She Bakes- Rhubarb Mini Muffins

Rhubarb recipes are continuing from my little kitchen, as we're venturing into baking territory. If you ever spend any time looking through old church cookbooks, you probably noticed there are a LOT of people who used to cook with rhubarb. Like I have said before, back a generation ago it seems like every backyard in Iowa had a rhubarb patch and everyone's mom or grandmother had an arsenal of delicious rhubarb recipes. I just can't get enough of this stuff!

I know I could buy it at the store or the farmers market, but jeez, enough people still have it in their yards and so many people think they don't like it or don't know what to do with it that I can usually get a decent sized score from friends for free, and this year is no exception. My good friends Paul and Jennifer offered some freebie rhubarb and I've been playing around with it the last few days. I've been trying to be better at bringing food from home to work for breakfast and lunch instead of spending too much in the cafeteria all the time, and what better way to ration it out than to make muffins? Mini muffins? Even better (plus I couldn't find my regular size muffin pan so......).

As a baker, I can whip up a batch of basic plain old muffin batter with ease, but rhubarb is a bit of a challenge. It's heavily loaded with water so baking with it can be a bit tricky. If you overbake it, the rhubarb can break down and become soggy. Using it in pies, which have a long bake time, you definitely need a thickening agent like cornstarch or flour tossed with that fruit to make it saucy and delicious. You also have to think about the size of the cuts- the smaller they are, the less time they need to cook through. If you cut it too large, it won't cook enough during baking. Mini muffins presented quite a challenge! One way I altered my recipe was to use sour cream instead of the cup of milk I would normally use- it moistens the batter with just the right amount of "wet" so the muffins don't end up soggy from the fruit, and the diced rhubarb is just the perfect size to cook through during the baking without becoming mush. You can finish your muffins with a drizzle of glaze made from powdered sugar, or a quick roll in some cinnamon sugar. They are so delicious!

Cinnamon Rhubarb Mini Muffins

2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups finely diced rhubarb (1/4 inch dice)

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cooking spray

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and spices in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs. Add the sour cream, melted butter and vanilla. Combine well.

Add the rhubarb to the dry ingredients and toss to coat the rhubarb. Add the wet ingredients all at once and mix, folding gently, until just combined. Don't over mix. Mix remaining sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Spray your mini muffin pan with cooking spray. Use a small scoop to evenly add the batter to the pan. Sprinkle each muffin with the cinnamon sugar. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned. 

Four mini muffins in a zip top bag make a great on-the-go breakfast for busy work days, or tucked in a lunch box for a mid day snack. The rhubarb keeps the muffins moist and remind me of something my mother would have made wen I was growing up. I think I should seriously start my own rhubarb patch right in my own backyard.

The Perfect Lemon Meringue Pie

Every summer the State of Iowa for one week the State of Iowa is home to the annual RAGBRAI- the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. The Des Moines Register, the city's largest newspaper, has hosted this annual event for close to fifty years, and it's famous for attracting people from all over the world, of all athletic abilities, and everyone who absolutely loves biking and pie. Seriously. Ask any RABGRAI participant and they will have a pie story from every stop along the way.

A table full of classic- apple, strawberry rhubarb, Dutch
apple and key lime pie.

Last summer the ride began in Glenwood and ended, six days and just over 400 miles later, in Muscatine. Every town along the route gets in the spirit and welcomes riders with carnival-like celebrations, live music, a place to pitch a tent for the night, food and drink, partying, and of course, pie. Do a quick Google search if you don't believe me- "RAGBRAI pie" and you'll see exactly what I mean. Each town along the route assembles an army of volunteer bakers and servers to meet the pie demand of the visiting riders. No store bought pie will do for these folks either. Hand rolled crusts, fresh berries and fruits or handed down recipes for creamy fillings, baked with love. Cut and served by volunteers to keep the hungry riders full of pie.

