The Marx Foods and Foodie Blog Roll Iron Foodie Contest!

I am so excited. Iron Foodie? A challenge in the kitchen? I'm there and ready to whisk everyone away.

Why do I want to enter this contest?

Well, even being here today to type this response via virtual ink is a gift as I was only given two weeks to live a few years ago. Cooking saved My life as it gave Me something to look forward to.
I want to give back a little something with a great recipe from Marx Foods products that you can enjoy and share with your families and friends. Cooking is the way that I express My love and creativity. I want to express that love and creativity with you as well. Whats more is I want to prove something to Myself, that I am useful, that I AM creative. Creative enough to compete and WIN. I want to leave something behind for My family to be proud of. Winning this contest would not just thrill Me, but My family as well.

Who's kitchen would I like to spend a day in and why?

Julia Child. Why? The lady is a culinary icon yes, but she was also an honest to good down to earth person. I used to watch her show on PBS at times and simply crack up as she was so hilarious in the kitchen. I think a sense of humor is so very important in a kitchen and that Julia Child and I would get some serious cooking done along with some serious laughter during the process. I would love to simply listen to her experiences and learn whatever I could from her and use that knowledge in My own kitchen along with My own experiences for a wonderful yin and yang of cooking joy!

What morsel of food would I be most likely to swipe off a friend or family members plate?

It would most likely be cheese or a nice juicy mushroom. I adore cheese, so much in fact, that My Grandfather used to say that I was part 'rat'. Mushrooms also make My taste buds tingle. They are like morsels of meaty goodness with an earthiness that cannot be matched with any other thing (unless it is a Truffle that is). ;) So yes, I would steal a piece of cheese in a heartbeat and maybe even a mushroom too. Double the goodness, double the score!

Sum up My childhood in one meal.

Mercy. Living with a single father, our meals were oft times scary to say the least and at many times would make Me question My fathers sanity, however, Dad did make one meal every Sunday that we actually looked forward to. Beans and Franks with Mac and cheese (from the box). We didn't have a lot of money and usually ate cheaper cuts of meat such as liver on sale etc. Beans and Franks was the best part of My childhood meals, the rest could send a person running to the hills in fear, shock and horror. (Love you Daddy). :-)

The one mainstream food that I cannot stand?

Well, let Me think here as I enjoy most everything that ends up on My plate. Mainstream? Is fast food considered 'mainstream'? If so, I would say cheap sauces/add ons that fast food chains try to pawn off on customers to dress up their already horrible food that they have been serving since the ice age. I hate those fast food chains constantly 'revamping' their existing menu items such as one of their burgers with some so called snappy mainstream type of topping such as 'onion chips with black peppered mushroom sauce' when really all it is... well, is a cheap mushroom goop with processed onions in a tasteless greasy batter. Insert any new supposed thrilling burger name here________. Yuck. Just work on giving Me a good burger instead of trying to make your not so good burger more than it is with your cheap additions and icky sauces. I am NOT into the 'next big burger' from your fast food chain no matter how wonderfully popular it supposedly is.

The Gothic Gourmet lives...

Hello dear readers (if there are any left after such a long absence).

I have been quite busy trying to stay out of the hospital (had a few visits in the past few months) and have been busy writing My cookbook and cooking/canning many things. I wanted to check in and let everyone know that yes, I am still here and thankfully, am not in the hospital at the moment.

I just finished making and canning up tons of homemade apple butter which I made from homemade applesauce. The house smells divine and the apple butter is the best I have ever tasted if I do say so Myself. (I also used a few lovely varieties of pears along with several different kinds of apples (including some of the biggest giant apples I have ever seen in My lifetime.) These were called 'apple crisp' and were so crisp, juicy and luscious that they almost didn't make it into the pot.

Last night I made homemade candy (turtles) which are called 'Billionaire chocolates'. They taste like a billion bucks and I decorated them with silver and gold glitter/sugar tops to make them look just as rich as they are. The recipe is quite easy and I will include it on this entry. So easy that I am almost embarrassed to list it. But, with the holidays upon Us, a little time saving candy making recipes go a long way and giving these as gifts is such a lovely way of sharing your sense of style and love through food.

I canned quite a few items for this winter and made a very fine/expensive homemade French Onion Soup that I canned up for a cold day. I saved a few jars for the hubby and I to enjoy now with crusty croutons/French Bread and thick sharp Provolone cheese rounds to place on top of the hot crocks. I will also include a recipe for this (all though some of My secrets will be left out). Don't worry, the results will still be the best you have ever tasted and more than likely it will be your 'go to' French Onion Soup recipe all though it is a bit involved and time consuming. Be sure to make plenty so that you can can several quarts for your cold and wet winter days ahead.

Lets see, what else? Oh yes, I have canned up more beans, corn (is coming next) fruits, and various spreads. I have to make a list of things to can including some more soups such as vegetable and chicken noodle. I did make some lovely chicken noodle soup made out of homemade stock that had been boiled down with lovely root vegetables for a few days. The result was rich and tasty. My days ahead will be making and jarring up homemade pasta/tomato sauce. I have some lovely new homemade fresh pastas to make and some wonderful sauce/pesto recipes to go along side them. I love homemade pasta. Raviolis will be nice as well.

Speaking of soups, is there nothing nicer on a cold winters day than a nice hearty crock of soup? I don't know...but for Me, soup is good for the soul. I should also include My Greek Lemon Rice soup recipe that was handed down to Me by a very wise lady with years and years of cooking experience. This is an authentic Greek recipe. I love the lemons in it, and often use lemon in every soup I make as a secret weapon. I am a citrus freak! Lemons and limes are My most favorite cooking ingredient. I just made a Key lime pie for friends this past week.

I have a few artichokes in the refrigerator that I need to use tonight and luckily have a great stuffed artichoke recipe that I have been longing/aching to make. Cooking is so therapeutic for Me, I just can't express that in mere virtual words.

Oh yes, the candy I made, I boxed up in the cutest of boxes that I found at Michael's craft store yesterday. The holidays are so fun and cute aren't they?

Speaking of cooking, I need to make a pineapple upside down cake for a friend today. (Not My favorite of cakes) but I enjoy making anything that brings joy to others. That is My joy.

So, on with the joy...

Chocolate Billionaires: (This recipe can be doubled etc.)

1 large package 14 oz of wrapped caramels (unwrapped of course)
1 1/2 teaspoon of water.
3 cups of chocolate chips or semi sweet chips or a mixture of both
1 1/2 cups of chopped Pecans
1 cup of puffed rice cereal.
1 teaspoon shortening.

Directions:

Line two (2) baking sheets with waxed paper.

In a large saucepan over low heat, melt your caramels with the 1 teaspoon of water until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in your Pecan pieces and your one cup of puffed rice cereal. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a microwave or over a double broiler, melt your chocolate chips and teaspoon of shortening until smooth.

Drop your caramel mixture by teaspoon fulls onto your wax lined baking sheets. Refrigerate for about ten minutes or until firm/pliable. Once pliable, roll with your clean hands into spheres (or leave like they are which would be more flat/turtle shaped). Dip into chocolate, shake off excess chocolate and place back on baking sheets with waxed paper. Refrigerate until chocolate is set and package up in pretty boxes lined with pretty colored paper. Give as gifts (or eat them all yourself). Your choice! :-)

I sprinkle the tops of My chocolates with edible silver and gold glitter/sugar or gold leaf to give these chocolate billionaires a true rich billion dollar look.

I will take a picture of these for you all to see.

French Onion Soup (enough for dinner and canning up for winter)

Note: I am writing this recipe off the top of My head. Amounts may not be exact. You will get the gist of the recipe and can make as much as you like according on the amounts of ingredients you choose to use.

