Funny Videos: Flight 405

Okay, I admit it. I've become slightly obsessed with home video sites, such as You Tube and Veoh. As an example of a really well-made clip, here's Flight 405. The special effects are professional and there's a nice punch at the end, so stick with it because it's worth it.

A Mingling of Tastes: The Frittata: Variations on a Brunch

A Mingling of Tastes: The Frittata: Variations on a Brunch

Lucee's Recipe Box

Matt from Matt Bites recently wrote an entry about finding his partner's grandmother's 100-year-old recipe box, just chock full of goodies. I can just imagine.

Well, he's inspired me to upload a few pictures of my mother's (Lucee) recipe box which I snatched from the remaining items of her household. Most of these recipes I would never consider making, but they do definitely tell a lot about what people were cooking back in those days. Lots of casseroles, Jello salads, dishes containing other packaged or canned items. I do enjoy leafing through them and seeing Lucee's handwriting, and that of our relatives and her girlfriends. Even one handwritten in my dad's chicken scratch printing he was famous for, a recipe for cracker blintzes, a recipe I think my grandmother made up, sort of a Depression-era desperation dinner using what was left in the ice box and pantry. Also, there's the stray newspaper clipping of some recipe which probably was never made, but was saved with good intentions. Don't we all have a pile of those sitting around somewhere?


Also here are a couple of shots of a CD Eddie's friend George from Newcastle, England sent us the other day. I'd never heard of this group, The Puppini Sisters, but, wow! , it's great, especially if you like '40s-style music, a bit campy but very very good. A cross of the Andrew Sisters, Bette Midler, Carmen Miranda and Blondie.


Here's what's written about them from Amazon.com :

Every now and then something comes along that causes a massive "Why on earth didn’t I think of that?!" reaction. Something original and quirky, that fills a gaping void and that appeals to just about everyone. Ladies and gentleman, it gives us great pleasure to welcome on to the world stage: The Puppini Sisters. Dressed with 1940’s glamour, The Puppini Sisters perform tongue-in-cheek classics in three-part close harmony. Their album, 'Betcha Bottom Dollar', is
one of the most accomplished, eccentric and original albums of the year - ready for a general public that won’t know what’s hit it but will thoroughly enjoy being ambushed! In the tradition of the greats, The Puppini Sisters have worked their own vibe and stuck to their guns, and the result is a work of pure genius. Tracks range from well known favourites such as Mr Sandman, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B and In The Mood, to more diverse covers such as I Will Survive, Wuthering Heights and Morrissey’s Panic.

New Favorite PBS Cooking Show - Joanne Weir's Cooking Class

My new favorite cooking show is Joanne Weir's Cooking Class, now showing on PBS channels. The first episode I've seen focused on basic risotto techniques. This series features a student cooking alongside Joanne, which is a bit different from a lot of shows. Joanne's bubbly personality comes through in her casual and straightforward teaching style. Techniques are explained and shown so that a beginner cook will not be intimidated. In fact, there were things to be learned, even for experienced cooks such as myself. For example, when the risotto is done, Joanne recommends covering the pot and letting it sit off heat for five minutes to completely absorb the remaining stock. I've set the DVR box to record all the episodes so I won't miss any of them. Like I need one more cooking show to watch! Actually, I do because the Food Network has mostly reruns and the newer shows don't really interest me because they seem to be more lifestyle and travelogue type programs which I can get on other channels. Heads up, Food Network! You're losing a longtime watcher here if you don't shape up.

Tags

FoodCookingFood and Drink

New Video Clip Site

I received a funny clip, which I cannot embed here because of its adult content, but here's another one which I can show. The site is called Veoh and is like You Tube, but a bit edgier. Enjoy.


No dinner worth mentioning from last night due to a glass of wine too many at Hunter's.

