Monday Night and Catching Up With TV

Sookie, Tim and I had to catch up with all our shows on Tivo Monday. Sookie loves to lie back and watch Mob Wives with us. She just kicks back and occasionally falls asleep on those wonderful women from Staten Island. We just had to flip over to Animal Planet to watch "My Cat from Hell" and she was wide awake.

Fireworks Sugar Cookies

Fireworks Cookies

MS Living Magazine featured these cookies on the July issue cover and they looked so beautiful. So, we decided to make them for our upcoming July 4th weekend. Tim baked four dozen of them and after dinner, the two of us started to decorate the cookies. Too many cocktails later - we were barely functioning and I was ready for bed. These were some of the nicer looking ones however there were far too many of them that looked like a bad Rorschach test and we decided that the entire MS cover had to have been completely photoshopped.

Amazing Marinade

Tim cooked and baked all day on Saturday from 11:30 am to 9:30 pm. We are prepping for July 4th weekend when Tim's family will arrive en masse to stay with us. 3 casseroles and 4 dozen cookies which all went into the freezer - he did manage to slip in a delicious meal - Grilled London Broil with grilled snap peas, grilled corn on the cob and leftover rhubarb desert. Yum. The marinade for the london broil is so good! He took classes with Peter Kump and one of his favorite class recipes is a marinade that he whips out in a flash.

Amazing Marinade

3 Shallots, minced

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup dry red wine

1/4 soy sauce

6 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon minced ginger

2 teaspoon tabasco

6 scallions, julienned, garnish

Combine marinade ingredients, except scallions in a medium bowl. Pour over meat and marinate about 2 to 4 hours, refrigerated. Grill meat but then bring balance of marinade to a boil in a small saucepan and then serve over meat. Garnish with scallions and serve.

Country Grown Perennials in Walton - Things To Do

Country Grown Perennials is one of our favorite nurseries to visit. You couldn't ask for two of the nicest people - George and Peggy - the owners. They are so genuine and show real interest and concern for your gardening needs. It is worth the visit to just drive and see their house and nursery. The grounds are gorgeous. They carry an extensive assortment of perennials to purchase but their own gardens are absolutely beautiful and events have been staged on the property. There is a huge garden where you can get ideas, a beautiful pond with views of the surrounding hillsides, a large blueberry farm where you can pick berries when they are in season, pet geese and peacocks, and an occasional sweet dog running around. We love to go there and discuss garden issues and you know they are going to provide solutions and assist in your landscaping design. One of the best nurseries in the area. Here's their link: www.countrygrownperennials.com.

Pork and Snap Pea Kebabs with Ginger-Hoisin Glaze

Pork and Snap Pea Kebabs with Ginger-Hoisin Glaze

We broke out the grill for the first time this summer and tried a new kebab recipe - the grilled snap peas are now my favorite!

1. Heat a grill to medium. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. In a small bowl stir together 1/4 cup Hoisin sauce and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Add finely grated peeled fresh ginger ( from a 1 inch piece) and rice vinegar.

2. Alternately thread 1 pork tenderloin ( about 3/4 pound) cut into 3/4 inch slices, 5 scallions, cut into 2 inch pieces and 1/2 pound snap peas, trimmed, onto four 8 inch skewers. Grill, turning occasionally until pork is cooked through and vegetables are charred about 9 minutes. Brush kebabs with Hoisin mixture and cook 1 minute more turning once, until mixture begins to bubble.

Asparagus with Citrus, Whipped Ricotta and Cream Cheese

Asparagus with Citrus, Whipped Ricotta and Cream Cheese

This was the side dish for our dinner Saturday night. So much flavor.

1 bunch asparagus

1 orange ( for dressing) plus 1 more orange segmented

1 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 & 1/2 cups fresh ricotta cheese

1/4 cup Philadelphia Cream Cheese

1/4 cup chopped herbs ( mint, chives and parsley)

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1. Prep your asparagus by snapping off the tough ends and peeling away any thorny bits. Rinse quickly under cold running water.

2. Bring a wide pot of water to a boil, season with salt and drop in the asparagus. Blanch just until tender and then shock in a large bowl of ice water. Remove the asparagus and pat very dry with paper towels. Set aside.

3. Make a dressing by zesting both the orange and the lemon, adding the lemon juice, a pinch of salt and pepper, the white wine vinegar and olive oil. Emulsify the dressing. Pour over the asparagus and allow it to marinate.

In a bowl, add the ricotta, and the cream cheese and the herbs and mix will so that it looks airy and fluffy.

5. To plate, spoon some of the ricotta mixture onto cold plates. Top with the asparagus, a little more of the dressing and the orange segments and the chopped onion.

Rhubarb Dessert

Shhh, this is Tim's Mom's secret rhubarb recipe but I am going to post it anyway because it is so good and so easy.

RHUBARB DESSERT

CRUST:

1/2 cup softened butter

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 & 1/2 cup flour

dash salt

Mix ingredients and press firmly into 13 - 11 inch pan which has been well-greased. Bake 350 degrees for 15 minutes but watch - don't let it get too brown.

TOPPING:

4 heaping cups rhubarb, cut into small pieces. Put aside.

