Bless Her Heart

She keeps me in stitches...

Warning: Youthful stitching humor ahead.

10:15 pm

The Girl:  Look Mama, I've been practicing my stitching.  Do you like my flower?

Me: Mmmhmmm, but it is getting really late.  Why don't you lay down here next to me and relax?

10:25 pm

The Girl:  No Mama! I'm working on my stitching.  What should I make next?

Me: You should make dreams babygirl.  It's time to lay down. Aren't you tired?

The Girl:  Just one more Mama.  Look, I made a star!  Do you like it?

Me:  (nodding off) 

10:35 pm

The Girl:  I'm having so much fun with all of this embroidery. What should I stitch next??  

Me: **Yawn**  Hmmmm...It's sooooo late honey,  I think all that's left to embroider is the inside of your eyelids.  Time for bed now.

The Girl:  Ok, Mama...just a sec....

10:45 pm

The Girl: Wake up, Mama...I did what you told me to do.

Me:  Huh? Oh! Bwahahhahaahahahhahaha......

Love that girl.

Coffee Crispies...again.

The Man and I have been working late nights more often than not lately and I wanted to make a treat for him to take back to the shop for after-hours munching. I love making the crispies from this recipe box. Although the dough has to chill for a couple of hours, which is more planning than I am accustomed to...I really enjoy how simple they are to make.  

 
I always leave the pecans off because we have a slight nut allergy in the family.  Knowing that we need an extra pick-me-up around here, I added another heaping tablespoon of coffee.  I also cut them a little thicker...more like cookies, less like crispies.  If you cut them thicker you won't get the 6 dozen noted on the recipe card but they are a softer bake, which I prefer.  

 
For this batch I had some caramel sauce that I drizzled across the top for The Man but honestly they are really yummy either way. I like them plain with a cup of hot coffee...no surprise there really.

 
 

Wordless Wednesday: goood morning mama

 
 

A Bit of Figgy Heaven...

It all started when The Man walked out the door for work this morning and promptly returned carrying this bag:

 
It appeared that the fig fairies (aka as Fred and/or Nana) had made a stop at our house earlier and left us a bag of figgy goodness from their fig tree.  I am not kidding when I say that as I sat at my desk, I thought about those figs ALL DAY. I mean, you know...when I wasn't working, ahem.  When it was quittin' time, I headed to the kitchen to manifest my fig-inspired daydreams. 

 
The vanilla sugar and chevre were both gifts from Auntie and Lita for my birthday.  I was so thrilled that I had them in the house...they were just what I needed for our afternoon snack.  It sounds all fancy-pants, but it took 5-10 minutes and was super easy.

Fig Toasts with Chevre and Balsamic Reduction

First I preheated the oven to 375 degrees, quartered 6 pieces of bread and toasted them in the oven for about 5 minutes.

   In a small saucepan, I combined 1/2 cup of a nice quality balsamic vinegar and 5 tablespoons vanilla sugar.  It was a special treat to have this yummy sugar in the pantry, but brown or raw sugar would be great too if that's what you've got.  I simmered this mixture on low, stirring occasionally as it reduced, removing it from the heat when it had reached the thickness that I wanted for drizzling.  Once I had removed it from the heat I added 1/2 teaspoon Hinkelhatz Hot Sauce from Dai Due for a little added kick.

 
 As the sauce was reducing I sliced up 1 1/2 cups of figs. Every time I slice figs I am amazed at the depth of color hidden inside the ordinary looking skin.  They are so beautiful and exotic, they almost look other-worldy. 

 
Next, I assembled the snacks: I spread the chevre on the toasts, added the balsamic reduction and then added the sliced figs.   When I am making it for myself I also drizzle more balsamic across the top of the figs.  Truthfully, I would drink it straight from the pot if I didn't think you were looking. 

  
I hope you have a fig fairy in your life who will leave figs on your doorstep, but if not I highly encourage you to grab up some fresh figs while they are still in season. 

 

Key Lime Pie with a Ginger Twist

Let me start by saying that this type of dessert is generally way too sweet for me, and I probably wouldn't have made it all except for that we had received more key limes than we knew what to do with from Farmhouse Delivery.  Couple that with the fact that The Girl really, really, really wanted to make a Key Lime Pie and since she did most of the work anyway, well...how could I resist?  We used gingersnaps for the crust rather than graham crackers.  Ginger makes it healthy, right?? It was a yummy crust but pretty chewy.  Maybe next time I'll use graham crackers but add some ginger powder or even better, minced ginger crystals.  I'll keep ya posted.

 
Key Lime Pie with a Ginger Twist

For the crust

• 1 1/2 cups of gingerbread snap crumbs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 6 tablespoons melted butter

For the filling

• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons fresh key lime juice, strained of seeds and pulp
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger juice

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Mix your crust ingredients in a medium bowl.  Once they are well mixed, press them into a 9" pie plate. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile:

Whisk together condensed milk and egg yolks in a medium bowl. Once they are combined nicely add the lime juice and ginger juice.  Pour the pie filling into the cooled crust and bake on the middle rack of the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the pie cool completely. Transfer to fridge and allow to chill for at least 3 hours.  

