Kitt-tea

Who wouldn't want tea served from this cute little teapot? Adorable, but left at the Goodwill...

Accoutrement

For my birthday, I received a stash of cooking and entertaining accoutrement from friends and family...

I picked out this serving set when I was shopping with mom sometime last year, but had completely forgotten about them. I think the proportion of eat; short and kind of fat, I think they'll great with a lot of my dishes, but especially the Paul McCobb.

I had been wanting a salt pig for while, but have never wanted to dedicate the counter space to one. So, when Crate and Barrel came out with these baby salt pigs, I was smitten. I have already had one for plain and one for black lava salt, so I put smoked salt in the third. I have to refill the plain one more than I probably want to, but I still appreciate the diminutive size. Likewise, I don't mash up things with a mortar and pestle often enough to have a giant one, but this tiny example is perfect for a few spices or maybe a clove of garlic. It's so cute, it should have a little smiley face on it.

Jimmy & Ellie gave me a couple of very thoughtful gifts...

This brilliant creamer and sugar was designed by Russel Wright and matches my new set of dishes found over the holidays. The creamer is the lid of the sugar bowl, saving precious table (or cabinet) space. Ingenious. And, it is the covetous 'Pink Sherbet.'

This amazing item is probably a bread server? It has a small basket inside to keep whatever you put in it suspended and away from the wall of the sphere. It's also designed by Russel Wright and is what I would consider to be a very rare example of his spun aluminum creations. I don't have any in my collection and have personally only seen them in museum exhibitions like the one the Wolfsonian organized several years ago about design and aluminum. Does it remind you of anyone? From Sesame Street??

Wonderful presents; wonderful surprise party; wonderful friends and family.

Thank you!

Red Quinoa Salad

This isn't so much a recipe, as it is an idea: a delicious quinoa salad that is easy to prepare and perfect to pack in lunches for the week. I tossed red quinoa with roasted veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms and parsnips) and a creamy garlic vinaigrette then added chopped celery, sliced green onion and walnuts. Delicious and simple.

I also roasted more veggies than I could use in the salad so I could use the rest in wraps or toss with greens for a simple salad. For the quinoa salad, use about 1 cup uncooked quinoa, 2 1/2 to 3 cups roasted veggies, 2-3 ribs of celery, 3 green onions and 1/4 cup coarsely-chopped walnuts.

Recipe: Creamy Garlic Vinaigrette
1/4 cup mayonnaise (I used Vegenaise)
2 cloves crushed garlic
4 tbsp Champagne vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt

In big yellow bowl, whisk together the mayo, garlic, vinegar and salt to taste (about 1 tsp, you can add more later). Continue whisking as you drizzle in the olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning; I always want a little more vinegar than most people. And remember, not too much salt as I assume you salted your veggies when you roasted then! You can adjust again after you get it all combined.

Add the veggies; toss and add the celery, green onions and walnuts; finally, fold in the quinoa. Taste and adjust seasoning, including freshly ground pepper.

Four serving.

I guess it is a recipe after all! Enjoy.

Recipe: Sloppy Joes

Sometimes you just want something comforting, simple and delicious for dinner and after Ellie or Jimmy had mentioned Sloppy Joes the a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't think of anything better. I used my mom's recipe which she thinks she got from her mother. It's simple and why mess with something that tastes this good? I like to use toasted wheat buns and serve the sandwich open-faced, and I added some sliced radishes for a little spicy crunch and topped with a bit of 'cheese.' Of course, I use burger crumbles instead of ground meat, but otherwise this is just how momma used to make it. Perfection!

Recipe: Barbara's Sloppy Joes
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 12-oz package burger crumbles
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup vinegar (Use white if you like a pungent vinegar flavor, but you also use an apple cider like I did tonight.)
3 tbsp. brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
2 tsp prepared mustard (I used a sweet and spicy)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the onion and cook until it begins to soften. Add the burger crumbles and cook for three more minutes until the crumbles begin to thaw. Meanwhile, in a two-cup measuring cup combine the rest of the ingredients and whisk to blend. Add to the onion-crumble mixture and simmer until it thickens, five to ten more minutes.

Serve on toasted buns (if you like) either sandwich style or open-faced. Add radish or cucumber for some crunch, or top with a little cheese. What goes with Sloppy Joes? BBQ beans, (sloppy) broccolini with cheese sauce or maybe even a little potato salad!

