Holiday Dishes

Holiday Dishes is the name of this post as I cooked some of these dishes for Thanksgiving, but they can be prepared anytime.  When we were near Nashville visiting our daughter and family last summer I used their new spiral vegetable slicer gadget.  Of course the grandchildren loved to help me and enjoyed cooking the vegetable - a good way for them to eat more vegetable!  Back at home, I ordered my own Spiralizer from Amazon - there are several brands offered and mine was under $20.  It works very well.

Zucchini noodles can be made very quickly.  With the grandchildren, we cooked them in the microwave, with a little bit of water and butter, maybe for 3 or 4 minutes, and this was good.  For Thanksgiving I tried something different.  I made the dish again this week-end so I could take some photos.  First I "spiralized" 3 or 4 zucchinis.  I also sliced a red onion and two green onions and briefly stir-fried them.

I'll try to write the recipe, but it can be changed, according to one's taste.

Zucchini Noodles

3 to 4 zucchinis, 1 red onion, 2 green onions, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon bacon fat, 1 teaspoon French thyme, 2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence (or rosemary, or basil or both) Smokehouse ground black pepper, salt and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar - some chopped parsley.

Wash then spiralize the zucchinis into noodles.  Slice the red onion and the 2 green onions - separating the white parts and green parts.  Place the olive oil, butter and bacon fat in a large frying pan.  Add the red onion and white parts of the green onions.  Stir and fry for a minute or so.  Add the zucchini noodles, stir, then add the Smokehouse black pepper and salt.  (I like this pepper as it is strong and I usually cover the vegetables with it to get the dish a bit spicy.)  Then add the herbs, stir.  Add the balsamic vinegar - white or red balsamic.  Lower heat and cover.  No need to add any liquid as the zucchinis will render some liquid.  Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, until tender but still crunchy (taste after 7 min. or so and stir.)  When ready add chopped green part of the green onions and chopped parsley.  That's it.

I have also made zucchini noodles, added some spaghetti sauce, basil and turkey meat balls - it is a lighter dish than made with regular pasta.

For Thanksgiving, I usually make my basic cranberry sauce - a recipe I found on a bag a long time ago and very easy.  Place 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup apple juice and 1/4 teaspoon allspice in a saucepan on medium heat.  Heat until sugar is dissolved.  Add 2 cups washed cranberries and stir.  Keep stirring until the liquid boils.  Lower hear and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Cool.  I have some left as you can see below - it makes a thick sauce, not too sweet.

Since I had more cranberries I decided to make a cake - I made two - almost the same but with some variations.  Both were made like an upside down pineapple cake.  The first one contained 2 sliced apples, 1+ cup of cranberries and 1/2 cup pecans.  That was placed on the melted brown sugar and butter in a cast iron frying pan, then I poured the cake batter on top.  The batter had 2 eggs, sugar, butter, baking power, spices and 1 1/4 cup flour.  I baked it 40 minutes in 350 F oven.  My husband preferred that cake.

For the second cake I used only 1 sliced apple, 1+ cup cranberries and 1/2 cup pecans.  I used less flour (1 cup) but 3 eggs, separated - the white beaten stiff with white sugar, and 1 tablespoon Bourbon whiskey.  Baked it 45 minutes in 325 F oven, left it in the frying pan 10 minutes then placed it upside down on a plate.  I preferred the taste of that cake.

This cake looked quite different from the first one.  I placed the apple slices first in the number one cake and the cranberries and pecan first in cake number two.  Both cakes were good and not too sweet - if served warm, vanilla ice cream would be good with either cake.  Below is cake number 2.

Since cranberries were plentiful I also made some jam.  One of my daughters gave me a jar of jam last summer that she had bought at the Loretta Lynn's Ranch.  It was called FROG jam - which stands for fig, raspberry, orange and ginger jam.  This gave me the idea of making my own CROG jam - using cranberries, raspberries, orange peel and ginger.  The jam is delicious and not too sweet - good on toast but also can be used as a condiment with meat.

