Summertime treat

So, what does one do with an abundance of milk? Make ice cream! When it comes to ice cream, we are purists. Actually, I'd say my husband is an expert at it (eating it, I mean). So, our latest adventure with cream involves two fine ingredients...bing cherries and dark chocolate. Mmmmm... Inspired by our youthful indulgences, when we'd each have a pint of Ben & Jerry's (he...chocolate chip cookie dough...me...cherry garcia), we introduced our children to a culinary delight without all the additives and yucky stuff. So, here it is....

2 qts plus 1 cup cream (the real deal)
2 cups organic evaporated cane juice
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBS flour
a dash of pure almond extract
2 lbs bing cherries, pitted
about 8 oz. dark chocolate, broken into pieces

Mix all but the chocolate and follow your ice cream freezer directions for freezing. About 5 minutes before completion, add the chocolate. If you do it too soon, it will be too hard to eat. Be careful...when you open that canister, it will be too hard to resist.

Mama's Delight

What a sweet thing...sisters working together. The macaroons they made were sweet, too! These little mamas-in-training know their way around a kitchen. They are overtaking Mama's domain! Actually, not...they are learning to share it. And pretty soon, (not soon enough in their minds), they will have another little sister with whom to share. This is "fruitful vine in the very heart of your home" training. One day, some fine, Godly young men will be thankful. I am thankful now.

Berry Sweet...

Ok, I just have to brag on my friend. This is the very delicious cake that my very dear friend made for the lovely baby shower that some other very dear friends blessed me with last week. Those flowers and cherries are fondant made from marshmallows. Inside all that prettiness is the tastiest lemon cake with raspberry filling that I have ever enjoyed. She made this recipe for a very special wedding last autumn. ;-) If I say please, maybe she will let me have the recipe. If you say please, maybe I will share it. Maybe.

Garden Fresh Supper

This is what was for supper at Providence Farm last night...

Tomatoes, cucumbers and blackberries (albeit not many...very sweet!), but sadly the carrots were not from our garden.
and certified organic Carola Potatoes freshly dug when Daddy got home from the office. (ok, so the corned beef isn't from the garden either...nor the cabbage that you don't see...maybe next time) The potatoes were cut, not peeled and place into boiling water for just a few minutes to make them tender, but not mushy. Toss with butter, oregano, garlic and sea salt. Simple. Simply good...Providentially!

My grandmother taught me to cook cabbage to bring out the most delightful taste. Cut the head into pieces about one inch square and place into a bowl or sink of cold water. Put about 1-2 TBS of bacon drippings in a large pot. Transfer the cabbage to the pot, dripping wet. Cook over high-medium high heat quickly until cabbage wilts, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. You may add a tad more water if you feel nervous about that. But just a tad, we're not boiling...we're steaming. Add sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Cover to retain steam until ready to serve. Mmmmm....

the Purist's Confession

One thing you must know about me from the get-go...I am notorious for altering recipes and not writing down what I did. I do not always pay attention to how much I have used. Why do we need to measure everything? I don't. There are some things that just go better with a pinch of this, a dash of that or a mess of the other. So, please forgive my kitchen talk...it isn't always precise, but I mean precisely what I say!



That being said, I do also like to find more edifying versions of things which have been blindly used in the past. Like, Cream of Anything Soup. With my apologies to Mr. Campbell, soup isn't always good food. So, here is what I have found works for me. Cream. Fresh, skimmed off the top before Sam gets to the milk jar. So, for every recipe that calls for Cream of Whatever Soup, I use real cream with whatever makes up the flavor that is poorly imitated by partially hydrogenated ick, soy protein, msg, etc. You know, the bad stuff. Our highly processed past has been left behind for the things that they were made to imitate, albeit poorly so. So, you will find here no low-fat recipes or artificial anything. I am a purist in that sense. I use cream, butter, sea salt and pure vanilla (among other things...and generously). And when something is available fresh, all the better.



Now, on to the debut...



Tuna Noodle Casserole for Barbara



1 lb organic pasta, cooked according to directions (I used rotini this time with great success)

5 small cans albacore tuna (you do the math, this is what we had)

2 large spoons of no-soy mayo (bring out the Hellmanns and bring out the best!)...about 1.25 cups

1 vidalia onion, diced

2 handfuls of white cheddar, shredded (read: 1.5-2 cups)

Cream (about 1 cup mixed with about 1.5 TBS flour and a TBS or so of chicken base...this time...stirred together over medium heat until slightly thickened, but not to the consistency of what gets dumped from a can)



Mix all these just until incorporated, with salt & pepper to taste. Pour into a casserole dish and top with one sleeve of crushed crackers (Townhouse for me...no matter what is in them...I know, hypocrisy) mixed with half a stick of melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees (F) for about 15 minutes, or until bubbly on the sides.



Serve to a friend who needs comfort...guests when Daddy isn't home ('cause he doesn't like tuna)...or just because your daughter has a hankering for it. Or Mama does. But, you must have a glass of iced tea.