Best of December

Well as it is late afternoon, the sun has set and all of the Christmas festivities are over it is a great time to reflect on the best of the month.  As I've said before I really enjoy the whole month of December, the whole Christmas season.  As I've mentioned in my last 2 posts, I really do enjoy baking cookies with my family.  This year my girls really got into helping and organizing me.   However there are other wonderful things too.

We had several winter storms this December and had a white Christmas.  The first in a few years. I really love going for a walk in the snow; the silence is beautiful.

Of course after a walk there is a fire. We have a wood burning fire place and there is nothing quite like it.  I love the crackle of the logs and the warmth of the fire.  

Of course I also love Christmas day. I try to make something that is a little more extravagant for lunch. This year I made cheese fondue.  I served sausage, homemade french bread, broccoli, and red peppers and apples.  To drink? A chardonnay. I always have to have a nice glass of wine for lunch on a festive occasion.

As always to end the best of the month's post with a book I'm reading.

What I'm reading: The Christmas Train by David Baldacci.  It is super cut and a lovely little read for the holidays.

I hope this month and year treated you as well as it did me.  

As always,

With love from the Midwest

and Happy New Year,

Beth 

Christmas Cookies Part 2

Well we are still enjoying Christmas cookies in my house.  As I've mentioned before we make them all throughout December and enjoy them for dessert. This past week I made a few different types.  I tried a new Spritz cookie press.

I used the recipe that came with the machine and they came out like European butter cookies, and were enjoyed by all.  My girls and I also made   peppermint crackle cookies from Southern Living Magazine.  I really do enjoy this magazine even though I do live in  the upper Midwest.  There is a lot of peppermint in them, so I think I'll reduce the amount next year.  

To finish off the holiday baking season we made our sugar cut-out cookies.  I know we are not the greatest decorators, but we all had fun doing some decorating.  My frosting is buttercream which goes very well with the soft cookie. 

How are you enjoying the Christmas season?

As always bon appétit and love from the Midwest,

Beth 

Christmas Cookies Part 1

It is 28 degrees, and I'm enjoying the Christmas lights come on as the sun has set at 4:45 in Wisconsin.  We had about 5" of snow overnight and during the day.  So all of our evergreens are piled with snow.  I thought I'd make a few posts about Christmas cookies.  This weekend I made fudge and Peanut Butter Blossoms with Hershey's Kisses. I know the peanut butter cookies are not necessarily a Christmas cookie, but they are always delicious and I don't always have time to make cookies.  I just use the recipe on the back of the kisses, with a few changes in amounts.  It is always nice to make them with someone else - there is a lot of rolling in balls and opening kisses.  This time it was my middle daughter.  We also listened to Christmas music, Pentatonix for craziness in the kitchen.

I encourage you to take some time and bake.  If it is with a loved one or a good friend even better.  

As always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

Best of November

Well this picture started out my November.  I ran my second 10k in early November. I really lucked out on the weather. It was beautiful, and the run took me along our river front and beautiful old homes.  I always think it's so nice to run or walk in a different part of the town.  If you can see it the medal has handcuffs on it from Harry Houdini.  I also was able to run a 5 miles on Thanksgiving at our annual Turkey Trot. I love ending my race with a latte, this one was pumpkin spice from a local coffee shop.

My husband and I also tried growing shiitake mushrooms in our basement.  Well as you can see from the picture....it worked.   This was the first harvest.  We had to give some away.  The next harvest wasn't as nearly as plentiful.  I don't know if I'd really order the mushrooms again, but they were from Wisconsin. Although it was fun to try something new and be successful.

This month on a whim I also started knitting again.  I hadn't for a while because of a nasty tennis elbow. However one Saturday I popped into the local store and found a lovely little project.  As you can see by the picture it is a snood, a shawl and more.  So I've been enjoying knitting by the fire a few nights this November.

As for a new recipe, my family really enjoyed confetti spaghetti from taste of home.  I made it the Tuesday before Thanksgiving as something simple and homey.  It was just perfect for that.

I also finished my latest book Dead Wake. It is about the sinking of the Lusitania and very historically accurate.  It was a fascinating read and there were points that I couldn't put it down.

