Palmabella's Passions

Photo Hunt: VETERAN

2009-11-07T08:23:22Z

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I am proud to have two veterans and graduates of the United States Air Force Academy in the family. Brad graduated from USAFA in 1970, and Casey in 2000. In the above photo you can see the beautiful Chapel in the background.

Here are Brad's memento's from his 5 years in the Air Force:

I was able to visit the Air Force Academy for Casey's graduation in 2000. It is a gorgeous campus in Colorado Springs. According to tradition, Brad was honored to pin on Casey's bars at the ceremony when he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant.

October Books

2009-11-06T15:05:17Z

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Books I read in October:

Plain Truth by Jody Picoult
That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
Testimony by Anita Shreve
The Pawn by Steven James
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

My favorite was Peace Like a River. It was a family drama, set in the 60's, where the teenage son becomes an outlaw by shooting two boys who are bothering the girls in town, including his little sister. He runs away from the law, and his loyal family takes off across country to look for him.

November Books:

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff
Mudbound by Hillary Jordon
The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel
The Tenth Justice by Brad Meltzer
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

Last book club was at Barbara's. She made a great salad, and I brought the rest of dinner. I made a broccoli-cheddar quiche, and parmesan-caprese tart, and she had yummy Halloween cupcakes from Bristol Farms!

Autumn Leaves

2009-11-05T08:53:52Z

This material better viewed on its originally published location: Palmabella's Passions]]> Fall colors are so beautiful! For me, seeing brilliant fall leaves are right up there next to poppy fields and miles of sunflowers. It is tough to do living in the California desert. I began my annual "fall colors hunt" in September when we were in Seattle! Here were the early photos I got there.

Three weeks ago, I had a little "fall fix" in Orange County when I found these:

I CRAVE seeing those fall colors! The weather has cooled off in the desert, so it FEELS like fall, and I am finally wearing jeans and sweaters (I know, it is still in the high 70s), cool in the mornings and evenings, but there are no fall leaves! All the traditional "spring flowers" are blooming, and it is beautiful to see lots of pansies, geraniums, snap dragons, petunias and impatiens, but where are the colorful autumn leaves??? I hit a jackpot of color on our recent visit to Oak Glen, in the San Bernadino mountains. I made Brad stop the car at least a dozen times for a leaf shot!

Here is my FAVORITE! Isn't nature's paintbox amazing? There's an idea! Maybe I shall paint some autumn leaves of my own!

Apple Pies

2009-11-04T08:46:22Z

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Our day trip to Oak Glen was an apple adventure! We TASTED lots of different varieties of apples.

They sure made it easy to buy bags of apples!

I don't think I've ever SEEN so many apple pies!

Now there is good apple pie, and not-so-good apple pie. We brought this pie home, and had great hopes.

Look at all the air under that big dome top.

We cut and tasted a piece. The crust was tasteless, and the apples had SO much cinnamon, we couldn't even taste the apples. I love cinnamon, but this was NOT a good piece of pie! The whole thing went straight to the trash! At least we didn't waste any ice cream!

So there we were, all geared up for apple pie, and so disappointed. Brad started coring and peeling, and I quickly put together my FAVORITE cheddar pie crust for a rustic apple pie. After an hour of chilling the dough, we were ready to go.

Apple-Cheddar Rustic Pie
From: Better Homes and Gardens Our Best Holiday Menus 2007

2 2/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
3/4 t. salt
3/4 c. butter
4 oz. grated cheddar (one cup grated)
3/4 c. cold water
2 1/2 lbs. apples, cored and cut into slices (6 Granny Smith or 8-9 honeycrisp)
1/4 c. sugar
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. flour
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 T. suagr, or sanding sugar

Pastry:
1. In a large bowl, stir together 2 2/3 c. flour, 1/4 c. sugar, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until pieces are pea-sized. (I do this with my mixer.) Stir in cheese. A tablespoon at a time, stir in ice water, moistening a section of the flour mixture with a fork. Push moistened pastry to side of bowl. Keep repeating until all the flour mixture is moistened. Form pastry into a ball, then flatten into a large disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refridgerate at least an hour or overnight. Let pastry sit at room temp a few minutes before rolling it.

2. Preheat oven to 350. On a slightly floured surface, roll pastry to about a 15-16 inch circle. Carefully transfer pastry to either a 10-11 " oven-proof skillet, or a 9-10" deep dish pie pan.

3. For filling, in a large bowl, toss apples with 1/4 c. sugar, lemon jiuce, 2 T. flour, and cinnamon, until combined.

4. Mound filling into crust, and bring up edges of pastry toward center, pleating dough as necessary to keep it flat against the filling. Brush top of pastry with a egg, and sprinkle with sanding sugar (or regular sugar). Cover filling that is showing with foil, and bake for 30 min. Remove foil, and bake 30-35 minutes more, until crust is golden.

