Happy Earthday-Vegeterian Recipes for People

Earth day is a little bit of a bust over here.  Its raining, raining, raining and we hate the rain so we are inside taking naps.

 Mom is cooking, and even though she is a carnivore like us (or at least a meat lover) in honor of Earth day she is making some vegetarian recipes, since vegetarian cooking is easier on the environment.

First she made her absolute favorite pasta.

Summer Garden Pasta from Ina Garten 

4 pints of cherry tomatoes (Ina Garten uses the red ones  but I think the recipe is better with the mixed color cherry tomatoes, red, yellow and orange)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves of garlic minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 package angel hair pasta
basil
8 ounces of grated Parmesan cheese (the real Italian stuff)

At least four hours before you want to eat the pasta cut the tomatoes in half and combine with the olive oil, garlic, salt, and crushed red pepper.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature.

When you are ready to serve the pasta put the water on to boil.  Thinly slice 18 basil leaves and toss in with the tomatoes, set aside a few other leaves for garnish.  Grate the Parmesan cheese and stir into the tomatoes.   

Cook the pasta until and toss with the tomatoes.

Caprese Salad

This is so simple its barely even a recipe and more of an idea.

2 to 3 large tomatoes (I used these cool purple tomatoes they had on Fresh Direct this week.)
8 ounces of buffalo mozzarella 
olive oil
salt and pepper

Slice the tomatoes and place them on a plater.  Slice the cheese and arrange around the tomatoes.    Drizzle over olive oil and the salt and pepper.   Top with a handful of basil leaves.


The best part of the meal was the dessert.  

Passion Fruit and Raspberry Mess or Pavlova

 This started life as a Pavlova but it cracked so I served it a Trifle Bowl like Eton Mess.

5 large egg whites
pinch salt
1 cup vanilla sugar (you can make this by storing some sugar in a jar or tupper ware with a vanilla bean)
1 tsp white vinegar
2 tsp cornstarch
 1 cup heavy cream
2tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 passion fruit
1 pint raspberries.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.   In an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attatchment beat the egg whites on high with the pinch of salt until soft peaks form.   Gradually add the sugar as you beat until you have used all the sugar and firm peaks form.   This should take about 3 minutes.   Sprinkle over the cornstarch and vinegar and fold in.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Mound the meringue mix in the center of the paper in a circle.   Cook for one hour.  Turn off then oven and let cook completely.


At this point you can decide if you want to make Pavlova or mess.   When I took my pavlova out of the oven it cracked.  I probably did not let it cool long enough.  So I brought it up and put it in Trifle serving bowl.   If  your pavlova doesn't crack you can just put it on a serving plate.


Whip the cream in the mixer with chilled beaters until soft peaks form.  Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until firmer peaks form.  Top the pavlova or mess with the cream.   Cut the passion fruit in half and extract the seeds and scatter over the Pavlova/Mess.   Scatter over the raspberries.




We have an excess of doggie treats over here right now, what with all the treats we have ordered from Mr. Chewy, but last year I did post a recipe for Earth Day Friendly dog treats you can check it out here.

Happy New Year and Some Recipes

Every year we celebrate New Years Eve by watching Fred Astaire movies and eating appetizers. 

 Green Goddess Dip

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 anchovy fillets

1 medium shallot, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 large ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, quartered

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup olive oil

Combine lemon juice, anchovies, shallot, vinegar, and garlic in processor. Blend until shallot and garlic are finely chopped. Add avocado, sour cream, parsley, tarragon, and basil; blend until almost smooth. With machine running, add olive oil through feed tube in thin stream. Transfer dip to small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.   Serve with crudites.

 Cheese Ball 


1 package of cream cheese at room temperature
generous cup of white cheddar cheese
1/4 cup of raisins
3 tbsp of rum or brandy


Soak the raisins in the liquer.  Beat the cream cheese and cheddar together and then add the raisins.   Put the cheese on plastic wrap and form into a ball.  Serve with Carr's water crackers.

Oysters Rockefeller

2 pints of shucked psters
1 1/2 sticks of melted butter
1 1/2 sleeves of Ritz crackers
white onion chopped
1/2 cup of half and half 
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

Crush the crackers in the food processor and set in a bowl.  Melt the butter in the microwave  and add to the crackers in the bowl and stir to combine.

Spoon one third of the cracker crumbs in the bottom of a baking dish (I use a small oval dish that is about 8 by 11.)  Top with 1 pint of the oysters and half of the onion.   Then layer on half of the remaining cracker crumbs and the remaining oysters and white onion.  Stir together the half and half and salt and pepper and pour over the oysters and then top with the remaining cracker crumbs.  

Bake for 45 minutes.  

Puppy and Kitty Christmas

Christmas is our favorite holiday.  We make sure to spend the entire day with the dogs and cats.  We start with a yummy breakfast

 This year we had Custard Spoon bread, glazed bacon, and fresh grapefruit.