As always love from the Midwest,

Beth 

Happy Thanksgiving

Well instead of writing about what we are having for Thanksgiving dinner, although it will be delicious I thought I'd write about my morning thankful practice.  Everyday when I wake up be it while I'm running or meditating to start my yoga practice I think of 10 things that I am thankful for.  Some may change from day to day, but others like my family will always stay top ten on my list.  I encourage all of you to take a moment out of your day to be thankful for at least one thing, if not more, and hold it in your heart.  This has become a beautiful way for me to wake up and get a great mind-set for the day.  Here is a sample list of today's. 

I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and

as always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

Simple Weekday Birthday

My husband's birthday was Tuesday.  Some years we go out for dinner and others we stay at home; this was a stay home year for our family.  However we do like our traditions and one of them is the birthday person gets to choose their dessert.  My husband's choice is always German Chocolate Cake.   This is just fine with the majority of our family since we are coconut lovers.  This year I knew I wouldn't have time to make the entire cake on his birthday I made it a day ahead.  I do this for cakes a lot.  This way they get the cooling time they need.  One year I didn't and I had melted frosting.  YUCK!  So I made the cake on Monday and we frosted on Tuesday.  My recipe comes from the Cook's Illustrated Best Recipe book of many years ago.  The cake has a great texture from the buttermilk and isn't too chocolaty.  

I wrapped the cakes for the next day.

Finished birthday cake. I'm not much of a decorator.  

For dinner we had sausage mushroom risotto. If there is anything that is a staple food in our house it is risotto.  It's easy to prepare and there are so many varieties.  This recipe uses both porcini and cremini mushrooms to give it an earthy flavor. 

And as always choose  a celebratory wine. My husband enjoys Kendall Jackson Chardonnay so that's what we drank. 

Bon Appétit! 

With love from the Midwest,

Beth 

What's in my Fridge

Well here is my refrigerator.  I love that its the type that opens up so I can put trays on the bottom if need be.   Actually right now it is quite full so the bread is sitting to the right.  Honestly though this really is not a problem.

However you may say that the inside is a mess, but it really isn't.  On the top I have leftover Alfredo sauce that will be used for lunches and diners. I also have ground beef for tonight's dinner. The second level contains the last of the Honey Crisp apples, our family favorite, a large bowl of whipped cream for dessert. I made a pumpkin cake the other day, yogurt for my husband's breakfast and a few other products.  The bottom shelf has the wine.  As I've said we really like the Bota Box chardonnay for our house white.  I also have a foil wrapped loaf of zucchini bread, eggs, beer and bowl of the last of my pear-apple sauce.   The veggie and fruit bins are dropping down from the weight of the last of the carrots, peppers and cabbage.

The side doors open and are full of condiments.  I like to have on hand cream and whole milk.  The whole milk is really great in my coffee and my week-end cappuccinos. I know there is another bottle of wine too.  

This side has our milk from the local dairy and our OJ.  Yes I use the frozen from concentrate since it takes up less space in the freezer and I don't need to have several containers in an already full fridge.  In the middle shelf on the left you'll see my container of yeast. It keeps very well in the fridge.  I also have my bag of flax seed.  I like the flavor it gives off in almost all baked goods, from quick breads to  waffles and on cereals as well. I hope this post makes you realize how much real food you can put in your fridge. I do think with the approaching holiday I do need to do a bit of cleaning...or eating. 

As always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

Halloween Tradition

I'm not quite sure when this tradition started, but we've been having fondue on Halloween for years.  When my children were younger they thought it was like eating out of a witch's cauldron.  So every Halloween we bring up the fondue pots, make several sauces and enjoy our traditional evening.  I usually serve a variety of proteins (beef, chicken and shrimp) along with several sauces and broccoli.  The sauces were a curry mayonnaise, Asian peanut dipping sauce, melted butter and teriyaki.   Really what ever you think might be wonderful.  The broth just about 8c beef broth seasoned with green onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce (1 T) and sherry (1 T).  I just bring it to a boil in the fondue pot and then turn to a simmer.  As a tip I always like to have a bit of extra broth in case there is a lot of evaporation.

