"The Gift-Giver's Cookbook" - Sour Cream Candied Walnuts - Holiday party food!

Date I made this recipe:  December 3, 2017 – Party food!

The Gift-Giver’s Cookbook by Jane Green and Judith Choate

Published by Simon and Schuster

© 1971

Purchased at Bloomington Crime Prevention Association (BCPA) Annual Sale

Recipe:  Sour-Cream Candied Nuts – p. 111

I just have to say this:  Aiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

This freaking recipe, so simple to the eye, so difficult to nail, was almost the death of me as I prepared for our annual holiday party.  By the time I nailed it, I was on my fourth round and almost ready to pitch the pan and all its contents out my back door.

Here are the basic instructions:  Mix sugar and sour cream in a saucepan, heat to 236 degrees, remove from heat and add vanilla. “Beat until mixture thickens and loses its gloss.”

It was that last instruction that just about did me in because folks, you have no idea how hard it was to get that part – the “glossy” part - right.

The first time I added the vanilla, the entire mixture became a toasty-brown color which was not necessarily wrong, but not correct, either.

Attempts “2” and “3” didn’t come out right either.  Mixture two was not smooth enough, and mixture three did not lose its gloss as directed and seriously, how hard was this anyway?

The fourth attempt finally came out right and while the nuts didn’t exactly match photos I found on the internet, they were acceptable enough to grace our party table.  In fact, one friend asked if these were the ones that were giving me problems (I emailed some friends about my frustration) because she couldn’t stop nibbling on them!

Go figure.

Normally, after experiencing frustration like this, I have suggestions on how to fix it, but this time around I don’t except that you either have to keep trying to make this right or find another recipe.  Actually, I do have one suggestion and that is to refrain from adding the walnuts until you are absolutely sure that the coating is to your liking or you’ll be crying; walnuts are not exactly cheap!

Now if the thought of making these nuts scares you (and it shouldn’t because hopefully, it was a one-off situation), there are plenty of other recipes and categories from which to choose:

• Part I – From the Oven: Fruitcakes…and Others (Fruitcake; Breads; Cookies)
• Part II – Sweets (Plum Pudding; Candy and Nuts; Jellies, Jams, etc.; Syrups, Sauces and Flavors
• Part III – Sours (Spiced Fruit and Chutneys; Relishes and Pickles; Savories and Snacks)
• Part IV – Drinks (Festive Beverages)

Many of these recipes sounded great, but I was after party food and not gift-giving food and I thought the nuts would be a piece of cake to make.  Hardly. In retrospect, I should have gone for a “festive beverage”...with alcohol, but that type of drink is not in our party lineup. (Hilariously, this 1971 cookbook calls “humus” “hoomus” which is likely the correct spelling, but it seemed totally out of place.)

It occurred to me as I was writing this that I have a few other “gift-giving” cookbooks, but none that seem to date that far back.  My “newer” ones are mostly from the year 2000 on up.  Interesting, no?  Did people just fall out of love for hand-made food gifts or what?  I may have to put my “best people” on that one.

This then, concludes my kitchen report otherwise known as “Ah, nuts!”

Sour Cream Candied Nuts – makes about 1 pound

1 ½ cups sugar

½ cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ½ cups walnut halves

Mix sugar and sour cream in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until 236 degrees is reached on a candy thermometer.

Remove from the heat and add vanilla.  Beat mixture thickens and loses its gloss.  Ann’s Note:  This will take a while, and if the result is not to your liking, do not add the walnuts!

Add nuts and stir to coat them on all sides. Put on a greased cookie sheet and separate the nuts.

Nuts may be stored individually plastic-wrapped in an airtight container for 2 weeks.

"The Art of the Cheese Plate" - Tandoori Cashews - Holiday party food!

Date I made this recipe:  December 3, 2017 – Party food!

The Art of the Cheese Plate – Pairing, Recipes, Style, Attitude by Tia Keenan

Published by Rizzoli

ISBN: 978-0-8478-4982-6; ©2016

Purchased at Barnes and Noble

Recipe:  Tandoori Cashews – p. 66-67

Earlier this year, I was shopping at the store, Anthorpologie, when I spied this book and should have purchased it right then and there but didn’t.  My bad.  If I pass up a book, I almost always write down the title, so I can purchase it another time, but by the time I decided to purchase it, I found I had lost the notation with the book’s title.

Uh oh.

No worries, right, I would just go back to Anthropologie and ask them about the book.  Easy, peasy.  It was a great idea except none of the young ladies working there had any clue whatsoever.  This was not helpful!

Then I went to Barnes and Noble, and tried to enlist their help:  “Well, it’s about cheese and it has the words “cheese tray” or “cheese plate” in the title.”

I think that was extremely helpful, don’t you?

At the time, they came up blank but months later, while doing a casual browse in the same store, I found it:  The Art of the Cheese Plate.  How simple! 

Reader, shall I just tell you though that once I got my hot little hands on this book, it disappointed? First, and this may sound dense, but even though it was clear that the book was about CHEESE, I was more interested in it for the nibbles and noshes to go with the cheese.  You’ll be happy to know there are 81 recipes which is quite a few.

The second reason I was disappointed in this book was because instead of posting recipes with all the ingredients and instructions laid out in a nice little list, all of them were incorporated into the narrative that mixed cheese discussions with recipes, and none of the recipe titles were bolded or otherwise stood out, making it absolutely annoying to read this book!  Yes, there is a great Table of Contents that directs one to the recipes, but that is not how I used this book which is to say, I flipped through it. Even if I had gone to the specific page listed in the Table of Contents, it still took a minute to find the recipe itself.

This was annoying and the main reason I didn’t like the book.  The recipes sounded great and the photos are stunning, but I do not like working that hard to figure out what’s going on!

