Chicken Broth

I just love what Chef John from Food Wishes did with Chicken Broth. And, with our impending cold snap in mind, its time to make some broth. (The 5 Day Forecast has us between 57 & 67 degrees.)

So I'm off to the market to buy a 3 1/2 pound chicken while you watch this.

There's a secret ingredient in his video, so I'm trying it now!

Enjoy.

Another version of the Kale Salad

I do hope my lovely friend Lori will be a guest blogger with her fabulous Kale Salad with feta and rice wine vinegar. Until then, here's a new version I'll be trying this week. Found here at Cesars Tradgaard. You'll have to translate.

Kale

3-4 tbsp lemon oil

1/2-1 red onion

2 apples

a handful of walnuts

Translated: Add chopped kale in a blender, in batches, so that it becomes very finely chopped. Finely chop the onion and apple and mix with green cabbage (kale). Stir in lemon olive oil and mix well. Sprinkle with walnuts. If you leave to stand for an hour so the flavors can come together really well!

I haven't used a blender or food processor with kale. I may try it, or I may just chop, chop, chop. Can't wait for this mix of flavors.

Has Kale made it to your plate?

Weekending: Easy Lemon Scones

This Sunday morning we decided to have "home church" as Truman calls it. I made scones and the kids set the table. Eric read us a devotion and we sang our prayers. It was actually quite lovely. We ended our home church with playdoh and sketchbooks. Which sometimes feels more church-like to me.

I found this recipe on epicurious, but I adapted it for what I had in the fridge, and what we had in the pantry. I cut down the lemon in the recipe to just a hint so I could mix in chocolate chips. Isabel, my daughter does not really enjoy scones, but she does enjoy them with chocolate. Personally, I enjoy my scones with a big dose of coffee. Don't you?

Easy Lemon Scones

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of lemon zest

For top of scones:

• 1 tsp melted butter
• 1 enough sugar to lightly dust each scone

Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Whisk flour, baking powder and 1/2 cup sugar in large bowl. Using fingertips, rub in chilled butter until pieces are size of small peas.  Form a well into the dry ingredients.

Mix 1 cup milk, lemon juice and zested lemon peel in glass measuring cup. Pour buttermilk mixture into the well you created dry ingredients and stir until dough begins to form (some of flour will not be incorporated). Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and gather together. Knead dough briefly, about 5 turns. Divide dough in half. Incorporate the mini chocolate chips into one half of the dough, do not need just incorporate. Form each dough half into ball and flatten into 1-inch-thick disk. Cut each disk into 6 wedges. 

Transfer scones to prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart.* Brush tops with 1 tablespoon butter and dust with sugar. Bake until scones are golden brown on top and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

*Note: I did not space mine apart enough and they all baked together. So if you want these to LOOK like scones, you probably should not be in a hurry and do that (:


--Mary

This week we're joining Amanda for Weekending, and Tasty Tuesday with 33 Shades of Green.  

A great cup of the bean.

I have a penchant for good cup of coffee. My friends know this and my husband, really knows it.

Years ago (decades, even) I was on a work trip talking with coffee lovers about this whole bean craze in the Pacific NorthWest when my client took me to this little shop in Pike's Market, Seattle. I had a short cup of espresso and bought a pound of ground beans and really enjoyed it. It got to be a big company. Good coffee, you've been there.

But the real discovery was on a vacation in Hawaii. My Dear and I were staying at the Hana Ranch Hotel and found a beautiful wicker coffee tray in our room. It housed two fair sized cups, a grinder and a jar of coffee beans. I was game. This was new and my tradition of a cup (or so) of freshly ground coffee was born. Every morning the cutting whir of beans grinding to that coarse, fragrant powder promises a cup that makes me breathe deeply and settle in for a moment.

From there, the search for the perfect cup began. For years I've bounced between some bean I'm trying and Dean & DeLuca's Mocha and Java blend.

Then I discovered the Kobrick Coffee Co. 

All I can say is this: Go. Shop. Buy. Drink. I started with Martha's Blend through a sale at OpenSky. It's delicious. Couldn't be happier. Or could I? I'll only find out if I try a few more varieties, blends and roasts.

So how about you? What's your favorite cup of coffee? Really, I just might need to taste it.

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Lunch for Two

My husband and I work at the same place and so we get to take lunch together. And what do I love most about our lunches together? Making eggs.

We use whatever we have in the fridge but it mostly consists of a base of eggs with runny yolks, spinach and garlic. The rest is all up for interpretation. This particular lunch we added ham, cherry tomatoes and a bit of stone ground mustard.

Yum, yum?

Do you ever do breakfast for lunch?

--Mary

Making Almond Milk

Last weekend, my husband was away on a business trip and my kids were both occupied: little man was washing all of his micro machines in warm water at the kitchen table. And little lady was drawing kitties and cutting them out of cardboard.

I could have cleaned or folded something, but instead. I decided to make almond milk. The night before I had left the slivered almonds in a dish of water to soak. And now, the easy part of blending and straining.

This was so easy. Though I'm sure a vita-mix and cheese cloth would have done better than my regular blender and fine mesh sieve.


I felt so self sufficent making my own. Though... in honesty, I do like the store bought kind better!

Almond Milk
1/2 cup almonds soaked in water over night
2 cups cold water
2 dates chopped
1 tsp honey (or more if you like sweeter)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (real not imitation)
pinch of kosher salt


Strain the almonds from the soaking liquid and discard liquid. In a blender place the almonds, water, chopped dates, honey, vanilla and salt. Blend about 2 minutes on high speed. Strain through fine mesh sieve or 3-5 sheets of cheese cloth. Save the almond meal for another recipe. Shake well before serving. Keep refrigerated for 3-4 days.

I really like this almond milk in coffee (but leave the last sip of it or you'll get a mouth full of tiny almond pieces). It's also delicious on granola or in oatmeal. I don't like to drink any form of Almond milk straight up.

Enjoy this simple recipe. I hope you have fun making it!

--Mary