Wish Upon A Chef

Born and raised in the South, it is imperative that you have good manners.

If you had asked me before I learned my manners whether or not I liked oatmeal, the answer would have been a resounding “NO” met with some unappealing gagging noises and unsavory language. My momma would have quickly reminded me that a simple “No thank you” would suffice for an answer.

Honestly, I can remember eating oatmeal only one time in my life and if I had to tell the truth, it wasn’t half bad –it was just a consistency issue because I typically don’t care for things that are soft and pudding-like. Add to that the fact that I’m not much of a breakfast foods person, don’t like to eat first thing in the morning, and don’t like having to prepare something on the spot when I am ready to eat.
Oatmeal was just a big trifecta of no’s as far as I was concerned.

And then I discovered Overnight Oatmeal while trekking along on my real food journey. All manners aside, this is some seriously good grub and it has become a staple in my morning food routine.

It can be made ahead – several days in advance, the sky is the limit as far as what can be added to it for flavor and consistency, and it’s inexpensive and full-of-protein filling. On mornings that I eat oatmeal I never seem to have hunger pangs before lunch.

Start with a base of oats, milk, and Greek yogurt (I also add chia seeds, but that is optional) then let your imagination run wild with flavors. You can sweeten with a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup. You can add fresh or dried fruits. Have some preserves or applesauce in the fridge that needs to be used? Throw it in too. There is no end to the combinations. Last week I added about ¼ cup applesauce and some chopped apples. This week is a tablespoon each of honey and peanut butter and a scattering of chocolate chips. I love the combination of dried cherries, a tiny splash of almond extract and cherry preserves.


Monica over at The Yummy Life has some excellent step-by-step instructions, FAQs and recipes here and here to get you started, so remember your manners and head on over and check them out!

Overnight Oatmeal
servings = 1

¼ cup rolled oats
1/3 cup milk
¼ cup Greek (or plain) yogurt
1-1/2 teaspoon chia seeds (optional)
Sweetener of your choice (honey, maple syrup)
Add-ins of your choice (fresh or dried fruits, nuts, peanut butter, chocolate chips)

Mix all ingredients well and refrigerate overnight. Give a quick stir before eating.

These can be made several days in advance and kept in the refrigerator.

 
Through the combination of my Pinterest addiction making an effort to change my eating habits to be more "real" and the ever present quest of finding make-ahead, easy-to-eat-at-my-desk items for breakfast, I stumbled across a recipe for a Green Monster Spinach Smoothie from Iowa Girl Eats. Under normal circumstances, I would have totally by-passed the recipe because I would have considered it as one of those things that a "health nut" would eat. But on this particular day I was game to investigate further because of the claims that you could not taste the spinach in the smoothie.

Even though this smoothie contains a generous helping of spinach, it is true that you cannot taste it. If you were blindfolded and could not see the green color, you would NEVER know that you were consuming a healthy dose of vitamins A, B₂, B₆, C, E and K along with iron, calcium, potassium, omega-3, protein and a slew of other healthy minerals.


On a whim, I snapped a photo as I whizzed up my green smoothie for breakfast and posted it to my Facebook page. The comments were as I expected...

Yuck!
I don't like that
That's the grossest thing I've ever seen!

I realized that this smoothie is a perfect example of how we, as people who are constantly bombarded with marketing about what we should eat and what our food should look like, are conditioned to think and act in a certain manner just because of what they tell us. The grossest thing you've ever seen...really?? Thanks to spending alot of time around a 13-year old boy, I can think of things waaaaay far grosser than a green smoothie. Is it gross because of the color? Do you think guacamole looks gross because it's green? Of course not because it is supposed to be green.


How about this green drink? How many would slurp it down without giving another thought to the color? We think and accept that it should be green because they present this to us as something we naturally know as being green (lime). Would you be suprised to know that the only thing "lime" about this margarita is the garnish on the side?


Totally discounting the alcohol and assuming this is made with Jose Cuervo premade margarita mix (which is considered a top-shelf product and highly recognizable and used in alot of home bars and restaurants), let's look at the ingredients of this green drink loved by so many:


Now don't get me wrong - I love me a margarita or three and I'm not going to sit here and say shame on anyone for drinking something that is loaded with preservatives and contains absolutely nothing natural because I've done my fair share. But (there's always a but), I'm starting to think more and more about what goes into my body and educating myself on the way things REALLY should be and not just what someone said it should be. So what if the smoothie is green? Would a rose by any other color smell any differently? This tasted like any other fruit smoothie - I tasted the peanut butter and the banana.

Only one of my friends was brave enough to say that she'd like to try the recipe for her and her kids, so this is for you, Tammy, and for anyone else out there brave enough to tackle a green smoothie. Enjoy!

Popeye's Spinach Smoothie
inspired by Iowa Girl Eats

Printable Recipe

1 frozen sliced banana
1-1/2 Tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon honey
1 cup milk
4 cups baby spinach (approximately 1/2 bag)
1 Tablespoon chia seeds (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

This was taken 5 minutes into the party.  A quick photo snapped with my phone before these became nothing but a figment of everyone's imagination.

A few months ago Boy Toy and I invited some friends over to watch a football game.  We had the standard party fare - his awesome chicken wings, shrimp, cheese and crackers, chips and dip, and one of my favorite party foods, mini ham and cheese rolls.  Half-time hadn't even rolled around when I realized that both pans of rolls were completely gone. There was nothing but a few crumbs left to verify their existence.

