Greek Eggplant Pudding

We are not holding our traditional Pudding Hollow Pudding Contest this year. My schedule and my mother’s health make it uncertain that I’ll have the time it takes to put it together in October.

Nevertheless, as fall approaches I think fondly of this fun event. (You may see photos of last year’s festivities here.)

Contestants almost always enter more sweet puddings than savory, but I have a soft spot in my heart and palate for the savory ones.

The recipe below is for what may be my all-time favorite pudding entered in the contest, the Greek Eggplant Pudding from Nancy Argeris of Hawley, Massachusetts.

I ran across a small eggplant at a farm stand the other day and was inspired to throw together a miniature version of the recipe with my mother. We loved its slightly salty, eggplanty warmth.

We used the tiny eggplant plus 2 eggs and about a third of everything else.

We probably could have made the whole recipe since the pudding is delicious the next day. As it was, we finished it off handily with a little help from Truffle, who like me is a sucker for feta cheese.

Her pudding supper filled her up nicely and sent her right to sleep.

The pudding takes a bit of time to put together as it has three stages—soaking, baking, and baking again. None of the stages is difficult, however.

Ingredients:

2 medium to large eggplants
Kosher salt for sprinkling
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (more or less), divided

1 large white onion, finely diced (I used a sweet onion as that's what I had)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
6 large eggs
1-1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 teaspoon fresh (I tend to use a bit more)

Instructions:

Peel the eggplants and cut them into 1/2-inch rounds. (For my smaller version I made the rounds a bit narrower.)

Place the eggplant slices in a colander, sprinkling salt on each layer as they go in. Let them sit with the salt for 45 minutes. Half an hour into this process, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

When the eggplant slices are through sitting rinse and dry them thoroughly. Lightly oil a baking sheet and place the slices on it, turning so that both sides have been oiled. Bake until the pieces soften, about 30 minutes.

In a small sauté pan sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent. In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs. Stir in the crumbled feta, the oregano, and the onion mixture.

Oil a 3-quart baking dish and put a layer of eggplant at the bottom. Pour about 1/3 of the egg mixture on top. Repeat the layers, ending with the egg mixture.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until the mixture sets. (Avoid overcooking the pudding. It doesn’t have to be brown.)

Serves 6 to 8.

Loving Local Peach Crumble

I thought I’d get one more quick post in during the Loving Local Blogathon. I could go on and on about all the reasons for loving fresh, local peaches—but do I really have to?

They’re fresh, local peaches, for goodness’ sake!

Nothing is sweeter, juicier, or more beautiful. Their delicate consistency embodies the fleeting summer days. Their color reflects the August sun.

I am actually a little loath to cook them since they’re so wonderful raw, but yesterday for variety I threw together a crumble. I love crumbles; they’re easier than pies and lighter than crisps.

Make this, and you too will Love Local.

This post is part of the Loving Local Blogathon, taking place from August 22 to 28 as part of Massachusetts Farmers’ Market Week.

Hosted by this very blog with help from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and Mass Farmers Markets, the Blogathon celebrates the flavors of the Bay State and raises awareness of the bounty all around us.

It also raises funds for Mass Farmers Markets, a charitable nonprofit organization that helps farmers markets throughout Massachusetts. Please support this worthy cause if you can; here’s the donation link.

Loving Local Peach Crumble

A note about the spices: personally, I’m not a big fan of peaches and ginger as a combination. I think the ginger overwhelms the peaches. So if you’re like me, you may omit the ginger. I include it for all those peachy ginger fans out there in the blogosphere.

Ingredients:

5 to 6 cups peach slices
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger (optional)
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) sweet butter
1/2 cup brown sugar

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the fruit in a 9-inch pie pan. (Make sure you have a cookie sheet under the pan; those peaches can be juicy!)

Sprinkle on the sugar and spices. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in the butter with knives or a pastry blender. (Your hands will do in a pinch.) Add the brown sugar and mix again until crumbly.

Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the peaches, pressing down lightly. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Serves 6 to 8. This crumble may be served warm or cold.

Day Seven (Saturday)

Today is the last day of the Loving Local blogathon. Thanks to everyone who has written, read, and donated to Mass Farmers Markets!

Here are the posts we are learning about on Saturday.

Teresa of Farm Share Stories pens a sonnet to her little white eggplant.

JJ of Cuisine en Locale sings the season’s praises.

Betsy at A Plateful of Happiness uses her farmers market haul for an after-work Asian-inspired pasta salad with summer vegetables.

Meghan of Travel, Wine, and Dine sums up her season of produce in words and pictures in honor of Farmers’ Market Week.

Pure Wellness Amy shows off her sense of humor and her culinary skills with a colorful green bean salad.

Sarah in the Kitchen plans a gluten-free meal around her ancho chicken chili.

I, Tinky of In Our Grandmothers’ Kitchens, go peachy kean with a summery crumble.

Catherine of Pursuing Domestic Goddess-ness transforms peaches into Loving Local candy.

Myrna of The PescoVegetarian Times samples local products and explains why every week is Farmers’ Market Week at her house.

Nikki at Art and Lemons comes home from the Falmouth Farmers Market with goodies–and a story.

Julie of How Does YOUR Garden Grow? shares a plateful of joy as she extols Holiday Brook Farm in Dalton.

Kathleen of Parlez-Moi Blog remembers a youth of roasting corn and catching frogs and shares a cucumber-salad recipe.

Kel at More Cupcakes! shares her recipe for wheat berry tabouleh (and manages to work in the word “chiffonade”).

Joe at Somerville Local First discusses the ways in which the local-food movement is influencing the local movement in general.

We have TWO posts from Urbivores.net. First, Jeremy discusses the consequences of buying blueberries in bulk. Next, Emma chronicles the summer’s explosion of tomatoes.

We belatedly discovered a post from Monday by Jeremy at Basic Eating in which he discussed his challenge for the week–to discover four edible plants within fifty feet of his front door!

In what I think is our 100th post (although I’m a little bleary eyed so I’ll have to recount later!), Michael of My World by Michael writes of his love for spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce.

Rob at Baked Orchard shares his experience at the Framingham Farmers Market.

Disposable Aardvarks returns with two great lunch recipes and a farmer’s market tour.

Abbe from Out of the Box doesn’t let a little thing like a camping trip get in the way of using and eating a LOT of peaches.

Lara of Good Cook Doris! surveys her local loot before showing off a simple, tasty main dish.

Late Additions:

This one was actually early–but we missed it! Ellen at Bottomless Kitchen announced the blogathon and put in a plea for funds for farmers markets.

Maleah at MassMoms wrote about teaching her little boy where good food comes from.

And Kathleen at Parlez-Moi Blog explains how the blogathon reunited old friends.

Day Six (Friday)

Friday looks like a busy and delicious day for the Loving Local blogathon! If you like what you read, please donate to Mass Farmers Markets…..

Bianca of Confessions of a Chocoholic roasts green and yellow beans and garnishes them with truffle butter … mmm.

Kathleen of Parlez-Moi Blog provides four separate recipes to recreate her family’s lavish traditional potato-pancake picnic.

Martin of Free Range at Madroño Ranch in Texas tells of his favorite romantic Massachusetts meal–one at which he wasn’t even present!

Christy at The Outer Aisle has TWO new posts. First, she makes a simple stir fry with Asian eggplant from her CSA. Next, she delves into her farmshare and comes up with … callaloo soup (and a little Jimmy Buffett–or should we say Buffet?).

Jeremy of Basic Eating goes back to his front door for a little wood sorrel.

Kate at Village Veggies concocts a succulent Punjab eggplant.

Kel of More Cupcakes! provides our second callalou recipe of the day. (Now, that’s a phrase you don’t hear every day!)

Jillian of (Mis)Adventures with Food gets a few surprises when she tries toasting watermelon seeds.

