The Scent Of A Woman

As women choosing a fragrance that compliments our individual body chemistry is one of great importance. We match our shampoo to our hair type; our make-up must blend to match our skin tone depending on whether we are fair, medium or dark. Then their is the whole color palette thing for hair, eye shadow, blush....are you a pink or an earth tone, a blond, brunette or redhead? It can be exhausting always trying to look and smell our best working with and accentuating what God gave us. We do this not only as a form of vanity but as a way to embrace our womanhood, femininity and as a way of recognizing that girly girl inside all of us.

This feminine mystique doesn't stop at humans it can also be highly exhibited in our four legged family members. By this time, I am sure all of you are familiar with my very dear friend Christine. Christine is very much a girly girl in the very best sense and it would stand to reason that she would have a dog who reflects those same girly girl qualities. When you see Christine's dog Lena, there is no mistaking that she is female, from her long flowing silky blond hair down to the gentle sashay of her hips when she walks. As a female, Lena is meticulous about her grooming. That is also why she has always gone with very specific fragrances to enhance her natural womanly beauty; Eau De Spring Air, Eau De Flowers, Eau De Summer Breeze, Eau De Crisp Winter, Eau De Falling Leaves and Eau De Fresh Cut Grass. These fragrances have always worked well with her natural chemistry and have kept her feeling feminine and attractive to others. Unfortunately Lena decided to throw caution to the wind (literally) and go to a new perfume counter to experiment with something different. The girl behind the counter seemed nice enough with her long flowing black hair and that striking white stripe down the center of her back. Lena's curiosity to try something new drew her closer to that girl allowing the girl to take her atomizer and give her a little spray. Lena being immediately horrified by the smell asked;" What on earth do you call this, it makes a compost heap smell like a field of gardenias".

The girl politely replied; it is my own personal scent sugar, I call it Eau De Skunk now you have a nice day Darlin' and please don't come back!

                                                                               Lena

Funny......well not so much for Christine or Lena for that matter. Happily the smell is finally starting to go away.

A stinky story deserves a stinky recipe and the very first thing that comes to mind.....Limburger Cheese of course!

Limburger cheese is undoubtedly one of the worst smelling cheeses in the world! Limburger actually smells far worse than it tastes. For many people though, the aroma is both the beginning and the end of the acquaintance.

I did not muster up enough courage to try Limburger until I was 37 years old but I must say I absolutely love it. Once you get past the smell it is one of the freshest tasting cheeses on the palate....hard to believe but true.

Limburger Cheese Sandwich

2 slices rye bread (dark, light or pumpernickel)

Prepared brown mustard or butter, I actually prefer the butter.

Limburger cheese, sliced

Thick slices of sweet onion

To assemble sandwich, spread mustard on rye bread slices; layer with limburger cheese and sweet onion slices.

Serve with your favorite beer.

Makes 1 sandwich.

                                                                                                      

Caution! This is not a perfume atomizer.

Squashing My Sanity

This is probably one of those stories that unless you were actually there you just can't truly appreciate it......but then again, the only real criteria needed to understand this is to be part of a family.

I was at my grandmother's apartment a few weeks back and all I did was mention how much I liked butternut squash. I had said I do not mind acorn squash but it isn't at the top of my list. That was it, nothing more was said and we went on to other topics of conversation. Well for whatever reason me getting my butternut squash became a mission for my grandmother. It is too expensive in the stores she said, you need to get them at the farmers markets and get a lot because they last for months if kept in a cold dark place. I said I hadn't been going to the farmers markets as much as I use to I just haven't had the time. Well I will see if your father will take me and we will get your butternut squash so you don't have to pay those ridiculous prices. For a couple weeks all our conversations were pretty much based on this butternut squash that I merely mentioned in passing, my grandmother was obsessed with it. Finally last Saturday my father took her to the farmers market, when she got home she called to tell me that she found my butternut squash but your father would not let me pay for it...he said; that is my daughter and I will buy her the butternut squash.
Well yesterday, I went over to my grandmother's for a visit and of course to pick up my butternut squash. When I got there, two bags were sitting on the floor. Go look in the bags, my grandmother tells me. Look at how beautiful your butternut squash is....that your father wouldn't let me pay for that he insisted on buying for you...just look at how beautiful they are!
They are beautiful Meema, thank you so much for all these "Acorn Squash", I'll be sure to call Dad and thank him as well.
Yes, of course I am grateful! Come on, we've all been here at one time or another...it's just funny, funny family stuff.

