Most people advocate using sour cherries for a pie, hence most recipes are directed towards sour cherries and have a large amount of sugar to compensate for the tart cherry taste.  I personally happened to have bing cherries on hand, so I went searching and turned up a fairly straight-forward Martha Stewart recipe that I modified slightly.  I cut back on the sugar content by another 50%, and instead of plain sugar I used vanilla sugar to round out the flavors in this recipe nicely.  (If you don’t have vanilla sugar, you can always add a tsp of vanilla to the filling and I’m sure it would come out great.) I also didn’t have quite the 2 lbs of cherries called for, but figured I would just give it a try and see how it went.  Turns out, it’s much easier to make than I ever thought it would be – the gooey, perfectly sweet, crimson filling came out just right.  As the great philosopher/80’s band Poison once said, “She’s my cherry pie, tastes so good, makes a grown man cry.”

Vanilla Bing Cherry Pie Filling

• 1.5 lbs fresh bing cherries, pitted and halved
• 1/4 cup vanilla sugar ** may substitute 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 cup plain sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Your favorite pie crust recipe – enough to make 2 crusts(or in a pinch, just use frozen/refrigerated pre-prepared pie crusts!)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Roll out pie crust to 1/4 inch thickness and press into pie plate of your choice, reserving top crust for later. Place cherries in a large bowl and sprinkle with the vanilla sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice.  Mix ingredients well.  Place pie filling into prepared crust.  If you wish to make a decorative lattice with your top crust (as I did) – roll your top crust to 1/4 inch thickness, then cut your pie crust into 3/4 inch strips.  Taking alternating strips from the top crust, lay them all parallel to each other on top of your pie – do not press into the bottom crust yet!.  Then, fold back every other strip on top of the pie.  Take the longest remaining pie crust strip, and place across the middle of your pie over the strips that did not get folded back.  Unfold the strips over the newly laid pie crust strip.  Then, fold back the alternating strips, laying another new pie crust strip on top.  Continue folding alternating strips, laying new pie crust strips, and unfolding until you have covered the top of the pie.  (As you started in the middle, when you have finished one side of the pie - fold back the other side of the pie crust strips and repeat the process going towards the opposite side!)  When lattice is formed, trim the stips to fit the curve of your pie plate, and crimp down the lattice strips to the bottom crust.  Place pie in oven on center rack.  Bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 45-50 minutes longer, or until crust is golden brown.  Enjoy!

I love summer cooking.  Marinate some meat, slice up some farm-fresh vegetables, throw them on the grill and dinner is ready.  My husband received The Grilling Bible from his sister for his recent birthday, and we’ve enjoying paging through this book marking recipes for future use.  It’s going to be a fun summer with lots of variety.

This recipe was originally for Lime Mustard chicken, but a and a last-minute substitution was necessary when I found there were only about 2 tablespoons of lime juice left in the refrigerator.  Confession:  I LOVE fresh citrus juice, but frequently resort to bottled lemon and lime juice because it is just so easy!

The chicken was tangy and flavorful with a nice little kick, courtesy of the ground red pepper.  We want to try it again, but it will have to get in line behind all of the other new recipes from The Grilling Bible!

Lemon Mustard Chicken Marinade
produces enough marinade for 4 butterflied chicken breasts

1/2 cup lemon juice
4 tbsp honey mustard*
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground red pepper

Whisk together all ingredients. Pour over chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for two hours.

*don’t have honey mustard? use 2 tbsp honey and 2 tbsp mustard

A refreshing combination of mint, lime and light rum, you really can’t go wrong with a mojito on a hot summer day.    Sweetened by sugar or simple syrup and topped off with club soda, the flavors meld beautifully in this smooth, subtly sweet drink.

With a potted mint plant that’s growing like crazy, making mojitos seemed like a good way to put some of it to use.  I followed a drink recipe from Barcardi and was quite pleased with the results.  Muddling, the process of combining ingredients by pressing them together with a muddler, is the most important step in creating this drink.  I used a wooden spoon’s large handle in place of the muddler to press the mint, sugar and lime together –  you want to combine the ingredients and lightly bruise the mint leaves so they’ll release their oils.

Pick some leaves off your mint plant or grab a bunch of mint from the grocery store and whip up this refreshing drink today!

Basic Mojito
Yields 1 drink

1.5 oz light rum
10-12 fresh spearmint leaves
1/2 lime, cut into 2 wedges
7 oz club soda
4 tsp sugar or 2 tbsp. simple syrup
crushed ice

1. Lightly squeeze lime wedges into a tall glass. Add lime wedges and mint leaves to glass and muddle. Pour in sugar or simple syrup.
2. Fill glass with crushed ice.
3. Add rum and club soda, stirring gently to combine all flavors. If desired, garnish with lime and sprig of mint.

