Tea Drink--London Fog

Real London Fog

I will be serving these simple teas tomorrow as a preliminary to Thanksgiving Dinner. I'm also going through quite a few during our Black Wednesday shenanigans--the pie crust and deviled egg marathon that presages Thanksgiving Thursday.

A Yummier Version of London Fog

London Fog (single serving)

6 oz boiling water
1 Earl Gray tea bag
2 Tbs cream (low fat milk works fine, too, especially if you scald it first)
1 Tbs sugar (or 6 drops of stevia for a sugar free alternative)
4 drops Vanilla extract
1 dash cinnamon


Steep the Earl Gray tea, add cream, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon and stir. Simple, yummy, fog lifting!

If you need a decaff version, you can easily decaffeinate any tea. Steep a bag of tea for two minutes, then discard that caffeinated tea. Immediately steep the bag in another cup of boiling water. This second steeping will give you a tea that is caffeine free!

The Planet's Best Cole Slaw

My husband concocted this recipe. It is so good that I had to share it even though I've not done much posting on anything other than food lately. YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS! I'm warning you though, better make a double batch or it'll never make it to the picnic.

The Planet's Best Cole Slaw


1 large head of cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, shredded
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup olive oil mayonnaise
1/2 cup of vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
splash of white wine
1 tsp of salt (or to taste)


Combine all ingredients with a wooden or plastic spoon. Refrigerate.

Cooking Tip: If an olive oil based mayonnaise is stirred too vigorously with a metal spoon, sometimes a horrible metallic aftertaste develops. It is safer to just stick with wood or plastic.

Jelly Fish? That's not a good name for this dish...

...but I've used up all my creative energy reserves cooking. I know that cooking has become a major theme of late, but since we've switched to meat free, I've been spending a lot more time thinking creatively on food. You are the beneficiaries/victims of circumstance! Congratulations!

That's some good eatin' right there!

Jelly Fish
1 cup jelly (plum, apricot, pineapple)
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp cilantro (substitutes include marjoram or parsley)
4 tbs vinegar
splash of wine (red, blush, or white)
1 Tbs high heat oil (safflower or corn)
6 to 10 fish fillets

Mix first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Heat oil in a skillet. Dip fillets in the bowl to coat and cook for 4 to 6 minutes each side. Pour additional sauce on top of fish while cooking. Remove fish when it flakes with a fork. Pour additional sauce into skillet and heat, stirring constantly. It will thicken quickly. Serve fish over rice and drizzle sauce over top.

I'm attempting to find a cheap, tinned fish that would do well in the sauce. We've tried canned tuna, but it was too strong a flavor. If you have any success with a "poor man's" version of this recipe, would you let me know?

Both Elizabeth Taylor and my Great Aunt Doris...

...lived through the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the rise of Communism, the rise of Solidarity and the ultimate fall of Communism as a world power in Europe. They experienced the grief of the nation at both Pearl Harbor and September 11. They lived in interesting times and died within a week of each other.

They both survived women's liberation, ladylike, with their class very much intact.

Unlike the movie star, my aunt was never in any way concerned about finding herself. Ever. Besides, everyone always knew where to find her--with the children, singing! Elizabeth began her career as a young girl on the silver screen. My aunt began her career of mothering first as an aunt--she was 12 when my dad, her nephew, was born--then as mother to her own two children, later as grandmother, great aunt, and great-grandmother.

They both really knew how to love people. Elizabeth Taylor was loyal and passionate and Doris was loyal and devoted. Both women were religious. My aunt was firm in her faith and gentle in her evangelization. She asked the preacher to ask this question at her graveside, "Do you know where you are headed?" before she extended the invitation to meet up with her later.

There is something about this generation of women. There is, at their hearts, a seemingly endless capacity to give of oneself. It truly is a wonder of nature, the generosity of these women.

Elizabeth Taylor will live on in film. My Aunt Doris will live on in our family. I wanted to share this wonderful woman with you today and share something she gained a bit of fame for: her chocolate cake. I find it very appropriate that she would be known for something so sweet.


Grandma Doris' Chocolate Sheet Cake
2 sticks oleo (margarine) or butter
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 cup water
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk (make with 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 tsp of vinegar, stir and let set for 10 minutes)

In a small saucepan, combine oleo, cocoa and water. bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Meanwhile sift together (or whisk) flour and sugar. Pour cocoa mixture over flour and sugar, mix to combine and let cool. Add buttermilk, egg, baking soda, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour into a 10 1/2 x 15 1/2 inch ungreased sheet cake pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

The Icing
1 stick of oleo (margarine) or butter
1/4 cup cocoa
1/3 cup water
1 lb of powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Boil oleo, cocoa, and water in medium saucepan. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix with hand mixer or whisk until smooth. Pour over cake as soon as you take it out of the oven.

Cooking in the Garden Lenten Edition--Spring Greens

As my Zimbabwean friend says, we need "to tame the flesh." We Americans live lives of indulgence and entertainment. Lent is a way of building up our spiritual muscle gone flaccid with the ease of modern existence.