1 to 2 bay leaves
bunch of fresh thyme
boquet garnet. (bay leaf, thyme bundle and whatever other herbs you want to use tied together with butchers twine and hung over pot.
Herbs de Provance (to taste)
Parsley (fresh to taste)
Kosher salt or Fluer de sel (or another fine nice sea salt)
Freshly ground black pepper
cracked green peppercorns
cracked red peppercorns
2 lemons zested and juiced (or as little or as much as you prefer to taste)
Dry white wine (half a bottle or more) or to taste
Red wine (half a bottle) or to taste
A bit of nice Sherry or Cognac (or both!)
6 or more large sweet peeled and sliced (half moon slices) of Onions (or to taste) I use more sometimes.
1 to 2 or more quarts of homemade beef stock/broth
2 cans of beef consume
1 or more quarts of homemade chicken stock
Fresh Parsley for garnish
1 French loaf of bread cut into 1 inch thick rounds
Swiss, Mozzarella, Provolone, Gouda, cheese (your choice or a combo of your choice).
3 to 4 cloves of fresh garlic chopped fine (minced)
4 stalks of celery chopped (this is for flavor and will not end up in your finished soup).
a few dashes/or how much ever you like of nice soy sauce
a few dashes/or how much ever you like of worcester sauce
olive oil
butter

In a large saucepan, melt some butter along with a bit of olive oil and add in your onions. Cook until caramelized which can take up to an hour. After onions are caramelized, add in your garlic and cook a few moments being sure not to burn it.
Add onions and garlic into a large stock pot (very very large)
Add your white wine to your pan and get up all the brown bits with a wooden spoon. If you have an aversion to wine/spirits just use beef stock to de-glaze your pan instead on wine. Your end result will still be a nice rich hearty warm your soul soup (just not as good and not as French).
pour the contents of pan into your stock pot
Add your boquet of herbs and hang over side of pot for easy removal.
Cover your onions with half of your beef stock and chicken stock along with your cut up ribs of celery. If you are fortunate, you will have a large giant stock pot with a strainer inside. Place the celery in this part of your pot so that you can easily separate it from your onion soup part of the pot.
Add in your beef consume along with a bit of water. If you like an even richer flavor, add in some soup base (beef) the very high grade liquid base that is much likened to syrup. Beef syrup that is. Williams and Sonoma sell this for 29.99 a jar (which is quite high) but only a few teaspoons or tablespoons are needed. I make My own which takes a very long time of reducing but is well worth it when you can it in 1/2 pint jars so that you have it on hand when you need it. I have a veal, vegetable and mushroom base as well as chicken on hand.

OKAY, where were We? Oh yes, flavoring. At this point I like to add in My soy sauce/worchester sauce and a bit of parsley. I also add a fresh bundle of thyme and My lemon juice to taste. Salt and pepper to taste as well.

Your soup should be getting very rich and hearty with a nice broth of wine and onions with a hint of citrus zing. I zest My lemons and put the zest in a bit of a time to taste and add the lemon halves to the pot along with the celery (in the strainer part). This adds even more intense flavors. Taste, taste and taste some more and let simmer on low heat for hours! I cook mine all day long and it is even better the next day. Keep your lid on your pot to keep the soup simmering constantly and nice and hot by the time you need to fill your crocks.

Now, for My super cool hints on keeping your crock of French Onion Soup LAVA HOT during your meal:

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. and place two oven safe soup crocks (Mine are relics which are brown with handles on each crock) on a baking sheet. Leave in the oven while you cut your French loaf of bread into as many slices as you will need for toasting your lovely croutons for your soup. Cut into 1 inch slices (or to your desired size). Place on the baking sheet (or a separate baking sheet) in your 425 degree oven and heat until toasted on one side. Your soup should be nice and hot at this point.

Open your oven and with an oven glove pull out your baking sheet towards you and add in some shredded cheese in the bottom of each crock. The cheese will sizzle when it hits your hot crocks. Ladle enough soup to nearly fill each crock of soup but leave enough head space for each of your French crouton slices. Put French crouton piece in each crock toasted side down and lay two to three (depending on how cheesy you are) slices of sharp Provolone cheese/Swiss/Gouda etc. on top of each crock. The slices should fit just over each crock opening (enough to hang over slightly) and bake onto each crock. Sprinkle a few fresh sprigs of Parsley on top for garnish and close your oven door and broil your soup on 500 to 550 degrees F. until cheese is melted and bubbly with bits of brown on top. This shouldn't take long as your oven is already hot and so are your crocks and the molten lava soup inside.

Use extra caution when removing your baking sheet from oven (I just grip the crock handles with My pot holder) but depending on what crocks you are using, you may need to take the whole baking sheet out or at the very least, use two oven mitts to grab onto each crock of soup.

Transfer crock of soup onto oven safe/glass plate so that you can carry your soup to your desired eating destination with ease and without much fear of being burned to death.

Eat soup with extra crusty bread and butter on the side along with a nice salad of your choice. Caesar salad is a nice addition to this soup with homemade anchovy/Caesar dressing. I also have a lovely Caesar salad and dressing that I have perfected over the years if you would like Me to share it with you. Just leave Me a comment and let Me know.

For desert, I usually have Creme Brulee or French Chocolate/custard/Mousse. Divine. I also have recipes for these two things which My husband is in love with. He especially loves My pot de creme (chocolate Mousse) as it is made of eggs, lots of heavy cream and specialty chocolate that is so rich, it should wear the Hope Diamond. Again, leave a comment and I will try and jot those recipes down for you via virtual ink when time permits.

Speaking of the French, I have a lovely pork roast that I made French Style a few weeks ago and have purchased another to make this week in the same manner. I tell you ladies, My hubby isn't going anywhere as long as I can cook. :-D

That with triple milled, mashed, and whipped potatoes which have also been pressed through a sieve like they do at a famous restaurant in Las Vegas, along with a seasonal fresh veggie and bingo, We are in business.

I made a divine Risotto a couple of weeks ago which I may share with you if you twist My arm hard enough.

Well, onto making this cake and a special request dinner tonight which includes fresh French croissants... YUM.

I'll try to remember to take pictures of those candies before they are all gone. Until then, keep laughing, loving, cooking and above all else? LIVING!

As always,
The Gothic Gourmet.

A veggie plate tonight...

I am trying to hone down on what veggies I want on this plate this eve, I am narrowing things down (or am trying to).

Mashed potatoes and gravy sounds nice along side some freshly canned green beans with smoked bacon. Add some homemade mac and cheese? We may be in business here. German potato salad however is still on the list and may knock out the mashed potatoes. First and foremost, I need to go make bread. No meal is complete (even a vegan meal) without good bread. So...sigh, I'll pop upstairs to the kitchen to get that recipe going. BEST ROLLS YOU WILL EVER TASTE. If time permits, perhaps a few jars of apple butter are in order. Hubby loves apple butter.

I really would love to make a nice chicken pot pie (but that won't go over well here seeing as I live with a diabetic father. However, there is a youngun here (yes I spelled that wrong so sue Me) who would love the pot pie (they are bought frozen here for him) and hubby loves them too...what to do?

I'll keep you filled in and include My recipes.

Until then,
Keep living, laughing, loving, and above all else...cooking!

As always,
The Gothic Gourmet.

Arrowroot Starch or are you really using Tapioca?

I have extensively searched this great black hole that We call the WWW. The same black hole that has led Us together (so it cannot be all bad eh?).

As it were, I have been using Arrowroot Starch ever since I saw a bit on it on the Television show entitled 'Good Eats' With host, Alton Brown.

This man has gotten Me into arguments and a good deal of trouble with My husband as after I watch his shows...there are times...when I MUST seek out the odd ingredients he has made mention of on any particular episode. (Don't get Me started on Grains Of Paradise). My husband may strangle Me! ;)

I read that most of the commercial Arrowroot that people buy these days is made of Tapioca? Be sure to do your homework when buying Arrowroot starch. I can provide (My list) of suppliers that I buy from here in My hometown if you like.

In a previous comment from a previous blog entry, someone had made mention that their Grandmother (if I am not mistaken) used Arrowroot starch in several of her applications but limited those to certain veggies as the other veggies became 'slimy'.