At 12:13 this morning, I started the third decade of my life.  Yes, today I turned the big 3-0.

A handful of bloggers that I follow have compiled lists of cooking tasks that they want to complete during or before their 30th year.  With my birthday fast approaching, I assembled a list 30 things that I want to make in the coming  year.

It seems like a fun way to set some goals and finally work on some dishes I’ve been meaning to make for ages.  I’ll get to stretch myself and work outside my comfort zone, trying new techniques and working with new foods (see 24 – I’m an avowed fish-hater).  Along the way, I’ll document my progress on this blog and share my victories and defeats… although hopefully there will be far more of the former.

If any of my readers have tried and true recipe suggestions for any of the items on my list, please feel free to send them my way – my contact information is listed in the left side bar.

Wish me luck!

30 Things to Make While I’m 30

1. English muffins
2. Focaccia bread
3. Pita bread
4. Whole wheat bread
5. Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
6. Berry pie/cobbler
7. Cheesecake
8. Chocolate Mint Fudge
9. Chocolate mousse
10. Gelato
11. Gingerbread
12. Homemade fondant
13. Lemon meringue pie
14. Scones
15. Shortbread
16. Sugar cookies with royal icing
17. Pumpkin Ice Cream
18. Pad thai
19. Homemade ravioli
20. Homemade pasta
21. Tomato sauce (from scratch)
22. Crepes
23. Carnitas
24. Fish
25. Meatballs
26. Barbacoa
27. Pork loin
28. Limoncello
29. Vanilla extract
30. Hummus

Vanilla Sugar – Alton Brown

• 1 vanilla pod, halved with seeds removed
• 2 cups sugar
• Airtight container

Place vanilla pod into container and pour sugar over top, burying the vanilla bean.  Seal container and let sit for 1-2 weeks.  Enjoy in coffee or give your favorite recipes a little something extra.

If you’re looking for some fun frozen treats, check out the assortment of ice cream, sorbet and gelato below. I have an array of homemade ice cream in my freezer and will be heading to my favorite ice cream stand in the afternoon. Are you doing anything celebrate?

Pineapple Sorbet

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Coffee Chip Ice Cream

Moose Tracks Ice Cream

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Strawberry Ice Cream

Basil Gelato

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream

Blackberry Ice Cream

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream

Now, I liked the online recipe best, however it contains an astounding 12 egg yolks (or 2500+ mg of cholesterol) in just one batch.  For my day job, I am a pediatrician - and there is NO way I could in good conscience use a recipe like this!  I was able to cut the recipe down to just 5 egg yolks per batch, which seemed much more reasonable to me.  The texture was still velvety smooth like any good gelato, but had less than half the cholesterol than the original recipe. 

Now don’t get me wrong – I am as much a fan of ice cream as the next gal, but this is definitely a very rich recipe and I highly suggest enjoying it in small batches.  It would be fantastic with a nice dark hot fudge sauce on the side.  Get in touch with your Italian side and give this dessert a try!

Gelato al Basilico

Ingredients

• 10-12 fresh basil leaves, cut into 1/4 inch strips (chiffonade style)
• 4 cups half-and-half
• 1 and 1/2 cups sugar
• 5 large egg yolks

Begin by placing the egg yolks, 1 cups of the half-and-half, and half of the sugar into a large bowl, beating to combine thoroughly.  In a heavy saucepan, add the remaining 3 cups of half-and-half, the remaining sugar, and the thinly sliced basil.  Heat over low-medium heat until the mixture reaches a boil, then remove from heat.  Let this mixture sit and cool for 5 minutes to fully extract all the flavor from your basil.  Pour the heated basil mixture into the bowl containing the egg yolks and half-and-half, stirring constantly to make sure your eggs do not scramble on you!  Pour the bowl contents back into the saucepan through a strainer, removing the basil from the final product.  Over low-medium heat, bring the mixture to a temperature of 178 degrees stirring constantly and leave it there for 5 minutes in order to pasteurize your gelato.  Cool the finished liquid completely in a refrigerator – for at least 3-4 hours.  Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.  For firmer consistency, put gelato back in the freezer for several hours before serving.  Enjoy!

My husband and I are big DIY’ers.  We bought our house three years ago and have slowly fought back the ugly inside of our 1920’s townhouse previously decorated in 1970’s finest:

Yep, that’s right – Kermit the Frog green carpeting and pink striped wallpaper, complete with plastic-covered pink furniture and a light formica dining room table set.  The dream house for all newly-wed homebuyers everywhere, right??  (Well, let’s just say it was better than some things we saw – for example, a 3 piece lavender ceramic bathroom)  Pretty much every surface except the floors was covered in wallpaper. (Yep, that’s right - wallpaper on the CEILINGS!!)  Anyway – many rooms and many moons later, our house looks great…except for that last little project we’ve always been meaning to get to.  You know what I mean, right?