Nonetheless, I forged ahead and out of the 81 recipes listed, culled these from the herd:

• Meyer Lemon Marmalade with Goat Cheese – p. 24
• Papillion Black Label Rochefort with Cranberry-Gin Compote – p. 29
• Tandoori Cashews – p. 66-67
• Blu de Bufala Cheese with Butternut Squash Golden Raisin Chutney – p. 71
• [Cabot Creamery Clothbound Cheddar with] Vermont Smoke & Cure Summer Sausage, Tin Wholegrain Mustard (no recipe, just a photo)

 Any and all of these sound pretty good, right?  Exactly! I particularly liked the “Cranberry-Gin Compote” since a gin martini is my drink of choice (up, very dry, with olives), but the thing is, by this time, we were “at capacity” with some of our cheese spreads, and although we always put out cheese, we don’t spend a lot of time planning which cheeses to offer, we just select a few that sound good.  With that in mind then, we selected the cashews as we felt that they would be a great little nibble to have along with our other offerings (which, as always, were numerous).

Turns out we made the right call as these were a hit.  If you like the spices of Tandoori Chicken, you’ll love these.  They are easy to make, and can be made ahead and stored.  “Made ahead” is my favorite phrase at this time of year. My only complaint is that the recipe ingredients were listed as part of the narrative, so I had to separate them into the list you see below.  Yes, I am anal, but it also meant I wouldn’t forget anything!

Tandoori Cashews – Makes 1 ½ cups

1 egg white

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup sugar

1 ½ cups unsalted cashews, roasted

Ann’s Note:  I don’t know why I get so irked when I see “freshly grated nutmeg” or even “freshly ground white pepper” (not black pepper, white) but I do.  I am not overly fond of nutmeg in general, and I am sure not going to keep buying and storing nutmeg pods when I can keep already-ground on hand.  Furthermore, I did not discern any difference in the taste, so there!

Preheat the oven to 300F.

Beat 1 egg white until soft and foamy and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients (from ginger to sugar).  Whisk in the egg white until thoroughly combined.  Stir in the cashews and mix until evenly coated.  Ann’s Note:  I believe I found roasted, unsalted cashews all ready to roll, but if you don’t, [lightly] roast them first to bring out the flavor and then add them to your spice mix.

Spread the cashews in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, until the nuts are medium brown. Remove from the oven, toss, and stir.  Cool in the pan on a wire rack—the cashews will crisp as they cool.  Break the nuts apart before serving or storing.

Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 month.

Suggested cheese pairings:  Fat-Bottom Girl, Mahon, or Goudas.  Suggested wine pairings:  Champalou Vouvray Brut Method Traditionelle (Chenin Blanc) and Clos Huet Vouvray Sec (a drier Chenin Blanc).

"Cooking With Spirits" - Martinis In Suspension (Jell-O) for National Martini Day 2017

Date I made this recipe:  June 19, 2017  - National Martini Day

Cooking With Spirits by Ruth Vendley Neumann

Published by Reilly & Lee

© 1961

Purchased at Curious Book Shop, East Lansing, MI

Recipe:  Martinis In Suspension – p. 52

I am a gal who knows what she wants and what she wants in a beverage when out for dinner and drinks is simple:  a dry gin martini, up, with (preferably) pimento-stuffed olives.  The choice of gin depends on where I am and what's available, but favorites include, in order of "toxicity," Tanqueray, Hendricks, Blue Coat (made on the east coast) and local favorite Gunner Ghost which is really paint thinner in disguise.  Gunner Ghost is 114 proof or 57% alcohol – whoa! I save that one for special occasions.  Bombay Sapphire used to be my absolute "go to" for years and years until a few years ago when I started getting headaches every single time I drank it.  It didn't seem to matter if I ate or not, or whether I drank copious amounts of water which I did.  I suspect it has one "botanical" too many as I have sensitivity to those things; "Nature" is not my friend.

And call me picky, but a proper martini is not a proper martini unless and until I see a toothpick skewered with small pimento-stuffed olives resting in the gin bath.  I will accept large green olives sans pimento but rather reluctantly, and I will also accept green olives with pits (as served in a few favorite restaurants) but small pimento is what I grew up with and I want what I want.

Furthermore, and I've said this before:  gorgonzola-stuffed olives are an abomination and are completely and totally unacceptable and yes, I will make the server return to the bar to fetch me a proper martini.  This hasn't happened in a while which is good, but there was a time when these olives were all the rage in martinis and...no.  No.  I am also not fond of a lemon twist in my drink and it's gin, not vodka, period, end of story.

Now the good people associated with the National Martini Day (if they exist—they may not) did not give any guidance to what kind of a martini to make but I have no doubt they envisioned everyone the world over, even expats, making the standard, liquid version.  Could I have made a liquid martini?  In my sleep!  In fact, I enjoy a martini every day during the cocktail hour.  It's just how I roll.  I thought though, that it would be more fun to cook something with gin, and so selected Cooking with Spirits to do the job and it did it admirably.   Fifty-two pages in, I found this spectacular dish -  Martinis In Suspension – and we were ready to roll.

Do we not love this title? Translated, this 1961 recipe for Martinis In Suspension is really an early attempt at a Jell-O shot only fancier. And the Jell-O comes with olives – how sophisticated!  I hear the applause of the good people associated with National Martini Day – if they exist – golf clapping at the brilliance of it all!

  

Not only does this concoction have a great name but the recipe is ridiculously simple:  mix a little lemon gelatin with unflavored gelatin, add your desired mix of gin and vermouth and when that mixture is slightly chilled, insert your skewered olives.   You can, if you want, make a salad garnish to surround the upturned martini glass (ingredients and directions below) but nah—we concentrated our efforts on making sure the mixture itself was sound and it was, and we loved it.  In fact, I may have to repeat this dish every year because when something works, it works.

Now if you like gin but would rather not make the suspended martinis, consider also "Stuffed Celery" (p. 23) with blue cheese and gin, and "Cold Curried Shrimp" (p. 29), also containing gin.  There are likely more gin recipes that followed but once I found what I didn't know I was looking for, I stopped!

If gin is not to your liking, be not afraid because this book has a ton of recipes from soup to nuts made with everything from beer to bourbon and beyond.  Had I not been so singularly-focused, I saw many recipes that likely would have been fantastic. 

