Friday Baking with NotQuiteJuneCleaver Recipes for June 26- July 3

We are rocking right along now aren’t we?  Week four of the new (and hopefully improved) Friday Baking with  NotQuiteJuneCleaver.  Lots to talk about this morning, but first, “THANK YOU” to all who are participating in this little event.  As always comments for the “RedNeck Macaron/Challah” week ends this morning at 8 a.m. CST.  Your new challenge recipes are YUMMY so… HAPPY BAKING!

In honor of Independence Day our theme this week is Red, White and Blue.  One ingredient in each of the three recipes ~ one savory, one sweet and the Bonus Recipe will be either Red, White or Blue. And since July is National Blueberry Month your first recipe is for one amazing Fresh Blueberry Pie!

Recipe One: Fresh Blueberry Pie

If this recipe were any easier, it would have come in a box!  Simple ingredients, simple directions, AMAZING pie!  And before you ask…Rachel took these photos and I know I am biased but aren’t they beautiful? I am so excited that she and my older daughter are doing all the photos for our cookbook project…which by the way is going slower than I would like…but you expected that by now, right?  But it is coming together!  Without further delay here is your recipe for Fresh Blueberry Pie

• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• juice and grated zest from 1/2 medium lemon
• 5 cups fresh or frozen thawed blueberries, rinsed well
• pastry for 2-crust pie (my favorite recipe, you can cut it in half or freeze the extra for later)
  
• 1 tablespoon butter, cut in small pieces

Preparation:In a large bowl combine sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, lemon juice and grated rind, and blueberries. Roll out half of the pastry; line an 9-inch pie pan and trim edges. Pour berry mixture into pie crust and dot with small pieces of butter. Roll out remaining pastry to about 1/8 inch thick. Cover pie; trim, turn edge under and crimp. Cut a few vents in top of crust to allow steam to escape (didn’t think about it in time or I would have used one of my pie birds). Bake at 425° for 40 minutes, or until crust is nicely browned. For best slicing results, let the pie cool before slicing.  We couldn’t wait!

Recipe Two: Stuffed Tomatoes

This is a recipe I have not made before this week.  I have tomatoes EVERYWHERE!  And this sounds so good! I love stuffed bell peppers so why not tomatoes?  I can tell you right now there are members of my family who will remain nameless :cough: Hannah and Husband :cough: who wouldn’t touch them with a ten foot pole and would likely get “the look” on their faces if I suggested it.  However, I think they sound YUMMY!  So I made them before Husband arrived home.  Plus, I wanted to be sure they were as good as they sounded.  I cut the recipe by 2/3s  since likely Rachel and I would be the only partakers. And we LOVED these.  They are definitely a “make again” recipe!  Just had no idea baked tomatoes would takes so good.

• 6 large tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, chopped (I used about 1/2 a jalapeno and a few tsp diced chillies…much more mild)
  
• 3 cups cooked rice (great way to use leftover rice)
  
• 6 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, crumbled
• salt and pepper, to taste
• soft buttered bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup shredded Mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese ( I used Mozzarella and it was terrific)

Cut off top of tomatoes and scrape pulp out of inside, leaving a firm shell. Add pulp to skillet with the bell pepper, onion and jalapeno pepper. Cook covered over low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes. Add rice and bacon and season to taste. Stuff this back into the tomatoes and sprinkle with bread crumbs and shredded cheese. Place tomatoes in a casserole or baking dish with about 1/4 cup of water to keep them from sticking. Cook in oven at 425° for 15 to 20 minutes or until tomatoes are tender.
Serves 6.

Now for your Bonus Recipe!

This is absolutely the most simple bread recipe IN THE WORLD!  And represents the WHITE in this weeks theme.