Eggs Poached in Basil Tomato Sauce

For breakfast this morning, Eddie poached eggs in this sauce we picked up at half-price at Cost Plus. I must say, this is by far the best-tasting, freshest bottled sauce I've ever had. No hint of commercial bottled sauce flavors. He gently warmed the sauce, then cracked the eggs over and brought it to a simmer, covered, until the yolks were still a bit runny. Unfortunately, we did not get to enjoy them with a nice toasty slice of country bread. Nonetheless, it was delicious. We plan on getting back down to the Cost Plus store soon to scoop up the remaining half-price bottles. Next we'll try the bottle of puttanesca sauce, which no doubt will be on the spicy side. These sauces are nice to have around for a quick pantry meal, and getting an otherwise gourmet type of sauce at a good price only makes it better.

Beef Stew with Almonds & Olives

I had this recipe in my to-try file, and since we're still on the low-carb kick, this looked like it would fit the bill. One thing that drew me to the recipe was the odd procedure of starting out with the onions, garlic, meat and some water together in the pot and basically cooking it until the liquid is evaporated and has formed a nice brown layer on the bottom of the pot. An inexpensive dry sherry is fine -- I used what I had on hand; a bottle of screw-top Gallo brand -- and the addition of the spices along with the blanched almonds and olives gives this stew a distinctly Middle Eastern or Southern French flavor. This will definitely be made again, especially since it can be made a day ahead and reheated; the flavor only improves. We had it with green beans, but for more normal eating times, I would have made rice or simple boiled new potatoes to sop up the yummy sauce. The serving yield is for 6, but not in our world. This makes just enough for 4 servings, so next time I'll double it and freeze half.

Beef Stew with Almonds and Olives

(Adapted from Sunset magazine, October 1998)

2 pounds fat-trimmed boned beef chuck
1 onion (8 oz.), peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 fresh or dried bay leaves
1 tablespoon bacon fat, if available
2 cups fat-skimmed low-sodium beef broth
2/3 cup dry sherry, divided
1/3 cup blanched almonds**
1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup calamata olives, pitted
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1. Cut beef into 1-inch cubes. Place meat, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and 1/3 cup water in a 5- to 6-quart pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, reduce heat to medium, and boil 20 minutes. Uncover and boil over high heat, stirring often, until juices evaporate and a dark brown film forms in pan, 10 to 15 minutes. Add bacon fat.
2. Add broth, 1/3 cup sherry, and almonds, thyme and cinnamon; stir to release brown film from pan. Return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Add olives. Cover and simmer until beef is tender when pierced, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
3. If more than 1 cup liquid is in pan, boil, uncovered, over high heat until reduced to 1 cup. Mix 1/3 cup sherry with cornstarch. Add to pan; stir until boiling.
Allow to cool, cover and chill overnight.

Reheat. Pour into a bowl; sprinkle with parsley.

Yield: Makes about 6 servings

** to blanch the almonds: bring water to boil in small saucepan. Drop in the almonds. Boil for about a minute. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Peel off the skins.

Laughlin, Nevada

The other day we took a spur-of-the-moment on-a-whim trip to Laughlin, NV. The drive was uncrowded and offered lots of spectacular scenery. We packed overnight bags in case we wanted to stay. When we arrived in town, we were really hungry, so we had a decent brunch buffet at Harrah's resort. After lunch and driving through town to get the lay of the land, we settled into a great room at the Flamingo, soon to be known as the Aquarius, as the hotel was purchased in May by the Las Vegas Stratosphere outfit. It will have a complete makeover and be done by November. Although the public areas of the hotel seemed a bit tired and well-worn, the room was just the opposite: clean, very light with floor-to-ceiling windows with a full river view, and a very efficient and silent air conditioner. We don't gamble much at all, so we can't see staying more than a day and a night, but would definitely return. Way more for your money than in Las Vegas. Of special note was our dinner in the steakhouse of the Edgewater Hotel.
Also worth mentioning was the breakfast buffet at the Flamingo for only $6.50, which would have been a dollar less with the casino club card.

