Cardamom the Spice - plus Homemade Applesauce


Cardamom is a spice which originally came from India, where it is used in many dishes, including sweet saffron rice. In some parts of India, cardamom ice cream and cardamom-flavored milk take the usual place of chocolate ice cream and chocolate milk. There is also a spice called "black cardamom", a cousin, which is very different from true cardamom.

True cardamom is popular in Scandinavia, Germany and elsewhere, especially for winter baking. It is used in Danish pastries, Swedish breads, and cookies from many European countries. It is very compatible with several other spices, especially cinnamon. It is often used with orange, apple, peach and pineapple. Cardamom is less familiar in the U.S. than in Europe, perhaps because it loses its flavor soon after it is crushed or ground. We're so used to pre-ground spices. Mom discovered the whole spice years ago and started using it in cinnamon rolls, sometimes with a little orange zest. She had the bleached pods and the seeds seemed a little softer than the ones in the green pods which I have now. I used to crush the seeds she bought between two spoons. The latest batch of cardamom seeds I got seemed harder - see the directions for crushing with a hammer below.

You can buy whole cardamom pods either green or bleached - less flavorful. Or "decorticated" seeds, which have been removed from the pods, but not ground or crushed. For people who use a lot of cardamom. If using whole pods, remove cardamom seeds from pods and grind seeds in a spice grinder or crush in a large mortar and pestle. Or place seeds in the empty, tough inner plastic liner from a cold cereal or cracker box (not from strongly flavored crackers such as garlic) and tap lightly on a non-marring surface, such as smooth concrete, with a finishing hammer or other smooth-faced hammer to crush. Rub crushed cardamom through a fine sieve before measuring. Wrap any extra crushed cardamom in a little foil packet and keep it in the freezer for the next time you want to use it.

Cardamom is a potent spice. 1/8 teaspoon per cup of flour will give a pronounced cardamom flavor if the cardamom is ground or crushed fresh. Before adding more than that, consider whether the person who developed the recipe may have been using commercially ground (less potent) cardamom. Many recipes will use less than 1/8 teaspoon per cup of flour, for a more subtle effect.

Below are three recipes for cardamom in applesauce. The first one can sub for apple pie, at least sometimes (warnm maybe with some toasted chopped almonds, butter cookie crumbles or a little vanilla ice cream). Two kinds of apples - one to fall apart quickly during cooking (forming a natural sauce) and one to retain some chunkiness - are recommended. This was one of Keira's Mom's tips, too. The second recipe looks very good, too - it calls for more liquid and seems a little more "country-style". Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples together would be a good choice for winter applesauce.

Apple Varieties: I've always thought of the season for McIntosh apples (first recipe) as coming before the Granny Smith season. Granny Smith is a late, warm-climate apple which can be exceptional when it is allowed to stay on the tree until the bright green color mellows to yellow-green. It is grown here in our hot-summer climate, and home growers can allow it to ripen fully on the tree. It is often picked commercially long before it is ripe, while still sour and even sometimes a little bitter. I think one could find a better fall variety than Granny Smith to pair with McIntosh apples.

Of varieties grown locally, Gala seems to be the top choice for the early season. It loses much of its flavor in storage. Fuji and Red Fuji are recommended for later harvest and storage. Pink Lady is also recommended for sauce. Granny Smith can be picked fully ripe here if you grow it at home, and should be good mixed with other varieties. I used 2 pound Washington Fuji to 1 pound Washington Granny Smith in January, and the Fuji had held its crispness much better in storage. The Granny Smith tasted like they had been picked green, but fell apart easily in applesauce around the tender chunks of Fuji apples.

The third recipe below (pureed like most commercial applesauce) is made with commercially ground cardamom. It calls for A LOT of the spice compared to the other two recipes. Add cardamom to taste if using freshly-crushed spice.

Fresh Cardamom Spiced Applesauce

We like to use a combination of McIntosh and Granny Smith apples for the best texture and a little bit of tart flavor. Cardamom, a member of the ginger family, has a unique, aromatic quality that is just delicious with apples and ramps up the flavor of this sauce immensely. If you don't have any on hand though, you can use a little extra cinnamon and a pinch of ground ginger in its place.

Or, for more conventional flavor, substitute nutmeg for cardamom.
Ingredients ~ 

2-1/2 to 3 pounds apples (about 6 medium)

2 tablespoons lemon juice 

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom 

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Pinch of salt

Preparation ~ Measure lemon juice and water into a a3 quart saucepan. 
Peel and core the apples and cut them into 1-inch pieces, right into saucepan, tossing to coat with lemon-water as you prepare the apples. Mix in the sugar and bring to a simmer, uncovered, over medium-high heat until the apples begin to break down and give off liquid, about 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the cinnamon, cardamom, butter, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Cover and continue cooking for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the apples have broken down completely and the sauce is thick. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before serving.
Makes about 4 cups. Fresh applesauce will keep 3 or 4 days tightly covered in the refrigerator.