I decided in my quest for the perfect pie to try and master the perfect meringue. This was more of a challenge to me than I expected. I am not a huge fan of meringue on a pie. Crispy meringues, sure, I'll eat those all day, like crunchy meringue cookies that are baked at low temperature and left to dry in the cooling oven. I love those. Meringue on a pie though, it's soft and squishy and eggy and a little like marshmallow and I am more of a crispy flaky crust kind of person. Pie crust I mastered long ago so I accepted the challenge and decided to make a couple classics, a key lime pie and a lemon meringue pie. I really love the tangy lemon filling, and homemade is so easy and fresh. Don't forget to give your lemon a really thorough scrub as you will be using the zest from one whole lemon to add incredible lemon flavor to your filling. Invest in a good quality rasp-style zester and you'll get all the delicious zest without the bitter pith underneath.

The Perfect Lemon Meringue Pie

Filling:

4 egg yolks

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

1/2 cup cornstarch

pinch of salt

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

zest of one lemon

2 tablespoons butter- NOT MARGARINE!!!!

Meringue:
4 egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

One baked pastry shell, 8 or 9 inch

For the meringue, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until foamy. Add the sugar a spoonful at a time while eating until firm peaks form and sugar has completely dissolved. Check by rubbing meringue between fingertips- you should not feel any graininess. Set aside.

For the filling, beat the yolks with the sugar. Add the remaining ingredients except the butter. Cook over medium low heat until mixture bubbles and thickens. Whisk constantly!!!! Stir in the butter.

Pour the filling into a baked pastry shell. Immediately cover with meringue, spreading to edges and sealing against the crust. Place in a preheated 400 degree oven until the meringue browns slightly. Cool completely before serving.

Besides the tangy lemon meringue pie I also made a key lime pie at the same time. Key limes are teeny tiny limes sold by the bag full and if you are going to juice your own you'll need quite a few. You'll also want to zest several of them- you usually want a generous tablespoon of shredded zest for your filling.

Kitchen Basics- Fried Chicken

It's been nearly a year already but let me just say again- Whew!!!  Moving stinks!! You never know how much kitchen stuff you have until you are looking at a stack of empty boxes, trying to fit it all in there. The days of lake living behind us now, The Chef and The Baker are making our home in the city once again, and it's a good thing. Much has changed in the five years we spent adjusting to rural life. New stores, new restaurants, new breweries and wineries have popped up all over the place, and Des Moines has become quite a culinary destination. 

I have really enjoyed exploring some of the new foodie hot spots around town. In the East Village section of the city is a specialty shop called Allspice that's filled with- you guessed it, spices. This was one of my first forays into city life again. While I really didn't need any more spices, I surely wanted them, and Allspice met that need and more so. In the Valley Junction area is a gourmet kitchen store I want to check out, West Des Moines is home to a brand new Fresh Thyme Farmers Market grocery store, and Vom Fass is in the trendy Shops at Roosevelt shopping area. I first discovered Vom Fass on a trip to the Mall of America and was thrilled to see one located in Des Moines.

One of my favorite places to shop when I lived in the city before was Gateway Market, located in the historic Sherman Hill district just on the fringe of downtown. I think of all the cool places in the city, this is hands down my favorite foodie place. The beautiful produce, incredible baked goods, outstanding wines selection, and of course- THAT olive bar........I couldn't wait to reacquaint myself with this fantastic shop and it didn't take long! A quick stop in Gateway on my way home from work is just as easy as hopping off the freeway and hopping back on.

Since I now have access to all kinds of amazing herbs and spices it's time to restock my kitchen shelves with some of my go-to basics. I have always made herb and spice blends and rubs of my own to use in cooking. It's so convenient to whip them up and cup or two at a time and have them ready on the spice shelf. I love trying meat rubs and spice mixtures from other sources but my own blends are my most-used combinations. A good seasoned flour mix is always great to have on hand. Not just for fried chicken but good with fish, chicken fried steak, dredging roasts and stew meat- anything that needs a quick dip into flour before being seared or fried goes great with this flavorful blend of seasonings. Dare I say, I think it's even better than the Colonel's 11 Herbs and Spices!

My All Purpose Seasoned Flour

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons dry mustard powder

4 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon celery seed

couple dashes ground cayenne pepper

Use a mortar and pestle or spice grinder to grind the celery seed to a powder. Combine all ingredients in a bowl; spoon into jars for storage.

