Super Bowl Nuts

I'm not really a football fan and that's OK, not everyone is.

However, I know there are fans that are "nuts" about football
and especially the Superbowl.
Any Superbowl Party I've attended has always had a bowl or two, or three of just plain nuts, these would have been nicer to snack on!

I know Texans love spiced nuts and I've done the homework for you and here are two of the best versions of spiced nuts that I could find.
I still believe that the recipe I published earlier for the Union Square Cafe's Bar Nuts are also some of the best I've ever had.

I have to give credit to Martha Stewart for these two recipes.

As I researched spiced nuts, these two recipes came up often and they all gave credit where credit was due......... thank you Martha!

Chile Lime Cashews:

2 1/2 tsp coarse salt...... like Sel de Mer, or Sea Salt..... use the regular stuff if you need to!
1 tsp finely grated lime zest ( a rasp works well)
2 TBS Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 large Egg ( white part only)
3 C Whole Raw unsalted Cashews

1 rimmed baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

preheat the oven to 350 degrees

In a bowl, using the back of a wooden spoon or a muddler ( I thought I'd use that word to sound like a fancy food blogger) but seriously, use a muddler and
grind the salt and the lime zest together.

Add Sugar, Pepper Flakes and Egg White.
Whisk together until frothy.
Add the nuts and toss to coat well.

Spread the nuts in a single layer on the sheet pan.
Bake 20 minutes

Separate the nuts, break them up and allow to cool completely.
You can move them to another paper lined sheet pan to do this, if you have another one.


Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!




Orange Spiced Cashews:

3 C Whole Raw unsalted Raw Cashews
1/4 C Light Corn Syrup
1/2 tsp Coarse Salt
1 1/2 tsp finely grated Orange Zest.... use the rasp again!
3/4 tsp Ground Ginger
1/2 tsp Ground Coriander
1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
A pinch...... just a pinch of Cayenne Pepper

2 rimmed baking sheet pans lined with parchment paper

In a medium bowl, mix Nuts with Corn Syrup until evenly coated, set aside!
In another bowl, combine Salt, Zest, Ginger, Coriander, Cumin and Cayenne
Sprinkle this mixture over the nuts and stir until evenly coated.

Spread the nuts in a single layer onto one of the sheet pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Transfer the nuts to the second sheet pan, separate them and cool completely.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Meatless, a new Vegetarian Cookbook from Martha Stewart !

As a vegetarian, I rarely buy vegetarian cookbooks.
They all seem to be similar and a bit boring.

However, I got the new book by Martha Stewart titled, Meatless. It is truly
the best vegetarian cookbook I have ever seen.
I wrote to Martha Stewart Omnimedia,Inc. to thank them for publishing it.

It contains more than 200 amazing recipes.
It's a paperback which makes it very affordable.


Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Scalloped Apples, made with an Apple,Corer,Slicer,Peeler, " Thingamajiggy"

This is a Thanksgiving Favorite in our Family!
It's great any time of the year.

I wanted to recreate the flavor of Apples that we used to get at Luby's Cafeteria when I was a kid. I loved them and they always had them around Thanksgiving.  I created this microwaved version. They are exactly as I remembered them.
This mixture with Pecans and Raisins makes a great pie filling. Mix as directed and bake in a pie shell.

10 C peeled, cored and sliced tart apples (about 8 med. apples), of course it depends on the size of the apples.

This is the preparation stage of the apples.

After they're coated with the sugar and spices they are dotted with butter.
They are then microwaved with a cover slightly ajar.

This is the final product.

1/3 C Sugar
2 TBS Cornstarch
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground Nutmeg
3 TBS Butter (cut into small pieces)
Raisins, Pecans or Dried Cranberries (optional)

Place Apples in a 2 1/2 Quart Microwavable Baking dish with a cover
Combine Sugar, Cornstarch,Cinnamon and Nutmeg in a small bowl and whisk well.
Sprinkle over the Apples and toss to coat well
Add Raisins and Pecans if desired
Dot with pieces of Butter
Cover and microwave for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

This is my Apple, Corer, Slicer, Peeler,   " Thingamajiggy ".
My father built a wooden stand for it.
This is the perfect recipe for this machine!


Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

A busy weekend ahead !

I'll try to add some new recipes on Sunday afternoon.

