Top o’ the mornin’ to ye!  St. Patrick’s Day is here again, one of the favorite holidays around the ol’ Flamingo Pond.  The husband is half-Irish, and back when we got married, we made a deal:  I would get all the Jewish holidays and he would get St. Patrick’s Day and Christmas.  I took this to be a pretty fair compromise, since the only holidays he wanted were the ones involving good food, good drink, and prezzies!  And we like to start the morning with a slab of old-fashioned Irish Brown Bread.  This is not the sweet bread with raisins or some such, that you might find in stores, today.  Real Soda Bread is just that – bread. Slice it up for sandwiches, chunk it up to sop up soup or gravy, toast it up & slather with good butter, a piece of cheese, maybe some jam.

We don’t dye anything green around here, no sir!  From the beginning, we’ve only made traditional Irish recipes, prepared as closely as possible to the traditional ways.

One of the really lovely things about this bread is that it’s pretty quick to make. Just mix up the dough – either by hand or mixer with a dough hook – form it up and bake.  No resting time, no rising time.  You can have this on the table, all warm, crusty, and ready to eat in about an hour!  And I’ll bet you have the ingredients ready to go, right now.  So, let’s do it:

Irish Brown Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 cups stone ground whole wheat flour
• 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 3 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 Tbs. sugar, honey, or molasses (optional)
• 2 1/2 cups soured milk *

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425° F.

In a large bowl (or your mixer bowl), combine the flours, salt, and baking soda. Mix well.  Add the sweetener (if using),  and add the milk, a little at a time, mixing well.  The dough should be firm and still just a bit sticky.

Divide the dough into two pieces, form into firm balls, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or pan liner.  Flatten each ball slightly with your hand, to about 2-3 inches thick.  Slash an X across the top of each loaf (to let the fairies out, of course!).

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the loaves sound hollow when the bottoms are rapped with your knuckle, or an instant-read thermometer inserted through the side indicates at least 192° F.

* Yes, I actually let milk go naturally sour for this. Don’t go freaking out. No, it’s not going to hurt you.  After all, that’s how basic farmers cheeses historically got their starts, and the natural acids work with the baking soda to get the dough rising.  And it’s a great way to use up milk that’s “gone off” on you.  If you don’t have any soured milk on hand, just measure out your milk and add either a teaspoon of lemon juice or a teaspoon of white vinegar, mix it well and let it sit till it reaches room temperature.

Don’t save this just for St. Patrick’s Day, either! This is a tasty, healthy bread that’s great all year long, especially if you just noticed that you’ve run out of bread for sandwiches or snacks.

More St. Patrick’s Day food ideas:

• Mashed Potato Biscuits (Irish Potato Cakes)
• Shepherd’s Pie for St. Patrick’s Day
• Chicken in (Non-Dairy) Tarragon Cream Sauce
• Colcannon (Mashed Potato with Cabbage and Leeks)

Eating healthier and dropping a few pounds is on the table (you’ll excuse the expression), once again.  This time, it’s my turn by doctor’s decree. I’m following my own advice – not going off the deep end, not going into deprivation mode, but rather, transforming some favorites into equally delicious alternatives.  Let’s face it.  If you have to work that hard, you’re not going to stick with it, right?

Oh, don’t panic. It’s not like I’m going to stop posting cheesecake, you know?

But for some reason, every winter I seem to go on a pancake kick (see here and here).  Must be the cooler weather, making me want something a bit more soul-satisfying than a bowl of cottage cheese. Well, we bought a cheap waffle iron on sale, recently, and once I figured out how it works, I started playing with waffle batter recipes.  This one’s a winner!

Buckwheat Pecan Waffles

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 2 tsp granulated sweetener (I used xylitol, but Truvía, or sugar are great, too)
• 1 1/2 cups milk (regular, 2%, buttermilk, or soy milk all work just fine)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Coarsely chopped pecans

Preparation:

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients, including the sweetener.  In another bowl (or large measuring cup), whisk together all of the wet ingredients.  Add the wet mixture to the dry, and mix together until smooth.  If the batter seems too thick, add a little more milk.  Allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes.