I love having this mixture ready to go on the shelf- it is soooo useful in so many dishes. One of my favorite of all comfort foods is good old fashioned homemade fried chicken. It's easier than you think too. Fried chicken has always been a much-loved food at our house, even an obsession when it came to our beloved cat Georgie. Although he is no longer with us you can't have fried chicken at our house without laughing about Georgie's Daring Chicken Robbery. You see, one weekend the Chef and I were spending considerable time perfecting our fried chicken recipe, tweaking the seasonings, trying different brines, and making batches of fried chicken. Now.... you could have roast chicken, baked chicken, chicken salad, barbequed chicken- George paid no attention, but the minute he smelled FRIED chicken, he'd lose his mind. Like a possessed wild animal he would do anything to get some, and after a lot of cooking and finally coming up with the perfect buttermilk brined fried chicken, the Chef was just sitting down to eat dinner with a perfectly prepared fried chicken breast on his plate. The Chef got up to grab a fork and thought he saw a flash of orange fur from the corner of his eye- and sure enough, faster than the speed of sound Georgie had stolen that perfect chicken breast.....

So in honor the the late great Georgie the Cat, let's butcher a chicken and get ready to make fried chicken. Start with a chicken, of course- I usually cut up a whole chicken myself but you can use chicken pieces, all breasts, all dark meat- whatever your family likes. I learned how to butcher a chicken from my mother and that's just what I prefer. Besides getting all the traditional pieces I like to cut the breast halves in half again crosswise so all the pieces are approximately the same size.

A good quality knife is critical when butchering whole chicken, or any other meat. My knife of choice is a Cutco chefs knife. This thing is badass. It can cut right through bone and never seems to dull.

To cut up a whole chicken start by rinsing the chicken thoroughly and pat the skin dry with paper towels. I know the current trendy thing is "don't wash your chicken" but honestly, I rinse my chicken under gently running water, I don't slosh chicken water and juices all over so I have no concerns about flinging bacteria around. In fact I'm much more concerned about the bacteria the chicken picks up in processing than I am about any potential contamination. If you prefer not to rinse your chicken, that's fine too. Place the chicken on a plastic cutting board (not wood) and start by loosening the thighs from the body. When you have loosened and snipped the skin use your hands to separate the thigh joint from the body, then use a sharp heavy knife to cut through and remove the leg quarter. Cut through the joint between the drumstick and thigh and set the pieces aside. Repeat with the other side. 

Use a similar technique to remove the wings and set them aside. Then stand the chicken up and cut through the ribs to separate the  back from the breast. Reserve the back portion for stock if you make your own, otherwise discard it. Now, it's easiest to place the breast skin side down and split it in half from the back. I split the chicken breast into halves lengthwise, then again crosswise to make four breast pieces. I also rinse my chicken again to make sure there are no bone fragments anywhere. 

Bone-in chicken is always best and thighs are delicious

Some people like to brine their chicken overnight, in a very salty brine. I love brining poultry- you end up with a spectacularly juicy and delicious bird. To make the brine, dissolve 1/3 cup salt in one quart cool water. Place the chicken in a gallon size zip top bag, pour the brine over and seal the bag, pressing the air out. Place in a bowl in the fridge overnight. Rinse well and pat dry before cooking.

Another way to impart fantastic flavor and juiciness to your chicken is to let the chicken bathe in buttermilk overnight. Follow the same method with the zip top bag, and when you're ready to cook, simply shake off the excess buttermilk and roll in the seasoned flour to coat. I love this method because you get a thicker crust on the chicken.

Frying chicken is easy too. A great big deep cast iron skillet is the traditional way to go but any deep heavy pan will do. Heat a good amount of oil over medium high heat until nice and hot. After dredging the chicken in the seasoned flour mixture place the chicken pieces carefully in the hot oil and fry, turning often until golden brown all over. Remove to drain briefly on paper towels and then finish the chicken in a 400 degree oven until cooked completely- 165 degrees is what you're shooting for. Is gravy your thing? Use some of those tasty drippings and more of the seasoned flour to make a delicious cream gravy. If this isn't comfort food..... I don't know what it.