True. Arrowroot starch can cause slime. Ick eh? Napoleon himself even made mention of Arrowroot. It must be important if a little parasite like him spoke of it. Certainly so... could it be that the Arrowroot supported British colonies? More into this later.

I Myself use Arrowroot as a thickener (in place of cornstarch) for sauces/gravies/soups etc. You must however be careful in your application as heat can actually counteract the thickening and make your dishes a bit...runny. Heat thins Arrowroot at times.

Arrowroot starch (in it's purest form) is likened to fresh fallen snow. It is a white powder like substance (not unlike cornstarch). It is odorless (all though some say that there is a faint smell when Arrowroot is mixed with boiling water). I Myself don't seem to notice much but again, don't really mix the starch with boiling water often as mentioned above, it can counteract the intended purpose of the starch to begin with.

This starch is perfect for vegans and has a lower particle count than that of less than finer/less expensive of starches say (Potato etc.)

Interesting factoid: Arrowroot used to be used in paper making. A more economical efficient ingredient was later used thus making Arrowroot starch void of any importance other than that of cooking (and some say treating poison arrow wounds). I'll have to research that subject more when I have the time.

As far as being used as a thickening agent, My favorite application for this starch is used in My Chinese Hot and Sour soup. In the olden days this starch was used for dietary purposes until Scientist found no true proof of its value to those with dietary restrictions. Also, I use this in My Greek Lemon Rice soup because Arrowroot is wonderful when combined with 'acidic' foods. It help to thicken homemade tomato sauces as well. (Great in tomato and vegetable soup that has a lot of acidity to it ie. tomatoes and My secret weapon of all time...lemon juice).

In any event, the cons are that A). Dairy products and Arrowroot starch aren't very good friends in the culinary world. I think about the movie Ghost Busters and the famous line "It slimed Me". Think on that for a moment. Ponder it... The why this happens (the Scientific part We will discuss later). Another con, Arrowroot works best at low temps meaning (for rues etc. this is not a good thickening agent to use unless you know what you are doing and know how to temper). Why take the time though if you don't have to? Use what you have on hand and what works best for you. I happen to like Arrowroot for many reasons (some which I will discuss later) than that of other starches.

Con or pro? Arrowroot starch like other pure starches is pretty much naked/lacking in the form of protein. Also you carb nuts? It's pretty much PURE carbs like that of other pure starches. Beware. (I Myself being only 79 to 80 pounds soaking wet am not concerned with such matters).

I also use Arrowroot starch in replacement of creme of tartar for meringue's at times. More on Meringue's later.

What do YOU do with Arrowroot? I would love to hear about your applications. I can lead you to where it is sold in bulk if you like (that is if you have this store in your region). I suppose you can buy it online as well. I think you can buy about anything online (even love they say). Yeah yeah.

Think I will make that Lemon Meringue pie tomorrow for the hubby as a coming home surprise. He has been working ungodly hours as of late and I feel so sorry for him. His body aches as much as Mine does (of that I am not for certain but it sure does seem so). A pie, just for him...his favorite and perhaps a foot bath complete with a rub down and a buffing of the nails, lotion and the full red carpet treatment. Yes, I think he deserves this. He can eat his pie while I wash his poor tired feet.

Well, until We meet again via virtual ink in this virtual world? Keep laughing, cooking, loving, and above all else? LIVING!

As always, your in food,
The Gothic Gourmet.

Homemade German mustard. Ask and ye shall recieve!

Somebody asked for this recipe (which I said I would provide if asked for) so here it is.

Now, I do hope you like heat dear readers, and I do hope that you are familiar with German mustard which is a horse of a different color as compared to American yellow mustard.

Also: disclosure: BE CAREFUL when making mustard. Ever hear of mustard gas? The same principle applies here. When using your microwave you must be careful or you could not only make a mess, but really mess yourself up.

Gothic German Mustard. What makes it Gothic? Me of course!

You will need:

around 4 TSP. Light or dark brown sugar. (I like dark but this is of course My preference).
1 half cup of dry mustard powder.
Around 1 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar.
1/2 cup Water.
1 cup of pickle juice (Sweet pickle juice). You may substitute with a mixture of vinegar, sugar, water, salt and pepper and you'll be fine but you won't however, have all the seasonings/flavor that come along with sweet pickle juice (either homemade or commercial).
1 TBS. Garlic powder.
1/4 cup of brown mustard seeds.
1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds. (You may use all yellow seeds if that is all you have but I like the look of the black seeds along with the yellow). I suppose this is a variation of French mustard as they use the black seeds as well.
1/2 TBS of good Paprika.
1 TBS. Turmeric.
1/2 TSP cayenne pepper (or to taste)

Additional equipment: Spice grinder (coffee grinder used specifically for spices) or a mortar and pestle. (Grinder is best, saves time and will keep you from pulling out your hair) however, use what you have. Don't go spending extra money if you don't have it for mustard, but, in the long run a coffee grinder set up especially for spices is a grand thing to have in any foodies kitchen.

More salt and some fresh cracked black pepper (which is added later to individual taste only if you like). I am a salt and pepper junkie.

Directions/Instructions/

First dear reader let Us find a bowl that can house all of our ingredients. Make sure that this bowl is microwave safe. We don't want any meltdowns going on here with this recipe do We? ;)

Mix your sugar, mustard powder, paprika and garlic powder (or your paste that you made) with a whisk and set to the side. You can also combine these ingredients in a plastic container with lid or a plastic baggie and shake shake shake if you like.

Meanwhile, in another bowl/container combine your pickle juice, cider vinegar and water and set aside. Next, grind your mustard seeds in your grinder for a minimum of 1 minute. Check your seeds and pulse if needed a couple of times. After you are finished grinding your mustard seeds, quickly add them to your dry ingredients (sugar, paprika etc. etc.) and then add your liquid mixture that you have waiting on the side. Whisk whisk whisk to combine.

Place your mixture (which should be in a microwave safe container already) into the microwave and nuke for oh, a minute to a minute and 1/2. (This is where you have to be careful) ie. mustard gas. Remove your mixture from the microwave and puree in a food processor (or use a stick blender which happens to be one of My favorite Christmas gifts) for around a minute. If you like a more grainy mustard, use your best judgment and process to your liking/texture.
Pour into a couple of decorative glass jars (or one large jar) and set aside until cool (uncovered).

There you have it! You can always tweak this recipe to your liking but this one has been used in this family for years and it is oh so lovely. Great, now I want pretzels and mustard. The Gothic Gourmet's stomach makes a long hollow sound...

Oh, as for storage? Store this mustard in your fridge for up to a month or more. I stir mine with a fork or spoon each time before use. If you want French mustard I can help you there too. (Well, with the dark mustard seeds We basically have a German/French variation of mustard sans the white wine).

Where is the pretzel recipe? All in good time. All in good time. I have to make sure someone read this first eh? Okay, how about tomorrow for time? I'll try. I could post it now but really need to get a bit of sleep. Besides, I think I want to make them Myself and should take pictures of the process? I know, another big IF. I will however post the recipe shortly.

Until We meet again via virtual ink? Keep laughing, loving, cooking, creating and above all else? Living!

As always,
The Gothic Gourmet.

Upcoming topics:
Authentic old world German Pretzels
Blueberry Pie with all butter pie crust
Beef Wellington with a bonus PLUS two plating sauces to choose from.

A comment? Are you serious?

Wow, I must seem like a real geek but I am so thankful to know that SOMEONE, SOMEBODY is reading My entries. Now please understand, I hardly see My blog (this blog) as a quid pro quo for anything of great importance. Why do I underestimate Myself? No, I am not doing that. I am in fact, being a realist.

Oh crispy crackers! There I go again, off the beaten path. Back to the topic at hand..

I have two comments! To those of you who are veteran blogger's with really cool blogs? I don't know if you can go back way back when to when you got YOUR first comment however, how thrilling it was for Me and that is the unvarnished truth.

