Cinnamon Poppy’s Weblog

Elder bushes grow everywhere around here: in yards, wild along road sides and forest edges. With early summer come broad pale face umbels, some reaching the size of an adult hand, which emit a soft subtle flowery scent. I had never given them much attention in the kitchen until trying a friend´s elder blossom jelly and another´s elderberry compote. Last summer I tried batter dipping and deep frying the elder umbels and sprinkling them with sugar; eaten right away they were crisp, light and the big pleasant surprise for me was the herby after note which gave them their own definable taste. When it is elderberry time I look forward to trying a similar recipe from Kochen mit Wildkräutern by Witteler/Meier(Cooking with wild herbs) for Holunderbeerenküchle (pg. 82/S. 82) in which the berries are batter dipped and fried while still on the stem in intact clusters. Going back to blossoms though, this year it is going to be elder blossom syrup. It is a recipe passed on from the friend of a friend and could not be simpler. For an utterly pleasing drink pour some of the syrup into a glass (how much is up to your taste), add chilled still water or carbonated mineral water, a slice of lemon and a sprig of lemon balm. It is mild, fragrant, lemony. Enjoy.

Elder Blossom Syrup

20-25 elder umbels

2-3 organic lemons

1.5 kilo sugar

40gr. citric acid

1.5 liter water

1. Wash and cut lemons into slices, put into large pot.

2. Gently shake umbels to get any little critters off. Do not wash them. Place them in pot.

3. Boil water and pour into pot, gently stir until sugar dissolves. Cover, put in a cool place for 2-3 days.

4. Pour through sieve until liquid is clear and fill into sterile jars/bottles.

At 1:06 in the night from Sunday to Monday, I am writing from my flannel covered duvet with buttery, salty crumbles of Hungarian Shortbread* melting in the back pockets of my mouth. House and village are asleep.

Little toes here, a knee cap over there poking out from underneath the feather duvet to my left; did not hear my little one wander in and climb over me. She is in deep rest now, the peach pit sized bruise on her knee, a badge from the romping, running, twirling and tumbling that is part of the territory for a four year old. Glad she is sleeping well; tomorrow it is back to biscuits as we like to say in this house. The alarm is set. Pfingstferien (Whit holidays break) has come and gone. We had a lovely two weeks in the Oberpfalz region of Bavaria where we live. Just this is what I was thinking at 00:50/12:50am when I illuminated my alarm clock and finally stole a look. I swore it was almost 5:00am. I feel so rested; must have logged some good shut eye already. Not sure how long I lay in thought before checking the clock, a film of the last weeks was playing clearly in my mind: the breath taking Danube aperture, cuckoo calls in the forest, the remains of the Roman fort Abrusia; fields of wild flowers: dandelions, buttercups; sun, swinging, Schwetzi as the local swimming hole is fondly called, table tops covered in yellow pollen dust, fields of more new wild flowers: sweet peas, vetch, wild sage; sheep farm Heller: mounds of natural and dyed wool, Frau Heller´s unfiltered apple juice, orphan lamb baaing to be bottle fed; poppy seed strudel, dancing, twirling, cuddling, rainbow chalk dust driveway; wild garlic pesto**; yet more wildflowers: daisies, chicory, forget-me-nots, poppies; ribwort; pressing flowers, Dicker Mann: Wiener Schnitzel fried in Butterschmalz (heaven), natural history museum, bees, Herzogsgarten: humongous stunning rhododendrons in multitude, old town, Café Opera: almond croissants, DIBA: roasted sesame seed brittle and ginger lemon gelato. As the film recounts adventures great and small, I arrive at the Hungarian Shortbread which I left cooling on the counter when going to bed. At this point, totally awake, I decide to get up to cover the shortbread; not so bad that I woke up other wise it would dry out too much over night. The shortbread is a recipe from the recent “Butter” issue of Saveur magazine. The idea of freezing the shortbread dough and then grating it before baking is genius. Geniality can not wait to be sampled at a proper morning hour. So I cut myself a sliver. Mmm…buttery, light, crumbly, delicious. My taste buds infer a Diavlo espresso would be perfect now; reasoning tells this insomniac to hold off for obvious reasons besides not wanting to clank around too much. Cupboard open, I reach up and grasp a hand blown irregular juice glass and opt for milk. Milk and short bread are good friends. Deciding to cut one more sliver of shortbread, I am inspired to creep back into bed and put some thoughts down. Now having shared a bit, pardon me if I rambled, I will sign off as I feel sleep coming over me again. See you in the coming days when I edit and post this.

