Remember This?

I asked if you knew what this funny looking, cucumber looking, thing was. My buddy Lori at Pretty Things was correct. It is a bitter melon. We have a neighbor who grows just about everything in his front yard. His back yard (and I'm using the term yard to describe an area that is less than a quarter of a postage stamp) is filled with huge pots filled with citrus trees, star fruit, bitter melon and whatever else he can throw in. He is always sharing his goodies with us. I think he enjoys seeing our faces when he brings something over we have never seen. He's also one of the reasons that I grow tomatoes on our balcony -- I'm willing to try growing almost anything almost anywhere!


Back to the bitter melon. This is what it looks like on the inside. You remove the seeds. Our neighbor uses it in a number of different ways. He makes a juice out of it with cucumbers and tomatoes. Stir fries. In our case, I decided to use it in a stir fry. We were both a little concerned about how bitter it would be, but this light green melon is supposed to be less bitter than the dark green or so I read in this wonderful cookbook.




Since I usually review a book around this time of the week, I decided to share with you one of my all time favorite cookbooks (and the only cookbook I had with a bitter melon recipe). The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen by Grace Young is more than a cookbook. Grace tells family stories all centered around food and the kitchen. It is a pure delight and one I recommend highly for those of you who enjoy a good story along with a few good recipes!



Here is the stir fry recipe with the bitter melon along with directions for preparing the melon. If you click on the photo, it should become bigger and easier to read.



We didn't find the melon to be overly bitter and it added a little zing to the various tastes. You can see I added a few ingredients. I had asparagus left over so I threw it in along with some onion. I added a little garlic to the marinade. It made a complete meal with rice and was very good.

There really is something to trying something new!

Have a special something day.

Joy to You!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

May the heavens smile upon you.

May bright sunshine fill your days.

May the joy of special blessings

Warm your heart in countless ways.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Here's a recipe for you from Zabar's. Enjoy!

Anna Marie's Corned Beef and
Cabbage Dinner with Applesauce

From Tiffany Ludwig

Corned Beef Ingredients:
1	pre-seasoned Corned Beef (leanest cut available)
2	cups Dry White Wine
	Water to cover
Side Dish Ingredients:
12 – 18	Small Red Potatoes
7 – 8	Carrots
1	Large White Onion
1	Cabbage
	Butter, Salt and Pepper to taste
	Water for boiling
Applesauce Ingredients:
12	Macintosh Apples
	Water for boiling
Corned Beef Instructions:
1.	Put corned beef into large pot or Dutch oven.
2.	Add wine and enough water to cover.
3.	Add seasoning packet (seasoning packet should be included in package of corned beef).
4.	Bring to boil and cover.
5.	Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes per pound of meat or until tender.
	(You can also cook this in a slow-cooker on low heat 8-9 hours or until tender.)
6.	Remove Corned Beef from pot and let sit covered for about 10 minutes. Slice against the grain.
Potato Instructions:
1.	When Corned Beef is almost done, put 12 – 18 (depending on size and appetites of diners) washed red potatoes in a large pot of enough water to cover twice over.
2.	Simmer 15 – 25 minutes or until just beginning to get tender.
3.	Once cooked toss potatoes with a pat of butter, salt and pepper to taste.
Cabbage Instructions:
1.	Wash, scrape and cut 7-8 carrots into 1-1 ½ inch lengths.
2.	Add to pot of boiling water along with one large white onion, sliced.
3.	Simmer for 5 minutes.
4.	Add the head of cabbage cut into eighths.
5.	Simmer 15 minutes more or until tender.
	Serve with Homemade Applesauce and Irish Soda Bread and Dijon Mustard.
Homemade Applesauce Instructions:
1.	Put 12 Macintosh apples, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces into steamer basket.
2.	Place in pot over boiling water.
3.	Steam until apples are tender.
4.	Remove from basket and mash.
5.	Allow to cool to room temperature or may be chilled.

Thanksgiving Countdown Continued!

We are another day closer to Thanksgiving. Do you have sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving? How do you prepare them? Here's a recipe I cut out of the Houston Chronicle years ago. I made it the first time to take to a Holiday pot luck.

Cranberry Apple Sweet Potatoes

• 1 (21 ounce) can apple pie filling
• 2 (18 ounce) cans sweet potatoes, drained and cut into bite size pieces
• 1 (8 ounce) can whole cranberry sauce
• 2 tablespoons apricot preserves
• 2 tablespoons orange marmalade

Spread pie filling in 8 x 8 x 2 inch baking dish; arrange sweet potatoes atop filling. Mix cranberry sauce, preserves and marmalade. Spoon over potatoes. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven 20 to 25 minutes. (Original recipe from Chronicle reader Mary Nita Wing)

You'd guess correctly if you figured I've made some adjustments to the recipe over the years. I put it in a much larger baking dish (I guess can sizes change). I also mix the sweet potatoes with a little brown sugar and a 1/4 cup of bourbon (you could use rum) to give the recipe a little more zing. It makes a pretty dish and has all those wonderful autumn colors and foods I think of when I think Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Countdown