Braised Pork Chops with Caramelized Onions, Raisins & Pine Nuts

The other day at Costco we picked up one of those mega-packs of boneless loin pork chops. I'm always at a loss what to do with so many; it can be a bit overwhelming, as many of you know. Geez, there are only two of us in the house. How much pork can a person consume?

I've had this recipe for Braised Pork Chops with Caramelized Onion, Raisins & Pine Nut Ragut that's been sitting around long enough, so I decided to give it a try. The recipe came from the California Raisin Marketing Board website, which has a rather nice recipe database with a comprehensive search engine, including lots of recipes by well-known restaurant chefs.

Let me say right off here that when I opened the package of chops, I was shocked by how thick they were. There's no way to tell without unwrapping them to know, but each one is almost like a mini pork roast -- at least 2 inches thick, some even more. So I halved them to make thinner chops and then brined them as follows:

6 cups water
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup table salt

Stir this until dissolved well, add the chops, refrigerate for about an hour or hour and a half, and then drain and rinse the meat and pat dry.

The recipe as written has the meat browned, then braised in the oven. I didn't want to turn on the oven for an hour (it's already 109 degrees outside); so I decided to try making it in the slow cooker. Well, let me tell you this turned out great, in many ways. The flavors were balanced, a nice sweet and sour tang; the ragut of onions, raisins and toasted pine nuts was just right with the mild-flavored pork; and best of all, dinner was ready and waiting when we decided to have it. All the clean up was done well ahead of dinnertime, so all we had to do was the dinner dishes. Easy, Easy. Here's the recipe, with my notes as I made it yesterday.

Braised Pork Chops with Caramelized Onion, Raisin And Pine Nut Ragu
by: Chef James Perillo


• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 6 center cut pork chops, seasoned well
• Salt and pepper

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 large yellow onions, (I sliced them with food processor)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, leaves only, chopped (used 1 teaspoon dry)
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1 cup California raisins
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 2 cups chicken stock (used only 1 cup in slow cooker)
• Salt and pepper

Heat a heavy-bottom saute pan very hot, add olive oil and sear pork chops until golden brown on both sides. Remove chops and set aside. In the same pan, add butter and onions and saute until caramelized. Add bay leaves and thyme; deglaze with cider vinegar. Reduce by half. Add California raisins, pine nuts, and chicken stock and bring to simmer. Place pork chops in a buttered casserole dish and spoon ragu on top. Cover casserole dish and place in 350°F oven for approximately 1 hour. Check to make sure pork chops are tender.
Serves: 6

As made on 8-10-06:

Caramelized the onions first. Added 1 t. dry thyme and bay leaves along with raisins and toasted pine nuts. Deglazed and reduced with the vinegar. Emptied pan into a bowl.

Browned 6 brined boneless chops, seasoned only with black pepper.

Set chops in bottom of crockpot. Topped with onion ragout. Added only 1 cup stock.

Set on low and will check after 4 hours.

Next time I'll check the dish after 3 1/2 hours; they'll be even moister.

Cherry Frozen Yogurt

Recently I saw a recipe for frozen cherry yogurt on The Amateur Gourmet. Cherries have been on sale so I bought up a couple of bags, one for the frozen yogurt and one to munch on, and pulled out of the close the ice cream maker.

Tags: ice cream, cherries, David Lebovitz

Curry Chicken

Continuing with our low-carb eating this week, I finished off a value pack of chicken with my favorite curry in the world. This recipe came from 500 Low-Carb Recipes by Dana Carpender. I've made several recipes from the book, but I keep coming back to this one. Believe me, this is just about foolproof and takes about 10 minutes to throw it together. The recipe calls for chicken quarters, which I've used, but since I had on hand boneless/skinless, that's what I used. The sauce is to die for and I always make extra to put over the chicken or, when not watching carbs, over fluffy rice. I used enough sauce to bake the chicken, and then I reduced the remainder in a sauce pan for later, just in case we run out. While in the oven, the sauce reduces, thickens and takes on a nice golden hue. To finish it off, I fire up the broiler to brown the top of the chicken. To finish off the plate, I'll make steamed broccoli. This is about as easy and as good as it gets. Total winner!

