Butter is your friend

Ah, desserts. They require precision and care...as well as creativity and great taste. And, what's more...people really LOVE desserts, so you don't want to mess them up!

Dessert can be everything from delicate to deeply comforting. Some of my latest faves are strawberry rhubarb pie, chocolate cream pie and of course, (crack cocaine) salted caramel brownies! I've made those brownies so many times now for cooking clients to friends, neighbors and colleagues - everyone flips out. I have a client who has a standing order once a month. One friend even sent me an expletive-filled text proclaiming her love. That was pretty funny.

Now when I bake, I use eggs from my own backyard hens - I think that Edie, Millie and Dottie add a little something special.

Do you have a dessert that your family and friends ask for over and over? Or maybe you have some creations you're testing at home but haven't shared yet? Either way, you should enter the Chris Ford Dessert Contest! Chris is the incredibly talented rock star pastry chef at Wit & Wisdom at the oh-so-schwank Four Seasons in Baltimore - and he wants your desserts! Enter and you could win a Four Seasons stay and cooking lesson with Chris. That would be so much fun! (Check out his blog, too - it's fab.)

Not a master baker? Then, you can vote instead.

(Full disclosure: On a whim, I entered my Salted Caramel Brownies into the contest - I've never entered a contest in my life, so I figured why not, hon?)

Recipe submission deadline is May 2. Voting deadline is May 9.

Butter is your friend. Julia says so.

I scream, You scream...

Remember the hilariously inappropriate Eddie Murphy stand-up about the ice cream man? Wow, remember when Eddie Murphy was funny...you know, before he started making God awful movies? Anyway...when I was a kid in the 70s, as many communities did, we had an ice cream truck. Not a lot happened in my hometown, so it was very exciting when you heard the ice cream man's music on the next street over. You'd literally hear kids yelling, "ICE CREAM MAN!" 

Remember Bomb Pops!?

My hood even has an ice cream truck, but much like Hampden, it's a little um...different. Note that it's dark out when he comes by...

I do love good ice cream. So, before a recent visit San Francisco, my friend told me that I absolutely needed to visit a foodie mecca, Humphrey Slocumbe. It's this amazing ice cream joint in the Mission District serving creative, unique flavors like honey lavender, cinnamon brittle and Boccalone prosciutto. It was a little out my way, but my friend said it was not to be missed...so, there I go...a total tourist in a $25 cab ride for a $3 ice cream. But holy peanut butter curry, it was worth it. If you go to the Bay Area...hit 'em up (but take BART.)

Charm City has some mighty good ice cream, too. The choices are not quite as extensive as what I found in San Fran, but very, very tasty stuff. For example...one of my very fave restaurants in town, b, makes their own ice cream and I make a point to get it when I go there. Once I had a trio of delicate scoops of cardamom, beet and malt ice creams. Happiness. (Don't think you'd like those flavors? Try it, then judge.)

I also get Uncle Wiggly's ice cream (you may remember them as Taharka Brothers or Sylvan Beach) at their shop in Mt. Washington. OH so many great flavors like salty caramel, candied fennel and key lime pie. Scary good. Next time you're visiting Whole Foods, check it out.

At the Waverly Market, you can get both Broom's Bloom and South Mountain Creamery ice creams. My absolute favorite is Broom's Bloom's "Dirt" ice cream. But then...South Mountain also offers home delivery, along with their milk, veggies and other good stuff. Talk about trouble...

Since I'd been bitten by the 'better than the grocery store brand ice cream' bug, I wanted to try my hand at making ice cream. I researched lots of ways to make it without a machine (I love you, David Lebovitz but no) and quickly realized my time was better spent making other stuff. Sorta like when I made my own goat cheese...neat project, not doing it again anytime soon.

So, I borrowed my friend's ice cream and sorbet maker and got to work. Since I had gorgeous local strawberries on hand, strawberry ice cream was first up. Wow - it was super delicious and I even got a comment from one of my favorite little kids, Eliza, as she ate a scoop. It was a simple, "You're great." That made my day.