An Old Favorite Gets a New Look- Philly Cheesesteak Lasagna

It's a million degrees in Iowa today. Normally on such a hot day I'm not big on making something like lasagna, a dish that needs to spend an hour in the oven. I'm hot, crabby, just went through road rage on the commute back to the peaceful lake, and now I'm going to fire up the oven? I must be nuts.

Actually I am a little sad that it's blazing hot out there. This weekend downtown Des Moines is home to the annual Italian American Heritage Festival and as much as I'd love to go I just can't deal with the heat and humidity. Growing up on the south side of Des Moines this annual festival was one of my favorite things. Back in the early days the festival was held in Columbus Park. Carnival rides arrived, food stands were built, bocce ball courts set up, and crowds of hungry folks eating pasta and enjoying music and activities filled the park the entire weekend. As a junior high girl, this was THE spot to see and be seen, the place to meet guys, the reason for spending 2 hours in front of the mirror with a curling iron, only to have the humidity turn those curls into nothing. In those days my best friend Liz and I hung out at the festival- all three days- and rode The Scrambler, ate cavatelli usually catered by Guido's or maybe a group of Italian ladies from one of the Catholic churches, played carnival games (I never won anything) and tried to catch the eye of the guys from the other junior high school. Risque times, for sure.

These days the festival is held downtown in Western Gateway Park. The event had grown tremendously and has moved several times. The rides are no longer around but plenty of activities keep festival goers entertained. Old guys still play bocce and lots of live music still entertains the crowd. The food has improved, with lots more food options and some very upscale vendors are really bringing the goods.

Learn more about the Italian American Heritage Festival by clicking HERE. 

In the spirit of that great Italian classic, lasagna, we are also having a little bit of pasta at the Little Lake House tonight but we are switching things up and bringing a whole new look to an old friend. Instead of the usual meat and red sauce and ricotta cheese lasagna we're having an All-American version- straight from Philadelphia. Yep, you got it- Philly Cheesesteak Lasagna. It's super easy to put together- savory ground beef with grilled peppers, onions and mushrooms layered with melty cheese, tender noodles and Alfredo sauce. Use your favorite brand of sauce in this dish- we're cheating a little with bottled sauce and you'll never know! Definitely not your Nona's lasagna, but it's gooooood.

Philly Cheesesteak Lasagna

1 package no boil lasagna noodles

2 lbs lean ground beef

1 large onion

1 cup sliced mushrooms

2 medium green bell peppers

salt, pepper or favorite meat seasoning

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon beef soup base

2 jars Alfredo sauce

1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

cooking oil

Prepare the vegetables: I use a very large onion. Cut the onion into small julienne strips. Remove the seeds from the peppers, cut into similar sized pieces. 

Heat a couple tablespoons of cooking oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables begin to brown. Don't let them get too soft. Season the veggies with the meat seasoning. Remove to a large bowl and set aside.

Crumble the ground beef into the same skillet; break up with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle with the Worcestershire sauce, some of the meat seasoning and add the beef base, mixing it into the meat drippings. Cook meat until browned and cooked through. Add to vegetables in the bowl and mix.

Using a large baking pan spoon about 1/2 cup of the Alfredo sauce in the bottom and spread it around. Arrange 4 noodles on top, breaking them to fit. Spoon half of the meat mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese. Pour the remaining Alfredo sauce in the first jar over evenly. Top with another four noodles. Spread the remaining meat mixture over, including any juices in the bowl, another 1/3 of the cheese. Layer another 4 noodles on top and pour the second jar of sauce over all.

Add about 1/2 cup of water to the jar, cover, shake, and add water to the pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cheese, bake another 15-25 minutes until hot and bubbly, noodles are tender, and cheese is starting to brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Yes, I did use some pre-made sauce in this recipe because, let's be honest, who wants to make homemade Alfredo sauce just to turn around and make lasagna? Not me! Probably not a lot of busy families either, when kids are hungry, laundry needs to be done, the dog needs a walk and you just want to get something on the table with a minimum of fuss. Toss together some crispy salad greens and pop some garlic bread in the oven, or breadsticks, and you have a whole new take on lasagna.