I later found out that Boy Toy's best friend Zo was the culprit for hogging all the ham rolls.  I met said friend during the summer and was really excited to do so because I knew he was Boy Toy's BFF but much to my dismay, our first few meetings were less than cordial.  The friend totally ignored me and barely said three words to me all day.   I mentioned it to Boy Toy but was reassured it was nothing to worry about. It happened the next time we saw each other and yet again a third time and so on.  I took it very personally because I wanted nothing more than to be a nice happy group of friends.  I later came to realize that Zo is just....well, he's just an odd person to say it politely, and it's not just me that he totally ignores.

So fast-forward to this party where he scarfed down 48 of my ham rolls before half-time.  It seems that I hit a soft spot within Zo with these rolls. Information was leaked to me by a reliable source that he declared these rolls "pork heaven" and I haven't been able to attend a gathering since that also included him that I wasn't requested to bring these.

So even though Zo still can't bring himself to do more than grunt a greeting to me and it's still not clear what he thinks of me as a person, it's pretty clear that he likes my cooking. Maybe it is true that the way to a man's heart is through is stomach, but it's not his heart that I'm after. A simple "hello" would totally suffice. I do still take it very personally that he is not at least friendly to me, but every time I make these rolls for him I think maybe this will be the time that he breaks down and slips me a smile or something.  I'm beginning to wonder if there are enough dinner rolls in town to make that happen. 

In addition to great party food, these rolls also work well for breakfast or brunch. I usually prepare them the night before and pour the butter mixture over them just before baking. Sometimes the right kind of dinner rolls can be hard to find - I'm only able to find them at Walmart in my neck of the woods.  The recipe as written is enough for 2 packages of rolls but you can easily cut the recipe in half.  They are good and they will go fast!  If you want to be all fancy pants, I suppose you could take these out of the foil pans and bake them in a baking dish and then serve them on a nice platter but I like the fact that they have their own built-in baking/serving dish and you don't have to worry about accidently leaving your nice stuff at the party (guilty as charged!)

These are my favorite kind of dinner rolls to use.

Mini Ham and Cheese Rolls

20 slices honey ham
20 slices cheese (Swiss, mozzarella or provolone)
Dijon Mustard, to taste
2 Tablespoons poppyseeds
1 stick butter, melted
2 Tablespoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Remove dinner rolls from foil package.  With a serrated knife, slice rolls in half lengthwise.  Spread Dijon mustard on both sides of rolls.  Place bottom half of rolls back into pan. 

Layer ham and cheese on bottom half of rolls and replace top half.  Using the serrated knife, cut each roll into individual sections, taking care not to cut through the foil pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together the poppy seeds and next 3 ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and tops are golden brown.

When I was a kid, my grandparents would come to our house every Christmas morning to see the mountain of gifts that Santa had brought to me (I was always a very good girl) and my mother would prepare brunch for everyone.  Menu items were usually the same every year and for most things it was the only time of year they appeared on our table, so it became tradition to always have these special items.

One year my mother decided that she wanted to change up the menu and believe me when I say there was mutiny on the bounty!  I revolted.  Huffed.  Puffed.  Whined.  Until she agreed to at least keep most of my favorites (so maybe I wasn't a very good girl all of the time), including this hashbrown casserole which can NEVER. EVER. be removed from the menu. 

Reminiscent of Cracker Barrel's version, this is the warmest, cheesiest, creamiest, most delish thing you will ever put into your mouth.  This year, I was in charge of Christmas brunch with Boy Toy and his family and you know hashbrown casserole was on the menu.  The entire 9x13 dish was scarfed down in the blink of an eye - what you can't see in this photo is someone's hand on the spoon waiting to dig in so I barely got a chance to snap the photo before it disappeared. 

If you are making this for a brunch, you can prepare it the night before and bake it off the morning of, but the best thing is that you don't have to wait until Christmas to try it!

Cheesy Hashbrown Bake
Serves 12

32 oz. frozen shredded hashbrown potatoes, thawed
21-1/2 oz. condensed cream of potato soup (I've also used cream of celery or mushroom)
16 oz. sour cream
16 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup minced dried onion
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients, stirring well.  Spoon into a greased 13x9 baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on top. 

Breakfast is always the hardest meal for me to plan and prepare for on a regular basis, so I'm always elated to find recipes that can be prepared ahead of time and that hold up well in the freezer. I load the office freezer up with several breakfast selections and never have to put much thought into what I'm going to eat while chained to my desk at work.

Pull one of these sausage and cheese scones out and let it thaw overnight in the fridge. Sliced open with a pat of butter and a few seconds in the microwave, it yields a filling and delicious breakfast for home or office. The recipe makes enough for 16 servings, so that's 3 weeks of work day breakfasts under my belt!


Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Scones
Serves 16

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
4 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into pieces
1-1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1-1/2 cups ground sausage, cooked
1-1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
4 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Cut butter into the bowl, mixing it up until it looks like cornmeal.

Stir in cheese and sausage.

Combine buttermilk and egg whites together with a whisk. Add liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just moist.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4-5 times with floured hands (dough will be very sticky.)

Pat dough into two 8" circles on prepared baking sheet (spray with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.) Cut dough into 8 wedges, cutting into but not all the way through the dough like a pie.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely and cut into wedges all the way through and wrap individually. Put in a freezer bag and freeze.

To reheat: take wedge out of wrapping and place in microwave.