I have an art project due on Sunday for an exhibit next weekend.

Until then,
Enjoy the blog, cook something interesting this weekend.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Magic Cookie Bars !

It's time , once more, to pay tribute to Aunt Faye.

"These terrific cookie bars couldn't be magic without Eagle Brand. 'cause you can't make them without Eagle Brand's exclusive blend of pure cane sugar and fresh whole milk.
No other milk can do it. Try some soon for your family - they're so easy ..' so delicious"!

That quote was taken directly from the recipe.

Magic Cookie Bars:

(makes about 2 dozen 1 1/2-inch X 3 - inch bars)

1/2 C ( 1 stick) Butter, melted
1 1/2 C Graham Cracker Crumbs
1 C chopped Pecans
1 C (16 oz. package) semi sweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 C (3 1/2 oz. can) flaked coconut
1 1/3 C ( 15 oz. can) Borden's Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

Pour melted Butter in the bottom of a 9 X 13 inch pan.
Layer the rest of the ingredients:
Sprinkle the crumbs over the the melted butter
Sprinkle the Pecans evenly over the crumbs
Sprinkle the Chocolate Chips over the Pecans
Sprinkle the Coconut over the Chocolate Chips

Cover it all with the Condensed Milk

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly browned
Allow to cool 15 minutes before cutting into bars.

I took the liberty to make some changes in the verbiage of the preparation.
The original recipe was a bit confusing!
However, they sound scrumptious, don't they?

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Recipes, Art Project ? Recipes, Art Project?

I'm supposed to be working on a project that's been accepted into an exhibit next month.
The final works of art are due next Sunday.

I haven't worked on it at all this weekend.
I need to get away from the blog for awhile and work on the art project.

Later!

Crack Pie

What do Guthrie, Oklahoma and New York City have in common?

Crack Pie!

We travel through the entire state of Oklahoma to visit relatives in Kansas.

We stop mid way for lunch in Guthrie.

Guthrie is a charming old town filled with Antique Shops, Cafes, a Tea Room and our favorite discovery, Katie's Diner. Katie was the daughter of the original owners.

The owners, Aileen and Von are the nicest people and that's one of the reasons that Katie's Diner is always busy and the food is always great.

The menu is down home cookin' and the atmosphere is as American as Apple Pie!

Kaycee is on the wait staff and she's always there when we go and that's only twice a year for us, so she's established, always in a good mood and can handle a crowd!

Several years ago we discovered the diner and there was a sign on the wall  behind the register that advertised Crack Pie as one of the Pie choices. 

We ordered it and it is so good, you leave wanting more...... hence the name I suppose.

I asked Aileen if she would share the recipe and she told us that she found the recipe in an issue of Bon Appetit  Magazine and the pastry chef that created it was named Christina Tosi from New York City.

When I returned home I did my research and found out the story behind the pie and the baker!

Christina Tosi has become one of my favorite, up and coming, pastry chefs in America.

She is part of the staff that opened Momofuku Milk Bar in 2004 and her creations are innovative and far out!

She wrote and published her first book in 2011. It's titled:( MILK, Momofuku Milk Bar)

The recipes are like no others, original, contemporary and Christina has concepts about pastry and baking like no other chef I have ever read about. 

The next time we passed through Guthrie and ate at the diner, we bought an entire Crack Pie and took it to Kansas. Needless to say it was a hit.

On our way back to Texas, we stopped again and had lunch, talked about Crack Pie. I told Aileen I thought she should buy a pie case to highlight all of her incredible pies, and especially Crack Pie. She told me that pie cases are expensive and space was limited. I gave her some money and told her to save up for a pie case.

The next time we went back to the diner ......... Aileen and Von had a Pie Case!

We recently stopped at Katie's Diner and I told Aileen about my blog and asked her permission to tell the story about how we discovered a New York City baker's incredible Crack Pie in an incredible Diner in Guthrie, Oklahoma!

Thank you to Aileen, Von and Kaycee for doing what you do and doing it well.

We will always stop at Katie's Diner as long as we travel from Texas to Kansas!

I don't have permission to photograph the recipe from the book and it's too long to re print so you can look online. ( I final posted the recipe, you can find it here on the blog under)  Crack Pie / Cristina Tosi and Momofuku Milk Bar).

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!