Chunky Country-Style Spiced Applesauce
Bon Appétit  | November 1993
yield: Makes about 6 cups

ingredients
• 2 pounds Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, sliced
• 2 pounds Golden Delicious apples, cored, peeled, sliced
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons (or more) fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon (generous) ground cardamom

Combine first 4 ingredients in heavy large Dutch oven; bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cover and simmer until apples are tender, about 20 minutes. Uncover and cook until mixture is thick, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes longer. Mash apples slightly with potato masher until chunky applesauce forms. Stir in sugar and spices. Cool. Add more lemon juice if desired. Transfer to bowl; cover and chill overnight. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Cardamom Applesauce (probably too much cardamom if you crush it fresh - but they did call it "bracing")
Bon Appétit  | November 1995

• 2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup (packed), golden brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cardamom

Combine all ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Cover, bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until apples are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly. Transfer to food processor; puree. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

Allergy information: No corn, wheat or egg. First applesauce recipe contains butter. Others are dairy-free.

Oven-poached Turkey Breast

I wasn't sure exactly what what to call this. David's Mom once cooked for a fancy spa near San Diego where movie stars, etc. often went to lose a little weight. She sometimes prepared this turkey for 600 people. It was served cold with salads and such. Easy, low in fat and very moist and good.

Ingredients
Turkey breasts: If starting with a whole turkey breast, cut each half-breast from the bone and remove the skin. You can simmer the wishbone, ribs, skin, etc. for stock - for another recipe - if you like.

Salt, other seasonings to taste.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. For each turkey breast half, place a square of heavy-duty aluminum foil shiny side up on a flat surface and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Season the half breast of turkey, boneless and skinless, with salt. If using other seasonings (celery salt, sage, thyme, pepper, etc.) mix them with the salt and rub onto the turkey. Place half breast on the foil sheet and fold foil fairly tightly around the turkey, making sure that all seams will be above the turkey when it is placed in the oven.

Place wrapped half-breasts on a rimmed baking sheet or in a baking dish with a little room between them and bake in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of the half breast(s). Remove from oven. Do not open foil. Allow to cool in foil to room temperature. Some of the juices which developed during cooking will be re-absorbed by the meat. Refrigerate while still wrapped, or carefully unwrap to serve, as there will still be some juices around the turkey.

Slice and serve cold, or if you wish to re-heat the turkey, re-heat it in the juices saved from cooking.

Allergy information: No corn, wheat, milk or eggs.

Sweet Southern Style Cole Slaw with V8 Juice Marinade

Adapted from Recipezaar An even tangier sweet/sour slaw recipe omits the V8 juice, and adds a medium chopped onion, medium chopped green pepper (I might use an Ancho or Pasilla pepper) and small chopped red bell pepper to the cabbage and adds a teaspoon dry mustard and 2/3 cup oil to the dressing, marinating overnight in the refrigerator.

For a less-sweet marinated coleslaw, try this or this.

Sweet Southern Style Cole Slaw with V8 Juice Marinade
See the easy version for a big crowd at the bottom of this post.

This coleslaw is totally fat-free and quite low in salt for a marinated salad (especially after the marinade is drained off). It is typically served in summer with foods like pulled-pork barbecue which make up for the lack of fat and salt in the coleslaw. It is quite sweet and also tangy. I think it's a good match for spicy barbecue and similar foods. The V8 juice adds a little color and flavor to the salad which seems to complement barbecue, etc. Leftovers keep well.

If you're not serving the salad with something that's high in fat, you can add a little oil (up to 2 Tablespoons) after draining the marinade from the salad. The volume of the salad will decrease during marination, so you can serve it in a smaller bowl than the one you made the salad in.

SERVES 12

1 head cabbage (about 2 1/2 lbs)
1 large yellow onion (for 1 cup chopped)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
6 ounces low-sodium, regular or spicy-hot V8 Juice
1 teaspoon salt*
1 teaspoon celery seed*
Ground red pepper to taste (optional)

Wash and remove the outer leaves of the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into eighths and remove the core. Set aside.

Peel the onion and cut into eighths. Using a food processor fitted with the steel blade attachment, process the cabbage and onion, in manageable batches, until chopped finely. Scrape into a large container with a tight fitting lid. Set aside.