Then, I made cardamom ice cream. Big thanks to my friend Elaine for the recipe and cardamom pods. It turned out so well...the flavor was incredible. I'm actually glad I only made a small amount! Also made Ina's espresso ice cream. Ridiculous.

                                         Left to right: cardamom, strawberry and espresso coffee. Yum.

I also made paletas (delicious Mexican popsicles) and that was a lot of fun. A friend recommended this cookbook and the flavors are simple, but really spectacular together. They are very easy to make and I'm planning on doing lots more this summer...maybe even some boozy ones!

Get ready, hon. Summer's comin!

Pin it!

Geez, Louise...there's Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumbler, Yelp, Four Square, Linked In, Ning, Tumbler and so many more. Now, there's Pinterest. It's the newest thing your friends are inviting you to join and it's one of the fastest growing websites. Ever. And...you may be thinking what I was thinking a few months ago - Should I join? Is this yet another way I will waste time online instead of doing laundry? Yes, and yes.

Pinterest is simple. It's basically an online bulletin board that allows you to "pin" things onto categorized boards like cooking, sports, home decor, DIY projects, kids stuff...whatever you like. Often, the pin has a web link associated with it, so you can go to the website to get the recipe or whatever the pin is about. I'm a very visual person, so if I'm searching for something, I'd much rather look at a pin board up on my screen vs a list of web links in my favorites. I can easily find that easy bread recipe or the instructions on making your own raised garden beds just by scanning the pins on one of my pin boards. For me, it's easier to remember what something looks like vs what it was called.

So, how do you get started? Think about things you like and create boards for those things...for me, I created five boards - nourish (cooking), nest (house stuff), flock (chickens), grow (gardening) and inspire (travel, gorgeous settings, etc.) Once you create boards and start looking at pins on Pinterest, you then begin to see people on the site who seem to like similar things to you...and you "follow" them and "repin" their pins onto your boards. You don't have to follow all of that person's boards, which is great. Someone whose vintage fashion pin boards you like might also post to boards on things in which you absolutely have no interest. I started following someone the other day who posted fabulous interiors and then I realized that she has 67 boards. I just looked at all of them and thought, "Woah, Nellie. Slow it down there, lady." That is a lot of pinning time. Pace yourself...a few boards are usually plenty. Here are some of my favorite pins:

When I started using Pinterest, it seemed to me that it was really just for women, but now more and more guys I know are using it for stuff like house projects (everything from types of kitchen sinks to deck building plans) and others are simply pinning cars they'd like to drive, things they collect or golf courses they want to visit. So, for anyone really, it can be utilitarian or simply fun.

Some of the best recipes I've used lately have come from Pinterest. And like so many other Pinterest users, I've pinned images of kitchen after kitchen that I will most likely never have and gardening projects I know I will never get to...but...it's fun and definitely inspiring.

A communications professor describes Pinterest like this, which I thought was pretty dead on: "It reminds me of my girlfriends in high school who'd cut stuff out of magazines and pin it up on a wall," he says. "This is the web-based, digital equivalent of that behavior." Yes, I did that in high school and college. It was the 80s.

Access to Pinterest is currently by invitation only, so if you want to join you either request an invite from the company or ask a friend already on it for one. You may certainly comment below with your email if you want me to send you an invite - it seems to work well that way. Like anything else, at first, you'll be really into it (and feel like you should be doing something more productive...blah, blah, blah...) but then you'll calm right on down.

Here are a few good articles on ways people are using Pinterest and how to get started.

Everything you need to know about the internet's newest darling
What the heck is Pinterest and why you should care
27 gorgeous pin boards you need to follow
Why Pinterest is so addictive

Happy shoppers in the Hampdens

So, finally. It's so exciting. Big stuff. After months and months of speculation, uncertainty and driving out of the neighborhood for a nicer option, Hampden has a nice, clean, well-stocked grocery store, Giant at Greenspring Towers. Okay, no one knows it as Greenspring Towers...we might know it as:

41st Street Shopping Center...
Where the Dunkin Donuts is...
Where there used to be a Blockbuster...
Oh! The old Super ma'Fresh...
The place where that dude would sometimes play his saxophone.

