38 Power Foods, Week 17 -- Berries -- Fresh Berry Cake

Just looking at this cake will tell you that it's not difficult to make and it's NOT.  A quick glance at the recipe, however, might put you off.  Don't let it.  There may be a little reading involved, but the cooking and baking are fairly simple and don't take long.  In fact, though it's two layers, you only bake one cake.  After it's cool, you cut it in half.

But listen, if you're not a baker, this is just the cake for you... because you can get away without baking a cake at all!  Just buy a Sara Lee pound cake and cut it into layers--maybe three?--and do a loaf-shaped cake on a pretty rectangular tray.  Follow the rest of the directions for the berries and filling and there you are!   You could also bake a box cake into cupcakes, slice them, put half in a pretty coffee cup and decorate from there.  Whatever you do, this is a beautiful, tasty cake for Easter, Mother's Day, or the Memorial Day picnic.  (Assemble this cake where you're serving it.)  If you don't have a special cake plate, don't worry about it.  Whoever eats this will be happy no matter what.  Next time you run in Good Will, see a funky antique shop or a garage sale,  keep an eye our for great serving pieces.  No need to spend a fortune at the department stores. 

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream with Blueberry-Lemon Sauce

 I'm not a big plain homemade vanilla ice cream fan; I like coffee ice cream.  But add some beautiful hot fudge or sliced fresh peaches and I'll eat vanilla.  I'll even make it.   And it does fill the bill for a crowd.   It pleases nearly everyone.

When it's northwest blueberry time (warm days/cool nights make the best berries), I'm likely to make some fresh, quick blueberry jam for toast.  For years, I've filled freezer bags or containers full of these berries and kept them until blueberry season (not the Chilean season) begins again. (Store frozen and unwashed; rinse just before using them.)  I'm able to make great muffins, pancakes, or top my yogurt all year long without resorting to Fed Ex fruit.  Regular readers know my drill.  This year, I went for a beautiful blueberry topping (similar to the jam or conserve of other years) for that ice cream, but paired it with a bit of lemon to offset the sweetness of the blueberries.

A bloom bursting on beautiful blueberries!

Fried Cheese-Snake Squash Salad or I'm Sure This Has a Better Name

 Last Friday night was a use-what's-on-hand night:

• The first of the Minnesota corn (very tiny kernels, but yummy)
• One of the pork tenderloins I'd gotten on sale at Kowalski's (froze 4 of them in April)
• Salad makings that wouldn't be good the next day. I sautéed the greens with garlic and lots of fresh herbs:

My own garden herbs:  marjoram, sage, chives, tarragon, basil, and thyme.

I added raisins and chopped cashews to the sautéed greens.

The first of our tomatoes went in at the end.

 Despite heat and humidity that all Minnesota is ready to get rid of, we ate outdoors under our big maple tree that reaches toward the house and garage, creating a canopy to cover the patio.  That soft, shady spot is often the coolest place anywhere and you can bet I've looked.  Along with everyone else on Wheeler Street.

Next night, a quick look-see in the frig assured me I had enough to throw together some sort of salad as I had a snake squash (can't find right name) from my victory garden neighbor:

Tastes like a cross between a mild zucchini and yellow (summer) squash.

Some asparagus (now out of season, but still my favorite) was sagging in there and a little bit of the pork tenderloin called me.  What really appealed was the rest of my fresh cheese (blogged at Dinner Place), which I knew would fry.   Could there be anything bad about fried cheese?
 

Alyce's 2-1 cheese

 What about a salad of greens, sautéed squash and asparagus, with avocado, blueberries, and thinly sliced pork tenderloin topped with fried cheese?  With a perky, ramped up orange vinaigrette?  I was sold.  Moral of story:  make up your salad as you go along.

I cooked the squash and asparagus in a bit of oil, salt and pepper, and set that aside.

Sliced up my avocado.  Creamy and fatty, it would be a good foil for my spicy greens.

Blueberries for color, texture, contrast of taste, and sweetness.

About 3-4 oz cooked pork tenderloin--or how much of whatever meat you have.