Curried Chicken
(adapted from"500 Low-Carb Recipes" by Dana Carpender)

4 or 5 chicken quarters, cut up and skinned (be sure to remove the skin, or else it will turn out limp and flabby)
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 rounded tablespoon curry powder (I prefer Madras brand)
1 cup heavy cream
4 cloves garlic, crushed (or to taste; I use more)
1/2 cup water
(I added: healthy pinch cinnamon, healthy pinch cayenne pepper)

Preheat oven to 375 (350 for boneless breasts)

Arrange chicken in shallow baking pan; chop onion and scattter over the top.

Melt butter in skillet and saute curry powder a couple of minutes, until fragrant.

Mix together and pour over the chicken the cream, garlic, water and sauteed curry powder.

Bake uncovered 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes (less for boneless), turning the chicken every 20 minutes so the sauce flavors both sides.

Arrange chicken on platter.

Pour sauce into blender and blend until smooth. Add more cream or water if necessary to get smooth consistency. Check for seasonings.

Serves 4
5 net carbs, 42 grams protein per serving

Chicken Capri with Low Carb Coleslaw

After last night's unexpected invitation to dinner at a friend's house (the green chile enchiladas were fantastic!), we're back on track today with our carb-watching routine. I saw this recipe on the South Beach Diet site and saved it for this week. One or the other local markets always has on sale boneless skinless chicken breasts, and this looked tasty. Also, we had the ingredients in the house, so that saved me another trip to the store this morning. The chicken came in a large package of five really large breasts, so I'm only making two for tonight and will save the other three to make my version of chicken curry for tomorrow or Friday.

Instead of dragging out the food processor, I just used a fork to combine the ricotta and spices. I sauteed the chicken a couple of hours ahead of dinnertime and set them aside. All that was needed later on was to fire up the oven, cover the chicken with the ricotta mixture, the tomato and the mozzarella and bake them off. Easy Easy.

As a side, I made coleslaw with what was sitting around. The nice cold and crunchy textures from the cabbage and apples really hit the spot. With the leftovers, I'll wrap it up in lettuce and turkey slices for a midday snack.

Chicken Capri
(from South Beach Diet site)

Serves 4

1 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup crushed tomatoes
4 slices reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

In a blender or food processor, combine the ricotta with the oregano, salt, and pepper. Process to blend. Rub the chicken with the garlic powder. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 12 minutes per side. Place the chicken breasts, side by side, in a large baking dish and allow to cool. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spoon 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture and 1/4 cup tomatoes onto each chicken breast. Top each chicken breast with 1 slice mozzarella. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of a breast registers 170°F and the juices run clear.

Recipe from The South Beach Diet Cookbook.
Nutritional Information:
340 calories
20 total fat (5 g sat, 15 g mono)
115 mg cholestero
l6 g carbohydrate
44 g protein
1 g fiber
470 mg sodium

Waldorf Coleslaw

(Based on recipe of George Stella's)

1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup heavy mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda)
1/2 cup shelled walnuts, coarsely chopped , toasted in microwave until fragrant
2 tablespoons pineapple vinegar
1/2 head of cabbage and 1 small carrot, shredded
diced green apple and 1 spear pineapple, diced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon celery seed

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients, tossing to combine. Chill for 2 hours before serving.

