Although the cherry pie filling peeks through and the bars are finished with a confectioner’s sugar glaze, they are easy to cut, serve, and eat as finger food without creating messy fingers (difficult to manage at a pot luck where everyone is standing and balancing a paper plate). The dough is a light shortbread-like consistency, so the eating experience is more reminiscent of a cookie than a cake. I cut my 9×12 pan into 32 small bars, which made perfect bites.  Most importantly, the flavor is just amazing.  The almond extract in the glaze is a must, in my opinion.

Since these are bars, I bought this commercial baking pan that has square corners rather than using a glass baking dish with rounded corners. This way, there are no odd-shaped corner bars.  I found metal works best for this recipe and suggest you use an aluminum pan without a non-stick coating.

I suspect you’ll have the same difficulty limiting yourself to just one as I did!  Let me know in the comments how yours turned out.

For the Bars
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened (I used unsalted)
1/2 cup shortening (I used Crisco butter flavor shortening)
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 20-oz can cherry pie filling (I used Comstock Lite)

For the Glaze
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract (I used slightly more, but definitely go easy here)
3-4 TBS milk

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat together butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add the sugar, baking powder, and salt and beat until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then add in the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Reduce speed to medium-low and add the flour half a cup at a time until well combined.  If your mixing bowl is too small, you can stir in any remaining flour with a wooden spoon.

Set aside about 1 3/4 cups of the dough and press the rest into the bottom of an ungreased 9×12″ baking pan. Bake for 12 minutes. Spread the cherry pie filling over the crust evenly.  Make sure at least a little syrup covers every bit of crust, but don’t worry that there won’t be a whole cherry in every bite. The flavor is most important and we’re not going for a gooey bar. Drop the remaining dough in roughly tablespoon-sized mounds on top of the filling, leaving some gaps between the mounds.

Bake about 30 minutes more until the top is light brown. Cool the bars in the pan set on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. While cooling, mix together the confectioner’s sugar, almond extract, and just enough milk to make a thick (but smooth) drizzling consistency.  Pour over the bars.  Cool 10 minutes more, then score the top into the size bars you desire with a serrated knife. Don’t cut all the way through. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Carefully cut bars along the scored lines. If necessary, run your knife around the edges of the pan to loosen. I served these right in the pan as shown in the photo, but you can arrange them on a dish if you like. Leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Note: You may substitute any flavor pie filling and use vanilla extract in the glaze instead of almond.

Your Daily Bread

Exodus ²² Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. ²³ When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. ²⁴ And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” ²⁵ And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log,and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.

There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, ²⁶ saying,“If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”

Scratching your heads?  I did too, at first.  But, trust me, these are so very delicious, you will want to sit right down and eat the whole bowl.  I first heard about crispy kale while watching Rachael Ray coach Lou Diamond Phillips on her Celebrity Cook-Off reality show. It caught my ear because I’ve only recently discovered the wonderfulness of kale and have incorporated it into my diet almost daily.  It is a key ingredient in my morning super-nutritious juice and it goes into almost every soup I make these days.  With all the liquid and leaves going into my system during the week, I often feel I’ve just gotta have a crunch of something in the middle of the afternoon.  Since I’m trying to keep the carbs to a minimum (and mostly whole grain to boot), the idea of a crispy kale snack intrigued me.  Ms. Ray mentioned it was “so easy” to make, and that sealed the deal for me; I went googling to find recipes.  I found that some people make it more complicated than it needs to be.  I tried the simplest version (and the most popular) and my first batch was almost perfect.  It’ll take you about half an hour to whip this up.  I’m telling you right now: Make a double batch! If you have kids, these will disappear from the bowl in a flash!

Ingredients

1 bunch fresh kale
Olive oil
Kosher salt

Instructions

Thoroughly wash and dry the kale in cool water. It is important to dry the kale completely so it crisps rather than steams.  Remove the stems easily by circling your thumb and forefinger around the base and pulling the stem through.  Tear the leaves into pieces about 1 1/2 – 2 inches wide.

Put the leaves in a large bowl and drizzle with about 1/4 cup of olive oil (just enough to lightly coat the leaves) and sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt (use just a little more if you have a large bunch of kale, but you don’t want these to be over salted).  Gently massage the oil into the leaves so that each leaf is completely coated.