I'm stepping out of the closet just long enough to admit that I have a huge girl crush on Nigella Lawson. She is voluptuously beautiful, her show is one of the very few cooking shows worth watching on Food Network, and she has a fabulous granola bar recipe. What more could you want in a relationship?

I struggle to find things that qualify as a healthy breakfast and can also be made ahead and taken to the office during the week. I tire easily of the same rotation of breakfast selections that I already have and these were a welcome addition. I served them with yogurt and fresh fruit. I'll admit to indulging in them as an afternoon snack as well (truth be known, I scarfed down all 16 bars within a weeks time!) They stayed fresh in a sealed container for the whole week. I'm thinking these would make an excellent after-school snack for the kiddies as well.

These bars were very easy to put together (I adapted Nigella's original recipe, found here, to make use of what I had on hand), but they do require about an hour to bake. The instructions say to cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then cut into bars. I highly recommend doing just that ~ I was busy taking a nap during those 15+ minutes and it was like blasting concrete out of a baking dish when I finally got around to taking them out a few hours later. I'm betting they would have still been pretty pliable after 15 minutes.

You make me swoon, Nigella, and your granola bars are the BOMB. Muah!


Grab & Go Granola Bars
inspired by Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson

1 14 fluid oz can condensed milk
1-1/4 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1-1/4 Rice Krispie cereal
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup dried berries or raisins (I used a combination of dried cranberries, dried cherries, and dried strawberries)
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup unsalted, dry roasted peanuts

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and oil a 9- x 13-inch baking pan or just use a disposable aluminum foil one.

2. Warm the condensed milk in a large pan.

3. Meanwhile, mix all the other ingredients together and add the warmed condensed milk, using a rubber spatula to fold and distribute.

4. Spread the mixture into the oiled or foil pan and press down with a spatula or, better still, your hands (wearing those disposable latex CSI gloves to stop you from sticking) to make the surface even.

5. Bake for 1 hour, remove, and after about 15 minutes, cut into four across and four down, to make 16 chunky bars. Let cool completely.

Makes 16

No doubt you'd rush the dessert table for a chocolate cupcake piled high with double chocolate frosting, but would you jump up from your desk and run to the office refrigerator for an egg cupcake?

An egg cupcake, you say? How funny is that?! The boss laughs every time I heat one of these up in the office kitchenette but I'm the one who's eating a healthy breakfast and laughing as he struggles with yet another foil PopTart package.

This recipe is great for two reasons ~ it's very versatile and it's freezer friendly. Thaw overnight (I pull a few out of the freezer at the beginning of the week and store them in an airtight container in the fridge), zap in the microwave for about 1 minute, add a spoonful of salsa on the side and you have a zesty, healthy, protein-rich breakfast.

Egg Cupcakes
makes 12

3 Tablespoons butter
1 cup mushrooms*, chopped
1 cup broccoli flowerets*, chopped
1 cup ham, finely diced (I use Applegate Farms organic and natural meat products)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 cup cheese, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste
Few dashes hot sauce, to taste
12 large eggs

*You can use any type of vegetables or ham, bacon or sausage that you would like for these.

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Spray cupcake tins with nonstick spray.

In skillet, add butter and olive oil and heat over medium-high heat until butter melts. Sauté mushrooms and broccoli, 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fill each cupcake half full with vegetable mixture.

In bowl beat eggs and a few splashes of water until light and fluffy. Season with salt and pepper and a few dashes of hot sauce. Pour over vegetables in cupcake tins.

Bake 10 minutes. Serve immediately or wrap each cupcake in plastic wrap and store in refrigerate or freezer. Warm up in microwave when ready to eat.

Being relegated to just a microwave and/or toaster in the office kitchenette makes it really hard for us Monday-through-Friday-desk-jockeys to keep breakfast healthy. Sure, it's easy to pick up fast food on the way to the office or keep a stash of Poptarts and bagels in the desk drawer, but do you really want to eat something loaded with enough preservatives to make you glow in the dark?

If you crave breakfast worthy of weekend-breakfast-in-bed status, you can be the envy of the office during morning break with a little pre-planning and preparation at home. I've scoured the internet for quick and easy make-ahead breakfast recipes that store well in the freezer ~ would you believe me if I told you that I currently have 12 weeks of breakfast meals already made and stored in the office freezer?! Here's how you can do the same....

On your next shopping trip, pick up a box of your favorite waffle mix and dust off your long forgotten waffle maker. Prepare the entire box of mix per the directions on the box and bake just until the waffles are lightly golden brown ~ not as dark as you would bake them if you were eating them right away. Cool the waffles completely and store in zippie bags in the office freezer. Take one out and pop it into the toaster and Voila! you have breakfast. I have waffles on Mondays because they don't need time to thaw whereas the other recipes that I'll share in this three-part series do. I pull out a selection of items from the freezer for the rest of the week and store them in an air-tight container in the fridge. Don't forget this easy recipe for yet another weekday option.

These savory muffins are dense and hearty and excellent slathered with butter and served with fresh fruit. Enjoy your breakfast and stay tuned for links to the next round of recipes!

Savory Breakfast Muffins

2 cup(s) whole-wheat flour
1 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon(s) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup(s) buttermilk
3 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon(s) butter, melted
1 cup(s) thinly sliced scallions (about 1 bunch)
3/4 cup(s) diced ham or cooked bacon (3 ounces)
1/2 cup(s) grated Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup(s) finely diced red bell pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.

Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, pepper and salt in a large bowl.

