Calico Beans and a Saint-Tropez Tan

My house looks a lot like my grandparents cottage on Green Bay in Door County. Calico Beans remind me of my grandmother, long weekends at the cottage and cottonwood tree fluff caught in my Bain De Soleil. Now I make it for neighborhood cookouts, wear Oil of Olay SPF 15 all of the time and cottonwood tree fluff floats over from the Source's backyard.

Calico Beans

Brown ½ pound ground beef with ½ pound diced bacon, drain

Mix together
½ cup ketchup
¾ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
2 teaspoons vinegar

Add 1 large can of pork and beans undrained,
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can butter beans, drained
Combine all ingredients in a covered casserole dish and bake at 350 for 1 ½ hours

If it's not Scottish

During my recent visit to my favorite place in the world I had the chance to try a few new things worth mentioning. Cranachan where have you been my whole life? It has everything I love, cream, raspberries and oatmeal and two other ingredients lurking at the edges honey and whisky. All of my research calls it a traditional Scottish dish but I do not remember ever hearing about it on my past trips to my beloved Scotland. I tried it at the Kinghouse hotel at the end of our first 10 mile walk and it was a good as the sunset was beautiful.

Cranachan

10½oz raspberries (strawberries can also be used)

one cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons good quality honey

2 tablespoons single malt whisky

2-3 tablespoons of oatmeal.

1. Place the oatmeal in a cool, dry pan and turn on the heat to simmer. Stirring occasionally, toast the oatmeal until it is golden brown. This process could take between 10-20 minutes.

2. Once the oatmeal is brown, turn off the heat and let it cool in the pan.

3. Place the cream in a bowl and whisk up until soft and relatively thick.

4. Add the honey single malt whisky and cooled oatmeal and fold it in with a whisk, until it is soft and creamy.

5. Place half of the raspberries in the bottom of a serving glass, add another layer of the cream mixture on top, repeat with the remaining raspberries and cream. Chill for about three hours, or overnight.

Serving: 2

The night before we left we celebrated Dr. Bob's retirement from 35 years of teaching. Bob loves all things fish and if it is smoked fish that is even better. He scouted out this recipe and Moe and I executed it for the fond farewell. It was amazing.

Smoked Salmon and Haddock Pots

8 oz smoked haddock fillet
6 oz smoked salmon
6 fl oz heavy cream
Salt and pepper
Grated nutmeg
3 oz Scottish cheddar cheese, grated

Set oven to 400F or Mark 6. Butter 6 ramekin dishes. Remove the skin and bones from the haddock and flake the flesh. Cut the smoked salmon into pieces. Mix together the haddock and salmon and divide between the ramekin dishes. Season the cream with salt and pepper and pour over the fish. Sprinkle with grated nutmeg and top with grated cheese. Place the ramekin dishes on a baking tray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned and bubbling. We had great success using a crock pot on low for a few hours. Serve with crusty bread. Serves 6.

Martha, Martha, Shelly

My friend Shelly brought these bars to a work gathering a few weeks ago and they were great. I need to expand my treat repertoire beyond chocolate laden delights and these fall into this category. I made them this weekend for Cousin Christmas and even the handsome Canadian brother-in-law commented that they were good which says a lot. The recipe is from the December, 2007 issue of Martha Stewart Living and leave it to Martha and her peons to have odd measurements. Two cups of flour plus 2 tablespoons. Give me a break.

White Chocolate-Gingerbread Blondies

Makes about 4 dozen 2-inch squares

Vegetable-oil cooking spray
2 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 1/2 sticks (20 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
10 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 17-by-12-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Line bottom with parchment cut to fit, and coat parchment. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.


Beat butter and brown and granulated sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs and yolk, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in white chocolate.

Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake until edges are golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 2-inch squares or desired shape. Blondies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Happy Birthday Neighbor Dan

Neighbor Dan turned 40 this week and we welcomed him into the 40 fold with this dinner. It was a beautiful night with the Christmas tree glowing, the Happy Holiday Hearth crackling, Annick Goutal Noel candles, ice votives, and good friends.

Warm Black Bean and Chipotle Dip
Fine Cooking Appetizers

The first time I made this dip I followed the recipe completely. The second time I just made the pureed bean concoction and I added only one tablespoon of cider vinegar and I liked it much better. It is a great, albeit spicy dip, and is also amazing as a taco filling

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil; more for the baking dish
2 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into medium dice
2 tsp. kosher salt; more as needed
1 large yellow onion, finely diced3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. chili powder
2 15-1/2 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained well
2 canned chipotles en adobo, minced (about 1 Tbs.), plus 3 Tbs. adobo sauce
3 Tbs. cider vinegar
1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (if frozen, thaw first)
1-1/2 cups (6 oz.) grated sharp cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups (6 oz.) grated Monterey Jack cheese
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Freshly ground black pepper
Tortilla chips for serving

Heat the oven to 425ºF. Grease a 1-1/2 qt. baking dish with oil and line a baking sheet with foil. Set the tomatoes in a colander over the sink and sprinkle with 1 tsp. of the salt.