Iowa On A Plate- Girl Bonding Over Rhubarb

This is a post from City Girl Country Life, centering around rhubarb and social media. The blog City Girl Country Life is heading into retirement so many of the recipes originally shared there will make an appearance here over the next several months. This story was originally published in May, 2015.

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I get super excited in the springtime. Everything is turning green and growing, and around the lake, that means rhubarb! 

In the Midwest it seems like everyone's yard has a nice rhubarb patch. Certainly everyone's grandmother had a nice big spot in the yard and a folder stuffed full of recipes from generations of amazing home bakers. Rhubarb cakes, crisps, cobblers and so much more make up entire sections of church cookbooks. Bake sales surely include a rhubarb coffee cake or two. The first spring strawberries usually partnered up with rhubarb in a juicy delicious pie. So many wonderful food memories include rhubarb!

Rebecca's Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

In spite of this rich history, modern palates seem to shy away from this perennial delight. Even though I see rhubarb in many modern recipes such as jams and sauces, many people I talk to "don't like it" and don't want to try the classic recipes. It's time we turn things around, and get this tart and sweet favorite back on the plate, folks. It practically grows itself, is relatively pest-free and is super easy to freeze for use throughout the year. Simply wash the stalks, chop or slice, freeze on a sheet pan until frozen and bag up in freezer bags. You can easily scoop out whatever you need to make something truly delicious, just like Gramma used to make.

Social media has replaced the backyard fence in today's world, and where I might have shared a recipe with a neighbor across the way years ago, these days we meet and get to know other cooks and recipe collectors through our social media networks and online groups. This is exactly how I got to know Rebecca Manship. In the Facebook group Iowa On a Plate she shared a picture of her Old Fashioned Rhubarb Cake and instantly, the connection between two women who love to bake and love rhubarb was made. Her cake looked delicious and so homey and the pile of fresh rhubarb on the table just screamed springtime.

Like so many wonderful cooks, Rebecca learned by watching and helping her mother. She tells me her mother loved cooking and baking, and I'm quite sure had a number of family favorites in her memory. Talking about the different foods we love to make Rebecca shared that she loves baking pies and zucchini breads and many other things- and, like me, she takes pictures of all her goodies as she bakes them! 

Rebecca's Rhubarb Cake

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or shortening
1 egg
2 cups chopped rhubarb
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream 1 1/2 cups sugar and the butter or shortening until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients except the cinnamon and remaining sugar. Spread batter in greased baking pan. Combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the batter.

Bake at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until the cake tests done with a toothpick.

This cake is delicious served warm with cream or vanilla ice cream. Rebecca's mom used to make this cake and she thinks the recipe came from her grandmother. I know one thing- as soon as the rhubarb is ready I will be making this cake!

Picnics and Potato Salad- American Icons

     Nothing says summer quite like a picnic. The first warm days of spring give us a chance to shake off the winter dust and get outdoors. Gather up some close friends or your family, throw together some blankets, chairs, picnic ware and FOOD.  It’s really all about the food. Picnic food can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. It’s your picnic- are you going for the casual kids-in-the-park picnic, a big family reunion potluck or a romantic lake-side meal shared on a blanket? For most people the word picnic brings back memories of family, tons of relatives, tons of food, Frisbees and lawn games, and roasting marshmallows at the end of the day.

     Where did this tradition come from? Historians trace it’s origin back to the 17^th century, where it really was not a picnic in the modern sense, but rather a bunch of aristocrats drinking wine- outside. When I hear the word picnic, I think of not only my own family’s memories, but I imagine generations of Americans packing the kids in the station wagon and heading out to the lake or park on a gorgeous sunny Saturday with their stockpile of goodies for the meal. It has become a new American tradition. The company picnic. The class reunion picnic. Memorial Day picnic. Labor Day picnic. Just because we want to picnic.

