Boys of Summer

We took the kids out for their first Major League Baseball game today.  Neither hubby nor I have ever been to  Angels Stadium before (I was raised by blue-blood Dodger fans), so we packed the family in the van and headed down to Anaheim (and just past Disneyland, to the dismay of the little ones).  It turned out to be a wonderful day for a ball-game.  We were in the peanut gallery (read cheap seats) and that's where all the shade was!  The Angels won against the Seattle Mariners, 4 to 2.

Sugarbear with the requisite ball-park fare:  a hot dog (with plenty of ketchup).

 Woo-hoo!!!!!

Running the bases after the game.

And speaking of the Boys of Summer, this is one of my most favorite songs of all time:

So Cheesy

I usually think of cheese balls as fall/winter party fare.  However, when I was looking for recipes to try for my friend's 4th of July party, I came across this version, in the January 2011 issue of Cook's Country magazine,  made with goat cheese and summery flavors of lemon and basil.  Don't let the goat cheese turn you off, it adds a nice tang, but not a lot of it's own flavor.  This is easy to make and serves a crowd, so I'll be keeping this in my spring/summer recipe file.

Someone on Facebook mentioned that it looks like a Chia Pet.  I can see the resemblance.  However, my cheese ball tastes MUCH better than a Chia Pet would (not that I've ever tasted one).

Lemon-Herb Goat Cheese Ball

1.  Combine an 11oz log of plain goat cheese (about 2 cups crumbled), an 8oz brick softened cream cheese, 1 minced garlic clove, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, and 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest in a food processor until smooth.

2.  Transfer the cheese mixture to the center of a large sheet of plastic wrap and wrap tightly into a ball shape.  Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours or up to two days.  (I found that it helped to keep the ball in a reound bowl to help it keep it's shape.)

3.  Once the cheese is firm, reshape it as necessary to form a smooth ball.  Unwrap and roll in 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh chives.  Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

I served mine with round pita crackers from Trader Joe's.  They go really well with this spread.

Yippee!

I was checking my e-mail this morning when I received the best news.  I am the winner of the America's Test Kitchen Spinach Fresh Food Challenge.  I won a copy of their Healthy Family Cookbook!  I'm so excited, 'cause I don't win things that often.  I'm thinking I should go out and buy a lottery ticket.

Here is a post I did a while back on this recipe.  It's so simple and yummy, and perfect for a warm summer night.

Butter Toffee Popcorn

The family and I've been invited to a 4th of July party, so I've been busy whipping up some snacks to share.  I found a recipe for Butter Toffee Popcorn (homemade Cracker Jack) in the October/November 2010 issue of Cook's Country Magazine that I've been wanting to make for a while now, and figured this was the right time to try it out.  I made two batches.

One to bring to the party:

And one to share with the neighbors (and the Mother-in-Law):

Butter Toffee Popcorn

1.  Heat the oven to 250 degrees.  Grease a 4-quart glass casserole dish or large roasting pan.  Place 3-quarts popped popcorn in the pan.

2.  Melt 10 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add 1-1/2 cups packed light brown sugar, 1/2 cup dark corn syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.  Off heat, stir in 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (mixture will foam).  Add 2 cups salted peanuts and pour mixture over popcorn, tossing to coat.  Don't worry if the popcorn isn't completely coated at first.  It will be easier to mix as it spends time in the oven.

3.  Bake, stirring occasionally, until popcorn is deep golden brown and caramel has set, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.  (My batches took the full
1-1/2 hours.)  Cool to room temperature and serve.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days.  Hide it from husbands and daughters who like to sneak pieces throughout the day.

Oreo Pudding Pops

I'm a sucker for those little cookbooks that they display in the checkout line at the supermarket.  I've been practicing self-control and haven't purchased any in quite a long time, but I saw this one and it spoke to me, being that Oreos are the only cookie that Sugarbear will eat (he'll even choose them over homemade, from scratch cookies).

As I was flipping through the book, I came across the recipe for Oreo Cookies and Creme Pudding Pops.  Fond memories of Bill Cosby popped into my head for some reason, and I decided to try them out.  They were easy to make and Sweetpea liked them.  Of course Sugarbear wanted nothing to do with them; he is sticking with plain ol' Oreos, thank you very much.

I don't know, they look pretty good to me:

Oreo Cookies and Creme Pudding Pops

1.   Beat 1 package (3.4 oz) Jell-O Vanilla Instant Pudding and
2 cups cold, whole milk with a whisk for 2 minutes.

2.  Chop 6 regular Oreo cookies; crush 8 Oreos into fine crumbs.  Spoon half of the crushed cookies onto the bottoms of 10 (3 oz) Dixie cups.

3.  Add 1/2 cup thawed Cool Whip to the pudding and stir until just blended.  Fold in the chopped Oreos.  Spoon the pudding mixture into the prepared cups and top with the remaining crushed cookies.