*Further comments on the shortbread recipe featured in the Saveur “Butter” (issue #109):

After you combine the ingredients for dough and before freezing, I recommend shaping the dough into two oblong shapes rather than into balls; this shape is easier to hold and grate in my opinion.

For the filling I used a mixed wild berry jam. But when spring and summer move along I would like to try replacing the jam filling with fresh wild blueberries and later wild cranberries.

**I will try to post the wild garlic pesto recipe in the coming days. It is too late to pick wild garlic at the moment as it has flowered and tastes bitter. Perhaps you have some that you have frozen or you can just tuck this recipe away until next spring.

Father Frost revisited us for the duration of Easter break. Knowing that it could not last too long, considering that March is practically over, we enjoyed the view of the whirling snowflakes outside. Books, crafting hands, imaginative play, romping and last but in no way least cooking and baking filled our days. One especially pleasing goody was the simplest of all our baking efforts; it did not get ohs and ahs, rather our slipper clad feet tapped away under the heavy wood table with possibly a drip of milk on our chins. It had been ages since I stirred up a bowl of sour creme cookies. They are understated cookies not attention grabbers; plain with a cakey bite. Consideration: should they be a nutmeg walnut creation, lemon zest and poppy, or chunked with chocolate. Choosing the first two variations, we were pleased to eat them warm fresh out of the oven but they were by far the best the day after we baked them. The next morning we broke them up, put them in a shallow wide tea cup and carefully drizzled milk in…for breakfast. mmm Thick, dense, crater filled sour creme cookie pieces in a wide cup of milk. Spoon not necessarily required.

Having looked through my cookbooks and at on-line recipes, I determined there are no significant variations on the basic dough for sour cream cookies, only that some use baking soda or both baking soda and baking powder. The following recipe is based on the Sour Cream Cookie recipe in my dog eared college copy of “the New York Times Bestseller” Betty Crocker´s Cookbook. I have altered it by adding more vanilla, more nutmeg, include nuts and combine the ingredients slightly differently. The possibilities with this basic cookie dough are broad: make it as spicy, nutty, lemony or chocolaty as you crave.

Sour Cream Cookies

1 cup/250g softened butter

2 cups/400g light brown sugar

3 eggs, gently beaten

2 tsp/10ml vanilla

4 cups/630g sifted flour

2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup/250ml sour cream

1.5 cups finely hand chopped walnuts (if using processor careful not to pulverize)

preheat oven to 190°C/350°F

1. cream butter together with sugar until light

2.stir in eggs and vanilla

3. mix dry ingredients in a seperate bowl.

4. alternately add dry ingredients and sour cream to to the butter mixture.

5. fold in walnuts

Place heaping teaspoons of dough on to a lined baking sheet.

Bake until gold, approx. 8 min. in a convection oven, a little bit longer for standard ovens.

Makes 4 to 5 dozen cookies depending on how you heap your teaspoon.

My tips:

-add 1 tsp ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ground clove for a spicier taste

-add zest of 2 large lemons and 2 tbsp poppy seed for a brighter taste (and leave out the ground spices)

-jazz cookies up with a walnut or a lemon glaze for the sweeties

While recently at the farmers picking out vegetables, the Arlet and Ida Red apples sitting in their flat crates on the counter were beckoning to be more than just a tasty convenient snack. No, this week they were politely saying, “ehem, pardon us but hasn´t it been an awful long time since you made an apple pie, we have been stored well but we won´t be around forever (March at the latest) wouldn´t it be a fine idea to bake us?” Pies being at the top of my desserts that please me list, combined with the fact that it has been a couple months since my last pie add to that that the last apple one was in October, it is clearly time for some warm apple goodness.

Mixing apple varieties gives a pie a more complex taste. I favor using Arlet and Ida Red when they are available. Arlet a.k.a Swiss-Gourmet are crisp and pleasantly sweet tart; they are described to be like a cross between Ida Red and Golden Delicious; further it is a crisp apple that holds it´s shape while baking. Ida Reds are tangy and juicy. They do fall apart when baking but that is okay paired with the crisp Arlet. NB: I have read that Arlet grown in the US are a different apple in taste and consistency than the ones grown here in Europe.