My homemade cheese fried in olive oil and black pepper.  Dave was so excited.

Et voila--

 Fried Cheese Snake Squash Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

MAKE YOUR VINAIGRETTE FIRST:

Place the following ingredients in a small jam jar, close tightly with lid, and shake well until emulsified. I like to do this to "America" from West Side Story:  Shake to this rhythm..123,123, 1--2--3--. (Thanks, Leonard Bernstein.) Set aside while you make the salad.

• 1T fresh orange juice
• 1/4t kosher salt
• 1/8 t freshly ground pepper
• pinch crushed red pepper
• 1/2 t honey
• 1/2-1 t minced shallot (or garlic)
• 2T extra virgin olive oil.

MAKE THE SALAD:

•  2 T olive oil, divided
• 1 cup each:  sliced zucchini (or snake or summer squash) and  chopped asparagus (or green beans)
• Kernels from 1 ear of fresh cooked corn (you can cook it in unshucked in the microwave.)
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
• 6-8 cups baby greens, your choice
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs of your choice, optional
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup toasted walnuts chopped
• 2-4 ounces sliced, cooked pork tenderloin, steak or chicken
• 2T fresh lemon juice
• Kosher salt and Freshly ground pepper
• 6-8 small pieces fresh cheese
• Orange vinaigrette (above)

1. In a large skillet, sauté squash and asparagus in oil over medium heat for five minutes.  Dust with salt and pepper.
2. Remove veggies from pan and place in a large bowl.  (Keep pan out; you'll use it for the cheese)
3. To the squash and asparagus, add the corn, chopped avocado, blueberries, walnuts and pork, keeping the ingredients at the center of the bowl.
4. Around the pile of veggies and meat, place the salad greens and fresh herbs.
5. Set aside or in refrigerator.
6. In the skillet, pour another tablespoon of olive oil and heat over medium heat once more. Grind some black pepper into the oil as the pan heats.  Place the cheese slices in the pan and cook a few minutes or until nicely browned.  Turn carefully with a spatula and let the other side brown.
7. Take the salad and drizzle with the lemon juice.  Dust the whole thing with some salt and pepper.  
8. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and top with the browned cheese. 
9. Eat immediately.  Won't keep.
10. Take downstairs and watch movies.   

Wine:  The Wine Thief  (2 doors west of me on St. Clair)  has a lovely, palepalepale rosé called "Whispering Angel.  Drink it.

  

Two-Dog Kitchen and Around the 'Hood

Fern garden.

On the wall ladies' room in restaurant The Angry Trout

In our south garden

Heavy, heavy hydrangeas after rain-- next to drive

As my mom would say, "Morning, Glory."

This incredible flower showed up in my corner garden yesterday.
My pharmacist's assistant tells me this is a perennial hibiscus.

I've been making blueberry jam, actually blueberry-orange conserve.

Miss Gab

Tucky-Bucky

Hot and muggy.  Lots of storms and rain.  Tomatoes are coming. The first ones weren't so good.  Wonder if it's like pancakes--throw out the first ones?

Sing a new song; enjoy August,
Alyce

Memorial Weekend Breakfast in the Living Room

Memorial Day Weekend….Do Breakfast Slowly...Remember it's a Holiday?.....
The food magazines and papers are most likely full of barbeques; it’s time to light the grills and bring out the brats or ribs. Time to stuff the coolers full of beer and white wine and head for…wherever you head for when the great, warm weather arrives. However, if you live in the Rockies, I can just about promise you that 1. The chance of your grilling this weekend , in good weather (unlike almost any other time in our lovely geographic area), is nil. 2. The chance of you finding ANYWHERE warm or dry to go is even less likely. In fact, it’s probably a good time to make beef stew and hunker down in your family room with a stack of movies and magazines and a lovely bottle of Pinot Noir. As I add a photo and publish this post Friday morning, it's 50 degrees and foggy with rain imminent. You can't SEE the mountains, much less decide to camp there.

