A Bit o' Blarney

When I worked in a bridal shop a hundred years ago, green was the least favorite color for bridesmaids. However, when St. Patrick's Day comes around, we all looking for green.

It took a while to figure out how to fold the napkins, but I love learning and the napkins are a hit with people who haven't folded one.

I found these little Leprechauns at Michaels. I went in there looking for green bowls, but I found these guys and they looked so happy I had to have them.

I didn't really know the history of St. Patrick's Day so I looked it up.  Living near New York City where the 1900's police force was practically all Irish, I should have known something more than that it appeared to be a drinking holiday.

I found this holiday has been celebrated for 1,000 years and that on St. Patrick's day, a restriction by the church in Ireland was lifted to allow the consumption of meat and the drinking of alcohol.  I'm sure this turned into the proverbial give an inch, take a mile.

At my office, we'd take off early so we could go to the pub.

Napkins - Home Goods

Leprechauns - Michaels

Sunglasses and Whistles - CVS (for a Party last spring)

Wine and Water Glasses - Bought years ago

Lighthouse Scapes

I have a fascination for lighthouses.  I've only been inside one of them, but I've visited several.  As I moved around my house looking for story ideas, I came across the lighthouses I had collected during various travels and thought I'd build my tablescape around them.

The red ones are mine.  They're salt and pepper shakers that I made during a children's play date.  We went to a ceramics place for kids and this is what I chose.  It was fun.  Both the kids and the adults loved it.

I love the blue dishes.  They seem both calming and happy.  The lighthouses and the glasses gave the table a touch of whimsy.

The color reminds me of the island waters in the Bahamas.  The first time I saw the clear blue water, I was dazzled by the color.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

This is probably the most famous lighthouse in the United States.  Everyone seems to recognize it.  If you buy calendars with lighthouses on them (like I do), this one is always prominently displayed. 

Thomas Point Shoal in Annapolis, MD

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was my own inspiration for the red and white design I chose for my own.  Of course, mine looks like a second grader painted it.

Concord Point, MD

Last summer I took my daughter to the Cape May Lighthouse in Cape May, NJ.  I love the city.  It's the last city in NJ before you walk into the Atlantic Ocean.  There are some lovely old Victorian houses across from the ocean.  My favorite house in the world is in Cape May.  All I need is for the people living in it to move out and give it to me.

Cape May Lighthouse

It has 199 steps to the top and I climbed all of them.

There are rest areas ever so often.  I had to stop at most (not all) of them.

While these blues are vivid, our day at the lighthouse turned grey and rain was imminent.  The lifeguards cleared the beach and made us all go inside a building.  Most people climbed in their cars and drove away.  Lightning is dangerous.

View from the top

Can't you imagine the sea in the blue of the dishes or hear the crashing of the waves on the sand?

Fettuccine Alfredo

Fettuccine Alfredo is as much a staple in our house as macaroni and cheese.  It’s the go to meal when the cabinets are low or there’s a sudden crowd that needs feeding.  During the humid summer nights that happens more times than you'd think.

This is a working mother's dream.  It takes about 20 minutes to prepare, so after a long day at work, you can have dinner on the table in half and hour.



I always double this recipe because it’s such a favorite.  While most of the time my family doesn’t like leftovers or there aren’t enough for everyone to have the same meal.  With the fettuccine there is, but we rarely sit down and eat it as a full meal a second time.  (More on leftovers later)

After 20 years this is still my favorite pot for spaghetti and fettuccine.

I cut the sausage into small pieces.  I use cooked shrimp.  Pull the ends off and discard them.

 
While the fettuccine is cooking, add the other ingredients to another pot and bring them to a boil.

When the sauce is done and the fettuccine is sufficiently cooked, meld the ingredients together.  I used a large tray to display the fettuccine.

Add the Fettuccine to a large tray or plate

 

Then added the sauce.

