Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Cookies

Taking any type of cookie, muffin, quick bread, or cake recipe, and giving it a makeover so it becomes a whole wheat, lower sugar, healthy fat "gem", is one of my favorite things to do. And taste is everything. Whole wheat is tricky, and during my makeovers I've made my fair share of whole wheat bricks, paper weights, hockey pucks, etc.

I've stumbled upon a few tricks of the whole wheat trade that can make all the difference in the world. For example, using whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour is a great substitute for straight whole wheat, tends to make a lighter, less dense baked good. Buttermilk, who would have thought buttermilk would assist in making very light whole wheat products, but it does. Holding back on the baking powder and just using baking soda has helped in the density department also.

I gave a peanut butter cookie recipe a makeover this week and it turned out pretty darn good. I have a tendency to try and pack as much nutritional punch in my recipes also, so this cookie is not low-fat in any stretch of the imagination. The original recipe called for an entire jar of peanut butter, which is what attracted me to it in the first place. An entire jar of peanut butter, that's oodles and oodles of protein for a cookie!! Topped with some healthy walnut oil high in omega 3's and 1/2 the sugar, cookie schmookie, you can eat these for breakfast. And of course if you have peanut allergies, any type of nut butter would work.

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup walnut oil
3/4 cup organic evaporated cane juice
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
3 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1 (16 oz) jar of natural peanut butter
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets. With an electric mixer, in a large bowl, cream together walnut oil and evaporated cane juice until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, and brown rice syrup, beat until fluffy. Beat in peanut butter. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt, stir into peanut butter mixture with strong wooden spoon. Refrigerate dough for two hours.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls, place on cookie sheet, and do the criss-cross thing with a fork. Bake for 7-9 minutes depending on the level of crispiness you like. Let cool for a minute and transfer to a rack.

Makes a lot of cookies, give yourself some time.

Veggie & Chicken Stir Fry

In my attempts to get in shape and also eat better, I'm trying to incorporate more vegetables into my diet. I find this ridiculously difficult because I'm cooking for one and when I want a snack, I don't think "yum, carrots" first. 

But, one thing I have done is make a pretty tasty stir fry thanks to a recipe from a coworker that I modified to include chicken. 

What you'll need: 

1/2 c. diced cooked chicken breast (I used the Tyson frozen pre-cooked stuff)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 bag California Stir Fry Vegetables

1/2 tbsp (or a little less) chopped fresh ginger root

3 tsp chopped garlic (to taste - I really like garlic. A lot.)

2-3 tbsp lite soy sauce

Okay, so you're going to want to warm up your chicken according to the package directions. Then heat up the oil in a LARGE skillet, toss in your garlic and ginger and sautee for a minute. Then toss the veggies & chicken in and cook until crisp tender (about 6-7 minutes). Remove from heat, mix in your soy sauce, then serve and enjoy. 

The original recipe called for a ton of veggies and no meat, which resulted in a large meal for about 100 calories. My method was about 210 calories, but the chicken added that bit of protein I need to make sure I'm getting in my diet. 

If anyone has suggestions for making sure I'm getting my 5-a-day of veggies & fruits in, I'm happy to hear them. I'm trying to break a lifetime of bad food habits here, so I don't expect to change overnight. I could just use a little help in being creative with my dinner for one. 

Fake Mexico Food

In honor of my trip to Mexico, I will be posting two recipes that I have made recently and have been asked for the recipe.

The first one I had a friend's house this summer, and then made it myself to much praise.

Salsa Cheesecake

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Salsa-Cheesecake

I won't try and pull it off as my own, but it sure is tasty! This is going to be my new staple to bring places.

The other is something I made for a family work party. Almost everyone has their own recipe for layered dip, but here's mine.

Nine Layer Dip

1 1/2 lbs cooked ground beef - you can use plain or put in a packet of taco seasoning
16 oz refried beans - if I have a lot of people to feed, I'll use 2 cans instead of one
4 cups shredded cheese - cheddar, mexi-blend, cheddar/jack mix - whatever you like or have on hand
Sour Cream - I use low fat and use what looks good. Anywhere between 1 and 1 1/2 cups
Guacamole - Probably about a cup. I don't make it myself but get the 4-pack at Costco, and they look about a cup each.
Salsa - Whatever you like. Also about a cup or more.
Sliced black olives - I buy the littlest one
Diced tomatoes - about a 1/2 cup
Green onions, chopped - about a 1/2 cup as well.