We’ve tried tent camping Memorial Day weekend exactly twice. Both times were unmitigated disasters due to freezing rain, snow and early departures for home where warm showers and furnaces existed. Talk to anyone out here who's ever tried to do anything on Memorial Day weekend and you’ll get a similar story. Once, we had the same story over Fourth of July. Gospel.
So, instead of great bbq recipes, I’m putting up a delish fast spread for breakfast because, if you live where I live, you might actually have time to cook it indoors this weekend. (Get some soup out of the freezer for dinner.)

This kind of breakfast makes the week worthwhile. All week long, its cereal, yogurt and fruit, coffee on the run (don’t get me started about that). On the weekend, it’s time to eat slowly at breakfast with hours for reading the entire NYTIMES while listening to NPR or your favorite cd. There’s time to smile at your companion or not fuss at kids to “finish your breakfast.” In fact, feed the kids (if you have them) and let them go watch cartoons. Make a huge pot of fresh coffee and drink it while it’s hot.
Truly, there usually isn’t the hurry we think there is. But we do believe it because ---well, you figure out why YOU believe it or want to. This weekend is the time to let all that go and breathe in between the bites.
So scramble up some eggs, fry some bacon (newest reports say it’s healthy/true!)and bake some blueberry muffins. Get out a stick of real butter; put the cream in a pitcher and the coffee in a thermal carafe. I've added a great sparkling drink if you're in the mood. Not fancy, but luscious.
Set the coffee table in the living room where you can spread out with the papers. Turn on the stereo. What’s the hurry? I believe you’ll want to do it again. Promise.

Cooking tips: Get the coffee going and the coffee table set. Make the muffins first and give one to your helper to snack on with coffee while s/he waits for the rest. Next make the bacon (if you're having any), the raspberry sparklers, then, last of all, the eggs. The bacon can be reheated briefly in the microwave after the eggs are done. The ability to get coffee, eggs and bacon all hot to the table at the same time is a much-admired one in our world. Try it and see why. It's why people go out for breakfast so often.

Best Scrambled Eggs

Makes 2 large servings or 3 small ones

I've been making these eggs since my oldest son was a tiny tyke; I think you'll enjoy them as much as my family has.

2T butter
¼-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
6 eggs
3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
Salt and pepper

Heat a medium skillet to medium heat; add butter and garlic. Sauté briefly. Add eggs to the pan and mix well. Let the egg mixture cook until about 50% set. Stir in cream cheese and cook another minute or so. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve while still creamy.

Options: Try with grilled tomatoes and feel like you’re in the UK


Blueberry Muffins for You and You and You and You!

Makes 1 dozen muffins

Sometime thirty years ago, working at Woodlawn Plantation in Mt. Vernon, VA, I found the recipe for these muffins called “Joseph Nichols Tavern Blueberry Muffins.” According to recent research, the Joseph Nichols Tavern in Lynchburg, Virginia, is a Federal building now transformed into four apartments. Apologies to any original recipe writers as I’ve tweaked the amounts over the years and still found the original proportions perfect. These muffins win kudos wherever they roam. They’re great for breakfast, of course, but are also tasty with chicken salad or even Salmon Nicoise. Comfort food par excellence, tuck them into a tote -if there are any left -when you travel by plane or car. Home will go with you.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a 12-count muffin tin.

2 c unbleached flour
½ c sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/3 cup oil
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

In large bowl, mix dry ingredients well. In separate 2-4 c measuring cup, beat together milk, egg and oil. Pour milk mixture into bowl of dry ingredients and mix briefly. Add blueberries.

Pour into greased muffin tins. Bake 12-15 min. until just barely done. Turn out into basket and serve warm with butter.

Cook's Note:  For lemon-blueberry muffins, stir 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind into the flour mixture.

Memorial Day Morning Raspberry Sparklers
A special drink for a special morning

(I'm sure these have another name; what is it?)
For each drink, place a fresh raspberry in the bottom of a champagne flute. Add one ounce Chambord. Fill flute with sparkling wine or champagne.

I love weekends!  Sing a new song,
Alyce

note:  new photos added 8/2013