Mud House Year

A Split Decision

My daughter laughed yesterday when I told her I was making soup for the winter storm.  She said she was afraid I might be disappointed in the discrepancy between the forecast and the actual weather.  I was not deterred and plunged headlong into a crock pot full of split pea soup.  

When I looked out my front window yesterday morning there were heavy gray clouds, no sun to be seen.  The weather man was still calling for lots of rain and issued a severe weather alert for a "cold storm system." While no longer officially a "winter storm," things still looked promising.   Temperatures in the 60s and rain felt like a cozy southern California day to me.  In fact, a perfect split pea day.  

I have a couple of slightly different recipes I like to use.  This is one I make in the crock pot and the seasonings are a little different.  It freezes well so I made a double batch.

Split Pea Soup

Here's What You Need:

1 pound dried green split peas, rinsed
2 large organic parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 medium organic carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 medium organic celery stalks, 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 medium organic red onion, 1/2 inch pieces
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 meaty smoked ham bone or 2 ham hocks (I used 2 ham shanks, no preservatives/nitrates, etc)
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano 
3 cups home made bone broth
3 cups water
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
A  bouquet garni of fresh rosemary and thyme 

Here's What You Do:Place all ingredients, except the bouquet garni,  in the slow cooker in the order listed above.  

Pour the broth and water into the slow cooker and season with salt and pepper.

Cover and cook until the peas are very soft and the meat is falling off the bone, on high for 4 to 5 hours or low for 8 to 10 hours.About an hour before the soup is done, add the bouquet garni and remove the meat from the soup to a cutting board.   Let it cool then remove meat from bones and add it to the soup. Discard fat and bones. 

Adjust seasonings if needed.  I added more pepper.  If you want a smoother soup, mash it or run it through a blender or food processor before you return the meat to the soup.

Before serving, remove the bouquet garni.  

It actually was a cold and dreary southern California day - a perfect soup day!

Enjoy!

Really?

I don't know.  I have always avoided spaghetti squash.  I just never thought I would substitute squash for pasta.  Ever!   But, then, for a variety of reasons, I needed to find some new ways of cooking and my awesome sister-in-law, Kathy, had a recipe she said was pretty good.  

So, I gave it a try.   This is funny stuff.  As Kathy said, "Who da thunk that would be inside a squash." (She doesn't always talk like that but the squash really was surprising.)Cut it in half.  It's a sturdy squash so I gave that job to Allen.  Roast it cut side down for 30-40 minutes and then scrape it with a fork.  Voila!  Spaghetti-looking squash.

Here's my adapted version of Kathy's recipe for Spaghetti (Squash) Pie via Pinterest:

Spaghetti (Squash) Pie

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Here's What You Need:

1 spaghetti squash
olive oil 
sea salt
pepper
1/2 lb. 100% grass fed organic ground beef
2 tsp. coconut oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried, crushed oregano 
1/2 jar Rao's Pasta Sauce (I actually don't know how much I used.  Enough for a sauce that isn't too runny)
6 oz. ricotta cheese   
1 large egg 
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded

Here's What You Do: 

Halve squash lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Brush olive oil on cut side of squash, sprinkle with salt and peppper, and place cut side down on a large cookie sheet and roast in pre-heated oven for 30-40 minutes, depending on size of squash.

Remove squash from oven and, using a fork, carefully rake stringy squash into strands that look like spaghetti.Brush a pie plate with a little olive oil.  Place spaghetti squash strands in bottom and up sides of a pie plate to form a crust. Set aside.

Brown beef, drain, remove from skillet and set aside.

In the same skillet, heat coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until tender.   Add garlic and oregano and saute briefly until fragrant.  Return meat to pan and add sauce.  Simmer to reduce liquid.  

Beat egg with a fork and mix with the ricotta cheese.  Add salt and pepper to cheese mixture to taste.Spread the ricotta cheese mixture over the squash.Pour meat sauce over cheese layer and sprinkle mozzarella on top. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.  If it's firm enough you can cut it into wedges.  Mine wasn't but it was really, really good.  I am actually really surprised I liked it so much.  

I doubled the recipe and gave one pie to my daughter and son-in-law who claims I am trying to sneak more vegetables into their diet.  Who? Me?

Anyway, this is good.  I am giving it 4 1/2 Prickly Pear Margaritas.

    

Enjoy!