Catherine of Pursuing Domestic Goddess-ness makes quick pickles with her extra zucchini.

Krista of Disposable Aardvarks gets creative with kale.

Pat the Commonweeder lists ten reasons to shop at farmers markets and comes up with a new local food slogan.

Nikki at Art and Lemons lists five ways to eat more beets along with a recipe for marinated beet salad.

Day Five (Thursday)

The blogathon entries are still coming in fast and furiously. Here are today’s additions. While you’re reading, PLEASE remember to donate to Mass Farmers Markets to help keep our state’s markets strong.

I, Tinky at In Our Grandmothers Kitchens, finally get into the act with summery corn fritters and salsa fresca.

Teresa of Farm Share Stories ponders the reasons for eating local food.

Kel at More Cupcakes! opens her farmshare box and makes roasted vegetables, then discusses her reasons for participating in the blogathon.

Bargain Becky visits the North Scituate Farmers Market to find bargains–and a treat for her kids.

Maryanne of Mama Smiles takes her children to the Bedford Farmers Market, where they try new foods and get their hands stamped.

Pure Wellness Amy shifts gears to visit the Nicewicz Family Farm–and shows off the zucchini-ricotta cheesecake she recently took to a bridal shower.

Kathleen of Parlez-Moi Blog concocts a dark and delicious cherry-rhubarb-brambleberry sauce.
Amy at Madame Menu invites readers to share Baby’s First Farmers Market.

Jeremy at Basic Eating takes a bite out of a plant that is everywhere, the dandelion.

I belatedly acknowledge Katie Cohen‘s VIDEO entry, a short film called Sunday Morning at the Farmers Market. (Sorry, Katie!)

Nikki of Art and Lemons explores the glorious colors of tomatoes and makes a tantalizing soup from them.

Catherine of Pursuing Domestic Goddess-ness ponders her latest farmshare and throws beets and chicken into a curry.

Kimberlea of Lighter and Local puts her haul of veggies and a little bacon into a tempting lasagna.

Megan of Delicious Dishings mixes bright colors and bright flavors in a watermelon, feta, and heirloom tomato salad.

Audrey at Food from Books strays into comfort food by baking penne with corn, zucchini, and basil.

Laurie of Recipes and More from Inspired Cooking features clams and more clams–because she’s from Essex.

Stephanie from atomsatwork celebrates the local food movement and visits the Pittsfield Farmers Market.

I'm as Corny as Massachusetts in August...

The Augusts of my childhood in Hawley, Massachusetts, were golden, both literally and figuratively.

The landscape was filled with the bright yellow of sunflowers and the duller yellow of hay. The sun seemed to shine every day as we swam and swam and swam.

And corn was consumed every single evening—just before all the neighborhood children rushed from the dinner table to engage in a spirited game of Kick the Can.

I loved corn then. I still do. The act of eating it takes a certain amount of deliberation. With its lovely long rows of kernels, this vegetable stretches on like a perfect summer day or evening.

The freshest corn (and of course we ate and eat only the freshest) is sweet and not starchy, purchased the day of its picking at the farm on which it grew.

Most of the time I still serve corn as I my mother did when I was young. I quickly boil or grill it and add butter, salt, and pepper.
I’m a lot less lavish with the butter than I was as a child, of course; in fact, sometimes I omit it altogether.



Once in a while I feel the urge to get go beyond straight corn, particularly with leftover kernels.

My mother’s favorite use for leftover corn is in succotash. She loves to combine it with cranberry beans (those whitish beans with pink stripes that appear in farm stands and stores only at this time of year). As soon as I find some cranberry beans, I’ll post her recipe.

Meanwhile, here is one of my current favorite ways to use leftover corn kernels. It combines the corn with another iconic August food, the tomato.

However I eat it, the texture and flavor of corn always take me back to those August days and nights of my childhood when time stood still, children played and laughed, and the landscape glimmered with yellow.

This post is my own contribution to the Loving Local Blogathon, taking place from August 22 to 28 as part of Massachusetts Farmers’ Market Week.

