Fall

Sometimes pictures say more than words ever can... I'm jus' sayin'!

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A Busy Week for a Food Lover

Summer is generally the time you should be able to sit back, relax and not be so busy. As nice as that may sound, I look at it a bit differently. Summer is a great time to get out and do things and for me, many of those things are food-related! So for this post, I've decided to journal for one week about how I revolve around food, or more appropriately, how it revolves around me. If you've been following this blog for very long, you know that I'm not a restaurant critic or compensated to specifically endorse new foods or products and I usually stay home doing much of my "food exploring" in my own kitchen. Even with that, I occasionally get invited to cool food events going on around town, many of them put on by one of the many food-bloggers that call Austin home. As I have noted in past posts, food bloggers are some of the coolest, hippest people I know and I love that we all share an interest in learning and sharing our passion for food. Below are a week's worth of photos noting some of the cool places I went and fun things I did. Maybe after I finish this post I can then sit back, relax and re-read that book How did I get so Busy?. I'm jus' sayin'!



Sunday
Took fruit from my backyard and the farmer's market and got to canning some items for my new favorite social treat - the Austin Food Swappers, which is put on by two lovely friends that write the blogs Hip Girls Guide to Home Making and Stetted.

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Monday
I was getting ready for a meeting and wanted to bring a sweet treat. I have been working really hard at trying to make a recipe for a friend that is yeast and soy free. I took this yummy recipe and switched all the ingredients so that the dessert would be gluten free. it came out pretty good.

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Tuesday
Was super excited when another food blogger friend invited me to a media event at the newly opened Hanks Garage. Not only were we treated to an off-the-hook tasting menu, but it also introduced me to some amazing beers I'd never had before. They say that to get a true opinion of a restaurant, you need to eat there at least three times. Well, lets just say I will have no problem going back two more times.

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Wednesday
This was my one day to stay home and get some projects done around the house and to hang out with my amazing daughter (did I mention the hubs was on a business trip this week?). When we are home alone, my daughter and I usually eat light and pasta purses with fresh baby peas seemed like the perfect meal for this triple-digit Texas weather.

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Thursday
My sweet friend Kathryn asked me if I was interested in celebrating Bastille Day with her and some lovely local food purveyors at House Wine. I was glad to go visit House Wine because I will be back there in a few weeks for our AFBA Pie-Luck event which includes a pie contest. I am super excited about the event because it will be a benefit for SafePlace for woman. Besides, does anyone ever need an excuse to eat pie, especially if it's baked locally by the beautiful ladies of The Pie Society. Their pies, tarts and crimps were so delicious that I almost forgot about the hot weather outside. I also got to meet up with another local blogger who had helped me in the past on the "culinary handcuffs" project. Martha from Not That Martha has created a veggie burger that rivals any that I have had in the past. She now offers these burgers at Whole Foods and Wheatsville Co-op. No surprise that these burgers are called "Hot Dang" grain burgers as the name just about captures what was going on in my head when I bit into the little slider she offered. Feel free to purchase some and you can thank me later.

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Friday
This day started off with me meeting two lovely lady friends from Buda for lunch at the Buda Drug Store where we stepped back in time and enjoyed a counter cafe lunch of chicken salad on wheat. The old fashioned soda fountain was a treat and the company was just as sweet as the Blue Bell ice cream we had for dessert. Later that evening we got invited to a truly unique birthday celebration. Our friend Addie invited us to celebrate her birthday at a trendy downtown park. I brought cookie bars for a dessert that I quickly made out of some ingredients in my pantry. I think I will call them my "Austin Mash-Up Bars". Here's the cool thing - instead of bringing gifts, we were asked to "pay it forward" by inviting another friend over for a nice dinner in the near future. My daughter had a blast and she decided she would "pay it forward" by taking a few of her friends out for ice cream. I still need to do my part to pay it forward - any takers for dinner ?

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Saturday
The hubs is coming home so a nice home cooked meal is on the menu. Before I pick him up at the airport, I need to head over to my local farmer's market to pick up some yummy pickled blueberries and tomato confit from Confituras. A loaf of crusty french bread and some grilled steaks with corn will bring this week of food to an end. Wait... whats that I hear? Oh, my daughter is getting ready to make homemade mint chip ice cream. I guess I spoke too soon...

My Three Dads!

Father's day is right around the corner and I remember when, as my other friends were picking out the preverbal tie, I was at my easy bake oven trying to figure out how I could create a yummy treat for my Dad. I guess you could say that because my Daddy never once turned his nose up to any of my cooking he inadvertently fostered that seed to bake delicious treats as gifts. Nothing brought me more joy then the smile on his face when I presented him with something sweet and delicious out of the oven. It's been 14 years since he passed away and I still miss him everyday. I miss our morning coffee breaks. I miss his love for Early Days Gas Engines and how he was always around to fix things for me. But most of all, I will always miss my Daddy's big Texas hugs. In honor of my Daddy, I will be making Sour Cream Apple Pie this coming Sunday.