Whatever you call the location, I think most of the people who've visited the store would call it bright, clean, stocked (oh, Fresh & Greens...you were so sad...) and staffed by some really happy people. I attended the soft opening this past Thursday night with a friend and it was such a scene! There was even a red carpet, hon. Apparently, they opened at 12:45pm instead of the scheduled 5:00pm start because people were lined up to get in. Lined up to get in. That is pretty funny, even for my quirkly little 'hood.

I went back on Saturday morning to shop and I have never been greeted, helped or directed at a store this much in my entire life. And I have to say, it's nice to see some of the old Super Fresh employees (I was a loyal Super Fresh shopper), as well as, of course, folks from the Rotunda Giant. I was never a fan of that Giant. To me, it was dirty and definitely cramped. And the parking - ugh. The little tiny lot in the front and then in the back...you had to walk through the "Hall of Mirrors" to get to the grocery store. So not fun. I do hope that the developers can get back on track and bring us that "boutique" grocery store we keep hoping for...say it with me, Trader Joe's...Trader Joe's...Trader Joe's!

I also must give a shout out to the nice folks at the Baltimore Food Co-op as a great shopping option for folks looking for an excellent selection of organic and local deliciousness - I especially like the fresh (warm!) tortillas on Saturdays and the bulk foods room. Check it out when you're in the City.

Now, important stuff. Since I had a nickname for my old Super ma'Fresh, I need one for the new Giant. One of my coworkers some twenty years ago used to call the Rotunda Giant, The Big. As in, "I'm going to The Big - does anyone want anything?" I'm thinking The Big or maybe The Bigness.

Have you been to the new store yet? Like it? What would you like to see happen at the Rotunda?
Do tell...

Dear rhubarb, I love you.

Rhubarb is coming soon to a market near you!

This wonderfully tart vegetable is one of those things you either love or hate. Like, say...oysters or tapioca or olives. (I love all of those things...duh.) And, I am way on the love side of rhubarb. Pies, jams, syrups, um...vodka? Yum.

When selecting rhubarb at the grocery store or farmers market, look for stalks that are firm and dark pink/red. Light pink stalks can also be just fine in most recipes...but for jams, etc, I try to use red stalks, as they are more visually striking. One very important detail if you grow rhubarb: the leaves are poisonous and should not be ingested. I've fallen hard for rhubarb, my friends...much like I did for figs a few years ago. Now I have rhubarb growing in the back yard right next to my fig tree. I just have to figure out how to chicken-proof it - they eat everything!

Here's a very tasty and simple recipe for strawberry rhubarb pie. Every time I make it, I'm asked for the recipe. I've even traded it with friends for home improvement projects (okay, I give them really good beer from The Wine Source sometimes, too...)

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 pound fresh rhubarb, chopped
2 pints fresh strawberries, sliced
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons white sugar
 
Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees 

In a large bowl, mix flour and sugar. Add strawberries and chopped rhubarb. Toss with sugar and flour and let stand for 30 minutes.

Pour filling into pie crust. Dot top with butter, and cover with top crust. Seal edges of top and bottom crust with water.

Apply egg yolk to top of pie, using a pastry brush. Sprinkle with sugar. Cut small holes in top to let steam escape.

Bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly and brown. Cool on rack.

Serve with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream.

Here are some other great rhubarb recipes:

Rhubarb Clafouti by the kitchn

 
 
 






Rhubarb Vodka by Nigella Lawson
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rhubarb Salad with Goat Cheese by Martha Stewart
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rhubarb Syrup by the kitchn
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rhubarb Compote by I Made That
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rhubarb Basil Cocktail by the kitchn
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Do you love rhubarb? Say yes!

Market Fresh

I love Waverly Farmers Market. It's year round and I shop there every Saturday morning, buying everything from milk and cheese to meat, bread, eggs, potatoes, greens and more.

