Mojito Chicken

Dark rum. Mint. Limes. Orange Juice. Garlic. Herbs and Spices. White Wine Vinegar. Chicken.

And more.

The process of putting together Mojito Chicken is not just cooking, not just creating, it's sensual.

When it's done right - with passion.

Aroma. Flavor. Color. Texture. Blended in harmony.

Fresh ingredients.

Fresh chicken rubbed with dry spices and herbs then marinated bursts with pungent fragrance. Muy bueno!

Ah, but why stop there? Soak these crazy kids overnight in rum, white wine vinegar, the juice of oranges and limes, garlic, and olive oil and the mingling and mischief increase.

Brown the chicken in coconut oil.

Bake it for awhile, glaze and broil it then serve it up with plenty of limes and warm glaze.

Spicy and tangy Mojito Chicken is more than a meal. It's an event...

...and a chance to spend time with family chatting, eating, and lingering over the goodness of life.

Aebleskivers

A traditional Danish pancake, spherical in shape, often with apples inside, Aebleskivers are one of the special treats we look forward to each summer at the Scandinavian Festival.

Cassie has been begging for the special pan these treats require so she could cook up a batch anytime here at home. She saved up her money. The longed-for pan arrived today.

The batter is poured into the pan and right away the rotating begins. These have been rotated once.


Cassie and Caroline were smiling the entire time, I think. The house smelled divine. Here Cassie rotates the little pancakes with a bamboo skewer.


In this action shot you can see the skewer has stabbed and is rotating one of the pancakes.


Nearly done.


Removing the aebleskivers to a bowl where they will be dusted with powdered sugar. They are often served with jelly or jam as well. Though aebleskivers resemble doughnut holes, they have the lightness of pancakes. Very airy and delicious.


I didn't get any clear photos of them freshly dusted (too busy eating and enjoying them, I guess.) These are the cold leftovers. I have no doubt they'll be eaten tomorrow if I leave them on the counter!

Boy, did we have fun!

Bacon and Herbs Mac' 'N Cheese

All my life I've waited for the perfect Macaroni and Cheese recipe to find me. Boxed stuff repulses me, sorry. I have particular tastes when it comes to cheese, too. But still, Mac and Cheese requires so much more than good cheese.

My mom puts a can of tomato sauce on hers, along with slabs of cheese, a little milk, and white flour pasta. The family goes wild with delight, replicating it in their own homes.

I never liked it, though. Sorry Mom. (She doesn't read my blogs - I'm safe.)
Yesterday, a recipe presented itself in Sunset magazine. I jumped. I shopped. I bought. I handled with care, prepared, and with the help of Tom and the girls we created what to us is the Best Macaroni and Cheese We've Ever Tasted, scorched bread crumbs and all. Imagine sinking a spoon down into this ramekin of pasta and finding creamy cheeses, fresh herbs, garlic, green onions, bacon, and Italian whole wheat macaroni.

You can find the recipe here. It is very quick to make - no sauces to stir up, fast broil time. My ramkins must be smaller than the recipe calls for as I had enough left over to fill five more of the little pots for another meal. Nice!

I'll be repeating this gem again and again, I'm sure!

'I Would Be Like Rome'

"There's a power struggle going on across Europe these days. A few cities are competing against each other to see who shall emerge as the great twenty-first-century European metropolis. Will it be London? Paris? Berlin? Zurich? Maybe Brussels, center of the young union? They all strive to outdo one another culturally, architecturally, politically, fiscally. But Rome, it should be said, has not bothered to join the race for status. Rome doesn't compete. Rome just watches all the fussing and striving, completely unfazed, exuding an air like: Hey - do whatever you want, but I'm still Rome. I am inspired by the regal self-assurance of this town, so grounded and rounded, so amused and monumental, knowing that she is held securely in the palm of history. I would like to be Rome when I am an old lady." ~~ Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat Pray Love

Wish You Were Here

Happy Valentine's Day from me to you. Hope you feel the love today.

Stirrings

Hear them? Those quiet stirrings in your hibernated soul? Feel easy stretching, fluttering lids? Smell new air, year's morning? See bashful life-evidence entering? Taste the fresh, the promise, the hope?


See growth humbly pushing up and out from soil, branches,


Up from satiated belly to mind rises melodic creativity in tune with welcomed gifts from the natural world...of which I am part.


Gentle Spring's hopeful telegram, "ON MY WAY"

Corn Cakes

From a borrowed library book entitled Spirit of the West I found these hearty corn cakes years ago. Every member of my family hugs me when I make them. An alternative to cornbread, these crunchy, golden, fried cakes are a perfect complement to bean dishes, Mexican food, or a leafy salad. Anything, really. We eat the leftovers cold as snacks. No sugar added, but corn is sweet.

Corn Cakes

2 c. yellow cornmeal
1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. corn oil (I use canola just because it's what I have on hand. Corn would probably enhance the corn flavor.)

Mix all. Stir in 2 cups boiling water. Stir well. Form into patties (10 - 12) and put into heated oil in skillet (medium heat). 3-5 minutes per side 'till golden brown. (Tonight I used a soup spoon and carefully spooned batter into the oil. They were a little smaller but I didn't have to wait for the batter to cool from the boiling water. They turned out perfectly. Forming patties is sorta messy.)

Why is it that preparing foods my family loves, food that nourishes their bodies and tickles their taste buds, gives me such pleasure? I love them. Perhaps this is a well-received way to show it - and that satisfies.