Spread the coated leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet – preferably one without a non-stick coating.  Don’t let the leaves overlap at all.  You may need 2 baking sheets.  Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes until the leaves are about half their size and the edges are just beginning to brown. When you remove them from the oven, they should be extremely delicate. Carefully scoop them up with a plastic spatula and drop them into a clean bowl or basket lined with a paper towel.

Here’s the most important thing to remember:  Keep your portion set aside before you call anyone else to the table! The papery crispiness is so satisfying and the salt seems to just make that automatic hand-to-mouth reflex kick in. We have the best-fed dog on the planet who was also very pleased that we were willing to share.  You can leave the bowl on the counter or the table all afternoon and they won’t get stale or soggy.  That is, if they last longer than 5 minutes.  I’d like to tell you how to store the leftovers, but I have no idea! Mine disappeared.

In truth, my first batch was a bit over salted, but they were still such a treat we just drank some more water with them.  That happened because I decided to sprinkle additional salt over the leaves before baking.  Since I couldn’t see the salt when I spread them on the baking sheet, I thought I hadn’t added enough.  Go lightly with the oil, too.  Remember these will be about half their size after baking and you don’t want them to be greasy.

If you try this, I would love to know what you thought of them!  Please leave a comment!

Your Daily Bread

²³ The desire of the righteous ends only in good;
   the expectation of the wicked in wrath.
²⁴ One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;
   another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
²⁵ Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
   and one who waters will himself be watered.
²⁶ The people curse him who holds back grain,
   but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it.
²⁷ Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,
   but evil comes to him who searches for it.
²⁸ Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,
   but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
²⁹ Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind,
   and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
³⁰ The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
   and whoever captures souls is wise.

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Sure, lots of people have a potato soup or potato-leek soup recipe.  But, I’d never had baked potato soup until I saw it on the Panera menu last winter.  There’s a difference, people.  A big difference.  When we had a significant number of baking potatoes left over from Christmas’ family dinner, I looked online for a recipe and found several.  From a number of them, I created this one.  It was ridiculously good and only got better over the next 2 days in the refrigerator.  If you’re a fan of twice-baked potatoes, this soup tastes like a liquid version of that!  The addition of a little red pepper sauce makes this soup unique and especially wonderful.  This recipe makes a large potful.  You can halve it if you’re not feeding a crowd or don’t want leftovers.

Ingredients

6 reduced sodium bacon strips, diced
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 Tbs flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 cups chicken broth (we use Swanson fat free, 33% less sodium)
6-8 large baked potatoes, cubed (leave the skin on half of them, peel the other half)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup low fat milk (1% or 2% – not skim)
1 tsp hot pepper sauce (Crystal Louisiana hot sauce is ideal.  Tabasco is too hot)
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

In a large saucepan (6 quarts or larger), cook the bacon until crisp.  Drain and set aside.  Remove all but 2 Tbs of the drippings from the pot.  Saute the onions and garlic on medium high heat until tender.  Stir in the flour, alt, basil & pepper.  Mix well.  Gradually add the chicken broth.  Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, then add the potatoes, cream, and hot pepper sauce.  Heat through, but do not boil.  Crumble the bacon and stir it in.  Serve topped with shredded cheddar and fresh  minced parsley (optional).

Your Daily Bread

Proverbs 16:²⁰ Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,
and blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD.

²¹ The wise in heart are called discerning,
and gracious words promote instruction.

²² Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent,
but folly brings punishment to fools.

²³ The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent,
and their lips promote instruction.

²⁴ Gracious words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

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If you have never attempted to make your own pork sausage, you will certainly enjoy the higher quality product you can make yourself. Commercial producers grind up various cuts of pork, and add those mysterious chemical ingredients that are hard to pronounce. They generally don’t use freshly ground spices either, which makes a big difference. Even if you don’t have a kitchen stand mixer with a meat grinder/sausage stuffing attachment, you can still make this recipe using ground pork from your local supermarket and your food processor to grind the pork fat. Form it into patties for grilling, or use it in bulk in pasta recipes. I often find recipes that call for removing the casings from Italian sausages – using the meat in place of ground beef. No need to mess with making links if you don’t want to go to the trouble.