Maybe I am easily amused? Well, in truth I am (Daddy always said that) but that isn't what this is about. I am actually thrilled that someone out 'there' saw Me. Heard Me. When I am gone...someone will have saw what I had to say no matter how trivial it may have been. Still, I want help those reading. If you have a question for The Gothic Gourmet on canning, cooking, etc. ??? Just ask. I would love to comment back. I read ALL My comments. All two of them so far.


;).

As it were, I am trying to decide what to make tonight for dinner.... I have narrowed it down to Cheddar cheese souffle or.. homemade mac and cheese. I am chickened out or I would make another chicken casserole. I looked in the freezer and no ground beef or steak or...a homemade Beef Stroganoff would be in order. I have a pasta roller and could make the egg noodles Myself. May be soothing even though I have egg noodles in a bag in the pantry.

There is something to be said about making your own pasta. Anyway, no beef but I do have fresh crispy cooked bacon and I do have vinegar, broth, onions and potatoes so....German potato salad could end up being a side. Hubby loves it. Don't you? I have a wonderful recipe (handed down) if you want it...comment! Your family will crown you Queen or King of your castle and you will feel as if you are in Berlin during Oktoberfest!

(You have to ask however). This way, I know someone else read My perhaps pretty trivial blog. If I do provide this recipe? I expect comments from the peanut gallery on the end result.

I also have a great German Pretzel recipe and homemade spicy German Mustard that I...may be... willing to share if...you twist My arm behind My back and all that jazz. ;)

I make these pretzels ever so often and the hubby goes ga ga. Everyone goes ga ga. You'll love them and the mustard too or My name isn't... (yada yada yada).

In any event, I must go as I seem to have some egg whites to beat with..oh a little cream of tarter or maybe some of My arrow root starch. (Never forget the power of the arrow root starch). More on that later. Don't even get Me started on the freaking leaking peaking grain of paradise that Alton Brown got Me to searching for) which to the credit of Mr. Alton Brown, I found a wonderful place full of interesting spices, salts and vinegars and to that? I cannot ever repay My thankfulness. I will fill you foodies in (who live in the greater Indianapolis area) on this marvel that is called?... You have to ask and a link will be provided. Aren't I selfish? No, just want to make sure someone read this.

I am a Scientist first and a foodie second (I think) I keep getting those two confused. So... We will discuss later the arrow root starch and of course, creme of Tartar. I ALSO have a wonderful Lemon M. Pie recipe to share with you...if...well, of course you twist My arm behind My back for it.

How exciting! Two comments. I know, so trivial it seems, but when you are alone and holed up at home with only your wits, your food and your computer at hand? It means a great deal to know that people are at the very least, looking.

So, what to do? What do make. Aha! Life is easier when you know the answers to your own questions isn't it?
Thank you!

Until We meet again via virtual ink in this black hole of cyberspace? Keep laughing, loving and above all else? Living!

As always,
The Gothic Gourmet.

I'm feeling green...

I keep thinking about the song Kermit the frog sang...feeling green...

Yup. After dealing with a whole bushel full of green beans, snapping them, stringing them, cutting them and then canning them? Oh yeah, I'm feeling pretty green about now.

Still, I have plenty to speak for after all the hard work. 14 quarts of pretty lovely green beans. I had some today which I heated up with salt, pepper butter and fresh cooked bacon. Low and slow. I served them with a fresh chicken casserole (hubby's favorite) which took Me all ding dang long to make. Today was a hot day, the kind of day where you feel like a Crayon and that you may melt into the other colors of the world, blend in.. and fade away into nothingness.

I am up late/early actually. I went to bed a bit early as I was feeling pretty yucky today. It is approximately, 0214 hundred hours.

The movie "Monster" is on which stars Christiana Ricci and Charlize Theron. If you don't know who Charlize Theron is, well, she is a beautiful blond that starred in the movie "The Cider House Rules". Gorgeous actually. In this film? You would never know it was her. She looks exactly and I do mean exactly like the real serial killer Aileen Wuorons who was convicted of killing seven men. The film won several awards including 'makeup'. Amazing what makeup can do. It can make or break a woman.

In any event, I have a WHOLE BUNCH of cucumbers in the garage that I have to tend to. Some of them are getting a bit soft so I plan on making relish out of those (cutting off the good parts and discarding the bad/soft parts). Why let anything go to waste? Right.

Sooooo, until We meet again in this virtual black hole called the 'net' I bid you ghoul eats!

As always,
The Gothic Gourmet.

Tarte' Tatin nearly did Me in,,,,,

Tarte Tatin Dish. Buy yours here.
And it was a pain in the rear end friend!

The French. Don't We love the French? Of course We do. Where else would We get such fine recipes and cuisine from? The French loved salt so much that they went to war over it! The French, oft times seemingly smug to the American people (they seem like real jerks if you don't know them personally) and...some of them are jerks, just like some of We Americans are jerks.

Anyway, The French brought Us the Tarte' Tatin (I think?) sounds French and this superior Tarte' Tatin pan/serving dish was made in France and has French directions on it so..... I am just saying...

As it were, people, if you want to make this dish be prepared to eat up a LOT of your time and be prepared to nearly curse yourself for ever being born and taking on this task/project..okay, TASK.

The prep time is the worse. Making the dough, rolling it out, putting it on a cookie sheet lined with plastic wrap and then covered with plastic wrap and then chilling it in the icebox for an hour... The peeling, coring and quartering of the apples. The squeezing and zesting of the lemons, the grating of the fresh nutmeg and other spices etc. etc. etc. and then to top it all off you have to prepare the caramel.

Now My friends/readers, I have made homemade caramels several times. In fact, if you look at some of My past projects you will actually see the My making of said caramels. Tarte Tatin caramel is a horse of a different color!

After all your apples are prepared and your dough is chilling pretty in the icebox you have to make this ding danged caramel on the stove top in a Tatin dish (or if you can't afford a hundred dollar tatin dish as if I can but yes, I have acquired one) you can use an oven safe cake pan or a cast iron skillet or an oven safe dish that can be used on range and in the oven as well. In ANY EVENT, this caramel you MUST watch closely. Fortunately, the Gothic Gourmet pulled off this dish without any major malfunctions. Yes, you read Me right. I did it and have the pictures to prove it.

Basically a Tatin is an upside down pie of sorts. The bottom becomes the top like a pineapple upside down cake. (Which I love to make by the way).

You make the caramel stove top while your rolled out dough circle is chilling and then you arrange your apples in a pretty pattern in the dish after removed from heat. The Caramel process is a hair pulling experience as it happens quick and you have to be quick or you WILL fail this task. You have to put pats of butter in the caramel etc. etc. before removing from the heat and adding your apples. After arranging the apples in your pattern (remember your bottom will become your top) you have to return the dish to the heat and cook on medium heat for 20 or more minutes. After that, you remove the dish from the heat and let it cool slightly and then place your dough over the dish and tuck it in (like tucking apples into to bed. A bed of dough that is). Looks like an apple pie so far but don't cut in any slits. Put in the oven and bake for around 20 to 25 minutes and remove from heat and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before.... INVERTING. Yes, inverting. A scary scary thing My friends. You simply don't know what is going to happen. Will you burn yourself and drop the whole thing on the floor? Will the concoction stick to your pan? Will it look like a puddle of apples and goo? You won't know until you go go go.

My father took pictures of My inverting the Tatin and you will also see the final results of said Tatin. Smells wonderful but I haven't cut into it yet. I am saving that for pictures. The whole process took hours to complete. HOURS.

I make beef Wellington and it doesn't take nearly as long as this dish so if you make it, I sure hope it is for a SPECIAL event because otherwise, I am not sure it is worth all the effort but of course, it is worth trying at least ONCE. :-)

Take a look at the pictures and I will find a link to the Tatin dish if you would like to purchase it. Remember that you can use a plethora of other fruits for this dish. It doesn't just have to be apples.

