Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

When I was younger my father always went to a convention each year. My mom would go with him and after the convention they would make a little vacation out of it. Every year it was in a different place. Every year I was left behind(you may now feel sorry for me ). Every year my mom would try to compensate by bringing me gifts(yes, I was spoiled…but if you knew me, you would spoil me too!). I would get random t-shirts and trinkets but two things remained the same: I would get a sweatshirt from the local university and a cookbook from the local Junior League. Oh how I looked forward to getting those cookbooks. Regional cooking is so very interesting to me. Sadly though they never went anywhere back east and neither have I as an adult. My father eventually stopped going to these conventions(retired) and so my yearly Junior League cookbook allotment stopped. Boo. I then made it my tradition to buy the Junior League cookbook of places I visited.
One time on the way to see my parents I was routed through Portland, Oregon. I had a 3 hour layover and so I wandered through the airport in search of a Cinnabon(can you blame me?). I went browsing through all of the shops and ended up in the Explore Oregon(or some stupid name like that) where it was all Oregon based items. I quickly asked if they had cookbooks and the woman pointed me over to the shelf. There was no Junior League cookbook, but there was one that caught my eye, Albertina’s. It was originally an orphanage named after Albertina Kerr, the wife of Alexander Kerr(you know they guy who makes the jelly jars). The orphanage shut down and it was turned into a historic building which then became a restaurant and catering establishment. This cookbook was one of my rare finds and is one of my go to books when I am hosting a luncheon or brunch. I will admit that I have never made a dessert from there and decided that should change.
I chose a simple Marvelous Oatmeal Cake figuring that I like Oatmeal Bread so why not cake? It was pretty humble sounding and so I sat around thinking what I would have to do to “jazz” up the cake when it came out of the oven. I let it cool and sampled a small corner edge to see what it tasted like. Then I sampled another piece, another, and so on until 1/3 of the cake was gone in a blink of an eye. Oh my. Good thing my New Year’s Resolution was not to lose weight. The cake really needs nothing more than itself. But since I had already sauted apples and broke open my jar of caramel I went ahead and added that. I must say, that was good too.

Marvelous Oatmeal Cake

1 cup quick oatmeal
1 ½ cups boiling water
½ cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sifted flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup chopped walnuts

Serves 12

Preheat oven to 350F.
Combine oatmeal and boiling water. Let stand for 15-20 minutes.
Combine butter and sugars until light and creamy. Add eggs and continue beating. Stir in cooled oatmeal mixture. Sift together flour, baking soda and spices. Gradually add dry ingredients to batter. Mix well. Add vanilla. Fold in walnuts.
Pour into a greased and floured 9-x-13-inch pan. Bake 45-55 minutes or until cake tests done. Can be served warm or cool.

Apple Saute:
2 apples, peeled, cored and diced
3 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP butter

In a saute pan, melt butter and add apples over medium heat. Let cook for 2 minutes and add brown sugar. Stir. Let sugar melt into the butter and stick to the apples. Set aside.

For the caramel sauce I used Fran’s Caramel Sauce(a local place). It’s great. If you want a caramel sauce though go here.

Source: Adpated from Albertina’s Exceptional Recipes

I was trying to find something to bake the other day only to realize every recipe I wanted to make I was missing a key ingredient. After scanning a ton of cookbooks and having my husband point out that I have way too many of them, I found a moist ginger cake with orange icing. That sounded good.
I quickly ran through the ingredients and I had all of them. So off I went. I was mixing away. I added the butter. I added the egg. I added the sugar. I added the molasses. Then it hit me. I’m making gingerbread. Duh, I am such a moron. How did I not know this? I blame it on getting hit hard on Sunday night by a meanie of a guy. It not only made my body ache but apparently it jostled my brain around a bit. Regardless, I thought it was going to be something different than gingerbread…I was wrong.
So there I stood thinking, I don’t want to make gingerbread. I mean the holidays are over, though I did not make any gingerbread during the holidays. I threw in some chopped walnuts and decided that the orange icing and the walnuts would make it different. Yeah, it pretty much is gingerbread, but a tad more spicy than the usual kind. The orange icing was a nice difference though. So if you are still in the holiday mood feel free to make this ginger “cake”. Or simply bookmark it for next year.
So apparently I am a little slow in the brain this week(well, more so than usual :P). Not to worry I wont make anything that involves me holding sharp objects.