Quick Cioppino

I wanted to use up some shrimp and fish from the freezer, and most of these ingredients were already in the pantry. For the salsa, I used up the remaining fire-roasted salsa from Costco. The recipe did not call for it, but all the cioppino recipes I've seen in the past called for fennel, so I added half a sliced head for the added licorice undertone. Instead of the bagged frozen peppers mix, I used two green bell peppers chopped into large chunks. There was just enough Kendall Jackson sauvignon blanc, and although it's a little pricey to be throwing into a stew, it gave the sauce just the right amount of acidity needed to go with the tomatoes and seafood. I used only about 2/3 of an 8-oz. bottle of clam juice, as I find it to be a bit overwhelming, and made of the difference with some water. Fresh sea scallops along with leftover frozen shrimp and cod from Trader Joe's will be added just before serving. This will avoid overcooking the fish and making it tough. I had intended to buy some clams to add in too, but just six of them came to almost $6.50 at Stater Bros. market, so I gave them back to the guy behind the counter. This has a real kick of spice from the salsa, and I forgot and added a dash of crushed pepper flakes; so this is good and spicy. Lemon wedges on the side if needed complete the dish.

Usually we'd have chunks of buttered sourdough or French bread, but we're trying to cut down on the carbs for a while; hence, the sugar-free strawberry Jello for dessert with quartered strawberries added. Perhaps just a splash of fresh cream on top???





Shortcut Cioppino

Recipe courtesy of Dinners in a Dish or a Dash by Jean Anderson (William Morrow)

Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen onions (about 2 medium-large yellow onions)
Half of a 1-pound bag frozen bell pepper stir-fry mix (red, green, and yellow peppers; do not thaw)
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 large whole bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, with their liquid
Two 1-pound jars chunky salsa (as mild or hot as you like)
Two 8-ounce bottles clam juice
1 cup dry white wine such as a Verdicchio or Soave
1 pound boned and skinned halibut, haddock, or cod
1 pound shelled and deveined medium-size raw shrimp or 1/2 pound each shrimp and lump crab or sea scallops, these halved if large
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in large kettle over moderately high heat 2 minutes. Add onions, stir-fry mix, garlic, bay leaves, oregano, and basil and cook, stirring often, until onions are golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add tomatoes, salsa, clam juice, and wine; bring to simmering, adjust heat so mixture bubbles gently, and cook uncovered just until flavors meld, about 20 minutes.

Add halibut and shrimp and cook uncovered just until shrimp turn pink and fish almost flakes, about 5 minutes.

Remove bay leaves, season to taste with salt and pepper, then serve with rough country bread.

Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

Quick Trip to the Beach

Tuesday morning Eddie and I set off for a short trip to Laguna Beach. Our friends who recently moved to Arkasas are housesitting in the Temple Hills area of town, and we were lucky enough to be invited down for a couple of days. I hadn't been over that way in about seven years, so I had to brush up on the directions. The new toll roads through Riverside and Orange counties are fantastic. They cut out a huge chunk of distance and save a lot of time too. Anyway, the house we stayed at is way up in the hills with a panoramic ocean view from the front terrace.

We took a ride in the afternoon to San Onofre State Beach, which is in the shadows of the nuclear power plant. It was quite a walk down to the beach, which made the very comfortable water even more inviting. Just right, and not so cold as it is up the coast.

For dinner, Stan made a farfalle with a walnut pesto, which we really enjoyed out on the front patio area. The fog had rolled in and it would have been too cool on the back terrace.



On our way out of town the next day, Eddie and I had lunch at Johnny Rocket's. Two double burgers, two malts and an order of fries came to almost $33, but I must say the burgers were the biggest I've ever seen and I couldn't finish mine. So I guess for a one-time thing it's okay to splurge.

It was nice returning to the desert, even though the heat and humidity have not abated. The swimming pool temperature hit an unbelievable 100 degrees. All we had to do was turn on the bubbles in the spa, no extra heat needed.

We're looking forward to less humidity, which is forcasted for the beginning of next week, and it can't come a day too soon for my taste.

Got Corn?