Heat up your waffle iron (give it a shot of cooking spray, if needed), sprinkle your desired quantity of chopped pecans directly onto the cooking grid (anywhere from 1 tsp to 1 Tbs – your choice), ladle in just enough batter to cover the grids, close the cover, and bake until browned and crispy.

Serve with your choice of butter (I like Smart Balance Light) and/or syrup or jam and/or fresh fruit. Pictured here, is Freakin’ Flamingo Sugar-Free Strawberry Vanilla Jam.  Of course.

Notes:

The pecans are actually totally optional.  You don’t have to use them – these waffles are extremely delicious without them, too. But they add such a wonderful texture, and the flavor is just so complimentary with the buckwheat, that I strongly recommend that you use them – unless you have some kind of nut allergy.

I’m not giving you an estimated yield of waffles this time, because everyone’s waffle maker is different.  Mine yields five waffles that measure 6 1/2″ across.  Yours may have a smaller, shallower cooking area(s).

I’m also not giving you estimated cooking times.  My el-cheapo waffle maker beeps, thinking it’s finished, at 1 minute.  Which is ridiculous.  I’ve worked out the cooking time for mine, to be 4 minutes.  Yours might be faster or slower, so check.

I have tested all of the variations in the ingredients list, so make any of those substitutions with confidence.  And no, I’ve received no compensation from any of the brands I mention.  I happen to like them, we use them, and I keep them in my pantry and fridge.  Except for the jam, of course. I do get compensation from that, because, well, I sell it. And it’s delicious. And the sugar-free ones don’t taste sugar-free or have that weird artificial sweetener aftertaste. End of plug.

Light, fluffy, crispy, and satisfying on every level. That’s a diet I can stick with. How about you?

I’ve said it so many times, I’m surprised y’all can’t read my mind at this point: Winter is the best reason to live in South Florida. Putting the exclamation point on that, is Strawberry Season. For the next couple of months, we will be awash in the sweetest, juiciest strawberries ever. And the prices are starting to come down as the crops increase. Just in time for Valentines Day.  They even look like little hearts, don’t they?

Tonight I’m teaching a strawberry jam class at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. I’m not just teaching these fine folks how to make a basic strawberry jam – oh, no! I’m showing them different things you can do with it, too. Now, for those of you not inclined to make your own, of course, you can buy it. In which case I would highly recommend one of Freakin’ Flamingo‘s excellent strawberry varieties, such as Strawberry Daiquiri or even Strawberry Joe. Oh, what? I shouldn’t get a plug in here? Please.

Anyway, one of the items on the menu tonight is Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes.  How many different ways can I adulterate adapt Abby Dodge’s delightful base recipe from Desserts 4 Today? Well, so far, I’ve done it 3 or 4 times. And I’ll do it again!  Abby doesn’t seem to mind.

Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes
(makes 6 mini cheesecakes) (Recipe adapted from Desserts 4 Today by Abigail Johnson Dodge)

 Ingredients:

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened at room temperature
3 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
4 Tbs. strawberry jam

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 300º F.

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric hand-mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until incorporated. Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl between each step.

Add the vanilla and the egg, beat thoroughly. Add the strawberry jam and mix completely.

Take a regular-sized muffin tin and place foil liners into 6 of the cups, then spray lightly with no-stick cooking spray. Alternatively, you can use reusable silicone cupcake liners without the cooking spray.

Bake for 15-18 minutes. The centers should barely jiggle when you nudge the pan. Set the muffin tin on a rack to cool completely, and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.

Unmold onto serving dishes and garnish with a fresh strawberry and/or additional jam and/or whipped cream, as desired.

These uncomplicated little cheesecakes are light and creamy, and portioned to be the perfect ending to that special, romantic Valentines Day dinner. Or anytime you want a sweet bite at the end of a meal.

This Mango Pistachio Ricotta Tart is for The Secret Recipe Club, created by Amanda of Amanda’s Cookin’. This is how it works: Every month, you get to scour the blog of another member of the club (assigned to you by Amanda), and pick out and cook or bake any recipe from that person’s blog. And of course, it’s a Secret. Until the big reveal, that is.

I can’t tell you how excited I was when I received this month’s assignment. Excited and scared witless at the same time. You see, Amanda assigned me one of the most beautiful blogs out there, and a blogger I adore, who also bakes some of the loveliest creations you can imagine: Deeba of Passionate About Baking.