Recipe: Southwest Corn Chowder

Recipe: Southwest Corn Chowder
A perfect hearty and warming chowder for those cold days that are still ahead...

2-3 tbsp olive oil
6-8 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
3-4 medium-sized carrots, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 tsp. chipotle chili powder (or regular, but the chipotle [or Mexican style] gives it a nice smokey flavor.)
1 tsp. oregano
2 cloves of garlic, pressed, mashed or finely chopped
2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into a 1/2-inch dice
2 12-ounce packages of frozen corn
4 cups broth (I used vegetarian chicken broth. Yes, they make such a thing.)
2 cups milk (This can be easily veganized, as I did, by using an unsweetened almond milk)

In a medium to large sized pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat then add the white part of the scallion, carrots, chili powder and oregano. Stir occasionally and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the scallions begin to soften and the garlic and spices are fragrant. Add the potato, corn broth and milk. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and continue to simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through and can be easily pierced with the tip of a knife. Add the remaining green portion of the scallions and serve.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Possible additions at the table:
Pico de gallo or a chunky salsa, if you want to spice it up
Diced avocado
Strips of tortillas, fried until crispy
A squeeze of lime
Diced tomato
Toasted pumpkin seeds

And what could be better with this than a warm, crisp and melty quesadilla?

Mangez!

Queen of Country Pies

Mildred in her early twenties. When she first showed me this photo, I remember
her telling me that her coat and hat were red, which was always her favorite color to wear.

Today was my Mam-ma's birthday--one week and a day before mine. She has been gone for almost five years, but I still like to recognize her birthday by baking something. I often make her hummingbird cake, which I always say was her 'best cake,' but it didn't sound right for some reason. I thought about making a Jewish pound cake she loved. I remember calling her for the recipe and writing it on the inside back cover of one of my cookbooks. But, I couldn't find the book and I imagine it's still in storage in a box, so perhaps I'll make that next year. Or sooner! So, after a little more thought I finally decided: pie! While Mam-ma could make a fantastic cake, it seems her baking ran more to sweet and delicious pies. Miles and miles of pies!

I remember holidays when the console record player would be covered in pies. Or, if it were an especially large family gathering, there might even be a special table set-up in the cold garage to store the pies and other desserts. Pecan pie (dad's favorite), pumpkin pie, apple pie and more pies. I always loved the pumpkin and she always remembered to make real whipped cream for me to put on top, which I preferred to the more ubiquitous Cool Whip. I was not a picky eater, just a particular one. Ask my mother about rice, if you doubt me.

And chess pie. What the heck is chess pie? It is a simple, country creation, a custard of the most basic proportions. My father gently mocks his younger cousins who remember the wonderful, chess pie their Grandmother Stevenson would make. He says, 'it's just poor people pie.' The pie you make when there is nothing else left in the larder: no fruit, no nuts and no nothing. You may not have anything to make a real good pie, but you certainly have eggs from the chickens that you are storing in a box under your bed. And of course you traded some of those for a little sugar and flour last week when you 'went to town.' The cow will probably give up enough milk for some butter. And if you don't have a tablespoon of corn meal, I'm sure you can probably send one of the kids up the road to borrow some from the neighbor.

That is what separates a chess pie from a regular custard pie. The nubbiness that the cornmeal gives to the custard elevates the filling from merely delicious to sublimely comforting. Of course, you can adorn a chess pie with fruit or whipped cream, but it is best in its simplicity. Why is it called chess pie? No one really know, but there are a million guesses. It has nothing to do with the game, that is for sure. The cutest explanation is when asked what was for dessert, a wife responded, 'jess (just) pie.' Interesting.

While mam-ma enjoyed chess pie, I don't think she liked it anymore than she liked any other pie. Until Bill Clinton became president. What does Bill Clinton have to do with chess pie? Well to start, Lora Mildred Marie Stevenson Whisenhunt Thomas (Mildred to everyone, but Mam-ma to her grandchildren and many other people) was a devout Democrat. Now, when I saw devout Democrat I mean the story is that on her father's deathbed she promised him she would never vote for a Republican. Seriously. Because of the Depression. Likewise, she was a devout Southern Baptist who was at church for a service, program or social more times a week than anyone could ever count. Church supper? She planned it. New Sunday school class? She organized it. Visitors on Sunday? She went by to visit them on Tuesday and invite them back for next week.

