Wolf's Den

Dried Tarragon and Parsley in my handcarved apricot wood mortar. I loved the brilliant green the dried herbs created.

**** If you get cut off on viewing the post here, it's possible that IJ is having server issues, as they were moving to new servers this weekend. In which case- try here-
http://dantesspirit.dreamwidth.org/604864.html

Otherwise, I have no idea why it's cutting off at a certain point. I'm using IE8, and it works fine for me.}:( ****

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

Be forewarned- this is my longest Daring Bakers Challenge post yet. I lost count at 75 photos. Yeah.



Gathering of the cast of charactors. You see, I had several jars of local made jams and jelly in the cupboard. So I figured, what better way to try them! And I love almonds. Perfect match, I should think, almonds and cranberries, or wild black raspberries, or blackberries, or cherries, or homemade apple butter, or lemon curd or lime curd, or...

Yeah.

I got abit carried away. As you'll see.

And after the actual Challenge recipe, I included a Bakewell Tart Pudding made with almond paste instead of almond meal/flour.}:P It was the first one I really made, you see. But paste wasn't what the Challenge called for, so...

( Onward we go! )

Yesterday we went by the Asian Market that's roughly a block away from the house. They carry this delicious bread that I honestly have no idea what it's called.



This is how it comes, in a bag with five 'sticks'. The bag says 'Maria's' and has the address of the company that makes it, but other than that, nothing.



Well, it does say 'Bread' and list the ingrediants. However, it says there's raisins in it. Umm, no, no there's not. There ARE , however, cranberries.



The tasty bits of nuts, cranberries, etc, are nicely balanced in the twisty sticks of bread. Every bite you get a walnut, or a cranberry or several.



The crumb is dense, moist and nicely sweetened. It's perfect as a morning breakfast or a quick snack. But I have no idea WHAT it's called besides 'bread'. Heh.



Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a bag of 'bread' to devour. Ok, maybe just these 2 sticks.

This month, Jen from Use Real Butter, hosted the Daring Cooks Challenge.
She chose a doozy, let me tell ya, in Chinese dumplings/potstickers (aka gyoza in Japanese).



( Hungry? Read on! )

So yesterday, I went down the street to the Goodwill store to take a look at the plates that might be there, so I could start a nice collection of plates for photographing food.

Well, I found a couple good condition plates, and then, I spotted something I'd been looking for for years...



This would be an old fashion Trifle dessert bowl. I say old fashioned because this style is rather hard to find, in my experience, and even then, they aren't over half an inch thick and extremely heavy. I've wanted one for years. Years, I say. YEARS.



The kid who rang me up said there was a chip on the bottom, did i still want it? Of course i still wanted it! I asked him if he realised how difficult it was to find one exactly like this, and that I'd been looking for years for one. Who cares about a small chip in the foot, the bowl is intact and that's what matters. Besides, you can't even SEE the chip unless you pick the thing up and look.



It was an absolute steal at $2.50 too! The most expensive thing i bought there yesterday. The plates ran from 25 cents to 50 cents each. I've no idea how much a Trifle bowl would be brand new, honestly, but most certainly not $2.50!



And now.. to make a Trifle!}:P

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of ‘make life sweeter!’ and Courtney of ‘Coco Cooks’. They have chosen Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafes of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.



I’ve never made Strudel before. And this is really, really long, with lots of photos, so settle in. Got your Tea? Good…

( On with the show... )

Drunken Goat Cheese, Genoa Salami, and Ritz crackers.

Expect a post about this weekend coming soon, more food posts, and a current work in progress beadwork post...

And Caena pics, and a video. That one up next, I do believe.

Boneless chicken breasts marinating in Blue Moon Belgian White Ale, tarragon, parsley, lemon peel, orange peel, garlic, sea salt and cracked black pepper.

To be grilled later tonight with white asparagus.

Don't you wish you were at my house tonight? }:P

Mark's boss sent home a recipe with him a few weeks ago, no name, just the recipe. She claimed it was excellent.

Well, I finally got around to making it this weekend.



Contains, technically, 3 ingrediants. But me being me, I put the garlic on the INSIDE, rather than the outside. So that makes it four ingrediants.}:P

( Are you hungry? Or just curious? )

So, last month, I posted about joining The Daring Bakers, with my Dark Chocolate-Green tea Cheesecake.

Well, with this post, I announce that I've also joined The Daring Cooks!



The Daring Cooks is a new group, affiliated with the Daring Bakers, and also resides at The Daring Kitchen. This is the very first Daring Cooks Monthly Challenge, EVER. WooHoo! Party time!

So for this Challenge, CreamPuffs in Venice and La Mia Cucina, the Founders of The Daring Kitchen, chose a recipe from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook, Zuni Ricotta Gnocchi.

Well, what a way to inagurate the Daring Cooks, let me tell ya. I'd never made Gnocchi, let alone even eaten it. Yes, yes, I know, where the devil have I been, in a cave?

I've always wanted to make homemade ricotta though, and guess what this recipe calls for? Go on, guess! }:P

( Continued! )

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

Mmm, Cheesecake....