She was also one of my very early Twitter friends, and talked me through my first macarons. And second, and third, and fourth, until I finally got the magical “feet”! “Deeeeeeeba! Feet! I’ve got FEET!” was the cry heard ’round the Twitterverse, and Deeba was right there with her “happy dance”, even though she lives in India. Deeba is, indeed, passionate about baking. Her gorgeous photography and stories and family updates, make you feel like you’re sitting at her kitchen table, having a cup of coffee and a chat.

I think it was kismet, in a way, that I was assigned Deeba’s blog. Just a week ago, our August mangos, an Indian variety called “Neelum”, started ripening. Of course, I had to find something on PAB that would be appropriate. First I toyed with one tart recipe that used plums. Then, just when I thought it was settled, last Monday Deeba posted a recipe for Peach Pistachio Ricotta Cheesecake Tart. I substitute mangos for peaches all the time, but would she even recognize her recipe by the time I was done with it?

Normally, I would just tell you what I did differently and point you to my assigned blog’s recipe. But, since I made some fairly major “adaptations,” I will give you the recipe as I made it.

First, I decided early on that I would not make the pate sucree – the sweet pastry dough for the crust. These days, I just don’t have the counter space to roll it out. (I have to work on that. And soon!) Instead, I did a riff on a crumb crust, including the important elements from Deeba’s recipe: the oatmeal and the pistachios. I also used part-skim, store-bought ricotta, but used heavy cream instead of her low fat cream, so I think the fat kind of balanced each other out. Then after making the conversions from metric to “American” (LOL!), I decided to cut her recipe in half (hers yielded one 12″x 4″ rectangular tart, plus two 3″ round tarts), and made one 10″ round tart. The uncooked filling was very thin and I knew it wouldn’t support the top layer of fruit, so I half-baked the filled tart, removed it from the oven, placed the reserved mango slices and chopped pistachios on top, then baked it the rest of the way.

The results: Outstanding! It’s like the lightest, creamiest cheesecake, ever. And if you’re anything like me, well, cheesecake ought to be its own food group, don’t you think? The summery flavor of the mangos, paired with the crunch of the pistachios, and against that creamy, dreamy backdrop, were just sensational. And yes, you can throw almost anything in that crust. Who has to know that it’s actually a little bit healthier with the addition of the oatmeal and pistachios? Plus, the little green flecks of pistachio in the crust make it so pretty! I might even save a slice for the husband when his mouth heals from his recent oral surgery.

And then again, I might not.

Mango Pistachio Ricotta Tart

Ingredients:

For the crust:

14 two-cracker sheets of soda crackers

1/3 cup oatmeal

1/3 cup pistachios

2 Tbs. natural cane sugar

pinch of salt

3 Tbs. butter, melted

For the filling:

2/3 cup low-fat ricotta cheese

6 Tbs. heavy cream

1 large egg (at room temperature)

2 1/2 Tbs. natural cane sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbs. cornstarch

1 medium mango, peeled and sliced

Topping:

1/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped

1 Tbs. mango jam, melted

Preheat the oven to 350º F.

Place all of the ingredients for the crust, except the butter, into the bowl of a food processor and process until everything is finely ground and well mixed. Add the melted butter and pulse, until the mixture looks like very wet sand.

Press the crust mixture firmly into a 10″ tart pan (I used a glass one, but the metal ones with removable bottoms are just fine), evenly and up the sides. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven, and set aside.

In the meantime, clean your food processor bowl and blade, and make the filling:

In the bowl of the food processor place the ricotta, cream, egg, sugar, and vanilla extract. Process until everything is smooth. Add the cornstarch and run the food processor a few more seconds.

Now, assemble the tart:

Take half of the mango slices (and pieces – you can’t fool me) and place them on the bottom of the tart crust. Save the pretty slices for the top – just use the ones that didn’t work out so well, here. No one’s going to see them.

Pour the filling over the mango pieces and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven, place the reserved mango slices on top, then sprinkle with the chopped pistachios. Return the tart to the oven and bake an additional 20 – 25 minutes, or until the tart is set.

Brush the melted jam over the fruit while the tart is still hot. This step will make the fruit look – and stay looking – shiny and appealing.