Basically, home sausage making involves procuring a cut of meat suitable for the purpose and grinding it in a meat grinder. Additional fat is typically added, along with spices. If you speak to the meat manager of your local supermarket, they’ll tell you that they throw away all the fat trimmed off of pork roasts. Ask them to set a few pounds aside for you, and freeze it for use as needed. A good meat manager won’t charge you for that.  You can procure hog casing from your local meat market or butcher (not supermarket) which is what you want to stuff your meat mixture into for sausage links.  If you haven’t made sausages before, there are many how-to videos on YouTube and elsewhere online. It really is not difficult.

As I experimented with sausage making, I discovered that despite the addition of fat to the recipe the sausages sometimes cook up a little dry instead of juicy and tender. After some research, I found that adding phosphate fixes that problem. This is a food grade additive that is available from the Ames Company (http://www.theingredientstore.com). Its inexpensive and makes a real difference in the final result. It helps the meat retain moisture during cooking.

Ingredients:

Hog Casings
1/4 tsp coriander seed, ground fresh
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp food grade phosphate additive mixed with ½ cup of water (we use Amesphos)
1 tsp fennel seed, ground fresh
2 tsp granulated garlic (we use Penzey’s)
2 tsp freshly ground tellicherry black pepper (Penzey’s India Special Extra Bold is highly recommended)
¾ Tbsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp Kosher salt
1 ½ lb pork fat
1 tsp white peppercorns, freshly ground
2 tsp fennel seed, whole
4 lb boneless pork shoulder roast

Procedure:

Cut the pork shoulder and the pork fat trimmings into 1 ½ inch cubes. Spread the meat out on a sheet pan and pop it in the freezer for an hour or so. You want the meat to be almost frozen solid. Put your meat grinding equipment and bowl in the freezer as well. Everything needs to be kept very cold.

Grind the meat and pork fat, and return the ground meat to the freezer for a short time while you prepare the spices. If you do have a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to mix the ground meat and spices on slow speed until thoroughly mixed. Otherwise, manual mixing will just take a little longer. Its important to mix the spices with the meat as completely as possible. You’re done. Now, wasn’t that easy?

If you are not making links, you can divide the bulk sausage into 1 lb packages and freeze any amounts that you don’t plan to use in the next day or so. If you are making links, rinse out the hog casing with warm running water and stuff the meat mixture into the casing.  Twist into links and hang the sausage up to dry for 2 to 4 hours. Refrigerate for short term use, and cut off and freeze links that won’t be consumed within a couple of days. Here are some pictures of the process in our kitchen, but this is where it’s most helpful to watch a few videos before trying it for the first time yourself.

These are really good on the grill, and work very well in the usual array of pasta recipes. Impress your dinner guests!

Your Daily Bread

Luke 15:¹¹ Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

¹³ “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴ After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

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I picked up a great cookie cookbook in World Market last December called “1 Dough 100 Cookies.” Even though I was coping with a broken hand and a cast that month,  I managed to get my holiday baking accomplished with the help of my sweet friend Jill.  Together, we made four cookie recipes in a single day, the “Apricot & Pecan” cookies from this cookbook among them.  I also like to peruse the imported and unusual food options at TJ Maxx around Christmastime, both to fill out my pantry and to stuff gift bags.  This year, I found some wonderful crystallized ginger from China.  I had another recipe that called for it, so I picked it up, but then I got the brilliant idea that a little crystallized ginger would make a pretty awesome cookie recipe even better.  Turns out my instincts were spot on!

The grated orange rind and minced dried apricot make this cookie delightfully bright in flavor and the shortbread texture makes it irresistible.  As soon as I had my cast removed, the first thing I did was make this recipe again.  I gave half the batch to Jill for a gathering at her home, sent a dozen to my pastor who had seen the picture I posted on Facebook and expressed his interest in tasting them, and…well…the rest pretty much went into my tummy.  I made a double batch both times, but unless you’re planning to share, I’m going to recommend against that for the sake of your waistline!  Let me know how your batch comes out in the comments!

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
scant 3/4 cup superfine sugar
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
grated rind of 1 orange
1/4 cup plumped dried apricots, minced
3 Tbs finely minced crystallized ginger
scant 1 cup finely chopped pecans
salt

Instructions

In a large bowl, sift together the flour and a pinch of salt.