Hosted by this very blog with help from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and Mass Farmers Markets, the Blogathon celebrates the flavors of the Bay State and raises awareness of the bounty all around us.

It also raises funds for Mass Farmers Markets, a charitable nonprofit organization that helps farmers markets throughout Massachusetts. Please support this worthy cause if you can; here’s the donation link.

Loving Local Corn Fritters with Salsa Fresca

for the Salsa:

Ingredients:

3 medium farm-fresh tomatoes or 5 plum tomatoes
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
3 scallions, finely chopped (white part plus some green)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
a handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
the juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Core and chop the tomatoes. Using a slotted spoon, move them into a medium bowl. Discard the remaining juice or use it in soup.

To the bowl add the peppers, onion, garlic, and cilantro. Stir in the lime juice and salt. Allow the salsa to sit at least 1/2 hour so the flavors can meld.

for the Fritters:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (you may omit this for more traditional fritters, but I like the hint of spice)
1/2 cup (generous) grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 egg
chopped parsley and/or cilantro as desired
2 cups leftover corn kernels
peanut, canola, or even olive oil as needed for frying

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

In a bowl thoroughly combine the flour, the baking powder, the salt, the pepper, the cumin, and the cheese.

Whisk together the milk, the oil, and the egg. Add the herbs if you are using them. Stir this liquid into the flour mixture. (A few lumps are just fine.) Stir in the corn.

Pour oil into a frying pan until it just about covers the bottom of a frying pan when you swirl it around to distribute it. Heat the oil until it is about 350 degrees. (It will shimmer!)

Pop spoonsful of batter into the hot oil.

Cook the batter quickly, turning as needed, until it is golden brown. Do not crowd the fritters in the pan! They will be idiosyncratic but lovely. Add a little more oil if you really must for frying.

When individual fritters are ready drain them on paper towels and store them in the warm oven until all the fritters have been cooked.

for Serving:

Ingredients:

fritters (see above)
salsa (see above)
sour cream or crème fraîche to taste

Instructions:

Top each fritter with a spoonful of salsa and a dollop of sour cream or crème fraîche.

Serves 4 to 6.

Day Four (Wednesday)

Here are today’s entries in the blogathon. (I hope to add my own tomorrow. Last night’s recipe testing needed a little tweaking!)

Betsy at A Plateful of Happiness recalls a rainy day at the Lexington Farmers Market. (She also highlighted the blogathon in a post on Monday, which we missed!)

Megan at Delicious Dishings touches on technology and her favorite market while preparing a salad with lemon-basil dressing.

Jeremy at Basic Eating introduces readers to a nutritious plant called Lamb’s Quarters.

Kathleen of Parlez-Moi Blog proves that home-grown (or farm-grown) dyes are the best with her gorgeous family recipe for pickled eggs with red beets and onions.

Teresa of Farm Share Stories throws together a cozy, vegetable-filled corn chowder.

Suzanne of Locavore in the City uses the summer’s tomato bounty to concoct a pasta-less lasagna.

Catherine of Pursuing Domestic Goddess-ness ponders her weekly CSA share.

Hannah of Strawberries and Tomatoes recounts her excellent night in the kitchen (hint: tomatoes are involved!).

Meggin of Happy Valley Locavore muses on the changes in the weather–and the season.

Deb of The Other Woman Cooks pays tribute to her grandmother–and her garden–with stuffed eggplant.

Frances of Plate to Plate concocts some quick cherry tomato pickles, just in time for martini hour.

Kate at Village Veggies gets creative with zucchini chocolate-chip cookies.

Kimberlea at Lighter and Local uses the ingredients she has in the house to make a peach-cardamom crisp.

Betsy of Bits by Bets inspires parents and kids with an easy way to get servings of fruit. Betsy’s previous post (which we missed) helps families turn garden zucchini into … crab cakes.

Lara of Good Cook Doris! explores farmers markets and also links to some of her colorful market-inspired recipes.