Layer in the following order in a 9 x 13 dish, or a cool bowl:
Beans
1/2 the cheese
Beef
Sour Cream
Guacamole
Salsa
Rest of the cheese
Olives
Tomatoes
Green onions

Easy and yummy! Serve with tortilla chips.
I also have a friend who mixes a little chili powder in with the beans and the sour cream (separately), which gives it a little kick if you're not using taco meat.

When I twittered about this the other day, I called it 8 layer dip, because I forgot the green onions.

A British Classic

In America you have Martha Stewart - in England we have Delia Smith - she's an icon - a classic British cook and everyone I know has at least one of her cookbooks. Before Jamie Oliver she was THE celebrity chef. And this is one of my favourite of her recipes - Special Cottage Pie.

I just made it for Sunday lunch today and the whole family (except Toby who doesn't do pie) have eaten it all up! (It's supposed to serve 4 but it served 2 1/2 Edwards although there is a little left)

450g Beef Mince
2 medium Onions, chopped
1 Large Carrot, chopped very small
Beef dripping (I used Olive oil as I don't have beef fat to hand!)
½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
½ teaspoon Dried Mixed Herbs
1 tablespoon chopped Fresh Parsley
1 level tablespoon Plain Flour
1 tablespoon Tomato Puree or paste
275ml hot Beef Stock
Salt and Black Pepper

For the topping

900g (2lbs) Potatoes
2 medium Leeks, chopped
50g (2oz) Butter
25g grated Cheddar Cheese

Pre heat oven to gas mark 6 (400°F, 200°C)

Fry onions until soft, then add carrots and minced meat. Brown. Season with salt and pepper and add cinnamon, mixed herbs and parsley. Stir in flour. Mix tomato puree with stock, add to the pan and bring to boil. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Boil potatoes and cook leeks gently in butter. Cream potatoes, add leeks. together with butter and season.

Put mixture into a well greased dish. Spread the potato mixture over the top. Sprinkle on the grated cheese and bake for about 25 minutes until top is crusty and golden.

Here is mine (before we gobbled it up) -

And here with a spoon taken out so you can see the bubbling rich mince and carrots inside.


Totally delicious autumny comfort food.

American cookies from the British girl!

I have only recently started making sweet treats - cookies and cakes etc. I've always been more of a savoury chef (and not a prolific one at that!). I recently made some basic shortbread biscuits (see I'm British and that's what we call cookies) and they were a success. I went to a farm shop last week and bought some really lovely looking organic oats - and fancied trying my hand at an American classic - the oatmeal cookie! So here we go....my ingredients!

• 8 oz butter
• 7 oz caster sugar
• 7 oz soft brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 7.5 ounces plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 8 oz raisins
• 10 oz rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 175C

Cream the butter with the sugars, and then beat in the eggs one at a time.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon, then mix into the butter/sugar/egg mixture.

Now mix in the raisins and oats.
Place balls the size of a large walnut onto a greased, non-stick baking tray (remember to allow room for them to spread!) and cook for about 15 minutes or until verly lightly browned.


Cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet, and then transfer to a cooling rack.

The dough keeps well in the fridge for several days, so you can cook up a few cookies whenever you want them rather than the whole batch at once if you wish.

I can't take credit for the recipe - I found it here on Fork'd. But I was really pleased with the results - and Rob can't stop eating them. Apologies for the slightly fuzzy crappy photos - I took them with my cellphone which is on it's last legs.....

So to all my lovely American chums - thanks for the cookies!

Big Dutch Babies: heaven in a cast iron skillet

One of my fondest food memories is of Big Dutch Babies, or more commonly, Dutch Pancakes.  These rich, fluffy, egg-y, custardy wonders graced our breakfast table on special occasions like Christmas, Easter, and birthdays.  They were always my first request when given the choice.