This year my children also wanted chocolate fondue. So I obliged. There are many recipes so just give a few a try.  What did I serve with it?  Fruit (pineapple is also good), marshmallows, pound cake and graham crackers.

What ever your traditions are, keep celebrating.

As always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

October's Best

This month really flew by.  It was a busy time at home and at work, which is why I didn't get Monday's post done. But we have a day off so I'm taking care of it on a Friday morning.  This is a real treat during the school year.  On of the best things of the month is the colors.  My younger daughter and I decided to go for a walk at a local park and enjoy the beauty one day she took these pictures.. I also love wearing fall clothes. There are so many options.  I love the idea of layering a casual top with jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt.

Another great thing about October is the food.  I really start thinking about pumpkin recipes, both sweet and savory.  I made these pumpkin and chocolate chip pancakes pancakes from Half Baked Harvest.  My whole family really enjoyed them.  I don't know if I would use the maple butter again, but it was fun to try it.  I just really love maple syrup.

What I'm reading:  People Who Knew Me.   It's a very interesting book about a woman who has changed her identity and now has cancer and a 13 year old daughter.  I'm about 2/3 done so I don't quiet know how it will end, but I would highly recommend.  

Hope you enjoyed this month as much as I have.

As always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

Taking Advantage

As I write this post it is mid-October sunny and 65 degrees.  The sun is playing among the golden leaves as they drift onto the ground.  This is a rare fall day when I can still wear capris, a light long sleeve shirt and Birkenstock.  I stated my day with a run getting ready for my next 10k.  The moon was huge and low in the eastern sky and ground fog was coming off the streets and grass as the day was starting to unfold.  Every window in our house is open, because I never know when they'll be shut for what seems like an eternity.  My husband just went to the store to pick up bratwursts for grilling for lunch.  Usually I'm all for making a healthy soup or salad, but as I said I'm taking advantage of the day. I put our sheets out on the line to dry and will pick more flowers from the zinnias that we still have.   I plan to read outside later as well.

Yesterday we put the garden to bed save a few plants and enjoyed what the last few weeks of the farmers market had to offer.  How to end a great Saturday? Steaks on the grill, with delicious chanterelles and potatoes from our garden.

A black radish from Saturday's farmer's market.  I love the black and white coloring; they taste like a radish.

What is left of the garden.  I'm still using all local fruits and vegetables. Lettuce and my large leafy greens remain.

The beautiful fall day.

Enjoy and Happy Fall.

As always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

A Fall Weekend

This weekend was a crazy busy weekend in the kitchen and out.  I felt it really marked this first weekend of fall here.  Friday started off a little cool so I was able to wear jeans and a sweatshirt to work.  For dessert Friday night I turned to apples.  We bought 20 pounds of seconds the previous weekend from a local orchard.  Dessert was French Apple Cake from Dorrie Greenspan's Book Around My French Table was delightful.  It also keeps for a few days, if there is any left.

Marie-Hélène's apple cake waiting to cool. 

Saturday started with a run on a very cool morning, 37 degrees.   My son's favorite pancakes for breakfast and a walk around our farmer's market.  There are still an amazing amount of veggies for sale. So I'm trying to stock pile some that will keep for a while, my winter squashes.    Afterwards I still had some corn on the cob that I needed to freeze from the last weekend.  That was tackled in about 1/2 hour.  There is something so nice about taking anything out of your fridge or freezer knowing it is yours and where it is from.  That is one of the many reasons why I'm so into local food. The afternoon was spend canning applesauce -still using up the 20 pounds.

The corn I parboiled for 1 minute before I cut it off the ears and froze.

Zinnias and dahlias from the garden. Yes I still have some.

On Sunday morning I went to yoga.  I really love my hot yoga and one of our local studios has a 7:30 class which is perfect. I get to sleep in a bit and still can get to church at 10:30.  Breakfast?  Well waffles.  My girls love my waffles plus my middle child likes them as leftovers during the week.  The afternoon included making pear-ginger sauce.  I received a bunch of little pears so this was the best use for them. The slow cooker works really well for this.