 

 

Purple Sweet Potato Lasagne

So, by now I imagine many of you have heard of the paleo, primal or ancestral approaches to eating and lifestyle.  It's something that Allen and I have been easing into for awhile.  It probably started with my awareness that gluten caused me to have some weird symptoms including tummy aches and rashes. Once I eliminated the gluten I felt better.  From there, the more I learned, the more the ancestral approach to eating just made sense to me.  There is tons of good information out there and I will include some links at the end of this post.  

Anyway, when I say "easing" into it, I mean we don't do it all the time.  However, every time I slip back into, "Oh, just one bean burrito and a cupcake won't hurt anything," I start to feel crummy again.  The first thing I usually notice is BIG stomach bloat.  If I continue eating grains, beans, and sugar, my stomach hurts all the time.  My joints ache, I have very low energy, and I even experience depression.  

So Allen and I have made a commitment to follow an ancestral approach to eating as strictly as possible for one month.   That IS NOT what this blog is about but I will share some recipes from time to time.   

Purple Sweet Potato Lasagna!  (Recipe adapted from Pinterest.)Any sweet potato will do.  One of the advantages to living where we do, now, is the abundance of wonderful produce.  I found a purple sweet potato!

 Preheat oven to 350F

For the parsnip layer:
1 large parsnip peeled & cubed
1-2 tbsp coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp oregano 
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 - 1/2 cup cream or whole milk
Pinch of sea salt and pepper 
Dash of paprika

For the meat layer:
1lb 100% grass fed beef
1 jar of you favorite pasta sauce. One with no added sugar or other unnecessary stuff. I like Rao.  Or, of course, you can make your own.  

For the vegetable layers:
1 large sweet potatoes, sliced 1/4” thick.  
1 summer squash or zucchini, sliced 1/4" lengthwise

Shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)
coconut or olive oil for brushing
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper for sprinkling 

Here's What You Will Do:
Bring parsnips to a boil and then simmer until soft & ready to mash – approx. 30 minutes

Heat the coconut/olive oil & sauté the garlic over medium-low heat. Add the oregano and continue to saute until fragrant.  Do not burn the garlic.Drain the parsnips and add to the garlic.Add the cheese, cream or milk, salt, pepper, and paprika and mash or use an immersion blender to puree.

Set aside the parsnip mixture while you prepare  the other ingredients.

Brown the ground beef & drain excess fat. Add enough pasta sauce to make a thick sauce but not too runny and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Pour a thin layer of the meat sauce in the bottom of an 8x8  glass baking dish.Place a thick, overlapping layer of the sweet potato slices on on top of the sauce.  Brush sweet potato slices with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Add another layer of meat.

Sprinkle meat sauce lightly with mozzarella cheese, if using.Brush both sides of squash lightly with oil and arrange over meat sauce.  Sprinkle squash with salt and pepper.

Layer parsnips  on top of squash, sprinkle with a little more mozzarella if using.

Sprinkle a little paprika over the top for color!

Bake about 45 minutes until bubbly. 

This was really delicious.  I love the way the sweet potato changed colors throughout the process. Once it was cooked, it was a deep, dark purple - about the color of red wine.

Enjoy!

This one gets 5 Prickly Pear Margaritas!

    

If you would like to know about the ancestral approach, here are a couple of links.  These are the two we find most helpful.

Perfect Health Diet

Mark's Daily Apple

 

She Sells Seashells

When we lived in New England, we ate shellfish on a regular basis.  Some of my favorite things in the world are raw oysters and steamed clams.   Last summer we returned to our old stomping grounds to attend our sweet friend's, Lauren's, wedding on Cape Cod.  While there, we had some of the best Wellfleet oysters, steamed clams, and lobsters at Moby Dick's in Wellfleet.  If you are ever on the Cape, be sure to stop in.  Moby Dick's looks a little like a roadside tourist trap, but it has seriously good shellfish.

Living in the desert there were a few things we didn't do.  We didn't go rattlesnake hunting, we didn't hike in the blazing sun in the middle of July, and we never, ever ate shellfish.  Especially raw shellfish. Just too, too far from the ocean and too darned hot.  However, Pasadena is only 25 miles from the ocean - close enough for steamers, for sure!