Moist Ginger Cake with Orange Icing

8 TBSP unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup molasses
1 cup hot water
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease and flour a 9-inch tube pan. I used 4 1/2-inch diameter spring forms.

Combine the melted butter, egg and sugar in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment,. Add the molasses and water and mix.
Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cinnamon together. Working in batches, and mixing after each addition, add the dry ingredients to the molasses mixture. Mix until smooth. Fold in walnuts.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake in the center of the oven for about 35 minutes(the same amount of time is needed for the mini). Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack.

For the icing:

2 cups confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup fresh orange juice
1 tsp grated orange zest

When the cake is completely cooked, whisk the icing ingredients together until smooth. Set t he wire rack over wax paper or place in a baking pan to catch the drips. Spoon all the icing onto the top of the cake and spread it out, so that it runs down the sides. Set aside in a cool place until icing has set about 30 minutes.

Source: Adapted from Butter, Sugar, Flour, Eggs by Gale Gand, Rick Tramonto and Julia Moskin

I think far too many people don’t celebrate life.
I used to be like that. I used to be the person who never used their good dishes unless it was some super duper special occasion. Never broke open the good bottle of wine I bought. Never wanted my picture taken because I’m too fat. Always thought I would be happier if I had more money, was skinner, had a home, better car, etc….
And then I switched. I still don’t use my good dishes every day but far more than the average person. I mean they are just too pretty to not!
If I buy wine, I drink that wine. I don’t let it sit around for forever….because I might not be around for forever.
I stand and smile in whatever picture I am in. For that is me, and where I am at this point in life. Sure I may be a chunkster but my body is healthy enough for me to play hockey, go to the gym a few times a week and can do what I like to make it do.
More money is always good, though I tend to find the more you make the more you spend, so really it is all relative.
I don’t think any person is truly happy at whatever size you are. You always seem to be in quest for those last 10 pounds. Well, no one is perfect, not even you. And perfection is never going to happen.
I got a home, and on this one I must say that I am happier not to have to listen to my upstairs neighbors and what have you. But saying that there comes much more responsibility and worries.
Gone are my days of drooling over BMW’s and Mercedes. I drive a Ford Focus…that is paid for. It gets me to and from where I need to go. It gets great gas mileage. If something breaks on it(which so far never has…knock on wood) it is fairly inexpensive compared to when I owned a “nice” car. Sure no one is starring at me and saying, gee I wish I had that car. But then again I don’t have a $500 a month car payment and have to give my right arm up if something breaks down on it.
I’m always fascinated by interviews of a lot famous people who are older. Many of them grew up in poverty. In their interviews I find it interesting that they all say how happy their childhood was because they didn’t know they were poor. They didn’t know any different. I often wonder how much happier the world would be today if there was no media to be pushing to see all the “things” they are missing out on.
Now before you think I am some non-materialistic hippie(not that there is anything wrong with that), I am not. I am pretty darn materialistic, I own Louis Vuitton purses for goodness sake! But I strive each day to truly appreciate all that I have and try not to worry about all that I don’t have.
So here is a recipe to help you celebrate all the little things in life. If you are thinking that is a drink, you would be wrong. That is a dessert…a Prosecco Gelatina to be exact. Yep Jello. Nicest looking Jello I have ever had….and the most expensive.
Cheers to all of you!

Blackberry and Prosecco Gelatina

1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 ¼ cups water
1 750ml bottle prosecco
2(1/4 ounce packages) powder gelatin
1 pint blackberries

In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar and water until the sugar has dissolved. Add the prosecco. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, lower the heat to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes to boil off the alcohol. Remove the pan from the heat and add powder gelatin. Whisk to incorporate. Allow to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Refrigerate gelatina until it is cold and beginning to thicken 1 ½ to 2 hours; it should be wobbly when shaken, not fully set, but strong enough to suspend the fruit.
As soon as gelatina has begun to thicken, add the blackberries(or fruit of your choice) and divide the mixture evenly among 6 dessert or juice glasses(I used champagne flutes). Refrigerate until fully set, 2 hours.