The only downside or challenge if you will to this book is that you won't be able to look up a spirit by name (e.g. vodka [recipes] or brandy [recipes]) as neither the table of contents nor the index breaks things out by spirit.  Instead, here are your Table of Content choices :

• Spirited Coffee 'Round the World
• Spirited Appetizers and Cocktail Dips
• Spirited Soups
• Spirited Salads and Salad Dressings
• Spirited Fish and Shellfish
• Spirited Meats
• Spirited Relishes and "Window Dressings" for Meats and Fishes
• Spirited Poultry
• Spirited Egg and Cheese Dishes
• Spirited Pasta and Rice
• Spirited Vegetables and Vegetable Casseroles
• Spirited Sauces and Gravies for Meats, Fish, Poultry, and Vegetables
• Spirited Breads, Waffles, Pancakes and Popovers
• Spirited Cakes, Frostings, and Fillings
• Spirited Pies, Cobblers, and Tarts
• Spirited Desserts (Gelatin and Refrigerator Desserts; Custards and Puddings; Dessert Sauces)
• Spirited Fruits for Cocktails and Desserts
• Cookies and Confections

Now then readers, did you spot an error in the above list?  Note that every chapter titled begins with the word "Spirited" except for Cookies and Confections.  I thought that was hilarious and so of course I had to double-check and am quiet relieved to tell you that cookies and confections are indeed loaded with booze.  In fact, page 199 contains a recipe for "Cognac Butter Cookies," and I think we can all agree that cognac is a spirit, no?  (A very good spirit!).  Two words: editorial error!

If I used this cookbook again, in addition to the above-mentioned cookies, I might make  also "Mexican Arroz Con Pollo with Beer and Tequila" (p. 121), "Cheese and Mushroom Soufflé" made with Dry Sherry (p. 127), or a "Sweet Potato Casserole" with Curacao (p. 157) because they all sounded delicious.  Frankly, most of the book sounded delicious.  Potentially deadly perhaps, but delicious and who doesn't like "delicious?"  That said, do remember that this is adult Jell-O so perhaps it's best if you eat this after the kiddies have gone to bed?  Even then, be warned that these pack a punch!

This concludes my National Martini Day 2017 cookbook and recipe review report.   I almost missed the whole thing (a childhood friend tipped me off), but then again, every day in my house is martini day so there you go!

Martinis In Suspension (Gin and Vermouth) with a Garnish – serves 4

For the Martinis In Suspension

1 T. unflavored gelatin

1 T lemon gelatin

1/8 tsp. salt

1 tsp. granulated sugar

¾ cup of your favorite martini mix (or ½ cup gin and ¼ cup dry vermouth)*

1 cup boiling water

1 T. lemon juice

Stuffed green olives

For the Salad Garnish

3 cups very finely shredded cabbage

2 T. white vinegar

¼ cup dry vermouth

2 T. granulated sugar, or more, to taste

1 tsp. salt

White pepper to taste

Few dashes of Tabasco

Small stuffed olives

*Ann's Note:  Oh dear god, ¼ cup dry vermouth, what?  No.  No properly made martini on this planet contains that much vermouth ever.  Since I made a half recipe, I added "some" vermouth for good measure, emphasis on "some" as in about an eyedropper full.  But that is my martini preference not yours, so if you want to add that much vermouth, by all means do it.

Combined gelatins, salt, and sugar, then dissolve them in martini mixture.  Add boiling water and lemon juice and mix thoroughly.  Pour into very lightly buttered cocktail glasses (for easy removal at serving time).  When aspic has partly thickened, press a stuffed olive into each glass so that it will remain suspended part way down.  Ann's Note:  "One" olive?  Surely, they jest!  So. Not. Happening.  I put about four olives on a toothpick and stuck that into the mixture instead and it looked exactly as a martini should only it was made of Jell-O. 

Chill until very firm.  To service, run a thin sharp knife around molds, then unmold each in the center of a salad plate; leave the glasses in place, upside down in the center of the plate.  Encircle each inverted martini with a ring of the following:

To Make the Salad Garnish

Marinate the cabbage in a mixture of all other ingredients, except olives.  Drain thoroughly, then make a wreath of it around the martini glasses.  Garnish here and there with the stuffed cocktail olives. Have these martini salads in place as guests are seated.  Then, when the oh's and ah's begin to subside, remove glasses.  This makes for a really dramatic presentation of your edible martinis.

By the way, and for the first time ever - the finished product!  I've had those plastic martini glasses for decades now - aren't they fun?

"Martha's Got Nuthin' On Me" - Papa's Shrimp Cocktail - a tongue-in-cheek ode to Martha Stewart and her "fields"

Date I made this recipe:  May 30, 2017 –a tongue-in-cheek ode to Martha Stewart and her "fields."

Martha's Got Nothin' On Me by Dish & Flow

Published by Left Field Ink

ISBN: 0-9664737-0-1; © 1998

Recipe:  Papa's Shrimp Cocktails – p. 41

I often remark that I have a cookbook for everything and I swear, this one was just waiting for me to find it just after I had myself a little hilarious rant about Martha Stewart on Facebook. 

Frequent readers know that I have a love/hate relationship with Ms. Stewart (hereinafter "Real Martha.")  While I appreciate some of her recipes and her cookbooks, she is just a tad precocious, especially when it comes to the "to-do" calendar she calls "Martha's Month," featured in her magazine, Martha Stewart Living.

I think we can all agree that most of Real Martha's to-do's in no way resemble the average persons.  Plus, let's not kid ourselves:  Real Martha has "people" to do these things for her.  ("People. People who need people....are the luckiest people....in the world.....")

This then, is my Facebook post from May 25th which set off the hilarious responses listed below.  You should know that I included a photo of "Martha's Month" from the June issue and some comments below reference Real Martha's other to-do's:

"So while I was waiting to get my hair cut, I looked through Martha Stewart Living and...sigh.  I have a love/hate relationship with this woman and today the needle moved toward "hate."  Why?  Even though you may not be able to read this, please note that on 6/5, her to-do is "mow fields."  Not lawn, or even "field" singular but "fields" plural.  For the record, Andy and I have a lawn and he mows it because I don't mow (allergies).  Martha likely doesn't mow either, but likely not due to allergies.  No, someone like Martha has people to do that for her.  People who need people...And fields. Plural."