Two great ways to prepare the pecans is to either put halves or pieces in a Ziplock freezer bag and pound them with a meat tenderizer’s flat side or pulse them carefully in a food processor until they are fine but take care not to turn them into meal.  You do want these very fine.  If they’re too large, they won’t stick to the dough well when you roll it in them.

In a separate mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.  Beat in the egg yoke and vanilla extract.  Slowly add the flour mixture on low speed.  Add the orange rind and apricot and mix on low until thoroughly combined.

Form the dough into a log about 2 inches in diameter and press the ends to flatten as much as possible.  Spread the pecans in a shallow pan or dish and roll the dough in the nuts until well coated.  Wrap the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

Arrange your oven racks on the top and bottom positions.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.

Unwrap the dough and cut into 1/4-inch slices or slightly thicker with a sharp knife.  If your slices are flat on the bottom, you can reshape them but avoid handling them excessively.  Put the slices on the prepared cookie sheets about 1/2 inch apart on all sides.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, switching the sheets half way through baking.  Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes before carefully transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Store in an air-tight container for up to 10 days…if they last that long!

Your Daily Bread

Mark 1:¹ The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, ² as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”—
³ “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”

⁴ And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. ⁶ John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. ⁸ I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

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Try this while its still winter. Its easy and satisfying, and when you cook slowly in the oven the flavors intensify while the meat gets nice and tender.

I’ve been disappointed many times with results from the ubiquitous slow cooker, particularly when trying to make a good stew. So I resorted to the old-fashioned method of braising in a dutch oven. Braising is essentially cooking slowly in the oven in a heavy lidded, cast iron pot which holds its temperature well and cooks very evenly. Slow cooking in the oven is actually faster than using slow cookers on your counter top, since the slow cookers usually run at about 185 to 250 degrees and take a long time to get up to speed. Putting boiling food into a pre-heated 300 degree oven starts off much warmer and takes less time to get results.

I have also been frustrated by the variable quality of stew beef from the supermarket. You really don’t know what you’re getting when you buy a package of beef for stewing, and often these are just pieces trimmed off various cuts of meat which may or may not be suitable for a good stew. If you spend the few extra minutes it takes to buy a good pot roast and cut it up, you will be much happier with the result. Buy any pot roast cut from the chuck.

Ingredients:

3 lb pot roast, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
fresh parsley
1 large Spanish onion, chopped
1 cup frozen cut green beans (we used french style this time, but the heartier cut is better for stew)
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 large carrots, sliced into ¼ inch rounds
1 cup dry red wine (we recommend Beaujolais – you don’t want the wine to be overpowering and this a fairly mellow variety)
1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cups beef broth
dried thyme
bay leaves
flour
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread the meat out on paper towels, and pat it dry with another layer of paper towels. Sprinkle the meat with a generous amount of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in your dutch oven until it is quite hot but not smoking. Brown the meat in batches over medium high heat, so that the meat isn’t crowded in the pot and can be turned easily as it is cooked. Put the browned meat aside in a bowl as it is cooked. Add an additional Tbsp of oil for the second batch of meat, but no more oil if you need 3 batches to finish browning.

Reduce the heat to medium, add another Tbsp of oil to the pan and add the onions. Cook until they are soft, then add the garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add 3 Tbsp of flour and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the wine, stir briefly, then add the broth while stirring constantly to fully dissolve the flour. Add 2 bay leaves and 1 tsp dried thyme. Bring just to boiling and add the reserved meat. Stir until the mixture starts to simmer, remove from the heat, and cover with the lid. Cook in the center of the oven for 1 hour.

Add the potatoes and carrots after the first hour of cooking, and continue cooking covered in the oven for an additional hour. Remove from the oven, add the green beans, replace the cover and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Mince enough parsley to equal ¼ cup while the dish is standing, then add the parsley just before serving. Taste for salt and adjust as needed. Remove the bay leaves and serve.

Your Daily Bread

Genesis 25: 19 This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. 21 Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22 The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the LORD.
23 The LORD said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.”
24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. 26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them. 27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.) 31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” 32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” 33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

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Here’s a special breakfast that is always a hit. Its easy to make, and most of the prep is done the night before. Pop it in the oven, make a warm berry syrup to go on top, and you have something really special. Berry syrup is really easy to make, and so good, I’m sure you’ll be happy you made it.

