Holiday Fun

Christmas at Rogers Gardens in Orange County is always a treat.  

I went with my friend, Karen who is a master gardener.  The gardens are so beautiful and well known she even gets extra points for being here.  To add to the experience, we had lunch in their restaurant- The Farmhouse.  We sat outside (most of the tables are outside) even though it was raining!

Both of us had the Tortilla Soup which was delicious.  

For dessert we shared a beautiful tart with ice cream and poached pears..  YUM!!!

Pomegranite seeds were on the top of the ice cream over an almond cookie.  Pears completed the dessert with almonds.  It was beautiful as well as delicious.  We never minded the rain pushing against the tarp beside our OUTDOOR table.

Thanksgiving 2018

 Thanksgiving

I was a little worried the day before since rain was predicted and there were 14 people coming plus my house is small.  Where would we put them?  But luck was with us and the rain did not come.  The 3 youngest and 2 dads flew kites in the yard and Tim barbecued the turkey.

Niece Cindy in Alabama sent roses- 

I made my "Play Squash" dish where I sliced zucchini and yellow squash into a circle, dotted with thin bits of tomato- added a little chicken broth and wine, baked the dish in my special pottery that I brought from Orcas Island pottery.

Play Squash

Of course we had the usual ham, the barbecued turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, the guests brought deviled eggs, homemade bread, and other side dishes.  The most important though in my family is the desserts.  Three pies were made: pumpkin, apple, and a blackberry tart.

Apple Pie

Blackberry Tart

Pumpkin Pie

Day of the Dead

The Day of the Dead

Fall is here.  It is obvious in all the beautiful colors.  Two weeks ago I was in Mammoth Lakes to see the fall colors.  One of the most beautiful sights was right out my living room window- my Maple Tree.

  

It was in full color although I was a little disappointed that the Aspens - althought they had started to turn but were not yet in full beauty.

Son, Tim and I were invited to a "New House Party"  by his friends- Jay, Pam, and Taylor.  They had beautiful fall desserts- among them a bony hand too scary to eat. 

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Yesterday, I was invited to dinneer out by Linda and Savannah.  We went to Encinitas for Mexican food.  It was packed as it usually is. Mariachis were playing and the mood was in full swing.  The theme here was Day of the Dead- Mexico's version of Halloween.  

                                    

I ordered a margarita with Blood Orange juice.  

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The restaurant was packed and therefore the service a little slow so they surprised us by making it up with an order of guacamole.  

I had the California Taco- tasty and ample.  It was great company with Linda and Savannah.  

Island Treasures

Like many communities San Juan Island has a Farmers Market.  The selection of local food treasures is fabulous.

Blackberries grow wild along the roadways.  Many visitors and locals alike pick them on the roadside and make jams or cobblers or just eat them!  

Peaches are sweet and flavorful.  We dined at Anthony’s in Anacortes.  Peach cocktails, Alaska Salmon, and Peach desserts were YUM!  

Cobbler

A Trip to the San Juan Islands

Sunday, I flew up to Seattle and onto San Juan Island in a small plane.  I got to sit in the front with the pilot and it was so beautiful. It was a sunny day and many small craft were on the water.

     

                                                                                                       

My Plane 

We went to Orcas Island the next morning to visit Orcas Island Pottery.  Nestled in the woods there were many beautiful flowers intermingled the pottery displays.  I did some early Christmas shopping
and bought a baking dish for me to take home.   

 The next day we drove to the shore where we walked along the beach and had lunch on Roche Harbor at  I had a Crab Quesadilla which was wonderful.  At dinner they shoot the cannon and lower the flags.

Crab Quesadilla

Fathers Day Dinner

Father's Day Dinner

In planning for Father's Day, I wasn't sure how many to plan for.  So I decided on an easy menu- Hot Dogs, Corn on the Cob, Baked Beans, and Apple Pie. 

I made the Apple Pie a day ahead.  I decided to make a different pie crust    than the one I usually make.  I used a crust recipe from my Bouchon Bakery cookbook (called Pate Sucre) although I was running out of flour and it called for wheat flour and also Coconut flour so I used more coconut flour than was called for.  It turned wonderful and complimented the apple filling made from Granny Smith apples.  

I am writing this post with the dessert listed first but it was served at the end of the meal.  I listed it first because it was the dish most talked about at the table and afterward.  