The other day we picked up a dozen ears of corn from Costco. Also, I've had a hankering for corn chowder for a while, so since we're going to the beach tomorrow for a couple days, and the corn won't wait any longer, I made a batch of chowder this morning. I'll put it in the fridge, and it will taste even better after a couple days' sitting. The roasting step with butter sweetens up the kernels even more and gives a nice toasty flavor to the finished chowder. I added a pinch of cayenne pepper in the pureeing step to give a bit of a kick, and I'll re-season just before reheating and serving. Also, I'm not going to add the cream until that time, as cream once boiled may curdle. Yuck!

Notice that this is not high in calories, even with the cream; so go ahead and enjoy a big bowlful. A nice salad would complement this just fine, perhaps tomatoes and zucchinis from the garden, both of which should be plentiful just about this time of summer.

I got this recipe from the Simi Winery website.

ROASTED SWEET CORN SOUP
INGREDIENTS:
-- 10 to 12 ears of corn, unshucked -- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter -- 4 large garlic cloves, unpeeled -- 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock -- 2 cups water -- 1 large baking potato, peeled, cut into eighths -- 4 teaspoons cornmeal -- 1 cup heavy cream -- Salt and pepper -- Basil oil and basil sprigs (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Pull back husk partway on each corn ear. Using all the butter, put a small piece inside each husk, replace husk, and place ears in a single layer on a baking sheet (or two). Scatter garlic around ears. Bake 20 minutes.
Let cool, then peel garlic and shuck corn. Scrape kernels from cobs and set aside 2 cups. Reserve 6 of the cobs.
Combine stock, water and 6 corn cobs in a large pot. (Cut cobs in half if necessary.) Add peeled garlic and potato. Simmer until potato is soft. Discard corn cobs.
Transfer mixture to food processor. Add corn kernels (except reserved 2 cups) and cornmeal; puree. Return puree to pot and stir in cream. Thin, if desired, with a little stock. Heat just to a boil. Stir in reserved corn kernels. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately, garnishing, if desired, with a swirl of basil oil and a basil sprig.
Serves 8.
(c) Mary Evely, Simi Winery
PER SERVING: 295 calories, 6 g protein, 32 g carbohydrate, 18 g fat (11 g saturated), 57 mg cholesterol, 29 mg sodium, 4 g fiber.

Road Trip to Las Vegas and Tucson

Hello to everyone again. I've not posted in a while. The computer has been at Gateway for a repair, and then it was lost in the delivery system for over a week, but it finally arrived back home on Monday, and things are all loaded again and seem to work fine. Fingers Crossed!

After Demi died, we took off on a much-deserved roadtrip. It was great to get away, but it was filled with some sadness knowing that we would have no frantic hello's waiting for us when we returned home. Of course, we are now in no hurry to rush home to relieve a dogsitter.

Anyway, we headed up to Las Vegas for five days. The weather was nice and dry, hot of course, but we're used to it. One thing, though: smoke from the big Yucca Valley fire drifted directly over Vegas and that made for some beautiful sundowns and sunrises -- just like being on another planet.

Eddie and I don't gamble, so that's no big draw for us, but we do like to just relax and see what's going on around town.

One place I must pass on to everyone is Terrible's Casino at the corner of Flamingo and Paradise. The coffee shop upstairs near the bingo room is a real find. The menu is varied and priced right. If you lived in town, you'd be eating leftovers for lunch the next day, guaranteed. Between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. they have a late night breakfast menu which is not to be believed for the amount of food and the cheap prices. Do not miss this one.

Our friends Brian and Don who live in town told us if we liked the Wynn Hotel that we'd flip over the new Red Rock Resort. It's on the far west side of town, way out on Charleston near the 215 Beltway highway. We drove out there midmorning and it looked like it wasn't even open. But it was and parts of the resort are still being worked on. We tried the buffet for an early lunch, it was quite good. I must say, though, that the Vegas buffets have all started to look and taste alike. So not bad, but not fabulous either. But you must go out there and see the place. It will knock your socks off!