Whisk eggs, buttermilk, oil and butter in a medium bowl. Fold in scallions, bacon, cheese and bell pepper. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until just moistened. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan (the cups will be very full).

Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges and turn the muffins out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Store in zippie bags or air-tight containers in the freezer.  Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and heat in microwave prior to serving.

Beginning the day without eating breakfast is the equivalent of starting out on a long journey with no gas in the car. You can coast for a little while on the fumes but eventually wind up sputtering and stalled out on the side of the road. Eating a good breakfast sets the tone for the rest of the day, which in my case means the bitchiness is kept to a minimum for at least the first half of the day. We won't even discuss the ramifications if I don't get lunch.

I struggle with breakfast because I can't exactly go into the office kitchenette and whip up a full-fledged Bob Evans breakfast. There are very few portable breakfast items and too, I have a very low threshold for food boredom. After I've exhausted the breakfast burritos in every form, fashion and flavor and made the fruit and muffin round, I'm over it.

Perusing my dust-gathering cookbook collection for a new way to start the day, I ran across these breakfast cookies from the quaint Cafe Beaujolias in Mendocino, California. Manipulating the recipe just a bit to accommodate what I had on hand, I very much enjoyed the results. I picked up a few containers of yogurt, crumbled the cookies and added some fresh fruit for a tasty morning parfait.

So, grab a breakfast cookie, rev your engine and start the day on a full tank!


Breakfast Cookies
Morning Food - Cafe Beaujolias
Makes about 5-1/2 dozen

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup regular rolled oats, toasted
1 cup Grape Nuts cereal ( I used Rice Krispies)
1/2 cup peanut butter
2-1/2 cups white flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup + 1 tblsp toasted wheat germ (I omitted this)
1/3 cup + 1 tblsp oat bran (I used Steel Cut Oats)
1/3 cup + 1 tblsp nonfat dry milk powder
1 cup raisins or currants (I used dried cranberries)
1 cup toasted, chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg, then the oil and vanilla. Stir in the remaining ingredients.

Form into balls between 1 to 3 inches in diameter. Place on ungreased baking sheet and flatten with a fork. Bake for 12-18 minutes, depending on the size of the cookie. Check the bottoms because they are very brown to begin with and you must watch this closely. Remove from the pan and cool.

Twice a year I allow myself a delicious indulgence (okay, so I indulge ALOT during a year's time, but for the sake of this post we'll stick to only one of my indulgences and keep it food related, okay?)

The Queen City hosts the Southern Spring Show and the Southern Christmas Show in March and December and I am usually in attendance at one or both shows for one purpose only.....

Helmut's Strudels.

The food vendors are always set up at the far reaches of the show...all the way in the third building but I can smell them as soon as I hit the door of the first building....the wafting aroma of freshly baked strudels with their golden brown flaky crust covered with a sensual dusting of powdered sugar. Your choice of peach, apple, or cherry. I think there are a few savory offerings as well but I bypass those. Helmut knows my weakness is cherry.

When the advertisements for the show start playing on the radio, I immediately formulate a mental vision of Helmut's taut German muscles clad in a crisp, stark white baker's uniform lovingly shaping my cherry strudel with his manly hands and lightly dusting it with powdered sugar as it comes out of the oven steaming hot. If my family is visiting at the time, they usually buy several strudels to take home and give as gifts. I, being the selfish person that I am, buy several strudels and eat them all myself. What can I say? I look forward to my twice-a-year love affair with Helmut and I intend to gorge myself with all the fresh from the oven lovin' that I can stand.

But Helmut, honey...I hate to tell you that our affair has to end. I've found someone else. Oh, sweetie, don't be upset. It's not you. It's me. Really. I can take all the blame for this break up because the May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers. These lovely ladies gave us free reign with our choice of strudel filling and after just one try at the strudel making process, I've kicked Helmut to the curb and added yet another "keeper" recipe to my file.

The real challenge of this recipe is taking a dough ball the size of the palm of your hand and shaping it into a 3'x2' sheet. Believe it or not, it's easier than it seems because the dough is very forgiving. My baking constituents confirmed that holes in the dough sheet were okay and while many of them had dough similar to Swiss cheese, I ended up with only 2 holes!
A quick tour of the freezer and pantry confirmed that I would be filling my strudel with orange infused cranberries left over from this recipe, Granny Smith apples, crystallized ginger, Chinese five spice powder and walnuts. Helmut, honey, you never stood a chance with this winning combination! This strudel wound up being about as long as my arm and I could have seriously eaten it all the way up to my elbow. It was seriously that good!

Thank you Courtney and Linda (make sure you head to their sites if you are interested in seeing the recipe as written) for broadening my horizons and showing me that Helmut isn't the only strudel in town!



Strudel Dough from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1-1/3 cups unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

Alison's Filling:

1/2 cup butter, melted & divided
1-1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1 large navel oranges
12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled & cored & sliced into half moon rounds
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
1/4 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice powder
1/3 cup granulated sugar

For the dough:
1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary. Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally. Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches. Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can. Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet wide and 3 feet long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

For the filling:

Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the granulated sugar and water. Scrape the vanilla seeds onto a small plate and add the pod to the saucepan. Using a vegetable peeler, remove 2 long strips of zest from the orange and add them to the pan. Halve the orange and squeeze the juice into the saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cranberries and cook over low heat just until the berries are softened but still intact, about 8 minutes. Let cool completely. Discard the vanilla bean and orange zest and refrigerate until chilled. Drain cranberries well in colander.

Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-wide strip. Layer the apples over the walnuts and top with drained cranberries. Combine 1/3 cup sugar and Chinese five spice powder and sprinkle over fruit filling.

Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.

I may not have actually given birth to the furry being with four little feet that creates the pitter-patter sounds throughout my house but that doesn't make me any less deserving of a special Mother's Day treat. All those nights of easing his fears of thunder storms and all things that go "bump" in the night, the guidance of trying to teach him right from wrong, and the constant companionship and unconditional love that he provides me gives us a relationship that rivals most traditional mother/son relationships.

And so it was that I enjoyed a special Mother's Day breakfast just like the majority of "real" mother's out there. Oh, sure I had to prepare it myself but Jesse James did his part by sitting beside me the whole time watching diligently for any wayward crumbs or falling morsels of food. I know he would have also gladly done his part to help clean the plate had I let him but I took care of cleaning up as well. It's the thought that counts, though.

Stonewall Kitchen has an extensive line of excellent products ranging from sweet to savory and everything else in between. I carried alot of their products when I owned the gourmet food market and two of my favorites were the Farmhouse Pancake & Waffle Mix and Maine Maple Syrup. Coupled with sun-ripened strawberries picked by my very own self just yesterday from the Springs Farm in Fort Mill, SC, it was the perfect way to celebrate the special relationship that Jesse boy and I have.

The mix comes together very easily with the addition of eggs, melted butter and milk or water and there are two recipe variations depending on whether you want pancakes or waffles. I love the crispy texture of waffles and the way those square divots perfectly hold and absorb the sticky sweet syrup. If you're eager to venture out of the traditional waffle and syrup routine, you're in luck. Stonewall Kitchens carries no less than 8 pancake and waffle mixes and 9 flavors of syrup all perfect for mixing and matching and making breakfast a special meal every day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you, no matter who you consider to be your offspring!

It rained on Saturday. Non-stop. All day.

Little bitty stingin' rain and big ol' fat rain. Rain that flew in sideways. And sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath {insert your best Forrest Gump impersonation here}.

And so I spent the day running errands in the rain. UGH! My hair was wet and unruly with curls. My socks and shoes made squishy sounds when I walked.

But come Sunday morning, it was worth it. Oh yeah, baby, was it ever!

One of my errands took me by a bakery that I've been wanting to check out called Breadsmith.
Freshly baked loaves of rustic bread nestled in little cubby holes lined the walls. I browsed, nonchalantly, but couldn't concentrate. I couldn't shake that "I'm dizzy with love" feeling. It was the smell of those cinnamon rolls, dang it! I hurriedly grabbed a loaf of Italian bread for dinner. I had to get out of there before I fell victim to their marketing ploy of wafting delicious aromas. Oh wait! Is that cinnamon swirl bread? A loaf of that please. OH! OH! Cherry brioche! I must have one.

And then I ran. Right straight out the door. And into the rain. And purged my lungs of that cinnamon roll goodness. It's a good thing the picture of my bounty turned out decent because that cherry brioche met its fate just as soon as the shutter clicked on the camera. I laid waste to most of the Italian bread with my dinner of mussels in spicy marinara sauce.

And the best part came on Sunday morning. I sliced into the cinnamon swirl loaf with the intentions of making cinnamon toast. But it was destined to become more. It deserved more. And so it became french toast. Thinly sliced, cooked until crispy and drizzled with honey and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. And a shake of powdered sugar. Just the way I like it.

After breakfast came the even better part. I crawled back into bed, snuggled down under my warm covers with sweet little Jesse James and waited for the rain to give way to the 6" of snow that eventually came and blanketed us.

Eat, go back to bed, and enjoy!


Cinnamon Swirl French Toast
serves 4

8 slices cinnamon swirl bread, sliced thin
4 TBLS butter
1 TBLS vanilla
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup milk

Whip the beaten eggs, milk, vanilla, and spices until well blended.

Dip each piece of cinnamon bread into the batter mixture, let it sit for a minute or so while you melt the butter on your griddle or non-stick fry pan.

Cook both sides of the toast until golden brown {I like to press it with my spatula to make it nice and thin}.

Serve immediately with a drizzle of honey, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

A little while ago, Lis from La Mia Cucina and a few of her blogger buddies hosted a cinnamon roll smack down between the ooey-gooey Cinnabon and the recipe that was chosen for one of the Daring Bakers monthly challenges. Sadly, my hectic work schedule and chaotic personal life prevent me from being one of the Daring Bakers but I dutifully read posts by some of my favorite bloggers each month. When I read about all those beautiful fresh-from-the-oven buns, memories of my first days as a caterer came rushing back.

One of my first pieces of business was providing continental box breakfasts for the flight crew in Captain Sturm's flight department. I had a fabulous recipe for cinnamon rolls and it would thrill me when the crew ordered boxes for themselves and a few passengers because the recipe would make a dozen rolls so that meant that I could feast on leftovers for the next few mornings! I was so proud of those breakfasts, all nice and pretty with a fresh fruit cup, yogurt and homemade granola, a spork package complete with wet nap, and a huge ooey-gooey cinnamon roll taking center stage in the box. I was a proud caterer!

Until.......

Sadly.......

Captain Sturm brought home the bad news.....