4.  Insert popsicle sticks into each for a handle.  Freeze 5 hours or until firm.  To remove the pops from the cups, roll each cup between your hands until the pop loosens and can be pushed out of the cup.

Summer Birthday

My sweet mama turned 86 today!  Five of my six brothers and sisters and I met up at her house to help her celebrate.  We decided to have an Italian-style feast featuring Bruschetta and Crostini, Baked Manicotti, Sea Salt and Rosemary Focaccia, and Garlic Bread.  My sister baked her most delicious 14-Carrot Cake.  I'm still stuffed.

Here's my lovely mom at age 16:

and here she is today:

For this post, I'm going to share the recipe for the Bruschetta and Crostini:

It just tastes of summer, with my favorite combination of tomatoes, basil and garlic.  This recipe comes from Susan Branch's The Summer Book.


Bruschetta y Crostini

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 450-degrees.

2.  For the crostini, slice a baguette into 1/4-inch slices.  Place the slices on a large baking sheet.  Brush the bread with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.  Toast the bread in the hot oven until golden brown.

3.  Remove the cores and seeds from fresh, summer tomatoes (I usually use about 6).  Dice the tomatoes.

4.  For each cup of diced tomatoes, add the following: 
2 tablespoons slivered, fresh basil, 2 tablespoons minced green onion, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar, a pinch of red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste.  Mix well and let sit at room temperature for at least one hour.  Serve on top of the crostini. 

Fresh, easy and yummy.  This is one of my all-time favorite appetizers.

Sweetpea loves her Grandma, too.

Of Dads and Crumb Cakes

Last Sunday was Father's Day and I was seriously missing my daddy and my daddy-in-law.  They both passed away, within two weeks of each other, ten years ago.  I wish that my children could have known them better.  Sweetpea was barely two when they departed this life and Sugarbear never got to meet them.  It is a tremendous loss to my children not to have these wonderful men in their lives. 

Luckily, my kiddos have a wonderful daddy of their own.  He is hard-working, honest, trustworthy, loving, kind, smart, and loyal, as well as very good-looking.  Where I am a homebody, he is the one who gets us to the beach or out for a bike ride.  Through him, I see what an important and necessary role a father plays in his family.

To honor hubby on his special day, I made sure to bake his favorite crumb cakes for him.  Who am I kidding, they're my favorite, as well.  These are the tender, little cakes that he chooses over white cake with buttercream frosting for his birthday each year.  And they are the traditional Father's Day treat in our home.

Crumb Cake a la mode.

I received this gem of a recipe from the good folks at King Arthur Flour.  The recipe came with some cute 4-inch paper tart pans, that they no longer sell.  Luckily, I found these 4-inch pans from Wilton that work perfectly for these cakes.  Mini springform pans would probably work, as well.  I checked their site to see if the recipe was posted there, but I couldn't find this particular one, so I will share it with you here:

Crumb Cakes

1.  Grease nine 4-inch pans lightly.  (My pans are non-stick.  If yours aren't, you may want to grease and flour them.)  Pre-heat the oven to 325-degrees.

2.  For the streusel topping:  in a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons shortening, 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 6 tablespoons packed brown sugar, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon salt.  Mix just until crumbly.  Set aside in the refrigerator.

3.  For the cakes:  beat together 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened, unsalted butter with 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar  for 2 minutes.  Add 3 large, room-temperature eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Continue beating for 5 minutes longer at medium-high speed.  In a medium bowl, sift together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour* with 1/8 teaspoon baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt.  In another bowl or large measuring cup, mix 1/2 cup plain, whole-fat yogurt with 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest.

4.  Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with the yogurt mixture, beginning and ending with the flour.  Place the 9 prepared pans on a large baking sheet and measure 1/4 cup of batter into each pan, distributing it evenly among the pans.

5.  Bake the cakes for 15 minutes, or until they look just barely set on top.  Remove them from the oven (leave oven on), sprinkle them evenly with the streusel, and return them to the oven.  You'll want to do this rather quickly, so that the cakes aren't out of the oven too long.  Bake for an additional 15 to 18 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.

6.  Cool in the pans for 10 minutes.  Run a small, thin spatula around the edge of each cake and remove it from the pan.  Leave on a wire rack until completely cool.  Then eat them all up, quickly, unless you're prepared to share.

*I used King Arthur all-purpose, unbleached flour.  The test kitchen at King Arthur Flour measures flour with the spoon in / level off method.  If using a kitchen scale, you will need 6-3/8 ounces flour.  If you don't already have one, a kitchen scale should be on your baking wish-list.  It is a much more accurate way to measure ingredients and helps to divide doughs and batters evenly.   A 1/4-cup disher (scoop) is also useful for this recipe and others like it. 

 Sweetpea likes them for her birthday, too!