Being introduced to Christianity in a tradition that does not accept the blessing of a Liturgical Year, my friend answers the call to periodic fasting by choosing January, the month of his conversion. He understands the need for periodically calling yourself to a higher standard, for pitting your will against your desires. As Americans, we do indeed need to tame our overindulged lives a bit.

This year, our family is taking the plunge and going meatless for Lent. So the recipes over the next several weeks will have a Vegetarian spin to them. In addition to the discipline of abstaining from something we want and enjoy, we see this as an opportunity to broaden our palate, explore new recipes, and save some money.

While trying out some recipes in anticipation of Lent, we discovered Kale. My kids barely allow me the chance to get it cleaned before they are sneaking bites. I prefer mine cooked and in quantities! It is so incredibly good. Maybe this will entice you to give it a try, too.

I didn't take a picture of mine, this is from the Food Network.
Too many onions!

Gingered Kale
1 medium onion chopped
1 Tablespoon oil
1 dash ground ginger (or 1/2" slice of fresh, finely minced ginger)
1 bunch kale washed and stripped
salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat the oil. Toss in all the ingredients and saute until the onions are translucent and the kale wilts. Serve warm.

To wash and strip kale
Fill a sink full of cool water and swish the kale to remove dirt. Let drain in a colander. Pat dry with a towel. Strip the leaves, being careful not to include too many of the stringy stems. My five year olds love to be in charge of this job, but I have to be watchful that there is enough left to cook after all the nibbling!

Aunt Christie's Beef Stew and a Homemade Onion Soup Mix

This is what we are having for dinner tonight. The instructions are for cooking this in a large pot on the stove. You can also make this in a crockpot by browning the meat and then cooking in the crock pot on low for 5 to 6 hours. If you have a roaster you can double or triple the batch and make it in there. I just found out from my friend Paula that she uses her roaster in lieu of her crockpot all the time. If you have a big family this comes in handy--no need to dirty two pots for one dish. If you have a smaller family, you can freeze the leftovers or call the Catholic Student Union and feed those poor waifs taking their exams.

Aunt Christie's Beef Stew
1 lb of stew meat, roast, or burger
5 potatoes, chunked
3 carrots, sliced
3 celery, sliced
1 large onion, diced
1 cup cooked corn (or 1 can)
1/2 cup barley
1 bay leaf
1 Tbs Italian Seasoning
2 tsp Coriander
1 package onion soup mix*
1 can gravy or 3 cubes of beef bouillon
water to cover ingredients
salt/pepper to taste
optional roux (1/2 cup of water with 3 Tbs cornstarch mixed thoroughly)

Brown the ground beef or stew meat. (If using roast, cut into bite sized cubes and brown.) Add to large stew pot, cover with spices and gravy and begin heating. Slice veggies and add to pot, adding enough water to cover the ingredients with each addition. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for 45 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are soft.

Serve with a coarse bread like cornbread, potato bread, or with sourdough rolls.


Homemade Onion Soup Mix
2 1/2 tablespoons dried minced onion

4 cubes (look for one without MSG) beef chicken, or vegetable, bouillon, crumbled
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper


Mix and keep handy as a spice mix. Makes a great dip mixed with a small tub of sour cream and a block of cream cheese.

I Haz Cheesecake...sort of. Really all I've got is a gluten-free pie crust

I've officially made a cheesecake from cheese to finish. The recipe I've created tastes great, but is a bit too light and frothy in texture. I'm going to have to try again. Oh woe to my family to have to eat up all the experiments...

Here's one good thing: I figured out a Gluten-Free Rice Crispy Crust. I can share that one.

Gluten-Free Rice Crispy Crust

1 1/2 cups crushed rice crispies
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup melted goat milk butter or (bleah, ick, yuck!) margarine

Combine ingredients. Press 2/3 of the mixture on the bottom of a 9 inch square baking pan or a pie pan. Chill. Reserve 1/3 as a crumbly topping to decorate the filling of your choice.

The Dairy Section of the Kitchen

Because it's not perfect, you'll have to email me for this cheesecake recipe, if you want to play around with it. It's akin to a custard pie and would be good with berries or a meringue on top. I'm actually going to try out that end of this recipe's spectrum later on, but for now a cheesecake is the prey I'm after.

Also, I discovered I've gotten a bit carried away with my 40 Bags in 40 Days exercise. I've given away my pie and cake tins. What was I thinking?!

The cheesecake in a casserole dish. White on white is so appetizing, no?

Oh yeah, teflon coating...

For those of you who were "with me" all throughout the St. Patrick's Day day long cook fest, here's some pictures of the fun. Who's idea was it to cook all day long and only have soup and bread to show for it? At least there was dessert.

Oddly shaped soda bread and Gluten-Free Shortbread
Ninja Throwing Stars--neither the prettiest of breads

or the safest of cookies