss
WEEK 6	Farmer’s Market NOT, but a girl can dream that it will resume 😀 Cleaned baseboards planted tomatoes and zucchini Cleaned out rain gutters of 5 gallons of silt organized big shed hubby gave blood menu planned still working on jigsaw puzzle changed out corroded bathroom light fixture scrubbed rain gutters, but they seriously need painted
WEEK 7	pruned trees and eliminated volunteers out front pulled weeds and “cleaned up” individual flower planters tried to clean tomato cages up of rust, but had to start with fresh ones, painted the joints to prevent rust this time cleaned out the refrigerators and freezers cleaned oven re-grouted backyard pavers pruned dead growth from trees weeded under those same trees adjusted flower box sprinklers added bolts to garden boxes started Christmas pillowcases cleaning and laundry…and started everything else all over again…

BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS — like grandma’s pot Roast, only better

There is nothing quite so decadent and flavorful as the perfectly braised beef short rib. Add some candles and you can have a romantic dinner in. As with everything during this quarantine time, I worked with what I had on hand. I substituted sake for white wine and it tasted great! I was also out of beef broth, but quickly made some from a jar of Better Than Beef Bouillon I keep on hand just for reasons like this.

BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS — like your grandma’s pot Roast, only better
serves 4-6 depending on rib size

8 whole beef short ribs
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
1/4 cup wonder flour
3 slices bacon, diced (OPTIONAL)
2 tablespoons avocado oil
1 medium onion, Diced
3 LARGE carrots, Diced
2 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 celery rib, THINLY sliced
3/4 cup white wine
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Bragg’s liquid aminos
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 1/4 +/- cups beef broth
3-4 sprigs thyme

- Preheat oven to 350°.
- GENEROUSLY salt and pepper ribs, then dredge in flour, shake off excess. Set aside.
- In a large dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until complete crispy and all fat is rendered.
- With a slotted spoon remove the bacon pieces and set aside.
- Add the avocado oil to the bacon grease, and increase heat to high.
- Quickly brown the ribs on ALL sides, including the ends, DO NOT OVER SEAR. You just want a good coloring and crisp edge. Remove ribs and set aside.
- Turn heat down to medium.
- Add onions, carrots, celery and shallots to pan and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add remaining dredging flour and stir until blended.
- Pour in wine and scrape bottom of pan to release all the bits of flavor.
- Bring to a quick boil and cook 2 minutes.
- Add broth, Worcestershire sauce, liquid aminos and GENEROUSLY season to taste with FRESHLY ground sea salt and black pepper. When you’re happy with the seasoning, add the ribs into the broth so they are mostly covered by the broth.
- Add bacon pieces and thyme sprigs to the top.
- Put on the lid and place into the oven, cooking for 2 hours, undisturbed.
- Reduce heat to 325° and cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes. Ribs will be fork-tender and should be falling from the bone.
- Remove pan from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes, lid on, before serving.
- Just before serving, skim fat off the top of the liquid. (see note)
- Serve with mashed potatoes and carrots.
- Ladle a bit of the gravy over the top.

NOTE: I use stale bread pieces to soak up the grease from the top just before serving.

BAKED PINEAPPLE CASSEROLE

This is an oldie, but goodie right out of the grandma archive of recipes. I bet most of you have the ingredients right in your pantry. The pineapple cooks up through the cracker crumbs and bonds with the cheese creating a ‘stuffing’ like texture.

BAKED PINEAPPLE CASSEROLE
2 large cans crushed pineapple DO NOT DRAIN
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups Ritz cracker crumbs* (see note)
6 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350°.
In a small saucepan combine pineapple, juice and sugar, whisking until sugar is dissolved and pineapple is heated through. Remove from heat. Set aside.
In a small mixing bowl use a fork to combine cracker crumbs and melted butter until well combined. Set aside.
In baking dish or individual ramekins evenly layer the pineapple mixture.
Top that with an even layer of the cracker crumb mixture.
Evenly top with shredded cheese.
Top with nuts, if using.
Bake uncovered 20 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.

*NOTE: Keebler club crackers can be substituted, but it does alter the flavor a bit. You do need a cracker with a bit of a buttery flavor to them.

CARROT RAISIN SALAD or APPLE RAISIN SALAD

CARROT RAISIN SALAD or APPLE RAISIN SALAD Yields 6-8 servings
8-10 whole carrots or 5 large Granny Smith apples*(see note)
3/4 cup golden raisins
1 large can crushed pineapple, drained WELL
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons pineapple juice

Shred carrots into large mixing bowl. If using apples, peel, core and small chop.
Whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar and pineapple juice.
Fold in mayonnaise mixture, pineapple and raisins until well coated.
Chill several hours until ready to serve.

