Category: MISC

Jean Jacques Rousseau, Marion Cunningham and Monday Musings

Hosted by Barbara at Candy Hearts and Paper Flowers

In every city dweller there is a displaced yearning for the rustic farm and land, the taste of the homegrown, all the natural foods. The paradox is that we do want authentic country flavors and integrity, but we do not seek the discomforts of the simple life, so we rediscover regionalism vicariously amid modern convenience and luxury.
~Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 18th century Philosopher

It is somehow both alarming and consoling to know that Rousseau wrote these words over two hundred years ago. I think the best cure for this separation is home cooking. Looking for and buying raw ingredients, handling and preparing them in your familiar kitchen, and then eating at your own kitchen table will daily restore a feeling of connection with the natural world.
~Marion Cunningham, cook book author

final blog signature. ♥

Anyone Remember the Helm’s Bakery?




Photos from the This Site
Barbara and I were chatting about cream puffs and eclairs and maple bars tonight and the whole topic evoked a childhood food memory for me of the Helm’s Bakery. As a young child growing up in southern California, the Helm’s Bakery truck and his ‘toot toot’ horn were as familiar as the ice cream man and his music. He was the pied piper of pastries, we would follow him anywhere and sometimes did. He had long pull out drawers full of eclairs, maple bars – real pastries, donuts, cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, fresh baked breads sometimes still warm from the oven… He catered to the SAHMs or ‘housewives’ of yesteryear before supermarkets at a time when the family car had been driven to work by dad. Shortly after I remember him appearing in our neighborhood he was gone.
I decided to do a little research and was surprised to find they had gone out of business just shortly after I discovered them as a young girl, but more importantly had been the bread supplier to the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, created an athletic hall of fame in 1936 that became a model for many of today’s hall of fames and even supplied bread to the Apollo 11 mission to the moon.

I went on about their maple bars for so long Barbara has now challenged me to recreate their recipe. I’m no pastry chef, but welcome the challenge. I can taste them and smell them already.

final blog signature. ♥

Pumpkin Pockets & Peanut Butter Cups

These recipes were inspired by KIY over at Rocking Chairs and a Tricycle and her perpetual Pumpkin fetish. I had some pumpkin in the cabinet, (LOL I know Kiy still has at least 1 can too) that I wanted to use up, so I made some pumpkin dough and then got creative too.
PUMPKIN POCKETS

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 JUMBO eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup rum
  • Soak the golden raisins in the rum while preparing the dough.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Cream butter and pumpkin together. Be sure and scrape sides of bowl.
  • Add sugars and cream again.
  • Add 1 egg at a time until well blended.
  • Sift together dry ingredients and add in thirds until well blended.
  • Divide dough into thirds.**
  • Chill dough firm.
  • When chilled slice into rounds.
  • Drain raisins.
  • On top of each round put a few of the butterscotch chips and a few of the raisins.
  • Top with another round.
  • Bake 12-15 minutes.
PEANUT BUTTER CUPS

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter*
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 JUMBO eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Cream butter and peanut butter together. Be sure and scrape sides of bowl.
  • Add sugars and cream again.
  • Add 1 egg at a time until well blended.
  • Sift together dry ingredients and add in thirds until well blended.
  • Divide dough into thirds.**
  • Chill dough firm.
  • When chilled slice into rounds.
  • On top of each round put a few of the milk chocolate chips.
  • Top with another round.
  • Bake 12 minutes.
  • I sometimes dip them in melted almond bark after.
*I prefer JIF or Skippy peanut butter
**I split the dough into thirds and with wax paper makes cookie rolls. I freeze 2 of the rolls for future use and make 1 tray at a time so they are always fresh baked and I only make the mess once for 3 batches.

final blog signature. ♥

Italian Chicken Provencal aka red wine vinegar & garlic yumminess

Being married to an Italian has it’s dietary drawbacks – rich food and poundage. I have revised this recipe so that it is still rich and full flavored, but a little easier on the hips!

ITALIAN CHICKEN PROVENCAL
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4 teaspoons minced garlic jar
2 large slices EXTRA SOUR sourdough bread
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground basil
1 large bay leave, deveined and crumbled
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 cup home made chicken broth*
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup mayonnaise**
6 chicken breasts

  • Using a mortar and pestle revive the seasoning scents of the basil, bay leaf, salt and pepper by grinding fine.
  • Whisk together the red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, bay leaf and basil.
  • Pour over the bread slices and soak the bread in the red wine vinegar mixture until all the vinegar is absorbed by the bread.
  • Heat olive oil in large skillet over a medium high heat.
  • Add garlic to skillet and saute’ until fragrant. With a slotted spoon transfer the garlic to the food processor.
  • Lightly brown the bread on both sides in the olive oil. Transfer to a small food processor.
  • Add the butter to the skillet so it can melt into the olive oil while you make the paste. Remove from heat.
  • Add the almonds to the food processor. Process until you have a paste.
  • Gradually add the broth to the paste to form a sauce.
  • Return the skillet to the heat and brown chicken pieces on both sides until golden.
  • Add the sauce mixture to the skillet. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
  • Transfer chicken to a serving dish and keep warm.
  • Whisk mayonnaise and lemon juice into the sauce in the pan until smooth.
  • Pour over chicken and Parmesan Potatoes. I serve it with asparagus. The sauce is a perfect compliment for it.
  • Serve & Enjoy!