After selecting which apples you like best for your pie then the most important thing is the crust. It is all about the crust! Flaky, buttery and light are words of great meaning. The pie filling can be oh so good, however if the crust is tough, soggy or tastes like a vat of hydrogenated whatever the “pie that pleases me” experience is over. I have been making pie crust since I was a kid. I watched how my Ma made them with her mother´s crust recipe and I have found no other pie crust recipe that tops it. Naturally, ingredients alone don´t make the recipe; rather good ingredients combined with loving technique. Ergo, I always make my pie crust by hand; for me there is no comparison between a hand made crust and one whizzed up in the food processor. The processor simply combines the ingredients too well, creating a homogeneous dough that looks too perfect and bakes up cakey, in my opinion. Working the dough lightly with your hands until it is just combined is what I learned from my Ma . The crust recipe shared below is my Great Ma´s recipe with the only alteration being the swap of lard for butter. The expression `easy as pie´comes to my mind. Pie really is such an easy and soul smiling good dessert baked in a plate. After you bake your yummy plate of warm apple goodness admire it at the table center then brew some coffee, a cup of hot black tea or pour yourself a frosty glass of milk. Once you cut into it, serve it up plain, with a scoop of real vanilla ice cream or as my Pa used to like it with a piece of cheddar cheese. “Apple pie without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze”, Pa used to say.

Oh, one last tip: when I was a kid my mom used to roll out the left over pie dough scraps into an “elephant ear” which she sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and baked up as a little treat to be enjoyed before the big treat had finished baking and cooling. My daughter and I continue this tradition.

Great Ma´s Pie Crust

Depending on how thick you roll out your crusts this recipe is enough for two pies.

3 cups flour/475 gr.

1.25 cups cold butter/ approx. 315 gr.

1 egg

1tsp vinegar/5ml

5tbsp cold water/75ml

Cut the butter into the flour until pea sized.

Whisk egg, vinegar and water in a small bowl, then add to the flour and butter and gently mix until just combined. Seperate and lightly form into balls for top and bottom crusts, wrap in wax paper (you can use it again later to roll the dough out on) and chill for 1-2 hours.

Having missed posting this recipe for curd/quark* stollen in December, on account of being an industrious wool crafter with Christmas gifts to be made and then playing virus ping pong with one sweet little runny nosed kindergartner in residence, I elect to post the curd stollen recipe some what delayed with a crisp wintery January landscape as a backdrop. For me stollen is not synonymous with Christmas rather with winter. Meaty nuts, sweet muscular dried fruit baked into a loaf mean winter comfort anytime from December to February. I prefer dried chopped cherries, apricots and or figs. Chopped walnuts and hazelnuts are always pleasing, pistachios can be used to brighten up the loaf and I adore pecans which for my taste buds bring a round maple flavor to whatever they are added to. Being that this is a curd stollen it does not need to age to get better. You can bake it and eat it while it is still warm. My special tip for breakfast and tea time: toast it and slather with butter. N.B.: stay close to the toaster to make sure the fruit does not burn. The recipe is based on one that was on my cake mold box ( Kaiser Stollenbackhaube) when I bought it but I have made enough changes to claim this recipe as my own.

* www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quark_%28food%29

Curd Stollen Loaf (Quarkstollen)

500 g/ 3.5 cups flour

15 g/ 1 tbsp + 1.5 tsp baking powder

200 g sugar

15 ml/1 tbsp vanilla

1 pinch salt

50ml/1/4 cup Nocello (walnut liqueur)

2 eggs

175 g/6 ounces or 12 tbsp cold butter

250 g/ 1/2 cup curd

100 g/3.5 ounces marzipan

150 g/ 1 cup chopped dried cherries

150 g/ 1 cup chopped dried apricots

100 g/ 1 cup walnuts

50 g/ 1/2 cup hazelnuts

50 g/ 1/2 cup pecans

Sift and mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl gently beat sugar, eggs, salt, Nocello then add to dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon. Add butter in pieces, curd, dried fruit and nuts. Knead well with hands.

Press the dough into a buttered stollen mold (mine is 39.5cm long/about 15.5 inches), a long loaf pan or two normal sized. If using a stollen mold, butter a baking sheet as well and then place the mold open side down on the sheet.

Bake at 160° C convection oven or 180° normal for approx. 60 min. or until knife comes out clean.