I would love to hear your stories (horror stories/hair pulling stories etc.) on your making of this dish if you have ventured out to prepare it yourself. What happened? Did it work the first time? I am fortunate that Mine did. Normally/usually not to toot My own horn, but normally all the recipes I try out work the first time. I find if they don't it is usually due to human error ie. not reading the proper instructions or using inferior equipment for the task at hand. Remember, even if it doesn't work the first time you have to get back on the horse and try to ride it out again. I always do this. Also, be sure to have some backup insurance. Insurance? That's right. I make double of what a recipe normally calls for unless it is highly expensive as a backup in case I drop something or flub it up somehow. I did this with puff pastry once and was very thankful that I had another batch to use for Wellington or My special dinner would have been ruined. In this case with the Tatin, I made extra dough and had a bit of extra apple mixture aside and ready. Caramel flub ups are easy to fix. You simply clean your pan and make more. Sugar is pretty inexpensive but the vanilla bean this recipe called for (the seeds of one vanilla bean) wasn't so be careful and don't screw up the first time. Keep your eye on the ball/the prize etc. Don't take your eye off that caramel or you will risk wasting the seeds from a whole vanilla bean. Remember to not let that pod go to waste. Put it in your sugar for 'vanilla sugar'. Always make every cent/dollar count when cooking. Do not waste ANYTHING if at all possible. Even the end of veggies that We would not eat as they are not pleasing to look at can be used to make soup stocks etc. Use your noodle My friends and be frugal. Can We really afford not to be in these times with this economy? Certainly not.

I hope you enjoy the photos. I will take more when I cut the Tatin and plate it. Until then...
Keep cooking, loving, laughing and above all else? LIVING!

As always, The Gothic Gourmet.

Help The Gothic Gourmet and donate for fresh products!

Dear readers, I have some wonderful items up for grabs for mere donations.

Remember when I told you that I was pressure canning items? Well, I have up for grabs (pictures enclosed) Spiced Blueberry Jam (made with fresh ground nutmeg and a few secret ingredients).

Strawberry preserves. (Can someone say YUM?) Perfect on hot rolls, toast, pancakes, and just about everything. PB&J sandwiches are also a favorite here at the Gothic Gourmet's household. Almost out of stock. Donate now to grab your own jar.

1/2 pint is up for a $7.00 donation. ` pint is up for a 9.00 donation. (I have dogs to feed) sigh. But seriously, it's good stuff and you will want more. :D

Also up for grabs are My most famous wonderful dilly hot pickles! I don't know about you, but when I was a kid, I simply loved to get a pickle out the big jar at the market that My Grandfather took Me to. In fact, I can never pass up a Kosher dill pickle, a pickle hot, mild, sour or whatever! I have to have one. ;)

I have quarts of Kosher Dills/HOT or Mild up for donations of 9.00 USD. Yes, sounds expensive but they are WORTH the money. FRESH local quality ingredients were used and rest assured that anything that you 'donate' for has been perfectly pressurized under USDA guidelines with a NEW pressure caner. I don't necessarily 'trust' water baths for jams etc. so I pressurize everything to be on the safe side. I wouldn't have you eat anything I wouldn't eat Myself.

Also up for donations are (only have a couple left) Ham And Bean Soup 1 Quart. Lovingly made all day long with smoked bacon, smoked ham, soaked beans, fresh broth, etc. etc. I can't let you know everything I put in there or it wouldn't be a secret anymore. :D

I have 3 Quarts left and they are up for a donation of 9.00 a Quart. Fine fine ingredients went into this batch including fresh herbs, fresh ground spices and special salts and fresh ground pepper. OUT OF STOCK.

Also up for donation is My fresh local pitted cherries. I pitted them Myself and yes, I do wear gloves and everything is perfectly sanitary and sterilized. (I have to add that because I always wonder where things come from and who makes them and how sterile are people?) I have OCD so I really go over and over what I do and make sure it's right.

One Quart of cherries are for an 8.00 donation. Think of the perfect pies you can make! I will even include My famous cherry pie recipe to go along with each Quart.

Another item up for donation is My peachy keen peaches in heavy syrup. I did of course, blanch and shock the peaches, peel them pit them, cut them and lovingly can them in Quart Ball jars. I purchased the peaches locally and made sure they were of excellent quality. I ate a bunch Myself. Yum! Perfect for peach pie, peach cobbler or simply to eat fresh out of the jar. A $9.00 donation is asked for these fine fine peaches. I will also of course, include My famous peach Pie recipe with each Quart and a recipe for the peach cobbler My hubby begs for. :D

Now for you hotties, I have up for donation My special super secret cha cha cha salsa. This salsa has just a hint of heat but certainly not enough to burn your tongue. I do however, have My super Cha Cha Cha green tomato and Tomatillo salsa. This batch packs some neat heat. It's nice and slowly builds up to a nice heat. I put fresh local habanero and Jalapeno, peppers into this batch along with some fresh hand ground spices, fresh shucked sweet corn, specialty salt, and excellent local made vinegar. (Not your typical cider vinegar either. This one is super secret and super delicious! This vinegar aged in barrels was also put into My 'milder' salsa. 1/2 pint is up for a donation of 6.00 one pint is up for a donation of 9.00 and I have ONE quart left of My zesty cha cha cha salsa (milder) up for a donation of 14.00.

These salsa's are wonderful with lime corn chips, regular corn chips, topped on eggs, on burritos, or any application that you want a little 'zing a ling'. Get your cha cha cha salsa while the getting is good. Almost gone.

Also up for grabs are My homemade bath salt scrubs. Ladies and men folk alike are sure to enjoy this luxury salt scrub. Made with fresh key limes, key lime zest, dead sea salt, and the finest of oils (imported from abroad) you are sure to have the finest of bath experiences. No parabens, no artificial ingredients,and NOT tested on animals. What more could you ask for? Oh, OK how about each jar is handmade (not in a large batch but each jar you get is made personally for YOU). :-)

Hand zested key limes, hand squeezed key lime juice and extracted imported fine oils and salts. Nothing is better and I stand behind this product. I make it when ordered. I use it Myself and I must confess, dying or not, I have beautiful skin.

8 OZ. for a donation of 15.00
16 OZ. for a donation of 20.00
20 OZ. for a donation of 28.00

Worth it's weight! Your skin will be silky smooth and oh so soft.


Thank you thank you thank you and enjoy! Each item is homemade under strict sterile guidelines and sure to please the picky.

Well dear readers, it is so very early in the morning and I need sleep. Until We meet again (in virtual ink that is), keep living, laughing, loving and of course cooking!

As always,
The Gothic Gourmet.

Tarte Tatin!

As I type this, 'Secrets Of A Restaurant Chef' plays in the background. Ann is making braised chicken with mushrooms, bacon and pureed almonds, and chocolate-covered profiteroles. I have no idea what profiteroles are but I am soon to be informed.

Speaking of cooking, it isn't too hot today so I feel that I can at the very least use the top range and boil some Perogies and then pan fry them with butter. A dollop of sour cream (okay a LOT of sour cream as I am a sour cream junkie) and a few fresh cut chives and we are in business. I have these apples that My husband bought from one of My favorite local farmers (his name is Phil) but I digress. Back to the apples I have. I need to use them and I just got this most wonderful awesome Tarte Tatin pan. The neat factor is that it is a dish and a serving dish as well. Basically once you flip your Tatin you have a cover for it. I got it on sale at Williams-Sonoma. for a real steal. No, of course dear readers I did not 'steal it' per say, but I got it at an incredible price. They even put the quite hefty pan in a nice 'green safe' bag. I can reuse it every time I go back to Williams-Sonoma. :-)

I also got a super sized bottle of 'FINE FINE FINE' vanilla. I ask you this dear reader, can anyone have enough vanilla? I don't think so. I have vanilla beans, vanilla paste, different varieties of vanilla from different regions/Countries. Different strengths, etc. etc. etc. I LOVE vanilla. Whenever I make something that calls for Vanilla beans I get all excited because I like to scrape them out. Amazing how many seeds are in each pod eh? I then use the bean itself for vanilla sugar. Simply add your used beans to your jar of sugar and voila 'vanilla sugar'!