Then the replies started:

Ann B:  I came to respect her when she made homekeeping respectable again.  But she does have staff.  I think most everything is easier with staff.

Me:  If I could afford "people," trust me, I'd have "people."  I specifically want someone to dust This Old House and I would be happy.  A friend of mine became a fan when she learned that Martha grew her own grass for her Easter baskets. Might have also smoked some as well.  Just sayin'... (Ann's Note: I got a few chuckles from that one.)

Bonnie M:  "The peasants tend the fields."

Me:  "They do indeed.  They will also be busy on the 15^th [of June] planting the SECOND crop of beets.  I mean really Martha, like one crop of beets isn't sufficient?"

Annette K: "A whole day to clean outdoor light fixtures?  I could clean my one outdoor light fixture in two minutes."

Me: "I don't "do" outdoor fixtures.  Please, they're outdoors, they get rained on and snowed on and that's "clean" enough for moi.  But Martha likely has a billion outdoor fixtures so she would [have her people] dedicate an entire day to cleaning them."

Annette K:  "You'll notice I said 'could' clean."

Jeff H:  "Ann, the solution is within your grasp.  Simply rename Andy "People," and then on 6/5 in your calendar write "Have people mow the field."  Then it should be easier to relate to Martha's Calendar."

Me:  "Well that's hilarious!  But don't forget, it's field(s), not field.  Of course, we have to first find ourselves a lone field and then figure out how to double it.  As always, Martha complicates everything!"

Jen R:  "Ann Verme, front yard is field 1 and back yard is field 2...fields, there you go."

Me:  "And now I can sleep at night.  As always, thanks Jen!"

Alec S:  "I could get by with "stocking up on summer wines"... (Ann's Note:  So could I!)

My friends are nothing if not amusing and creative. I bet Real Martha never thought of some of this stuff!  That said, Real Martha pays attention to details whereas these Martha Wannabes did not.  None of the recipes in the cooked contained a yield, something that absolutely drives me nuts.  Could I make some assumptions based on the amount of ingredients called for?  Yes, but why?  Real Martha would never do that to me.  Or Real Martha's people.  Just sayin'.

Also irksome is that the Table of Contents is filled with cute little chapter names such as "Rabbit Food," "Udder Decadence," and "Flo's Corner" which are all well and good except they don't list what recipes are contained in each one.  This is not good.  Real Martha is frowning.

Although my usual MO is to make main dishes, this time around I was more interested in Appetizers and so selected the shrimp cocktail and folks, let me just say that we were "in the weeds" before we even got started.

The recipe contains all of six ingredients:  Bay Shrimp; cocktail sauce; diced celery; 1 tsp horseradish;  ½ tsp dry mustard, and 2 dashes of black pepper.  We are not told how much shrimp to buy nor how much cocktail sauce to use, but we are told in the narrative that you need ¼ cup of diced celery in the bottom of each shrimp cocktail glass (I used far less).  Since I was serving this with some other food, I didn't want to stuff myself with too much shrimp and so out of the half pound I purchased, I gave us four shrimp each for this serving and we still had some left over.

Now that I figured out the shrimp and the celery, I turned my attention to the sauce which needed some adjustment.  Since the authors didn't say how much sauce to use, I used about a quarter of the bottle, maybe even less.  I was loathe though, to add the amount of horseradish called for in the recipe because shrimp sauce contains horseradish so I adjusted the amount to ½ tablespoon.  I also cut the mustard and pepper in half.  The result was still nasal-clearing so I'm glad I made that call because too much of a good thing like horseradish is still too much. Real Martha would be the first one to say that an excess of horseradish is not in fact, a "good thing."  Real Martha loves "good things."

By the way, should I have scalded my esophagus, Real Martha probably has a cure for that, likely involving planting a large garden of fresh herbs to be used in some fancy schmancy poultice or something because that is what Real Martha does.  Real Martha also pronounces the "h" in "herbs" and she is the only one to do that but then again, this is what separates Real Martha from the Martha Wannabes.

Now you may be asking yourself why I didn't just wait until June 5^th to make this dish as an homage to Real Martha, but keep in mind "I'll" be moving the field(s) that day and won't have time to cook so it's now or never.  Enjoy!

Papa's Shrimp Cocktail- serving size unknown

Bay Shrimp (Ann's Note:  I purchased a half pound – about 20 shrimp)

Cocktail Sauce (Ann's Note:  I used about a quarter of the bottle)

[1/4 cup diced celery per serving]

1 teaspoon horseradish

½ teaspoon dry mustard

2 dashes of black pepper

Prepare a shrimp cocktail for each guest.  Any type of glass will do as long as it's not too tall.  Special shrimp cocktail glasses are the best, though.  If you have some, add some crushed ice to the bottom glass, then place the cocktail glass inside.

Place about ¼ cup of diced celery at the bottom of each shrimp cocktail glass.  Top with shrimp.

Mix cocktail sauce and seasonings.  Spoon on top of shrimp.

"Rosa Mexicano- A Culinary Autobiography With Recipes" - Guacamole for Cinco de Mayo!

Date I made this recipe:  May 5, 2017 – Cinco de Mayo!

Rosa Mexicano – A Culinary Autobiography with 60 Recipes by Josefina Howard

Published by Viking

ISBN: 0-670-87047-9; © 1998

Recipe:  Guacamole En Molcajete –  ("Guacamole made in a molcajete," a Mexican mortar and pestle) – p. 127

Note:  Rosa Mexicano is a Mexican restaurant that originated in NYC.

I absolutely love the movie, When Harry Met Sally.  Love it.  One of the many scenes that cracks me up is – no, not the deli scene –when Harry and Sally are talking about reading books.  "When I die, I always read the last page first. That way, in case I die before I finish, I know how it ends." [Harry to Sally]

I always check out the last page first as well but not because I might die.  No, I read it (skim it actually) so I know if it's worth my time to read it.  Yes, I know, call me crazy, but that is how I roll.