It was really fun, searching through another blogger’s recipe posts for inspiration and a different point of view. Wanna play? Join the Secret Recipe Club here.

Now follow along and see who got who – I can’t wait to see who got me and what they chose to make from my eclectic collection. Will it be a dessert? A main course? A 30-minute family meal? Let’s find out together!

The food blogosphere came together this week to support our own Jennifer Perillo of In Jennie’s Kitchen and her young daughters, when the shocking news of her husband’s sudden passing hit us all like a slap in the face. And we did it in the best way we know how – with food. With peanut butter pies, to be exact.

You know, I don’t know how to speak about this kind of loss – the one-minute-he’s-here-and-the-next-minute-he’s-gone kind of loss. In my life, I’ve known several and it’s never any easier, because it never makes any sense. I’ve always said that there’s not much I believe in, but I believe that everything happens for a reason, and I believe in ultimate justice. You may not see it immediately – it may take weeks, months, or even years – but you will see it. Right now, I can’t fathom any rhyme nor reason, and those words seem hollow to me.

All I can say is, I’m so sorry for your loss, Jennie. All I can do is give you a virtual hug, and hope that you can read everything I feel for you in that seemingly lame gesture.

In response to the outpouring of love and questions of “What can we do for you?” from food bloggers all over the world, Jennie wrote, “For those asking what they can do to help my healing process, make a peanut butter pie this Friday and share it with someone you love. Then hug them like there’s no tomorrow because today is the only guarantee we can count on.”

Chances are, if you Google “peanut butter pie” from here on out, you’ll have literally hundreds of choices and just as many more eloquent tributes than this one.

Peanut Butter Cup Pie

(makes about 12 mini-pies)

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)

1/2 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup cream (light or heavy)- divided

pinch of salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg (room temperature)

4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 300º F.

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until it’s smooth and fluffy. Add the brown sugar, then the peanut butter, 1/4 cup of the cream, salt, and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl well after each addition. Last, add the egg and beat until the entire mixture is smooth. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, over low heat, melt the butter. Add the chocolate and stir until melted. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of cream, and stir until the chocolate is smooth and glossy.

Prepare a muffin pan by lining it with foil or silicone cupcake liners. If using foil liners, give each one a small shot of cooking spray.

Using a dessert spoon, place a heaping spoonful of the chocolate mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Now, spoon the pie batter over the chocolate, filling each cup about 2/3 full.

Bake for 15 – 18 minutes. The batter should still jiggle just a bit when the pan is shaken. Allow the pan and pies to cool completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate for at least several hours.

When cold and firm, flip each pie over onto individual plates and unmold to serve. Allow to warm for about 10 minutes, to get a really soft creamy texture.

Too many for one sitting? After chilling, leave them in the liners, pop into a freezer storage bag, and put them in the freezer. You can thaw just the amount you need in the future!

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I couldn’t make my peanut butter pies for Mikey and Jennifer Perillo on Friday, because my own Mikey was having oral surgery. In deference to his sore mouth, I skipped the crust and my beloved chunky peanut butter, and resisted the temptation to garnish with chopped peanuts. I promise you – the hugs were no less fierce.

I’m entering my slaw in the “Can You Can It? Yes, You Can!” contest at

Eve’s The Garden of Eating Blog! The roundup will be posted on August 22nd,

followed by a week of public voting. You’ll vote for me, right?

*****************

*The winner of Sarah Hood’s new book, We Sure Can!, as chosen by Random.org, is Comment Number 6: Elle! I think you’ll love it, and hope to hear about your new canning adventures in the future! Thanks for playing, everyone! We Sure Can! is now available through Amazon.com, too – you should get it anyway. *

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Let the Pickle Party begin! And like any good party, I’ve got a prize for one lucky reader! But first, you have to read about my Pickled Chayote Slaw recipe. I’m sneaky that way.

Pickled Chayote Slaw

All across the world, foodies and food bloggers are posting pickles. We want to show you that it’s not as hard and scary as you think to “put up” some of nature’s bounty – whether you grow it yourself or run across an incredible deal at your local farmers market – and take back some control of the food you put on your table. I chose to make a citrusy pickled chayote slaw for the Pickle Party.