Acorn Squash with Apple Raisin Stuffing

1 acorn squash, med. Size (just keep doubling amounts if using more than one squash)
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. scallions, chopped
1/2 apple, peeled, cored and cubed (1/2 c.)
1/3 c. raisins
2 tbsp. toasted walnuts, chopped
2 tbsp. maple syrup, or to taste
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and strings. Cut a slice off the bottom, if necessary, to make the halves stable. Melt the butter in a sauce pan and brush a little over the cut surface. Put the squash cut side down on a pan, add a little water to cover the bottom of the pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until tender.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining butter in the pan and sauté the scallions for about 3 minutes, stirring, until softened. Add the apple and cook about 3 minutes more, stirring. Add the raisins, walnuts and maple syrup. Cover and cook about 5 minutes. Season the mixture to taste with cinnamon, salt and pepper. Spoon the stuffing into the squash cavities and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, adding more water to the pan if necessary.

Pike and Puppies

The fish were always biting when we were up at our cabin on the lake in Canada. It was nothing for us to catch a dozen or more a day. The bulk of our catch was Northern Pike, wicked little teeth on those suckers let me tell you. My father would clean them by scaling them removing the head and insides and leaving the body and tail in tact. My mother would take all the fish and place them in a big tupperware container pouring an entire bottle of Italian salad dressing on them. My mother would then place the lid on the tupperware and stick the fish in the refrigerator to marinate for a few hours. When dinner time started to roll around my father would fire up the grill to get it nice and hot to cook and char the fish. The Italian dressing not only flavors the fish beautifully but all the little bits of seasoning in the dressing create a wonderful little crust on the skin. While my father was tending to the fish my mother would be in the kitchen preparing one of the many side dishes that would accompany our meal including our absolute must have favorite; Jalapeno hush puppies. They were always crisp on the outside and tender in the middle and that little kick from the jalapeno peppers always added a nice contrast and balance to the sweetness of the fish.

Jalapeno Hush Puppies

1 c. flour

1 c. cornmeal

1 lg. onion, chopped

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 (17 oz.) can cream corn

2 or 3 chopped jalapenos

Mix as you would for cornbread; if too thick add a little water. Drop into hot deep fat. Dip spoon into hot fat and batter will slide right off. This batter keeps well in refrigerator for several days.

If you would like a more uniform ball shape use melon baller or small ice cream scoop to form the batter.

Photo/brooksba/flickr

Where The Buffalo Roam

One of my all time favorite places in the world to visit is San Francisco. On one of my first trips there my mother and I made a delicious discovery, a little place called; "Tommy's Joynt". Our family that resides in California kept telling us that we had to go there for their buffalo stew and wash it down with a beer from any where in the world. The beer list is one of the most extensive ones that I had ever seen. I prefer dark beers and was overwhelmed by all the choices so I ended up trying a few. I tried a chocolate stout from England, a stout from Ireland and a rich robust dark from Germany. I wish I could have tried them all but then they would have had to reopen Alcatraz just to keep me off the streets. There were so many things on the food menu that we would have liked to try but since they were known for their buffalo stew and family and friends raved about it we knew we had to give it a try. I was a little skeptical, at that time I had never tried buffalo meat so I was worried that it might have a strong gamey flavor. When the bowl of stew arrived it was thick and rich in color and texture. The aroma was that of the beef stew we all grew up with and the taste was familiar and comforting. Trust me if you like beef you can enjoy buffalo meat with no problem at all the only thing that is different is fat and calories, the buffalo meat is much lower on both counts.

Buffalo Stew

3 lb. buffalo, cut up for stew
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 lg. onion, chopped
1/2 c. dry red wine
1/4 c. ketchup
1 c. mushrooms, sliced and sautéed
Kitchen Bouquet to taste

Lightly salt and pepper the meat. Heat a large Dutch oven and add the oil. In 2 different batches, brown meat on all sides. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Cook slowly, covered, at low heat.

Photo/Ally37/Flickr

XXX Mimi

Despite what you are about to read let me make it perfectly clear that this is a family friendly site. Some of the words only sound X-Rated but by the time you get to the end of this post you will quickly realize that we actually have a G-Rating for Gee that's hilarious!
My great aunt Mimi use to love dill bread toasted, she use to get a packaged brand from the grocery store. Then when that became hard to find we found this sliced rye bread that was seasoned with dill which wasn't too bad. I enjoyed the dill toast as well and would usually join her for a slice or two. I noticed that my aunt was really longing for the plain dill bread that she use to get but it turned out the company had stopped making it. I had said; " Mimi we could probably just make it ourselves it's basically just a white bread with some dill weed and dill seed in it". Mimi said; "I don't know sweetheart, I have never used a dill dough before you may have to work with the dill dough by yourself".
The moral of the story.....You do not need four hands to work with a dill dough, according to my aunt Mimi two hands are all you need to make a dill dough rise!

Dill Bread

1 package of dry yeast (1 tbsp.)
1/2 c. warm water (105-115 degrees)
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. dried dill seed or 3 tbsp. of fresh
1 tbsp. dried dill weed or 3 tbsp. of fresh
1 c. evaporated milk
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. salt
3 to 3 1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. of Melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon sugar, dill seed, and dill weed. Let mixture stand at room temperature until bubbly, about 15 minutes. Stir in remaining sugar, milk, 2 tablespoons melted butter and salt. Stir in flour to make a stiff dough. (Dough will be sticky.)
Grease bread pan with Pam. Knead dough and place in pan, covering with waxed paper. Let stand in warm place until dough rises about 1 1/2 inches, about 30 minutes or more if dough hasn't risen enough. Bake until brown, about 35 minutes. Brush top with melted butter. Remove bread and cool on rack.