March through November spinach is a staple in my kitchen. In February, the sound of snow rumbling in an avalanche down the roof tiles is a sure sign that winter is thawing. Eagerly I await the first spinach harvest of the new year. When the snowdrops push their way up through the softening moist earth and then the crocuses, it is usually just a couple of weeks till the willow baskets at the farmers are heaping with my dark green friend. Spring usually greets early along the Danube by Regensburg and spinach thrives in the mild temperatures. In March, still preferring warm homey meals, I put the spinach in cheese pies, soups and risotto. As spring leaps along, I hunger for fresh spinach salads with roasted chicken and toasted pecans or zesty lemon pasta with spinach tossed in. Come summer it is not seldom that I crave a bare-naked spinach salad - just spinach leaves drizzled with vinegar and oil eaten from a flat broad plate or for the slightly less bare-naked version I slice a ripe juice dripping pear or nectarine over the top. When fall starts romancing me with her earthy hues and scents, I wilt my spinach in a heavy skillet adding only a few creamy pats of butter and a good bit of sea salt. Spinach is so versatile and fuss free. This lovable veggie asks just two uncomplicated things of you: 1. wash, wash, wash ( sand granules don´t create a pleasant crunch) and 2. don´t over cook, if you cook it at all.

Butter Spinach with homemade Apple Sauce and Dijon marinated Minute Steaks

Serves 2.5 (2 adults and a child)

1. Marinate 400gr./ approx. 1 lb pork minute steaks:

1/4 cup virgin olive oil

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp dried rosemary, mortar ground

Pound meat with a mallet until it is 1/4 thick. Put meat into a container, add marinade toss until meat is covered well on both sides, put lid on container and place in refrigerator for 4-6 hrs.

2. Make apple sauce:

1.5 kilo/3 lbs tart apples, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp lemon juice, fresh squeezed

Put apples, water and sugar into pot, stir, cover with lid and heat till boils. Lower heat, leave covered and simmer for 20 to 30 min. Remove lid, continue to simmer until applesauce thickens. Stir in cinnamon and lemon juice, slightly mash apples. Cover and set aside to keep it warm while you prepare the spinach and cook the pork.

3. Take pork out of fridge and let sit at room temp while you go on to the next step of preparing the spinach.

Buttered spinach:

250-300gr./ approx. 1/2 to 2/3 lb. spinach, washed and spun dry

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp herbs Provence, dried

Wash spinach well, spin dry and pinch off woody stems. Place in large skillet over low heat (skillet should be heaped with spinach). As leaves on bottom begin to wilt, gently turn heap over with tongs or two wooden spoons. When all leaves have shrunk squeeze excess water out by gently pressing spinach into side of pan with a wooden spoon or a wooden spatula and drain off the water (alternatively you could put the spinach in a colander and press it over sink).

Melt 1 tbsp butter in skillet, which is still over low heat, carefully stir the butter into the spinach, sprinkle with sea salt and herbs. Remove skillet from heat and cover with lid or aluminum foil.

4. Heat skillet to medium high, add steaks, fry 1-2 min. on each side. Serve steaks, spinach and apple sauce on warm plates. Enjoy! Read the rest of this entry »

Sept 15. U. suggests a spontaneous late Saturday morning jaunt down to Munich. hmm. I´m undecided. Haven´t been down to Munich in a long while, airport not counting. But the week was a particularly exhausting one for U., me and our almost 4 year old daughter who just finished her first week of kindergarten. A lazy autumn day in our village outside Regensburg in Bavaria is starting out well: no fog which is common in the fall and winter here, sun is shining, crisp air, groceries bought, pumpkin on the counter waiting to be cut, roasted, pureed and baked into the seasons first pumpkin pie. This feels like a day to stay close to the nest. Not even the proposal to visit a store on Munich´s Maximillianstrasse that sells it´s pretty little things in equally pretty robins egg blue boxes can (completely) convince me. Hmm… a quick check of the weather on-line: Munich overcast 18°C, Regensburg Sunny 21°C; I think we´ll stay home. The next quick taps at the keyboard reveal that Oktoberfest starts next weekend. Maybe we should seize the day and go to M. this weekend to avoid the crowds that will be making a pilgrimage to M. during the three week duration of Oktoberfest. One last on-line check. I recall www.deliciousdays.com suggesting where the best burgers in M. can be had, and at the moment I´m craving some meat. Click, there it is in the archive: “Cosmo Grill”. A fast glance at the opening hours and I jump in the shower. Okay family it´s off to Munich. Several hours of Autobahn traffic, rerouting, bathroom stops, a kick-off-coffee in the lobby of the Bayrischer Hof Hotel, a visit to the store with the little blue boxes, a bit of drooling at Daimers wool felt shop and then it is time for the burger I have been craving since I bumped into it on the delicious days blog. Cosmo Grill is a half flight down from street level. When you enter you have the feeling you are stepping into a cross between a tiny sushi bar and a sandwich shop. It takes just a couple minutes and then I get acclimated. Simple black white decor, maybe five tables, bar stools, high benches with thick wool mats, white on black menu board. My eyes don´t know where to look first. Words are popping out at me: balsamico, brie, Dijon, avocado, rosemary. Glands watering I order the avocado burger with perry (hard cider made from pears) that is chilling in an ice bucket on the counter. U. orders the barbecue burger. Not yet knowing the size of these gourmet burgers, we ask for an extra plate to share our burgers with kiddo. We make ourselves comfortable in the spartan, modern, small space and happily await our meal. The chef is prepping the teppan yaki grill. Through the glass double doors of the refrigerator, I see the over-sized Maille mustard jars and large clasp lid jars filled with homemade sauce. I believe this is going to be a treat. It has been a year since my last good burger during a visit in Chicago.
A hamburger can be a fine thing. Indeed. When mine arrives my eyes begin eating it in; layered high and teetering on a white square plate, there are no side dishes or garnish cluttering the plate or distracting from the main attraction. (NB: you can order sides but they are served separately). My expectations are high. I sink my teeth in. Juicy tender melt in your mouth ground meat patty, horseradish-sour cream, a flash of spicy Dijon, buttery ripe avocado, tomato, spinach. Mmmmm…eye roll…sigh… I chew slowly, my taste buds are loving this. This is a burger to be savored not wolfed down. This is a burger made with L O V E. Both U. and I order another: Cordon bleu with melting brie, also a delicious delight. Sigh, who knows how long it will be before we get back to Munich. If you live in or close to Munich or if you live far away and are a glutton for punishment you can have the Cosmo Grill burger of the week emailed to you. One helpful tidbit of info., the Cosmo Grill address is Maximillianstrasse 10 but the entrance is located around the corner on Falkenturmstrasse. www.cosmogrill.de