On Friday we left early and drove to Tucson for a few days there. I had never driven that route before, U.S. 93, and I didn't know what to expect. A lot of U.S. highways are one lane each direction, but this was really nice. They're upgrading the road, even a new bridge over the Colorado to avoid having to cross the Hoover Dam. The scenery was spectacular and the road was very uncrowded. We especially were taken with the town of Wickenburg, AZ. Just like you'd expect a small town to look like, and it's only about 50 miles to central Phoenix.

When in Tucson, we ended up staying at a place called the Smuggler's Inn. Our usual place, the Radisson Suites, was fully booked, as were most other places, due to a Jehovah's Witness convention in town over the weeked. For $55 a night it was just fine, but the place had an eerie, not occupied and uncared-for feel to it. No complaints, though; it came with a daily cocktail and buffet breakfast, so it really was a bargain. When checking out, I asked the kid behind the desk, "What's up with this place? Is it being sold, or what?" And in a soft voice he said it had been sold and that the 31st of July is their last day. So that explained everything. Next time in Tucson the building will probably we bulldozed and an office already on its way to completion.

We were lucky enough to experience a real summertime monsoonal evening thunder and lightning storm. It was awesome!!

Palm Springs has had record-breaking heat, yes, even for us, and it's been a bit of a challenge. Yesterday's high was 120 degrees. Last night at 11:30 it was still 102 degrees! Today it's forecasted to be about the same, so I expect more indoor activities again.

We've been too hot to cook, so thank goodness for the freezer which is filled with enough goodies to last through World War III.

That's it for now, and I'll try to post more often.

Bad and Sad News

Our laptop went on the fritz and is being looked at by Gateway. It should be returned today or tomorrow. We've done a fair amount of cooking lately, but nothing worth mentioning. Heat-survival cooking -- cold foods, things made in the portable convection oven, the pressure cooker, etc.

The new Electolux fridge is working out. Since then, the Northland all-fridge in the garage started acting up. Sears took a look at it and estimated a new condenser would be about $900, and Northland Inc. sells new ones, same model, for about $1200. So we got another new fridge last week, and it should make a huge difference in our electiric bill. The old one rarely shut off, and the new one is off quite a bit.

Now for the bad news: we had to put our Schnauzer Demi down two weeks ago. We knew it was coming, but that didn't make it any easier. He was a great pet and friend for almost 15 years and we'll miss him terribly.

Going to Las Vegas next week for a little R & R after the ordeal of putting a friend down. As if it isn't hot enough here in Palm Springs!! Go figure.

More on our trip next week.

Posole Rojo

I mentioned in a post last week a stock I made from bags of bones and trimmings from the freezer. I thought it would be a nice base for a posole, also known as pork and hominy stew. Here's the recipe I made up, combining bits from several that were on my to-make list. It came out very tasty, especially after sitting in the fridge for a day. It's a great dish for company because it's make-ahead, all you have to do on the day of serving is cut up the accompaniments and heat up the stew. Warmed flour tortillas with soft butter are another thing to serve on the side. The beverage of choice is usually a cold Mexican beer with lime wedges, but anything cold works well.

Pork, Beef and Hominy Stew with Red Chiles

(Posole Rojo)

Day 1 Make Stock

Chicken backs, wings and whatever is sitting around in the freezer
Frozen corn cobs
Frozen tomato trimmings
Carrots
Celery
Onions
Garlic
Bay leaves
Peppercorns
Dry thyme
Parsley stems

Cover chicken bones with cold water by several inches. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Skim off impurities. Add other ingredients and adjust heat for slow simmer. Simmer at least 2 hours. Strain, cool, chill overnight and then skim off fat layer.

Day 2 Make posole

To stock pot, add 2 pounds country-style pork ribs, 2 pounds beef short ribs (all pork may be used); 1 head garlic, cloves peeled, then sliced; 1 white onion, peeled and quartered; 2 carrots cut into chunks; 2 cloves garlic sliced; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 10 cups stock and 2 cups cold water.