The other pilots didn't want the cinnamon rolls because they were fattening. WTF??? Men worried about fattening??? Give me a break! So that was the end of my lovely box breakfasts. Oh, sure, I still make them for the crew but somehow that low fat muffin pales in comparison to my beautiful buns.

I made the rolls a few other times for another client but she developed health problems and had to abstain from my ooey-gooey buns (okay, so maybe the pilots knew something I didn't and wanted to be pro-active against health problems associated with eating too many cinnamon rolls, I dunno....) and soon, sadly, the cinna-madness was over. It has probably been 2 years since I last made them.

Until.......

One glorious day last week when a friend of said client with health problems waltzed into my store and asked for a special order of cinnamon rolls. He said he'd heard they were the best. I baked the rolls and man, oh, man did they smell good! My entire staff oooohed and aaaahed over them all afternoon. And I'll admit, they tugged at my heart strings a bit too and caused me to wax nostalgia about the good ole days.

The next day I whipped up another batch just for myself and the staff to enjoy over the weekend. And don't you know, said friend from said client waltzed into my store again yesterday and wanted not one, but two more dozen of the beauties! And so cinna-madness has returned!!

But folks, lean close 'cause I'm gonna be completely and utterly honest with you. First, I'm a cheater when it comes to making the rolls. And too, I don't put cinnamon in them. SSSSSHHHHHHH! Don't you breathe a word!!! As far as cheating goes, can you blame me? My rolls turn out much, much better when using the dough cycle on my bread machine. I gave up trying to pretend that I could conquer the yeast beast. I can admit when I've been beaten. So, the recipe as posted below is for those of you who are cheaters as well. And for those of you I-don't-need-no-bread-machine snobs, well, just have right at it the old fashioned way! And I know you're dying to know what in the tarnation I use in my rolls if it's not cinnamon..........

That would be Chinese Five Spice Powder.

Yep, that's my secret weapon. It imparts a "what exactly is that flavor?" taste and no one can quite figure it out. Drives 'em mad, I tell ya. Try it. You'll see.



Naked, fresh-from-the-oven yummyness.

* Exported from MasterCook *

CinnaMadness Rolls

Serving Size : 12
Categories : Breads, Rolls, Muffins Breakfast

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
Dough:
1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 C)
2 each eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup butter, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour minus 2 Tablespoons
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
Filling:
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons Chinese Five Spice Powder
1/3 cup butter, softened
Topping:
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.

After the dough has finished its cycle and doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and Chinese Five Spice Powder.

Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with brown sugar/five spice mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes (check after 10 minutes and cover with foil if getting too brown).

While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving. Remove rolls from pan before completely cool or they will stick.

Granola is one of those foods that I never really liked until I started making it myself. The store bought stuff is always dry, essentially tasteless, hard as a rock, and loaded with yucky raisins. And let's face it, the stuff's not cheap. I ran across this recipe on the message forum that I mentioned in my last post and according to the poster, it is loosely based on a recipe by my idol, Ina Garten. The first time I made this granola, I decided it was a keeper so now we make it in the catering kitchen to bag and sell in the gourmet market. It's versatile in the sense that you can use whatever dried fruits that you want and the recipe can be halved or doubled, depending on how much you want to make. I revised the cooking time and temp a bit from the original version and made a few notes about the type of fruits and nuts that I used - pineapple, papaya, dried cherries, and dried blueberries (no yucky raisins!) and I picked up a can of Planter's Cashew Lover's mix.


I made this granola at home with the good intention of storing it on my counter in a pretty glass jar and using it to spoon into yogurt (another good intention of trying to eat a little something in the mornings so my blood sugar doesn't do a nose dive before I get around to eating lunch). The stuff was so moist, tasty, and (no raisins) loaded with fruit that once I started nibbling on it, I couldn't stop!! I'm somewhat ashamed to say that the entire jar of granola was gone in only a couple of days.




* Exported from MasterCook *

Granola

Categories : Breakfast

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
4 cups quick-cooking oats
2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
2 cups favorite mix of nuts
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
4 1/2 cups favorite dried fruits -- small dice

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, and nuts. Whisk together the oil and honey in a small bowl. Pour over the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts are coated. Pour onto a 13 by 18 by 1-inch sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

Bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, about 15 minutes. Increase oven temp to 350 and continue cooking for 5 more mins, until mixture turns golden brown.

Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool, stirring occasionally. Add the dried fruit mixture and mix well. Store the cooled granola in an airtight container.

Yield:
"12 cups"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

   

... so I'll just blog instead. A few days ago I was reading through some new blogs that I've added to my reading repertoire, one of which is called Baking Bites written by Nicole Weston. During my first visit to Nicole's blog, I scrolled through a couple of pages, ran across this post and was immediately hooked. I mean, c'mon....who wouldn't be hooked on the idea of rich, flaky puff pastry oozing with Nutella and chocolate chips, baked to golden perfection?

Nutella is one of those things that I know sits on the grocery store shelf. Right there next to the peanut butter. I see it there, beckoning to me, wanting me to take it home. I've never given in. Never. Well, okay...who am I kidding? I took a trip to Little Rock several weeks ago to visit the new Fresh Market and indulged in many things that never seem to make it into my grocery cart during a mundane shopping trip to Walmart. So now instead of cozying up next to the Great Value peanut butter, the Nutella sits on my pantry shelf looking at me ever so seductively each time I open the door. Whispering my name...but I wouldn't give in. I have will power, you know.