Broken Yolks

For the last few Saturdays my grandmother has taken to making bacon and eggs for our breakfast get together. The bacon is all fried before we get there and the freshly baked corn muffins are waiting in the warmth of the oven. Upon our arrival she puts the water on for coffee and breaks the eggs into the hot pan. With her 89 year old arthritic hands she gently moves the eggs back and forth trying not to disturb the yolk. The perfect yolk has always given her a great sense of pride when serving her loved ones breakfast. All was going well until she went to put the eggs in the dish, her hand shook a little and two of the yolks broke. My grandmother was so upset that she ruined the yolks. I said don’t worry Meema, that is actually just the way we like them, they are perfect.
When someone puts that much love into preparing food for you even if it is as simple as a little fried egg how could it not be perfect.

Since bacon and eggs really do not require much of a recipe perse, here is an Asian twist that I think you will all enjoy.

Bacon and Egg Fried Rice

1 1/2 cups of water
1 cup of rice
6 pieces of bacon
3 or 4 eggs
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped onion
2 tbsp. Ketchup
1 tbsp. soy sauce

Bring water to a boil and add rice, cook for 30 minutes. While waiting for the rice to boil fry the bacon and save 1/2 of the grease to fry the rice in. Scramble eggs in bowl, add garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste, add 2 tablespoons of water to eggs and mix well. Fry egg mixture like a pancake. Fry rice; add chopped onion, chopped bacon and catsup. Cut up egg omelet and add to rice. Mix in soy sauce and serve.

Patty Pan in Never Never Land, A Veggie Tale

Aren’t they cute? The spitting image of their parents Mr. and Mrs. Full Sized Vegetables.
The only problem with these little ones is that they all suffer from the same disorder; Patty Pan Syndrome, they never want to grow up. They refuse to grow up and become mature full grown vegetables like normal vegetable children do and because of this they have all been separated from their parents and now live in the Never Never Land of vegetables which is on a remote shelf in some grocery store far from the mainland shelf of the full growns. The full growns are filled with worry for the safety of their babies for rumor has it that the humans have taken to eating their little ones…….tick-tock, tick-tock oh no! Its Captain Fork we’re doomed.......the end!

Sautéed baby Vegetables

2 tbsp. olive oil
4 baby zucchini, trimmed
4 baby yellow squash
4 baby Patty pan squash
2 baby eggplants, trimmed & halved lengthwise
4 red & 4 yellow cherry tomatoes
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. finely chopped jalapeno pepper (opt)
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and add the zucchini, squash and eggplant, sauté stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic and jalapeno pepper. Toss and sauté one more minute. Add the thyme, salt and pepper. Sauté another 2 or 3 minutes, stirring almost constantly, sprinkle with basil and parsley and serve.

photo/jess.t/flickr

What On Earth Is She Doing?

Funny but true…..A friend and I decided to treat ourselves to a really nice dinner at a steak and seafood house. We decided to do the whole nine yards; “Drinks, appetizers and dessert”. We both ordered prime rib as our main course with all the fixings, baked potato, soup and salad. The waiter placed a gorgeous basket of warm bread on the table which we both grabbed for immediately. As we talked and ate making our way closer to the main entree` the waiter placed a little cup that contained a creamy yellow scoop of something inside. I instantly grabbed my spoon to start eating while my friend grabbed her butter knife and a dinner roll while we both looked at each other stunned and confused by the others actions. My friend said to me with a tiny bit of disgust; “Why are you eating that butter with a spoon”? Then I laughed and said; “Why are you about to butter your roll with lemon sorbet”? Needless to say we both howled with laughter and my friend will never again reach for a knife during the Intermezzo!

FYI
Intermezzos are usually a small amount of something light and refreshing to cleanse the palate between the courses of a rich meal. Usually intermezzo comes in the form of a sorbet, quite often lemon or lime. There are some restaurants that serve a light wine as their intermezzo on the order of an Italian Prosecco which is light and bubbly.

Easy Lemon Sorbet

The juice of 12 Lemons
1 Tablespoon of lemon zest, yellow part only

2 cups of sugar dissolved in 2 cups of water

Load all ingredients into an ice cream freezer and run it for 20 to 30 minutes until you have thick thoroughly frozen slurry. Scoop the slurry into a plastic container and put it into your freezer until frozen hard. Scoop and serve in small cup, bowl or better yet wine glass. Remember to use only a small scoop, this is merely to cleanse the palate save the bigger scoops for when serving as a dessert.

Kphua/Flickr