*1 cup boiling water + 1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon Chicken Base
**light works well too

final blog signature. ♥

Chicken Salad

CHICKEN SALAD
3 cups diced cooked chicken
1/2 cup sliced celery
1 bunch green onions thinly sliced
4 large sweet pickles, minced
1/4 cup mayonnaise
a dash of lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

  • Mix all together and chill.
  • Serve over sliced tomatoes along with fruit and deviled eggs for a complete meal.

final blog signature. ♥

The Influence of TV ~ Aloha Friday

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would participate and take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link at An Island Life. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

Lucy over at LULU PETALS wrote a piece earlier this week about TV and the influence it has on our lives. I think about what the kids are seeing and hearing on TV today and realize childhood as we knew it no longer exists. They have become miniature ‘adults’ with what they see and experience and I believe this creates a lot of the animosity that exists in families today. When I was a kid certain types of shows came on after I was in bed. We didn’t have 400 cable channels or TIVO or DVR’s where you could watch the reruns at any time of day. In fact I had to ask permission to turn on the TV! The sex, violence and controversial topics were shielded from kids. Our parents had actual control to protect our childhoods.

So today’s question is:
How do you control your child’s TV usage?

final blog signature. ♥

Practical Jokes, America’s Funniest Home Videos and I need your help for a Payback’s a Bitch

So I was having a wonderful chat with my friend Barbara tonight, something we haven’t done in many, many months. We enjoyed it a lot and then my phone battery died after 3 hours and we resorted to IMs again. During our call I was in my studio which left hubby to his own devices which tonight resulted in a lot of channel surfing. He ended up watching America’s Funniest Home Videos where he learned a new trick. LOL his new trick leads up to the Payback is a Bitch and how I need your help.

While I was having a grand old time chatting and catching up, hubby was taping down the lever on the kitchen sink sprayer. He knew I’d need some water after talking for so long so he left the Brita empty so I’d have to fill it. I turned on the cold water and was immediately drenched by cold water. He also conveniently disappeared!

So here’s my question: how would you arrange payback for your hubby? It needs to be funny, when he least expects it and really, really good!

final blog signature. ♥

House Update – Chronicles of a Nightmare – Upstairs Bathroom ~ Part 7

BEFORE

This is what it looked like when we purchased the house. There was a funky chunk of carpeting on the floor as well as a homemade vanity and very strange facade around the claw foot tub. I was sure it would have no feet when we finished tearing out the facade, but it was in excellent condition. Since this ‘remodel’ was not planned we had to do all the work ourselves and it has been a long, hard road to tow.

DURING

We have started to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Considering we had to take this bathroom down to the studs when we had to rip out the mold infested drywall, this room has come a long way. We were going to save the tub so we painted it bronze over that horrid sea green, but changed our minds mid way and decided cabinet space was more important so we add a shower.

Hubby has finished the trim molding and the door for the attic since I took this next picture. We’re in the process of the final coat of paint as we speak. Other than removing the old claw foot tub and changing it to the corner shower we tried to keep it in character for the age of the house by using the bead board, decorative ceiling tiles and old fashioned rounded sink.

We used Laura Ashley laminate flooring in “oiled teakwood” and on sale it worked out to be less expensive and better quality, made in the USA, than the other options – most of a lesser quality and made in China.


AFTER

I am so in love with the triple pane window that replaced the “ORIGINAL” single pane window. This room is now a warm little haven – just needs a TV & Frig! LOL


Hubby wanted a little extra color in here so I did this altered decoupage plaque for above the sink.


final blog signature. ♥

Tuesdays with Dorie ~ Devils Food White Pink Out Cake

Stephanie of Confessions of a City Eater chose Devils Food White Pink Out Cake, page 247-249. I knew instantly I was going to love this recipe!! This a picture of Dorie’s Devils Food White Out Cake from her book.

I got to use my new baking center too . The 2nd picture of the baking center is for Belinda. She wanted to know what my view was.

I went obvious for Valentines and turned my marshmallow pink.

I also added a layer of blackberry jam on top of the marshmallow between layers.

final blog signature. ♥