     Growing up in Iowa, for my family a picnic meant two things- cold beer, and potato salad. We very rarely strayed from that formula for perfection. My dad still has the old green picnic basket he’d won as a gift in a raffle and for years and years my mom packed that basket with plastic dishes and forks and all our favorite picnic foods. Loaded the old red cooler with ice, Pabst Blue Ribbon and Shasta sodas and we’d head to the lake. Sometimes my dad would grab a bag of charcoal, some burgers and dogs, and we would grill at the park, other times we would grab a bucket of chicken on the way. No matter what the main course was, it was never a picnic without potato salad.

     My mother was a potato salad MASTER CHEF. I would not say she was an exceptional cook when it came to most dishes, but her potato salad…….the highlight of the meal. And for as delicious as I think it is, it was a simply prepared dish, but sometimes, as they say, less IS more. Her simple toss of potatoes, eggs, mayo, pickles and mustard is one of my best food memories growing up. She never drowned it in dressing like grocery store potato salad. She would never even consider leaving out the pickles. She always finished with a big poof of paprika on the top- I don’t know why, but that was just her signature thing. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Erika’s Picnic Potato Salad

·         6-8 medium sized Russet potatoes, scrubbed

·         6 large eggs

·         ½ medium onion, chopped

·         ½ cup chopped dill pickle

·         1 cup mayonnaise

·         2-3 tb yellow mustard

·         1 tb chopped fresh dill

·         Salt, pepper, paprika

Place potatoes in large saucepan and cover with cool water. Add eggs. Bring to boil over high heat until boiling, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender (remove eggs after 12 minutes and set aside). Rinse potatoes with cool water until cool enough to handle. Peel and cut into chunks. Peel and chunk the hard boiled eggs. Toss potatoes, eggs, onions, pickles in large bowl. In small bowl mix remaining ingredients except paprika. Toss with potatoes to coat evenly. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and chill until completely cold. Toss again and serve.  *Note- you may need additional mayonnaise and mustard if potatoes absorb too much dressing.

     When you are raised around good, hearty food, and have a father who is the 70s version of the foodie, you can’t help but develop an interest in cooking. Dad is a cookbook collector, so therefore, I am a cookbook collector. Dad was always experimenting with cooking, especially French style recipes, so therefore, I also am always experimenting with food, especially French style recipes. Funny how that happens. It’s only natural then that I felt a need to come up with a potato salad that was still picnic-worthy, but all mine. Playing on the salad nicoise theme, and always remembering how much my mom hated it when people served “German potato salad” hot- she was born and raised in Germany, which I suppose qualifies her as an expert, when it really should be served at room temperature, I often make my French potato salad in the summer.  Cute fingerling potatoes, tender haricots verts, zingy Dijon vinaigrette, served at room temperature- and no mayo – makes this a great alternative to traditional potato salad. I will go out of my way to plan a meal around this salad if I find fingerling potatoes and haricots verts at the same time!

French Potato Salad

·         3 lbs new potatoes or fingerlings, scrubbed, unpeeled, cut in half

·         ½ lb haricots verts, trimmed

·         ½ cup finely chopped onion

·         1 tb freshly squeezed lemon juice

·         1 tb apple cider or champagne vinegar

·         1 tb Dijon mustard

·         Salt and pepper

·         ½ cup olive oil

Place potatoes in large saucepan, bring to boil over high heat, reduce and boil softly until tender. Watch carefully- they can take as little as 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cool water. Refill saucepan with water and bring to boil. Add haricots verts and cook for just a minute or two, immediately drain and plunge in ice bath to stop cooking. Toss with potatoes and onions in bowl.  In small bowl or jar combine dressing ingredients. Shake or whisk to combine, pour over vegetables, and toss to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

     Working so closely with people who are very passionate about food, I wanted to throw the question out there for the world- is a picnic a picnic without potato salad? It was overwhelmingly obvious that people love their potato salad. Of all the people who responded to my question, only a couple said they did not like potato salad.  The next obvious step was to ask them what is their favorite “non-traditional” potato salad recipe?  I got some very creative responses.  German potato salad, of course, was mentioned, as was “potato” salad made with this disturbing new trend of swapping the potatoes for cauliflower. Not to trash on the cauli, I absolutely love the stuff, but let’s be honest, guys, I don’t care how you prepare it, it does not taste like potatoes. Ever. All kinds of different herbs, different dressings, even different types of potatoes appeared in the recipes my friends shared. It was hard to narrow it down to just ONE to share! In the end it came down to which one was, for me, the polar opposite of Erika’s Potato Salad, and that honor goes to-