We went to a country restaurant some time ago and I enjoyed eating their steamed cabbage.  I have never made steamed cabbage, or any cabbage apart from placing pieces of them in my corned beef dish in the spring.  So I tried my own version last Saturday.  I quartered the cabbage and cut the stem off, then sliced it.  Shallots sounded right with the cabbage, so I chopped a couple.  I had half a bunch of fresh kale leftover from a turkey soup I made, so I sliced the kale as well.  It may not have been "steamed" cabbage, but it was very tasty and cooking it on low heat, quickly, it did not leave a cabbage smell in the kitchen.

Here is my recipe - 1 cabbage, washed, cored and sliced (add kale if available,) 2 shallots, sliced thin then chopped.  Place 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large frying pan.  Add shallot and fry briefly.  Add cabbage and stir for a couple of minutes.  Season with salt and Hickory smoke black pepper (or regular black pepper and some Tabasco sauce to give it a kick.)  Add 3/4 cup chicken or turkey broth in which 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke was placed.  Pour on cabbage and stir well.  Lower heat, cover and cook 6 to 8 minutes until done but still crunchy.  Voila!

Saturday was a good day for cooking as it rained in the morning.  It was cloudy and only 67 degree F (19 C.)  The back yard looked very golden with a thick cover of dead leaves.  The leaves had vivid colors as they were still coated with water when I took my photos.

On Sunday it was bright and sunny.  The colors in the backyard looked different.  It was warmer as well.

 With all the pine trees and ivy, the color green is still very present in our backyard.  I like  the way the sun plays with the dead leaves still standing on some of the trees.

Our cats were indoor, not even looking at the birds in the bird feeders.  Cody was asleep, hiding his eyes with his paws (maybe from the scent of the cut shallot...) and Mitsuko was watching TV - an old I love Lucy rerun - such was last week-end.

A flexible vegetable stew with Vidalia Onions

Last month, before the ice and snow storm, we went to the Scott's Antique Market in Atlanta.  This antique and collectible show is held on the second week-end of each month.  We go there several times a year as we enjoy looking at the great variety of items for sale.  Last month I found some vintage postcards and several old books.  Outside there were many vendors too, from antiques to garden furniture, plants, and bric-a-brac.  I purchased some fresh green beans and Vidalia onions from the booth of a farmer.  I had never used the green Vidalia onions before and was a bit curious about them.

The sweet Vidalia onions are popular in Georgia and are well known by gourmets everywhere.  They are trademarked and can only be grown in thirteen counties in Georgia and specific portions of seven other Georgia counties.  It is illegal to grow them in any other area.  They are like the Champagne in France that can only be called by that name if the grapes have been grown in the Champagne area, all other places cannot call their bubbly wine Champagne.  Champagne and Vidalia onions have what we call in French an "Appellation d'Origine Controlee" - or controlled designation of origin.  (Photos in collages below courtesy Vidalia Onion Committee.)  (Click on collage twice to enlarge.)

The Vidalia Onion Festival is held in Vidalia every year in April to celebrate this famous sweet onion.  I'd like to go there sometimes but as shown on the map above it is a bit far from Atlanta - at least a 3 hours drive or 194 miles (312 kms.)

The town of Vidalia was incorporated on January 1, 1890.  At the time it was just a small town along the railroad.  It owes its name to Vidalia Wadley, the daughter of the president of Central of Georgia Railroad.  In 2000 metro Vidalia area had a population of about 35,000.  Vidalia is located in Toombs County.  Of course, as I am curious I had to find out why the county was named Toombs.  It turns out that Robert Augustus Toombs (1810-1885) was an ardent secessionist who helped lead Georgia out of the Union.  He was the first Secretary of State of the Confederacy and a senator from Georgia.  He had a "volatile personality" and was of English descent.  Toombs was a Confederate General and refused political pardon after the Civil War.  His antebellum home in Washington, Georgia, is now a museum filled with Toombs memorabilia and antique furniture.  (I'll have to go there on a trip sometime.)  (Photos below courtesy Wikipedia.)

But to come back to our onions, the Vidalia onion is the "official vegetable" of the State of Georgia and a major crop for the state.