And this is why I'm going to cut to the chase tell you how this recipe ended:  It. Was. Awesome!  Awesome!  I've made a lot of guacamole in my day, including a very good pomegranate "guac," but this one was the best of the bunch.

It was so good that Andy keep exclaiming (with his mouth full) "This is so good!  This is just so good!"  He finally had to stop himself from eating the entire bowl because yes, it was that good.

The best thing about this dish though, was that it was so damned easy and when you see the ingredient list you'll say "Of course," but you know, some guacamole recipes have gotten so out of hand that this recipe is a good reminder to keep it simple.  Here's what it in it:  white onion, serrano chiles, cilantro, salt, avocado, tomato, the end.

And now, dear reader, let's see how we got here.

Although I have not long owned this cookbook, I have been aware of the Rosa Mexicano restaurant for some time.  In fact, as I was writing this blog post, I wondered (and not for the first time), whether this was the same Mexican restaurant I and a friend dined at in NYC many years ago (as in 20 years ago), but after doing my due diligence, I'm going to have to say "no."

Here's the thing:  The friend that I dined with has always lived on the Upper West Side, usually in the "80's" and so we usually crawl around that neighborhood when it comes to dining out.  Of the restaurant's four locations, only one is within spitting distance and that is the one at Lincoln Center but Lincoln Center is in the 60's whereas we definitely dined further uptown. It's important to note that in "NYC-speak," the "60's," means that the address is somewhere between 60^th Street and 69^th Street and not today's high temperature.  Further, when you give an address, you then add things like "between Broadway and Amsterdam," or "at Columbus Circle" so that people know approximately where it is without having to get all the specifics.  And so in conclusion, her restaurant's Lincoln Center address is several  blocks south or where we normally dine and that is why I ruled it out. 

Then there's the decor and while I realize that most restaurants do some kind of redecorating over the course of time, the interior photos on her website look absolutely nothing like the place I remembered so that made me suspicious.

Then there's the menu which I checked out online, and again, even accounting for the time lapse between now and then, nothing rang a bell.  I remember distinctly that wherever it was we dined had pozole on the menu and I ordered it (first time ever – I was intrigued) but didn't like it.  Hominy is like a giant corn kernel only not and it just didn't do anything for me.  This cookbook contains a recipe for Pozole on p. 101, but no way was I going to make recipe because when you see that you are to start making the broth with 1 pig's head and 6 pig's feet, you know you have bigger problems that the size of your corn kernels!

At any rate, based on the above evidence (such as it is), I concluded that I did not in fact dine in a Rosa Mexicano restaurant in NYC some 20 years ago.  Nor did I dine at the one that opened (and then closed) in Minneapolis.  Too many restaurants, not enough time.

Happily, many restaurant owners these days publish cookbooks so that we rank amateur chefs can have at it at home.  I tend to stick to easy recipes with ingredients that I hope we all, wherever we live, can acquire easily, and that don't take up too much prep or cooking time.

This is why I hate to say that while I appreciate good Mexican food, I don't often make it at home because it often requires more work or more ingredients than I a comfortable handling. 

Take for example, the recipe for "Black Mole Xico with Chicken" (p. 262) that called for 30 ingredients including 2 types of chiles and 3 kinds of nuts.  While the recipe looked fantastic, I was fatigued just looking at it and so passed on that.

I considered also both Mexican red rice and green rice but whereas the mole was very involved, these were almost too basic.  I mean anybody and everybody can make these dishes, si?  Si!

For the longest time, "Grits with Pork and Tomatoes" (p. 38) was on deck but then I read through it again and discovered that I was to "reserve the pork for another use."  What?  I love pork and just couldn't see using it elsewhere so that was out.  Also?  What "other use" could there possibly be for cooked pork except to eat it with the recipe in question!  Even funnier?  Once you make the sauce and the grits, you are to serve it with shredded chicken.  Ha!  Hahahahaha, stop it, "you're killing me!"

After considering a few other recipes that look good and that didn't require hours in the kitchen or millions of dollars worth of ingredients, I decided to "Kiss" (Keep It Simple, Stupid), and "make up" with the guacamole recipe and I am glad I did.  I know some people do not like avocado or cilantro but if you do like them, and we do, then this is the recipe for you.

Before I get to the recipe details, let me remind you that this cookbook is really an autobiography that includes some recipes and so rather than review the Table of Contents with you like I often do, I'll just endorse the cookbook as I think you are bound to find something you like even if it isn't the guacamole.

And on that note, and several weeks after Cinco de Mayo, here we go:  Rosa Mexicano's [Holy!] Guacamole En Molcajete!

Guacamole En Molcajete – serves 2

Ann's Note:  a molcajete is a stone mortar and pestle that is used to grind and mix the ingredients.  I do not have one so I skipped that part and the earth did not open to swallow me up so there you go.

3 tablespoons chopped white onion

½ teaspoon chopped serrano chiles (Ann's Note:  I had several frozen jalapeno chiles on hand so used that instead of serrano)

1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped cilantro

½ teaspoon salt

1 ripe Hass avocado

1 small vine-ripened tomato sliced in half, horizontally.  Cut out the stem, scoop out the seeds and center with a spoon, and chop

In a small bowl, thoroughly mash 1 tablespoon chopped onion, the serrano chiles, ½ teaspoon cilantro, and salt with the back of a wooden spoon until it is a juicy paste.  Ann's Note:  I whirled this around in my mini-food processor. Although it didn't quite make a paste as we know it, it diced and mixed the ingredients into tiny pieces and that is what you are aiming for.

Ann's Note:  The next step is to peel then chop the avocado.  You can follow the instructions below, or you can buy yourself an Avocado Slicer made by Trudeau and your life will be so much easier.  This lone tool allows you to slice the avocado open, remove the pit, and remove and slice the avocado "meat" inside.  It's perfect and far less messy than doing it by hand.  But if you are a purist then: Holding the avocado in the palm of your hand, cut the avocado in the palm of your hand, cut the avocado in half lengthwise around the pit with a paring knife.  Twist the top half of the avocado to separate the halves.  Carefully hit the pit with the edge of a sharp knife and twist to remove the see.  Slice it lengthwise into approximately ¼-inch strips and then across to form a grid.  Scoop the avocado out with a spoon next to the skin.  Place in a bowl with the paste.