To this day, they make me think of my mother and of family gatherings at the breakfast table.  And, to this day, they are still the top request when the family gathers at my parent's house for a holiday.  Looking back, and looking at my recipe, I realize why this simple dish was reserved for special occasions: with all this butter and eggs, it's certainly not low fat or low calorie.  Not to mention the syrups and jams and sugar!

The recipe doesn't require a cast iron pan to turn out just beautifully, but there's something about the richly seasoned pan that really adds something to the finished dish.

We serve and eat them in lots of different ways, and all are delicious!  My favorite is with butter, lemon juice, and powdered sugar, while my dad prefers his with jam.  My kids are fans of Maple Syrup (the real stuff, please!).

With the weekend approaching, I think I just might make a batch myself and wallow in memories of my childhood.  And of course, the most delectable pancakes this side of the crepe.

Big Dutch Babies

Pan size         Butter        Eggs        Milk/Flour

2-3 qt               1/4 cup          3               3/4 cup

3-4 qt               1/3 cup          4               1 cup

4-4 1/2 qt        1/2 cup          5               1 1/4 cup
4 1/2-5 qt         1/2 cup         6               1 1/2 cup

Put butter in the pan and place in a preheated 425 degree oven.

Beat eggs until lemony.  Add milk, then flour and whisk smooth.  Pour into the pan with fully melted butter.  Cook 20-25 minutes.  

The center should be set and the edges will be puffed up into big, golden bubbles.  Slice in the pan and serve hot with your favorite toppings.

Oh, and if you make them, what time should I arrive for breakfast? 

White Bean and Zucchini Soup for a food lover's soul

I adore soup.  It's versatile, easy, soothing.  It can be healthy or decadent.  Simple or elegant.  It's the perfect food for busy families or professionals and warms up a fall day like nothing else.

Since I still have zucchini popping up in my garden, and we finally got a nice few fall-like days here on the island, I decided to make one of my all-time favorite soups.  It's an easy recipe with appeal for people of all tastes and is a healthy treat that my kids devour.  I've never made a batch that didn't disappear!  I think you'll really like the rich tomato-chili broth too.

The recipe is vegetarian, but meat (ground beef, turkey, or sausage) can be a flavorful addition if you want a meatier version.  As I recall, an old recipe that inspired this soup called for smoked sausage.  We like like it with just the veggies, and it's plenty thick and rich, with lots of protein, thanks to the white beans.  

White Bean and Zucchini Soup

3 Tbs olive oil

1 medium red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 zucchini (7 inches long, 1 1/2" diameter), chopped

1 tsp. thyme

2 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 large can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes

3 1/2 cups cooked white beans (or 2 14.5 oz cans, drained & rinsed)

3 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock/broth

2 1/2 cups water

1/2 c. spaghetti (broken into 1 1/2" pieces) or other pasta 

Heat olive oil in a heavy soup or stock pan. 

Add  onion, and garlic, and cook over low heat while you chop the zucchini into 1/2 inch pieces.  Add zucchini to pan and turn heat to medium high.

Add the thyme, chili powder, salt & pepper.  Stir well to coat vegetables with seasonings.  (Now, stop a moment to admire the very pretty red color from the chili powder-- it's gorgeous!)  Cook, stirring often, until zucchini is soft.

Add the beans, tomatoes, vegetable stock/broth, and water.  (Use whatever combination of liquids you prefer.  You should have at least 6 cups though.)  Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat and let the soup simmer, covered, for about 20 - 30 minutes.   If the soup thickens too much for your taste, add more liquid 1/2 cup at a time to desired consistency.

Return to a boil and add pasta about 10 minutes before serving.  Let the pasta cook until it is al dente tender.  Don't overcook as it may turn too soft.   Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired.

Serve with shredded parmesan or crumbled goat cheese (Oh, how I love Chevre!) and warm, crusty bread.

Serves six to eight, depending on how selfish you want to be with possible leftovers.  

Tortilla chips: so fresh you'll never go back to the bag

Since my little tomato plants are still producing like gangbusters despite the fact that they are staring to look like sad victims of a nuclear winter, I found myself making yet another batch of salsa today.  I had planned on making tomato sauce instead this time, but my husband begged, nay, pleaded, that I make more salsa.