NOTE:

If using apples alone, be sure and toss them with lemon juice to prevent browning.
This also makes a good combination to use both carrots AND apples.

PINEAPPLE ORANGE ROAST HAM with APPLE BUTTER GLAZE

PINEAPPLE ORANGE ONION ROAST HAM with APPLE BUTTER GLAZE
1 LARGE navel orange
1 medium red onion
1 pineapple, rind removed, halved
7 pound fully cooked bone-in ham
1/4 cup ginger beer
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon Bragg’s liquid aminos
1/2 cup apple butter (see note)
2 tablespoons QUALITY honey

Preheat oven to 375°.
Cut half of the pineapple into slices and the other half into chunks.
Arrange orange slices, onion slices and pineapple rings in roasting pan.
Pour 1/4 cup of ginger beer over ham.
Cover with foil, sealing edges.
Bake 60 minutes.
While ham is baking puree pineapple chunks with the apple butter and honey.
Transfer puree to a saucepan over medium heat.
Add brown sugar and liquid aminos, blending well. Simmer 30-45 minutes, stirring frequently until syrupy and reduced to about 1 cup.
Remove ham from oven, uncover and brush 1/3 cup of syrup over ham and return to oven for 5 minutes.
Brush another 1/3 cup of syrup over ham for another 5 minutes.
Brush with remaining glaze and return to oven uncovered for final 10 minutes.
Use an immersion blender on the remaining pieces in the drippings to build a gravy from if desired.

NOTE: This recipe also works with orange marmalade or apricot pineapple jam.

PASTA with CREAMY ARTICHOKE RAGU

PASTA with CREAMY ARTICHOKE RAGU serves 4
2 LARGE jars marinated artichoke hearts
2 slices sourdough bread
1 tablespoon butter
6 LARGE white mushrooms, sliced thin
1 small shallot, sliced thin or small diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons heavy cream
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
12 ounces campagnelle pasta, prepared per package directions and reserving cooking water
1/4 cup FRESH minced parsley
FRESH grated Parmesan cheese
avocado oil

Cut leaves from artichoke hearts. Trim and discard any leaves that are stiff or dried out. Cut hearts into quarters. Drain on paper toweling.
Pulse bread in food processor until finely ground.
Heat butter in skillet until melted.
Add bread crumbs and cook, stirring constantly until crumbs begin to color.
Add 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese and cook another couple minutes until golden and toasted. Remove from heat. Pour bread crumbs into a small bowl and set aside.
Add oil to skillet over medium high heat until shimmering.
Add shallots, garlic, artichoke hearts, mushrooms and leaves, cooking 5-7 minutes.
Add wine to de-glaze pan.
Lower heat to medium and add cream, stirring to blend and coat well, cooking 2-3 minutes.
Add drained pasta and Parmesan cheese, blending well.
Add pasta water as necessary to desired sauce consistency.
Season to taste.
Top with bread crumb mixture and parsley.

NOTE: Hubby hates mushrooms so I actually make 2 separate pans for this recipe. I also often add pieces of shredded roasted chicken as a protein, but it’s just as easy to sear up a couple boneless, skinless chicken thighs to shred into it.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 16 of 2020

Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up
with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

GOOD MORNING I hope you all had a blessed Easter though I’m sure it was probably quieter than normal for most. I know it was here! I REALLY missed the munchkins and family time. Cooking for 2 on a holiday is just weird!

I also hope you are all finding ways to stay on a basic routine and busy. I find it really helps keep me sane! I’ve helped hubby with a few projects outside like the pressure washing which always takes so much energy to get it all done, but it’s a necessary evil up here to keep the moss at bay. He has also gotten rid of all the wasp nests that were being formed in the eave areas and rebuilt the wooden garage step and fixed the mudroom step and rebuilt the sprinkler box frame and finally finished the lower fence border. Now he’s painting a shelf unit he built for me. It was raw wood and it’s taking about 4 coats to match the red hope chest.

I pray that when this is all over and we “return to normal” that we all evaluate just what should be in that “normal” now that we have been forced to slow down and realize we really don’t have to do it ALL! I pray that families have reconnected, eaten their meals together, sat and talked and/or laughed together, walked or gardened, played board games, solved jigsaw puzzles… You see where I’m going with this. I do find it a bit disconcerting that Dominoes pizza is hiring 10,000 employees to deal with the uptick in pizzas!

