McCoskey-Laguarda preview

A few weekends ago my husband and I gotta go see a few friends at a Lake in TN. Our friends' parents were so kind to let us use their amazing lake house for a weekend of reunion with great friends. One of them just got engaged and they were kind enough to let me make their wedding cake.

Sarah and Gonzo (yes, that is his name) wanted to have a 4 tier cake with chocolate drizzled in between each tier with red roses cascading down the side of the cake, very tasteful. I enjoy the color scheme and very much looking forward to making 50+ sugar roses. Hopefully once the wedding is here they will give me permission to write a little blurb about them and their relationship with some picture of the real wedding cake. Their flavors of choice are Grand Marnier and Italian Creme.

Here is a picture of the sample cake that I made for them at the lake house.

A briny hit of the Mediterranean Sea

I made this Greek Shrimp Salad last week for our regular International Wife Group meeting. I thought it was appropriate with the International theme. Unfortunately, I did not get around to taking a picture before everything was gone. And that's how you know that it's good. This salad is loaded with flavor and good for you at the same time, hard to believe, eh?

Clean 1/2 lb. of medium shrimps, season with salt and pepper to taste. Sear them in some olive oil until fully cooked.

For the dressing:
Combine
1/4 cup feta cheese
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. oregano

You can put all the above ingredients in a food processor to make a creamy dressing. Or you can just shake it in a bottle and get a nice vinaigrette.

For the salad:
Combine
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1/2 cup diced yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup slivered red onion
1/4 cup halved kalamata olives
1/4 cup feta cheese

Toss the the shrimps and vegetable with the dressing. You can serve over a plate of shredded spinach or lettuce if desire.

You are more than welcome to use store bought vinaigrette in this recipe. I enjoy making my own dressings with fresh ingredients. With mustard, olive oil, and a vinegar of choice, you are free to add any other ingredient you'd like and you've got yourself a custom made dressing for the day. No more multiple bottles of dressing that take up space in the fridge!

Ever wonder what to do with giant zucchinis and squashes?

I have been involved with a group of international wives in Blacksburg, VA whose husbands are students/scholars at Virginia Tech. I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to know these ladies through learning about their cultures as well as sharing all kind of "strange" things that we do here in America. One of those things is canning food, which our friends had never done before.

Last week, one of our lovely host ladies had us over to show us how the whole canning process works. I have done some canning. But the extend of my canning only goes as far as making a few jars of jam. Sarah (our lovely hostess of the morning) doesn't only know everything there is to know about canning, she's the Proverb 31 woman that I always envision. She has three children, a beautiful house in the country where she and her husband raise a cow, some goats, and any plants I have ever heard of, from zucchinis to grapes. I have regularly heard from Sarah things like "Oh, I made cheese last week," or " I make my own soap." On top of that, Sarah is a nurse. Incredible, I know! I often wonder if the woman ever sleeps.

Sarah led us into her little kitchen where two giant pots sat on the stove, one was a regular water bath canning pot and the other was a hard core pressure cooker, rather intimidating. As she walks us through different kinds of canning processes, Sarah pulled out jars after jars of canned goods from pickles to peaches that she and her family have done over the years. One specialty that is described as a regular at her house is a zucchini sweet relish. The recipe was passed down from Sarah's husband's grandmother. The main ingredient for this relish is overgrown zucchinis or squashes. She showed us a few of these giants and they are about the size of your arms.
Sarah was also gracious enough to share with us her recipe as well as allowing me to post it on my blog. This recipe has won a local contest here in Virginia.

Sarah Broomell's Zucchini Sweet Relish
Yields 15 cups

Combine:
10 Cups grated zucchini (not peeled)
5 Tbsp. salt
3.5 cups onion (4 large onions)

Let stand over night. Drain and rinse with cold water. Then add:
2.5 cups cider vinegar
5 cups sugar
1 tsp. each of nutmeg, turmeric, and dry mustard
2 Tbsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Green pepper
1 Red pepper

Bring all to a boil, stirring frequently, can use pimentos.

Place in clean jar, leaving 1/2 inch of head space, wipe rim clean. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

You can use this relish as a substitute in any recipe that calls for pickle relish such as egg salad, potato salad, serve it with hotdogs or hamburgers.

I am not a big fan of relishes but this sweet-and-savoriness together with a fusion of spices really won my heart over. I will have to try whipping up a few jars of this amazing condiment.

Souffle: What rises must fall

I have gotten a few requests for souffle. Most people think souffles belongs to hoity-toity French bakery. But I am happy to inform you that it is no where near the truth. As long as you know how to whip some egg whites, these airy specialties will be pulled out of your own oven perfectly fluffy.

The most well known souffle out there is chocolate souffle. But you can really get creative with just a few basic steps, substitute sweet for savory and you've got yourself breakfast and even dinner. I made some chocolate souffle a few nights ago so I thought I'd start with a dessert souffle. Stay tune for a savory breakfast souffle soon to come.

CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE
This recipe yields two 6-oz souffle

2 tsp. butter, melted
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. almond paste or extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat two deep ramekins with melted butter. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. sugar, make sure to coat the sides. Set aside

Combine milk, chocolate chips, 1 Tbsp sugar, almond paste, vanilla, and cornstarch in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until smooth and thick. Whisk in egg yolks one at a time. Cool mixture to room temperature.

Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until stiff peaks form. Whisk a third of the whites into the chocolate mixture until there are no streaks. Fold in remaining whites.

Fill prepared ramekins to the top with batter. Bake for 30 minutes until souffles are puffed.

Voila, you just made your very first souffle. The only trick to this French delicacy is it needs to be served right away. Otherwise, like the title of this post, what rises must fall. The souffles will deflate if you wait to long to serve them. Bake these in the oven while you are having dinner and they will be perfect once it's time for dessert.