5. Cool slightly, and serve warm or at room temp. If desired, serve with vanilla ice cream.

Now THIS was a good apple pie!

Oak Glen

2009-11-03T08:20:18Z

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Last weekend, we visited Oak Glen, California. Just a 40 minute drive from home, is this cute town in the foothills where APPLE farmers abound. There are several little "villages" set up with apples of all kinds (16 varieties), shops, bakeries, "pick your own" apples, or buy them clean and shiny in bags of various sizes. You will also find lots of cider, pies, fall leaves and beautiful scenery. Who knew there were so many kinds of apples? It was a fun afternoon!

After some apple tasting, we chose a bag of honeycrisp apples and some delicious cider at Los Rios Farm.

They have a BBQ set up with delicious scents of BBQ tri-tip, chicken-apple sausage and pulled pork. It was time for lunch!

Besides the apples, there were lots of food items, gourds and pumpkins!

Now, what to do with all those apples? How about an apple-stuffed pork roast?

Apple-Stuffed Pork Roast
one boneless pork loin (2 1/2- 3 1/2 pounds)
2 T. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
8-10 sage leaves, chopped
3 slices crisp bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 egg, beaten
2 T. melted butter
four slices raisin bread, cubed (dried or toasted in oven before cubing)
1/2 c. chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
6 slices of raw bacon

Heat oil, and sautee apples, onions sage and crumbled bacon until apples and onions are soft.

Remove from heat. Add bread cubes, egg, butter, broth, salt and pepper. Combine and let cool completely.

Butterfly a 2 1/2-3 1/2 pork loin roast. This link is very helpful, if you have never butterflied a roast.

Lay butterflied roast on flat work surface. Cut three lengths of kitchen string about 18" long under the roast. Spread a rounded mound of stuffing across the width of the roast, and roll meat, jelly roll style, tying strings tight to hold stuffing in place. Use toothpicks to secure ends of meat. Move roast to a roasting pan with a wire rack, seam side down and fat side up. Wrap roast with 6 slices of raw bacon.

If you have extra stuffing, bake it for 45 minutes in a small baking dish along with the roast.

Heat oven to 375. Roast the pork in a preheated oven for about 90 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F. Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Garnish with fresh sage.

Tomorrow: Apple Pie!

Dinner with Diana and Walt

2009-11-02T14:28:47Z

This material better viewed on its originally published location: Palmabella's Passions]]> We had a wonderful evening with our neighbors, Diana and Walt, and another couple, Cindy and Don at their home one street behind us. Appetizers included spicy pecans (recipe below), endive with blue cheese spread and bruschetta with mozzarella, tomatoes and basil.

Dinner was fabulous! Walt did his annual magic with a grilled, butterflied leg of lamb. His marinade is really to die for, and I have no idea how he makes it. I only know it has become an annual event! We also had spinach salad with strawberries and pecans, asparagus, and a bulgar salad. YUM!

Dessert was also great. Diana made a light and fluffy lemon souffle. She topped it with fresh raspberries, and a raspberry puree. It was a perfect ending to a delicious dinner.

Here are Diana and Brad:

Cindy and Don

and Palma and Walt

The spiced pecans Diana served were so addictive, I had to make some the next morning! They are fabulous. I rarely use my cumin, but might have to stock up to make lots of these for the holidays.

Saralyn's Spiced Pecans

1 lb. pecan halves
6 T. butter
1 T. and 1 t. ground cumin
3/4 t. cayenne
1/4 c. sugar
3 t. salt

Preheat oven to 350
Place pecans in a bowl. Melt butter, and add cumin and cayenne. Pour over pecans. Add sugar and salt. Toss pecans well, and spread them in a large baking pan. Bake 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sunday Small Bites #9: Olives

2009-11-01T15:07:33Z

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I really despise olives, ALL KINDS of olives, but, alas, my friend, Jerry chose olives as this week's ingredient, and I love Jerry to pieces, so after looking at olive recipes for months, I finally came up with something I thought I could stand to make. I do love the taste of olive oil, thank goodness!

This is based on a recipe from Martha Stewart's Hors D'Oeuvres Handbook. The recipe makes 4 logs of dough. I put the olives (that I pitted myself without gagging) into 2 of the loaves. Brad will eat them. : )

Lemon, Pistachio and Black Olive Biscotti

2 1/2 c. flour
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. kosher salt
8 T. (one stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut in small pieces
2 T. olive oil
2 large eggs
1/2 c. milk
zest of one lemon (original recipe uses orange zest)
1 c. (8 oz) pistachios
1 c. (8 oz) oil-cured black olives, pitted, and finely chopped
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 T. water and a pinch of salt for egg wash

Place flour, pepper, baking powder and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Combine on low speed. Add butter and beat until mixture resembles coarse meal.