Hubby wants to do his part to answer the call for blood and he is a universal type “O”. The red cross has set up a special donation site in town for 2 days so he has an appointment to give blood today. Unfortunately, they won’t take mine because of my underlying conditions, but I’ll be tagging along. I will stay in the car to read while he is inside and then he’ll take me to do some much overdo grocery shopping and then we’ll be back here to shower off the excursion.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE & WHAT I’M WEARING As always at this time of year, the prediction and the reality of the weather are ALWAYS different. They predict mid 60’s and party cloudy or sunny for most of the week with lows in the high 30’s or low 40’s. What they don’t mention is the morning fog that takes forever to burn off and only allows that high and sun to be around for a few hours before the sun sets. 😀 We actually need rain – not something you would usually hear from the Pacific Northwest. And if their predictions are correct we’ll have just that by the end of the week. I’m wearing Levi’s, one of my favorite 3/4 sleeve T-shirts and tennies.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE Hot water and baby food

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE, WEEKLY TO DO LIST, HOUSE & CRAFT PROJECTS, APPOINTMENTS

MONDAY	Grocery shopping Hubby Red Cross appointment for blood donation Work on Blue Mirepoix quilt
TUESDAY	paint shelving unit to match hope chest work on Catty Corners Quilt finish jigsaw puzzle that it giving me a headache
WEDNESDAY	cut quilt pieces clean out photo file clean out email SPAM folder
THURSDAY	paperwork and filing menu plan vacuum
FRIDAY	weed POLISH kitchen counter tops work on Christmas ornament “hooks”
SATURDAY	Farmer’s Market NOT, but a girl can dream 😀 Clean baseboards
SUNDAY	cleaning and laundry

WHAT IS ON THE DVR, I LIKE OR ON THE LIST TO WATCH/SOMETHING INTERESTING I WATCHED

Everything is pretty much over for the season (or longer ??), but I’ve been watching a lot of Game Show Network, Hallmark movies, the Cooking channel “home” episodes of the Joanna Gaines, Guy Fieri and even the Pioneer Woman, Netflix movie, Badland and we started the Amazon series, Tales From the Loop.

I’M READING The Cookbook a novel

What if your grandmother’s old Betty Crocker cookbook contained mysterious messages that would shockingly change your life? For Kate Miller all is perfect. She is falling in love with the ideal man while advancing in her professional career. Then her neat and ordered life crashes.

She receives a strange email from her deceased grandmother. Coupled with this, her apartment is burgled and her cookbooks are stolen, the ones she was instructed to preciously guard. After hiring a quirky private detective she goes on a quest that leads to an impossible truth.

This exciting action thriller is interlaced with memories of tastes, smells and laughter in the kitchen, and how a grandmother lovingly prepared a young girl to face enormous challenges. Not only did Kate learn the craft of cooking, but also values from old-world traditions. These savoury breaks in the story provide unusual twists not typically found in bestseller action-thriller novels.

Those lessons passed from one generation to the next give Kate the strength to face powerful forces. While solving mysteries she is led on a journey of self-discovery, having to ask hard questions. What is this disconcerting game that her grandmother is playing and for what purpose? Is her past just an illusion? And, why are these malevolent people intent on extracting some unknown truth from her?

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA One day last week the peacock food bin was full and even though we knew the park gates would be closed we decided to get out of the house for a small drive which we figured would be safe since we weren’t really stopping or getting out anywhere. We knew the peacocks would be near the fence looking for their hand-outs especially since the gates were closed. We weren’t wrong 😀 I just tossed the food over the fence to them and they were thrilled, but even they were practicing social distancing 😀 at least more than usual. We also passed by this cute mannequin that this family dresses up every season.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
BREAKFAST	YOGURT & HOT WATER	YOGURT & HOT WATER	YOGURT & HOT WATER	YOGURT & HOT WATER	YOGURT & HOT WATER	LEMON BLUEBERRY PANCAKES	SHIRRED EGGS
LUNCH	LEFT OVER EASTER HAM SANDWICHES	LEFT OVER EASTER HAM SANDWICHES	TUNA SALAD	C.O.R.N. CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT	SALAD & FRUIT	LEFT OVER EASTER HAM SANDWICHES	C.O.R.N. CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT
DINNER	HAM TETRAZZINI and SALAD	CHICKEN & RICE CASSEROLE with PARMESAN PAN ROLLS	MONROVIAN CHICKEN PIE and SALAD	C.O.R.N. CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT	SWISS CHICKEN and CORN CASSEROLE	PORK CHOPS with TOMATO GRAVY and GOLDEN POPOVERS	C.O.R.N. CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT
DESSERT		ROOT BEER BROWNIES