2 eggs beaten

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar ( Tim's mother's secret ingredient)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 plus cup flour - beginning of season, rhubarb is more juicy, by July add less then 1/2

In bowl mix all ingredients well and pour onto warm crust.

Bake 350 degrees about 45 minutes. Cover with foil, the first half to be sure the rhubarb gets soft. Serve with sweetened whipped cream or softened ice cream.

Snaps From Garden This Summer

Early in the season, but the garden looks incredible. Perennials and vegetables - all are doing well. These are just some of the pics from the garden. The Clematis that anchors the four corners of the garden was prettier then ever. The blooms were huge and abundant. One plant had over 25 blooms all at once. The new potato bed is doing really well. I love watching what is happening above ground but knowing that there are hundreds of little potatoes underground is very exciting and I can't wait to dig them up at the end of the summer. We had an abundance of strawberries and started picking them and had some of them for dessert on Sunday.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream and Vanilla Cupcakes

Okay, Ignore the lamb decorations. Tim and I make silly cupcakes for his nieces and nephews. It's embarrassing but true. These were the cupcakes we made for Easter.

However, we made lots of extra cupcakes and have been feeding off of them from our freezer for the last couple months. The point is the recipe was so good! The mini marshmallows had to be individually halved - crazy. It has become our favorite cupcake recipe. I did not include the lamb portion but if you really want it , let us know.

WHITE CUPCAKES WITH SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

3 & 1/4 cups sifted cake flour ( not self rising)

1 & 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons (1&3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 & 3/4 cups sugar

5 large egg whites, room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line standard muffin tins with paper liners, sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir vanilla into milk.

2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter until smooth. Gradually add sugar, beaten until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until just combined after each.

3. In another bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form ( do not over-mix) . Fold one third of the egg whites into batter to lighten. Gently fold in remaining whites in two batches.

4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Firmly tap the tins once on countertop to release any air bubbles. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean. 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperatures, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

5 large egg whites

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of salt

1 pound ( 4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons room temperature

1 & 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer set over a pan of simmering water, whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved ( the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips).

2. Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff, (but not dry) peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool ( test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes.

3. With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once all butter has been added, whisk in vanilla. Switch to the paddle attachment and continue beating on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula, and continue beating until the frosting is completely smooth. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days or free up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes.

We Heart Zombie Movies

Tim and I love Zombie movies and we found a new one to watch this past weekend. "Otto or Up With Dead People" by a favorite filmmaker of mine - Bruce LaBruce. Not for kids and you definitely have to have an open mind and can't be offended by nudity or sex in movies. ( Everyone runs to their Netflix queue to add it). The movie isn't new but I fell in love with a band from the soundtrack. The group is called The Homophones and their song - "Everyone's Dead" is great. I had to really search for it and download a couple versions until I found the recording I wanted. They are a hip band from Philadelphia that has a vintage 80's sound. I am obsessed with the lyrics - "Want to play in the sandbox, want to lick your lollipop, want to swing on the swingset, just to see how high we can get... yeah there's no one around... let's pretend that everyone's dead". I love to make summer music soundtracks and this is definitely on this year's cd. Great way to remember each summer.

A Memorable Memorial Day

Tim and I had our normal weekend last week but we were driving down to his sister's house in Westchester for Memorial Day. We had some time in the morning before we left so we scrambled to finish chores before we drove down. I guess I wasn't being careful enough in my rush to get things done because the first thing to happen - as I am putting away adirondack chairs in the basement - I slipped on the concrete steps and fell. I landed on my arm and shoulder and it hurt. Bruised and embarrassed, I pushed on. I should have known to be more careful.

Next, I had to plant two last juniper bushes in the ground and dug the holes and watered them. As I put up the shovel, I noticed that my forearms were breaking out. Within minutes, my arms are completely covered in a red rash and blistering. Obviously, I was extremely allergic to the juniper. I ran in the house and washed my arms but it was too late. My arms looked a mess. However, that still didn't keep me down. We load the truck and as we are driving down, we have to throw away some old decomposing plastic sheeting that covered a manure pile in the driveway. As I am throwing the dirty plastic into the dumpster, a breeze picks up and blows the plastic all over me. I am covered head to toe in wet left over manure remnants. I have no change of clothes to go to Tim's sisters. I arrived at her home - dirty, smelly, bruised and rash-y. It wasn't a good day.

Tim comments as we are knocking on the door to their home - "Are you sure you don't want to come back into the city with me tonight? I don't trust you by yourself upstate. Promise me - no ladders, no brush fires and don't touch anything"! I roll my eyes but deep down I know he is right.

Garden Surprises

We love the little surprises in the garden that might get unnoticed because the plants were secret additions when Tim's parents bring their car load of cuttings every summer. The fern garden that we planted last summer looks amazing and these are some of the surprises. Himalayan Fern, Coral Bells and Jack in the Pulpit. We didn't originally plant them but the roots and fronds are in the soil that comes with everything else we planted. They are delicate and might go unnoticed but we are really excited when we find them.

New Room Dividers

We love architectural salvage. We found a new place in the area and were walking through their yard and found these two old mud covered porch railings that looked very neglected. We adopted them, scrubbed and cleaned them and mounted them as room dividers between the dining room and living room. We love them. We still have some trim work to complete but I love giving old things a new home.