In a 1 quart or larger saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, V8, salt and celery seed. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar is melted. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the cabbage and onions and toss to coat well.

Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 4 hours, stirring 2 or 3 times. Before serving, drain marinade from salad, mix in a little oil if desired (up to 2 Tablespoons) and transfer to a smaller serving bowl.

* May substitute 1 1/4 teaspoons celery salt or more to taste

EASY VERSION FOR A CROWD
Serves 24, more at a potluck

Requires a very large bowl or a large kettle in which to mix the salad. After marinating, it can be served in a more normal-sized large bowl.

Double all ingredients, substituting a 5 pound restaurant pack of shredded cabbage for the whole cabbage in the recipe above. Remove packets containing carrots and red cabbage (for another use) if you want a uniform color.

Allergy Information: Contains no corn, wheat, milk or eggs.

Wild Weather - Winter is coming.

We had our first hard frost the 7th, 25 or 26 degrees, with a repeat the next day. After a cold rain. Grateful for the rain. Since then we've had warmer rains. Hope we will see an end to the drought. Fields went fallow here this year, but it wasn't as bad as on the West Side, where water was just about cut off.

I brought the last four green tomatoes in from the garage to ripen on the counter. Seed catalogs have been coming since late November. Dream time.

Quick Asian Chicken Salad for a crowd

I accidentally bought 10 pounds of coleslaw mix this week for a branch party and only used 5 pounds. So I'm going to be trying out some cabbage salad recipes. This recipe is adapted from the Ready Pac coleslaw package. Haven't tried it. Think I'll experiment with a quarter recipe, less dressing.

Rotisserie chicken, skin removed, deboned and sliced: 6 pounds
5 pound restaurant pack shredded cabbage for coleslaw or 2 medium heads cabbage, shredded
Diced scallions: 20 oz. or 4 cups
Water chestnuts, drained or sliced, jicama, peeled and sliced in small pieces and /or diagonally sliced celery: 2 lb. or 2 quarts

Uncooked Ramen soup noodles broken into pieces (no seasoning pack): 2 pounds or 12 cups (or use fried crispy chow mein noodles or rice noodles for garnish)
Sesame Asian Salad Dressing: 3 quarts (I think you could use less - much less if you skip the Ramen noodles. Purchase where you get the restaurant pack of shredded cabbage, or make your own).

Mix chicken, shredded cabbage, scallions, water chestnuts, jicama and/or celery. Add broken Ramen noodles if using. Add dressing. Mix well and refrigerate until serving time. Garnish with cashew pieces, toasted almond slices or toasted mild sesame seeds if desired. Or garnish with fried chow mein noodles or rice noodles if you did not use the Ramen noodles in the recipe. If you intend to serve salad soon after you make it, it would be best to skip the Ramen noodles and use the crispy noodle garnish instead.

Christmas Party Marinated Coleslaw

Adapted from this recipe. Christmas colors - light green, dark green and red. You will need a very large bowl or kettle in which to mix and marinate the salad. The volume of the salad will decrease during marination, and you can serve the salad in a more normal-sized large bowl.

5 tsp. celery salt or 4 tsp. salt and 2 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper or 1/2 tsp. red pepper (or to taste)
2 to 4 tsp. dry mustard or mustard seed
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/3 cups cider vinegar
1 large onion (for 1 cup minced onion) or equivalent in scallions*

1/2 cup to 1 cup chopped green pepper or Ancho or Pasilla chiles (optional)*
1/4 cup chopped pimento or one large chopped red bell pepper*
2 medium heads cabbage, about 5 pounds total, or a 5 pound restaurant pack shredded cabbage for coleslaw (remove bags of red cabbage and carrots for Christmas colors)

1/4 cup vegetable oil, or to taste
Watercress, green and red pepper rings for garnish

Directions
Mix dry seasonings and sugar in the bottom of a very large bowl or non-aluminum kettle. Add vinegar and mix well. If using an onion, peel, quarter and mince in food processor. If using scallions, mince white part and thinly slice tender green tops. Add onion to vinegar mixture. If the onion is strong, let it sit in the marinade for a while before adding the other ingredients. Chop and add green and red peppers, if used.

If using whole cabbage, cut into eights, remove core and any tough outer leaves. Shred in food processor. If using a restaurant pack of shredded cabbage and it's for a Christmas party, remove the small pack with carrots and/or red cabbage. Otherwise, use them, too. Add cabbage to other ingredients and mix well.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, mixing well 2 or 3 times. Drain just before serving or transfer to a smaller serving bowl using a slotted spoon. Toss in oil. Garnish with watercress or red and green peppers if desired.