I write this post because over the past 3 years of DIY home redecorating, my husband and I have learned many a technique – from carpet removal to tiling to spackling – it’s easier than you think, and it has saved us tons.  I hope I can help someone else out there in their weekend battles against the ugly. 

This particular post is devoted to my passion for removing wallpaper.  Yep, that’s right – removing wallpaper.  Okay, maybe ‘passion’ is an overstatement – hard to imagine anyone finds this a rewarding activity, right?  Well I personally hate wallpaper.  Never liked it, not one bit.  I’m sure there’s a time and a place where it looks nice, such as my in-laws, but it’s just not my thing.  Not sure who ever thought glueing pink striped paper to a wall was a good idea, but they certainly need a good eye exam in my book.  So any activity devoted to removing said wallpaper I find to be very, very rewarding.

Well, after 3 years of looking at peeling dingy blue flowered wallpaper, we are finally tackling the last ugly room in our house – the master bedroom.  And, we are stripping the last few square feet of wallpaper off our 1920’s plaster walls. 

Tools needed:

• Plastic scraper
• Wallpaper piercing tool, such as Zinsser PaperTiger Scoring Tool
• Clean spray bottle (we recycled an old window-cleaner bottle, well rinsed of course!)
• Cheap fabric softener
• Water
• Drop cloth

Before you start:  lay your drop cloth on the floor where you plan to scrape wallpaper – you’ve been warned, this is a messy process.  Make sure you remove all hardware (nails, switch plates, outlet covers, curtain brackets, etc) from the wall you intend to peel.

To start, locate any loose bits of wallpaper on the section you intend to peel.  Start pulling!  Maybe you’ll get lucky and a big piece will just pull right off!  On our walls, the vinyl part of the wallpaper peeled off easily leaving the paper backing stuck to the wall.

If you are unable to find any loose bits (unlike me) or your luck has run out with pulling at the loose bits, then start with the scoring tool – using light pressure, rub it in circles on the wall. 

After you have perforated the section you wish to peel, it’s time to use a loosening agent.

Now, there are many expensive, fancy, and debatably effective wallpaper removing solutions on the market – however after having trying multiple commercially available options, we found that a simple, homemade solution worked the best.  Our secret is a 1:1 mix of fabric softener and water – doesn’t have to be anything fancy here, a carton of the dollar store variety works just fine and has the added perk of smelling real nice.  Mix equal parts water and fabric softener into your spray bottle.  Liberally spray this solution on the perforated wallpaper and let it sit…how long depends on your walls and wallpaper.  For me, 5-10 minutes works just fine.

Time to scrape with the plastic scraper!  Hopefully your wallpaper will now slide easily off the walls; should it not, you may need to add more solution and/or soak the wallpaper for longer.

There you go!  Score:  Wallpaper, zero.  Me, one.  After several hours of wallpaper stripping, spackling, priming and painting – our room now looks like this:

Stay tuned for further home improvement posts as the husband and I are in the process of selling and moving out of our lovingly updated house (sniff, sniff) now completely free of ugly, and relocating to the fine New England area as I pursue my dream job.  This may mean a transient decrease in my recipe blogging, while I will have most of my kitchen packed up into boxes…but I hope to have a more spacious kitchen to blog from in a short time.

As a fairly new homeowner, this spring has been my first real chance to delve into the world of gardening and landscaping.   While I don’t know if I’ve inherited my mother’s green thumb yet, she did leave me her lovely green gardening hat and a plethora of gardening tools– which is more than enough to get started.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing with you some of my experiences with my first perennial gardens and highlighting some “Must Haves” for your flower beds.  One of the many beauties of a perennial garden is that these plants will bloom year after year with a little care and maintenance. Please keep in mind that I’ll be sharing plants hardy in my hardiness region (5).  Perhaps my first nugget of planting wisdom is to check out what Plant Zone you live in– just about any gardening manual or plant catalog will have a color-coded map indicating this.  While it’s not a foolproof system, it’s a pretty good starting point for your garden.  So go check out what the hardiness zone is in your region, and stay tuned!

Kathleen has quite a green thumb; her yard hosts a wide variety of annuals, perennials, as well as a raised-bed garden (so jealous!).  She’s also an excellent, creative cook and a home brewer.  I’m looking forward to hearing more about her garden and trying out her recipes!