My French Baguettes

* 2 cups very warm water
* 1 package dry yeast (Rapid Rise)
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 4 cups flour

Run the water in your faucet until it gets very warm. Many people worry that water that is too warm will kill the yeast and keep it from rising, but in his book The Complete New Book of Breads, Bernard Clayton, Jr. said that with today’s fast-rising yeast, the water temperature can be between 120 and 130 degrees. The warmer the water is, the faster the dough will rise. Pour 1/4 cup of water into a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water. Mix and let the mixture set while you measure and mix the flour and salt into the bowl for your mixer if you have a mixer with a dough hook and a large bowl if you plan to hand knead.  Make a well in the flour and pour the water and yeast mixture in the hole. Slowly pour another 1 3/4 cup of warm water into the flour and mix well. With a dough hook, knead the dough for ten minutes, until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should feel damp and slightly firm, but not sticky. If it’s sticky, add a little more flour and continue kneading.  If hand kneading put a little flour on your counter or cutting board. Pick up one side of the dough and push it into the other side with the heels of your hand. Rotate the dough and repeat the action. Continue rotating and pushing the dough with your hands for ten minutes.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm place until it doubles in size. Press the dough down and divide it into two pieces. With your hands, make two long, smooth loaves about two inches thick and about twelve inches long. Place the loaves on a greased pan and let them rise again for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450°. When the loaves have doubled in size, make three or four diagonal slashes with a sharp knife. About five minutes before the loaves are ready to cook, put about 1/2 cup of water in a pan on the lowest rack of your oven. Place the loaves in the oven and bake for 25 or 30 minutes.

If Husband is making this bread he uses an egg wash and spritzes the loaves with water every 10 minutes during baking and they ARE CRUSTY.  I usually just bake it.  I don’t mind the softer crust.

This is simple enough to do several times a week.  Which I don’t…but always plan to!

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Friday Baking with NotQuiteJuneCleaver Week Recipes for June 19-26

Hello again! Just a couple of things before we get started this morning.  First, you still have until 8 a.m. CST to get your recipes posted for the Brioche, Cream Puffs or Focaccia.  Second, a big hug and thank you to everyone who left me a sweet, supportive comment yesterday.  I don’t want anyone to get the impression my feelings were hurt over anything that was said before.  I was mostly “laying my cards on the table” and coming to the defense of anyone who takes the time and effort to keep a blog and has met with the same or probably worse behavior.  Nonetheless, THANK YOU for being so kind and I do appreciate the time you spend here.

Now without further ado, here are your new recipes. Comments will be closed on the recipes posted on June 12th for the week of June 12-19 at 8 a.m. CST this morning (can you believe I am a little ahead!? Me either!). Thanks to those who participated! I hope you enjoy the next two recipes PLUS a Bonus Recipe! As last week, one is sweet, one is savory.  If you have any questions that cannot be answered by reading the Friday Baking page, email me or leave a note.  Happy Baking Everyone!

Recipe One:

Rachel’s Redneck Macarons

Cookies:

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 3/4 cup corn starch
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temp
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:

• 1/4 cup unsalted  butter at room temp
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift both flours, cornstarch, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, at medium speed, beat the butter and powdered sugar until smooth and lightened slightly in color (about 1 minute).  Stope the mixer and scrape the sides.  Add the vanilla and mix until blended.  On low speed add the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated and smooth.

For each cookie, roll a level teaspoon in to a smooth ball.  pLace the cookies on the parchment lined baking sheet spacing them two inches apart.  Use a fork and gently flatten the cookies into a 1 1/4″ disk.  Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm and the cookie bottoms are slight browned – about 30 minutes.  The tops of the cookies should not color.  Repeat with the second pan.  Cool on the pan 10 minutes and them using a wide spatula, gently transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the filling: In a medium bowl use a wooden spoon to stir the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla together until smooth.  Stir in chips.

Turn half of the cookies bottom side up and using a thin spreader, smooth a rounded teaspoon of filling gently and evenly over each one.  Place the remaining cookie halves right side up on the filling and press VERY gently.

What a sandwich cookie!! The name just popped out of Rachel’s mouth when we asked her what they were.  The do resemble the lovely and delectable French Macarons which is your Bonus Recipe for this week!

Recipe Two:

Challah

5 cups unbleached white bread flour
2 tsp salt
2 TBSP yeast
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup plain yogurt or sour cream ( I almost always use homemade yogurt)
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup butter softened
1 egg beaten for glaze

Warm the milk/yogurt together to 90 degrees. Mix the flour and salt in a bowl and make a well in the center. Put the yeast in the well and add the warm milk/yogurt mixture. Mix to disolve with your fingers. Add the beaten egg and butter. Mix to form a dough. Turn onto a floured work surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until soft and shiny. Let the dough rise in a greased bowl covered with oiled plastic wrap, in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface, punch down and form into a ball. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Roll each piece into a rope about 10 ” x 1 “. You may have to work slowly with a little rest in between so as not to stretch the dough to quickly.