Stir thoroughly to coat with the paste.  Add the remaining onion, remaining cilantro, and the tomato, and gently fold to incorporate all the ingredients.  Add more chopped serrano chiles and salt to taste.

Serve with freshly made tortilla chips or corn tortillas.

"Dinner and a Movie - 12 themed movie nights with recipes to share and enjoy" - Popeye [Spinach] Pies for the SAG Awards

Date I made this recipe:  Sunday, January 29, 2017 – Screen Actor's Guild (SAG) Awards

Dinner and a Movie – 12 themed movie nights with recipes to share & enjoy by Katherine Bebo

Published by Ryland Peters & Small

ISBN: 978-1-84975-441-5; © 2013

Recipe:  Popeye [Spinach] Pie – p. 102

Well our TV and movie awards season is underway, and this past Sunday, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards were handed out and a good time was had by most (exception:  those who did not walk away with an award).  I like the fact that the SAG Awards are handed out at a dinner (dinners are way more relaxing) and that they are brief.  Kudos to the producers who bring that sucker in at two hours and change, something the Academy Award producers have yet to achieve. In fact, I do believe they are close to wrapping up last year's Oscar production and whew, in the nick of time too, as the 2017 Oscars will be held on the fast-approaching date of February 26^th. 

Happily, when it comes to awards shows, I have "themed" cookbooks at the ready and this is one of them.  Granted, the SAG Awards go to both TV and film actors, producers, directors et al., but I have yet to find a cookbook compilation that addresses only TV shows. It stands to reason as movies were around before episodic TV but maybe some day soon, someone will join together as "man and wife," recipes from a number of TV shows, rather than just producing one per TV show, such as the I Love Lucy Cookbook, Edith Bunker's All In The Family Cookbook, or The Walton Family Cookbook (all of which I own), and the like.  Food for thought (pun intended).

Now normally, I tell my readers a bit about the book and then add some pertinent stories and then finish it up with the recipe.  But because there is so much about and in this book to discuss, I'm going to tell you right now that the recipe for the Popeye [Spinach] Pie is way down at the bottom, and if you want to skip there, be my guest.  I made this recipe (from the "Comic Book Hero" chapter) because my husband loves Popeye.  Loves him, loves the movie with Robin Williams and Shelly Duval, loves the whole shebang.  In fact, he wears often a Popeye bicycle jersey when out and about, and after I bought him a Popeye bendable figuring, he installed it on one of his bicycle handlebars which of course, generates a lot of conversation from fellow riders.

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it and so if you want to bail on me now, please continue to scroll down.  For those who want to see what this book is all about, follow along with Mitch as we discuss the Dinner and a Movie cookbook.

The Dinner and a Movie cookbook is comprised of 12 themed movie night menus.  At the beginning of each "chapter" or menu, there's a list of about 20 or so movies that fit that genre.  For kicks, I decided to see how many movies of each genre I have seen; my "scores" are listed below.  Each chapter contains also a cocktail befitting the genre, a popcorn befitting the genre, and a handful of other recipes that also work well with the theme.

Okay then, here are our 12 movie night menu "nominees:"

1. Girl Power
2. Fright Night
3. The Big Apple
4. Best of British
5. Western
6. The Golden Age
7. Mob Squad (not to be confused with the TV show, the Mod Squad!)
8. Sci-Fi
9. Action-Adventure
10. Comic Book Heroes
11. James Bond
12. Bollywood

All right then, let's get going and so "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night!"  (Bette Davis, in the movie, All About Eve.)

Girl Power

• Girl Power movies include: Thelma & Louise; 9 to 5; Steel Magnolias; The Devil Wears Prada, and Bend it Like Beckham.  
• Ann's Movie-Viewing Score:  I've seen 18 out of 25 "Girl Power" movies which is amazingly high. So...I guess I like "chick flicks?" 
• Girl Power food and beverage "highlights:" "Silk Stocking," (a cocktail); "Butter Toffee Popcorn," and "Mean Girl Muffins."

Fright Night

• Fright Night movies include: Carrie, Jaws, The Shining, The Silence of the Lambs, and Sixth Sense.
• Ann's Movie-Viewing Score:  I am not a horror flick chick and so my total number of movies viewed is a measly 8 out of 23.  I would like to point out though, that in the early 80's, some friends and I went to a late-night double feature of two movies included in this list, Eraserhead (what an odd, odd movie), and Night of the Living Dead so there's that. 
• Fright Night food and beverage "highlights:" "Bloody Mary," "Paranoia Popcorn," and "Coffin Sandwiches."

The Big Apple (movies about NYC)

• The Big Apple movies include:  When Harry Met Sally, Taxi Driver, King Kong, Gangs of New York, Breakfast at Tiffany's.
• Ann's Movie-Viewing Score:  All told, I've watched 18 out of 26 "Big Apple" movies, although this list did not include movies like You've Got Mail which is too bad since my husband and I were in NYC when it was being filmed.  In fact, I went to Zabar's (Deli and grocery store) the day before they shot the scene where Meg Ryan stands in the "cash only" line despite not having cash.  And let me tell you from personal Zabar's shopping experience, that scene was not a work of fiction.  The sign at the register says "Cash only" and they mean it, dammit! 
• The Big Apple food and beverage "highlights:" a "Manhattan" [cocktail] (of course!), "Raspberry and White Chocolate Popcorn," and a "Rollin' Reuben" sandwich.

Best of British

• Best of British movies include:  Bridget Jones's Diary. Watership Down, A Fish Called Wanda, Mary Poppins, and Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
• Ann's Movie-Viewing Score:  I've seen 13 out of 25 which is not too bad considering I am not even remotely British.
• Best of British food and beverage "highlights:" "Nutty Popcorn," "Posh Pimms," (a Pimms cup is the summer go-to drink for all of England.  Or so I read), and "Sausage Rolls."