Heat the oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion, sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt, and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and chili powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add half of the black beans, the chipotles and adobo sauce, and 3/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Cook until the liquid reduces by about half, 2 to 3 minutes.

Heat until shimmering hot. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion, sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt, and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and chili powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add half of the black beans, the chipotles and adobo sauce, and 3/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Cook until the liquid reduces by about half, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the bean mixture to a food processor, add the vinegar, and process until smooth. Let cool for a couple of minutes and then transfer to a large bowl. Add the rest of the beans, the tomatoes, corn, half of each of the cheeses, and 1/2 cup of the cilantro. Mix well and season to taste with salt and pepper.Transfer to the baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake on the foil-lined baking sheet (to catch drips) until the cheese melts and browns around the edges, about 15 minutes (longer if refrigerated). Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and serve with the tortilla chips for dipping.

Shredded Beef for Tacos

allrecipes.com

Start your roast in the morning before going to work it will be done when you get home. You don't even have to defrost the roast. If it is a defrosted roast, put it in around noon, it will be done at 5pm.

Serves 16

1 (4 pound) frozen rump roast
1 cup white wine
2 (7.75 ounce) cans Mexican style hot tomato sauce, such as El Pato
3 tablespoons crushed garlic
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Place the frozen roast in the slow cooker. Pour the wine and Mexican style hot tomato sauce over the top. Season with garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.

Cover, and cook on Low for 9 hours. When done, the roast should shred easily with a fork. Shred the roast into the juices, and mix in the chopped green onions and cilantro.

Reunited

Last night the usual Monday night crew at the yarn shop was together again after a long hiatus. To mark the occassion I brought this for dinner. Sarah was even able to choke down some plumped dried cherries. My husband once made the mistake of telling me these cookies were the best ones I make. I was offended because they are the least homemade cookies I make.

Wild Rice Salad


6 cups prepared wild rice
2 cups smoked turkey breast, such as Jennie-O, cut into ½ inch cubes,
1 cup diced or julienne sun dried tomatoes in oil (reserve oil for dressing), optional
¾ cup dried cherries, plumped in hot water for 5 minutes
6 scallions, white and light green parts, diced
1 avocado cubed
1-3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Dressing:

1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil (use oil from sun-dried tomatoes for a portion of dressing)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoonssalt
Coarse ground pepper


Prepare wild rice as per the instructions on the package. Allow to cool. Stir in turkey breast, sun dried tomatoes, the drained, plumped cherries and scallions. Reserve ¼ cup of dressing. Toss rice mixture with the remaining dressing. Gently stir in avocados. Garnish with parsley. Season to taste with pepper and reserved dressing.

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Cake Mix Cookies

Add 1/2 cup of oil plus two eggs to one box of cake mix (German Chocolate works best). Add a handful of chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Baked Feta with Onion and Olives

My friend is on a quest for a progressive dinner appetizer so I threw out this one. It is simple, good and does not require spending exorbitant amounts of money on out of season produce. I think I got it from Bon Appetit but when I checked www.epicurious.com it did not come up. It must have been from the R.S.V.P. column of restaurant recipes.

Baked Feta with Onion and Olives

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon caraway seeds, toasted

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

16 ounces feta cheese, cut horizontally in half to make four ½ inch thick squares
1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives, quartered lengthwise
Crusty French bread slices
Fresh dill sprigs

Preheat oven to 450. Blend vinegar, olive oil, and toasted caraway seeds in blender. Season vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper.

Coat nonstick rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Place cheese on prepared baking sheet. Bake until heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove cheese from oven, Preheat broiler. Broil cheese until crusty and golden brown, about 5 minutes

Spoon vinaigrette onto platter; place cheese atop vinaigrette. Sprinkle with onion and olives. Surround with bread slices; garish with dill and serve.

Serves 6-8

My Notes:

Whisk the vinaigrette together, don’t bother hauling out the blender. The feta can be baked and broiled in a toaster oven. I coarsely chop the olives and skip the dill garnish.

Monster Mash

Here is a tale of two Monster recipes that for some reason I make in the fall. The first is from my friend Erika of Shanghai. They are amazing but being the math phobic that I am downsizing the recipe to a feasible size is hard. The second my son brought home from school two years ago and they have been in heavy rotation at my house this season.

Monster Cookies

12 eggs
2 pounds brown sugar
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon white corn syrup
8 teaspoons baking soda
1 pound butter
3 pounds peanut butter
18 cups oatmeal
1 pound M&M’s
1 pound chocolate chips

Mix all the ingredients together. Bake 12 minutes at 350. Do not overbake.

Monster Bars

3 eggs
1 ¼ cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup butter
1/1/4 cup peanut butter
4 ½ cups oatmeal
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup M&Ms
Mix exactly in order listed. Heat oven to 350. Spread in a 13x9 inch pan. Bake for 25 minutes.