But the Lord Jesus help that Southern Baptist minister who ever started talking politics in the pulpit! You can believe she would be waiting for him at the back of the church to make sure he knew where she stood on the subject of mixing politics with the Bible. I imagine that when she arrived at the Pearly Gates, if St. Peter had said, 'Sorry, you'll have to leave your Democratic Party card at the door,' she would have definitely have stopped and thought about that for a moment. Believe it.

But when William Jefferson 'Bill' Clinton became the 42nd President of the United States of America, I tell you that woman did die and go to heaven for the Inauguration Ball given by Mary Magdalene. She thought Bill Clinton was the greatest thing since canned biscuits! She and her best friend Evelyn Rutledge would talk on the phone for hours about what was happening in Washington and the White House. She loved it every moment of it.

And when she learned that Bill Clinton's favorite pie was a lemon chess pie that his mother made, you better believe that she loved him all the more. I think it gave her a sense of pride that her president was so down-to-earth and from such good country people that he even loved chess pie. And she began to make his recipe.

Now, you can Google 'Bill Clinton's lemon chess pie' and find the recipe on about 326 million sites, so I'm not going to reproduce it here. But, you should definitely make this pie. It is simple, delicious and the perfect end to just about any meal. The lemon, eggs, butter and milk undergo some sort of alchemic transformation, with the cornmeal as the catalyst. Perfection! Now my pie isn't going to win any awards at the State Fair for looks, but I promise you it will get a blue ribbon for flavor!

Enjoy!

Treat!

Little Sunday evening treat for me: amaretti, clementines and wild sweet orange tea. Delish!
It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity. ~Albert Einstein

Oh, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Gravy Boats...

(A Manic Thrift Store Shopper/bigYELLOWbowl crossover post.)

Let's face it, I have a very acute case of dishmorphia. When I'm shopping at the thrift store or home store or wherever, I see something and think, "okay, I absolutely need ten of those." When in reality I already have twenty of them at home. Small dishes? Check. Chopsticks? Check. Asian soup spoons? I think we all learned our lesson about that last week. I really do have twenty-four more Asian soup spoons on their way to me as I type.

But perhaps the most ridiculous? Gravy boats.

First of all, how many gravy boats does a vegetarian need? Sure, there are lots of great vegetarian gravies or sauces out there. Case in point, the amazing gravy Jimmy made for our New Year's Day breakfast. But, how often do I actually serve gravy? On a very rare and special occasion, it's true. Raise your hand if you have been served gravy or sauce from a gravy boat at my house?

But when I was growing up, gravy was just something you always had. It went over the meat, it went on the potatoes, it went over the chicken and it went on the biscuits. Sometimes, it just went on torn up pieces of bread which I loved and always thought of as a special treat. We always had gravy. It was so important that when Barbara made crispy fried chicken, she would also pan fry some chicken in order to have the drippings necessary for gravy. And she still does.

How many gravy boats did my mother have? Only one that I can remember.

But, when it's 2010 and you're whipping up a curry, pasta or bowl of Asian noodles for dinner, you don't really need a gravy boat. So why do I have six? That's right, I have six different gravy boats. Six, different, beautiful and elegant gravy boats--each a star in their own right.

So, how does this happen? I'll walk your through it.

Well, I'm at the thrift store and I find a gravy boat (above) that is lovely and different. It's Sango and I'm a total bitch for Sango. I have a couple of plates and a set of eight, very low bowls in red. I'm pretty sure that Sango made nothing that was cute after 1968, but before that: LOVE-ly. Love it all.

So I find this gravy boat (above) and it's lovely and in perfect shape. It doesn't really have a handle, just a small indention at the back to slip a thumb in as your gingerly pour gravy (or sauce) onto whatever it is you are gravy-ing (or saucing). It's different. It's unique. I'm already hooked, but I think to myself, "You know, you don't really have a nice, simple gravy boat in the cupboard. This is really a useful piece and you really need one."

Say what?