Said will power was tested again about two weeks ago while I was home for a visit with my family. It was my grandmother's birthday and the family spent the weekend at Watauga Lake to celebrate. We rented a cabin and my grandmother and aunt were responsible for stocking the kitchen with snacks. We were sitting on the deck having just finished gorging ourselves with chips and dip, Hershey's miniature candy bars, and Lord only knows what else when around the corner came my aunt dipping an apple wedge into a jar of what else but Nutella. Temptation at its finest. I'll admit that I fell off the will power wagon, I mean what's a birthday celebration at the lake without a couple of Nutella smeared bites of fruit? I could always get back on the 12 step program tomorrow.....

So, here I am walking the straight and narrow when I run across Nicole's post. I couldn't resist anymore. It was the end. My fight with temptation was over. I had lost the battle. Nicole's recipe includes the ingredients to make the pastry, but I cheated. I had a couple of sheets of puff pastry in the freezer that needed to be used. If you're going to fall off the wagon, you may as well cheat while you're doing it, eh? No miniature chocolate chips on hand either, but I was determined. Nothing was keeping me from my beloved Nutella any longer. Regular chips will do just fine, thank you. No hazelnuts? Who cares! Add a drizzle of honey just before serving and these buttery, flaky, oh-so-rich delicacies are enough to give you a trip to the moon.

I've copied Nicole's recipe below, but make sure you drop by her blog and see which addictions she causes you to succumb to!

Nutella Scrolls
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, cold and cut into pieces
1 1/4 cups milk, cold
1/2 cup Nutella spread
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Rub in butter using your fingertips, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. The largest should be about the size of a large pea. Alternatively, you can combine these ingredients in a food processor and pulse to achieve crumbs, then transfer to a large bowl.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in cold milk, gradually stirring with a butter knife or a fork until a soft dough forms.
Sprinkle dough with flour and turn out onto a lightly-floured surface. Knead lightly until smooth, then roll out to a 12×14 inch rectangle. If dough gets too soft or sticky, even with the extra flour, put in fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
Spread Nutella over dough, leaving a 2cm border along the longer edges, but going all the way to the end of the short edges of the rectangle. Sprinkle chocolate chips and hazelnuts, if using, evenly over Nutella.
Starting with a long end, roll up dough in a jelly-roll fashion. Using a sharp, serrated knife to gently cut the roll into 12 even slices. Use a damp paper towel in between slices to keep knife clean and press gently to avoid squishing the roll. Lay scrolls flat on prepared baking sheet, allowing about 1 inch between each.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until scroll are light gold. Stand for 5 minutes on tray before gently pulling apart. Serve warm.

Make 12.

I've never really been a huge fan of breakfast foods. In my opinion, the perfect breakfast is served not before 10am and consists of a freshly baked muffin and fresh fruit. Sure, I've been known to eat a pancake or two, maybe a waffle every now and again but it seems like after I eat such items I'm hungry within an hour and I stay hungry all day no matter what I eat.

When I first started my catering business, my menu was loaded with my personal favorites - things that I like to cook and things that I like to eat. One day, while visiting and helping out in the kitchen, my mother asked why I didn't make a particular dish and I answered that it was because I didn't like it. "Just because you don't like it doesn't mean that nobody else does either," she said. The opposite of that statement rang true after I submitted my first quote for an upscale dinner party. The client commented that I must own a goat farm because almost every item on the menu had goat cheese incorporated into it. I lurve me some goat cheese...heart, heart. The client, however, wasn't too fond of it. Lesson learned.....my mother is always right.

So I decided to focus and expand upon my breakfast catering offerings. We offer your basic breakfast biscuits, burritos, fruit, and muffins. I have an egg casserole and a hashbrown casserole, but I wanted to filter in another selection or two. I've had this recipe in my computer file for a really long time so this week I blew the dust off the hard drive, printed it out, and went to it. I automatically assumed that I wouldn't like it, but tried to approach it with an open research-and-development state of mind. I don't think this is something that I could spring out of bed and devour, but since Captain Sturm and I ate it for dinner with a green salad, it stood a better chance of impressing me.

The recipe met my basic catering criteria of needing to be easy to assemble, using versatile ingredients, and nice presentation of finished product. And I will admit that it also passed the taste test. I'll post the recipe as it was written and then tell you what ingredients that I used....

Savory Bread Pudding

Here's a "master" recipe for a dish that can be made for breakfast, brunch, lunch or supper. You can invent any combination of ingredients for the filling, according to your taste, or according to what leftovers you have in the refrigerator (or choose from the ones listed). Make it simple or complex, homey or elegant. The best part is that the whole thing can be assembled the day before, and refrigerated until you're ready to bake it.
Makes a 2 quart casserole or a 9x13 baking dish, or eight individual (8 ounce) baking dishes

The Bread:
12 thick slices (about 3/4-inch thick)
crust may be on or trimmed off - as you prefer
any interesting bread will do: egg, sourdough, olive, wheat, etc.
Bread should be slightly stale OR may be sliced and baked at 300 degrees until lightly browned - about 15 minutes - to oven-dry

The Custard:
3 cups, milk (or cream or sour cream or creme fraiche - or combination)
6 whole (large) eggs OR 3 whole eggs and 6 egg yolks
Salt, pepper
Fresh or dried herbs
Pinch nutmeg (if cheese is used in filling)
1 T. Dijon mustard - if desired
OPTIONAL: an additional 1/4-1/2 cup liquid such as wine or flavorful broth - which compliments the recipe

