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The carved jack-o’-lantern dates back to medieval Ireland. Its legend involves an Irishman named Jack who was too stingy to go to heaven and too mischievous to go to hell. Jack had to wander Earth until Judgment Day with a lantern made from a hollowed-out turnip with a live coal inside. Children started making these lanterns on Halloween; in the New World, they switched from turnips to pumpkins.
From The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
Did you know, Honey is "manufactured" in one of the world's most efficient factories, the beehive? Bees may travel as far as 55,000 miles and visit more than two million flowers to gather enough nectar to make just a pound of honey.
The color and flavor of honey differ depending on the bees' nectar source (the blossoms). In fact, there are more than 300 unique kinds of honey in the United States, originating from such diverse floral sources as Clover, Eucalyptus and Orange Blossom, and even Cranberries. In general, lighter colored honeys are mild in flavor; while darker honeys are usually more robust in flavor.
Honey is primarily composed of fructose, glucose and water. It also contains other sugars as well trace enzymes, minerals, vitamins and amino acids.
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2008 IACP Cookbook of the Year
In case you haven't heard what the 2008 IACP Cookbook of the Year is, it is Fish Forever: The Definitive Guide to Understanding, Selecting, and Preparing Healthy, Delicious, and Environmentally Sustainable Seafood, by Paul Johnson. From Jessica's Biscuit: "From a star fishmonger, a unique cookbook and guide to healthful, eco-friendly seafood. Few people know more about fish than Paul Johnson, whose Monterey Fish Market in San Francisco supplies seafood to some of the nation’s most celebrated chefs, from Alice Waters, Thomas Keller, and Michael Mina to Todd English, Daniel Boulud, and Alain Ducasse. Now, Johnson at last shares his peerless seafood expertise. Written for people who love seafood but worry about the overfishing of certain species as well as mercury and other contaminants, Fish Forever pinpoints today’s least-endangered, least-contaminated, best-tasting fish and shellfish species. Johnson provides in-depth guidance on 70 different fish along with 96 stylish international recipes that highlight the outstanding culinary qualities of each. In addition to teaching readers about sustainable fishing practices, Johnson will be donating a portion of his royalties to Save Our Wild Salmon, an organization that works to restore wild salmon runs. Complete with over 60 beautiful color photographs, how-to tips, and fascinating sidebars, Fish Forever is a must-have kitchen resource for seafood lovers everywhere. Paul Johnson (Berkeley, CA) is the owner of the Monterey Fish Market, which he founded in 1979. A former chef, he is the coauthor of The California Seafood Cookbook and serves on the advisory board of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program." Good choice. Fish Forever: The Definitive Guide to Understanding, Selecting, and Preparing Healthy, Delicious, and Environmentally Sustainable SeafoodAuthor: Paul Johnson HC: 416 Pages Publisher: Willow Creek Pub. Date: Jun 21, 2007 Photos: Color and Black and White Photographs ISBN-10:076458779X ISBN-13:9780764587795 Available online at Jessica's Biscuit and Barnes and Noble.
Strawberry Bread Recipe
Yield: 3 loaves
A sweet tea bread that makes three loaves. Or just spread the slices with softened cream cheese and enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
· 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
· 1-1/2 cups white sugar
· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
· 4 eggs
· 3 cups all-purpose white flour
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
· 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
· 1 cup strawberry preserves
· 1/2 cup sour cream
· 1 cup chopped nuts
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch by 4-inch loaf pans.
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, and lemon extract until soft. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, sift together the flour, salt, soda, and cream of tartar. In a third bowl, combine the preserves, sour cream, and nuts. Add the preserves mixture alternately with the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Spoon into the loaf pans.
Bake for 50 minutes or until a tester inserted in the loaves comes out clean. Cool on racks for 10 minutes before removing from the pans to cool completely.
Rhode Island Clam Chowder
INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsps. Vegetable, corn or canola oil (not olive)
½ lb. Salt pork (cut in 1/2 inch strips)
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
6 celery ribs, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 17 ounce can chopped tomatoes
2 dozen (or more, if desired) littleneck or cherry stone clams
4 medium size Maine potatoes, diced ½ inch
1 tsp. Red pepper
Black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
In a large saute pan brown salt pork in the oil. Add onions until wilted. Add garlic, pepper, celery and carrots, and cook until almost soft.
In a separate pan cook clams until just opened. Remove from heat and remove clams from shells and chop. Reserve the clam juice.
Put the clam juice in a six or eight quart stock pot and add the ingredients from the saute pan and simmer for about one hour.
Cook the potatoes until not quite tender. Add the potato liquid to the stock pot, along with the tomatoes and red pepper. Simmer 15 minutes, then add the potatoes and chopped clams, and simmer no longer than five minutes, as potatoes will fall apart and clams will become rubbery. Remove salt pork before serving. When reheating leftovers, remember not to overheat.
GARLIC PUMPKIN COOKIES with NUTS From "Mad for Garlic - A Cookbook for Garlic Lovers" by Pat Reppert. Yield: 60 cookies INGREDIENTS 1 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 cup light brown sugar 1 tsp ground ginger 1 cup white sugar 1/2 tsp ground cloves 3 large eggs (or 4 small) 1 cup finely minced garlic 1 can unseasoned pumpkin 2 cups chopped nuts (pecans or 1 cup flour walnuts) 1 cup rolled oats 1 cup raisins 1 tsp baking soda 1/3 cup crystallized ginger (chopped) 1 tsp baking powder 60 thin slices of garlic - cut vertically so 2 tsp salt they resemble slivered almonds Garnish: 1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water Raw or turbinado sugar DIRECTIONS 1. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin and continue to beat until well mixed. 2. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt & spices. Gradually add that to the pumpkin mix, beating. Then beat in the minced garlic. Stir in the nuts, raisins and ginger. 3. Grease a cookie sheet, then drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto the sheet. Put a think slice of the garlic on top of each cookie (it looks like a slivered almond - take my word for it). Bake in 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. Take sheet out of oven and brush egg on top of each and sprinkle generously with the raw sugar. Return to oven and bake an additional 5 to 7 minutes. Cool on wire rack - then store in air-tight containers. Good for 2 days at room temperature. Refrigerate or freeze if keeping for longer period of time.
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