Steamed Clams in White Wine, Garlic Butter, and Thyme

Here's What You Need:
3 tablespoons butter
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine 
2 pounds of clams (we used littlenecks), rinsed and cleaned
Small bunch of fresh thyme
4 fresh lemon wedges

Here is What to do:
Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until garlic is fragrant but not burned. Add wine and increase heat to medium-high until wine is brought to a simmering boil. Add clams and thyme.
Cooked covered for 5-10 minutes (depending on size of clams), check and stir occasionally, until clams have opened.  Add lemon wedges just before serving.  Discard any clams that don't open.Transfer clams and broth to a large serving bowl.

Serve with something to dip in the garlicy, buttery broth. We made gluten-free popovers!  Yummy!

This recipe is so easy.  Try to find a source for clams that are already soaked and cleaned, if you can.  If not, you will need to put them through several "baths" of fresh water until they release all their sand.  

Enjoy!

Pinterest Wednesday

This has been an unexpected cold and snowy winter.  We rarely get snow here in the desert, and if we do, it's just a few wet flakes.   When it does snow, even just a few wet flakes, we get so excited that we run outside and dance and race around like crazy people.  I'm not kidding, I actually have a video of this phenomena and if I can figure out how to download it, I will show you.

However, last Wednesday, we actually got more than just a few wet flakes.  If you are a golf fan, then you already know that the first day of the Accenture Match Play Championship at Dove Mountain was cancelled due to the snow.   Here is a picture of the trees around the golf course.And here is a picture of the Mud House driveway. To understand how rare this is my mother, who has lived here 66 years, says this is the most snow she has ever seen here. 

So it's soup again!  This week I chose Sweet Potato Soup from the Lunch Box Bunch.  If you prefer a vegan version, be sure to check out the Lunch Box Bunch.  If not, here is my adapted recipe:

Sweet Potato Soup with Chipotle and Avocado

2 large sweet potatoes, baked until very soft and peeled
2 or more cups chicken broth to make soup desired consistency
1/2 - 1 cup milk (whatever percent milk fat you prefer) or cream
1/4 teaspoon orange zest (more or less to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 
1 -2 chipotle peppers, chopped,  with a little sauce (more or less to taste)

Garnish:
diced avocado
You can also top the soup with crushed tortilla chips

Place all ingredients into food processor and combine.  Adjust seasonings and add more broth as needed.  Place soup into a pot, reheat, and serve.I've been experimenting with making my own broths and I will share more about that soon!

Enjoy!

This recipe is healthy, fast, easy, delicious and pretty.  I'm giving it 5/5 Prickly Pear Margaritas!
    

Pop-Up!

I'm just back from Nashville and I had the most wonderful time at the Riffs/Smoke Et Al Pop-Up!   If you are from Nashville,  you probably know what I am talking about.  If not, well here it is... You may have read my previous posts about the Nashville food truck scene.  If not, check them out here and here.   Smoke Et Al is probably my favorite food truck and I've been really looking forward to trying Riffs, so I was very excited to hear they were joining forces to create a Pop-Up evening.    

The location and the menu were carefully guarded secrets until just two nights before the event. When we arrived, we were seated at a table and we quickly made some wonderful new friends!That's Alexandra and Jeremy.  Alexandra is studying the menu and I think Jeremy is seriously contemplating stealing a bite.  He was the only guy at our table and was served last for every course! Alexandra is a Nashville food blogger and she and Jeremy are very knowledgeable about the Nashville food scene.   They gave us some wonderful recommendations which I plan to try next time I am in Nashville.  Be sure to check out Alexandra's blog, Sweet Betweens, for scrumptious recipes and an insiders look at the delicious side of Nashville.The first course was a delicate Asian inspired pairing of mussels and shrimp.   The chefs introduced the course and told us that little green sprig is called sea beans and it is harvested along the Oregon coast.  I had never heard of them before and at first thought it was just garnish. They were delicate and crunchy and tasted just like the sea.   The shrimp and mussels were cooked to perfection and the broth was so delicious, I wanted to tip up the bowl and lick it clean.  However, this was the first course and I didn't want to embarrass myself so early in the evening...The second course presented catfish on a bed of smoked bacon grits.  On the side was a little disc of "mofongo" which is blend of spices and mashed plantains.  It was topped with a little cocoa powder.  My favorite part, though,  was the shallot marmalade at the top right of the plate.  I ate it all by itself and wanted more.The third course was Smoke Et Al's offering.  Beef Ribs, crispy pork skins, and a boidin blanc, or white chicken sausage.   All scrumptious, but the best part was the Bourbon pork jus - another plate licking temptation.And the grand finale was the dessert and a surprise guest.  Jeni from Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream attended the dinner and contributed some delicious rum raisin ice cream to the dessert.  Be sure to check out her website because you can actually order ice cream and they will ship it to you!!