* Chopped green pepper is colorful and flavorful, but some people cannot tolerate it. Red bell peppers are easier for most people to tolerate, but not all. You could cut green and/or red bell peppers in rings, strips or shapes for a fancy design and use them for garnish. Or leave the peppers in large chunks in the salad so guests who have sensitive tummies can remove them easily.

Ancho or Pasilla chiles have some mild heat and a nice, fruity flavor which could be a nice addition to this salad.

To add dark green color to the salad without fresh peppers of any kind, substitute tender tops from scallions, thinly sliced, for all or part of the onion in the recipe.  A few stalks of celery, diced, are also nice additions. 

Allergy Information: Some people are allergic to celery. Contains no corn, wheat, milk, soy or egg.

"Spanish" Green Beans

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks!. Entertaining directions at the link.

Pioneer Woman recommends her recipe as a Thanksgiving side dish.  It can be prepared in advance and holds for hours in a slow-cooker or electric skillet.  Recipes to serve 10 and to serve a crowd of 20 (more at a buffet) are below. Leftovers are good, too.
 
This dish would also be good served in individual bowls for a light supper (or breakfast or brunch) with a nice roll or some toast. Reminds me of Grandma's farm breakfast of stewed tomatoes and grilled cheese sandwiches.  Or serve over a little brown rice, over drained and heated canned corn or with some good tortillas.

Recipe for 10 servings (as a side dish)

I prefer slightly-sweet stewed tomatoes for this dish, especially if you're a little short on time to cook the beans after adding the tomatoes. This dish tastes best if simmered for at least 45 minutes.

Ingredients
5 slices bacon (or 1/3 to 1/2 pound)
1 medium onion, diced
4 cans (14.5 oz. ) whole or cut green beans (or 1 1/2 to 2 Pounds fresh or frozen)
2 cans (14.5 oz.) stewed, whole or diced tomatoes (or one 28 oz. can)
Cayenne pepper to taste (Up to 1/8 teaspoon, or 1/4 teaspoon of regular red pepper)

Preparation
Slice the bacon into pieces  one inch wide or less and start cooking them in a deep skillet or Dutch oven. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until bacon startes to turn brown, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, dice the onion. When the bacon is beginning to brown, drain off most of the fat and then add the onions. Cook, stirring now and then, until bacon and onions are both turning a nice  color, but do not cook until bacon is crisp.

Add the two cans of tomatoes with their juice.  Stir, loosening browned bits from the bottom of the pan and breaking up the tomatoes a little if you wish. Drain the green beans and add them to the pan.  Stir gently.   If you add the cayenne pepper to the pan with the bacon and the onions now, the heat may increase as the dish cooks.  You can also add the pepper just before serving, when it will be easier to adjust the flavor to your preference.

 If you wish to take this dish to a potluck, you can heat it through at this point, then transfer it to a 3 to 4 quart slow cooker to finish cooking.  Or if you are starting several hours in advance, combine the onions, bacon and tomatoes with the drained, unheated beans in the slow cooker and stir gently).  Start cooking on "high" heat then turn to the low or warm setting when you think the dish has cooked long enough. 

If not transferring to a slow cooker, cover the pan and reduce heat to low. Cook for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Recipe for a Crowd 

Your chance to use a restaurant-size can of green beans.  This double recipe serves about 20, more at a buffet or potluck, where you might want to serve this dish with a slotted spoon.  Save the soupy part in the bottom of the pot or skillet to eat later with crackers, toast or a grilled cheese sandwich.

Ingredients
10 slices bacon (I sometimes use a 12-ounce package)
1 very large onion or two medium onions, diced
1 food service-size can (6 lb. 5 oz. ) whole or cut green beans OR two 50-ounce cans, PLUS one 14.5 oz. can.
2 large cans (28 oz.) whole, stewed or diced tomatoes (or four 14.5 oz. cans)
Cayenne pepper to taste (up to 1/4 teaspoon or up to 1/2 teaspoon regular red pepper)

Prepare as above, in a large electric skillet, Dutch oven or kettle with a heavy bottom. For a potluck or buffet, a 6 to 8 quart capacity slow-cooker or large, deep electric skillet is easy to transport.

Some Other Ideas
For a meatless dish, consider the following:

1. Increase the amount of chile. Brown the onions slowly in a little oil.

2, Substitute 1/4 teaspoon (or more) of whole celery seed for the cayenne and add two medium diced potatoes and some fresh-ground black pepper with the tomatoes after browning the onions slowly in a little oil. The Crab Cooker's wonderful red clam chowder - a Newport Beach tradition - contains a LOT of celery seed.  Well, green beans and clams are not exactly interchangeable, but there is some similarity in the flavor of the finished products.