When I first met my future father-in-law, I was a bit nervous. All I kept thinking was "will he like me?" and "Will he think I'm good enough for their son?" My daddy always taught me to have a firm handshake, a firm hug and a soft smile, so that was my approach. It was during that first visit that I quickly noticed my father-in-law and I had something in common. We both loved to cook. In fact, I can't remember a single meal at my in-laws that he did not cook. The grand kids will tell you that they loved his breakfast crepes (he would sit tediously at the stove working 2 pans simultaneously making enough crepes for an army). My husband would tell you his favorite dish of his dad's would be a toss up between Swedish meatballs or lasagna. Not me. I have to say my favorite dishes were the ones he would make based on a new recipe he had come across in a cookbook. For me, that gave me a bond of something special I could share with him. We could talk about the recipe and the cookbook and then that would lead into other culinary conversations. My father-in-law passed away this past spring, and though his age was getting the best of him, it wasn't until I received his hand-written recipe book that I noticed he was still adding recipes to it until the end. Having his book of hand-typed and hand-written recipes over the span of his culinary years is perhaps one of the greatest gifts I could have received from him. I will cherish our time and our "food talks" and though he was a great man for many reasons, I will know him always as my Father-in-Love.

The last father I would like to honor is the amazing man who is Dad to our kids. Words cannot and never will be able to thank him for all that he is to us. He is more than a provider to this family. Even though he works from home and the hours he gives to the office are more than your average 40 hour week, he still manages to stop whatever he is doing and listen to our gripes, our concerns, our exciting news or our ramblings about some random bit of information. He is an amazing chef who, at times, can blow doors on my cooking (yet he would never try to steal that from me, because he is humble like that). He has put up with my culinary adventures over the years and even though he would prefer meat & potatoes, his taste for different foods has grown because of those culinary adventures. He makes a killer brisket and a spaghetti sauce that would give an Italian grandmother a run for her money. He's also not too shabby with his knowledge of tequila and is simply one of those guys you just enjoy hanging out with.

I have to say that I've been extremely blessed when it comes to the Dad's in my life. So when your pondering what to give that special guy for Father's Day, opt out of the trendy gifts and try baking or cooking one of his fav's, I mean personally, I'd rather see a smile of satisfaction from a full tummy than a goofy smile from a cheesy tie anyway… I'm jus' saying'!


My Daddy's Favorite Sour Cream Apple Pie



Filling
1 cup sour cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
3 cups peeled, sliced tart apples (about 1 1/4 pounds of slices)
1 9" unbaked pie shell

Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix together all ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Chill until needed in the recipe.


Preheat oven to 400°F.
Beat together sour cream, sugar, flour, salt, vanilla and egg (can beat by hand). Add apples, mixing carefully to coat well.
Put filling into a pie shell and bake at 400 degrees initially for 25 min.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with Cinnamon Crumb Topping. Bake for and additional 20 more minutes.
Let cool for a hour before serving.


My Father-in-Love's Swedish Meatballs


1 1/2 lbs of hamburger
1 small onion
1 cup of bread crumbs
1/2 cup of milk
1 egg
1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. of salt
1/4 tsp. of ground ginger
1/4 tsp. pepper
3/4 tsp. nutmeg

Chop onion fine & saute in butter until soft. Beat eggs & milk. Add spices, onion, bread crumbs & parsley. Mix Well. Form into small balls & fry in a butter over medium high heat. Shake in pan to brown on all sides, until cooked through.

*This recipe does not include the gravy* Our father-in-law never served these with gravy, he did, however, put out lingonberry jam for me to have along side of them.


Bob's Signature Royal Paloma


2 oz. 100% Agave reposado tequila
1/2 oz agave nectar
Juice from 1/2 lime
4 oz blood orange soda

Combine ingredients with ice in a shaker and stir. Pour into highball and garnish with lime wheel.
For additional flair, rim half the glass with sugar

Dutch Apple Pie

Yummy! Who doesn't like the sweet smell of an apple pie baking in the oven? We buy candles and air-fresheners with this scent to fill our homes so why not just take the little bit of time to create that smell for real? That inviting smell will take you back to your Mom's kitchen or your favorite little diner. Whichever memory it conjures up, it always makes me think of Fall. This is the time of year to get to your local farmer's market and check out all the varieties of apples available. Honey Crisp is my favorite for just snacking - it's crisp and sweet with a little tartness at the same time - just amazing! I urge you to seek it out and try it and you will be forever happy, I promise. For baking, I always go for the tart Granny Smith. It holds up so well in the baking process and the sugars just meld together to create the perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors. Now, there have been times when I have picked-up other varieties, only to find them soft or mealy when I go to eat them. No worries! Don't throw them out as they make great applesauce.

Below is an apple pie that I played around with because I had some left-over Kraft Caramel Bits (my new fall baking ingredient) I added them to the filling and then made a streusel topping because my daughter thinks streusel should be on everything. It turned out super-juicy with just the right balance of apples and caramel. Home-made crusts scare you? In a hurry? Don't let these stop you! Buy your crust in the refrigerator section of your grocery store - it won't change the sweet aroma that will flow out of your oven and into the house... I'm jus' sayin'...



Dutch Apple Pie

1 9in pie crust
1 batch of streusel topping (see below)
5 medium tart apples (peeled and sliced thin)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbs ground cinnamon
1/2 cup Kraft caramel bits (found in chocolate chip aisle)

Streusel Topping

1 stick of butter
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Mix the above together until small pea-size crumbles are made.
Set aside

In a large bowl, combine the apples, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon.
Put all of that into the pie crust. Distribute strewsel topping all over top of pie. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until it is brown on top and juices are oozing out of the top, and the house is smelling like pure comfort!