Strawberry Sweet Treat

I made these adorable cupcakes the other day and thought they were too cute not to share with you. And I'm not too proud to say that I cheated and used Trader Joe's Organic Vanilla Bean cake mix either, which is fine in a pinch. But this post is really about the frosting, which is a lovely buttercream confection whipped up with my strawberry jam.





Pretty in pink, and delicious too. What are you making for your sweetheart this Valentine's Day?

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 5 minutes
Yield: enough to frost an 8-inch layer cake, or 2 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup strawberry jam
5-6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2-3 drops red food coloring

Preparation:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer), beat the butter with the strawberry jam until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, a cup at a time and beat until thoroughly combined. Add the food coloring and beat until uniform in color. Spread on top of cake or pipe decoratively onto cupcakes.

Little Devils in the Fires of Heaven

I feel badly because there is one little treat that my husband adores that I don't buy him nearly often enough....dates. Especially the soft kind that are still squishy and yielding to the touch. The kind that smell faintly of raisins and brown sugar and something else that's dark and musky. The kind that taste like remarkably like candy.

Most dates in this country are grown in the Coachella Valley, east of Indio, in date farms which consist of miles and miles of tall palm trees swaying in the desert wind. They thrive in the heat and absolutely love those summer temperatures that sometimes top 110 degrees, though they need copious amounts of water too. There is an old Arabic saying...."A date palm must have its feet in water and its head in the fires of heaven." Fresh dates are harvested in August through November, but are available nearly year round as they store well, and depending on the variety may be soft, semi-dry or dry.

The other day, I bought a package of delightfully golden brown Medjool dates and fixed them as an appetizer for book club....to which my husband wasn't invited. (Don't worry, I did share a small plate with him...) Called Devils on Horseback, these used to be quite fashionable some time ago and are making a comeback for good reason--the soft date, almost too sweet on its own, marries beautifully with the tangy melted Gorgonzola and the salty crunch of smoked bacon. It tastes, in a word, heavenly, which seems awfully appropriate for a fruit born in the fires of heaven, doesn't it?


Bacon Wrapped Dates

Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Yield: 2 dozen appetizers

Ingredients:

5 ounces of soft dried dates, or approximately 24
4 ounces of Gorgonzola cheese
1 pound of apple wood smoked bacon

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Make a slice down the length of each date and remove the pit. Stuff with a small hunk (about 1 teaspoon) of cheese. Cut each slice of bacon in half crosswise and wrap around the dates. Place on a baking sheet, seam side down.

Bake for 6 minutes on one side, remove from the oven and carefully turn dates with tongs, securing any loose bacon with toothpicks if necessary. Return to the oven and continue to bake until the bacon is crisp, another 6-8 minutes. Serve immediately.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

See what's growing in my winter garden. Pardon the very dead tomato plants (and the quality of the video....)



I'd love to hear what's growing in your neck of the woods!

Hunger Action Week

Last week was United Way's Hunger Action Week, where they challenged individuals or families to try to live on $7 of food per day per person, which is the average amount someone on food stamps receives in this country. Many bloggers got in on the action, writing long and detailed blog posts about their efforts, including many shopping lists and recipes for creatively preparing food on a such an extraordinarily limited budget.

At first glance, it seems quite noble as they hoped to draw attention to the struggles of hungry families in America. But the more I read, the more I got the feeling that these posts smacked of self righteousness, and very clearly illustrated the the vast chasm between the haves and have nots. The have nots have not been to culinary school. The have nots don't belong to a food co-op. The have nots don't spend time pouring over cookbooks for recipes to help them make the best of what they've got. The have nots don' t have hours to braise a pork shoulder that can be eaten over several days. The have nots don't have a partner to help wrangle children while they grind wheat and bake bread from scratch. What they do have are young children struggling to keep up in school, multiple jobs to help make ends meet, and real stress that you and I cannot begin to imagine.

I am certain that these bloggers had the very best intentions in taking on this challenge. They know that hunger is a real issue in this country (though our poor our the most likely to be obese, the most likely to eat fast foods and convenient foods, and the least likely to eat fresh fruits and vegetables...eh, we'll leave that for another day). But it seemed like there was an awful lot of back patting going on...."look how creatively I've fed my family this week!!"

Did Hunger Action Week make people more aware of hunger? Perhaps. But the good that comes from this new-found awareness is for naught if people don't get out into their neighborhoods and get to work. Work in the food kitchens, teach free cooking classes, and become an advocate for the hungry with your local and state representatives. When we were in Brattleboro, VT this summer at the farmers' market there, they gladly accepted food vouchers. This was quite a revelation to me. This should be the case all over the country! And food bloggers, now that you've shared how wonderfully you've fed your family of three for $21 a day, get out there and share that information with those who don't have time to sit and write (or read) blogs all day....Just my 2 cents.

Stepping off my soapbox now....

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!