Family Green Bean Gardening Traditions and Preferences

David called this dish "Okie beans" at a branch party, but I think of "Okie beans" as big, fresh green beans - "beany" ones like the ones his mother prefers - cooked for a long time with onion and some ham or bacon. She likes varieties like Kentucky Wonder and Pinto (picked as green beans, with seeds developed), but both have strings. Contender is her choice for a stringless, "beany" bean, but it will get fibrous in cool fall weather. It's for spring planting. The Blue Lake-type beans you find in cans are the kind David's Mom calls, "just green, not beans", along with filet beans and other delicate types. The kind my Mom likes. Fortex is her favorite. Great choice. David's mom and my mom both like Romano-type beans, too. But my mom picks them when they're still young, before the seeds develop.

Even though this recipe, as written, is made with beans that taste more "green" than "beany", Pioneer Woman does live in Oklahoma. So David isn't too far off in calling this dish "Okie beans", even when it's made with skinny, city-slicker beans. I expect that David's mom could make this dish wonderful with fresh Kentucky Wonders or her home-canned "beany" beans, too.  Wouldn't work as well with Mom's ultra-tender baby beans.

You could also use flat Italian green beans, using one or more cans of Italian-style stewed tomatoes in place of regular stewed tomatoes.  Don't over-do the Italian seasoning.  You might want to use black pepper rather than cayenne for an Italian variation.

Allergy information: Tomato sauce and some canned tomatoes may contain corn products. Check the label. Some bacon contains corn products. Some people get headaches from cured meats.

Stocking up: You can keep the beans, tomatoes and cayenne pepper for this recipe on hand all the time. In a pinch, you can leave out the bacon.  Use dried, minced onion if you don't have fresh onions (don't try to saute them), and a touch of vegetable oil.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

The original version of this recipe came from Bon Appetit. I read about the Pumpkin Bread Pudding below on the blog of Elizabeth Scalia, who blogs on a Catholic website as The Anchoress. She says that if you make this pudding, people will "want to be your friend". She's right.

She leaves out the golden raisins (which I can't eat because they're treated with sulfites). I think little Zante currants (miniature raisins, actually) or chopped, sweetened dried pineapple could be substituted. But I usually don't add any fruit.

Instead of serving the sauce alongside the pudding, she stabs the bread deeply all over with a knife when the pudding is done, pours the caramel sauce over it and lets it sink in. That's what I did the first time I made it. But I can't imagine pouring on the whole recipe of sauce. She typically doubles the pudding recipe. Maybe a single recipe of sauce would sink into a double recipe of pudding, baked in a 9 x 13 or 10 x 15 inch pan. If you use a 9 x 13 inch pan, pick one with really tall sides. I use a 10 x 15 inch casserole dish for a double recipe. I have decided that I like to spread some of the warm sauce on the pudding shortly before serving, with the rest served in a small crockpot (the kind used to heat dips) on the side. But Elizabeth's way makes for easier serving (not easier transporting, necessarily). This pudding is best warm. The caramel sauce should always be served warm or hot if served separately.

PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

Yield: Makes 6 really big servings, more smaller servings

Ingredients

2 large eggs, equivalent egg substitute or 4 egg yolks
2 cups half and half (I substitute a 12 oz. can of evaporated milk and 1/2 cup milk)
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin (29-oz. can for a double recipe)
1 cup (packed) plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice***
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

10 cups Challah bread (egg bread) or other firm bread, cut in 1/2-inch cubes (about 10-ounces)*
1/2 cup golden raisins, currants or chopped, dried pineapple (optional)

* I use 2 Tablespoons white sugar in place of the 2 T brown sugar, mixing the spices with it.

** I usually don't measure the bread cubes anymore. I have used a 12-oz. package of Kings Hawaiian Sweet Rolls (omit 2 Tablespoons sugar) for a single recipe and a 22-oz. bag of Mexican-style Telera rolls (Semilla de Oro brand, apparently corn-free)for a double batch. If your bread is as soft as these rolls, don't fret about getting your cube size down to 1/2 inch. An inch is fine. I have also used a 24-oz. loaf of dense "country-style" white bread for a double batch, which produced less volume than the Telara rolls. If you believe that you have more bread than usual for this recipe, add an extra egg and a couple of tablespoons extra sugar (plus a little extra spice) for a single recipe or 2 extra eggs and a quarter cup extra sugar for a double recipe.

*** If you want the pudding to taste more like Libby's pumpkin pie, substitute 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ginger and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cloves for the spices in the original recipe. Omit vanilla. Or use 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon freshly crushed cardamom with a couple of teaspoons of fresh orange zest.