Adapted from Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen by Gina De Palma

I talk about my mother on here from time to time, but my Dad has been lucky enough(until now that is) to avoid being featured on the blog. I get my love of baking, being in the kitchen and entertaining from my mom. However, it was my dad who really introduced me to a variety of foods. He still claims to this day the worst thing he ever did was introduce me to avocados because now when I am home we fight over them(we even arm wrestled once for the last one in the house).
One time on one of our many “life lessons”, my father made my brother and I pile into the car and we went and saw a horrible movie, I want to say it was called King of the City. I remember very little about it except for the hooker who had a razor blade under her fingernail and killed her “John” in the car with it. A truly uplifting movie as you can see. We then drove around the slums.
Next week we got all dressed up and went to a fancy restaurant where I got to have my own lobster(up to that point it was only bites of people’s plates). We then drove around the really nice neighborhoods with the million dollar homes. When we were done my father said to us, “You have seen two extremes of how you life could turn out. What you do with your life is up to you and how you want to live it. Just know that your actions have consequences good or bad.” I decided getting to eat lobster was a much better option than being a hooker who killed people with razor blades.
He sat there and lived through my mixed drink phase. I wasn’t drinking them, I was obsessed with making them. Truly bad cocktails. Things with cantaloupe and whiskey and what not. He was always nice and drank them…cringing only slightly. I got introduced to the exciting world of Slow Gin Fizz, which just so you know does not go well with peanut butter no matter how long you run the blender for. Though I must say my Bloody Mary Avocado was a hit.
One of the more memorable foods that he introduced me to was that of the Creamsicle. I, up until that point, chased the ice cream man down to get a Bomb Pop(I miss those). One day when I had done the dirty work of running down the street after the ice cream man my dad came strolling along behind me to pay. He decided to treat himself too. He got a Creamsicle. He of course seeing me eye it, gave me a bite. And then he was pretty much screwed. I knew I wanted that way more than my red, white and blue popsicle. And so my 7 year old doe eyes won out and I got to eat the Creamsicle. Orange sherbet being my favorite at the time, this treat was unbelievable to me. All the flavor of the sherbet but with a amazing creamy flavor.
My parents will be coming out for a visit in a few months to see the new house. Usually either my mom cooks my favorite meals or we go out to eat. This time though since we are in the house I am going to make them a meal. I have been trying to come up with desserts to make. I found a recipe for a Lime Bavarian that looked good but immediately it got me thinking if I could make it into Creamsicle form…and I can…and did. It is really more vanilla flavored with just a scent of the orange but it was heaven to my tongue. It has an amazing mousse-like texture that just sings in your mouth. It’s most definitely what I am making for my dad when he comes.

Creamsicle Bavarian

2 medium oranges
one packet powder gelatin minus ¼ of a tsp
zest of one orange
2 large eggs
1 vanilla bean
1 TBSP confectioner’s sugar
¾ cup whole milk
1 ½ cups heavy cream
¼ cup plus 2 tsp granulated sugar
¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Overnight: Slice open vanilla bean and scrape out seeds. Throw seeds and the leftover bean pod into a medium saucepan. Add whole milk and ½ cup heavy cream. Whisk to distribute vanilla. Simmer on low for 10 minutes. Place vanilla milk into an air tight container and refrigerate overnight.
Grate the zest from one of the oranges. Squeeze the juice from both oranges into a small bowl along with the zest. Sprinkle powder gelatin over the orange juice. Do not stir.
Separate the eggs, placing the yolks in a medium bowl and reserving 1 of the egg whites in another medium bowl. Whisk the egg yolks with the 1 TBSP confectioner’s sugar until thoroughly blended.
Take the vanilla milk from the refrigerator and remove the bean pod. Add ¼ cup granulated sugar to the mixture. Place back into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove pan from heat ans whisk a splash of the mixture into the egg yolks. Gradually whisk in the remaining hot liquid, then return custard to the pan ans whisk over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
Strain the custard through a chinois or fine-meshed sieve to remove any lumps of egg. Whisk in vanilla extract, then transfer the custard to a clean bowl to cool. Set the bowl in a larger bowl half willed with ice water. Whisk the custard every minute for 3 minutes. Whisk in orange gelatin mixture until fully incorporated. Continue to cool in bowl for another 2 minutes. Remove bowl from ice bath.
In an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the remaining 1 cup heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Remove from the mixer and replace with the bowl containing the egg white. Beat the egg white with the salt until it is white and foamy, then whisk in the remaining 2 tsp granulated sugar, one at a time. When all of the sugar has been added, increase the speed to high and beat the white until stiff, glossy peaks form.
Fold the egg white into the custard, followed by the whipped cream. You will want to whisk in 1/3 of the whipped cream in order for it to fold more easily. Pour mixture into 6 chilled ramekins or tea cups. Chill the Bavarians in the refrigerator until firm, 3 to 4 hours.

Adapted from Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen by Gina De Palma