All in all this was a wonderful adventure in eating and meeting new friends.  If you are in Nashville be sure to check out the food trucks.  Their websites will clue you in on any planned Pop-Ups.  Smoke Et Al is having a special Valentine's Pop-Up.

I am back at the Mud House so stayed tuned for some more posts from the currently cold desert!

 

Pinterest Wednesday

It's cold at the Mud House.  Really cold.  I'm not kidding.This is a rare occurrence and we are freezing.  Those of us who live in the desert aren't prepared to live with such low temperatures.  We are not happy and we complain about it.  A lot.   Fortunately it's not as hard on us as it is on the giant old prickly pears.  

So sad.  The paddles freeze and they become too heavy for the plant to hold so they fall off.  If you've been reading the Mud House Year Blog, you know how important these cactus are to me. Read more about them and find some great recipes here, and here, and here, and here, and here.

For Pinterest Wednesday, the obvious choice was soup.  I selected a split pea soup recipe which you can find here.  However, as soon as I realized the recipe called for a tablespoon of olive oil, but then never added it during the preparation, I struck out on my own.  Here is my recipe:
Mud House Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 large carrots, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped, plus leafy tops
1 large yellow onion 
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 32-ounce cans low sodium chicken broth
2 pounds green split peas
1 ham hock
1 teaspoon Kosher salt, optional (depending on the size of your ham hock you  may not need additional salt)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
pinch of crushed red pepper, optional
Water to add as needed during cooking 
Tabasco or other pepper sauce to add before serving, optional

Here's How:Heat oil in large pot or dutch oven over medium heat.  Add carrots, celery, and onion and stir occasionally for 5 minutes.Add garlic, 1 teaspoon thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon marjoram. Continue to cook and stir occasionally for 5 more minutes.
Add chicken broth, peas, and ham hock.  I got this ham hock/shank from our local butcher.  It is actually much bigger than the hocks you find in the grocery stores.  If you use a large shank like this, you may want to omit the additional kosher salt. 
Add celery tops, cover, and simmer on very low heat for one hour.  Stir frequently and check broth level to prevent scorching.  Add additional broth or water as needed. 
After an hour, discard celery tops and add additional 1 teaspoon of thyme, half a teaspoon of marjoram, salt (if using), back pepper, and crushed red pepper, if using.   Remove ham hock and let cool.  Simmer for another hour, stirring and adding broth or water as needed.While simmering and once hock has cooled, pull tender meat from bone, discarding tough connective tissue and fat, and add to soup.
Serve with hot sauce of your choice.  This is my current favorite. YUM! Note: If you prefer a creamier soup, cook an additional half hour or so and then use an immersion blender to blend peas and vegetable until smooth.

I didn't follow the Pinterest recipe so I can't rate it.  However,  My recipe was delicious so I'm giving it 5/5 Prickly Pear Margaritas!
    

 

 

 

 

Mud House Christmas Eve

I know that Christmas has come and gone and we are well on our way in 2013.  However, my next few posts are dedicated to our wonderful Mud House Christmas.   This is the first moment I have had to sit down and organize my thoughts but Christmas was just too much fun to let slip by without sharing!Christmas in the desert does not offer the anticipation of snowfall and sleigh rides but it is lovely and festive none-the-less.  At the Mud House, we share distinctive and charming traditions, some of which have been handed down through seven generations of my family here in the desert southwest.  For example, whimsical tin ornaments and sweet brass angels collected in the border town of Nogales by my grandmother, Mema,  (and later by me) grace our tree and mantel.Other traditions are more recent and some are new this year such as gingerbread tee-pee making with Chef Amanda at the Ritz at Dove Mountain.  One of our oldest family traditions began when my great-grandmother, Bammi,  first served flat enchiladas on Christmas Eve.  Family lore maintains  that Bammi actually created the recipe and later shared it with a lady down the street. This lady eventually opened  a little restaurant,  El Charro, which now has several locations and is celebrating its 100th anniversary.  Flat enchiladas, now widley known as Sonoran enchiladas, have been on El Charro's menu for a century.   They have been served on Christmas Eve in my family for longer than that. This photo does not do them justice but the contrast between the colors of the red sauce, green olives and white and yellow cheeses make them especially festive.   