Day Three (Tuesday)

Here are today’s additions to our virtual feast:

For Monday (but we only just discovered it!), Pure Wellness Amy profiled the veggies and eggs available at Riverdale Farm & Garden and Shady Pine Farm.

For Tuesday Amy returns to sample the bread and tomatoes at Daily Bread Bakery Cafe and Shivick Farm.

Hannah from The Bitch Stopped Cooking goes a little wild with summer-squash sloppy joes.

Kel at More Cupcakes! makes Spanish tortillas from her CSA box.

Elizabeth at On Tap for Today remembers a beloved childhood book as she makes blueberry crisp.

Happy Valley Mama talks shares a few tips she has learned at the farmers market in Northampton.

Megan at Delicious Dishings chows down on everybody’s favorite summer treat, watermelon.

Kathleen at Parlez-Moi Blog dips into green tomatoes and comes up with not one but three recipes!

Molly at Wicked Cheap in Boston lists local farmers markets and suggests ways in which readers can save money while shopping.

Jillian at (Mis)Adventures with Food raves about her all-purpose hodgepodge couscous salad.

Jeremy at Basic Eating discusses the much maligned purslane–a summer edible he can find five feet from his door.

Catherine of Pursuing Domestic Goddess-ness shares the perfect summer way to cook her CSA cabbage.

Hannah at Strawberries and Tomatoes relishes her own homegrown tomato festival.

Day Two

Some of these actually went up last night–but I didn’t find out about them until this morning!

Rob of Baked Orchard shares a delicious slideshow of the Copley Square Farmers Market.

Theresa of Farm Share Stories provides non-recipes for a lazy summer day courtesy of her farm share.

Jackie of Wicked Domestic recounts a visit to Greenfest 2010–and the produce stalls at Boston’s Haymarket.

Tara of Happy Valley Mama previews her MULTIPLE posts for the week.

Hannah of The Bitch Stopped Cooking discusses some of the tomato and squash dishes she may make this week–and ponders her husband’s possible reaction to them. (Hannah, go for the summer squash sloppy joes!)

Kathleen of Parlez-Moi Blog provides her recipe for a spicy, local fish stew.

Kimmy of Lighter and Local talks about her visit to the Newburyport Farmers Market–and describes what she has been doing lately with her produce. The potato and squash savory tart looks particularly tempting.

Megan of Delicious Dishings talks about her haul from the Union Square Farmers Market in Somervile. Warning: do not read this post if you are hungry!

Bargain Becky returns with a look at her yummy home garden.

Disposable Aardvarks displays charming locally oriented bento lunches. (This post actually went up Sunday, but we only just saw it!)

In Monday’s post, Disposable Aardvarks sings the praises of tomatoes and shares vegan tomato recipes

Caroline and Tim at the Kitchen Garden Journal write about the end of summer and the slower delights of the colder seasons.

Catherine of Pursuing Domestic Goddess-ness recalls picking peaches and raspberries at Tougas Farm in Northboro.

Catherine also leads readers through the joys and terrors of large-scale tomato canning.

Jillian of (Mis)Adventures with Food provides a colorful red cabbage recipe designed for non-cabbage fans.

The Boston Globe‘s Green Blog spreads the word about the blogathon–and about Farmers Market Week!

Diane and Laura of New England Bites visit Johnson’s Roadside Farm Market in Swansea.

Bits by Bets provides both an overview of the week and tips for keeping kids happy while picking berries.

Welcome to the Feast!

Farmers’ Market Week has arrived–and delicous posts are already beginning to trickle into our LOVING LOCAL blogathon!

I’ll list the blogs as I learn about them each day. And of course links will also be archived on our Loving Local blog.

Remember, the blogathon raises funds for Mass Farmers Markets, a charitable non-profit organization that helps farmers markets across the Bay State. To donate, please click here.

And now (drum roll, please!)……… TODAY’S POSTS!

Helen of Beyond Salmon began the blogathon with her chilled tomato yogurt soup. (Actually, Helen posted early because she is due to have a baby this week. Talk about locally grown!)