I served Anne's Hot Ryes as an hors d'oeuvres.  

Cocktail rye bread is spread with chopped bacon, Swiss cheese, mayo, and chopped black olives.  It is a family favorite.  The spread is put on the rye bread and broiled, then cut in half.  

We barbecued hot dogs from Tip Top Meats in Carlsbad as well as corn-on-the-cob (buttered and seasoned)- then wrapped in foil and put on the grill.  I also made baked beans with bacon, red onion, red pepper, red jalapenos, honey barbecue sauce, and beer.  

He happy belated Father's Day to all the dads out there.  

Mammoth in July

It was Memorial Weekend but for my family, 5 of mine had May birthdays.

I had the birthday dinner on Memorial Day.  We started the event with cheese and crackers as well as my cousin Barb's Dip.  I have a collection of "blings" which greeted each guest near the front door.

Dinner was Burgundy TriTip from Seaside Market nearby and my son, Dave manned the barbecue.  I roasted potatoes tossed in oil, rosemary and thyme (sounds like the old Simon and Garfunkel song?

Oh yes and it had parsley in it too.  

I had two desserts:  One was the Bailey's Chocolate Cheesecake recipe from a cookbook my niece, Cindy sent me after my house/swap in Ireland two years ago.  It has become a family favorite.

The second cake was a new recipe from the King Arthur Catalog.  It was made with Almond flour and Coconut flour.  After trying it out before the party I also ordered the special pan which arrived barely in time to make it for the party.  

 us

I used the special candles that got everyone's attention.  Plus the cake was very special with the special flours and decorated with strawberries.  King Arthur's Catalog has been a great resource-  it has a resource a little different from Williams Sonoma or Sur la Tab.  The candles were purchased at Solo in Solana Beach.  

I

Weekend Company

Last weekend I had 2 company meals.  One was for friends and the other a family birthday meal.  To simplify things we barbecued hamburgers and I made Baked  Beans for both.  I also used the same recipe for hors d’oeuvres-  Bacon and olives on cocktail ryes.  The bacon was fried and crumbled then mixed with grated Swiss and chopped black olives.  It was mixed with a little mayo and baked.  The finished products were served on my entry table.

For the birthday dessert I made a Chocolate Apricot cake with Apricot roses.   The roses were made 2 days ahead.  Each sliced dried apricot was put between 2 pieces of waxed paper and rolled with a rolling pin until each was doubled in size.  Three apricots were used to make each rose.  They were then fastened with a toothpick.  

The rose decor decorated the chocolate cake which also had dried apricots soaked in Cognac mixed into the batter.

Two Great Recipies

My son Keith celebrated his birthday this week- yesterday in fact.  We celebrated yesterday with barbecue burgers and a Chocolate Cake.  I also had former school friends the day before.

The recipes were to include hot dogs from Tip Top meats in Carlsbad one day and barbecued burgers the next.. BUT Tip Top ran out of their famous wieners.  I could hardly believe it but apparently neither could they.  The desserts had to make up for the loss.

Saturday was to be the schoo teachers reunion.  I made the Strawberry Tart I have written about before but this time I made it with a Pate Sucre shell that combined an old favorite with a new favorite.

Birthday Week

My friend, Karen came from Arizona to celebrate both our birthdays.  The day she arrived to went to lunch at the Chart House near me.  It was mid-afternoon which turned to be the perfect time to get a window seat.  Our waiter even rolled aside the window to make our seating open-air.



The following day we drove up the coast to Roger's Gardens in Orange County and dined at The Farmhouse on the grounds of the gardens.  It is a beautiful restaurant- one of my very favorites and it is all outdoors surrounded by the beautiful nursery plants and flowers.

I had a beautiful Chinese

 Chicken Salad and to my
 delight it even came with
 chopsticks.                                                               



The night before my birthday my son, Dave and wife, Anne took me to Prada in San Diego for dinner.  Afterward we went to see American Mariachi  at the Old Globe theater.

Briefly it was the story of a few women who wanted to be mariachis- which shocked many of the local men mariachis but of course the women won out.

The actual birthday party was at Dave and Annes house.  Paul and Ashley with their children, Karen, Keith and Linda with Savannah and Gavin were there.  Dave manned the barbecue and Anne had made a Pink and White Layer cake (an old family recipe of my mothers).  We also were celebrating Easter so the children had baskets.  I wore my new orange dress which had been sent by niece, Cindy who lives in Alabama.  