Western

• Western movies include:  True Grit, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, City Slickers, and Back to the Future Part III. 
• Ann's Movie-Viewing Score:  My viewing score in this category is a pathetic 6 out of 20.  Well, I was never fond of horses so....  As a note, one of the movies in this category is The Magnificent Seven which is  great movie based on a Japanese movie, Seven Samurai, directed by the late but legendary Japanese director, Akira Kurosawa.  Andy is a huge fan of his films, and when we first started dating, we watched a few of them on our own "Dinner and a Movie" night. 
• Western food and beverage "highlights:"  "Lynchburg Lemonade," (a mix of lemonade and Jack Daniel's), the popcorn is "Popcorn Nachos," and, in a hilarious nod toward the movie, Blazing Saddles, "Blazing Backed Beans." (Yes, especially when watching that scene.)

The Golden Age

• The Golden Age movies include:  Casablanca, It's a Wonderful Life, Singin' in the Rain, Holiday Inn, and a Streetcar Named Desire (I just have to:  "Stellllllaaaaaaaaa"). 
• Ann's Movie-Viewing Score: I am pleased to report that I've seen 18 out of 20 of the movies listed here.  What can I say except I am an old soul who loves classic and timeless movies?
• The Golden Age food and beverage "highlights:"  "Casablanca Cocktail" made with gin, likely because of this memorable line in the movie, Casablanca: "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine." The popcorn option is "Lover's Popcorn," (made with vanilla bean), and a sweet treat option is "Sparkling Diamond Cupcake" (The movie reference is Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and the song "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend.")

Mob Squad

• Mob Squad movies include:  The Godfather Trilogy; Goodfellas; Married to the Mob; Pulp Fiction; The Usual Suspects. 
• Ann's Movie-Viewing Score:  If the author would have separated each Godfather movie instead of grouping them as a "trilogy," I would have done better in this category, but since she didn't, I've watched only 9 of 25 (some of them through my fingers because of the violence).
• Mob Squad food and beverage "highlights:" "Espresso Martini" made with espresso (coffee) and vodka, each of which I like separately but cannot envision enjoying a mix of the two in a martini glass. The popcorn is "Public Enemy Popcorn," made with dried mushrooms and some black truffle and that's a yum, and who wouldn't love "'Got a Beef' Lasagna?"  I almost made that one but switched it up at the last minute.  Let me just also add that all the food in this category was Italian (not that popcorn is Italian) and I could have made every single recipe.  Still might!

Sci-Fi

• Sci-Fi movies include:  Avatar; WALL-E; Independence Day; Alien; Planet of the Apes (probably the original).
• Ann's Movie-Viewing Score:  This category was a challenge because there are movies that I think I've seen but probably haven't (like The Terminator) and so I'm going to err on the side of caution and say I've watched 10 out of 25.  The movie, The Matrix, is in this sci-fi grouping and I will confess to being one of those people who enjoyed the movie even if the whole concept of "human" artificial intelligence was too much for me! "Wait...what just happened?  Who are they again?  What?!"  I will also tell you that I saw the movie Spaceballs eons ago while traveling with a friend to Chicago on an Amtrak train.   And you know what, when you're "trapped" on a train or a plane, suddenly some of these movies don't seem so bad or so corny – like this one!  (Love me my John Candy, may he rest in peace.)
• Sci-Fi food and beverage "highlights:"  a "Blue Moon" cocktail made with tequila, blue Curacao, lime juice and lemon sorbet, our popcorn is "Gremlin Popcorn" and there's a recipe for "Death Stars" cookies, guess where that idea came from? (Hint, it contains the famous line  "I am your father," which by the way is the actual movie quote and not, as many believe, "Luke, I am your father." But seriously, doesn't the latter quote sound better?)

Action-Adventure

• Action-Adventure movies include:  Indiana Jones; Mad Max; Pirates of the Caribbean; Harry Potter; Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. 
• Ann's Movie-Viewing Score:  Ugh.  I've only seen 6 out of 24 of these movies.  I guess I'm not into swashbuckling, either.  That said, one of my favorite concert band pieces to play for all time is music from the Pirates of the Caribbean.  But have I seen any of the "Pirates" movies?  No, reader, I have not. But the music is boss!
• Action-Adventure food and beverage "highlights:"  "Paradise Island Punch" is a nod toward the Leonardo DiCaprio movie, The Beach.  Your popcorn is "Peanut Butter Popcorn," (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids) and then there's Hannibal's Jalapeno Poppers for the 1983 movie, The A-Team featuring actor Mr. T, he of the "I pity the fool" fame. 

Comic Book Hero

• Comic Book Hero movies include:  The Avengers; Iron Man; Popeye; X-Men; The Incredibles.  When I was in my community band, we played music from The Incredibles for one of our summer concert series and it was a big hit.  It's also very fun to play.
• Ann's Movie-Viewing Score:  At first blush, I don't think I'm going to do very well in this category but let's count and... nope.  As expected, I've seen a big 5 out of 26 movies and my only excuse is "I'm not a guy."  My husband read a lot of these comic books that were made into movies, whereas I read Archie, Ritchie Rich, Nancy, and every once in a while, Superman, and with the exception of the Archie comics, I read all the rest when visiting my grandma.  Grandma lived with my aunt and uncle and their family, and my cousins had quite the stockpile of comics that I read and re-read and re-read again every year while visiting. It was my very favorite thing to do as soon as we got there with the exception of hugging grandma, of course.
• Comic Book Hero food and beverage "highlights:" "The Hulk's Smash" (tequila, Midori, Cointreau and lime juice), your popcorn is "Captain American Popcorn" (red, white, and blue), and the "entree" is the recipe I made for tonight's dinner, "Popeye Pie."  My husband loves Popeye.  Loves him, and this movie with the late Robin Williams is one of his favorites.  And so as tempting as some of the other dishes were (well, pretty much all of them), this was what I had to make. 

