Buttermilk Oatmeal Farls

Posted on February 23, 2010 by admin_admin

A farl, according to Merriam-Webster, is an oatmeal or wheat flour thin triangular cake from Scotland. Torrey posted this recipe and I made it for a healthy breakfast when my dad was visiting. There’s nothing sweet in the recipe, so honestly I wasn’t expecting a lot, but I knew if Torrey liked it it had to be good so I ventured forth.

Aside: I have discovered that I LOVE BUTTERMILK. That is all.

photo-6

The farls came out thick, soft, crispy on the outside, and with a lovely flavor that really doesn’t need anything changed. The buttermilk did its work well! These would be perfect for simple and healthy breakfast entertaining. Just cut into triangles and put out all sorts of garnishes: butter, jam, soft cheeses, yogurt, honey, maple syrup, nutella, marmalade, clotted cream, some fruits.

I served them with butter and jam, and later, ate them with a soft Brie-like cheese and cured meats. Then I left town for a week, and when I came back they were still moist! Amazing. I dipped a piece in greek yogurt for a tangy snack. In other words, I highly recommend with anything you can think of.

Please continue for the recipe.

Continue reading →

Email or Share This Post

Rosemary and Thyme, Garlic and Lemon

Posted on February 22, 2010 by admin_admin

http://www.domestifluff.com/2009/07/rosemary-thyme-oven-fries/

I keep thinking about the garlic-lemon aioli that I made for Christmas Eve dinner. It was SO yummy that I desperately want an excuse to make it again for another dinner party, and I found one in these heavenly rosemary-thyme oven fries. Wouldn’t they be tasty dipped into garlic-lemon aioli? I love all those herbs and spices together.

The flavors in both components are strong, so serve them with salmon cooked simply with salt and pepper, your favorite vegetable and a nice bread. Or, to make the menu gluten-free, just leave the bread out. It’s a casual family-style dinner, but you won’t be able to make it ahead. To make up for that, prepare dessert earlier with something easy, like cookies.

Rosemary and Thyme, Garlic and Lemon Menu

Main Courses:

Rosemary-Thyme Oven Fries, served with Garlic-Lemon Aioli
Salmon, such as this, this or this recipe
Vegetables and Warm Bread

Dessert:

Cookies, such as Brown Butter Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies or Jam-Filled Sugar Cookies

Email or Share This Post

Blueberry Bourbon Cocktail

Posted on February 20, 2010 by admin_admin

photo-7

Rummaging around in my mom’s fridge can yield some interesting things that I don’t usually buy when planning a dinner party – like Just Blueberry juice.

blueberry

Which I promptly mixed with whiskey and discovered that the powerful flavor of the juice melds really surprisingly well with the strong flavor of the bourbon. I added a little maple syrup to sweeten it up, and WOW. Gorgeous drink! And so easy.

I can’t wait to make this for a dinner party that’s blue- or purple-themed! It’s so simple that I can stir up a pitcher of them before guests arrive in about a minute, and it’s strong enough to satisfy those who like that sort of thing while sweet enough to satisfy those with a sweet tooth.

photo-8

A Blueberry Bourbon Cocktail as easy as 1-2-3

one part maple syrup
two parts bourbon or whiskey
three parts pure blueberry juice

Mix thoroughly by either shaking or stirring with ice. Pour and garnish with floating blueberries to make it look pretty.

Email or Share This Post

Americana Dinner Party Menu

Posted on February 19, 2010 by admin_admin

Using potato chips as appetizers for a dinner party has been intriguing me since yesterday. I’ve been mulling over a dinner party menu that would go well with them – especially with the potato chip and a slice of banana idea. It’s such a classic American snack that it almost begs for a classic American menu to go with it – one that’s whimsical and casual like potato chips, but made with high quality ingredients and a feeling of specialness that makes it fun to create for guests.

Ananova

Americana Menu

Starters:

Thick-cut potato chips (homemade or store-bought) with thin slices of ripe banana on each one

Main Courses:

Homemade burgers (whatever kind of burger you prefer; I would make turkey burgers) with toppings such as brie, gorgonzola, heirloom tomatoes, avocado, sprouts, arugula and whole-grain mustard. You could even put a fried egg on top for those who want!

Dessert:

Classic banana splits with multiple ice cream options, sauces and fun candies

Serve this to friends with whom you can be casual and get messy! Keep the table fairly clear to make room for all the topping options, and serve family style.

Email or Share This Post

Potato Chip Appetizers

Posted on February 18, 2010 by admin_admin

Photo by Appleswitch/Flickrcc

Putting toppings on potato chips and serving them to your dinner party guests as an appetizer is such a gorgeous idea! Simple in conception, as time-intensive as you feel like making it, and totally yummy. Either place an alloted amount on each chip for a more formal dinner party, or let your guests dip them themselves if you are creating a casual atmosphere.