At first, I thought I’d pickle some cauliflower for you, since that’s one of my husband’s favorites and he still hasn’t forgiven me for trading the two jars we had left, at our recent Miami Food Swap. Since I started selling my jams at the South Miami Farmers Market every other week, though, I’ve had the opportunity to get in on some very cool produce at very reasonable prices. Last weekend, I was gifted with half-a-dozen chayote squashes.

Not familiar with “chayote”? Read this:

“The chayote (Sechium edule), also known as christophene, vegetable pear, mirliton, christophine (in France), chouchoute (in Vanuatu), choko (in Australia and New Zealand), starprecianté, citrayota, citrayote (Ecuador and Colombia), chuchu (Brazil), chow chow (India), cho cho (Jamaica), Sayote (Philippines) ,güisquil (Guatemala, El Salvador), or pear squash, iskus (इस्कुस) (Nepal) is an edible plant that belongs to the gourd family Cucurbitaceae along with melons, cucumbers and squash.” — Source: Wikipedia

All parts of the chayote are edible. It can be eaten cooked or raw and is a great source of Vitamin C. The texture of chayote is crisp and slightly starchy and it has a very mild, slightly sweet flavor that is perfect for soaking up the flavors of whatever you choose to cook with it. It can be cooked like any other squash and is frequently shredded and mixed with lemon or lime juice for a slaw-like side dish.

This recipe was created for the “boiling water” canning method and will yield about 5 pints of pickled slaw. For detailed information on safe canning practices, please visit the link for the USDA Canning Guides that’s in the “Places I Like To Visit” section of the far-right sidebar. And check out the links at the bottom of this post, too! – This weekend, we’re going to be Canning Across America! Canning parties and live streaming videos from my friends at CanningAcrossAmerica.com!

Pickled Chayote Slaw

Ingredients:

6 chayote, halved and cored

1 medium onion, peeled and halved

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into thirds

4 cups white vinegar

1/3 cup lime juice (I used Key Lime juice. ‘Cuz I’m a rebel.)

1 cup water

1/4 cup sugar (see *Note, below)

1 Tbs. canning salt

Cumin seeds

Celery seeds

Brown mustard seeds

Small dried hot chili peppers (such as Thai chilies) – optional

Preparation:

Fill your boiling water canning pot with water and put it on to boil. While it’s heating, start prepping the vegetables and pickling liquid as follows:

Shred the vegetables, using the medium shredding disc of your food processor or the large-holed side of a box grater. Set aside.

In a 6 quart, non-reactive pot, combine the vinegar, lime juice, water, sugar, and canning salt. Heat to boiling, over high heat, stirring until the salt and sugar are dissolved.

When the liquid boils, add all the vegetables to the pot, stir to mix well, and return it to a rolling boil, and turn off the heat.

Heat your jars and lids in the boiling water canner.

Fill each jar with the hot vegetables to one-inch (1″) from the top. To each jar, add 1/4 tsp of the cumin seeds and mustard seeds, and 1/8 tsp of the celery seeds. Add one of the dried hot peppers, if using. Fill each jar with the hot pickling liquid to 1/2″ from the top. Poke around inside each jar with a long, thin utensil, such as a chopstick or fondue fork, to release any trapped air bubbles. This has the dual effect of distributing the spices.

Top each jar with a new canning lid, twist on the ring, finger-tight, and, making sure that the water covers the jars by at least one-inch (1″), process in the boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the jars to sit in the canner for an additional 5 minutes before removing them to a surface that’s been covered with a dish towel or newspapers.

Allow the jars to sit, undisturbed, for 24 hours and check your seals. Any jars that didn’t seal properly should be refrigerated. The slaw should be ready to eat in a day or two.

*Notes: Make sure to taste your pickling liquid before adding the vegetables, to make sure you’ve got the sweet/tart balance to your taste.

What I was going for, was something like a cross between a vinegar-dressed cole slaw and sauerkraut. It came out tart, only the slightest bit sweet, but still retaining a slightly crispy bite – very much like a cabbage-style slaw or kraut. You can eat this as a side dish with any kind of sandwich, or pile it on your favorite hot dog, as I did here:

(Why yes, I did neglect to take a photo of the chayote before I shredded it for my slaw. If you’d like to see what it looks like in the raw, go here.)