About 10 years ago, I was working for a multi-billion dollar consumer products company that had a wellness initiative. Once a quarter, everyone would get a little magazine with health tips and a few “healthy” recipes…… Ha! My dad lived to 89 and my mom is still kickin’ at 91. I ‘m going to enjoy life while I can.

I found the basis for this recipe in the magazine one spring, and adapted it to use whole eggs instead of egg whites, and “real” cream cheese instead of no-fat cream cheese. I actually like it with 2% milk instead of the skim milk that was originally specified.

This week, we decided to make it again. Where’s the recipe? Can’t find it. OK, well then we’ll make it from memory. So here it is:

Ingredients:

4 – 6 slices of “country style” thick white bread – depending on size, you use as much as will fit in a glass 9x13x2 baking dish.
Cream cheese – about 12 oz.
2 cups 2% milk
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp almond extract
½ tsp salt

Instructions:

Cut the bread slices in half, as if they are the halves of a sandwich. Spread the cream cheese on them generously. Coat your baking dish with cooking spray, then lay the bread, cream cheese side up, in the dish.

Whisk the milk, sugar, almond extract, and salt in a bowl – then pour over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.

To cook :

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and cook the casserole for about 30 minutes, or until the edges of the bread are starting to crisp just a little. Top with warm berry syrup and enjoy!

Berry Syrup:

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp corn starch dissolved in 2 Tbsp water
1 pint of blueberries (you can use any berry you like – I prefer raspberries, but sometimes I make both syrups so guests have a choice)
2 Tbsp butter
¼ tsp salt

Combine water, salt, and sugar, and bring to a rolling boil over high heat stirring frequently. Add the berries and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly for a few minutes until the syrup turns the color of the berries and the berries start to disintegrate. Add the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly. As soon as the syrup is nice and thick, take it off the heat and add the butter. Stir until the butter is melted. Serve with the French toast.

Your Daily Bread

John 6:³⁵ Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. ³⁶ But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. ³⁷ All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. ³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰ For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

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Julia Child taught me how to make great quiche.  Well, not personally.  I used her “The Way to Cook” book which is big, colorful, and radiates personality, just like the great French chef herself!  Chef Child explains that quiche is somewhat of a state of mind.  Once you have the basic concept down, the possibilities are endless.  That basic concept is to follow these simple steps:

1. Pre-bake your crust with weights
2. Fill your shell with flavorful ingredients
3. Pour in the custard to surround and fill the shell
4. Bake until brown and puffed

I use frozen, store-bought shells and prefer deep dish for quiche.  Today, I chose Mrs. Smith’s brand, but have used Pillsbury and a couple of other brands.  Right out of the freezer, let the shell stand on the counter for about 20 minutes.  Prick the bottom all over with a fork, then line the shell with aluminum foil and weight with dried beans or pie weights.  If you don’t do this, your shell will puff and bubble and you won’t see a clear separation of custard and crust.  Bake at 375 for 10 minutes, discard the beans, and let the crust cool.

Meanwhile, you can prepare your custard and filling.  Because pie shells vary in depth and some fillings will take more space than others, it’s best to use a custard ratio rather than a set amount of eggs and cream.  It may seem strange to say, but quiche is not all about the eggs.  In fact, you want to be careful not to have too much custard.  The goal is to allow the custard to surround and embrace your filling ingredients and, as the eggs slowly cook, suspend them in a creamy cloud of goodness.  So, for each egg you break into your glass measuring cup, add enough liquid (you can use cream, low fat, or skim milk here, but I find whole milk is best) to reach the 1/2 cup mark.  It follows, then, that 2 eggs would need liquid to reach 1 cup and 4 eggs would reach 2 cups.  I used 4 eggs today, but I prepared custard with 5 eggs and had some leftover.  That’s better than having to mix up additional custard if you come up short, so I recommend preparing 4-5 eggs’ worth of custard.

Cheese is another must in quiche.  Finely grated cheese is best and any cheese will do.  If you buy a bag of pre-shredded cheese, you’re making your task much more pleasant and easy!  When you’re ready to fill your shell, start with a layer of shredded cheese covering the entire bottom.  Then, add your flavor ingredients (I’ll get to those in a minute), then the custard, and top with a few more tablespoons of cheese.  Fill the shell to the top, just below where the fluted edge begins.  The quiche will puff while baking, then settle on the counter.  Bake at 375 degrees, usually for about 40 minutes.  The top will get quite brown, which is a good thing.  You want to make sure the custard is fully set or you’ll have runny quiche.  So, don’t go for a gorgeous, pale yellow appearance.  I’ve used the toothpick test and also just slightly jiggled the quiche to see how much wiggle it has to help determine doneness.