"But I really, really want to have salsa last through the winter." he whined.  

Salsa happens to be a lot less work than tomato sauce, so I relented.  And hey, he's right.  In the cold gloom of winter, what could be more joyous than a big jar of fresh tomato salsa?  (Oh, ya, we live on an island in southern California.  I guess I could pretty easily get tomatoes, huh?)

But, as I was whipping (or processing as the case may be) another batch, we realized that we were about to have a huge bowl of fresh salsa and NO TORTILLA CHIPS!  Ack!  How did this tragic turn of events happen?  We always have tortilla chips.  If you tested the carbon makeup of our bodies, I think we'd be close to 70% corn, we eat them so much.  In this house, we *heart* tortilla chips.  White corn.  Yellow corn.  Blue corn.  Even flour and rice tortilla chips.

Not to be thwarted in our mission for chips and salsa, we plotted.  My husband could go to the store wile I finished the salsa.  Eugh.  That's 11 miles away and nearly an hour round trip. 

 

I gathered my courage and forged on: I would make homemade tortilla chips.  And you know, they were so easy, and sooooo good, I might never go back to bagged tortilla chips.  Well, OK, yes I will.  In fact, my husband picked up two bags when he went to town this afternoon.  But those freshly cooked chips, warm from the pan, are dancing around in my head, teasing me and taunting me.  

They were light, and crispy, and had so much flavor.  More flavor than even my favorite store-bought brands.  So, I'll be making them again alright.  Next time, I'll have to figure out how to hide them so I can eat them all!

Here's the incredibly simple, incredible short recipe:

Homemade Tortilla Chips

4-6 tortillas, any variety  (we used brown rice tortilla's today)

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and/or chili powder to taste

Cut each tortilla into eight equal wedges.

Heat oil in a wide shallow pan over high heat.  Be careful of the hot oil and be attentive as it can turn to smoking quite easily.

When the oil is hot, add the tortilla wedges in a single layer.  Cook in hot oil until they begin to crisp.  Turn the wedges and allow to crisp and get slightly browned.

Remove to a plate covered with a paper towel and drain any excess oil.  

Sprinkle with a small amount of salt and/or chili powder to taste and serve warm with all that yummy fresh salsa! 

Vegetarian Chili and Peach Cobbler

I spent the weekend "camping" in honor of my friend Mindy's upcoming wedding. And by "camping", I mean "chilling in a cabin/house in the woods with full electricity and indoor plumbing". Everyone involved contributed to the food in some way and my contributions were vegetarian chili and a peach cobbler.

I got my kick-ass chili recipe from an old friend, but have modified it slightly to make it vegetarian (it can also be made Kosher if you substitute Emeril's Original Essence for the Tony's. Not that Tony's isn't kosher, but there's no definitive word on it, so I've used Emeril's seasoning to be safe). 

Vegetarian Chili Recipe:

1tbsp olive oil

1/2 medium onion (I use whatever strikes my fancy - this time I used a sweet onion)

3 tsp chopped garlic (or more. I really like garlic.)

1 bag Morningstar Grillers Recipe Crumbles (or other ground beef substitute = 1lb ground meat)

1 14.5 oz. can Red Gold Petite Diced tomatoes with green chilies (or other diced tomatoes)

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes 

1 cup vegetable broth

1 can black beans

1 can navy beans

1 can kidney beans 

Seasonings (measurements are estimates - these are more to taste):

1 tsp salt

1 tsp Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp taco seasoning

1 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp dried parsley

So, you're gonna heat up your oil, then toss in the garlic and chopped up onion. Saute those for about a minute (or until fragrant). Toss in your fake meat and cook for a bit - until the meat heats through (or about 5 minutes if you're impatient). Add the seasonings and cook for about a minute, stirring constantly. Then add the tomatoes and vegetable broth. Stir it up, then bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes. 

You're gonna want to drain and rinse those beans at this point. 

After it simmers, taste your chili and see if the spices need adjusting. Then add the beans and simmer for another 15 minutes. 

Serve immediately with a nice crusty bread. If you have managed not to eat the whole pot, the leftovers freeze well. 