My family celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve.  We gather at one of our homes and share a wonderful dinner of Mexican food.  This year our celebration began on the porch of  the Mud House with sparkling sangria. We then enjoyed a buffet of flat enchiladas, frijoles, green corn tamales, tortillas, and fresh salsa.   The tables were set with rose bowls, mason jar candles, and individual kits to make Christmas Eve hot chocolate .This year we introduced a new tradition which may or may not take hold.  Everyone was asked to bake and bring a batch of cookies.  These cookies served the double purpose of being treats for dessert and for a cookie exchange.  Guests took them home in red Chinese take-out containers.   All the cookies were delicious and so creative!  We even had some reindeer cow-pies (thanks Greg!) However, rumor has it that some of the cookie makers were not too thrilled with their assignment.   Also, we ended-up with way too many cookies so maybe next year we will ask for one batch from each family rather than one from each person. As always, it's the little things that make our gatherings so special.  Rumor also has it that next year we will be doubly blessed yet again with more little things.

At the end of the evening,  guests were guided on their way by the warm glow of luminarias and sparkly white lights festooning dried mesquite and century plants.

Thanks to every single member of my dear family who helped make this evening so much fun.  My next few posts will share some recipes and more details about our Mud House Christmas Eve. 

As a side note, Pinterest Wednesday will return soon.

 

Pinterest Wednesday

I took a little break from blogging over the holidays, but I'm back.  I will soon be posting about our wonderful Mud House Christmas but I wanted to share something fun for Pinterest Wednesday.   I especially love this cheesy snowman for so many reasons:  My daughter made it;  I love cheese;  it's adorable; it's whimsical; it's delicious; and I love cheese (yep, I said that twice).   He was too cute to eat and too delicious not to, so everyone just kept nibbling from his back until he was almost hollow.   We followed the recipe with only some minor changes in cosmetics, including using roasted red pepper for the scarf and mouth.   He comes to us from  Betty Crocker, so mosey on over to find the recipe.  

He is easy to make, easy to customize,  so yummy, so cute,  and so so cheesy.

He gets 5/5 Prickly Pear Margaritas.
    

A Few of My Favorite Nashville Things - Part II

                                                                        Bang Candy Company Bang Candy Company specializes in artisan marshmallows, half-dipped in chocolate.  It's located in the old Marathon Car Factory building. Flavors include chocolate chile, rose cardamon, orange ginger cinnamon, espresso, and toasted coconut.  These are such yummy treats!  I am using them for favors on Christmas Eve.  Sarah was very helpful with my order!  For more information, check out their website.

 

                                                                         Vanderbilt UniversityOne must venture beyond the hustle and bustle of West End and 21st Avenues to appreciate the beauty of the Vanderbilt Campus. In fact, I hardly knew it was there.  Once I entered it's tree-lined perimeter, I discovered it is what I always imagined a southern university would be - all red bricks, green leafiness and white columns...oh, and magnolias, of course.  It's also an excellent institution of higher learning.   It's a lovely place to walk and contemplate - you'll feel smarter just being there!

 

                                                              Food Trucks
Alluring and elusive and so, so worth it.  See my post here.  Nashville has a bountiful bevy of food trucks.  I think my favorite, so far, is Smoke Et Al. 

  I ordered the smoked pork belly tacos and fried okra. Yummy doesn't begin to describe it - so good!

 

                                                            Hillsboro Village This is a funky four block area along 21st Avenue, just south of the Vanderbilt campus.  Davis Cookware is there along with other quaint shops and restaurants.  During my visit, several pop-up stores opened for the holidays including Cake Vintage, where I did a little Christmas shopping. You will also find the legendary Pancake Pantry in Hillsboro Village, but be prepared to wait in a line that winds down the sidewalk if you decide to eat there.  Also, McDougal's is just around the corner.

 

And, a final tip-of-the-hat to the original...           GiGi's!  Gigi's Cupcakes are just so photogenic I had to include one more picture!

I'm saying goodbye to Nashville tomorrow.  I will write one more Nashville post before I go.