Perri Pender’s Country Cottage Potato Salad

·         6 large unpeeled red potatoes

·         10 green onions, chopped

·         2 cups mayonnaise

·         1 24 oz carton small curd cottage cheese

·         Salt and pepper

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for a minute or two. When cool enough to handle, cut into ¼ inch thick slices; refrigerate until cold.

Spread about ½ cup of mayonnaise on the bottom and up the sides of a large salad bowl. Place half the potato slices in the bowl in a layer. Generously season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle half the green onions over the potatoes; layer half the cottage cheese and half the remaining mayonnaise. Repeat layers ending with mayonnaise. Spread to sides of the bowl to seal in the layers. Sprinkle black pepper on top of the salad, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Toss well before serving. 

**Recipe courtesy of Perri Pender and can be found on www.allrecipes.com.

      Now I really want to pack the picnic basket with delicious food, cold drinks, and a blanket and enjoy a day in the sunshine. Fresh air, blue Iowa skies, and…….ants. What’s a picnic without ants? 

Summer Berry Crisp

This is a post from City Girl Country Life, centering around fresh berry season. The blog City Girl Country Life is heading into retirement so many of the recipes originally shared there will make an appearance here over the next several months. This story was originally published in May, 2015.

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Summer is officially kicked off! That means it's time for loads of fresh fruit and berries in our gardens, farmers markets and store shelves. Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries...... so many delicious summer desserts can be made with these juicy summer favorites.

Last year here in Iowa we had an unexpected late snow and killing frost that really hurt the berry crops. Many of the pick your own berry farms nearby didn't have enough of a crop to even open. Not the case this year! I'm already seeing beautiful berries in the markets and that makes me so happy! Berry pies and crisps have always been favorites of mine, so imagine how thrilled I was today to run in to the store for just a couple things and find they have a great sale of fresh berries. You bet I grabbed some and headed home to bake something.

I could have taken the easy way out and just sliced some strawberries, tossed with the raspberries and blackberries and served draped over ice cream, but I wanted something really good, and really homey. Fruit crisps have always been among my favorite desserts. This classic recipe is a church cookbook staple, and something you can find at just about every potluck or church dinner. Often made with sliced apples or peaches, or even cherries, here I used a four berry combo to make a ruby red and crunchy crisp with loads of juicy berry goodness. Just a package of each kind of berry is all it takes. Wash, drain and you're ready to go. I quartered the strawberries so they'd be similar size and shape as the other berries. Let's bake!

Fresh Berry Fruit Crisp

1 package blackberries

1 package raspberries

1 package blueberries

1 package strawberries, quartered

1/4 cup cornstarch

2/3 cup sugar

Topping:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter

dash cinnamon

In a large bowl toss the berries with the sugar and cornstarch. Pile the fruit in a 9x9 baking dish.

In a medium bowl mix the topping ingredients, dry ingredients first, then use a fork or pastry blender to cut the butter in until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit.

Bake at 400 degrees about 45 minutes until bubbly and the topping is deep golden brown.

This recipe is a super simple dessert that's just as easy to throw together with frozen berries as it is fresh. I like to stock the freezer with berries when they go on sale- freeze them on a sheet pan until frozen solid, then spoon into freezer bags. You can easily measure out the amount you need when you need it! With most recipes, just add 10 minutes to the baking time if using frozen berries.

This fruit crisp is delicious with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream. It is heavenly if it's slightly warm from the oven!

Simple and comforting- Weekend Beef Stew

It's so winter. It's cold. It's dreary. More snow and freezing rain on the horizon. It's the kind of day you stay inside and bundle up, watch tv all day with the cats and make some comforting winter food. Something that doesn't require a whole lot of babysitting so you can stay under the blanket as much as possible.