But...when spring rolls around, it's lots more fun. Sorta like payback for being a faithful market shopper...you see more familiar faces and you can tell what month it is based on what's at the farmers' booths. Here in Maryland, shortly we'll start seeing asparagus, strawberries, peas, radishes. blueberries. Then later, squash, corn, tomatoes, melons and so much more in between. Cannot wait. I can taste the fresh peas now.

In the meantime...you can join a CSA, which stands for Community Supported Agriculture. That means you 'buy in' now for a share of produce each week during the main growing season, supporting a local farm. I've written about my friends at One Straw Farm before - they do the CSA thing really well and I've been member with them for years. But, you should do your research and choose whichever one seems best for you. You can find CSAs near you by searching on Local Harvest. Then, each week from June through November, you'll get fresh local produce and you will know exactly where your food comes from - it doesn't get any better or fresher than that.

Another option - if you have the time and space - is to plant a vegetable garden. Big or small, you will save money, get creative and...learn a lot along the way. It's the ultimate satisfaction - picking your food right when you're going to eat it. Kinda like how I collect eggs from my hens and then cook them for breakfast. I love it!

Here are some of the things I'm looking forward to seeing at my local farmers market - how about you?

Irish Roots

My Mom (um, hello...Peggy Fitzpatrick) is Irish. Her great-grandmother Catherine Buckley arrived in Baltimore on a ship from County Cork in 1850 at the age of 16. And...when you see my Mom, you say...yep, she's Irish.

And, while my Irish Mom is a big part of who I am (and my Dad, too...I named my dog Henry in his honor), my love of food and cooking and feeding people seems to come from my maternal grandmother, Mary Fitzpatrick. She and my grandfather Clark lived on a working farm in Harford County and I've written a little about them before. They were extremely hard working people - raising lambs, pigs, chickens and steer, churning their own butter, smoking and curing meats and so much more. Mary was a fabulous cook and if you stopped by their house, you ate. Like, really, ate. One of my Mom's most vivid food memories was her mother frying chicken in bacon fat - she said the skin was perfectly crispy. I've gotta try that.

While I don't have the time to make my own butter or keep (much less, slaughter...oy) my own animals, I do try to live a bit like my grandparents did. I grow vegetables and herbs and buy most of my food - bread, produce, meat, coffee, milk, cheese, etc - directly from the people who produced it by shopping at the Waverly Market every Saturday, year round. And...I think my decision to keep backyard chickens is a sort of nod to Clark and Mary. I just wish I could have met them.

While my grandparents loved good food, they didn't really go big on what you think of as typically Irish fare. They did eat lots of lamb and potatoes (and enjoyed the whiskey, I hear...) but they didn't really make a big deal about St. Patrick's Day, much less about being Irish. Don't get me wrong, they were proud...but they really were simple people, living a simple life.

Every year when St. Patrick's Day rolls around, I think I really should honor my ancestors and go out to drink some green beers or dance a jig or something...but I don't usually do that. I'm not one for crowded bars, but I do celebrate at home. I might make some corned beef and cabbage, maybe a potato gratin (okay, that sounds fancy, so let's call it scalloped potatoes...that sounds more like my family) and I'll definitely enjoy a nice pint o' Guinness. If you want a really nicely poured Guinness, go to James Joyce Pub - they do it right.

Maybe I'll even have an Irish car bomb? They are delicious, but trouble. A shot of Bailey's with whiskey dropped into a 1/2 pint of Guinness. Have you ever had one? Super delicious and dangerous if you overdo it. Do not have more than one. I'm warning you. Stop.

If you're planning on doing an Irish feast this weekend, here are some delicious ideas.

Cook's Country's Guinness Beef Stew
Irish Soda Bread from Epicurious
Steamy Kitchen's Corned Beef and Cabbage
Guinness Moonpies
Beers!
Irish Coffee

Enjoy St. Patrick's Day, lads and lassies - make my people proud!

May your troubles be less and your blessing be more,

and nothing but happiness, come through your door.