The Filling:
Choose any combination of the following (or other) filling ingredients
Onions: up to 2 cups, thin sliced or chopped, sauteed until soft
Garlic: up to 4 cloves, sauteed with onions (or may be roasted)
Mushrooms: up to 1 1/2 pounds, sliced and sauteed
Cheese: up to 1 pound, grated, may be mixture of more than one kind
Bacon: up to 8 slices, cooked and crumbled
Ham or cooked sausage: up to 1 1/2 pounds, sliced or chopped, OR corned beef, pastrami, cooked seafood, cooked poultry or meat

The Method:
Generously butter a 2-quart ovenproof casserole, or a 9x13 baking dish, or 8 individual oven-proof dishes.
Slice the bread into thick (about 3/4") slices. (If oven drying, place slices on a cookie sheet, in a 300 degree oven until lightly browned, and allow to cool.)
Butter the bread slices on one side, and cut each into 4 quarters.
Arrange half the bread in the bottom of the baking dish.
Sprinkle one half of the filling ingredients of your choice over the bread.

Arrange the remaining bread over the first half of the filling ingredients, then top with the remaining filling ingredients. (Note: If you are using cheese, end the layering with a cheese layer, for attractive presentation.)
Whisk the custard ingredients together in a mixing bowl, and pour custard mixture over the bread and filling layers in the baking dish. Allow to stand for at least 30 minutes to allow custard to soak into the bread.
NOTE: Mixture may be baked immediately (after 30 minutes standing), or may be refrigerated for several hours or overnight before baking.
Bake at 325 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes (10 minutes less for individual baking dishes) or until puffed and golden (a knife, inserted near the center of the casserole should come out clean).
Allow the finished casserole to stand for 15-20 minutes before serving.
Garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Serve hot, or at room temperature.


Whew! That's a long recipe, isn't it? Don't let it scare you because it's not as complicated as it looks. Here's what I did....I cleaned out the refrigerator and tossed it all into this casserole and baked it. Really. I had some white bread and some wheat bread that I oven dried. Then, I uncovered some plain yogurt lurking on a shelf and tossed it in with the custard ingredients. My filling was composed of bacon, ham, onions, garlic and a combination of cheddar, Parmesan, and smoked maple flavored white cheddar cheese. It sat at room temp for about 40 minutes and although my photo is less than pretty, it baked up beautifully. Add it to your breakfast, brunch, or dinner repertoire and you won't be disappointed!

In a society where broken homes are as common as the common cold, I realize how truly fortunate I am to be able to say that not only have my parents been married to each other for 37 years, but I have had the pleasure of knowing all four of my grandparents as well as three of my great-grandparents. There aren't too many people who can match even one of those statements. Family means different things to different people and the word means far too many things for me to delve into here, so I'll just stick with what the word means to me in relation to food.

It means remembering how good my Granny's homemade potato salad tasted and how mile-high the meringue was on her coconut pies. It means slathering butter onto one my grandmother's homemade yeast rolls and closing my eyes while the flaky, warm goodness takes me away. It means trying to replicate Maw's fried pies that everyone was so fond of. Emma was lovingly referred to as "Maw" and was my grandfather's mother. She was the epitome of great-grandmothers and even though she left us when I was about 8 or 9 years old, I still have vivid memories of seeing her dressed in her "duster" and puttering around in her farmhouse kitchen.

My grandmother recently compiled a story book of our family history and in the back of the book she included a number of our secret family recipes. I ran across the book not long ago and while flipping through the recipe pages, I began to wax nostalgia about past family dinners. One of the recipes included was Maw's Fried Pies. I don't remember ever eating one of her pies, but as the story goes she made and sold these pies for 10 cents each as a fund-raiser for church projects. Her family bought and ate most of them just as they came off the stove.

Maw's fried pies became my conquest for a rainy Monday afternoon. Here is the recipe as handed down by my grandmother....

1 quart all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup shortening
8 oz. can of cream (evaporated milk)
2 eggs
1 quart fruit

Mix dough, refrigerate overnight. Roll small amount out at a time. Cut in rounds (about the size of a saucer). Add about 2 tbsp. fruit, fold over, press edges together. Fry in deep fat until brown, turning once. Dried apples, peaches, apricots etc. may be used. Fruit should be warmed slightly before using. Makes about 25 pies.


I used fresh peaches in my pies and a few other modern conveniences that surely weren't available to Maw. I mixed the dough with my Kitchenaid and I used a dough press to cut and seal my pies. The recipe didn't quite yield 25 pies for me - more like only 12 - which indicates that I probably didn't roll the dough thin enough. I also used canola oil for frying and while that food staple wasn't even available in her day, I'm absolutely certain it would not have been her preferred way of frying anyway. My pies lacked in taste what I'm sure could only be imparted by good old fashioned lard. Finding commercially available real lard is extremely rare, maybe even nonexistant, these days. I'm sure if it were to be found, it would be locked behind the grocers counter and available for purchase much like our nasal decongestants are these days. Show a photo ID, purchase the minimum quantity, sign on the dotted line and hope they don't report you to the American Heart Association for artery abuse.

As I bit into the warm peach-oozing pie, I could just imagine Maw standing in her kitchen, finding it hard to fry enough pies to keep up with the demand of greedy little kids and grandkids hovering around her stove. And while my fried pie technique needs a little fine tuning, I can imagine the answer to my question of would she be proud of my attempt? would be a resounding Yes! Yes, she certainly would.....