I thought I'd start a Thanksgiving Countdown and offer you a few recipes for the coming holiday. The first is Butternut Squash-Apple Soup (you know I love soup). Apples are the perfect autumn food and Butternut Squash is the perfect color for autumn. When I was growing up in New Mexico one of my favorite things was to drive to Pena Blanca and the Dixon apple orchard and buy apples and cider. The orchard is north of Albuquerque in a beautiful valley. Wonderful place for a picnic. Nice memories for me. Back to the soup! This recipe is a combination of a couple of recipes I found - one in Bon Appetit and the other in the Witch in the Kitchen cookbook by Cait Johnson.

Butternut Squash-Apple Soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
• 2 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (about 6 cups) (I buy one large butternut squash and let it go at that!)
  
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
  
• 2-3 cups (or more) vegetable broth
• 2 cups filtered apple cider or apple juice
• 1/4 cup apple brandy
• Freshly grated nutmeg and ginger
• salt and pepper to taste and perhaps a little fresh thyme

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil and add the minced garlic and chopped onion. Saute the onion and garlic until golden then add the vegetable broth, apple cider or apple juice, brandy, diced squash, sweet potato, and apple. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered until squash, potato and apple are tender. Add spices. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat. In small batches, carefully puree the soup in a blender or food processor until very smooth. (I prefer a little chunky.) Watch the amount of liquid. You can always add more juice/cider/or broth at the end if you want to thin the soup.

Ina Garten has Butternut Squash and Apple Soup that is very similar. She uses more squash (2 large) and more apples (about 4) and less liquid (2 cups of water to cook and adds 2 cups of apple juice or cider at the end after the soup has been pureed -- again with the idea that you can add liquid at the end to make it the consistency you want). Also, she adds 2 tablespoons of mild curry to the soup.

You get the idea! It is a beautiful and tasty soup for the Thanksgiving season.

Soup's On!

I am pleased to report that we now have a fully functioning kitchen. We cleaned all weekend -- cabinets, counter tops, floors -- and have successfully fought the plaster dust and won -- at least in this one room. It is cooling down here. A high of 76 today. I know. For those of you in cooler northern climates you think I'm nuts to call 76 cool, but believe me -- it is! No humidity. We can open the windows and doors and think about making some soup.

I have canceled most of my magazine subscriptions (there's that clutter thing again). However, I continue to take my favorite cooking magazine: Fine Cooking published by the Taunton Press. They have special editions throughout the year and the recipe I want to share with you is from 101 Quick And Delicious Recipes published Fall 2003.


It is called Garlicky Tortellini, Spinach And Tomato Soup and is so quick, easy, pretty and tasty it's almost a sin! The recipe says it serves two to three although Mr. Dragon and I can get two good meals from this recipe with a little left over. If you have tortellini in your freezer, a hunk of Parmesan cheese, and a can of diced tomatoes on the shelf, all you'll need to do is pick up a bag of spinach and a bunch of basil (or raid your garden) on the way home for this terrific soup. It takes just minutes to pull it all together.

• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter (I use olive oil.)
  
• 6 to 8 cloves garlic, chopped (I also add onion - to your taste.)
• 4 cups (1 quart) homemade or low-salt chicken broth (I use vegetable broth.)
• 6 oz. fresh or frozen cheese tortellini (I am especially fond of Buitoni Portabello Mushroom & Cheese Tortellini.)
• 14 oz. canned diced tomatoes, with their liquid
• 10 oz. spinach, washed and stemmed; coarsely chopped if large
• 8 to 10 leaves basil, coarsely chopped (I don't use as much basil -- to your taste.)
• Grated Parmesan cheese, preferably parmigiano reggiano

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic (and onion) and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook halfway, about 5 minutes for frozen pasta, less if using fresh. Add the tomatoes and their liquid, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook just until the pasta is tender. Stir in the spinach and basil and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve sprinkled with the grated cheese. How about rosemary and olive bread and a small salad to make the meal complete?! Enjoy!

It's Pesto Time

The basil in the garden has been so pretty this year. No bugs! Today I decided it was time to give the basil a little hair cut and make some pesto. This recipe is from THE BEST 125 MEATLESS PASTA DISHES by Mindy Toomay and Susann Geiskopf Hadler.

Classic Basil Pesto
Yield: 1 cup

• Fresh Basil Leaves - 2 cups, firmly packed
• Olive Oil - 1/3 cup
• Pine Nuts - 1/4 cup (I use walnuts - something I seem to always have on hand.)
  
• Garlic - 6 medium cloves, chopped
• Parmesan Cheese, finely grated - 3/4 cup

Wash the basil, discard the stems, and spin dry. In a food processor or blender puree basil with 1/4 cup of the olive oil, the pine nuts, garlic, and Parmesan until thick and completely blended. With the machine running, add the remaining olive oil in a thin stream to form a smooth paste.

