What's cooking?

Well tonight, it's going to be ribeyes on the grill, along with asparagus and corn. Paul has become the corn grilling man. He wraps it in tin foil and it is JUST perfect.

Our friends at Art of the Table recommended a unique bottle of zinfandel for our ribeyes.
Since they have never steered us wrong, we immediately obliged. We will post a review of the wine post Saturday meal.

It is so wonderful to be cooking again. We have work space in the kitchen, the weather is nothing short of perfect and those bag o'salads are coming in quite handy. With the convection oven installed, we have some flexibility for meals. Whew. And when the rest of the appliances are installed, the possibilities will be endless.

A long, lonely summer

We have no kitchen. Ummm, I guess technically we do have a kitchen, only it's several walls, a subfloor and a nicely painted ceiling thanks to Paul and Deb. So what have we been doing all summer? Jimmy Johns, 10 minute and a host of local restaurants with coupons from friends. This has not been an inexpensive proposition - not from the renovation perspective or the eating out perspective. All the way around it's been expensive!

So I dream of baking in my new kitchen. We will have a convection oven and by friends' accounts, it is pretty slick. Here is my first order once the new kitchen is up and humming.

Blueberry Cobbler (courtesy of Lakeside Living and Entertaining)

1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup sugar, divided (I might try Splenda)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water (not to be confused with the boiling water part)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 cups fresh blueberries rinsed and drained.

Oven 400 degrees. Baking sheet covered with aluminum foil.

In a large bowl, mix flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles course crumbs. Stir in boiling water just until mixture is moist.

In a separate bowl, dissolve corn starch in water. Mix in remaining sugar, lemon juice and blueberries. Transfer to cast iron skillet and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Drop dough into skillet by spoonfuls. Place skillet on baking sheet and bake 25 minutes or until golden brown.

My favorite Salad

Deirdre posting...

Salads I think are the most overlooked component of a good meal. When we lived in San Diego, one of my very favorite restaurants was Sammy's Wood Fired Pizza. The name was a misnomer, as some of the BEST items on the menu were salads. And pasta. But salads are the focus here. I loved their chopped salad and worked to replicate it, just as deliciously but not as much work. So here is my very best knock off. Enjoy.

Salad

* 1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
* 12 leaves basil (or more) chopped
* 3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
* 1/2 cup salami, cut into thin strips (optional)
* 2 tablespoons scallion, chopped

I can't replicate the dressing but I can do one better. (Paul) Newman's Own Dressing is the best for it. Using sparingly. This salad doesn't keep so use it up! Eat up, too.

OK, I have been slacking...

In all the excitement the past few weeks, I have neglected this blog. I need to make the time to keep it updated.

Summer is upon us and I am hoping that some of the readers of this blog who are also members of the East of the Equator Cafe will start to share their warm weather recipes!

What's in the Oven?

We had a wonderful and lively discussion today at lunch about ...baking. I have two friends who believe that baking is an art and should not start with a box. Of anything.

From that conversation came two recipes.

Marcie gave us recipe #1 and said that it was not only easy but fabulous. Keep in mind that Marcie would like to own her own bakery some day. I would trust anything that she says. :)

Her comments: Here is the recipe. A couple of notes: you could probably use any kind of nuts. I love pecans, but I think walnuts would be good too, and usually aren't as expensive as pecans. Watch the cake. I didn't have to bake it the entire 35 minutes, but I used a glass pan. I also had to broil the top for about 3 minutes before it got really bubbly and caramelized. But you have to watch it so it doesn't burn. I also added a 1/4 tsp of nutmeg to cake. I think that is it.

Oatmeal Cake with Coconut-Nut Topping

1 c. quick cooking oats
1 1/3 cup flour
1 1/4 cup boiling water
* tsp. salt
* cup butter
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup brown sugar
* tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs

Topping:
* cup butter
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup coconut
3 T. milk

Pour boiling water over oatmeal, cool. Preheat oven to 325. Cream butter, sugar and eggs. Sift flour, salt, soda, baking powder, cinnamon and add to creamed mixture. Add oatmeal. Place in a 9 by 13 inch greased cake pan. Bake at 325 for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.

For Topping: Boil butter, brown sugar and milk in a heavy saucepan for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add nuts and coconut. Spread on baked cake and return to oven under broiler for 1 minute or until bubbly.

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Jennifer shared her best-cake-in-the-world recipe. Not only is she a fabulous IT director, she is a terrific cook.

Her comments: "This cake uses a cake mix to make a crust, over which there is a cream cheese layer. Easy to make."

Gooey Butter Cake III

Ingredients

• 1 (18.5 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Mix cake mix, melted butter or margarine, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 2 eggs with a spoon. Pat into a 9 X 13 inch pan.
3. Mix cream cheese, 2 eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla with an electric mixer. Slowly beat in confectioner's sugar. Pour over cake layer.
4. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool.

Simply Delicious

Posting by Deirdre

I am a huge fan of Parade Magazine. Not because of the gossip or the stories, not even because of Marilyn Vos Savant. I LOVE their recipes. Simply Delicious by Sheila Lukins has some of the best darn recipes that I have seen. This week, she has a recipe for Flank Steak, a summer staple in our house and a Lemon Caesar salad, yet another staple! Wow. My lucky day!

If you don't subscribe to our Foodies GR, check out Parade this week. I think the Flank Steak will be a homerun!

Hearty Chicken Strew

Dee challenged me to make her a new dish for our Easter Dinner. I was going to cook that perennial favorite, flank steak, but Dee wanted something with chicken. I searched the internet and found a recipe titled "Hearty Chicken Stew." I had most of the ingredients in the fridge, but I had to run out and get the spuds. I made this recipe for dinner and I am pleased to report that not only as it easy to make, but it was also delicious. I am going to post this recipe in the East of the Equator Cafe momentarily. This dish goes great with a loaf of crusty bread and a hearty Chardonnay.