If I had the money I would have purchased a few more items that I truly need for My baking. The vanilla (actually might not seem like a big cost to most people) but for Me? It was expensive and I had to save up for it. I actually went there for that and that alone and ended up getting the Tarte Tatin pan because it was like only a few dollars. Still, even those few dollars could have been spent on something else but it was fun to purchase and I feel normal when I get to go shopping even if it's only for something small.

Funny how when you become poor/broke you appreciate everything. You simply don't think about things like..oh say 'I am going to go buy a hot dog and some french fries' and not bat an eyelash. Now? Now I can't simply go 'buy a hot dog and fries' without seriously thinking about it and how much I really 'want it'. There is a difference between 'wants' and 'needs'.

You all know who you are if you are in My position. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. (Wait, I have to take the water out of the stand up air conditioner I have here in My apartment as our windows won't allow Us to put in a window unit. Sigh. I have the empty out the water quite often) and hobbling over to the restroom isn't much fun either. I know, quit whining Gothic Gourmet! OK, I will.

Alright, that is done and I'm back. I'm sure you were all just waiting on bated breath to hear from Me again. Too see My incredible virtual ink right? I'll suppress My laughter for now and simply smirk.

I'm doing it again, going off the beaten path and rambling about things that I did not intend to talk about while totally forgetting about the real topic. Sigh. I do that a lot don't I? Forgive Me please. Please?

Do you have any neat Tatin recipe's? Please share them if you do! :-)
I'll let you know how this Tarte Tatin ceramic piece works out. It looks lovely. It is red which is My main color in the kitchen (that and stainless steel). Anyway, apple Tatin tomorrow or tonight depending on how I feel and I hope you enjoy the photos. Until I virtual ink again in to this big black hole, keep living, loving laughing and most of all cooking while doing all of those things. :-)

As always,
The Gothic Gourmet.

A confession..

Hello dear readers (reader) nobody? I really need some help here. I have been looking around on the web at other folks blogs and see how well put together they are and then I look at Mine. Yikes!

As I type this, Iron Chef America blast in the background. Its battle banana tonight which is very interesting and fun on account that I enjoy bananas so very much. Potassium My friends which, unfortunately I lack a great deal of naturally. Back to My original point, My blog. Well, I have been searching on the internet looking for ways to beef it up and make it look nicer. Hey, I might not have too very much to say right now that interest anyone of importance but I could at the very least 'make the blog look interesting enough to read'. Any feedback and help in that area would be greatly appreciated.

I actually have so much to share with you all. Things that you would actually find very interesting but for now I have to keep mum about it for fear of rocking the proverbial 'danger boat'. You just wait though. You'll write your friends about it. (Okay, maybe not) but I'll write My friends about it when I make some that is. :-) Hey now, just kidding for those of you who really are My friends. (I can count them on one hand) but you know who you all are.

Again, any help in web layout/design would be great. My Father is a computer programmer but the last thing he wants to do when he gets off work is 'work some more'. Can you blame him? I can't wait to try some of My homemade pickles. I made mostly canned Kosher Dills with a bit of them mighty spicy the others with more of an old world traditional style. I added some lemon slices/wedges into a couple of the jars as well to see how that would work out. Maybe the extra acidity will add a more sour flavor or maybe I'll end up with a lemony pickle which would suit Me just fine. I may have made mention before that I adore lemons and limes above all other food items in the world. I love the sour, I love the acid, I love the smell. The zest is the best! Cleaning with citrus is nice too and I even decorate My windows with lined up lemons for a bright fun, cheery look.

Anyway, back Iron Chef America's battle banana. Bobby Flay, once again is being challenged. I note quite often that he seems to be the most challenged of Iron Chefs. What a difficult job that must be to hold. My husband nearly peed himself because he saw one of the challengers Chef's slice plantains with a mandolin and her fingers were really really close to that blade. I wince when I see things like that too. I mean, hey even the most seasoned of Chefs make culinary cuts so deep that it sends them to the hospital. I recall the episode of 'Chefography' which featured Iron Chef Bobby Flay in Japan. Oh My what a mess that was. Poor Mr. Flay just wasn't having a good go at it as he nearly cut his finger or or thumb (think it was his thumb) off with a food processing blade. To add insult to injury, he got electrocuted as there was water on the floor and next thing you know, ZAP! The final salt in the wound was when he stood up on the table (onto a cutting board I believe) and held his hands up high. A moment of triumph, or was it? For Me it was, I was impressed that he kept going even after all the injuries and lack of home support in another Country. He was really beaten down by Iron Chef Japan's Masaharu Morimoto who scolded him for standing on something used for cooking (a cutting board) as The Japanese see food utensils/etc. as sacred. Mr. Flay of course, was unaware of this as was I. I mean how would you know that unless you were told prior to coming to the Country?

In any event, Flay lost but was invited back for another battle in which he won! He moved the cutting board and stood back up on the counter victorious! To this day, Flay and Morimoto are very good friends and frequent each others restaurants. You really should catch that episode of 'Chefography' if you can as it was so interesting. In any event I'm off to go look for other ideas on the web to beef up My site (even if it is just Me reading it) any job you do should be a job well done (no, I take that back) an EXCELLENT and EXCEPTIONAL job.

If you see any interesting changes it is only because I found some help from one of you or from another random faceless stranger on the www.

Until then, keep living, laughing, loving, and most of all, cooking!
As always, The Gothic Gourmet.

Operation Meltdown Is Under Way...

Have you ever misread your own directions/instructions that you have handwritten? This could be a recipe you have used plenty of times (or maybe not) that has always worked out beautifully and bingo, you take a wrong turn and end up with either 1 of three things. 1) You end up with a pleasant mistake. These are called happy mistakes because your recipe has been improved or changed in a way that changed the whole molecular structure of the dish into something amazing, a discovery even. Case in point, I read once about a lady that baked the most wonderful cranberry muffins. She had made them a million times over and next thing you know, she took a wrong turn and forgot to put the sugar in her mix/batter first and ended up throwing it in at the last minute to try and salvage the batter. What happened next was pretty neat. She ended up with a yummier muffin that was moist on the inside and a little bit crisp (caramelized) on the outside. A textural change that worked out for the better and now she makes them the new way all the time.

2) You end up with something salvageable and close to your original recipe (enough that your family knows what it is and what you were trying to accomplish). Something edible but not quite up to your standards. This is called a salvageable mistake. Something you will not toss into the bin.

3) You end up with a total utter flop that you wouldn't even attempt to salvage and toss it into the bin, and afterward slowly slide your body down the side of the kitchen wall until you are sitting on the floor with your hands on your head and tears in your eyes. Every Chef/cook has done it (I think) well, I hope because I would feel pretty stupid if only a few people made culinary mistakes and that I would have to include Myself in that list of 'only a few people'.
However, I really don't think that is the case. Everyone has had some kind of flub up. The thing to remember is to pick yourself back up and try again. It is painful when it was a recipe that took all day to make or when you saved up all your pennies to purchase expensive ingredients to use in the flub up. Yep, that sure does hurt. Sometimes though, even if your mistake took you all day to make you might end up at the very least not too far in the gutter if say, you were making something like I made yesterday. Bread. Flour isn't too very expensive and yeast won't break your bank either. A bit of sugar, salt, butter and milk won't necessarily bankrupt you but still, wasted money is wasted money and nobody likes that. NOBODY. That is unless you are Mr. Rockefeller and have so much money that you light your cigars with hundred dollar bills that is.

Sigh, if only. Nope, just a poor dying servant slave to food and the pure joy of cooking/creating and painting/decorating plates. Sauces, this is something I really want to specialize in and I need to start experimenting. There is nothing like a lovely sauce to go over/on a dish or to simply garnish/decorate a lovely plate of food. Quite elegant indeed. You sort of feel like Picasso with a paint brush in hand and the pallet being that of your plate. In any event, there I go again, going off the beaten path and totally talking about something completely different than what I set out to do in the first place.