Sheila of Pen and Plow Farm ruminates on high-fructose corn syrup, farmers markets, home gardens, and soup kitchens.

Bargain Becky provides a virtual tour of the Weymouth Farmers Market. (She really does love local–and she loves saving money, too!)

Pure Wellness Amy provides a look forward to her posts about farmers markets this week–AND later a look at the goodies she and young Peter found at a Worcester farmers market.

Kate of Village Veggies leads readers through the process of making Down and Dirty Tomato Sauce from her garden haul.

For something completely different Peter at New England Folklore tells a creepy tale about a New England barn in August 1928.

A Busy Weekend

I’m sure ALL of my readers have these events on their calendars—but here’s a little reminder just in case!

First, tomorrow night (Saturday, August 21), Alice Parker and I will trip the light fantastic at the Green Emporium in Colrain, Massachusetts. Friends and fans should plan to come eat pizza, listen with rapture, and of course sing along.

I am actually still learning the music for our centennial tribute to Frank Loesser. It’s been a hectic month! I try to tell myself this is a good thing. I wouldn’t want to lose my spontaneity, now would I?

The program starts at 7:30 pm. Would-be listeners are encouraged to come a bit early as the restaurant doesn’t take reservations.

Second, Sunday is the first day of the week-long Blogathon proudly hosted by me (with help from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and Mass Farmers Markets).

Loving Local: Celebrating the Flavors of Massachusetts coincides with Massachusetts Farmers’ Market week and raises money for Mass Farmers Markets, a non-profit charity that supports farmers markets throughout the Bay State.

As I type this, we have about 70 blogs scheduled to participate. If you’d like to join in the virtual feast–it’s calorie free!–please see the instructions here. (Don’t you love our wonderful poster/logo, designed by the talented Leon Peters?)

Since things are a bit busy today’s recipe is for … water. I got this refreshing idea from Michael Collins, the chef at the Green Emporium. I have put lemon in water for years, but the mint is not only pretty but tasty.

How to Make (Actually Serve) Water

Ingredients:

1 pitcher water (preferably delicious New England well water)
1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeded
a handful of mint sprigs
lots of ice

Instructions:

Combine the ingredients and allow them to mellow a bit together before serving. Serves 2 to 8, depending on degree of thirst and size of pitcher.

Blueberry Birthday Cake

Today was my sister-in-law Leigh’s birthday. (I hope you had fun, Leigh.)

Leigh and her family have returned home to Virginia from Massachusetts so the Weisblats weren’t able to celebrate the big day together tonight. We did make a cake for Leigh a couple of days ago, however.

Knowing that the tiny low-bush blueberries are currently in season in our area, the birthday girl requested a blueberry cake. Luckily, I had a fabulous rich one in my repertoire thanks to my friend Stu Cosby.

This cake needs absolutely no icing. It has plenty of butter inside, and the delicate flavor of the blueberries makes it pretty much irresistible.

With a birthday in the offing, however, I felt the need to make the blueberry cake a little extra pretty so I gilded the lily for Leigh. She deserves a little extra gold in her life. She’s a great sister-in-law to me and daughter-in-law to Jan.



Blueberry Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

for the cake:

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter (1 cup), softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pint blueberries (you may add a few extra if you’re in blueberry heaven)

for the optional coulis:

1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

for the optional icing:

1 cup (2 sticks) sweet butter at room temperature
2 to 3 cups confectioner’s sugar (to taste)
2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.

In a small bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar to the butter and cream the mixture again. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, followed by the vanilla. Blend the batter until smooth.

Add 2 cups of the flour mixture to the batter. Dredge the blueberries in the remaining flour mixture. Gently fold the coated blueberries and remaining flour into the batter, and pour it into the prepared baking pan.

Bake the cake until it tests done, about 1 hour to 1 and 1/2 hours (frozen blueberries obviously take longer than fresh ones!). Cool the cake for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Allow it to finish cooling on a wire rack.

