Monthly Archives: October 2010

A Pancake from a Ghost

Posted on October 31, 2010 | Leave a comment

To celebrate Halloween, I made my first David Eyre pancake. Eyre, a Hawaii treasure, died at 95, but not before making his famous pancake for food editor Craig Claiborne, who published it the New York Times.

I’m not sure how many the recipe serves (maybe 2 or 3?), but I ate the whole thing.

No picture here – it collapses as you eat it, but Wanda Adams has a great picture in her cookbook, “The Island Plate II,” along with other Hawaiian recipes.

David Eyre’s Pancake

1/2 cup flour; 1/2 cup milk; 2 eggs; 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg; 4 tablespoons butter; 3-4 tablespoons powdered sugar; juice of 1/2 lemon.

Preheat oven to 425. Place butter in round baking dish – then into the hot oven to melt. While butter is melting, mix together flour, milk, eggs, and nutmeg – OK for it to be lumpy. Pour batter into baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes. The pancake will puff with it’s sides curling in and turning brown. Sprinkle with sugar and lemon juice and bake for a few more minutes.

It’s easy and yummy.

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Healthy Green Glop to Balance the Halloween Goup

Posted on October 30, 2010 | Leave a comment

Candy, candy, and more candy is my mantra for Halloween.  But sometimes I eat so much that I need a pickle – so I can cleanse the palate and go on to eat more candy.

My mother like kale to balance the sugar rush, and she would take the decorative kale from the sandwich plates served in restaurants, saying “what a waste that they don’t know this is something to eat.”  She bought kale too – usually baby greens when she could find it.

It took me awhile to acquire a taste for the green glop, but now I actually like it.

Kale – from Grandmom’s Secret Stash

Start with a big bunch of kale (it will wilt down to half); clean and drain – then strip the leaves from the stems.  Use extra virgin olive oil, at least  5 cloves of garlic (to scare away the vampires); fresh chopped basil and fresh chopped parsley (important to use fresh).

Heat a large pot; when the pot is warm, add olive oil to medium heat; add minced garlic – cook only until you start to smell the fragrance – do not burn. Add kale, basil, and parsley.  I know this is a lot of green, but the flavors all come together with the herbs – you need them.

Stir with wooden spoon as the kale melts down – will look like spinach.  Salt to taste.   Tasty warm or cold – or some can be frozen.

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My Favorite Comfort Food – Mac and Cheese

Posted on October 28, 2010 | 2 comments

My mother liked to make recipes her own by switching out ingredients.  I was happy with that blue and yellow Kraft box of macaroni and cheese, but her homemade version did have more style and there were always leftovers…

Macaroni and Cheese from Grandmom’s Secret Recipes

Ingredients

1 box small shells, spirals, or bows – cooked al dente (chewy); 1 stick butter (8 tbsp); 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1/4 cup flour; 1 tsp nutmeg; 2 cups milk; 1 cup Ricotta cheese; 1 pound shredded mozzarella  cheese; 1/2 cup Romano cheese, finely grated; 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil; 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat.  Slowly add flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Stir constantly for 2 minutes or until bubbly.  Gradually stir in the milk, stirring  until well blended.  Raise the heat to bring the mixture begins to a boil, stirring constantly.  Then, lower to simmer for 5 minutes, until sauce is thick.

Mix together the cooked pasta, white sauce, olive oil, basil, parsley, and three cheeses.  Bake in a large casserole dish at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes – until bubbly.


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Deep Fried Snickers – the Ultimate Halloween Treat

Posted on October 18, 2010 | Leave a comment

What’s your favorite Halloween candy?  Not too early to stock up, taste-test a few – or more.  You can always buy another bag.

I read an article lately extolling the virtues of healthier candy… http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/halloween/healthier-halloween-candy-00000000045321/index.html

Snickers made the cut but not Butterfingers – not that it matters when you eat the whole bag – even if they are “fun size.”   Not sure if the deep-fried snickers bar still qualifies.

Make your own…the Food Network has an easy recipe, if you are interested.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/deep-fried-snickers-on-a-stick-recipe/index.html

I’d eat my Snickers before the oil got hot.

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Facebook Frenzy

Posted on October 13, 2010 | Leave a comment

Is Facebook another way to avoid human contact? Despite my elementary skills and confusion at finding posts, I can lurk in the photos of relative strangers and check on what others are doing, without any communication on my part. Better than caller ID, facebook posts offer superficial information without reciprocation – and an endless supply of word games to numb the mind.

The new movie – The Social Network – based on Ben Mezrich’s The Accidental Billionaires – is a good story. But. like facebook, it’s more fiction than science.

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