2014 in Review (Part 2)

So we left off in June. Let's see what the rest of 2014 brought:

July
So what was going on in July? There was basic Vinaigrette, Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake, and Smokey Corn on the cob.

August
There was Chocolate Creme de Menthe cake that happened by accident, Whipped Cream Pound Cake, and Chocolate Mud Cake. But don't think that August was only about cakes there was also homemade Mozzarella

September
This month there was homemade pasta, and garden tomato and cream pasta, and it wasn't just about carbs, there was zucchini quiche too.

October
There was toasted pepitas, homemade creme fraiche, and how can we forget the whole sauerkraut episode, but the banana chocolate cake cheered us up - didn't it? as did the vacuum sealer.

November
We were thankful that the sauerkraut finally turned out well, and that there were Parker House Rolls, we were especially thankful for the new kid on the block, as well as the Chocolate Crinkle Cookies and that everything turned out well for Thanksgiving.

December

Then not so long ago we ate our home grown lemons, went down memory lane with tuna casserole, ate aniseed meringues, learned how to cut up a whole chicken, and lamented the fact that I didn't get a puppy but was cheered by the Sous Vide.

Well let's see what 2015 brings (and let's hope there's a puppy somewhere in there!)

Comments

New Kid on the Block

So here's a picture of the new kid on the block. Ain't she a beauty? It's a Blomberg . They are fairly new to the US. They have been around in Europe for quite a while. I really liked the design. I've been dying to have a freezer on the bottom. With the old refrigerator I would constantly lose brain cells by hitting my head on the freezer will poking around in the refrigerator. It really makes sense to have the refrigerator on top - that is where you spend most of your time. When we bought the old one, it was an emergency situation. The prior one was leaking on the floor and was no longer cooling. Fifteen years ago the freezer on the bottom was just starting to get popular but we were in no situation to wait for delivery. We had to take what they had on hand. Now the freezer on the bottom is by no means unique. What is - is this freezer's design. There are 3 compartments in the freezer. I used to have a chest freezer in the basement and everything would get los...

Mr. Boston

Since we were discussing cocktails, I thought I would discuss Mr. Boston . The Sous Chef has his father's Mr. Boston and then the girls one year for Christmas got him the new version. They are different enough that you need to keep both of them. We had once thought about working our way through the book but then decided that probably wasn't a good idea. We have found some really tasty treats though. Old Mr. Boston/New Mr. Boston Here is one of them: Banana Foster (from New Mr. Boston) 2 scoops vanilla ice cream 1 1/2 oz spiced rum 1/2 oz banana liqueur 1 medium banana cinnamon Combine ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a large glass and sprinkle with cinnamon I guess there is one improvement with the new Mr. Boston - the index is a bit better. In the old version, you cannot look up the drink by name. You can only look it up by liquor - which doesn't really help you out if you don't know what is in say a grasshopper and just wa...

Almond & Jam Tarts

These are quite impressive looking but very easy to make - especially if you buy ground almonds. The really nice part is that you just press the dough into the tart pans. The only rolling is for the cut outs. Peach Jam Currant Jam Almond & Jam Tarts (Adapted from Bon Appetit ) Makes 2 tarts 7 oz (approx 2 cups) Ground Almonds or Hazelnuts* 4 1/2 c flour 2 1/4 t kosher salt 1 1/2 t baking powder 2 t nutmeg 1 1/2 c sugar 3 sticks butter 6 T heavy cream 3 egg yolks 1 t almond extract 1 Earl Grey tea bag 1 1/2 c apricot jam** 1 1/2 c plum jam** 2 t orange zest 1 egg 1/4 c raw sugar Mix almonds, flour, salt, baking powder and nutmeg in a bowl. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg yolks, cream, and almond extract. Mix well. Gradually add flour/almond mixture and mix until combined. Divide dough into 3 equal parts, flatten 1 into disk and chill for at least 1 hour. Press the remaining two doughs into tart pans cover and chill....

Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

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