Caramel sauce (variations here, less-rich alternatives below)
1 1/4 cups (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup whipping cream

Directions
NOTE: You will need a REALLY BIG mixing bowl if you make a double recipe, plus an 11x7 inch or 9x9 inch baking pan for a single recipe, or a 10x15 inch baking pan or dish for a double recipe.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk eggs until well-beaten, whisk in cream or milk, pumpkin, dark brown sugar, vanilla extract and spices in large bowl to blend. Fold in bread cubes. Stir in golden raisins, if used. Transfer mixture to 11x7-inch or 9x9-inch glass baking dish (or spray a metal baking pan with non-stick cooking spray)or a 10x15 inch baking dish for a double recipe. Let stand 15 minutes. Bake pumpkin bread pudding until tester (i.e, a knife) inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes for a single recipe, 45 minutes or more for a double recipe.

Meanwhile, prepare caramel sauce:
Whisk sugar and butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Whisk in cream and stir until sugar dissolves and sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes.

Less-rich sauce alternatives include Old-Fashioned Vanilla Sauce like Grandma used to make, maple cream sauce (closer to what the Pilgrims could have had - though probably not at their first Thanksgiving), or a standard custard sauce flavored like eggnog. I would serve any of these on the side.

If you want to cut down on the "carb rush" from the pudding itself, you might start with the Pumpkin Bread Pudding recipe linked at the Maple Cream Sauce recipe above, or the first recipe linked below. Some recipes use whole-grain bread. Don't be afraid to vary a pumpkin bread pudding recipe.

Other Pumpkin Bread Pudding Recipes

Here's a similar recipe using half the pumpkin, proportionately less sugar, slightly different spices and a little vanilla - for a slightly smaller pan - 8 x 8 inches. Double recipe to use an entire 15-oz. can of pumpkin, baking in a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Below is a recipe for Pumpkin Bread Pudding made with French bread and dried cranberries - getting closer to a recipe I could taste. There are some "Artisan" French breads out there with no corn products. I have a non-severe sensitivity to eggs, and I would likely use two egg yolks in place of each egg (most people who are allergic to eggs react to one of the proteins in egg white). Maybe I could get away with 4 egg yolks. The first recipe linked above uses only two eggs. I might decrease the granulated sugar a little, too.

This pudding is recommended with Vanilla Sauce or other accompaniments. I've added a few tweaks to the original linked recipe.

Raisins or chopped pecans can be used in place of the dried cranberries, or try another chopped dried fruit - like maybe dried pinapple. Or leave out the dried fruit altogether.

PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING with French Bread and Dried Cranberries
Ingredients:
8 ounces French bread, torn into small pieces, about 5 cups
2 cups half-and-half, half milk and half cream or 12 oz. evaporated milk and 1/2 cup milk
3 large eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
1 cup dried cranberries
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla
cinnamon sugar, optional

Preparation:
Butter an 11x7-inch (or 9 inch square) baking dish. Heat oven to 350°.
In a bowl, cover the torn bread with the half-and-half; set aside.

In another bowl, combine eggs, sugars, pumpkin, cranberries, melted butter, spices, and vanilla; blend well. Pour pumpkin mixture over soaked bread and stir to blend.

Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle top with cinnamon-sugar, if desired. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until set.

Serve with a vanilla dessert sauce or brown sugar sauce, whipped cream, or vanilla or eggnog ice cream.
Serves 8.

Maple Cream Sauce

A for bread puddings, steamed pudding, gingerbread, waffles, etc. Especially appropriate for Thanksgiving. See the link to KSL.com for a pumpkin bread pudding which is smaller than our favorite, with more eggs and less of most everything else - perhaps the one to serve for breakfast.

I've included three variations to this recipe. Real maple syrup is precious, with a distinctive flavor. But most commercial maple-flavored syrups have a stronger, less complex flavor. Some people, long used to the typical maple-flavored syrups, may not even recognize real maple syrup as maple. There is a recipe below for spiced maple cream sauce, if you want to use Log Cabin, Mrs. Butterworth's or another maple- flavored syrup.

Some of the darker, more flavorful real maple syrups (medium or dark amber, not "A" grade) have a sour note. These darker syrups are great in this recipe if you replace part of the maple syrup with brown and white sugar for a more balanced flavor. Add a whisper of vanilla if you like.

