Kumquat Marmalade

To really appreciate this post you should check out Heather's post at http://splaneyo.blogspot.com/ I am totally in awe of my daughter and son-in-law's talent. This amazing cake helps illustrate John's passion for jam.

You can't begin to imagine the joy of finding a market in Ann Arbor that carries Kumquats and Meyer Lemons! At $3.99 per pound for Kumquats we didn't buy a lot but we got enough to make Kumquat Marmalade- yummm!





Got this book at Amazon



My rather grey mood was much improved by these beauties from Costco. I just know that spring will come soon!

Thanks for the Kind Thoughts!

Thank you to the many of you who sent such nice get well wishes! There are so many nice folks out in blogland. I am playing catch-up and will be visiting everyone soon. I managed to pass the stone and in the doctor's efforts to push one out, they shook another loose! Fortunately, the second one doesn't hurt and is working its way out. I go in next week for the pulverising of the one that remains that is too big. Don't know much about the procedure and don't want to! I'll find out the gorey details when I get there! Meanwhile, I'm feeling great again. I've been reading, baking and quilting! So let me show you what I've been doing aside from staying out of the snow storms.

I realize that you are a busy bunch but please take some time and read these books. The first is a facinating look at the food we eat. The author follows several meals from the corn in the field and the cows in the feedlots to the table, the mushrooms in the forest, and the hunter's contribution to the table. It is excellent, sometimes painful but a must read.
The second book In defense of Food is about what kinds of food make sense to eat, the dangers of the Western diet and what we can do about it. Much shorter that the first but packed with excellent information and suggestions.


I found this book recommended on several other blogs- Gardens By The Lake and Breadbasket Case. I had to give it a try and love it! For busy people who want to bake and not be tied to babysitting dough this is the answer. Not only does the book contain excellent bread and sweet roll recipes but also had recipes for things to eat with particular breads and what to do with some of the leftovers! The secret is that you mix- without kneading- four or more loaves at a time and store the dough in the refrigerator. When you want you take some out, let it sit (usually 40 minutes) then bake it off. Here I deviated from their suggestion of the pan with hot water for the steam in the oven and I substituted the Cook's Illustraited technique of baking it in the cast iron Dutch oven- perfect! The dough can be stored for more than a week so you have plenty of time to use it up! The one recipe I have tried came out crusty and good!

So here's the update on the quilt.

It's together and I've started on the quilting part. I am really happy with the backing I used because the colors are perfect for the top and it's a little jazzy!



Looks like this one will take me through the winter.

I hope you're all keeping warm. I have been dreaming of Italian Cypress and Olive trees!

Back To Bread

I've been baking again- not that my girlish figure benefits from this! I was inspired from the December 9, 2007 post on the blog by Breadbasketcase http://www.breadbasketcase.blogspot.com/ . She had been baking from the recipe at Cook's Illustrated February 2008 magazine that had a no-knead bread recipe. I gave it a try and substituted my sourdough starter (about a quarter cup) for the vinegar and got what you see above and below. The one on top is olive and Parmesan. I tried the green olive, rosemary and Parmesan and liked it but really thought maybe Kalamata's would be better- I'll let you know. Anyway, this article touted using a Dutch oven to get the crispy crust and we had an old one- see bottom picture- and I found this works much better than the pan and ice cubes or spraying water into the oven! It's a sacrifice if it's a new pan but in the magazine they show one that can be had for under $40. I love this method and have been using it for my other recipes. It's embarrassingly easy!

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a safe and sane New Year's Eve. We had a nice dinner out with friends and came home to await the winter storm. Being a transplant from California, I still get excited about snow. I just love it. Of course this attitude has a lot to do with the fact that I don't have to go out in it unless I want to!



This year the house in 125 years old.

This is the busy street in front of our house. Not a car in sight!



Some of us find the snow somewhat less wonderful!





I don't think anyone wants to sit on this bench!


Panettone has so many possibilities.... I can't tell you how delicious this recipe for bread pudding with amaretto sauce is, I double the sauce, however, because I like lots. It's relatively quick to make if you precut the cubes and freeze them. I've found that they keep for a long time in the freezer and I can have bread pudding even when panettone is hard to come by. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_29086,00.html



This morning - to start the year out right- we had Panettone French Toast, I cut some slices of panettone, mixed a couple of eggs with a tablespoon or two of cream, added a little Grand Marnier, dipped the slices and fried them in butter. I topped with some powdered sugar and pure maple syrup and it was heaven!

Winter Bread Baking

What is it about winter and bread? Like so many bloggers, I have also been baking bread. I am obsessed with learning to bake sourdough bread a la Zingermanns or Acme bread. My grandson is usually appreciative of my efforts. I do not quite have the crisp crust and large holes inside figured out yet and my efforts are very inconsistant. This seems to have been a relatively good one. We'll see when it cools.

These are some sourdough cheese rolls. They just came out of the freezer so they look a little funny. I just pop them in the oven and reheat them and good as new. They are made with Asiago and Gruyere cheese. Crisp cheese on the bottom-yum. These I can do. The recipes for the sourdough bread and cheese rolls are in the cookbook below.

I love this book so much that I keep two copies- just in case something happens to one of them!
Did I mention obsessive? The Cheese Board is in Berkeley, California. They have outstanding breads and pizza. They are really known for their cheeses though, and have a huge selection. They also have an interesting pricing arrangement and you get a discount for being over 65, and a bigger discount the older you get. Cheese Board is located right across the street from Chez Panisse. If you ever get to San Francisco area it's a great place for foodies. The line at lunchtime for pizza is pretty long but worth waiting for.

Potato Pizza

Last night I had the experience of cooking something perfectly. I say this because although I have never made anybody sick, I always feel like something would have been better if there was more salt or it was cooked a little longer or the crust was a little crisper- you know how it is!
Of course the kiss of death for any dish is to invite someone over and tell them you are making something special for them- it will likely be inedible. Last night, however, I made potato pizza and since no one but John and I were there- it was as perfect as I can make something. The crust was perfectly crisp, but a little chewy, just the right thickness. The leeks cooked exactly right. A good amount of garlic in the oil; the potatoes not over or undercooked; just the right amount of Jarlsberg cheese-again not over or under baked. The right number of Greek olives and a sprinkle of parsley on top. No, no salt needed- just perfect. I had to take a picture and even if you can't taste it -I at least have some momento of a heavenly pizza done to my own personal best. Please don't ask me to make it for you because it will not turn out the same and then I will have been bragging and look silly!