I think the recipe should be retitled Garlic Lovers Classic Basil Pesto! A little goes a long way, but it's simple and really good. The authors also include recipes for Rosemary Pesto, Cilantro Pesto, Oregano Pesto, Pimiento Olive Pesto, Black Olive and Tomato Pesto, Roasted Red Bell Pepper Pesto, Spinach and Cheese Pesto with Pimiento, Shiitake and Spinach Pesto with Ginger, and lastly, Dried-Tomato Pesto with Mint.

The authors have written other cookbooks including: THE BEST 125 MEATLESS MEDITERRANEAN DISHES, THE BEST 125 VEGETABLE DISHES, THE BEST 125 MEATLESS MEXICAN DISHES, THE BEST 125 MEATLESS MAIN DISHES, and THE BEST 125 MEATLESS ITALIAN DISHES. The copyright date is 1992. Every now and then I go through my cookbooks (another one of those collections that I have) and start giving them away or sending them to the used book store. I just haven't been able to part with my "BEST" cookbooks. They are little gems filled with surprises and good stuff.

Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Asparagus

There is a little story to tell before I get to the Spicy Garlic Shrimp recipe. In mid May, Dick and I took a Leisure Living course called Chinatown Walking Tour and Dim Sum Lunch. The tour guide has been leading this tour for years. I've seen it mentioned in the newspaper food section many times and thought this was the year we would go. The Houston Chinatown area has grown by leaps and bounds and this was a good way to venture away from home and see what was out there! Ocean Palace was out there along with the Hong Kong City Mall. The grounds around the Palace are lovely. Our tour guide ordered for the group. The menu was in English, Chinese and Vietnamese. Everyone in the group had a copy of the menu and we made notes as we ate. It was good, but the highlight of the tour was the Hong Kong City Market. I've never seen (except perhaps in San Francisco) such a wide selection of greens, vegetables and fruits along with lots of crispy duck. We didn't get carried away at the market, but did bring home some fish sauce and garlic chili pepper sauce.

Now for the Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Asparagus recipe. Credit has to go to the Taste of Thai web site. If you like Thai food check it out. They have lots of recipes. I put the fish sauce and garlic chili pepper sauce from the Hong Kong Market to good use in this recipe. It is quick, easy and very tasty. We enjoyed it with a nice cold beer!

SPICY GARLIC SHRIMP WITH ASPARAGUS
Yield: 2-4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp garlic chili pepper sauce
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 3 tsp fish sauce, divided
• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 lb thin asparagus*
• 3 Tbsp oil
• Fresh cracked pepper to taste

Optional: chopped cilantro

Directions:

1. In a medium size bowl add garlic chili pepper sauce, garlic, sugar, lime juice and 2 teaspoons of the fish sauce. Mix well. Add shrimp and mix until covered with sauce. Set aside to season.
2. Diagonally trim asparagus into one inch pieces. *If thicker asparagus is used, boil in salted water 2-3 minutes. Drain, and immediately cool down in ice water. Drain well.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over a high heat. Add asparagus, remaining teaspoon of fish sauce, and fresh cracked pepper. Stir-fry 3-5 minutes, or until asparagus is tender-crisp.
4. Add shrimp mixture to skillet. Stir-fry until shrimp turns opaque (pink) and sauce is well mixed with ingredients. Serve immediately. If desired, sprinkle with cilantro and serve with hot jasmine rice.
   

Those who know me know I never make a recipe the way it is written and probably don't make it the same way twice! I had some yellow bell pepper left over and some scallions that I added to this dish. Colorful!

As for dim sum, there is a wonderful little hole in the wall near us called Yum Yum Cha (great name) that has wonderful dim sum. With the price of gas, it's nice to stay close to home.

Tomato and Red Onion Salad

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine has a delicious looking and easy recipe called TOMATO AND RED ONION SALAD. Here it is straight from the July 2008 issue:

• Choose as you please a variety of heirloom and farmstead tomatoes - whole, sliced, and cut in wedges - for a colorful salad.
• Prep: 25 min. Stand: 25 min.

• 1 medium red onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 8 cups tomatoes, cut (about 3 lb.)

1. In a medium bowl combine 4 cups ice cold water and 2 teaspoons salt; stir to dissolve salt. Add onion slices; stir gently to separate rings. Let stand 20 minutes; drain.
2. Meanwhile, for Sweet-Sour Dressing, in small bowl whisk together vinegar, sugar, and 3/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper. In extra-large bowl combine tomatoes and drained onions Add dressing; gently toss to coat. let stand 5 minutes. Serves 6 to 8.

Some of our balcony tomatoes are in the bowl and peeking her little nose (as usual) into whatever is happening around the house is our little imp Miss Riley. Riley has an almost twin brother, Rocky. The ruler of the house is Teddy (Theodorable). They each have their own story (for another time). All three cats have well trained staff!