The cake serves 10 to 12 with or without icing.

If you really MUST make the icing and coulis, here are the instructions:

First, make the coulis (it has to cool). In a small saucepan combine the ingredients over low heat. Stir constantly until the mixture liquefies; then stir frequently.

Boil the coulis for 8 minutes. Strain it through a strainer and discard the solids. Let it cool in the refrigerator for an hour or so.

For the icing cream the butter. Add the sugar a little at a time until you achieve your ideal consistency and flavor. Beat in the vanilla.

Ice the cake with the icing, and drizzle the coulis on top. Beautiful!

Pimiento Chese

I have written before of my love of the summer BLT (or BOLT). Every once in a while, however, one of my guests is a vegetarian and doesn’t want the B in that delicious sandwich. So instead I haul out the cheese and serve CLTS (or COLTS).

I fell in love with pimiento cheese when I lived in Tennessee. I’m not sure why it never caught on here in Yankeeland, but I enjoy whipping up a batch from time to time.

Many of you will be appalled at the addition of salt to an already sodium-rich concoction so I’m making the salt optional, but it does bring the flavors out. Obviously, the hot peppers should be used to taste as well.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
1 7-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained (reserve 1 tablespoon of the liquid) and finely chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped
several turns of the pepper grinder
1 tablespoon red-pepper brine
salt to taste (start with 1/2 teaspoon)
mayonnaise to taste (start with 1 tablespoon)

Instructions:

In a medium bowl combine all ingredients. Stir to combine. If the mixture doesn’t hold together, add a little more mayonnaise.

Chill the cheese blend for at least 1/2 hour. Makes about 1 cup compacted pimiento cheese.

A Sauce for Stress

We hope Mother Jan will soon be back to her normal form.

I don’t usually reprint old recipes of mine OR spend much of a blog post linking to another blog. But some weeks are a little crazy—and this has been a crazy week for me!

As we were getting ready to move my mother out of Daffodil Cottage a few days ago she fell and hurt her back. Add to that injury the stress of selling a house and a minor infection, and we have ended up with one sick mother.

Yesterday the doctor suggested it might be time to move her into a wheelchair. (Mother Jan was understandably NOT very excited about this idea. Her gait improved almost immediately!)

A couple of things are getting us through this stressful time. First, we never lose our sense of humor. Even when Jan is a little out of things (as she has been a lot in the past few days) she finds time to laugh.

Second, we have family around. My young nephew Michael in particular is a joy. He has just started his own blog, My World by Michael. It is officially hosted by me since apparently 10 year olds aren’t allowed to have blogs.

Michael’s current post, “Swimming in the Dam at Singing Brook Farm,” is charming. It reminds me of my own recent post comparing our country surroundings to The Trip to Bountiful.

He dwells on the experience of plunging into our cold dam water, on the sights and sounds of nature, and on the cuteness and doggyness of our cockapoo, Truffle.

Check out his post. It’s short and very sweet!

Meanwhile, here is a short and sweet recipe from my Pudding Hollow Cookbook.

When we called the doctor to ask for advice about my mother, one of the first things he suggested was that she eat plenty of ice cream to help her bones heal. Michael immediately volunteered to help.

We tried to keep things healthy by consuming frozen yogurt instead of ice cream. And then we ruined the whole healthy idea by covering the yogurt with this sauce. It made everyone smile, however, even our invalid.

Merry Lion Hot Fudge Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tablespoon sweet butter
5 ounces evaporated milk (a small can)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

Combine the sugar and cocoa in a saucepan and heat them until they are warm to the touch. (This is the only tricky part of the recipe; make sure you stir them, or they'll burn!)

When they're hot but not melting, add the butter and the evaporated milk. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. You're ready to have a sundae party! Serves 8.

Michael can make a toy out of just about anything.

Adventures in Real Estate

Daffodil Cottage

Regular readers may have wondered at my recent uncharacteristic silence. (In fact, a few of you wrote to ask whether I was all right, which was very sweet.)

