House Proud

Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that at this moment, all you have is all you need.

~Sarah Ban Breathnach

I have always appreciated where I live and each place that I have called home. This month, however, my perspective on the true meaning of "home" was made even more clear due to the recent floods we had here in Austin. Friends of ours lost their home and 80 percent of their precious belongings due to flooding, but they still had their spirit. With spirit and a community of helpers rallying together they were able to sift through their many years of memories and start that long road to recovery. It will be a long journey but they will do it because the most precious items in their home was each other. As I was helping the family sort and wash and pack and move, I was reminded that a home is deeper then the bare walls and all the furnishings. Don't get me wrong, there is a story for every special item in your home, but if we have to choose between the material and the real, family wins every time. Helping this family during the same time I was scheduled to have my friend Amy come to my home to do an episode for her show House Proud really made me stop and think about my home and what I try to portray in it. I've always wanted a home that was stylish yet comfortable. A home where you walk in and don't feel stiff. Where yummy smells entice you to stay for a while. But if all of that was taken away overnight would I still have a home? Would I have the spirit and drive it takes to rebuild all that is lost? I'd like to think that I would. I realized that those same walls that bring us shelter are the same walls metaphorically speaking that my family and friends bring to me, shelter. As I prepped for the show to be filmed in my kitchen I had to "de clutter" many of my things to make room for the camera guy. It's now a week later and I have not brought those things back into my kitchen nor have I missed them. I guess in hindsight, I always knew that home is where the heart is but the love and joy and hope I have encountered these last few weeks has truly cemented it for me, I'm jus' sayin'.

I made three quick go-to recipes for this episode of House Proud. Each of these recipes can be whipped up with little fuss and no dent in the pocketbook, which in turn gives you more time to enjoy your guests. I like to start with an easy and affordable cocktail and sangria is the perfect choice. I put a seasonal spin on it with apple and cinnamon but feel free to mix it up. I bought a good fresh salsa and paired it with easy homemade tortilla chips. I also made a bacon appetizer because who doesn't like bacon!



Fall Sangria Cocktail
In a large pitcher place the following:
2 apples cored and diced
3 strips of candied ginger minced (pantry staple)
1/2 tsp. of ground cinnamon (spice pantry)
1/4 tsp. of ground cardamom (spice pantry)
1/2 bottle of Moscato wine (fridge staple)
1 bottle of hard apple cider
1 cup of apple juice
Juice of one half of a fresh meyer lemon
Stir all of the above and pour into glasses. Top with sparkling water and garnish with a cinnamon stick.
*Optional: rim each glass with lemon juice and cinnamon mixed with clear sanding sugar.


Fresh tortilla chips
1 bag of corn tortillas.
Oil for frying.
Cut each tortilla in fourths or strips.
Fry in 1/4 inch of oil.
Drain on paper toweling and sprinkle with Beer Salt. Serve with fresh salsa.


Sweet & Spicy Bacon Wraps
1 lb of bacon
1 bag of chili flavored dried mango strips (pantry staple)
Cut bacon in thirds. Cut mango strips to bite sizes.
Wrap bacon around each bite size mango strip.
Place bacon wraps on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Bake in a 350 degree pre-heated oven for approximately 15-20 minutes or until bacon is cooked and caramelized. Drain on paper toweling and serve.

Want to help the flood victims? They still need so much. Check out this link and see how you can help.

Summer Hydration!

  

Sometimes too much to drink is barely enough.

 ~Mark Twain

The temperature alone will bring you running to the nearest watering hole. Why not have some fun with your hydration? Whether you add spirits to your glass or just enjoy an icy cold glass of H2O you can still make it festive.  Staying cool in the summer is what it's all about so if you like it straight up, on ice, with fruit or fizz, do it with pizazz... I'm jus' sayin'! 

This Delicious Frozen Sangria is courtesy of Hilah Cooking
You can find the recipe here at this link.

Spring Forward... To That Nice Weather!