To make the dough into a braid, press the four ropes together on one end, giving them a little twist and tuck for neatness.

Counting from your left, fold strand 1 over strand 2, 3 over 1 and 4 under 1 and 4 over 3. Repeat until you reach the end. As you work the strands will probably lengthen. Nip and tuck the second end in the same way you did the first. Place finished loaf on a greased baking sheet, cover wtih oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile heat the oven to 400.

Brush loaf with the second beaten egg and bake in the center of the oven for 35-45 minutes

Cool on wire rack.

This bread but lovely served with any meal. We spread with honey butter. Delicious! If there is left overs it makes great toast or sandwiches, or even French Toast!

Bonus Recipe: French Macarons

(this is a previous post from back in Jan ’08 – there is a short update at then end after we ate REAL Parisian Macarons)

Not the “pour one can of sweetened condensed milk over 5 cups of coconut, stir and drop by tsp onto cookie sheet” macaroons. The REAL macaroons. The macaroons like people stand in line for in Paris. Now I won’t lead you to believe that I would know if my macaroons were as good or even close to the same as THOSE macaroons. But I will say this…if THOSE macaroons are better than MY macaroons well, no wonder people stand in line for them. These were delectable! Hey! Ladurée has been making macaroons since 1862 and I have been making them since…Sunday morning so why not compare????

Now a small confession: I almost croaked from eating them. Yep, severely allergic to almonds – only the KEY ingredient in macaroons. I think if I had just eaten a baked and filled one, slowly savoring every bite, I might not have had to pop two Benadryl and take a sleep in the middle of having dinner guests. But nooooo, I had to lick the bowl after we had them in the oven. Look, they were amazing, okay? Truly the best cookie or cake as Ladurée calls them. This is from their website:

The story of the Macaroon

These small, round cakes, crisp on the outside, smooth and soft in the middle, are the most famous creation of Ladurée.

The story of the Ladurée macaroon starts with Pierre Desfontaines, distant cousin of Louis Ernest Ladurée, who at the beginning of the 20th century first thought of taking two macaroon shells and joining them with a delicious ganache filling. The way of making them has never changed since that time.

These small, round cakes, crisp on the outside, smooth and soft in the middle, are made every morning in Ladurée’s “laboratory”. The pastry chefs measure out very precisely the required amounts of almonds, eggs and sugar, before adding one final ingredient, a pinch of unique “know-how”, essential to the making of such a delicacy.

Once cooked and filled, the macaroons are put to one side for 2 days before going on sale, the time it takes to achieve a perfect balance between texture and flavour.

Macaroons come in two sizes: the mini-macaroon or “gerbet” and full-size macaroons.

With each new season, Ladurée pays tribute to this its most famous creation by creating a new flavour.
The existing range of macaroons is always the starting point when a new one is created, as the variety of colours is as important as the range of flavours and a vital part of their appeal.

I don’t really know how they wait two days to eat them but whatever.  There aren’t any more here!  Below is the recipe I used with a few pictures of the process.  A tutorial if you like.  In the next week or so I am going to make some using pecans instead of almonds and just see if it works and what the differences are.  I want so much to enjoy these cookies periodically but don’t want the whole allergic reaction, pop benadryl, become comatose for 2-5 hours, feel like I have been hit by a truck for 12-18 hours, all the while making 15-20 trips to “the little girls’ room” .  So I must improvise.  Then again maybe moderation would help.  So do you think a town of 2889 is ready for a Macaron Shoppe??? Me neither.   Until they are I will keep just making them for my friends and family.  Though at $2 each in the few US bakeries I could find that made them…it might be something to think about!

Swiss Meringue Buttercream
• 4 large egg whites
• 3 sticks (1-1/2 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into tablespoons
• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract ( I used vanilla bean paste and it was yummy!)

Macaroons
• 1-3/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or other flavoring or combination (again I used vanilla bean paste – I love the pretty brown flecks)
• 1-1/2 cups (4 ounces) sliced almonds, finely ground, or almond flour
• the whites of 3 large eggs
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 recipe Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Sift confectioners’ sugar into a bowl. Whisk in ground almonds; set aside. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy; add salt. Gradually add granulated sugar 1 teaspoon at a time, until the whites reach medium-soft peaks. Transfer to a large bowl.