As mentioned above, in 1931 a farmer in Toombs County discovered that his onions were sweet.  Other farmers in the area started to grow this onion too and the tourist trade and good PR made it popular.  The pyruvate level or Pyruvic Acid is the "standard" industry tool to categorize onion pungency.  Vidalia onions have a very low level of pyruvate because the native soil is low in sulfur and the area has a mild climate - it will not cause heartburn or indigestion.  The Vidalia onion can be cooked as a regular onion, but because of its sweetness it can also be eaten raw, in salads and sandwiches.  The green onions I bought at the antique show are called "Lil' Bo's Petite Sweet Vidalia Onions" and produced by the Herndon Farms of Lyons, Georgia.  They were named after Bryton Bo Kight, the grandson of the farm owner, Bo Herndon.  I liked those I bought last month so much that I bought some more today at the supermarket and will make a vegetable stir-fry with them.

Anyhow, last month during that cold week I made up a vegetable stew.  I called it "Ice Storm Green Bean Stew" but I made up a variation of this stew two weeks later, so now I call it "Flexible Vegetable Stew with Vidalia onions."  First I gathered what I believed would go nicely together, or rather, what I had on hand such as a large green pepper - I always like green peppers and onions.

Then I gathered mushrooms, garlic, a lamb chop, canned tomatoes, white kidney beans, herbs and spices.

As I cooked I tried to keep notes, but I am not a good recipe writer.  Here it is below.

Flexible Vegetable Stew with Vidalia Green Onions

1 shoulder lamb chop, or beef stew, or veal or chicken (or no meat) ...cut into small pieces
1 1/2 pound fresh green beans, cut 1 inch long
2 or 3 large green Lil' Bo's Vidalia sweet onions  (or 4 or 5 green onions if unavailable)
6 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 piece, 1 1/2 inch long, of fresh ginger, sliced (if available and optional)
1 large green pepper, thinly sliced longwise
5 or 6 mushrooms, sliced
1 large can (28 oz) tomatoes in basil sauce + 1/2 can water
1 medium can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes in juice
1 large can (20 oz/567 gr) white kidney beans
1 tsp Creole seasoning
2 tsp dry oregano
1 Tablespoon dry basil
1/8 tsp red cayenne pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Olive oil and butter  - salt and pepper to taste

Cut white parts of Vidalia green onions and slice (reserve green parts.)  Place some olive oil (about 1+ Tbs) and a piece of butter into a large pot.  Fry white of green onions and green pepper for several minutes, stirring.  Add ginger and garlic, fry for a minute longer, stirring.  Add more oil or butter if needed so it won't stick.  Add meat if used and stir, fry until no longer pink.  Add green beans, stir and cook 5 minutes on medium.  Add seasoning and herbs, salt and pepper and mushrooms.  Add the 2 cans of tomatoes and water, stir and cook, uncovered for about 15 minutes, gently boiling to reduce liquid.  Add can of beans, which has been drained and rinsed, and sliced parts of Vidalia green onion.  Cover and turn down heat.  Cook 20 minutes - check after 10 minutes and stir.  Serve with couscous, or mashed potatoes.  (Makes a lot)

This recipe makes a large amount.  We ate it for 3 days and I froze some too.  Then two weeks later I decided to make this stew again as we liked it, but with a variation.  I purchased 1 pound of fresh green beans and 1/2 pound of yellow string beans.  I used a red bell pepper this time and an eggplant (aubergine.)  I also added a regular Vidalia onion, or a yellow onion, chopped.  Instead of the white kidney beans I used a large can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas.) I did not use the Creole seasoning but 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, 1 heaping teaspoon of Zatar (Middle Eastern spice) and 2 teaspoons of Turkish oregano.  The rest stayed the same: Vidalia green sweet onions, etc.  This was good with rice pilaf, Armenian style.   If Zatar is not available I'd use Herbes de Provence instead.

The reason I called this recipe"flexible" is because you can keep the basic green beans, garlic, mushrooms, onions and tomatoes recipe and just change the beans and the herbs and spices.  Next time I'll use black beans or dark kidney beans and add a can of corn, then some chili powder to give it a Mexican taste.  Another time I'll use red beans, some andouille sausage or other smoked sausage and Cajun spices to give it a New Orleans style, and serve it with white rice. But it does make a large amount and could easily be halved or placed in several small containers in the freezer.