Add a tossed salad and garlic bread and you've got a meal.  We always add sparkling cider in crystal goblets to give it a festive appearance and make us feel like we really are at an Italian restaurant.


Hers the secret I learned years ago for leftovers.  If I put the food in microwaveable serving size containers and set it at eye-level in the refrigerator, my family would eat it.  If any work is involved, other than sticking it in the microwave and punching a button, they wouldn’t go through the trouble.  They’d much rather grab something sweet and unhealthy.  This way I get them to eat a meal for a snack.  Not all the time, but we have heaven, let's not ask for the stars. 

By the way, the same method works for salad.  I make a huge salad, put it in a large plastic bag and set it in the refrigerator.  Since eating only involves pouring it on a plate and topping with dressing, it's within their realm of work level.

Back to the Fettuccine.  I got this recipe from  Recipe.com (Better Homes and Gardens - Olive Garden Sauce).

                              Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients
 
8    ounces dried fettuccine
2    tablespoons butter
1    cup whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
     Grated or finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)


Directions

Cook fettuccine according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan melt butter. Add cream, salt, and pepper. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and boil gently for 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Drain pasta. Add pasta to hot sauce. Toss to combine. Transfer to warm serving dish. Serve immediately. If desired, sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, Makes 4 servings.

Chicken and Tomato Fettuccine Alfredo: Prepare as above, except stir 1-1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken and 1/4 cup drained oil-packed snipped dried tomatoes into cream mixture before adding the Parmesan cheese; heat through. Remove from heat and stir in grated Parmesan cheese. Combine and serve as directed above.

Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo: Prepare as above, except stir 12 ounces cooked medium shrimp and 1 tablespoon fresh snipped basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil into cream mixture before adding the Parmesan cheese; heat through. Remove from heat and stir in grated Parmesan cheese. Combine and serve as directed above.

Couple this with a toss salad and garlic bread and you’ll be well-fed and satisfied.

Fast and Easy Cake

Life often interferes with our plans.  This happened to me the week of my son's birthday.  I simply ran out of time to do all the things that needed to be done.  My plan was to make and decorate him a special cake.  I made the icing and colored it with the colors I was sure to need, but then I had too many interruptions, repair men, things that needed my time and attention.

When I knew I wasn't going to be able to decorate the cake, I thought of going to the bakery and buying one.  Again, I never got time to do it.  When you're needed everywhere, even a small thing like going to the store is too much to add.

So during dinner one night I whipped up the cake and got it in the oven.

Later that night after it had completely cooled, I opened a can of Comstock cherries and spooned them over the first layer of the cake.

Then I used the white icing I'd made, doing the Better Crocker thing and just swirling it all over the cake.  After that I spooned the remainder of the cherries over the top of the cake allowing the syrup to flow over the sides and pool on the plate.

It was sweet, deliciously tasty, and complete and ready on his birthday.

The kids didn't mind that I hadn't spent hours on it.  To them it hit the spot. 

Decorating is an art.  It takes time to plan and a lot more time to make all the flowers, ruffles and edges that go into the edible art.  I used to be quick with making the cakes, but I'm out of practice.  Every now and then I'll bake and decorate something that gets oohs and aahs.

  

Flossie Miles' Corn Pudding Souffle

 If you live on a farm, you learn that nothing is wasted.  I never lived on one for long.  My grandparents had a farm in South Carolina and my older sister and I used to spend the summer there before we moved to New York State.  After that, I think the driving distance was too far.  I only remember a few things about being there, but they are vivid memories.

One was shucking corn (which I thought was fun).  Another was the wood stove in the kitchen that frightened me, but my grandmother's food was excellent. This recipe for Corn Pudding is not from my grandmother.  It's from my older sister's mother-in-law.  She lived in West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountain area.

We try to get our family together for Thanksgiving each year.  As we are flung great distances apart, everyone doesn't always make it.  This year my sister made this wonderful dish.  It was so good that it was the only thing I specially asked for leftovers to take with me.