Sprinkle half of the sugar-almond mixture over the egg-white mixture. Using a large rubber spatula fold until just incorporated. Add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla and remaining sugar-almond mixture, folding until just incorporated. Firmly tap the bottom of the bowl on a counter or work surface to eliminate any air pockets.

Transfer mixture to a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (I didnt have a tip this size so I just use the coupler without a tip…worked fine – or so Rachel said! ). Pipe mixture into 1 1/2  – 2 inch circles on parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until macaroons feel slightly firm to the touch and can be gently lifted off the parchment (the bottoms will be dry), 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer parchment and macaroons to a wire rack to cool completely.

Carefully remove macaroons from parchment. Spread Swiss Meringue buttercream on the flat sides of the half of macaroons; sandwich with the other halves, keeping flat sides down.

Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes, before serving. Filled cookies can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days (This is comical isn’t it? The recipe made about  48 halves or 24 filled cookies so, I have no idea how long they will last in the frig!)

Isn’t this a beautiful cookie????

And I was right…they weren’t nearly as hard to make as one would imagine.   Family consensus – they were lovely, delicious, oh so good but Cream Wafers are still the favorite.

When we were in Paris we did eat Macarons…and honestly…liked ours better.

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Tree Huggin’ Tuesday

I am all about the tree huggin.  I know that might be hard to tell from my blog…but I am a tree hugger from way back.  A little more diligent at times but my heart has always been huggy.  This morning I got a very interesting email about Victory Gardens.  I really love the whole concept.  Victorious of what?  Who cares.  It brings up thoughts of community and playing in the dirt and growing your own.  Michelle Obama has planted one, or had one planted might be a better way of putting it.  I doubt a busy woman such as herself was out in the 100 degree weather like I was yesterday, tying up tomatoes! Frankly I think she looks a bit overdressed for gardening.

Photograph: Jason Reed/Reuters

But likely having not done much gardening previously, she might not have realized the VERY expensive black leather boots might be overdressed.  Or this might have been a photo-op.  Nawwww.  Look, before you think I am ragging on Mrs. Obama.  I love the couple.  And the children.  LOVE them.  Voted for them.  Support them.  And think her promoting gardening and growing your own is FANTASTIC.  I was just having a little fun.  If my calves were than skinny, I’d have a pair of those boots too.  But anyway, the gardening seems to be going well at the White House and the First Lady seems to be getting the hang of “gardening attire”:

You go girl!  Get those knees muddy!

But back to my email.  The Queen now has an allotment at Buckingham Palace.  GET OUT! Copy cat. Kidding again. I LOVE THE QUEEN. Love her.  Love her country.  Love her palace…I have been there you know.  I have pictures to prove it.  The movie The Queen made me cry like a baby.  I won’t get into all the reasons why but, I was touched.  But I do believe Mrs. Obama might have had a bit of influence.  You can read all about it here: The White House Organic Farm Project ~very interesting website.

Image from the Telegraph

The email linked to an article here that went so far as to call The Queen frugal. I am happy to hear that but wonder exactly what that means in royal circles. Anywho, back to the gardening.  In the UK allotments are evidently growing in popularity by leaps and bounds.  Considering they have a very limited amount of free space for gardening, I am impressed.  Husband works with several Brits and they talk gardening.  He told me a bit about the allotment thing.  VERY foreign to me, since we have 3.5 acres to mow every other week!  Our garden is as big as we would like it.  And quite enough for me to tend to while Husband is away at work.

I am curious as to how many of you plant and tend a little spot?  A big spot?  I have left you with some VERY interesting links this morning.  Happy Reading and Go Hug a Tree!

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Jam Packed Post ~ Please Read!

I am going to cover a lot of subjects this morning so hang on to your hats! I have a lot of irons in the fire at the moment and I would like to drag you all down with me!!