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, olive oil and milk. Gradually pour milk mixture into the dough until just combined. Add zest, pistachios and olives. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Grease a baking sheet with olive oil. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Roll each into a log measuring 1 1/2 " by 7 " long. Transfer logs to prepared baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Brush each log with the egg wash. Bake 30-40 minutes, until light brown, and firm to the touch. Transfer logs to a wire rack to cool, about 30 min. Reduce oven temp to 250.

Using a serrated knife, cut logs crosswise on a long diagonal into 1/4" pieces that are 3-4" long. Arrange slices (cut side down) in wire rack set over a baking sheet, and bake turning biscotti once during baking about 40 minutes until crisp.

Cool completely, and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Photo Hunt: BAGS

2009-10-31T08:16:53Z

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Bag your own...

Although we use the word "purse" in California, I have the perfect one for today from my collection of BAGS...

Ready for Halloween

2009-10-30T15:34:11Z

This material better viewed on its originally published location: Palmabella's Passions]]> When we were at Roger's Gardens a couple of weeks ago, the place was ready for Halloween.

There was even a Frankenstein Lab and some very creepy ghoulish dolls!

My favorite was the golden pumpkin!

Have a HAPPY and SAFE HALLOWEEN!

Lamb Lasagna

2009-10-29T14:47:59Z

This material better viewed on its originally published location: Palmabella's Passions]]> My mom used to make a delicious lamb sauce with cubed lamb shoulder. I searched the internet for lamb ragu, and most were made with ground lamb. The closest recipe I could find was in my own cookbook, Bugialli on Pasta, by Giuliano Bugialli.
Here is what I did for one huge lasagna pan:

Lamb Ragu:

3 lbs lamb shoulder (cut and trimmed by my butcher)
2 large red onions, peeled and chopped
several sprigs of rosemary, chopped
4 oz. pancetta, chopped
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 c. dry red wine
3 T. Italian tomato paste (double or triple strength)
2 c. chicken or beef broth
salt, pepper and red chili flakes to taste

Cut lamb into one inch cubes and set aside. Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven, or pot. When oil is warm, heat onion, pancetta and rosemary for about 10 minutes.

Add lamb and cook 5 more minutes. Pour in wine and let simmer for 5 minutes to let wine evaporate. Stir tomato paste into broth and add to pot. Season to taste with salt, pepper and red chili flakes. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Remove lid, increase heat and cook a few more minutes until sauce is thick and ready for pasta or lasagna.

For lasagna: I alternated layers of thin homemade pasta sheets with bechamel sauce and lamb ragu. I also alternated with two extra rich layers of a mixture of 16 oz. marscapone and 2 c. grated gruyere. I froze the lasagna uncooked, thawed it the night before the party, and baked it at 350 for 45 minutes. Let it set for 10 min. before serving.

The day we made lasagna, we wanted a sample, so with our extra pasta dough, we had just enough sauce, filling, and bechamel to make two small ramekins, and get a preview.

We decided this was good enough to serve company. I have another whole pan in the freezer!

Party Food

2009-10-28T08:56:02Z

This material better viewed on its originally published location: Palmabella's Passions]]> I loved having a pot luck! The food was wonderful! Let's start with the antipasti table. I don't have photos of everything, as I got called away by one of the cooks, but trust me, it was all great!

You can see Marcia's pumpkin humus, cheesy breadsticks, and my bacon baklava.

Sharon's Bristol Farms Antipasti basket was amazing!

Kim made a fabulous cheese tray with cheeses, sopresatta salami, grapes, figs, and candied pecans.

Not pictured, were Lou's yummy ham and cheese puff pastries and Shannon's Ruffles Jamon, all the way from Spain!

For dinner we ate my lamb lasagna, pasta with broccoli, caramelized onion and sausage, pumpkin polenta bites, and three fabulous salads from Nancy, Jane and Barb!

Lamb lasagna (recipe tomorrow)

Pasta with broccoli, caramelized onion and sausage

This week's Sunday Small Bites: Pumpkin polenta with cheese and sage

Jane's salad of avocado, fresh mozzarella and tomatoes (with San Antonio olive oil)

Barb's refreshing spinach salad with mandarin oranges, candied almonds, onions and a sweet-tart dressing

Nancy's now famous apple-gorgonzola salad

Dessert!

Mini-dessert platters with an assortment of lemon tarts, chocolate cheesecakes and ooey-gooey toffee bars

Apple Cake with cream cheese frosting

Wine??? We managed to polish off a few bottles of white, red and prosecco!

Get Together with Friends

2009-10-27T08:37:14Z

This material better viewed on its originally published location: Palmabella's Passions]]> Brad and I have hosted a Slow Travel GTG every October for the past three years. This year, we decided not to have one for two reasons: financial, and because of the 2010 Slow Travel Gathering in San Diego in March. Many of our far away ST friends will be flying out for the big San Diego event, so we didn't want to tempt anyone away from anyone coming to that!