Ingredients for 100% real maple sauce
3/4 cup real maple syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 ½ Tbs. Butter
1/8 tsp. vanilla (optional)

Ingredients for maple/brown sugar sauce
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 ½ Tbs. Butter
1/8 tsp. vanilla (optional)

Ingredients for maple spice sauce
¾ cup maple-flavored syrup
½ cup heavy cream
1 ½ Tbs. Butter
½ tsp Pumpkin pie spice or 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. allspice, nutmeg (grated if possible) or cardamom (freshly crushed if possible)

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan. Bring almost to boil while stirring.
Sauce will thicken as it cools.
Serve over Pumpkin Bread pudding, steamed carrot pudding or gingerbread.
Also very good over ice cream, waffles or cheesecake.

Old-Fashioned Vanilla Sauce

This Vanilla Sauce, made with water, flour and a little butter, is less rich than many dessert sauces. The recipe below is like the one Grandma served with her steamed carrot (and potato) pudding, although she did not add allspice - just a little nutmeg. That's what I do, too.

I might try it with browned butter sometime, but I might need to stir the sauce prior to serving. I have made it with using a roux with the flour and butter - as for white sauce - cooking to a light tan (watch it carefully). Using a roux changes the texture of the sauce.

Spiced Vanilla Sauce with Butter
Original from Diana Rattray, About.com Guide

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice (optional)
1 cup cold water
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:
In saucepan, mix together the sugar, flour, nutmeg, and (allspice); blend in cold water. Bring to a simmer and simmer until clear and thickened. Blend in butter and vanilla. Serve over hot fritters or with steamed pudding, bread pudding, baked apples or other dessert.

Dixie Salad

The Cox family is going to have this fruit salad, featuring pomegranates, for Thanksgiving. They brought the salad last month for Munch and Mingle. At the time, I thought of it as a glorified, prettier, Southern-style Waldorf salad. It contains pineapple, the traditional symbol of hospitality in the Southeast, along with bananas, and pecans instead of walnuts. Their version of the salad is very similar to this one.

Then I found this recipe from Hurricane, Utah, Circa 1914, and thought that maybe "Dixie Salad" referred not to the Old South but to "Utah's Dixie". In this region around St. George, at the edge of the Sunbelt, "Utah Sweet" (a sweet, pink pomegranate) and other relatively hardy varieties of pomegranate are grown. Pecan trees are used for landscaping. I would imagine that almonds and walnuts are grown there, too, just like in our Central Valley. The dressing for the older recipe includes whipped cream and "salad dressing" - probably a "boiled dressing" or, later, a commercial dressing like Miracle Whip. Boiled raisins (later, grapes), walnuts and almonds apparently came before recipes with pineapple, bananas and pecans. The ingredients in the older recipe could pretty much be produced locally. It is noted that sweetened whipped cream could be substituted for the tangier dressing if you preferred the salad for dessert.

Here's the Cox Family recipe. They are using frozen Grenada pomegranate arils (the individual seeds surrounded by red flesh) that they grew themselves. Grenada is a dark-fleshed, early-ripening sport of the old standard variety for hot summer, mild-winter climates, "Wonderful". The latter sometimes holds fruit on the tree until Thanksgiving, but fruits may split if watering is irregular or if it rains, so it is often better to pick them before they split and refrigerate (up to 2 months) or remove arils and freeze.

Dixie Salad

Amounts are variable. Adjust to taste.

2 cups pomegranate arils (thaw if frozen)
1 can (about 14 0z. drained, 20 oz. total weight) pineapple chunks or tidbits
4 bananas, peeled and sliced
3 cups peeled, cored, and chopped tart apple
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons creamy salad dressing, e.g. Miracle Whip ™

To remove arils from the pomegranate, cut a thick slice off the blossom end, deep enough to remove the skin and reveal the interior membranes radiating out from the center, between the arils. Score the skin deeply from top to bottom near where the membranes meet the skin. Remove a little of the pith from the center, where the blossom end was. You can also cut off a little skin on the stem end if you like. Break the fruit apart and remove arils from membranes, or follow these directions for mess-free pomegranate arils.

Drain pineapple, reserving juice for another use. Mix fruit and nuts with mayonnaise and salad dressing n a large bowl. The linked recipe calls for the salad to be refrigerated overnight, but I think I would follow the Cox's practice of dressing the salad closer to serving time, or at least adding the bananas and maybe the pecans closer to serving time. If I felt fancy, I might toast the pecans first.

Allergy Information: Mayonnaise and Miracle Whip contain eggs. I think Miracle Whip also contains flour and corn products.

Toasted Cornbread-Pecan Dressing for Thanksgiving

David's Mom always makes a big roasting pan full of cornbread dressing, moist and dense, for Thanksgiving. Still working on getting her recipes together and onto this blog. I can't eat the dressing because of the corn, but I need to learn how to make it for family gatherings.