Shout Out #1: Rachel over at Neat Things.  You have to take a look at the cake she made for a going away party.  WOWZERS! That’s my girl! Her paternal grandmother (the best cake decorator in the world) would be so proud of her.  I have often wished she could have lived to see how her granddaughters followed in her footsteps. Hint:

International Overall Day: is coming together.  I doubt very seriously (VERY seriously) if we can get any sort of proclamation but who cares?  I am however working on contacting companies that sell overalls to donate gift certificates so that we might have a GRAND giveaway sometime in the future.  In the meantime if you wear overalls, love overalls, love someone who wears overalls, join the fun. Leave a comment or email me and we will start a flickr group soon.  Sound like fun? And here is your picture of the day:

This is Rachel on the phone with my mom about a month before Ben was born.  She had been folding baby clothes and getting things ready for Ben’s birth.  I wish you could see the stacks of baby shirts and diapers on the bed with her.  She has always been quite the little organizer.

Friday Baking with NotQuiteJuneCleaver: Will begin again this coming Friday June 5th.  I told you it wouldn’t be long!  If you plan on participating please let me know.  I will make a post specifically pertaining to this event tomorrow (Thursday) with all the new and improved rules and regulations and then on Friday you will find the recipe for the week’s challenge.  Hint: if you don’t have berries of some sort, plan on getting some And YES, there will be prizes involved!

Next Holiday: Fourth of July and all the great food that brings!  The last week of this month (June) I will devote to recipes, menus and decorating ideas for the 4th.  For all my friends who live outside the US, bear with us…this is a big deal around these parts!

Cookbook Update: Well, the first agent I approached with my idea(s) passed so that’s not great news.  However, I believe all things in their own time.  In the meantime while I am waiting on a real deal, I am going forward with self publishing my little series of cookbooklets.  Pies will be first and hopefully within 6-8 weeks I will have them in my etsy shop for sale. But don’t hold me to that date  ’cause I tend to over estimate what can be done in a 24 hour period.  But I am finishing it.  It is to the proofing stage…so that is progress.

Crafty: One of our all time favorite librarians is leaving our local library for bigger and better things.  We will miss her.  Today is her going away party (the cake Rachel made is for that party).  I made her a Housewarming Basket for her new home.

(Isn’t that the cutest broom handle you ever saw???)

This is a little part of the note (the pink paper tied with rickrack) I wrote her explaining the components of the basket…thought you might like the info in case you ever had occasion for such a gift.

First of all the broom.  And what a pretty broom it is!  My granny taught me that you NEVER take an old broom in to a new home.  You are supposed to start your new life with a clean sweep!  So now you can!  In  the basket you will find two cloth bags that will do just fine to take to the grocery when you need just a couple of things or to keep your potatoes and onions fresh.  They are sturdy and should last a long time.  Inside those bags are flour, hoping you will always have food and friends to share it with.  Salt so you will always have spice in your life!  Honey to remind you of the sweetness of life and friends, both new and old.  Olive oil for good health all the days of your life.  A wooden cutting board representing stability, peace and harmony in your new home and candles so you will always have light.  The apron is just because.  Just because I wasn’t sure you had one, and if you do…well now you have two! The lavender plant is on of my favorite plants.  I thought you might like it too.  She will need lots of sunshine so you will want to put her outdoors at your new home.  The soap and rag are for your new kitchen sink.  Enjoy the gifts.  You will be missed!

What could I have possibly left out of this post?  If you have gotten this far…THANK YOU!  Oh I suppose I could give you a recipe, that should be about enough.  This is from the Pie booklet…

Yogurt Pie with Granola Crust

1 1/2 c. granola (reserve 1/4 c.)
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. margarine
1/4 c. honey
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. lo-fat yogurt
2 tsp. vanilla
fresh fruit (optional)

If granola is very coarse, grind to medium-fine in blender, doing 1/2 cup at a time. Blend granola, brown sugar and margarine. Press onto sides and bottom of 9-inch pie plates. Chill well before using. Soften cream cheese to room
temperature. Beat until fluffy with electric mixer or wooden spoon. Blend in yogurt. Beat in honey and vanilla. Turn into pie shell, spreading evenly. Chill overnight. Before serving, top with fresh fruit (strawberries, bananas or your favorite). Sprinkle reserved granola crumbs on top. Cut and serve.

HAVE A LOVELY WEDNESAY!

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Can we talk about baking?

It’s funny,  I have received more input on Friday Baking with NotQuiteJuneCleaver since I suspended the effort, than before when we were doing it!  But that is a good thing!  I think some were waiting around, a little timid about jumping in since the word “challenge” was used so often.  But I am really excited that 1)those who participated actually loved it and want to keep doing it 2)those who were hanging back, are ready to jump in!