My Supermarket is for the Birds

When I lived in Mammoth Lakes all my grocery shopping was done at Vons. It was the only supermarket in town.  Despite the lack of competition, it was an excellent store- perhaps the best supermarket of my experiences.

When I moved to Carlsbad, I had more choices.  The closest supermarket to me is Ralphs in Poinsettia Village.  On one of my first visits I had just put my groceries in the trunk and pulled out of my parking space.  Another car pulled out just ahead of me.  I followed it to the exit but the car barely inched down the aisle.  When I got to the end of the aisle to turn onto the street I found out why.  Ahead of the front car was a duck walking down the center of the aisle with no concern he was holding up traffic.  On later trips to the market I discovered more and more ducks.

I guess my supermarket is for the birds,.  

However this store has something else that is special.  It is their cheese section.  The counter is in a U shape to enable trained employees to assist.  They advise customers of cheese selections and  pairings.  I was told (at least in this location) they send these employees to New York to be educated in cheese selections and pairings.  Since I found this out I have given up going to the specialty cheese shops for cheese.

The caramel sauce by Fat Toad Farm has become one of my favorites.  It is not only great on cheese and crackers but I have a new recipe for an apple tart.  I make the base from frozen puff pastry dough.  I thaw the dough and roll it thin- then cut it into circles about 6 inches in diameter.  Placed on a baking sheet, I cut a mild apple into slices with the peel on and bake it.  Before serving I place a small scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with Fat Toad Farm caramel sauce on top.

Company Coming

Two of my sons are coming to dinner.  It’s Presidents Weekend.  My oldest, Dave is in Mammoth with his wife, Anne and daughter-in-law Ashley and her two little ones to play in the snow.  

I am expecting my other 2 sons, Dave, and Tim for dinner and I’m trying 2 new recipes.  

The first is Monkey Bread with Honey Bourbon Sauce.  The recipe is from the February issue of Food and Wine magazine..  The bread is made in a Bundt pan and served with a dipping sauce of cream cheese, honey, Bourbon, orange zest, and vanilla.  The sauce especially if to dye for.  And the Monkey Bread is the perfect place to show it off.  

The Family Favorite Recipe

Last weekend I hosted a family birthday celebration.  My oldest son, Dave was born on February 2-Groundhogs Day, and his wife, Anne had her birthday on January 6.  We decided to have the celebration on Superbowl Sunday.  Since some of the guests were wanting to watch the game, we planned to eat around noontime. 

It was kind of a mishmash between brunch and dinner. I planned to barbecue pork tenderloins (3 of them), also on the grill would be a combination of vegetables brushed with mayo and shaved canteloupe with freshly a light oil finish and ground pepper and fresh thyme.  Dessert was to include a strawberry tart and a chocolate cheesecake. 

I have published the recipe in one of my older blogs but the real hit of the party was not a recipe of my own but one that belonged to my mother.  My father was an Iowa farmer and when they were married, she did not know how to cook.  The farm neighbors helped her out.  

She eventually had one recipe that may truly be the best of any in my family.  It is her recipe for Cinnamon Rolls.  I have never seen it anywhere else.  When I taught foods at Roosevelt Middle School in the 1960's, I had my students make it for Open House.  I ran out of rolls at one of these events and I had one parent visitor come in towards the end of the evening requesting a roll.  I told him we had only 2 which were overcooked.  He bought them anyway.  

Ruth Parrish's Cinnamon Rolls

Use any recipe for a light bread dough..  (Tim used Pillsbury's Cinnamon Roll Mix and used the Sweet Roll recipe off the side of the box.)  

Roll out and spread with soft butter.  

Scatter brown sugar until thinly coated and shake on cinnamon.

Roll over in one long roll.  

Cut pieces about 1-inch wide.  Arrange in a greased dish.  Let rise.

Pour 1 cup heavy cream over unbaked rolls.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup brown sugar and sprinkle with cinnamon.  

Bake in a 400-degree oven for 20 minutes.  

Everyone loves this recipe.  The only secret thing about it is the addition of the heavy cream and brown sugar which runs through the rolls while they are baking.  I have never seen this on cinnamon rolls anywhere else.  It is my best family recipe!!!