Now for the even more fun stuff! If you’ve visited here in the last several weeks, you might have noticed this badge, over there in the sidebar:

I was surprised and delighted when Toronto food writer, veteran canner, and fellow Can-Jammer, Sarah B. Hood, asked to include one of my pickle recipes in her new book, We Sure Can! I tell you up-front that I was paid a grand total of $50 plus two copies of the book as compensation for my contribution.

Well, I just got my copies of We Sure Can! last week, and it is beautiful! Great photos and over 100 great canning recipes from respected and talented food writers and bloggers in whose company I am more than humble to find myself (including Sarah, herself). Seriously. Read more about this fabulous book and everyone who contributed, on the publisher’s page.

So, what am I going to do with two copies, hmm? To celebrate the Pickle Party and the official launch of We Sure Can!, I am going to give my extra copy to one of you! To enter:

1. Leave a comment telling me about a favorite food memory and what you’d like to preserve; AND/OR
   
2. If you’re on Twitter, tweet this: “I entered to win a copy of “We Sure Can!”, the new canning book by @SarahBHood, from @RJFlamingo. You can, too! http://bit.ly/qpwnsm” Then leave a comment saying that you did. AND/OR
   
3. If you’re on Facebook, please “like” Flamingo Musings, and leave a comment here, saying that you did. AND/OR
   
4. Post on your Facebook wall “I entered to win a copy of “We Sure Can!”, the new canning book by Sarah B. Hood, from Flamingo Musings. You can, too! http://bit.ly/qpwnsm”, and of course, leave another comment here.

The winner will be selected by Random.org on Sunday night, August 14, 2011 at midnight. Please make sure there is a valid email address attached to your comment(s) so I can get in touch with the winner. If I don’t hear from the winner by Tuesday, August 15th, another winner will be chosen. Please limit your tweets to once per day – I don’t want you to annoy your friends!

P.S.: Did I mention that this is open to everybody, everywhere? What the heck – it’s my nickel, right?

We Sure Can! is now available through Amazon.com, too!

If you want to learn more about pickling and preserving, don’t forget National Can-It-Forward Day, this Saturday! Check out the links, below:

National Can-It-Forward Day

Streaming Can-It-Forward Demonstration Schedule

CanningAcrossAmerica.com

Happy Pickle Party!

White Mac & Cheese. Kind of an odd thing to write about in the middle of one of the hottest summers on record, I know.

Most of you may not know that Flamingo Musings did not start out as a food blog. Back on August 30, 2006, this blog was born out of the boredom of waiting for a hurricane that never arrived. I wrote pretty sporadically back then – yes, even less often than I do now (shut up!). But, I did write about food once in awhile, which then turned into “Recipe Monday”, which then became pretty much All Food All The Time. What can I say? I fell in with a bad crowd on Twitter.

Since August marks my 5 year blog anniversary month, I thought I’d revisit some of those early posts. Coincidentally, I first wrote about food in this space on August 5, 2008. I had overheard a conversation on my way to work the previous morning about people avoiding “white food.” I couldn’t imagine that, and set about creating a White Mac & Cheese in retaliation. I didn’t measure anything, and never wrote down a recipe (although, surprisingly, I did take a picture!), so now, 3 years later, I decided to rectify that.

And yes, there’s cauliflower in there. Way to sneak in a vegetable, right?

White Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

8 oz. box macaroni
1 small head cauliflower, broken into florets
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. finely chopped onion (optional)
2 Tbs. all purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp. mustard powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. ground white pepper
8 oz (by weight) sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded (more, if baking)

Preparation:

Cook the macaroni according to package directions, in a large (about 6 quart) pot. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the cauliflower florets and allow to cook until the macaroni is tender. Or al dente. Your choice. Drain well and return to the pot.

In the meantime, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, if using, and cook for a couple of minutes, until it softens. Add the flour, stir well, and allow that to cook for another minute. Pour in the milk, and whisk constantly until it thickens, then whisk in the mustard powder, garlic powder, and white pepper. Add the cheese in 3 or 4 parts, whisking after each addition until it melts and makes a smooth cheese sauce. Taste the sauce at this point to determine if you need salt. (I usually find that sharp cheddar usually makes it salty enough, but you may wish to add a bit to your taste)

Pour the sauce over the cooked macaroni and cauliflower and stir gently to combine. If you like creamy mac & cheese, it’s now done – dig in and enjoy! If you like a baked mac & cheese:

Heat your oven to 375º F. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray or grease with a bit of butter. Pour the mac & cheese into the casserole dish, top liberally with additional shredded white cheddar, and bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese melts and it takes on a golden brown color.