I just know this blog is nothing but a giant black hole in the Universe. Nobody reads it (maybe My Dad does) I hope he does as I have showed it to him before. Nobody comments on it. Maybe I can just treat this like My daily diary and include other things about My not so interesting life along with My recipes and food pictorials? That way, when I do expire, My husband and or any friends I may have had will have something to read and remember Me by.

Back to My flop/bread mistake of yesterday. Dang nab it! It took Me so long to go through the making of the yeast roll process and I flubbed it up with ONE yes (that is all it takes is one) mistake. I also noticed that a tool I use for kneading My dough has mysteriously gone missing in action. It was a red sturdy plastic scraper (like the paint scraper tools/metal scraper tools) that you could buy at a hardware store, only this one was made specifically for the kitchen to be used in a variety of applications (including that of kneading dough). Gone. Maybe someone could donate one to Me (hint hint) and send it over through the mail if they have a spare one that they aren't using. Okay, enough shameful begging for now right? Right.

Okay, I promise this time that I am going to tell you about My bread debacle of yesterday. I added DOUBLE the amount of melted butter that I needed for the recipe. Of course, I found this out after I had already mixed all the wet ingredients together and more than half of the flour. This means: I needed more milk, another egg perhaps, more salt, more sugar, more more more of everything as the extra butter totally screwed Me up big time. The dough did rise and I did have a good amount of dough (more dough than normal) so I could at least make the rolls larger. I figured if I did that, I could compensate for them not being as 'heavy' as they should have been. Heavy isn't even the right word. SOLID and firm would be more adequate words to describe how the dough should have been. Nope, when I started kneading it again and pinching off the pieces to make the rolls I knew something was wrong. I punched down the dough as normal but noticed that it wasn't as silky and heavy as that of My previous roll dough. I tried My best to make nice spheres and even knead each one of those to make it silky smooth and perfectly round but it had these little pot marks on them. I stuffed each muffin tin with a large amount of dough and let them rise for the second time. Again, they looked almost perfect. Almost as they should have been but they just weren't 'as solid' as they should have been. When lifting up the muffin pans they weren't as heavy or hard to lift as before. You get the gist of it.

Well, I baked them and the aroma was lovely just as you would expect from a perfect yeast roll. I peeked inside the oven and they were browning nicely, just as you would expect them to. Some were so large that the dough was hanging over parts of the muffin pans. After taking them out of the oven and putting them onto a cooling rack and took one out of the tin and onto a plate to cool more quickly so I could give it a taste. I immediately noticed the pot marks on the tops of the rolls (not smooth and perfect as they should have looked). I also immediately noticed that these rolls were light and sort of 'fluffy'. They weren't the solid stick to your ribs type rolls as I had made before. :-(

Still, they tasted just fine and We took them to a dinner party that friends of ours were throwing to serve along with the dinner they made and everyone loved them. They were actually thrilled that I brought them because they had forgotten to buy bread to serve along with the meal and now that problem was solved. My friend Julies son seemed to like them and wanted to put a piece of cheese inside one (Velveeta cheese) as I recall. Sounded good to Me too. I love hot cheese sandwiches or any type of cheese filled bread/dough. There used to be this lovely little place down the road from where We live called 'The Kolache Factory' that had tons of lovely filled breads. My Father and I simply loved that place and would frequent it quite often and bring home boxes of their wonderful Kolache's (or would that be Kolachies)? In any event, as it were, I would love to make some of those sometime soon. It is so hot as of late though that heating up the oven (even the new energy efficient oven I purchased) can be brutal so I don't do it very often at all. The range is fine and doesn't make the house heat up like that of the lower level part of the oven. You can put any type of filling from savory to sweet inside Kolaches. It was a nice chewy yeast dough like the one I use for My rolls. I especially liked the broccoli cheese and rice filled ones along with the spicy Jalapeno sausage filled Kolaches. Ham and cheese filled Kolaches were always a big winner with Me as well. I tried a few sweet ones a few times in the AM but this was because they were on special or something and not because I went there for anything sweet in nature. NOW, the breakfast Kolaches were super awesome. Egg and cheese filled, omelet filled with green peppers. YUM. I also liked the steak and cheese filled ones and of course, the Barbecue filled Kolaches.

I am hungry again. Back to the rolls. For some reason I cannot keep My mind on one topic at a time today. We ate them and they were good but they weren't 'excellent'. Time to get back on the horse again I suppose.

Until then, keep living, laughing, loving and most of all, cooking!
As always, The Gothic Gourmet.

A few photos of past projects...

Okay, so here We have a few past food projects. Lemon Meringue pie, Shepherds Pie, homemade Sushi (I actually have a couple better pictures of that and will include them later.
Next We have homemade chocolate cake with homemade chocolate butter cream frosting, Beef Wellington, plated Beef Wellington, wrapped homemade Fleur de sel caramels, and part of the caramel making process along with homemade bread.

I am getting hungry and want to make some lemon pie (which is My husbands favorite pie in the whole wide world) BUT he also loves My yeast rolls and actually, We ate every single one of them. Pair that with some homemade spiced blueberry jam (thank you Mr. Alton Brown from The Food Network) and boy howdy that's 'Good Eats'.
Looks like I'm going to be busy and I'm procrastinating right now so I had better move it on along. Until then, keep living, loving, laughing and of course, COOKING! :-)

As always,
The Gothic Gourmet.

Maybe man can live on bread alone? Well, throw in a bottle of water and he can.

I am in the mood for more 'Lamberts' now 'Eve's' rolls. It sure takes a long time to make them though but it's so worth the effort. I suppose if I get My rear end upstairs after this blog entry that I may have enough time to get them done before the hubby gets home from work, and really, what makes a home smell better than the aroma of freshly baked bread? Nothing that I can think of aside from a nice scented candle or some homemade cookies baking.

Speaking of, I better get up there and make sure I have My recipe written down which also reminds Me to keep writing My cookbook. I have a groovy cookbook upstairs that you make your own entries in. I suppose I could make a virtual cookbook as well but then I run the risk of some glitch happening and losing all My valuable entries. Well, I guess I could put the recipes on the computer and then back them up on disk so I will have a copy in case something happens to the written cookbook I'm working on.

Well dear readers (you are out there aren't you?) It's time to make bread/rolls. Yes yes, I'll bring a camera upstairs. (Maybe).

Until then, take care, keep cooking, living, laughing and loving.
As always, The Gothic Gourmet.

Hmm. The Julie/Julia project.

The Julie/Julia Project

What can I say? I saw the movie and fell in love...only because I too have been a fan of Julia Child for years. Just yesterday I watched her show (hosted by Polaroid) on making 'French bread'. I had to laugh in spite of Myself because she had so many flub ups and they were all captured on film. Priceless! So funny too that 'Polaroid' was helping to host the show. STRIKE A POSE!

If you are familiar with the French bread making episode, you will recall that Julia had a paint scraper in which she was kneading her dough with. One lump of dough was totally overworked, the other was perfect. As it were, she took her paint scraper and was kneading her dough when she all of the sudden uhhh, I don't know what she did but the paint scraper went flying across her kitchen and the look on her face was PRICELESS! She laughed and said basically that 'this is not what you do'.

Anyway, I thought wow, I am a day late and a dollar short...sure I have no project such as 'Julie' had. No time line (aside that I don't know how much time I have left) but one thing I noted in the film about Julia Child was that... I watched her making hats at the like and the look on her face was something I saw in My own mirror. Discontent. Well, I don't even know if I can truly say that. I am looking for the words but coming up short.

Lets see. I worked for Dior. I truly did enjoy that job and I was wonderful at it but all though I did exceptionally well and won many awards and kudos..I had that same look that Julia (well not the real Julia) had on her face in the film.