Here's the recipe for pear-ginger sauce.

Enough peeled, cored and sliced pears to fill a slow cooker 3/4 full.
2 peeled and cut apples
1/4 c sugar
1 T ground ginger.

Cook on high for about 4 hours and blend with an immersion blender if you want a smooth sauce.  I like to let my sauce cook for about 1 hour more with the lid a-jar for a thicker sauce.  

Please get into your kitchen and enjoy what nature has to offer at this time of year.   

As always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

Fall Dinner

Late September early October seems to straddle between summer and hard-core fall.  Somedays are warm and sunny and others... well are just rainy and nasty.  Unfortunately when I plan my meals for the week I can't always take into consideration the weather.  I'm more concerned about schedules and how much time I have to actually make dinner.  Believe me this comes in handy when planning meals for the week.  However yesterday I was given the gift of time.  I had 2 places I thought I had to be in the afternoon, but both were canceled. So what did I do with my time, make break of course, French bread. (The recipe is my first post.) 

The menu include: 

Meat torte (my children like to call this hamburger pie)

Tomatoes Provencale

Applesauce -from my jars I canned

French Bread

Wine: a Spanish red, Allende

For the Tomatoes Provencales: Use as many tomatoes as needed.

I core and slice off the very bottom of the tomatoes -so they sit flat.

I sprinkle basil, oregano, salt, pepper and a bit of garlic on top.  Then I cover that with bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and olive oil.  

I bake them in a preheated 425 degree oven for about 25 minutes -until warm and bubbly. 

Bon Appétit!

As always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

Best of September

September was a very quick month.  With being back to school (work) and our children's activities the time flew by.  So much I didn't write many blog posts.  It's always hard to find a way to get into adding a new activity into the mix.  Even though September is super busy I love the fall season.  Everything just smells differently. I went for a run the other morning and I noticed not the sweet smell of spring's newness, but a mustiness and leaves starting to change color.  Yes in Northeast Wisconsin it fall starts before the fall equinox.

Of course this month I started more canning.  The winner was applesauce.  Acutally I counted over 100 jars that I canned over the summer and early fall.  Now to find place for them.  I usually just make it in my large dutch oven without any added sugar. Sometimes I purée it with my immersion blender other times I leave it chunky. I keep it warm while I prepare the jars and then process the sauce.

 I also ran my first relay for our local marathon. (I'm in the middle)  The relay was divided into 5 parts -my part  was the first leg a 10K.  I had never run that far before and it really was a great way to get into distance running.  The Hal Higdon training method was great and I was able to finish without walking which was my goal.

I'm currently reading The Red Tent. It is a women's book set in the time of the Old Testament and center's around Dinah one of Joseph's sisters.  You don't need to be religious to enjoy this book. It is taking me a little longer to read this just because of the busy month.

New Recipe: Rachel Ray's Grilled Shrimp Fajitas.  My son and I really enjoy shrimp, but the rest of the family doesn't. So one night we had tacos of 2 varieties.  I changed the tomatilloes for red peppers, since that is what I had on hand and used my own seasoning on the shrimp.  I grilled both the vegetables and the shrimp as well as the tortillas on our Big Green Egg.

I hope your September has been just as enjoyable and maybe a little less busy.

As always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

Weekend Lunch and More

I really enjoy good and healthful food. Over the years I've come up with a plan for delightful lunches all week long when I go to work.  It actually makes my day better knowing that I have something good to eat. So on the weekends, at least one day, I like to make a large batch of something that will be good cold or reheat well throughout the week.  Sometimes I make quiche, and soup is definitely a favorite as the weather grows colder.  But this weekend I made a quinoa vegetable sauté. This is a harvest time favorite since all of the veggies came from my garden or our local farmer's market.  As I said I used what was available, but feel free to swap out for what you have in the fridge or in your garden.  I hope you enjoy.

Today's choice of veggies. I also added corn off the cobb.

The quinoa and vegetables mixed together.  

Here is the recipe -My apologies for not citing my source except for I can't remember where I found this.  

