Late Summer Garden: Basil Pesto

Sweet baby girl picking basil from the garden.

The end of summer is near. Well, the kids are all back in school but the weather hasn't changed much. Nevertheless, all the summer gardening has come to fruition, the tomatos are delicious and the watermelons are growing. Or maybe you just threw some basil in a pot and called it quits when the temperature soared to the 100's in JUNE! Either way, it's time to use some of the leaves from those giant basil plants that we keep pruning before they go to seed and turn bitter. So here is your August reminder...pick that basil... and if you are wondering what to do with it, here are a few ideas.

Consider tomato basil soup, the recipe is coming soon, though I realize this little gem has been cirulating for some time. The kids love it with a small salad or fresh veggies and sourdough bread. Think "La Madeleine". Maybe grab a few leaves and tuck them along with some sundried tomatos under the skin of your chicken before you bake it.

Or, make some pesto! We have made this recipe several times in my cooking classes and the kids really like it. Pesto is readily available at the supermarket these days, but I promise, if you make homemade...you'll appreciate the difference. So, gather all the family together at the table and enjoy this simple but delicious recipe.

Fresh Basil Pesto with Pasta

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts

3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

You do need either a food processor or blender to make pesto! First, combine the basil and the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor or blend on high a few seconds in the blender. Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor or blender is in motion. Stop to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. It will make about 1 cup of pesto which is enough for a pound of pasta.

Fresh pesto is great on any kind of pasta but bowtie pasta is fun and yummy! So, cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain the boiling pasta. Then immediately pour into a bowl and add the pesto while the pasta is still steaming hot. Add a salad and serve to your family and friends for a yummy dinner!

Chicken and Dumplings

Fall is coming and even though we are still sweltering in the Texas heat, I find myself looking over all those warm, delicious recipes I make when autumn finally does arrive. I decided to share my mom’s chicken and dumplings recipe with you, because I honestly make this year round.

Each of my children request this meal on their birthdays (no happy meals for them) and just yesterday my daughter asked me to make it for dinner. Now I realize EVERYONE in the south has a favorite version of chicken and dumplings passed down from Grandma, but I created a short cut for those of us with extremely busy lives. So, crank down the AC, pretend it’s a cool autumn evening and try my version of a Southern classic.

Mom’s Chicken and Dumplings

Broth

1 whole cooked rotisserie chicken (see my February blog for recipe or pick one up at the grocery store if you are in a hurry)

2 quarts of water

1-2 teaspoons salt

pepper to taste

carrots (optional)

Dumplings

3 cups flour

1½ cups water

1 teaspoon salt

Place the rotisserie chicken in a large cooking pot and cover with water (approximately 2 quarts) and cover with lid. Place on stove and cook over low heat letting it simmer for 1- 1 ½ hours. Remove pot from heat and carefully place chicken on a large plate or platter. Strain and reserve all stock, pouring it back into the pot. Place the stock pot with stock back over low heat and continue to simmer. Let chicken cool and then debone, pulling it into small pieces and placing in the broth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

As the chicken broth simmers, make the dumplings. Measure 3 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add 1½ cups water and stir until the dough comes together into a nice ball. Flour a work surface and place dough in the center, kneading just until the dough comes together and is smooth. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin into a rectangle approximately 12” by 15” or until dough is a ¼ inch thick. Cut dough lengthwise into long 1 inch strips. Then cut each strip into 2 inch pieces forming large bite-sized pieces.

My dumplings are rectangles about 1”x2” but you can make them any size. Dust the top of the dumplings with more flour and carefully drop them into the simmering broth one or two at a time. After all the dumplings are in, you can add baby carrots as an option is you want to sneak in some vegetables. Simmer for another 20 minutes and serve.

French Madeleines

French Madeleines

I am so excited! I just got my new madeleine pan delivered to my door from Amazon. I felt just like a little kid opening a package on Christmas morning. I don't know how many of you have enjoyed these tasty little cakes, but they are wonderful when served fresh from the oven. You can buy them at La Madeleines or Starbucks even, but they are not cheap. They taste great with coffee or hot tea and I have wanted to make my own for some time now. I perused several recipes, but never could find the special madeleine pan when shopping around town.

I finally decided to just buy online and in just a couple of days...POOF...like magic it was sitting at my door. So, today I will share a recipe with you for Madeleines. I actually read over several recipes and tried a few of them, but the key factor that gives them their nutty flavor, seems to be in melting and browning the butter. Not all recipes call for this, but it is worth the extra time.

Speaking of time, it really doesn't take much time at all. It takes about the same time as homemade chocolate chip cookies, but oh so good! Only problem is that they don't last. This is now the sad fact...I wish that I would have bought 2 pans, so that I could have double batches cooking at the same time. Oh, well...my birthday is coming up so I'll file that "gift idea" for later. Technically you could make these little cakes in a mini muffin pan, but they do look beautiful in their classic shell pattern. So, think about the small investment...as a madeleine crumbles in my mouth, I decide it is worth it!