As I told you in an earlier post, I will be changing up the rules a bit.  I think I confused everyone but myself – and the more I thought about it, the less I understood what I was saying!  So I will be posting a new set of rules and a new start up date.  I think I am going to take a page from my friend Kelly over at unDeniably Domestic and do weekly challenges (oops, there’s that word again!) and a giveaway once a month.  I think that was part of the confusion…when were the recipes due?  when would a new recipe post? when were the drawings?  Yeah, I can see how it would get muddled in translation!

It has been a very weird/tiring/busy month, this lovely month of May. But,  I will be happy to see June arrive.  I have had a lot going on  – good and bad and yet categorized.  It really began last month and has culminated into such a mixture of things that I can’t even begin to tell you what all is on my mind.  But I will tell you this:  having your little brother have open heart surgery causes a strange mixture of feelings.  I am not a Pollyanna by any means, as anyone who knows me in real life can tell you.  However, I do try to see some good in any turn of events and strive to learn something from the not quite so nice things that come along.

As this month ends I realize my husband has not been home enough over the past 4 weeks.  There is more work than he will ever finish before he leaves next Wednesday AND he planted the corn so that I will have to harvest it while he is gone!  Our little garden is looking so good.  Squash, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, peppers, cucumbers…and now corn planted.  He made places for my pumpkins to be planted next month.  I have 30 or so varieties – some will go in the big garden, some in the raised beds, depending on their vining probabilities. I want to get them in the ground a couple of weeks earlier than usual so I can begin selling them earlier in September than I normally do.  One of these days I hope to expand my pumpkin patch.  I don’t usually plant your normal orange jack-o-lantern pumpkins.  I try to plant things you can’t get locally.  If they do well, I might even consider taking a truck load to the green market.  It’s a thought.

I wish you all a happy, safe holiday weekend.  We are headed out in a while to sit with my brother at the hospital while his wife goes to their daughter’s highschool graduation.  I hate he is missing it.  But happy he will be around for other important days in her life.

Stay tuned for more information, changes and start up date for re-introducing Friday Baking with NotQuiteJuneCleaver.

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The more things change, the more they stay the same.

I have been looking thru vintage publications today.  I will tell you why another time but for now I want to tell you what I have found.  Women have always been obsessed with their size.  And publications have always unrealistically (and rather cruelly) portrayed women by only showing that wasp-waisted mom icing a cake, that mom you know good and well will never take a bite of that lovely cake! Was it girdles?  Was it truly portion size?  Was it that there really wasnt fast food readily available?  Did they actually move more?  I don’t know, but I want that waist size.  Truly I do.  I want to wear a shirt waist dress and it be so incredibly fitted that if I eat a sandwich you will be able to tell! What I don’t want to do is starve or get a terminal illness to get it.  Yes, as a nation we have gotten fatter (there is no nice word for it) but also, no matter how small the average was…it was never small enough! So I think it is a losing battle! When I get through with this post I think I will have that last piece of cake I can see from where I am sitting.

Then some things are coming full circle.  Aprons for instance.  OH MY-I would say 8 out of 10 women in ads have on aprons.  The other two have on a bra.  Just a bra…lots of bra ads! But the aprons just jumped out at me. There are instructions and patterns to order. Ahhhh the good old days!  A 5 cent magazine with patterns for sale for the price of a stamp! This was a page from The American Family Magazine November 1952:

I also saved this scan as a pdf if anyone wants a copy leave me a note. And the ads for sewing projects and ads for sewing machines.  Am I not buying the right magazines or are these no longer ad-worthy?

Here are just a few lines I have run across that make me smile…and grimace…

Family Circle June 1959 ~ Page 69 ~ an ad for Libby’s Tomato Juice.  Shows a couple hugging and looking over in a bassinet at a newborn…awwwww…then you read on.  If you are staying slim for him, you’ll be happy to know Libby’s Tomato Juice can make it easier…blah, blah, blah…

Same issue Page 71 ~ an ad for Diet Delight Bartlett Pears...the pears that make it fun to watch your weight!

Then there’s always the ever present ad for Lysol…for ‘feminine’ cleansing…NOT kidding.  YIKES!

And the ad for Lucky Strike cigarettes that show a darling girl with her prom dance card and a lit UNFILTERED cigarette! That could also explain the weight loss!