Ready to go in the oven

Okay, now the filling!  Once you’ve got that whole feel for what a quiche ought to be, you can fill your shell with anything you like!  I have two favorites.  The one pictured here is broccoli, green onion, and mexican 4-cheese and it’s just delicious!  The other favorite is shrimp, green onion, and Parmesan cheese.  Here’s how I do those:

Broccoli Quiche

Cut florettes into small pieces to make about 2 cups
Slice 3 green onions thin, about 3/4 of the way up (discard the tops)
Prepare custard and add salt/pepper
Line the bottom of the pre-baked shell with shredded Mexican 4-cheese blend
Fill to top with broccoli and green onions
Pour in custard starting in the center and moving out to the edge in a spiral
Top with more cheese and bake

Shrimp Quiche

Chop 12-15 large cooked shrimp, cold (I buy shrimp cocktail)
Grate 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese (don’t even think about the stuff in the green can!)
Slice 2-3 green onions thin, about 3/4 of the way up (discard the tops)
Line the bottom of the pre-baked shell with Parmesan cheese
Add the shrimp and green onions
Pour in custard starting in the center and moving out to the edge in a spiral
Top with more cheese and bake

Your Daily Bread

1 Peter 2:¹ Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. ² Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, ³ now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. ⁴ As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— ⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”

Click to enlarge

I wanted to follow up quickly with the side dish I prepared for Craig’s Butter Chicken.  We are fortunate to have an Indian grocery just 10 minutes from our home.  Here’s an online Indian grocer based out of Wisconsin, though I’ve never ordered from them and cannot vouch for their products or their service. If you’re not a fan of Indian food or don’t feel adventurous about tracking down and working with the exotic spices you’ll need to make it, worry not!  We’ve got some easy and delicious recipes in the wings!  This one is great for vegetarians!  And, there are options provided for you to leave out or substitute the hard-to-find ingredients, so you can still make a great chick pea dish with more common Western pantry items.

I modified a recipe from a cookbook called “Indian Home Cooking,” which is our go-to book when we’re dabbling in this cuisine.  The author’s recipe was called “Kwalitys Chickpeas,” from the name of a Bengal restaurant that specialized in them.  I changed it up enough that I thought it would be inappropriate to claim the moniker. This dish is deep in flavor, spicy but not insanely so, and perfect as a side dish for any Indian meat dish or even as part of a pot luck buffet if your crowd is fearless!

Here in the West, we tend to heat our oil in a pan, add ingredients, then season.  Indian cooking always starts with a “tempered” oil, so we add whole spices at the start and let them sizzle for a few minutes before anything else is added.  Often, there are several steps at which spices are added, depending on their texture and ability to retain their flavor when cooked.  What works for us is to use several small prep bowls with each “round” of seasonings measured out, so we can grab them and toss them into the pan when needed.  Once you get going with this recipe, things need to move quickly, so it’s important to read through the steps and have all of your ingredients ready to go.  Okay, let’s jump in!

Ingredients

3-4 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp black peppercorns (look for extra bold tellicherry for the best flavor)
4 whole cloves
4 green cardamom pods
2 whole dried red chilies
1 1/2-inch piece of ginger, minced
6-8 fresh or frozen curry leaves, torn into pieces (this is optional, but I love the flavor. If you can find it fresh, it freezes extremely well)
2 red onions, finely chopped
1 small jalepeno pepper, seeded and finely minced
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp dried mango powder (also called amchur) or the juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp pomegranate seed powder (also called anaardaana) or the juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp ground toasted cumin seed (make ahead by oven-toasting whole seeds, then grinding)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups water
3 19-0z cans chick peas, drained and rinsed

Instructions

Combine the oil, cumin seeds, peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, and red chiles in a large saucepan on medium-high heat.  We use an over-sized commercial frying pan.  You’ll want your widest, deepest pan.  This makes a lot!  Or, halve the recipe and go with your best frying pan.  Cook the spices, stirring until the cumin begins to brown (about 2 minutes).