Spring. I love all that it evokes. The trees have little buds on them, my garden is producing beautiful baby lettuces (first time ever!), and the weather is warm with a slight chill in the evening - which seems to be the only time of the year that it does that in Texas. Spring is also when most of our friends and family choose to visit us. We clean off the lawn chairs replacing the leaves and dirt with comfy pillows and side tables with vases of flowers and good reading books. I re-plant my herb garden and shower colorful geraniums all over the dried up flower beds. I even start hanging the laundry out too dry to soak in that fresh spring air. OK, so that last one was out of necessity because the dryer took a dump, but hey, it did get those sheets into the lovely sunshine!

Since I tend to be outside more in the Spring taking full advantage of the weather, my kitchen, in a sense, moves outside too. I will pick and eat from the garden, work on quick meals and drink more sun tea and my desserts tend to be quick and fast. If you live in Texas, you know that the hotter-than-Hades sun is upon you quickly and you only have this small window of opportunity to enjoy hanging out all day in the yard. So I intend to take full advantage and if I need something to break down (dryer) to get those sheets hung or house guests to get my yard cleaned up then so be it! Whatever works - it's all in my flavor or *ahem* favor! I'm jus' sayin'!

Here is one of those quick, stay out of your kitchen recipes. Simple foccacia, which is always my stand by when I have fresh items on hand or left overs in the fridge. I touched base on this in the last post but felt like it deserved a center stage due to it's diversity. It can be made for quick tapas or even as a Friday night pizza replacement. You make the dough and then put whatever you like on it. It can be grilled out back or baked in your oven.




Make it your own Focaccia

Start this recipe 1 hour before you want to eat.

In a large stainless steel bowl mix the following:
4 cups all purpose flour
2 cups warm water
2 Tbs. instant dry yeast
2 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. salt

Stir them all together until a sticky dough is formed. Cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm area for about 30 minutes. It should double in size with plenty of air bubbles.

Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead with your hands (and a bit of extra flour if needed) 5-10 times or until the dough forms a ball and is no longer sticky. Divide dough in half and on 2 large parchment-lined cookie sheets (or pizza stone), hand press your dough into a large but not too thin square shape. Of course it can be any shape you want - we're just going for a rustic look here. With your finger tips, gently press down and dimple the top leaving little pockets or indentations all over (this will be to hold the toppings later). Drizzle some really good extra virgin olive oil over the top and let rise for 5 more minutes. While it's rising start thinking about your toppings.

If this is a tapas, you may want halved grapes or dried fruit with some chunks of blue-veined cheese and some toasted nuts. Roasted garlic, sun dried tomatoes and fresh mozzarella are equally good choices. Or how about pears, procuitto and a drizzle of agave syrup for something unique?

If you are doing this for a side on salad you may just want the olive oil, a sprinkle of garlic powder and some fresh herbs. After baked, cut into cubes for lovely croutons or mound the salad right on top of the bread and cut strips.

For a main course check out your fridge. If you have any cured meats hanging out, slice them up and throw them on it. Another one of my favorites is using roasted vegetables. I have even been known to take some cold leftover meatloaf and cube it and throw it on. Be creative and be fast. (Don't want to waste valuable cocktail time, right?)

If you want this to be dessert, bake it up with just the olive oil and when it comes out of the oven, spread some nutella and sliced fresh fruit on top. How about some warm marmalade and shaved chocolate? Do you see where I am going with this?

Make it your own. Take a basic, easy recipe and customize it so that you will have more time to sit and relax and enjoy the nice Spring evenings. Oops! Like Alice in the rabbit hole, I became side-tracked with the toppings and I forgot to tell you how to bake it! Bake in preheated 375' oven for 15-17 minutes or until lightly brown and golden on top. Cool and cut into squares or strips.



Quick Citrus Sangria

In a large pitcher or jug combine the following and let it marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving. Serve over ice.

2 oranges sliced
2 limes sliced
1 lemon sliced
1 peach or stone fruit sliced
1 bottle of red wine (no need to go expensive on this one)
1 can of peach nectar
1 cup of orange juice
1/4 cup of brandy or orange liquor
Top off with sparkling water (If you don't have room in the pitcher for this just top each individual glass off to give a little lift to the sangria)