The weather did warm up a bit, enough for our Oregon Grape Holly (Mahonia aquifolium) to bring out its sweet scented bright yellow flowers.  The birds love this plant and propagate it well as we have holly bushes sprouting up all over the back and front yard.

I love to watch the birds, and other critters, whether they come to eat the berries from the Oregon Grape Holly bushes or from our bird feeders.

To finish, below is my Lil' Bo's Petite Sweet Vidalia Onions® and assorted vegetables photo worked with my waterlogue app.

Staying close to home in January

With erratic January weather, sometime mild, sometime cold, we did not go on any trip but stayed close to home.  Last Tuesday morning we found out that our cat had pushed our telephone off the counter and it was broken.   We meant to go out and buy a new telephone until we saw a weather warning on television - snow was coming soon.  Indeed by 11:00 am on that Tuesday, January 28th, 2014, the first flakes were falling, so we stayed home.  Many people in and around Atlanta as well as all school children left early to go home and many did not make it there until Wednesday or even today, Thursday.

I had almost finished writing this post but stopped to take some pictures through our windows - as it was very cold and snowing.  Yesterday, Wednesday, we went walking in the afternoon to take photos of our rare snow - the last snow was three years ago, and it lasted three days only.  I'll show my new snow pictures in my next post, but below is a photo of our snowy road.

At the beginning of the month we drove to Johns Creek, GA, to a French bakery I had noticed on the Internet.  It is called "Sweet Tentations."  (Click on collage twice to enlarge.)

We had lunch there.  I selected the classic "Bouchee a la Reine" and salad, and my husband the stuffed avocado and salad.

My dish was very good but my husband said that his was a bit blend.  His taste bud is not as strong as it used to be so he likes food with a sharper taste.  I talked (in French) with the baker and his wife - they are from Toulon, France.  I also looked at several Paris Match magazines while eating my lunch.  We did buy a Galette des Rois to take home.  The galette was especially tasty, and my husband had the trinket (feve) in his piece of galette - this time it was a tiny fireman.

Apart from the Tour de France in July, I do not watch much television (too many books to read) but I like to watch Downton Abbey.  The series started again in January and watching Daisy with her new mixer reminded me that my daughter had given me a new mixer for Christmas.

My mixer, which had been a wedding present in 1967, was starting to show its age - it had given me great service for 46 years ... My old Hamilton Beach mixer is on the left and my new red Cuisinart mixer on the right.

Cranberries were still at the supermarket so I made a couple of cranberry-apple, and cranberry-cherry cakes.  I like to add spirits in my cooking, so I baked one with raisins soaked in Bourbon, and the other had dry cherries marinated in a Danish liquor called Cherry Heering.  Both were quite good.

I enjoy reading recipes like the lady below, but then I usually make my own versions - by adding a little bit of this, a little bit of that.  I try to write down my versions so that I won't forget them (in case they turn out to be delicious ...)

Nina Kupka by Frantisek Kupka, Czech 1871-1957

When the weather was quite cold I made a thick lentil soup with little French lentils, some lamb stew meat, kale, tomatoes, carrots and potatoes, and herbs - what I had on hand.  It turned out nicely served with a small salad on the side.

When it turns cold we also like to go to the movies.  We saw five films and part of a sixth one.  We saw Philomena, marvelously played by Judy Dench.  We also watched Inside Llewyn Davis, American Hustle, August: Osage County and Saving Mr. Banks - about Walt Disney and the author of the book Mary Poppins, P. L. Travers.  We started to watch The Wolf of Wall Street but left after about 1/2 hour.  It is a 3-hour long movie about a stockbroker's greed, drug use, trophy wives and too much obscene language for my comfort zone - it is a predictable story but a successful film though, but not for me - it did not inspire us.  My favorite film was Philomena.  I also enjoyed learning about the author of Mary Poppins, and did not know she was born in Australia.  I did read that the film left out many facts about P. L. Travers, but it is a film after all ... Since I had never read the book or seen the Disney movie Mary Poppins I ordered the DVD and just received it.