I will be uploading more stuff to share soon.  I should be doing laundry and other things but I sure got caught up in these lovely old magazines!

Last but not least, a recipe:

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Friday Baking with NotQuiteJuneCleaver Week Three

I suppose this really really fun challenge we are doing will pick up as we go along. I have to say I am a teensy bit disappointed in the number of participants but its still new and hopefully we will have more entries soon!  Personally, I am going to keep trudging forward and welcoming the change to seek out new recipes to try and share.  Week Three’s recipe is a salute to England.  I place whose cuisine is much maligned at times and unjustly so, in my opinion. Meet your new goodie:  The Bakewell Tart!

There are as many variations of the famous (in the UK ) tarts as there are folks who bake them!  I was first introduced when I spent a few days in England last October.  On one of our many “grab and go” walks, I saw this little tart that looked very yummy.  And so it was.  I realized about half way thru it contained almonds (allergy alert!) but I kept eating it anyway.  You know just about anything with almond flavoring is delish, so I just told myself it was flavoring and not the actual almonds!  And I lived, as you see. I understand after (too) much time spent reading about these little lovelies,  I didnt actually eat a Bakewell Tart or pudding as they are also called, since I didn’t eat it in Bakewell, a small market town in Derbyshire.  But it was tasty nonetheless.  Yep, some things we would never call a pudding are called just that across the pond.  Husband and I were discussing what he eats while at work.  They have an English cook on the rig and he makes and serves many things Husband is unfamiliar with.  Like Yorkshire Pudding.  Which we in no way would ever consider a pudding.  A popover maybe.  A biscuit?  A roll?  But pudding…nope. Oh! A future challenge maybe?

Several times since then, I have seen them in British food magazines (which I am obsessed with) and have thought I must try to make them.  As I started looking for a recipe, low and behold, they are IN THE NEWS!  Last month at the G20 summit in London, Jamie Oliver (cutie patootie and  Britain’s own Naked Chef, in case you live under a rock and don’t know who he is!) cooked THE meal served at 10 Downing Street for the dignitaries. Jamie is all about using fresh local foods but also wanted to bring notice to all corners of the UK.

On the menu was organic farmed salmon from Shetland, Scotland,  lamb from north Wales with foraged wild St George mushrooms and mint sauce and dessert was hot Bakewell Tart with custard made with free-range eggs from Prince Charles’s Duchy of Cornwall farms (which I will visit one day I hope).

WOW, I simply had to try them now! If they were good enough for that dinner...well they would be a treat for us!

As I was doing some recipe research, I found that some glaze the tarts, some don’t.  I am glazing mine!  So if you want to search out a version you would like better than this one, by all means, do so!  But same rules apply…you have to make it and blog it!

Without further ado, I give you The Bakewell Tart:

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Big Fun in Big D

As you all know we left Friday for BIG D. Yep, Dallas, Texas. And yeah, everything is bigger in Texas! I cannot tell you how many times one of us uttered that phrase over the weekend! I think I was most amazed with the size of some of the homes we saw as we drove out to Frisco to the IKEA store on Friday evening. More about that later. The whole point of me going was to attend EllynAnne Geisel‘s booksigning at the Dallas Women’s Museum.

As you all know her new book The Kitchen Linen’s Book: Using, Sharing, and Cherishing the Fabrics of our Daily Lives, is amazing!

All I can tell you is to get yourself a copy! The book signing at the DWM was lovely! Such a great turnout. I didn’t get a headcount but if it were my booksigning I would have been thrilled! EllynAnne had a vintage case FULL of beautiful linens and things to share with us. And the stories behind each one were just as beautiful. It just made me realize even more how much we need to cherish these kinds of things. Not because they are things, but because of the work of the heart that went into them. The time spent hand stitching…if those linens could tell us the tales! Most of the ladies brought linens for “show and tell” and to say a good time was had by all is an understatement!

Here’s a pic of EllyAnne and me at the book signing. If you have a chance, please go out and meet EllyAnne and see all she has to offer at her book signings…they are not just book signings…they are history lessons! She had some of the finest linens I have ever seen and touched. And the hearing stories that go with each are worth my time alone. But EllynAnne’s presentation, her Southern hospitality and North Carolina accent, her accessability – that all made the trip even more special! You will be hearing more about it later I am sure!