Next I became a Flight Attendant and I truly can't complain too much about that job because even with it's horrible time lines/ lack of sleep, jet lag, etc. etc. etc. (Not knowing what nuts you were going to end up on an aircraft with for 4 or more days TRAPPED LIKE A RAT IN A CAGE..it was still groovy cool most times. Sure the flight bags were heavy to tote around, the people were arrogant and mean in First Class many times but still there were great people, great times and great places that I had the grand opportunity to visit. I have been EVERYWHERE on this planet (well almost) and for that I am thankful. I had to give up a lot for it, but in the end I still smile when I think about the places I have ventured into.

Heck, I could write a whole blog about the places I have been, people I have met, people on the planes and crazy things that have happened in the air. Mechanical failures, near misses. Near death.

FUN! (Not really) but interesting at least.

I finally (like Julia) found My 'thang' in cooking. I truly did find the joy of cooking. It is still a joy each and every day that I am spared a second longer on this planet. A true joy indeed.

I have asked My husband to buy Me 'The Joy Of Cooking' cookbook as I must readily admit, I have not read to this very day.

I hope I have enough time left to get through it. Anyway, I basically wanted to check in with this big black hole of nothing..this great void.. this meaningless virtual ink..that nobody is reading. It's OK though because, this blog helps Me even if it isn't doing what I initially intended it to. (Help others). Maybe..just maybe someone will happen upon it and like it. Maybe..just maybe I will find something worth a damn to talk about that interest other people. I am My own biggest fan and that is okay too I suppose but still, We all want to leave some sort of mark before We kick the bucket don't We? I do.

In any event, I'll hopefully see you all soon (whoever you are or whoever you aren't.) Perhaps a fig newton of My imagination. However, imagination is important in our survival don't you think? Without it, dreams cannot be created much less achieved.

I miss My dad. I wish We were still close and yes, I know this has nothing to do with cooking or this silly old blog. If anyone has any ideas on how to get closer to him again I am at least open to advice.

Until then, keep living, laughing and loving, and most importantly creating and cooking!
As always,
The Gothic Gourmet.

I Love Luca Pizza's Stuffed Pepperoni Breadsticks!

Luca Pizza has the most amazing, addictive, yummy, chewy, doughy put a smile on your face stuffed pepperoni bread sticks. I have only had them from one other pizza joint that made them (before they went belly up and closed down) that even came close to that of Luca's stuffed bread sticks.

The cheese sauce is divine as well and has just enough spice to let you know its there. Nothing too hot mind you, just a nice spice.

The cost of 4 of these spectacular bread sticks with one cheese sauce is $3.65

Now, I hate to be a stickler (for the taste alone it is worth the price) but with this economy the way it is now, and with what little money I have, I simply cannot afford to splurge on such luxuries very often. The reason I ever do splurge is if I have been extra thrifty with My money and if I am not feeling well enough to go through the labor intensive process of making them Myself. Sometimes We have to pay for convenience and as a baker/novice Chef Myself I can sure understand that. When I sell products I do add a charge for My time. What that cost is depends on how much labor/time I put into the item being sold. I really haven't sold anything just yet but I have made up a suggested price list and if I ever do sell anything I will let you know how it went.

Not to verge off the beaten path, but I once read an article about having a successful bake sale. One of the main things mentioned aside from having a good variety of products was this: Make a suggested list of prices for each item and ask for donations. Sure you will get some crummy people who will offer you a penny for an item and gladly take that brownie that cost you around 2 or more dollars in ingredients per bar alone. However, the article stated that people that are kind and generous far outweigh those who are cheap and just looking for a handout. Some people they said, would even offer you 20.00 depending on your circumstances or charity event etc.

I think I may try that. Sure, it could bite Me in the rear, but maybe, just maybe I will make it out ahead. (Profit vs/money spent on ingredients).

Another thing that the article mentioned was to offer gift certificates for a homemade meal when the person buying said gift certificate wants it. This would include a main course, perhaps a salad/soup and a dessert item. The cost of each certificate would be 50.00. You could have a list of suggested menus and the client could choose which one they preferred best. Now, for the spendy type client with more coin in his or her pocket, you could offer up a 200.00 gift certificate for a 'gourmet meal'. I have ideas on what menu items to offer including a lovely appetizer list, wine, cheese, or soup and salad (a nice gourmet salad with homemade gourmet dressing of choice) along with main course items such as 'Beef Wellington'. I make a real nice one too. I have pictures if you would like to see just ask. Heck, I may post the pictures anyway because I was very pleased with the way it came out. Now for dessert, I could offer a Creme Brulee (time consuming but oh so pleasing) whats more is I have a torch (nice effect for the guest at time of serving).

So many possibilities. I wish I could get Myself motivated and on the ball to do this as there isn't as much time as We would like to think there is and before you know it, time has passed Us by along with the opportunity to make our mark and shine.

I have a Chefs coat along with a Chefs tote (tall hat) that would look nice at the persons home for guest to see. Impressive eh? I think so.

In any event, as it were, I have really gone off the trail here and need to get back to talking about these bread sticks.

As I stated, I cannot often afford to splurge and eat out so I have to compensate by creating clones of the food items I enjoy. This often takes a lot of trial and error. Not 'failures' mind you, but not exactly what you may have been hoping for either which is an exact replica (as close as you can make it) of the dish you would normally have to pay for.

I did this with the Luca Pepperoni bread stick. I must say it is labor intensive (follow My pizza dough recipe in My prior blog entry) to prepare these tasty sticks of joy. You know, doesn't nearly everything nice take a lot of time? If it didn't, it probably wouldn't be as good would it? I feel that is an accurate statement.

After preparing your pizza dough and rolling it out on a floured surface, simply cut dough into strips about 2 inches wide and twelve or more inches long. Layer a row of fresh sliced pepperoni (or you can use the bagged kind that can be found in your local grocers deli department). After you have placed your desired amount of pepperoni in your row, simply take enough of your overlapping dough and seal over the row of pepperoni. Next roll it over ensuring that you have a nice solid roll and pinch the ends of both sides and tuck under the bread stick. Roll again until you have a nice smooth bread stick without any openings. If you desire, take your egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tbs. water and brush over your bread sticks for a nice shiny sheen. This is attractive and a step that I never skip. I do this on pies as well.

Place all your bread sticks close together on a non-stick baking/cookie sheet or line with parchment paper or spray down your aluminum foil with non-stick cooking spray and bake in a 425 to 450 F. degree oven until golden (or desired browning is achieved.)

Enjoy!

Below are pictures of My homemade pepperoni bread sticks. They taste just like if not even better than Luca Pizza's pepperoni bread sticks. HOWEVER, they take time and sometimes saving up to go purchase some already made is well worth the time saved in preparing these yourself. By the way, I phoned Luca Pizza tonight and found out that they have a happy hour (which is really a happy 1/2 hour) unless I misunderstood the times. Basically what this means is that at 9:30 (one 1/2 hour before they close) all items on their counter are 1/2 off. They would rather sell things half off than to give them away. Whatever is left over they give to their employees to take home. That's cool and makes Me want to work there but it would also be nice if they gave what they didn't sell to a local shelter of their choice. I am sure plenty of things get thrown in the trash can. I went there tonight and purchased some half off items and they had so many pepperoni bread sticks on hand that they were still unloading them out of the oven when I ordered. One of the gals behind the counter asked one of the guys there why there were so many bread sticks tonight? I didn't hear his answer but asked if I could get an even better deal if I purchased even more. (I already purchased 20 of them plus extra cheese sauces as well as two Calzones).

The gal didn't see why not because she said they would probably go in the trash can. You know maybe 60 or 70 percent off instead of just 50 percent. I would be putting more money back into the store right? She said the manager said no. Well, fine by Me. I sure wish they didn't throw those things away though. The manager could have made extra money for his store tonight plus could have fed several people at the same time but chose to be greedy and I decided not to purchase anything else.

Oh well. The bread sticks were good (as usual) and I had a good time eating them while relaxing on the sofa this evening with My hubby.

Well, it is time for Me to close as My eyes are starting to burn. I'll try and stop in real soon with some more recipes and any interesting food news that I hear about.

Until then, keep living, laughing, loving and cooking!
As always,
The Gothic Gourmet.