We ate out several times during the month.  A restaurant in Woodstock, GA, we visit often for breakfast, J. Christopher, had opened a branch in Kennesaw, near the mall where the movie theatre is located, so we had lunch there.  There are interesting art works displayed on the walls.

My husband had the Patty Melt sandwich (grilled burger topped with melted Swiss, caramelized onions, 1000 Isle dressing on rye bread with sauteed potatoes) and I had the soup and salad combo (Bleu cheese, tomato, avocado, red onion and chopped bacon on top a mound of fresh field greens with a grilled pepper and tomato soup with smoked Gouda cheese.)

I was going to call this post "Food in January" since I had taken pictures of meals at restaurants and at home, but after Tuesday snow fall, I changed the title so I could include some snowy pictures taken from my windows.  Today, Thursday, there is still snow on the ground but it will warm up to the 40s F (5 C) this afternoon and the 60s F (15 C) by Saturday.  But getting back to food, we stopped by the French bakery and cafe "La Madeleine" on a cold afternoon for a cup of tea and an almond croissant.  I enjoyed talking French with three African members of the staff, one from Senegal, one from Guinea Conakry and the other from Togo.

Back at home I made up another dish - chicken breast with an assortment of ingredients I had.  I did write the recipe down and called it "Impromptu Chicken" - covered the pieces in flour mixed with herbs, browned them in butter and olive oil and removed them from pan.  Fried green pepper, garlic and shallot on the side, then added some dried tomatoes, white wine, 1/2 and 1/2 cream, mushrooms and herbs.  It was quite good.

On another very cold day we went to Roswell, GA, and had lunch at The Swallow at the Hollow, a BBQ place.  At first we could not find it as it is a barn with a small sign.  Once indoor it looked very rustic but I had heard good reviews about the food.  My husband had a barbecue sandwich and baked beans and I had the Brunswick stew and fried green tomatoes (which were excellent.)  I really enjoyed the meal.  I did notice that most of the clientele was masculine and counted 22 men around us and one woman ... I think they have music at night (DJ and records maybe by the look at the 33 LP collections.)  Their sister restaurant, Greenwood's on Green Street, provide them with their famous pies - we shared a large piece of apple pie.

Last Tuesday as it was so very cold again I thought using the oven would warm up the kitchen nicely.  I decided to bake some brownies but again I had to use what was on hand since I could not drive to the grocery store on the icy roads.  I used semi-sweet chocolate pieces and cocoa powder, butter, 3 eggs, pecans, flour, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamon, with some cream cheese and Greek yogurt.  I also added a good tablespoon of Orange Liqueur I bought in Martinique, but Grand Marnier would work just as well, or orange juice.  I called that "Snow Day Brownies" and if anyone would like the recipe, just send me an email (as shown in my blog profile.)

We went to a couple more restaurants and I created some new dishes but by now I think everyone is stuffed and I'll get to my snowy pictures.  These were taken from behind my windows that have screens attached outside.  It was snowing as you can tell from the top picture.  My cat Cody was watching a little yellow bird with interest.

A woodpecker often flies to the center bird feeder but another bird, brown and black, decided to take shelter under it.  He stayed there, all puffed up, for quite a while.  I am not sure what type of bird he is.

I do not recognize birds well but cardinals are easy to spot with their beautiful bright red color.  I followed the cardinal below and his lady cardinal with my camera.

 There were a multitude of sparrows on the ground (at one time I counted 56!) and at the six bird feeders.  It even looked like they were fighting for the seeds, as you can see in the center picture below.  My husband braved the snow and cold and refilled all the bird feeders and spread more seeds on the ground and on the window sill.

But this brought out a squirrel and he jumped on the roof of the bird feeder and helped himself.

Yesterday our road was covered with snow and ice - no salt truck comes so far out until all the main roads are clear.  I just heard on the News that, as of today, Thursday afternoon January 30th, there are still over 2000 abandoned cars on the roads in our area.  Today though the snow is lovely under the bright afternoon sun - I took this picture from my front porch.

Note:  My next post will be about the snow storm in Metro Atlanta.