I love cheesecake. So when I finally joined the Daring Bakers and was eligible for the April Challenge, imagine my delight to find that the challenge recipe was cheesecake. I haven't made cheesecake in quite sometime. This would be fun!



( Onward to the recipe and photos! )

Today's dinner...



About an hour from being finished. Needed to add more liquid (mead )to the pan below the meat. Rather than soak the smoking chips, I generally place a pan with liquid in it beneath the meat to be smoked. This results in flavorful stock at the end of the smoking. Sometimes I use plain water with dried herbs (tarragon, basil, thyme or oregano), or sake. In this instance, I used mead.
( The results... )

We Swap Snacks comm on LJ has these mass snack swap exchanges every few months. I managed to get in on #4.}:P
By the way, they need more INTERNATIONAL swappers. So if you're interested, and have an LJ, head on over and check it out!

I think that's right, at least.}:P I sent my box to karizma23 in Washington, and received one from him, here in Virginia.}:P



BOX! whee! Pardon the hockey catalog, was using it to cover addresses.}:P It arrived on Weds, which surprised both of us, as we really thought it'd take longer, coming across the US and all.

( But what's inside??? You ask... )

Winner of the March Monthly Theme Contest for the BakeBakeBake Community on LiveJournal.



Doesn't that look yummy?

( You know you want more... )

So I'm participating in a swap in the We Swap Snacks comm on LJ, and while looking for more local, or East Coast type snacks for my swap partner (in Washington State), we headed to the Natural Food Co-Op here.

Where upon we spent way too much money, as per usual. I seriouwsly don't know why I bother to set a 'budget' for a swap, I inevitably always surpass it.

I was standing in front of the frozen foods and local meat section, and spotted some Ostrich fillets.

Yes, OSTRICH FILLETS.

I pulled one out, and turned to Mark.

"Hey, look, want to try it? ", I said.

"Ostrich? Not particularly", he replied.

"What happened to your sense of adventure and the thrill of trying new things?", I asked.

"I guess I lost it"< he laughed, "Or I got old."

"Hmph", says I, "We're trying it. AND we're trying the Bison steaks too."

"Yes, dear", he says.

Yup. Ostrich and Bison. Tomorrow, we're tring the Bison steaks. Grilled of course. Topped with a pat of Kerrygold Garlic & Herb Irish butter.

But tonight... oh, tonight, it's all about buttermilk soaked, seasoned, panko breaded fried Catfish fillets. Yum. Haven't had that since... well, since I was a teenager!

Mark, the BiL and the SiL have never had Catfish, to the best of their knowledge. This must be remedied. Yes, indeed.

If I remember, I will get photos so I can post what I do with the Catfish. Definitely photos of the Bison and Ostrich. Most definitely.

I seem to be addicted to Meyer Lemons this year. They're so good that I'm inventing ways to include them in recipes- both sweet and savory. This happens to be the latest.



( Meyer Lemon Sugar Cookies )

Sure to make you hungry...



Bacon, egg, and Mozzarella cheese biscuit for lunch.



Beef roast, marinated in sake,and various herbs,topped with sauteed mushrooms, and the sides- steamed asparagus, and potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, celery, and onions. Dinner last Sunday.



Meyer Lemon Sugar Cookies. Recipe forthcoming. They lasted 2 days. Yeah.



TODAY- Box mix Dark Chocolate brownies that I covered with homemade caramel, pecan pieces and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Picture post with details forthcoming. OmNomNom.

So, Sat night I really didn't feel like cooking a big meal.

We had just gotten home from seeing Watchmen AND going to Sam's Club to stock up on meat goods and frozen veggies. After dealing with breaking all that meat down into meal sized portions, I wasn't looking forward to cooking.


I took a package of the ground chuck we'd just gotten and made something with it.

Approx 1lb ground chuck (or whatever burger you prefer), browned and drained
1 can chili beans
1/2 jar of salsa (whatever strength you prefer, I used mild)
2 servings cooked rice (I used jasmine)
Approx 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
sea salt, garlic powder and pepper to taste

Shredded cheese of your choice (I used mozzarella)

Cook your rice and distribute between 2 bowls.

In sauce pan, combine browned meat, salsa, chili beans, sea salt, pepper, garlic powder and dried tarragon. Heat through.

Dump over rice in bowls. Top liberally with shredded cheese and enjoy.



Took all of maybe 15 minutes and created enough leftovers for lunch today. Heh. Next time I think I'll eat it with tortilla chips.

Sometimes, the simplest things can be the best.

Mark's absolute favorite cake in the world, is carrot cake. Not just carrot cake, but carrot cake topped with homemade cream cheese icing AND crushed pineapple. He complains sometimes that I don't make it near often enough for him. And sadly, he's right.}:/



So when the Bake3 Monthly Theme Challenge came up as 'Doctored Up Boxed Mixes ', I knew I had to make Mark's favorite cake, with a few modified changes. Oh and as cupcakes instead of an actual cake.}:P

( Onward... )

Oh we had such plans, you and I. Such wonderful plans. Earl Grey and Meyer Lemon, what could possibly go wrong?
( You'd be surprised... )