Custard Spoon Bread from Food 52

3/4 cups stone ground corn meal 

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 large eggs

2 cups milk

2 tablespoons melted organic butter + 2 teaspoons to grease your pan

1 1/2 tablespoon white vinegar

1 tablespoon real vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place an un-greased 8x8-inch baking dish in the oven to warm.
   
2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and set aside.
   
3. In a separate, large mixing bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients except the heavy cream. You will use the heavy cream at the end to finish off the dish.
   
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and slowly stir until batter is smooth and free of lumps.
   
5. Remove heated dish from the oven and add the remaining 2 teaspoons butter.
   
6. Slowly scrape the batter into the heated and now buttered pan and set dish on the oven rack. With the dish in the oven, slowly pour the cream over the batter, without stirring.
   
7. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top layer is golden brown and a knife comes out clean. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Glazed Bacon

6 to 8 slices bacon

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp black paper

Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheet with tinfoil.  Stir together sugar and peppers. Lay bacon on the foil and sprinkle with the sugar.  Bake 8 to 15 minutes turning once.   (I like mine very crisp so I bake longer).

After breakfast we open presents (wrapped of course) and watch The Wizard of Oz. 

This year we had a nice big pile.

Tubby got a gorgeous jelly bean sweater from Pug Notes

 
 A very cute I love a trekkie (mom loves star trek) t from Cafe Press

and Super cute PJs from Rebel Wag

 

Tubby also got some turkey jerky treats.

Norbert  got a talking babble ball (tons of animal noises),

a healthy Cranimals antioxidant from Olive Green Dog great for seniors!

 

A squeaky reindeer from Olive Green dog 

An antler chew

and a bag of tennis balls to share with Bob.

Ping got

A Pug Notes Jelly Bean sweater, the same as Tubby's.

 Pajamas

 An I love a Trekkie shirt

 

 and some treats.

Dr. Zira got

 A candy cane sweater from Pug Notes.

PJs from Rebel Wag

 and organic Fromm treats

 

Bob got

 A retro Santa toy from Olive Green Dog

A bag of Tennis balls to share with Norbert

 

That he spent a good amount of time trying to open:

A red tartan bow tie collar from Pecan Pie Puppies (goes great with his Fleas Navidad shirt). 

 PJs from Rebel Wag

 Salmon Jerky treats and a Simply Fido toy to share with Norbert.

The cats got cute little catnip toys from Zoomies NYC (one looked line Sponge Bob) and one looked like a little Bird.  They also got a couple different treats (chicken, salmon, and turkey).  The catnip toys definitely got them in the Holiday mood!

After opening the presents we played with the new toys and watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

 Christmas always makes me thing of England so we had an English themed dinner

Bangers and Mash

• About 12 sausages (I like a mix of Italian sweet and breakfast turkey or cumberland)
•  cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• a bunch of fresh sage, leaves picked
• olive oil
• 3 stalks of fresh rosemary, leaves picked, plus  whole stalks. 
• 4 1/2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut in 1 inch chunks
• 1¼ cupsmilk
• 3 to 4 tbsp butter to taste butter 
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 medium red onions, peeled and finely sliced
• 1/3 cup (80ml) balsamic or red wine vinegar
• 2 beef or chicken stock cubes

1. Preheat your oven to 400
2. Drizzle a baking pan  with olive oil and put the sausages in
3. Poke the sausage all over with a knife and stick in slivers of garlic.
4. Scatter over half of the sage leaves and the rosemary leaves
5. Skewer the sausages with a few sprigs of rosemary
6. Place in the oven and set time for 20 minutes
7. Five minutes before the sausages are ready, remove the baking tray from the oven, place the rest of the sage leaves next to the sausages, drizzle with olive oil, and return the tray to the oven.
8. Meanwhile boil the potatoes in salted water until tender
9. Drain well, using a colander, then return them to the pan. Mash until smooth, adding the milk, and 1 to 2 tbsp butter
10. Season well with salt and pepper, then put the lid on the pan and keep warm at the back of the stove.
11. Make the gravy while the sauges and potatoes cook. Fry the onions really slowly in a little oil, covered, for about 15 minutes until soft.
12. Remove the lid, turn up the heat and, as soon as the onions become golden brown, pour in the vinegar and boil until it almost disappears.
13. Turn down the heat, add the rest of the butter, crumble in your stock cubes and 2¼ cups (560ml) water and stir well. Let this simmer until you have a nice gravy consistency. 
14. Serve sausages atop potatoes with gravy and make sure to serve include all of the tasty fried herbs.

Welsh Rarebit (fancy cheese on toast)

6 to 8 slices whole wheat bread (I use vermont bread company)

5 cups grated extra sharp Cheddar (Vermont is best)

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 eggs

1/4 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper

Watercress

Tomato slices

Stir together the cheese, mustard, eggs, cream and salt and pepper.  Spoon the mixture on the bread.  Broil for about 5 minutes until brown in spots.  Serve topped with tomatoes and watercress.

After dinner Tubby, Ping, Bob, and Dr. Zira put on their new PJs and got ready for bed!