It's like this: I look at my china cabinet, my sideboard, my front closet filled with Pyrex and my bedroom closet filled with china and I think, "I don't have ANY dishes. Nothing fun or interesting. It's a wasteland!" And you are looking at the same china cabinet, sideboard, front closet filled with Pyrex and bedroom closet filled with china and probably thinking one of three things:

1. He is crazy.
2. Is there a shortage in the China mines? Are the Pyrex trees drying up? Did a blight take out the tiny dish fields this season?
3. Maybe he is opening up a store.

I have dishmorphia. Pure and simple. There isn't a cure. I mean, there isn't a cure I'm willing to participate in. Intervention? Try it. I'll be out of the hotel suite and in the nearest thrift store before you can say, "We've all written letters about how your shopping and dishmorphia affect us."

But, I will walk you through the collection:

This gravy boat is très important because it is what began the Temporama madness--I mean Temporama collection! I found it at the DAV on Douglas in Wichita, KS and said to myself, "Someday I will have a china cabinet full of this amazing pattern." I didn't even know at that point there was a separate under plate in a lovely robin's egg blue that accents all this amazing china. If I had, I probably would have dropped to my knees at that very moment and sworn a lifetime of allegiance.

I was visiting my friends Susan in Dallas, TX and she offered me some colors and duplicates from her Russel Wright collection. I love the streamlined nature of this gravy boat and its amazing ergonomic form. Ergonomic before it was cool! It is a little crazed, but I could still never part with it.

This odd specimen has an attached under plate and was produced by Tamac Pottery in Perry, OK. This color is called 'frosty fudge' and while it isn't my favorite in their line, the loose organic shape makes up for the fact it is not avocado. No matter how strong I will it.

This lovely little gravy boat with the Aladdin's lamp handle and separate under plate is part of the collection of Metlox Shore Line started by a gift from the playwright and actress Helena Hale on one of her trips to Wichita, KS. It would do her memory a disservice were I ever to part with it.

Finally, an example from Schonwald in white, German porcelain. The under plate is attached and I also have a large serving bowl, a small serving bowl and a platter in this same ovoid shape. How could I break them up?

See? All six are necessary and important.

Chocolate Map

One of my favorite things is a chocolate map! I remember when I was little and my mam-ma would get chocolates for Valentine's Day or some other holiday, I loved looking at the map and imagining all of the choices. Plus, the map ensured the avoidance of the repulsive coconut cream chocolate! Ugh.

Thank you chocolate map!

Best Phone Call and Best Friends

I just got a call from Jessie who is visiting her in-laws in Arkansas, "I sent you an email with photos of Asian soup spoons in a variety of colors. How many and what colors?"

My response?

"Um, I think I will take one basket. Yes, one basket of various colored Asian soup spoons." I mean, honestly, I want them all! Any other normal person would have said, "Well, I have a set of white porcelain ones; a set of green melamine ones; and a set of stainless steel one. I think I'm good in the Asian soup spoon department."

But, reader, you know I'm not normal! So, I said, "I'll take ten of the orange, make that a even dozen. And also a dozen of the black melamine ones. Thank you and please send an invoice!"

Heaven. What a little bright spot in a dreary, snowy day?!

Of course you want the name of the store: Culinary District in Hot Springs, AR.

Recipe: Braised Greek Tofu (or Seitan)

I made my own chicken-style seitan last night, so I decided to make one of my favorite weeknight dishes, braised Greek seitan. I usually make it with tofu, which is super delicious, but the seitan made it even more scrumptious. I promised John I would post this a while back, so finally getting around to it.

Recipe: Braised Greek Something
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pound of something (tofu or chicken-style seitan), cut into bite-sized pieces (if you're using tofu, cut it crosswise into eight slabs, then press those slabs and get as much water as you can from them)
1 14 oz. can of artichoke hearts in brine or 1 bag of frozen artichoke hearts
1 cup vegetable broth
the zest and juice of one regular or two small lemons
1/4 tsp. (or more, I use about 1/2 tsp) crushed red pepper
3 tsp. oregano

Heat the oil in a large, nonstick pan over medium-high heat. In meantime, combine the broth, juice, zest, red pepper and oregano in measuring cup or small yellow bowl. Add the tofu or seitan and saute until it is a medium brown. Add the artichokes hearts and saute for two to three more minutes. Add the vegetable broth mixture and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and continue to simmer for about 10-15 minutes more, until the liquid is reduced to a pan sauce. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy with rize, orzo or shaphetti tossed with some olive oil. Garnish with a wedge of lemon!

4 serving.