I have indeed taken a break from writing lately. My whole family has been busy helping my mother get ready to sell her house in Millburn, New Jersey.

For several years now, she and I have been traveling from Massachusetts (my home) to New Jersey (her home) to Virginia (my brother’s home) and then back to New Jersey and so on.

Frankly, living in three places has been exhausting and confusing for me, let alone the almost 92-year-old Jan!

So this spring she decided to put the New Jersey house on the market. She and I spent a couple of weeks at the house (known as Daffodil Cottage) in June de-cluttering and making sure that all the little repair jobs we had been saving up got done.

We then turned the place over to our realtor, the amazing Wendy Drucker.

Recently, my friend Peter asked me for advice about choosing a realtor. I sent him a long letter, and OF COURSE I can’t find it now. The gist of it was that the ideal realtor understands the unique features of one’s home and looks not just for the most money but also for the best fit for the house and its owner.

I also suggested that the best realtors were rooted in the communities in which they sold property.

Peter told me I was brilliant. Well, of course, I am—but my description of the ideal realtor had nothing to do with my brilliance and everything to do with Wendy’s.

She is cheerful, knowledgeable, and competent—and she cares about my mother, me, and the past and future of Daffodil Cottage. She has found a buyer who wants to bring up his children in Daffodil Cottage. The closing will take place next week!

Whenever we have been in a jam—locating a repairman while out of state, trying to figure out how to get rid of decades’ worth of garbage, looking for a real-estate lawyer who would reassure my mother that selling the house was indeed the right thing to do—Wendy has come through.

She and her terrific husband Chris have spent more time in Daffodil Cottage lately than we have. Chris and my nephew Michael bonded when Chris stopped by to help my brother David install a fire extinguisher in the kitchen.

We call Chris Our Hero. We call Wendy a Goddess. (She is actually Goddess Number One. Number Two is my sister-in-law Leigh, who has been acting as the family organizer and archivist.)

What with all the sorting and packing, we haven’t had much time for cooking. We have eaten some yummy takeout, about which I’ll write soon. But we did invite Wendy and Chris over last week for a quick pasta supper.

We served the simple sauce below over whole-wheat rigatoni purchased at one of Millburn’s best places to shop, Mia Famiglia.

This little Italian deli sells tasty sandwiches and soups, aged Italian cheeses, and crusty breads.

Naturally, we prepared the sauce with Mia Famiglia’s own sausage, which is flavored with tons of fennel. If you can’t shop there (we won’t be able to soon!), you may make it with any Italian sausage you like (I’d mix hot and sweet if you don’t have the natural spiciness we enjoyed)—even vegetarian faux sausage.

Jan and I will be embarking on more adventures in real-estate soon: another experienced realtor, Carol Cooke, is looking for an apartment for us in Virginia. In the meantime, here is the sauce we served to Wendy and Chris.

You don’t actually have to sell real estate to enjoy it.


Daffodil Cottage Pasta Sauce

Ingredients:

12 ounces faux (or real) Italian sausage, cut into small chunks
2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (use only if using faux sausage or if your real sausage is quite lean)
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
another 2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large can (28 ounces) Italian tomatoes, crushed by hand or with a gentle knife
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 pinches red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1 teaspoon oregano leaves
fresh, chopped basil to taste

Instructions:

In a frying pan brown the sausage chunks, using oil if they are made of soy or are very lean. Drain and set aside.

In another large frying pan or a Dutch oven sauté the garlic in the olive oil just until it turns golden brown.

Add the tomatoes, salt, peppers, oregano, and sausage. Cook this mixture down for at least 20 minutes, uncovered. Stir occasionally. The sausage gets richer and denser if you simmer it for up to an hour; if you want to extend the cooking, make sure you cover the sauce almost all the way after it begins to thicken.

Toss in the basil just before serving over pasta. Top with aged Romano cheese from Mia Famiglia. Serves 4.

Goodbye, arts-and-crafts living room of Daffodil Cottage!