After the book signing, the family and I went on a walking tour of downtown Dallas. We were staying at the Hotel Indigo on Main Street and it was a perfect location for tooling around the Historic District on foot. We saw The Grassy Knoll,

heard some very interesting presentations about the Kennedy Assassination, toured the Dallas World Aquarium

and took LOTS of pictures!

Then on Sunday we headed out early and made it to IKEA when it opened at 10. WOW…lots of good stuff at good prices! Believe it or not I bought fabric! I will share all that with you in another post…hopefully a link to a post (hint hint Gesikah!) We were told my someone (no names) that we had until 12 noon (went a little over) so hopefully we will go back again soon and see what other goodies we can find.

Have a great Tuesday!

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~April’s GREEN SPRING Giveaway~DAY 3

We have arrived at DAY 3 or better yet, GOODY 3 of NotQuiteJuneCleaver’s April’s Green Spring Giveaway! Just so you know ahead of time, I am waiting on one of your goodies to arrive by post so you may or may not know what it is before the giveaway on Monday.  But it will be worth the wait!  It is being donated to this giveaway by my dear friend Tina over at My Victory Garden…so you know that will something special, and Springy and green! But for today’s addition: Think retro, think cooking, think collectible…should I show you a picture???  Oh, okay, here you go:

I mean, come on, is that a great cover or what?  Man, I want that table and stool!  Used to have both! Jessica when you read this you will remember the kitchen stool I am talking about.  We just discussed it recently when we were looking at old photos.  I have to find another!  SO Retro!

Okay, you know what to do here! Want another chance?  Leave another comment.  This time tell me about your first memory of baking something ALL BY YOURSELF.  Here is my memory.  I was in high school we lived in the house I live next door to now, commonly referred to as “the yellow house” – no longer yellow, no longer in the family.  Anywho, I decided for some reason, maybe to try to impress my boyfriend, whose mom might have rivaled any baker I had ever heard of, I decided to bake bread.  Yep, crazy for your first baking project, but I like to jump right in!  Anyway, when The Boyfriend who happens now to be The Husband came over he was VERY impressed.  And for good reason, that might have been the finest loaf of bread I have ever baked.  It was perfect.  Beautiful!  We ate the whole loaf that evening.  As far as I remember I never baked another thing until after we were married for a while.  That was pretty much the only entry in my Kitchen Resume at the time.  I couldn’t boil and egg when we got married.  But after I had my own kitchen I quickly got the hang of it. With his help.  I think he was just born with the “cooking gene”.

Alrighty, see you happy people later.  Happy Spring Holidays, whichever you celebrate!

I have to get rolling this morning.  We have company coming for supper this evening.  Homemade waffles are the menu.  With the traditional syrup or whipped cream and a variety of fresh berries.  YUM.  I will try to snap a few pictures if I remember.

I know this weekend will be a busy one for everyone, so if I don’t see you around before, I will talk at you Monday and announce the winner.  Boy, this mason jar is getting full!

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Recipe of the Day: Mama’s Berry Cream Cheese Pie

Mary over at Shazam in the Kitchen mentioned in a comment a couple of days ago that her favorite pie was Raspberry/Cream Cheese/Cookie Crust pie that she needed the recipe for.  I hope this is it or close enough Mary!

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs or other dry cookie crumbs (ginger snaps, lorna doones etc)
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1 and 1/2 stick butter softened

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together and press into a 9 x 13 pyrex dish to form a bottom crust and bake for 30 minutes.   While this is cooling slightly, mix together:

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened

When this is well blended, spread over still warm crust and return it to the oven for 10 more minutes of baking.  Remove from oven and cool completely. When the crust and middle layer are completely cooled mix together:

• 1 family size box of strawberry or raspberry jello with only 2 cups boiling water.
• Add two 10 ounce bags frozen berries (strawberries or raspberries, thawed)

Pour over cooled crust.  Chill at least 24 hours before serving.  Cut into squares and serve plain or with whipped cream.

Note: This is “pie” has been a staple at our family gatherings for as long as I can remember and I am OLD!  My mom made this for every holiday, Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter.  It was always a hit and everyone expected to see it at the table.  It’s easy as pie!  And keeps well for at least 4-5 days.

Mary, I hope this is what you were looking for!

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