Then east coast Slow Travel friends, Kim and Chris, took a weekend get-away to Palm Desert! Cause for a party in October. An easy pot luck evening was quickly planned for those close by.

The weekend started out with Shannon driving up from San Diego on Friday night. I thought she was at our front gate when she called, but instead, she was on HWY 74, about 25 minutes away with a flat tire. Brad and I jumped in the car, and he got to be a "boy hero" with her spare.

When we arrived, we were looking at each turnout for a little green bug, but we clearly saw Shannon waving from the hilltop (where she had to climb to get cell phone coverage). Three people had stopped to help her, but she waited for our arrival and a guaranteed safe tire changer!

At home, we quickly revived with some great chilled white wine that Shannon brought, and hosed off the dirt before joining Kim and Chris at their hotel for a drink. Then we went across the street to Acqua Pazza for their late happy hour appetizers and wine for our dinner.

Saturday afternoon, friends arrived for a pot luck spread that was amazing, as always.
(food photos tomorrow)

See what fun friends have on a sunny desert weekend:

Eden, Marcia, Jane and Sharon

Bill Chris and David relax with wine.

Barb and Mike love a party!

Nancy and Bill chatting with Jane.

Mike, Lou and Sharon share their September birthday. Who knew?

Shannon, Lou and Pete are happy guests.

Kim and Chris are the "guests of honor".

Marcia, Eden and Barb...lots of laughter going on!

(left to right) Kim, Marcia, Diana, Jane and Eden taking a break with cold water!

Big Smiles!

Jane and Palma prepping for dinner.

Everyone's favorite Wine Queen

Girasoli Cookies

2009-10-26T08:28:46Z

This material better viewed on its originally published location: Palmabella's Passions]]> Slow Travel friends from New Jersey, Kim and Chris, spent a sunny weekend in Palm Desert, so we had a few ST friends over for a pot luck dinner on Saturday. These were our "party favor" cookies:

Ingredients
1 pkg. (8oz.) cream cheese (room temp)
1 cup real butter (room temp)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
2 cups flour (all purpose)
1/2 tsp. vanilla flavoring or your favorite

Directions
Cream cheese, butter, sugars and flavoring in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.
Gradually add flour and mix well.
Refrigerate several hours or overnight. (Very important step)
Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350º for 8 to 10 minutes.(the edges should be lightly browned)
Cool for 2 minutes and transfer cookies to a cooling rack.
Decorate as desired when cookies have cooled completely. I used royal icing.

I made the cookies, and froze them (before icing), about three weeks ago. They are much easier to ice, when they are still frozen (less likely to break off a delicate petal!).
I put them in individual bags, filled a large tray, and they became party favors. (Bags at Sur la Table)

Sunday Small Bites #8: PUMPKIN

2009-10-25T14:24:04Z

This material better viewed on its originally published location: Palmabella's Passions]]> This week, Deborah chose a seasonal ingredient of pumpkin. I love pumpkin, especially in savory dishes, (not big on pumpkin pie). I made pumpkin-polenta bites, and pumpkin-peanut butter soup.

In a 9x13 pyrex baking dish, stir together:

6 c. water
1 1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. polenta

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Stir together and then add to polenta:

1 can pumpkin (NOT pie filling)
1/2 c. sour cream
3/4 c. parmesan cheese

Using an offset spatula, spread mixture into a jelly roll pan, or rimmed baking sheet. Top with 2 c. grated gruyere, cver with foil, and chill for a few hours, or overnight.
When polenta is set, using a biscuit cutter, cut rounds and place them on a clean cookie sheet. Top each with a fresh sage leaf, and place under the broiler until cheese melts.

*If you leave mixture in the original 9x13 pyrex, bake it another 15 minutes with the gruyere and some parmesan on top, you have a great side dish. It goes well with chicken, turkey, and pork!

Pumpkin- Peanut Butter Soup: (Adapted from The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins)

4 T. unsalted butter
4 c. canned pumpkin
2 c. pureed roasted sweet potatoes
2/3 c. smooth peanut butter
6 c. chicken broth
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
sour cream/ fresh chives for garnish (optional)

Roast sweet potatoes, and let cool enough to scoop out flesh.

Melt butter in soup pot over medium heat. Stir in pumpkin, sweet potatoes and peanut butter.

Add chicken stock, salt and pepper, and stir well until smooth. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Blend with immersion blender.

Before serving, garnish each bowl with sour cream and/or chives.

Photo Hunt: TIED

2009-10-23T14:18:34Z

This material better viewed on its originally published location: Palmabella's Passions]]> This little dog is patiently tied to his owner in Campo Farnese in Rome.