At which point, it’s no longer “white.” Just sayin’.

Many of you have been telling me that you’re using Freakin’ Flamingo jams and marmalades in ways that have nothing to do with toast, but that’s no surprise to me – I’m doing the same. Today, I mixed some of my Piña Colada Jam (part of “The Cabana Collection“) into muffin batter, and ended up with a light, sweet muffin that’s just full of tropical flavor. Perfect for breakfast, snack time, or even dessert!

I’m also guest-posting over at Restless Chipotle! Many of you know the fabulous and talented Marye Audet. She’s one of my great friends – always ready with support and a good word – so when she asked me to give her a day off, I was more than delighted to help out. So, please stop by and check out the Piña Colada Chicken I cooked up, just for her! And you!

But, I’m taking these babies to the Miami Food Swap tonight!

Piña Colada Muffins
(makes 14 regular/small – not mini – muffins)

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 Tbs. Freakin’ Flamingo Piña Colada Jam
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
1 cup pineapple juice

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375º F. Prepare regular-sized muffin tin by inserting cupcake liners or by spraying lightly with cooking spray (if using good non-stick pan, you can skip this step).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together all the rest of the ingredients.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir by hand to combine well.

Fill each muffin cup nearly to the top and bake for 17 – 20 minutes. They’re done when a wooden skewer or toothpick poked into the center comes out clean.

Have you been playing with your Freakin’ Flamingo? If you have, drop me a line at FreakinFlamingo @ att{dot}net! Include a photo and the recipe or link to your recipe, and I’ll feature it in the Freakin’ Flamingo Newsletter!

Sign up for the Freakin’ Flamingo Newsletter and get lots of perks at the website, in person when I’m at the South Miami Farmers Market, and links to recipes, just like this!

Now go visit me at Restless Chipotle!

Today’s post is for The Secret Recipe Club, created by Amanda of Amanda’s Cookin’. This is how it works: Every month, you get to scour the blog of another member of the club (assigned to you by Amanda), and pick out and cook or bake any recipe from that person’s blog. And of course, it’s a Secret. Until the big reveal, that is.

My assignment this month, was to choose a recipe from This Chick Cooks. Kate features lots of quick and easy recipes that are great for family meals and desserts, mostly using ingredients that you’re likely to already have in your pantry. The recipe choice was easy: “Mini Italian Dumplings, a/k/a Gnocchi,” adapted from Healthy Cooking magazine. Kate promises that you can have gnocchi on the table in 30 minutes. The secret? This recipe uses instant potato flakes instead of boiling and mashing fresh potatoes.

Now, my husband will tell you that I am a gnocchi freak from way back. In fact, I judge Italian restaurants on the basis of their gnocchi. So, how could I resist a quickie gnocchi? And get your minds out of the gutter, people.

This was definitely quick and easy. I omitted the dried basil called for in the recipe, but changed nothing else, and dressed the gnocchi in my own quickie pasta sauce. Hey, a quickie gnocchi calls for a quickie sauce, right?

Quickie Pasta Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 – 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 14 oz. cans chopped tomatoes (I used organic, but I don’t judge)
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

Heat the oil on medium-high heat in a 2 – 3 quart saucepan. Add the chopped onion and garlic and sweat until the onion is translucent. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper to your taste.

Partially cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium, and allow to simmer briskly until the liquid is reduced by about half, stirring occasionally. This generally takes about the same amount of time it takes to boil a pot of water and cook your pasta.

This is just the basics. You can saute some chopped bell pepper and/or mushrooms along with the onions and garlic, if you like. You can also add your favorite fresh or dried herbs along with the tomatoes. Whatever you have handy and feel like. Make it your own!

It was really fun, searching through another blogger’s recipe posts for inspiration and a different point of view. Wanna play? Join the Secret Recipe Club here.