And where does Cecilia Bartoli enter into this burger encounter? Waiting for our second order, my gaze is directed out the window. Sitting a half flight below street level I watch with a beagles perspective as legs pass by without really noticing the torsos they are attached to. One pair of very high heals and small ankles, however, draws my eyes upward. Shapely calves, an elegant smoky gray just under knee length puffy chiffon skirt, my gaze continues to wander up higher, dark brown hair pulled back into a sleek pony tail, attractive face, decently made up. I have one of those “gosh she looks familiar moments, do I know her?” …1 sec…2 sec…3 sec.., it´s, it´s Ce…Ce… Cecilia Bartoli I say to my four year old daughter who delights as if I just told her I spotted our neighbor Rosi walking by. Our eyes meet for a moment as she walks past my table at the window of Cosmo Grill. Now, I don´t consider myself starstruck but in retrospect I do hope I had a pleasant look on my face one that says - Hello, welcome to Germany, nice to see you, your voice is beautiful, no I won´t bother you for an autograph - I don´t get what they mean anyway, take care, bye. I suppose, though, that my expression was more of an empty gaze as I try to figure out where I know this lady from i.e. former student, colleague etc.. Cecilia Bartoli walks down the street, stops and talks with someone at the back entrance of the Hotel Opera (ironic?) which is only about 500 meters as the crow flies from the National Opera House (ironic?).

End of story, Cecilia looked lovely, the burgers were great, the sun did end up coming out in Munich and a pleasant afternoon was had by all.

Sometimes things don´t turn out as intended. When cooking, that can at times be more pleasing than others. Missing ingredients lead to resourceful inventiveness, a turn of absent-mindedness, a twist of distraction and low and behold the soup has never tasted as good… or bad. The recipe for curry meatballs came about in a similar way. So it begins: pick up one half kilo. fresh ground meat from the butcher, continue on to post office and wait in line, return empty water crate to grocery store wait there as well, bump into and chat with a friend from neighboring village, aimlessly wander store until you recall why you are there: ah yes to pick up a crate of water to replace the empty one, wait in line again, get home put meat in fridge, “where are the vegetables? Oh brother, you forgot to go to the farmers and thereby forgot half the things on the shopping list and where is the shopping list anyway?” Sharing a bed with a 4 year old that performs acrobatics in her sleep and takes up space enough for two full grown adults can show it´s signs. A strong cup of cappuccino later, with foam as smooth and thick as meringue, I feel alert and inspired and check the fridge to see what I can put together for the lunch table. The above mentioned ground meat, two organic bell peppers: one yellow and squat with a trace of green the other standard red, three green onions, yellow curry paste, one can of coconut milk. Over to the wood shelf for spices: cinnamon, cumin, allspice, cayenne, grab the panko. Curry meatballs it is. Bonus, there is still enough left over millet spinach pie from yesterday to warm in the oven and serve on the side. Pipping hot on the plates…mmmmm. I had never thought about making curry meatballs before. This turned out delicious. As an alternative to a grain, I would serve the meat balls on a steamed bed of cauliflower and wilted spinach. Side note: the left over millet spinach pie that I served with the meatballs is a recipe from Lorna Sass´s book Whole Grains, Every Day Every Way. I am a big fan of millet and can recommend Ms. Sass´s recipe.