Become a Fan on Facebook

Okay friends, pardon my blatant self promotion....but if you belong to facebook, I encourage you to become a fan of A GIRL*A MARKET*A MEAL. I hope to create a vibrant and fun foodie community. Hope to see you there!

And I promise a couple of good, seasonal recipes coming your way soon!

All the best,

Alison

Cheesemaking 101

I love making cheese. I suppose that should it be added to my daily regimen of things to do, along with milking my imaginary goats and mucking out the imaginary chicken coop, it might become a cumbersome task. But as it's not a regular occurrence, it is a rather lovely way to spend a rainy morning. And because I make cheese so infrequently, it still feels a bit momentous...like I've accomplished something really, really special. And there is also the not-so-small matter that homemade cheese tastes so very good. It's like the difference between homemade bread and that stuff that comes wrapped in plastic and is sold at that giant supermarket down the street.

And while you might be really impressed that I've endeavored to do such a crazy thing, is is embarrassingly easy to make. So simple, in fact, that I always wonder why I don't just make it a part of my regular homemaking routine....

I love the way it warms up my kitchen with a sweet milky fragrance that smells a lot like baby breath. And while the milk from a goat has a distinctly goat-ish scent, it is not off putting in any way. The resulting cheese is mild and flavorful and perfect spread on some of that homemade bread in your breadbox.







Before you get going, make sure your kitchen counter, your hands, and all the pots and pans you will use are spic and span to avoid contamination. Pour your quart of goat milk (freshly milked...or freshly purchased from your favorite grocer) in a pot, heat it to just before the boiling point, add an acid (like lemon or vinegar), wait until curds form, drain, add salt, and shape. That's it! Simple, right? And so beautiful and tasty too...



Goat Cheese

This cheese is easy to make and even easier to eat. Double the recipe to make more if you want, but keep in mind that it only stays fresh for a few days.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes, plus an hour or two to drain
Yield: about 1/2 cup of cheese

Ingredients:

1 quart of goat milk
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
pinch of salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Heat milk in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Place a candy thermometer in the milk and stir occasionally.

2. When the milk reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit, stir in the lemon juice. Continue heating until small curds form, but do not let the milk boil. At this point, the milk will begin to look clearish yellow. That is the proverbial whey, which can be drunk, used in baking, or fed to your animals.

3. Turn off the heat. Line a small strainer with cheesecloth. Carefully pour the curds into the cheesecloth-lined strainer, reserving the whey in a bowl underneath if desired. Tie up the cheesecloth and gently squeeze to remove more whey. Hang the cheese from your faucet, or a wooden spoon set over a deep bowl or pot for one to two hours to continue to remove moisture from the cheese.

4. Remove the cheese from the cloth. It will be a bit crumbly. Add salt to taste and then pack the cheese into a small ramekin to store. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Use within a few days.

Comfort Me with Lentils

Both of my homelands are in the news today.....in the east, Massachusetts has elected a Republican (gasp!) to fill the beloved Ted Kennedy's seat in the senate. And in California, we are being deluged with rain, which seems, as I look out the window this very moment, a bit of an understatement if that is possible.

In either case, we are in need for some serious comforting. And this humble lentil stew certainly does the trick, especially when topped with freshly made goat cheese. Lentils are a bit of a workhorse when it comes to legumes. They are small and therefore cook relatively quickly, and they readily assume any herbs and spices with which they are cooked. This stew (or soup depending on how much broth you add), is heady with curry and loaded with chunky carrots and potatoes. It's 100% vegetarian, but if you like sausage, it would be a very good addition, I think.






I made this simple stew for lunch yesterday, and there is so much we could eat it all week if we wanted too. But I froze half to save for another rainy day, should we be so blessed to have one....goodness knows, we need all the rain we can get. Oh, and you might have noticed that I mentioned freshly made goat cheese. I made that today, and with any luck, I'll have time to share the recipe with you tomorrow. It's divine...

Curried Lentil Stew

This hearty stew has stick-to-your-ribs goodness in every bite. Though this version is vegetarian, chunks of cooked, spicy Italian sausage would make a very nice addition if you are so inclined.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Yield: serves 6

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 stalks of celery, sliced
4 medium carrots, halved length-wise and sliced
1 cup of cubed baby potatoes (fingerling or new potatoes)
2 tablespoons of good-quality curry powder
1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 quart of vegetable stock
2 cups of dried green lentils
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrots and potatoes and cook for five minutes or until the vegetables begin to get tender.

2. Add curry powder and cook for two minutes more, or until fragrant. Stir in tomatoes, and stock and bring to a boil.

3. Add lentils, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until lentils are tender. Check in periodically and add more stock if necessary.

4. Taste for seasoning, and ladle into a bowl. Top with crumbled goat cheese if desired. It is also great over brown rice or quinoa or you could serve it with a rustic loaf of bread to sop up all the delicious broth.