You can gussy this pie up with whipped cream, berries or a lime garnish.  I prefer the pie dressed plain with the accompaniment of a hot cup of coffee. Yum!

Wordless Wednesday: Kitchen Hands

      
    

Spaghetti Squash with Pesto and Parmesan...

This is a super simple gluten-free, vegetarian side dish...and it is so. damn. good. It doesn't require much effort at all if you have prepared pesto on hand. If you don't want the oven on for extended periods of time in the summer, you can microwave your squash.

Spaghetti Squash with Pesto and Parmesan

serves 4-6

1 medium to large spaghetti squash baked or microwaved.  Once cool enough, split it lengthwise and remove the pulp and seeds. Only remove the goopy stuff, the stranded, spaghetti-like stuff is what we're looking for.  Use a fork and separate the the strands from the shell of the squash.  Toss the squash in a bowl with 1/3 cup of pesto and 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese.  Salt and pepper to taste. Preheat Broiler. Spread your squash mixture in a medium baking dish and sprinkle the top with a layer of parmesan cheese.  Place the dish in the broiler for about 10 minutes or until the cheese on top gets a little crispy and takes on a golden hue. 

 
Want to go the distance?  Before you sprinkle the parmesan on the top, add freshly sliced tomato.  

 
 

Favorite Things: SFC Farmers' Market (Part I)

Yesterday The Girl, Auntie and I spent the better part of the day running around the ATX.  In an attempt to beat the heat, we met up at the SFC Farmers Market downtown (as early as we could muster).  I have really grown to love this market lately.  It feels more and more abundant each time we go, and I find that I really start looking forward to going by Thursday evening.  Yesterday was "Love Your Local Farmer Day", and I really wish that we could have voted for EVERY one of those hardworking, heating-enduring, smiling-through-the-sweat vendors.  Here are some of my favorites from yesterday:

Fragrant bouquets that include flowering lemon basil (yes they are as incredible as you would imagine), cucumbers, onions, and baby zucchini...all from Bar W Ranch in Mullin.

 
  
 
Tree-ripened peaches from Engel Farms in Fredericksburg.  By this morning, The boy had eaten all but one.

 
From Dai Due of Austin: Maybe the best bread & butter pickles I've ever had. Ever. I wasn't able to capture the pimento cheese I bought before we annihilated it as an afternoon snack.  All of their stuff is SO incredibly yummy.  If I were a meat eater, you would have to beat me away from their supper club offerings.  Seriously.

 
We add a cup to our collection from M. Schopper Ceramics whenever we get the chance.  This week we added a bowl!

 
 The Girl picked this amusing T-shirt from Will Heron Designs.  

 
It was a really hard choice...ending in a wee bit of a meltdown...but we'll just ignore that fact, K? 

 

It didn't really have anything to do with t-shirt choices when it came down to it, but isn't that always the case?  As much as we love going to the market, in this heat it's only a matter of time before someone has a meltdown...this time it just happened to be her.  Nothing that brunch at Zocalo and a little A/C couldn't remedy. We all needed a little something special: The Girl and her tacos, me and my coffee, and Auntie and some kind of horchata/agua fresca concoction that she seemed to think was divine...once it stopped curdling.  :) 

Next stop? City Coliseum Garage Sale!

Cauliflower and Potato Curry

Last night we had a vegetable curry that is a family favorite.  It's one of the only ways that people around here will eat cauliflower, so I always make a big pot.  I've pulled the recipe from an earlier blog post and added some measurements to the spices...but as usual, your mileage may vary. :)

 

Cauliflower and Potato Curry

Masala:

3-4 Tbsp butter or ghee

1 yellow onion diced

5 cloves of garlic diced finely

1 1/2 Tbs. ginger diced extra finely

1 tbsp garam masala or curry powder

1 tsp turmeric

salt and pepper to taste

Veggies:

1 large head of cauliflower, divided into florets.

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed

2-3 carrots, peeled and diced

1 cup of green peas, thawed (or fresh)

water

1 can of diced tomatoes (lazy I know)

sugar to taste

In a heavy skillet melt the butter or ghee.  Saute the onions, garlic and ginger until the onions are translucent.  Add the garam masala/curry powder and the turmeric to taste.  Add the salt and pepper in the same fashion.  Continue sauteing for 3 minutes or so, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.

In a large pot add a cup of water, cauliflower, potatoes and carrots. Add masala mixture. Stir to coat veggies in masala.  Add water as necessary.  Cook on medium heat until the veggies are just tender.  Add tomatoes and peas and cook for 5 minutes.  If your curry is too tart add sugar to taste.  That's it.  

As usual, I might have missed something, so just ask if you have any questions. 

Good Coffee...

 
I found this great poster at the online store of Isle of Printing.  It's the first thing I see, when I stumble bleary eyed into the kitchen in the morning. It really couldn't be more perfect....well, yes I suppose it could be more perfect...if I had actually framed it.  The kidlets gotta eat this month, so that'll have to wait.