Curry Meatballs

Serves 2.5 (2 adults and a 4 year old)

Time: 60 min.

Ingredients meatballs:

550gr. ground meat (I used pork and beef)

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 small bell peppers, finely chopped (I used yellow and red)

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp cayenne

2-3 tbsp oil

Ingredients sauce:

3 spring onions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup bell pepper, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp yellow curry paste

400ml coconut milk

2 eggs

1/2-3/4 cup panko (bread crumbs Japanese style)

fresh flat leaf parsley for garnish

Prepare meatballs:

Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F

Finely chop onions and bell peppers (reserve one half cup of peppers for later), slowly sauté in a skillet with 2-3 tbsp oil until onions are transparent. Set aside to cool a bit.

In a small dish mix salt, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, cayenne.

In a medium size bowl lightly beat 2 eggs, add ground meat, mixed spices, sautéed onion and bell pepper. Combine well with hands.

Put skillet back on stove and heat to medium high (don´t add more oil) while forming the meat into balls the size of clementines, press slightly to flatten. Brown 2-3 min. on each side and transfer to paper towel lined plate.

In a small bowl gently mix the thinly sliced spring onions, the 1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper and garlic with 3 tbsp of the “cream” skimmed off top of opened can of coconut milk. Sauté the vegetables and coconut “cream” mixture over medium low heat 3-4 min while stirring. Add rest of coconut milk, whisk until combined.

Place meat balls in a glass baking dish (I used a 10 inch pie plate) pour coconut milk sauce over meat balls and spoon it over any meat balls that are not completely covered. Cover with foil and bake at 190°C for 30-35 min. Take off foil for the last 5-10 min to thicken the sauce.

Serve on a bed of steamed cauliflower and wilted spinach or with a grain side dish. As mentioned above I liked the curry meatballs very much with Lorna Sass´s recipe for millet spinach pie.

Welcome to my blog.

My name is Becca. Thinking about food, reading about food, cooking, smelling and eating good food is a wonderful way to indulge in this life and it has evolved into one of my most favorite ways to spend time. This blog is about wholesome, natural, whenever possible organic and local life enhancing eats. Nothing fussy about it. Just things that make my heart sing; plunk, a ripe spotted pear resting in dewy grass, pressing up and savoring flaky pie crust morsels with the touch of a finger, drizzling creme and egg infused french toast with possibly the worlds best organic Vermont Maple syrup or sigh…a pipping hot slow cooked plate of rustic Ragout vom Hirschkalb (venison stew) with a sauce dark as chocolate, rich and yet so simple…uggg.

Tastes evolve, I now know that. In the past, however, I often thought of myself as picky a late bloomer in regard to food. Prefaced by some gagging watery eyed dinner memories from the 1970´s. As a child I knew what I liked: homemade pasta sauce, green beans, olives, pies, cakes without frosting… and what I didn´t like: scrambled eggs, fish with grates, salad-dressing and cheese (unless it was in a grilled sandwich or on a pizza). I´m sure I wasn´t the only kid to wretch over lima beans, spinach or stuffed cabbage. It took many years to get past some of those childhood aversions and to understand how and why they came about i.e. overcooking, appearance, stubbornness. Ironically as an adult I have grown to love love love spinach, moan over cheese, admire anyone who has the innate feel for preparing tender, flaky, melt in your mouth fish and savor cabbage raw or cooked. However, I probably have not tasted much less sighted a lima bean since 1976. Rehabilitation still pending.

Aging, living abroad, being more food courageous and eating well with family and friends has led to me be more hands-on in the kitchen, more discriminating and inspired in my search of fresh wholesome products and develop my sense of taste. Whiling away time thinking about food is a fine past time. Reading recipes, cooking, learning, craving, visualizing food makes my life sheerly enjoyable.

In a pumpkin shell, this blog is about food that pleases me. Come press your nose up against my kitchen window or even better pop in and join me now and again on my journey through life with food. I look forward to seeing you. Becca