The peach cobbler I made was delicious and in honor of the bride-to-be's 3oth birthday (which was last week). She's a fan of pies and when questioned, said peach was her favorite. Cobbler--pie. They're similar enough. 

I stole the recipe from Paula Deen because I love her and none of her recipes have failed me yet. The only change I made to the original is that I used frozen peaches instead of fresh. It made life a lot easier since I didn't have to slice or peel anything. 

The recipe itself was super easy, and super yummy. In fact, I have a bit left and I'm thinking that might be dinner (or dessert, I suppose). 

The wedding is this weekend, and while I don't have to make anything food-wise for it, I'm excited to see how the caterer does. I hear there will be a mashed potato bar. And yummy cake. Mmm, cake. 

Million Dollar Pound Cake

We were supposed to have company for dinner yesterday. Unfortunately, our guest canceled. The good news is that I was focused on a do-ahead menu, so yesterday was a day off in the kitchen.

We feasted on easy bruschetta, salad, lasagna and Million Dollar Pound cake with fresh strawberries. I mention that poundcake because I always think pound cake is better the second day anyway, and this one freezes well.

To my mind, pound cake is the perfect starting poing for a lot of desserts. Trifle, for example, or chocolate fondue, or with fruit, like we did, and there's nothing plain about just plain pound cake.

A good poundcake is rich, dense, moist and velvety with a crunchy sweet crust. I don't really know what some of those cakes that are sold in the grocery store as pound cake are, but let me be clear: Those soft wet cakes don't stand up to real poundcake, the kind with about a pound of every ingredient. This one is the real deal, and it's delicious!

From one of Southern Living Annual cookbooks . . .

Million-Dollar Pound Cake
Yield: 1

Ingredients

1 lb butter; softened (4 sticks)
3 c sugar
6 eggs
4 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c milk
1 ts almond extract
1 ts vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour a 10-inch tube
pan or Bundt pan.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter;
gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a
time, beating after each addition. Gradually add flour alternately with
milk, beginning and ending with the flour and mixing well after each
addition. Beat in extracts.

Pour batter into the pan. Bake for 1 hour and 40 minutes, or until a
wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan
for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Secrets to success?

Warm the butter for at least 30 minutes to room temperature.
Cream it thoroughly, until it's light and fluffy.
Preheat the oven thoroughly, too, and don't open the oven door until you think it's probably done. Setting a timer for that helps.

You can use other extracts, of course. The mix of vanilla and almond gives this a light flavor that people keep trying to identify . . . which might be why the cake that I provided in time for a midafternoon lunch is more than half gone this morning.

Enjoy!

Best Banana Bread Ever

At the risk of being entirely too boastful, I'm going to assert that my recipe for Banana Bread makes the Best Banana Bread Ever. I claim this with the caveat that I am not the inventor or creator or genius who came up with the recipe, so it's okay to boast, right?

The recipe came to me from my husband's step-father.  He's the one in their family who likes to cook-- especially bake.  In fact, my kids call him "the snack master".  I have no idea where he got the recipe, or if it was his own creation, and I don't care.  It is simply the best, and you'll have to trust me on this one.

Since I had three very ripe banana's hanging out in my fruit basket this morning, and a windy 60 degree day ahead of me, I decided it was the perfect day to start baking.  Something about the bananas was calling me today because I couldn't resist using one of my appropriately ripe bananas (as opposed to the "getting brown and funky looking bananas) in the yogurt pancakes this morning.  I'll post that wonderful recipe later, and I assure you, you'll want to make that too.

Best Banana Bread Ever

3 very ripe medium bananas

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

2 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

Grease and flour one standard sized loaf pan or three mini loaf pans.  I use an olive oil spray that is so light it doesn't impart any of the fruity olive flavor.  If you prefer, simply drip a tiny amount of oil into the pan and smear it around to coat all the edges.  Or use butter if you're not afraid of even more fat & calories!

In the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the metal blade, process butter and bananas until finely chopped; about 10 seconds.

Add the remaining ingredients, except nuts, and process until smooth; about another 10 seconds.

Add nuts if desired, and pulse just to incorporate nuts and lightly chop if they are whole.

Bake for 40 - 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from pan(s) and cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before cutting.