Now follow along and see who got who – I can’t wait to see who got me and what they chose to make from my eclectic collection. Will it be a dessert? A main course? A 30-minute family meal? Let’s find out together!

Those of you in the U.S. are well into your Memorial Day preparations, but if you’re still stumped, well, you’ve got a problem there, haven’t you? I’m still away from home, but I’m going to celebrate Memorial Day vicariously through you, so get moving! I’ve dug into the archives to bring you a few ideas to give you a bit of a kick start, and I’m going to go in order of what you need to do early, as opposed to the actual meal plan. Ready? Set? Go!

You need some burger buns and maybe some hot dog rolls. This one comes from one of my previous posts on the Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day baking book by Dr. Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe François, posted here. For the first time, I’m going to give you my adaptation (changes noted in red) of the the Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread recipe that I used to make these burger buns a little lighter and healthier. But you have to start right now!

Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich Loaf (and Burger Buns)
(liberally adapted from Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day)

Ingredients:

5 cups whole wheat flour (I substituted half of this with white whole wheat flour)
2-1/2 cups unbleached AP flour
1-1/2 Tbs yeast
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
(1/4 cup flax seed meal)
1 Tbs. salt
2-1/2 cups lukewarm water (120ºF)
1/2 cup honey (I used agave nectar)
5 large eggs (I used an 8 oz carton of Egg Beaters, which approximates 4 eggs)
2/3 cup melted butter (I substituted canola oil or melted Smart Balance Light Spread)

Mix the dry ingredients together first, then add the liquid ingredients, using the paddle attachment of your mixer, or by hand, and allow to rise for 4 hours on countertop, loosely covered in a very large bowl or container, then refrigerate for several hours before using. (Overnight is best, but you don’t have time for that!) You’re not kneading this dough, so be prepared for it to be very soft and loose – more like a muffin batter than a bread dough.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Sprinkle flour over the top of the chilled dough, and start pulling out roll-sized pieces (you may need or want the assistance of kitchen shears – I also suggest wearing latex or nitrile gloves, as this is going to be sticky!). I like to weigh mine out to about 4 oz. per roll, but you can make them smaller, if you’d like. Form the dough balls into rolls by stretching the edges out and tucking them under, until you get a nice, smooth ball. If you’re making hot dog rolls, give ‘em a bit of a stretch at this point, until they resemble fat logs. Place on a baking pan lined with parchment paper or silicone baking liner, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and allow to rest for about an hour.

Brush the tops of the rolls with water and sprinkle on sesame seeds, if desired. Bake for about 20 mins. or till golden brown.

Let’s move on to dessert. And when I say dessert, I can only mean one thing: Cheesecake! I’ve made several versions of cheesecake for this blog, and there’s something here for everyone – even if you or your guests are watching their weight for health reasons:

Here’s my classic Guilt-Free Cheesecake

For ease of serving, nothing beats Mini Coffee Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes or Mini Nutella Cheesecakes, which I adapted from Abby Dodge’s Desserts 4 Today.

For the grill, try this Coffee & Chipotle Crusted London Broil – you can adapt it to brisket or steaks, too!

For a refreshing side dish, you might like this Endive, Avocado, Tarragon & Grapefruit Salad recipe that I just picked up at CulinAire Cooking School in Washington, DC, while I attended the Eat Write Retreat conference.

I’m even reprising some of a Memorial Day post I wrote back in 2009. It’s every bit as appropriate today:

Popularly, we’ve all come to think of Memorial Day as the beginning of Summer – when you can bring out your white shoes and sundresses. And there’s nothing wrong with any of that. But I ask you, while you’re standing over your barbecue or puttering in your garden, to Stop. For just a moment. Look around you. Take in the day and your surroundings. Inhale deeply. And Remember.

Remember the men and women in uniform – both military and those we now refer to as “first responders” – who gave their lives in defense of our freedoms. Whatever we feel about war, these brave souls responded to their country’s call and made the ultimate sacrifice in our names. But for them, many of us would not have gardens to putter in or barbecues to stand over, or the food to put on those picnic tables. But for them, some of us wouldn’t even be here today, including me.

We are free and we are safe. Remember. And say Thank You. Even if it’s just a moment to yourself.

Have a beautiful, safe, and delicious day!