Winter is the season you either truly love, or truly hate. I have always been a lover of winter. I love the cold crisp air, the sparkling white snow twinkling at night, covering up all the ugliness in the world. Many people find this time of year to be depressing. Maybe because we're huddled inside our homes and not out enjoying the sunshine. Maybe it's the gray skies. Seems like people don't socialize as much either. We get swept up in the holiday furor and one that's over, we look at the calendar and sadly realize we won't have another love weekend until Memorial Day. This winter I am having some serious mixed emotions. I am absolutely thrilled to be back in the city, and thrilled to be closer to my family again. I'm enjoying my job and learning lots every day, but I'm also missing my mom a little more than usual. Especially when it comes to winter foods. My mom made some of the best winter foods- her lentil soup and chili are still the best I have ever had. Christmas leftovers always became Turkey Ala King or Ham and Beans or Scalloped Potatoes and Ham. My mom's vegetable beef soup was simply made and in no way gourmet but it was just so good. I miss that more than I can possibly express.

When I am needing comfort food I often turn to stews and when I want comfort food on a lazy day that I don't have to mess with all the time, I break out the trusty Crockpot! My beef stew recipe is pretty straight forward. Boneless beef, in this case I bought a family pack of something called Boneless Chuck Petite Mock Tender Steak- basically little round pieces of steak cut to look like filet mignon, seasoned with my favorite- Montreal Steak Seasoning, and dredged in flour and seared in bacon fat in my trusty cast iron skillet. Pile the beef in the Crockpot along with a few slices of bacon that have been cooked crisp and crumbled, then pile on the veggies- I used onion, garlic, a beautiful big fat fresh leek, button mushrooms that were halved, baby carrots and a package of baby gemstone potatoes- a pretty mix of red, purple and yellow baby tomatoes. I often choose this mix for French potato salad too because the colors are so vibrant and hold up to cooking.

The sauce gets its body and depth from tomato paste and homemade beef stock- made from simmering beef bones that had been roasted til golden and cooked until every bit of flavor has been coaxed out. Herbes de Provence and bay leaves add an earthy note. Deglazing the skillet also brings a ton of flavor to the sauce- all those delicious browned crusty bits in that skillet dissolve and flavor the sauce, yum. I think my beef stew in all its simplicity is the perfect one-dish meal.

Easy Weekend Beef Stew

2 lbs boneless beef

1 pound baby potatoes

1 pound baby carrots

1 small onion

1 leek

5 cloves garlic

1/2 pound mushrooms

freshly ground black pepper

flour

4 strips bacon

2 1/2 cups beef stock

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 red wine, whisky or cognac

2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence

2 bay leaves

vegetable oil if needed

Cut the beef into good sized cubes and spread out onto a plate. Season with your favorite meat seasoning, or salt and pepper, and sprinkle evenly with flour. Set aside.

Wash the potatoes and carrots and set aside. Cut the onion into chunks. Slice the leek in half lengthwise, clean thoroughly under running water, and slice crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces. Mince the garlic cloves. Cut the bacon into 1/2 inch pieces. Wipe mushrooms with a damp cloth and cut in half.

Use a large cast iron skillet. Heat over medium high heat and add the bacon. Cook and stir until bacon is browned and crispy. Remove the bacon pieces and place in a crock pot. Working in batches, sear the beef until browned and remove to the crock pot. 

If you need more oil, add a tablespoon or so to the pan. Add the leeks and onions. Cook and store for a few minutes until onions are just starting to color. Add the garlic. After one minute add the mushrooms and cook another minute or two. Spoon vegetables over the meat in the crockpot. Add the potatoes and carrots. Add the herbs.

Deglaze the skillet with the wine (or you can use additional broth if you prefer), stirring to scrape up all the tasty browned bits on the bottom. Pour over the veggies and meat. Stir the tomato paste into the crock pot. Pour the beef stock over. Cover and cook on high about 3 hours until veggies are tender. Thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry, and serve with lots of crusty bread.

With a not so friendly forecast for winter weather I'm very thankful for a crock pot filled with leftovers to fill my house with yummy aromas and chase away the chillies.