These can be stored in the refrigerator and also freeze well.  But really, they're not going to last that long anyway!  You'll want to eat the whole loaf as soon as it's out of the oven!

See, easy peasy.  And it is so, so good.

Salsa Chicken - a fiesta for your tastebuds

When summer gardens offers up loads and loads of tomatoes, and you end up with quart upon quart of salsa in the freezer, this super easy, hugely flavorful crowd pleaser is the perfect way to throw together a family meal. 

While the cooking time is about an hour, the prep is just 10 minutes. When the chicken is finished, it makes a great filling for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, etc. Or, just serve it with rice and a side of steamed tortillas. It's filling and healthy and makes terrific leftovers.

Salsa Chicken

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 Tbs. olive oil

2 to 2 1/2 cups salsa (fresh or prepared)

1 tsp. kosher or sea salt*

freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbs. cornstarch

Heat oil in a large, deep saute pan or wok over medium-high heat. (My stove-top wok is wider than it is deep, so it works very well for dishes like this. But you need room at the bottom of the pan to adequately brown the meat.)

After rinsing and draining the chicken breasts, add to the heated pan and brown slightly. 

When the chicken is lightly browned, add the salsa, salt, and pepper.  Stir gently to cover the chicken.  Cover the pan, reduce heat to medium-low, and let simmer for about an hour.  Check periodically to ensure that there remains adequate liquids in the pan.  If it seems to be cooking off too quickly or getting too thick, add chicken broth or water about 1/4 cup at a time.

When chicken is cooked through and very soft, remove from pan and cool on a cutting board just long enough that it's cool enough to handle.  Using two forks and pulling against the grain of the meat, shred the chicken into long, thin pieces.

In a small bowl or glass, mix the cornstarch with enough water to dissolve any lumps and make a thick liquid.  Add to the pan with the remaining salsa and stir well.  Return the pan to a medium heat and add the shredded chicken pieces.  Stir well to coat and heat over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Serve over rice or in tacos, burritos, etc.

*A note about salt:  If you're using fresh salsa per one of the recipes here, you'll want to add the teaspoon of salt.  However, if you use a bottled, prepared salsa, you may want to omit the salt, both for flavor and good nutrition, as prepared salsas are often high in sodium already.

Home made garden salsa - two ways

One of the beauties of summer, and indeed, of living in a place in which the weather approximates summer about 9 months out of the year, is that fresh garden vegetables are often in surplus.  This summer it has been zucchini, jalapenos,  and tomatoes.  I've cooked, baked, frozen, dried, pureed and candied more produce than I can count at this point.

My favorite, and a favorite of all our friends & neighbors, has been the salsa.  My  tomato garden is a hodge-podge of  varieties.  I started with two small plants, purchased from the local nursery.  Then added about 15 mystery varieties that had volunteered in my friends' gardens after last year's crop.  I've got large ones, small ones, round ones, and oblong ones.  I've got some that are red with yellow stripes!  The commonality in them all is that they are so incredibly sweet, it's almost unbelievable.

I've made two different salsa recipes, both of which have been crowd pleasers and freezer fillers!  The first is a Fresh Tomato Salsa and the second a cooked salsa or Salsa Picante.

Fresh Tomato Salsa

1 1/2 lbs. fresh, ripe tomatoes

1/2 large red, white or yellow onion

4 cloved garlic

4 - 6 large jalapenos, depending on taste and how hot you like

1/2 large green bell pepper (optional)

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cumin

salt

pepper

lime juice (about 1/2 small lime)

1/3 - 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

First, prepare tomatoes by cutting into 2" pieces.  My tomatoes were small, so this meant cutting in half or quarters.  If desired, gently squeeze out seeds, core, and juice.  I don't find this step necessary and I don't mind the seeds.  I find the tomatoes get too soft if I squeeze them.

Coarsely chop the onion, jalapenos, and optional bell peppers, and peel the garlic.  I used 6 jalapenos for the most part.  These were from my plants and were not exceedingly hot.  They had incredibly rich flavor, but not much heat.  Additionally, my kids won't eat it if it's too hot.

Place onions, peppers, jalapenos, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and pulse about three seconds at a time to finely chop, but not puree, the vegetables.  Remove vegetables to a bowl and set aside.