From The Atlantic’s Sally Schneider, “Dress Up Your Chips“:

Here are some of my recent potato chip improvisations:

• with Robiola, a soft, mild Italian cheese that tastes like slightly fermented cream (I learned this combo from my friend Peggy Markel on the island of Elba, who designs food and culture adventures in Italy, North Africa, and India

• with sour cream and just about any smoked fish, such as smoked salmon, trout, or sturgeon

• with crème fraiche and caviar (salmon or American sturgeon, for example)

• with eggs: richly scrambled with cream, soft-boiled or fried; or imagine a tiny fried quail egg on a single potato chip (what an hors d’oeuvre!); warm, smashed hard-boiled eggs mixed with mayo andPimenton de la Vera

• with warm brandade de morue (a salt cod, potato, and olive oil puree)

• with Skordalia, a creamy Greek garlic sauce

• with warmed, shredded, slow-cooked meat like short ribs, Seven-Hour Spoon Lamb, or pot roast with a dab of sour cream

• and of course, with Real Onion Dip.

Potato chips are also a perfect dessert with a sliver of fine chocolate sandwiched between them. I like them for afternoon tea. Or dip the chips in tempered chocolate and lay them on a rack or a piece of wax paper until the chocolate hardens.

The ultimate potato chip confection, however, I learned from a reader of my blog, whose mom used to make it for her private snack: a potato chip with a slab of ripe banana—like a crunchy, salty-sweet banana tart.

Email or Share This Post

Valentine’s Day Cookies

Posted on February 17, 2010 by admin_admin

I swear I didn’t forget V-Day. Actually, I had a menu for two that I tested several times but never fell in love with enough to post for you guys. I refuse to recommend anything I don’t love, and this menu is still coming together. It also just kind of turned into Valentine’s Week for me because I was at home with my mama and we did lots of Valentiney things, and the actual Day got away from me.

photo-5

I’ve never totally understood why people dislike Valentine’s Day. I do understand feeling alone and sad – of course – but when I was growing up Valentine’s was a more generalized holiday on which you celebrate loving everyone in your life. Looking back now, that was a gift. My mom would always make a special Valentine’s lunch or dinner for our family and we gave gifts to each other, and everyone in my class at school gave cards to each other. I always felt incredibly loved and loving on Valentine’s Day, and it wasn’t until I got to college that I learned that if you didn’t have a significant other on the day, you were supposed to feel forlorn and unlovable.

Well, NO. Quite frankly.

photo-3

It’s beautiful that there’s an entire day dedicated to love! What a transcendent thing to focus on in our culture. I get to tell my dear friends how much I appreciate them for their undying support, get to tell my parents how much I love them, get to tell my sister how special she is to me. Yes, we should do that all the time. But we don’t.

I really appreciate having a day when we are all reminded to remember the love that surrounds us, romantic or not. And yes, if you have a sweetheart, it makes for a wonderful holiday. But without one is just as good.

photo-4

I was lucky enough to happen across this beautiful, gorgeous, delicately thoughtful post on the same theme of love taking all forms on Tea & Cookies. It’s worth a read.

And after reading, I absolutely had to make Tea & Cookies’ Valentiney cookies on Valentine’s Day to celebrate it and love.

photo-1

I gave them to people I care about and to some people I barely know. Just because.

photo-2

Please continue for the recipe.

Continue reading →

Email or Share This Post

Dill, Sour Cream and Onion Vegetable Dip

Posted on February 16, 2010 by admin_admin

Watching four hours of TV – even the Olympics – makes me want to munch junk food indiscriminately and without attention to the total amount consumed by the end of the evening, so to (try) to avoid that, I made this dip and crudité in hopes of filling up on tasty veggies instead.

I whipped this up for the Super Bowl and for the Opening Ceremonies, and it was a big hit – which is saying something when it’s competing with nachos, cake, brownies, chips, etc.

pretty

Dill, Sour Cream and Onion Vegetable Dip
Adapted from Recipezaar

Don’t forget vegetables for dipping – baby carrots, broccoli florets, red and yellow peppers, snow peas, or cucumbers are all great choices.

one 16 ounce container of sour cream (I used full fat, but feel free to try lower fat sour creams)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 of a sweet yellow onion, minced
one small container of baby dill (about 1/4 cup before chopping)
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Vege-Sal

Mix the sour cream and mayonnaise together. Yes, I made this in a very unattractive plastic tupperware because I was bringing it over to my mom’s later for the Opening Ceremonies and didn’t want to dirty an extra dish. I’m practical like that.

mayo