French Madeleines Recipe

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter 4 large eggs

2/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon good vanilla extract

1 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon salt

zest of one large lemon powered sugar

First, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small pan, melt the butter over medium heat until it's brown and gives off a deliciously nutty aroma. The butter will need to cook around 20 minutes, to achieve the beautiful golden brown color. Remove butter from heat and strain it over a small bowl using a paper towel over a mesh strainer. You want to remove the fat solids and leave the clarified butter.

While the butter is cooling, spray cooking oil evenly into each shell of the madeleine pan making sure you get into all the ridges. Dust with flour and invert the pan, tapping out the excess flour.

Crack the four eggs into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. You can use a hand held mixer if you want, just be sure to use a spatula when folding in the flour. Add salt and whip on high speed until thick and the eggs double to triple in volume, approximately 3 minutes. Continue to mix on high speed, slowly adding the sugar in a steady stream. Whip for another couple minutes unitl the mixture is thick.

Fold in the lemon zest and vanilla with a spatula. Next, fold in the flour and butter mixture, alternating each and stirring just until incoporated. Sppon battter into the molds of the pan, filling each one 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the edges of the Madeleines are golden brown. Remove from oven and unmold immediately. Cool on racks and dust with powdered sugar.

Good Manners Examined

With my manners class, as with all my classes, I am always hopeful that the the skills learned during our lessons will be reviewed and cultivated at home. As skills are taught, they can only become habits if we practice them. As I prepared for the manners class this week, I was reminded how important it is to teach our children good manners. Etiquette does include, of course, learning good table manners...which fork to use for each course served at a fine restaurant...but it is so much more than that.

Ultimately, using good manners is a way for us to show kindness to others by exhibiting thoughtful behavior. When we say please and thank you, we are expressing the gratitude that exists in our hearts. Practicing good habits in order for them to become habits in our lives does not reduce them to rote memorization. Instead, I think that the kindness we show through our manners can lead our hearts to be more in tune with people's needs, helping us to think about how our actions can affect those around us.

Consider the simple acts of human interaction...meeting someone for the first time, sitting down to meals with family and friends, waiting in line at the grocery store or in a crowded airport...all these moments are more pleasant when we are considerate. When we smile, look people in the eyes, speak clearly, wait patiently and listen without interruption, we are showing others that we care about them.

Why not take some time this summer, when our schedules are slower and the hot days of summer cause us to flee indoors, to learn about and then practice manners together as a family. I have a list below of table manners to help you get started, but consider other everyday manners like making introductions, writing thank you notes and letters, eating out and traveling, or even visiting the sick or elderly.

We have been working with our children on interacting with adults from making introductions to responding to teachers and neighbors with confidence and respect. We noticed the differences in teenagers whose parents worked on these issues, how they not only seemed kinder and more respectful, but also older and more confident. We desire to cultivate those good habits in our own children. We hope to give our children positive instruction that develops character and confidence, which aids their growth into mature and productive adults. And though our family is a work in progress, with stressful days, tears and confessions (Mom included), I am hopeful that these little lessons will take root in their hearts and one day, if God allows, to partake in its sweet fruition.

Starting with the Table!

Arrive at the table with clean hands and face.

Leave toys, books, and pets behind.

When you sit down, place the napkin in your lap.

Sit up straight and stay seated.

Ask politely for dishes to be passed. Never reach across the table. Say “Please” and “Thank you.”

Wait until everyone is seated and served before starting to eat. If grace is said, wait to eat until it is completed. Don't giggle during grace.

Keep your elbows off table.

Never chew with your mouth open.

Never talk with a mouth full of food.

Use utensils quietly without banging them on the table or plate. You should place your knife softly on the edge of the plate when not in use.

Don’t criticize the food.

Talk with everyone.

Keep your knife out of your mouth.

Never play with your food.

Never grab food from other people's plates.

Ask politely for seconds if you want them.

Ask to be excused from the table.

Clear your plate from the table and take it into the kitchen.

July Summer Camps

I'm back from Paris with pastries on the brain!

Just in time to try out some recipes for July cooking camps.

A few spaces are still available,

so let me know if your child would like to attend!

Manners Matter: Traveling in Style $65

July 13-16

Having good manners are important every day, not just when we sit down to dine at a fancy restaurant. This four-week session will focus on etiquette, setting the table and good table manners as we cook recipes that test even the neatest and most polite child!

Please don’t think this is a “stuffy, boring” class…for we will use our etiquette expertise to “travel” to exotic lands and have…high tea in England…pastries on the sidewalk cafes of Paris…fondue on the long voyage aboard the Orient Express from Paris, Vienna, Amsterdam to Turkey…and a fine dining experience at the Plaza in New York.

Mon.-Thurs. 10 am-12 pm K-6^th grade

2- 4 pm K-6^th grade*

Camp-Out Cuisine $65

July 20-23

You don’t have to be a master chef to prepare camping foods, but if you use the culinary skills of one, you are sure to elevate these simple and fun recipes to an art form. In this class, we will learn how to prepare food in foil over a campfire, learn what foods to take on the trail, create dinner on a stick and how to safely use the outdoor grill. We can’t forget the classic s’more…but we will try it with our own homemade marshmallows. Yum!