Add the ginger and curry leaves and stir in.  Add the onions, jalepeno and salt.  Cook on medium-high for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently until the onions are brown at the edges and still a bit translucent in the center.  The longer the onions cook, the more flavorful your dish will be.

Add the mango and pomegranate powders (don’t add the lemon juice here if you’re substituting) and the ground cumin, turmeric and garam masala.  Cook, stirring for about a minute.

Stir in the cayenne and black peppers.  Add the water and two of the cans of chick peas.   While this is cooking, mash the third can of chick peas in a separate bowl until you have a lumpy puree, then add to the pan and stir.  Simmer gently for about 5 minutes.  If you substituted lemon juice for the powdered spices, add this now.

The original recipe says to taste for salt before serving, but honestly, there’s so much going on here in the flavor department, I’m not sure how anyone would know if they needed salt!  Just go ahead and serve up a heaping spoonful and enjoy!  As with most Indian dishes, this actually tastes even better the next day.

We’d love to know what you think of the recipe, whether you’ve worked with any of these spices, and especially what your experience was if you made this!  Leave us a comment!

Your Daily Bread:

Esther 1:¹ This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush: ² At that time King Xerxes reigned from his royal throne in the citadel of Susa, ³ and in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, and the nobles of the provinces were present. ⁴ For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty. ⁵ When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest who were in the citadel of Susa. ⁶ The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones. ⁷ Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king’s liberality. ⁸ By the king’s command each guest was allowed to drink with no restrictions, for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished.

The staff is refined and courteous, the decor is lush and has a historic feel with large mosaics on the walls and heavy, upholstered chairs.  The menus actually light up when you open them, which is a help in the dark setting.  While the dining room seems like it wants to be a quiet and elegant place to have dinner, the celebratory noise and music from the lounge is quite prevalent, so if that bugs you, it might spoil the experience.  It didn’t for us, since we wanted to hear our musician friend while we ate, yet didn’t want to take dinner in the lounge.

We were given the choice of “ice water” or bottled water at the start.  Then, we were brought 4 thick slices of crusty bread drizzled with pesto oil and a balsamic reduction that was so good, I almost wanted to just call it a night right there!  I ordered the Ceasar salad sans the bleu cheese which was presented sans croutons as well (I’m guessing croutons are too common for this restaurant).  The romaine leaves were huddled in a lovely mound and the dressing coated them and also decorated the plate.  I did not miss the croutons.  My husband ordered the wedge salad, which is a large wedge of iceberg lettuce topped with bleu cheese, bacon, glazed walnuts, and topped with a jalepeno ranch dressing.  He loved it.

For our entrees, I chose the Chilean Sea Bass, which was presented as a gorgeous, thick (nearly 3 inches) piece of flakey whiteness, absolutely perfectly crisped on the top and bottom.  It was the best piece of fish I have ever eaten, bar none!  Half a lemon just seared for a moment on their grill made a lovely garnish and helped it give up it’s juice to make an excellent fish dinner even better.  The fish was nestled on top of a row of crisp roasted asaparagus, also perfectly cooked, which was nestled on top of garlic mashed potatoes that were full of flavor without being overpowering.  My husband chose the filet mignon with bleu cheese which was also perfectly prepared and presented in the same way.

There are three creme brulee options on the dessert menu.  You can get creme brulee french toast, which makes me want to just type a whole row of exclamation points, but I’ll restrain myself.  There’s a flavored creme brulee of the week, which was passion fruit last night.  I went with the classic vanilla bean creme brulee served with fresh berries and a dollop of whipped cream.  I’m very fussy about my creme brulee and am more often disappointed than not.  But I felt confident ordering it here and they did not let me down!

The prices are a little steep, but not beyond what you’d expect for a dining experience of this quality.  We paid about $120 for non-alcoholic beverages, salad and dinner. That doesn’t include our dessert, which we ate in the lounge afterward.

I let my husband know that any time he wants me to feel utterly loved and pampered, all he has to do is suggest we go to 95 Cordova for dinner.  His face lit up and he said, “Really?  It’s that easy?”  Well, no, it’s not really that easy, but he’ll definitely score major points doing that!