Bring to a boil, reduce to slow simmer and skim off impurities as they rise to the top. Then add 1 teaspoon oregano, crumbled. Simmer about 2 hours. Remove meat, let cool and then shred using two forks. Set meat aside. Strain stock and discard solids.

Return meat and broth to stock pot. Add chile sauce, 2 30-oz. cans hominy, rinsed and drained, 1 teaspoon salt, about ¼ cup lime juice. Simmer another 30 minutes and taste for seasoning. Add white wine vinegar to taste.

Serve with accompaniments or chill up to 2 days. Freezes well, too.

Chile Sauce:

Remove stems and seed from 2 ozs. Dried New Mexico, ancho or pasilla chiles, or a combination. Flatten and briefly heat in medium skillet. Set them in a bowl and cover with about 2 cups boiling water. Cover and let sit up to an hour.

In blender add chiles and liquid, 14 ½ oz can chopped tomatoes, ½ white onion chopped, 1 garlic clove, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon sugar. Blend well until smooth. In skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and add sauce. Simmer until slightly thickened.

Accompaniments:

Shredded red cabbage
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Diced avocado
Sliced radishes
Lime wedges
Chopped white onion
Sour cream or Mexican crema

Here are some pictures of our 15-year-old, quickly failing Schnauzer, Demetrius, "Demi," who is having sort of a bad day today. Doesn't want to eat, just lays around, and looks pretty wobbling on his legs. His blood work looks a little better and we'll start him on some new meds today. He's lost another 1 lb. 2 oz, which for a small dog is a lot. The vet is very concerned and each time she sees Demi, asks us how his quality of life is, which a very scary question at this point. Each day is different and causes a new set of worries and challenges.

White Chocolate Ice Cream with Baked Apples

Last week we had delivered our new kitchen scale. Believe me, the last one had really lost it; it wouldn't keep weights consistently, among other troubles, so I threw it out. It lasted at least eleven years, so I guess that's pretty good. The new one is a My Weigh i5000H, 11 pound capacity, weighs in grams and pounds. We do a fair amount of bread and pastry baking, and measuring by weight is definitely the most accurate way to go. Eddie used it yesterday to weigh out white chocolate for a batch of ice cream, and it came out perfect. Yummy! We had it alongside of microwave "baked" apples with caramel sauce, another recipe I tried to avoid stove and oven cooking.

Thanks to Joe and Nick Maglieri for their advice about what kind of scale they use and recommend.

White Chocolate Ice Cream

(From "The Dessert Lover's Cookbook" by Marlene Sorosky)

6 oz. white chocolate, chopped (Eddie used Trader Joe's white choc. chips)
1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 cups milk
3 large egg yolks, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
pinch salt
1 cup half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt the chocolate with 1/2 cup milk in top of double boiler over simmering water. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Whisk yolks and sugar and salt in medium saucepan until blended. Gradually whisk in 1 1/2 cups milk and half and half. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon, until mixture is thick enough to leave a path on wooden spoon when you run a finger along it. Remove from heat. Stir in white chocolate and vanilla. Cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until cold. (May be refrigerated, covered, up to 2 days.)

Freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Serve immediately, as soft serve, or freeze up to 1 week.

Baked Apples in Caramel Sauce

(from "The Well -Filled Microwave" by Wise and Hoffman)

1/2 cup walnut halves or pieces
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 large apples, such as Granny Smiths, cored

Spread walnuts on a plate and microwave, uncovered, on High for 3 minutes, or until toasted. When cool, finely chop and set aside.

Place the brown sugar, butter and cream in a dish large enough to hold the apples without touching each other. Microwave on High for 3 minutes or until bubbling. Whisk to mix.

Set apples in the dish and stuff apples with walnuts and spoon some sauce over. Cover the dish and microwave on High for 5 to 6 minutes until apples ae soft all the way through, but still hold their shape.

To serve, spoon some sauce back over the apples.