Mon.-Thurs. 10 am-12 pm K-6^th grade

2- 4 pm K-6^th grade*

Summer Cooking Camps are Back!

Join us for a week-long course, for elementary-age kids, designed with a unique and exciting theme that offers hands-on participation, detailed cooking instruction and their very own notebook full of recipes to take home!  Plus, every day the kids get to eat what they create!  The camps will run Monday through Thursday during the months of June and July at my home in Fairfield.  Your kids are invited to join the fun as I look forward to teaching them the art of cooking!

 

 

Cooks and Books Returns

June 8-11           $65

Mon.-Thurs.   10 am-12 pm           K-6^th grade

                   2- 4 pm                  K-6^th grade*

 All new books and all new recipes will make this a favorite class for children of all ages. 

Think “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”!!  Kids will look at stories a whole new way, as they create recipes inspired from some of their favorite books.  Classic children’s stories like “Stone Soup” and new favorites like “If You Give A Pig A Pancake” offer plenty of inspiration for growing gourmets.  We will bake bread like the little red hen, eat like the hungry caterpillar and perhaps reprise our favorite “Green Eggs and Ham.”  Come hungry for good books and good food.

  

Around the World in 4 Days

June 15-18                   $65

Mon.-Thurs.   10 a.m.-12 p.m.       K-6^th grade **morning class only

Kids will be transported around the world as they learn the customs, culture, language and food specialties of countries different from their own.  Campers will learn that trying new foods can be fun, especially as they are enveloped in the culture of a foreign land.  We will “visit” Japan, Greece, Italy and France as we travel around the world, learning how to prepare exotic food for friends and family.  What a fun way to learn to cook…especially when chopsticks are included!

 

*** I will be traveling to Europe between these classes…from London to Brussels, Amsterdam and Paris…looking for yummy recipes to bring back to the children for the next class.

  

Manners Matter: Traveling in Style

July 13-16           $65

Mon.-Thurs.   10 am-12 pm           K-6^th grade

                   2- 4 pm                  K-6^th grade*

Having good manners are important every day, not just when we sit down to dine at a fancy restaurant.  This four-week session will focus on etiquette, setting the table and good table manners as we cook recipes that test even the neatest and most polite child!  Please don’t think this is a “stuffy, boring” class…for we will use our etiquette expertise to “travel” to exotic lands and have…high tea in England…pastries on the sidewalk cafes of Paris…fondue on the long voyage aboard the Orient Express from Paris, Vienna, Amsterdam to Turkey…and a fine dining experience at the Plaza in New York.   

  

Camp-Out Cuisine

July 20-23           $65

Mon.-Thurs.   10 am-12 pm           K-6^th grade

                   2- 4 pm                  K-6^th grade*

You don’t have to be a master chef to prepare camping foods, but if you use the culinary skills of one, you are sure to elevate these simple and fun recipes to an art form.  In this class, we will learn how to prepare food in foil over a campfire, learn what foods to take on the trail, create dinner on a stick and how to safely use the outdoor grill.  We can’t forget the classic s’more…but we will try it with our own homemade marshmallows.  Yum!

 

*Two classes will be offered as long as there is enough participation. 

Overnight French Toast with Praline Sauce

So you missed my "Mother's Day Brunch" class but now you are scrambling (no pun intended) to think of something to make for Mom.  With only a few days left to plan, shop and cook, I decided to send out one of the recipes from the class.  This is one of the favorite breakfast treats  I make when we have company.  Don't you want to come visit?  

It is similar to a bread pudding (but that's for another post) and has all the ingredients of French Toast without the hassle of making it while everyone is standing around with their plates waiting on you. Make it the night before and bake it in the morning.  Now... go, cook and celebrate all the "mothers" in your life!

Overnight French Toast Casserole with Praline Sauce

1 loaf of French bread 6 eggs

1 1/2 cups half and half 1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Topping:

1 stick softened butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 Tablespoons corn syrup

1 cup chopped pecans

Cut French bread into 1 inch cubes.  You should have about 10-12 cups of cubes.  Place the cubes in baking dish.  In a separate bowl, crack the eggs and whisk until smooth.  Add the half and half, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg and whisk until well blended.  Pour the egg mixture evenly over the cubed bread.  Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.  

In the morning, remove the foil from the French toast casserole.  Mix together the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and nuts in a small bowl. Drop the mixture in little spoonfuls over the French toast.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.  Serve with praline sauce.

Praline Sauce

1 sticks butter 1/2 bag of light brown sugar

1 cups water 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk

In a sauce pan, melt the butter, sugar, water and condensed milk.  Bring mixture to boil and then reduce to medium heat. Cook about 5 minutes until the sugar is dissolved and it is ready to be spooned over the baked French toast.