·         scant 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

·         1/2 cup quinoa

·         2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

·         1 large shallot, chopped

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         pinch red pepper flakes

·         2 cups chopped kale (about 1/2 bunch – I used lacinto kale)

·         1 small zucchini, chopped

·         salt & pepper

·         2 ears sweet corn kernels (about 2 cups)

·         1/4 cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil, cut into strips

·         1/4 cup white wine

·         1/2 cup peas

·         1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth

·         1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

·         shaved or fresh grated parmesan cheese, for topping

Instructions

·         Bring scant cup chicken (or vegetable) broth to a boil in a small saucepan. Rinse quinoa very well in a fine mesh sieve under running water (quinoa is coated in a natural, bitter coating that needs to be rinsed off) then add to saucepan, place a lid on top, turn heat down to medium-low, then cook until quinoa is tender and broth is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Set aside.

·         Heat olive oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots then saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and red chili pepper flakes then saute for 30 more seconds, stirring constantly. Turn heat up to medium-high then add kale and zucchini. Season with salt and pepper then saute for 2 minutes. Add corn and sundried tomatoes then saute for 2 more minutes.

·         Add white wine then scrape up brown bits from bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon. When wine is nearly gone, add peas then stir to combine. Add chicken broth and cooked quinoa then cook until broth is absorbed. Remove skillet from heat then add basil and stir to combine. Taste then add salt and pepper if necessary. Serve topped with freshly shaved or grated parmesan cheese.

Bon Appétit and as always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

Weekday Dinner

Well last week started school for me and my children.  It also means that many after school sporting events started as well. Needless to say when I went to plan my meals for the week I needed tried and true recipes that didn't take too long.  Luckily we eat later around 7:30 ish so everyone can for the most part eat together.  This also gives me a little bit more time to get dinner on the table.  So for this week I made pasta with sausage, vegetables and fresh herbs.   You could easily change up the vegetables depending on what you have around the house or in your garden at this time of year.  I hope you add this easy dinner to your repertoire.  Bon appétit and don't forget the wine.

I like to use fettuccine noodles, but really anything will do.  I also pre-prep my herbs from my garden.

The vegetables and sausage finishing up cooking.

The finished dish ready for serving.  

Sausage with pasta, vegetables & herbs.

1 lb sausage -remove the casings

1 package of sliced mushrooms

1 pepper- sliced

1 pack of green onions -diced

1/4 cup fresh parsley -chopped

2 T fresh basil -chopped

1 t dried rosemary

2 cloves of garlic - minced

1 lb pasta -or a bit less - (for 3 teenagers I use a pound)

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Bring water to a boil to prepare the pasta.

Sauté the sausages until no longer pink, transfer to a plate. Drain all but 2 T of drippings.  

Add vegetables, rosemary and garlic.  Sauté over medium-high heat until all are tender.

Return the sausage to the pan, add the fresh herbs, chicken broth.  Cook until sauce is slightly thick. Add the cheese. When pasta is done, drain and add to the sausage mixture.  If it seems to dry add some of the pasta cooking water.  Serve and add more cheese if desired.  

As always with love from the mid-west,

Beth 

Best of August

Well its hard to believe that it is nearly the end of August. I've seen and done many beautiful and fun things.  As the summer winds down, and the school year starts up I really enjoy the time to reflect. I decided it would be fun to start a best of the month post.  This month I was blessed with a two trips to Door County. Really this is one of my favorite places to visit.  The water, flowers and general ambiance is such a great way to relax with my family.  I made a few new recipes, but my entire family really enjoyed the skillet chocolate chip cookie from Southern Living.  It was really simple and as I said everyone enjoyed.  I had a truly enjoyable  trip to Chicago with my oldest daughter.  We spent some time shopping and enjoying a beautiful lunch at the Peninsula Hotel in their sweet little café, Pierre Gourmet.

Chicago's Pierre Gourmet Café

Flowers in bloom in Door County.

End of a summer day with a beautiful sunset.

Must try skillet cookie. 

I've also finished a charming little book, The Girls of August.  This was a great little summer read, perfect for a beach weekend or on your hammock. 

What has been your best parts of August?

As always with love from the Midwest,

Beth