Adding the chopped tomatoes about 1 cup at a time, pulse in the bowl of a food processor into medium pieces. This should only take about 5 - 10 seconds total. Scrape sides as needed and repeat if necessary. Remove tomatoes to a separate bowl. Repeat this step with the remainder of the tomatoes.

Depending upon how much juice your tomatoes have, you may wish to strain some of them through a mesh sieve to reduce the liquids.

Add the tomatoes to the bowl of vegetables and fold to combine.  Add the cayenne, cumin, lime juice, and salt and pepper.  Taste as you go, adding more spice as desired.  I like to start slow with the spices and add more as I get a taste.  The last step is to add the chopped cilantro and stir to combine.  The leaves of the cilantro are too delicate for the food processing step, so add them at the end.

Let salsa stand in the refrigerator for an hour or so to allow the flavors to mingle.  Though, if you just can't wait another second, break out the tortilla chips and nosh away!

Makes about 4 cups.

Salsa Picante

1 1/2 lbs. fresh, ripe tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

4 - 6 jalapeno peppers, chopped

1 Tbs. white wine vinegar

1 Tbs olive, grape, or safflower oil

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried parsley flakes

1/2 tsp coarse sea salt or kosher flake salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne

1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

In the bowl of a food processor or blender, process tomatoes to a slightly chunky puree.  Remove from processor and drain about 2/3 of the liquid using a fine mesh sieve or cheese cloth-lined colander.  Set aside.

On a cutting board, mash garlic and salt together with a fork.

In a heavy saute pan, heat oil over medium high heat.  Saute onions, garlic, jalapenos, oregano, cumin, cayenne, and pepper, until onions are just tender.  Do not let garlic brown.

Return all ingredients to blender or food processor, add vinegar, and blend until relatively smooth.  Return to the pan and cook all ingredients over medium heat until it begins to thicken.  Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

Transfer to a bowl or jar and cover loosely.  Chill for 1 hour in refrigerator.

Makes about 1 quart.  Store tightly covered in refrigerator for about a week, or in the freezer for up to three months.  (Like it's gonna last that long!  Ha!  It'll be gone in a heartbeat folks!)

Kitchen Tools: a few of my favorite things

I love kitchen tools, kitchen gadgets.  I have a small love affair with household appliances on the whole, but I love me up some kitchen gadgets with a little more enthusiasm than is probably appropriate.

Two of my favorites of late are these:

Smidgen, Pinch Dash Measuring Spoons

My old-school flour sifter.  I'd call it antique, but since it was my mom's, and is technically younger than her, I think I'd probably incur the wrath of Jane if I did.  

Those cute little Smidgen, Pinch, Dash measuring spoons are so adorable.  And by golly they are useful too!   OK, so It probably doesn't actually make a difference in my cooking if I use them or just the old fashioned "eyeball a pile in the palm of your hand" method,  but psychologically, I feel more confident, because hey, I know exactly how much a pinch is!

I used to think that sifting the flour was an unnecessary step included in recipes merely to frustrate me.  However, the more I make breads and pastries, the more I've realized its purpose.  For a while I was using my fine mesh strainer for the purpose, and it actually works just fine.  But it's time consuming and cumbersome work, especially when you're working with large quantities of flour.  

I was contemplating buying a sifter, which I could have easily done since they run about $4.99 at the variety store.  But then I remembered how much fun I used to have playing with my mom's sifter when I'd help her cook.  I always wanted to sift the flour, even if a recipe didn't call of it.  And I loved watching the flour drift into the bowl like snow blown across field.  

So, I e-mailed mom and begged for her stuff.  She confirmed that no, she did not use it anymore and I was welcome to it.  She did wonder why I would want a used flour sifter from the 1960's when I could buy a new one for $4.99.  But I wanted that one.  The one I had loved to play with as a child.  Besides, it's vintage!

I love that it's a little beat up.  It's got dings and scratches.  And the blades are a tiny bit rusted.  I can't wait to let my two year old try her hand at sifting flour.  She already enjoys eating it!

Alright, now you!  What are your favorite or coolest or most useful or most unusual kitchen tools or gadgets?  And where did you get them?