I also got the recipe for Flossie Miles' Corn Pudding Souffle.  It makes enough for a large crowd.  I only make half the recipe and it fills a 13-inch oblong glass dish.  Still, there is enough for several meals.

Simple Ingredients make for a great finished product

The ingredients are simple.  In addition to those above, flour or cornstarch and sugar are needed.  Also, you don't need two sticks of butter.  I had it out for more than one recipe.

I've also discovered the joys of pure vanilla in place of imitation vanilla.  If you want to put it behind your ears as a perfume substitute that's up to you, but in food the real stuff adds a better flavor.  Above I have the imitation because I was out of pure vanilla.

From my other posts you might know I like to use glass bowls.  For this I don't have a glass bowl large enough.  I'm not even sure they make one in the same size that I need.

Large bowl for mixing

I found the collection (5 in total) of metal bowls at a garage sale years ago and I love them.  While the large one is too big to keep in my kitchen, I'm often running up and down the basement stairs to retrieve it to mix something.


Begin by taking the butter and eggs out of the refrigerator and allow them to warm up to room temperature.


Whisk together the butter, milk, and vanilla until it's smooth and creamy.  Smooth and creamy, like time and space, are relative.  The butter will become small bits, but as every cook knows, unless you add heat or the centrifugal force of a strong mixer, butter will never completely dissolve and become smooth and creamy.    Don't worry about it.  The mixture will be homogenous and the oven will do its job to even it out.

This is as smooth and creamy as I could get it.

Add the sugar mixture.  I whisk as I pour in the sugar mixture.  I add it a little at a time, but that's just me.

Add the corn, both the cream and kernel corn at a ratio of 1:2 (cream to kernel).

 

The consistency should be that of cake batter with corn in it.

Add the other ingredients.  Remember it's either flour OR cornstarch (not both). Pour the mixture into a 13-inch oblong baking dish.  It's self leveling, so the pouring is the end.

 Bake for 40-60 minutes.  Like baking a cake, the center should not be loose when you shake or touch it lightly.  My grandmother used to touch it lightly with her fingers.  I don't suggest this because it's hot and it has sugar in it.  You could get what I call an attaching burn.  That's when sugar attaches to your skin and it feels like the burning is going deeper and deeper.  So be safe, just slide the pan slightly to see if the middle is solid.

Let stand after cooking.  The recipe says 5 minutes.  I let mine cool for a little longer, maybe 20 minutes.  I want it to be cool enough for cutting.

Flossie Miles' Corn Pudding Souffle makes for great leftovers.  It works well when reheated or nuked in the microwave.  Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

    Half        Thanksgiving Size

    1/2            1       cup sugar
    3/4            1 1/2 teaspoons salt
    3               6       large eggs
    1               2       cups condensed milk
    1/4            1/2    cup butter (at room temperature)
    1               2       Vanilla (Pure if you have it)
    2               3       (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn
    1               2       (14.75 ounce) cans cream-style corn
    1 1/2         3       tablespoons all-purpose flour OR
    2               4       tablespoons cornstarch
    1               2       teaspoons baking powder

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degree.
Combine sugar, salt, and one of the following cornstarch OR flour & baking powder in a bowl.  Set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, and butter.

Gradually add sugar mixture, whisking until smooth.
Stir in corn, both cream and kernel.
Pour into a lightly greased oblong (13 inch) baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes OR until golden brown and set.
Let stand 5-20 minutes before serving.


Yield:  The half-size recipe will make enough for a family of 4 with leftovers.

I've had this dish made using fresh corn (that I shucked).  It's delicious.  Take a note on the amount of sugar you add.  It could be me, but less sugar seems to be more these days.  Experiment and see what works for you.  Again, as all cooks know, cooking is not an exact science and adding your own spin on a recipe makes it that much more your own.

Enjoy!