James Bond

• James Bond movies include: Dr. No; Goldfinger; Casino Royal; The Spy Who Loved Me, Octopussy, and 21 other James Bond movies and only James Bond movies, go figure!
• Ann's Movie-Watching Score:  I've seen ummm...2 out of 26?  Again, I'm not a guy.  Guys are mostly (although not always), the ones to watch James Bond movies.  But this gal loves her martini ("Shaken, not stirred") and will even put aside the fact that the "007 Martini" calls for a "dash of vermouth."  I like my martini really, really dry which is to say even a "splash" is overkill.
• James Bond food and beverage "highlights:" "007 Martini," "Coconut Popcorn," which I gather is a nod to all the coconut [suntan] lotion-covered bathing beauties in these movies who emerge from the sea looking perfectly tanned, perfectly "not-drenched" with salt water, and with nary a hair out of place.  I wish.  And then there's "Diamonds Are Forever Steak."

Bollywood

• Bollywood movies include:  Salaam Bombay!; Slumdog Millionaire; Bend it Like Beckham; Monsoon Wedding, and Bride & Prejudice. 
• Ann's Movie-Viewing Score: This is the final category, and seeing how "Bollywood" movies have only been a "thing" for the past couple of decades, I think I can be forgiven for not cleaning up in this category.  My score here is only 4 out of 25, but I absolutely loved all four:  Slumdog Millionaire, Bend It Like Beckham, Monsoon Wedding (loved, loved, loved), and Bride & Prejudice. 
• Bollywood food and beverage "highlights:" a non-alcoholic "Rose Petal Drink," "Bombay Popcorn" that contains ghee (clarified butter), curry and mango chutney, and there's also "Chicken Tika Masala" for your Tika Masala fans.

So that concludes tonight's 2017 SAG Awards movie review, and now let's get on with the "show" and talk about the recipe – Popeye [Spinach] Pie.

Andy and I love spinach but prefer it to be mixed in with something rather than eaten "raw" in a salad.  In fact, Creamed Spinach is a favorite of mine even though I never had it growing up. 

The recipe is really simple:  use a store bought crust, fill a muffin tin with the dough, add the filling, add a raw egg in the middle, top with more crust and bake.  This pie's spinach filling, a mix of spinach and arugula, was divine, such that I kept eating it instead of putting it in the pie. 

Here's what didn't quite work though:  the egg in the middle of each pie was almost overdone and the crust needed a bit more time in the oven. But of course, had I left them in longer so the crust could brown, I might have incinerated the filling and who wants an incinerated spinach filling besides nobody ever?

The recipe suggests using ready-made shortcrust pastry, but when I Googled it to find out what it was (basically, a pie crust), I found a very easy recipe to make at home and so went with that.  Since I had already decided to make just half the recipe, it seemed easier to just make half the crust as well.

The thing that I loved about the recipe in general is that you use a muffin pan to make your individual pies and that was fun.  And I can easily see making these in a mini muffin pan for party appetizers, sans the egg but double the filling.  This one is going into the tickler file.

The instructions to tell you to bake the pie in the oven "for 10 minutes until the egg is just set and the pastry is just cooked," but as I alluded to above, these two items did not play well together in the oven and so the egg was almost cooked through instead of "just set," and the crust was a tad underdone.  Not that we didn't eat it anyway, but next time around, I'd like to get it right.

Here then, is your recipe:

Popeye [Spinach] Pie – Makes 8 pies

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to glaze

1 small onion, finely chopped

8 oz fresh spinach

1 cup ricotta

4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

2 ½ cups rocket/arugula, finely chopped

1 teaspoon freshly chopped tarragon

Freshly grated nutmeg

1 lb ready-made shortcrust pastry (Ann's Note: this is basically a ready-made pie crust.  I made my own pastry crust; recipe is below)

8 eggs

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

You will also need a large, heavy baking sheet, a round cookie cutter, and two 4-hole muffin pans.

Preheat the oven to 425F.  Put the baking sheet in the oven to heat for at least 30 minutes.  Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until golden.  Let cool.

Steam the spinach until just wilted, refresh in cold water, then squeeze out as much moisture as possible and roughly chop.  Beat the spinach and onion into the ricotta with the Parmesan, rocket/arugula and tarragon.  Season well with salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Roll out the pastry on a clean, lightly floured work surface.  Cut out 8 circles with the cutter.  Use these to line each muffin cup.  Fill each pie with some of the ricotta mixture.  Ann's Note:  to make your own short-crust pie dough, see below.

Make a small dent in each filling.  Break the eggs one at a time, separating the yolks from the whites.  Slip a yolk into the indent of each pie.  Season with salt and pepper.

Roll the pastry offcuts into long, thin ropes an cut into 16 lengths.  Use these to make a cross on the top of each pie, sealing the edges with a little water.  Brush lightly with olive oil.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes until the egg is just set and the pastry cooked.  Ann's Note:  I think we are missing an instruction here.  The recipe calls for you to put a baking sheet in the oven to heat for at least 30 minutes, but then never again mentions what you are to do with it!  My guess is that you put the muffin pans on top of the [heated] baking sheet but that is only a guess.  I did not do that so perhaps that is why my pie crust was a little underdone...or not!  We will never know.

Serve hot.

New York Time's Basic Short-Crust Pastry https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12884-basic-short-crust-pastry

145 grams all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 stick cold unsalted butter (1/4 pound), cut into 1/8-inch pieces

3 tablespoons ice water

Put flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer or food processor.  Add butter and quickly cut it into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Add ice water and mix briefly, about 30 seconds, to form a soft dough.  Remove dough, shape into a thick disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.  Bring to cool room temperature before rolling.

To roll, lightly flour dough and counter.  Roll out gradually, periodically letting dough rest for a moment before continuing.  This makes rolling easier and will keep dough from shrinking back during baking.

Ann's Note:  at this point, the instruct you to roll out the dough so it will fit in a 9 1/2-inch fluted tart pan but you will be using a muffin pan so adjust your dimensions accordingly.  The author also suggests you chill the dough for an hour before baking; we did not do that.