The dressing below does not require oven time on Thanksgiving or Christmas day. It is adapted from The Cook's Bible: The Best of American Home Cooking by Christopher Kimball - the editor of "Cook's Illustrated" magazine.

"Toasting the cornbread and the chopped pecans gives a wonderful taste and texture to the finished product". You'll have to let me know, because I can't eat it. Sounds good, though. Bet you could double the recipe for a big crowd and leave it in a big electric skillet for buffet service:

Toasted Cornbread-Pecan Dressing

6 cups coarsely crumbled cornbread
3/4 cup pecans
1/4 pound bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onions
3/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage or 1 tsp dried
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup minced flat leaf parsley

1. Heat over to 350F. Spread crumbled cornbread onto a baking sheet. Coarsely chop pecans and add to cornbread. Toast in oven for 25-30 minutes or until cornbread is golden, tossing the crumbs once or twice during toasting. Cool and place in a large mixing bowl.

2. Cook bacon over medium heat in a skillet. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to the bowl with the cornbread and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of drippings (mmm...bacon drippings). Add butter and olive oil to skillet and when butter has melted, add onion and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add celery and saute another three minutes.
Stir in thyme and sage and salt and pepper to taste. Add to cornbread.

3. Turn up heat under skillet. Add chicken stock and cook for 3 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping the bottom of the pan. Add mixture to the bowl of cornbread. Add parsley to bowl and adjust seasonings.

And you're thinking, "Put it back in the oven, right?" No, that's it.
You're done. Makes about 10 cups, and it tastes even better if you make it today and let it sit overnight. Reheat in microwave (if made ahead) and turn into a serving bowl.

Last Year's Thanksgiving Tips - plus more

CRANBERRIES
One thing I always do at Thanksgiving now is to make a batch of cranberry sauce from scratch, from the Ocean Spray Cranberry package. Sort through the berries while washing (they float) and follow the recipe exactly, breaking berries which don't burst. It's so easy, and much better than canned whole-berry sauce. Wonderful if you're transporting food to someone else's house, as it doesn't need to be refrigerated and is best made ahead. For a different flavor, less assertive, add 1/4 teaspoon salt. Recommended by Cook's Illustrated as the best recipe for cranberry sauce.

You can also use part orange juice in place of water and a little orange zest mixed in, or as a garnish. Plus a teaspoon of ginger or some other spices. If using orange and/or spices, try using part brown sugar in place of white sugar. Some people like red grape juice in place of water (or port wine - a no-no for those with sulfite allergies), plus the zest from a couple of lemons.

I've been going the purist route in recent years. Just a 12-oz. bag of berries and a cup each of sugar and water. Makes a zingy sauce (though if the fresh cranberries available this year are not completely ripe, a little salt will cut the bitterness). If it's a good year for cranberries, make extra for later in the season. Process canning jars as for jelly if you're serious about having extra homemade sauce.

I have been leaving the oranges, etc. for raw cranberry relish. There's a recipe on the Ocean Spray bag. And you can find others easily. If chunky relish is too bold, try blending it in a food processor until pureed.

For kids, have some mild, jellied cranberry (even better, cranberry/raspberry) sauce on hand. Remove the "log" from the can, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into half-rounds and fan them out on a serving plate, or cut in half again lengthwise before slicing quarter-logs into wedges. Individual servings will take up less room on the plate and will be less "floppy" than big round slices.

Update: More Cranberry Sauce ideas here. And from NPR, the famous pink cranberry/horseradish/sour cream relish. And relish with orange and ginger here.

VEGETABLES AND FRUITS
One idea for keeping guests happy while simplifying your Thanksgiving Day menu (and cutting down on rich foods) is to expand the number of vegetable dishes you serve and to set out platters of fruit and nuts for nibbling. Very much in keeping with the idea of gratitude for the harvest. And this holds true for the entire Thanksgiving weekend, when fruits and vegetables can fill in around meals based on leftovers. If guests arrive a day early, fruits and vegetables, and marinated salads, can be kept on hand to accommodate variable schedules.

Here's a pretty fruit salad you can make mostly ahead. It features pomegranates. Our friends in Switzerland could make it in summer, substituting red currants for pomegranates.

One year here in our garden, we had fresh shelly beans in the garden at Thanksgiving, several varieties, and I combined them with corn, a little caramelized onion and a touch of heavy cream for a "more traditional" succotash. I got the idea from the Joy of Cooking. No cup of butter in the succotash for me. Though tomatoes in succotash are another way to go. Keira's mom used to cook dried corn and add a little cream for fall sometimes to remind everyone how things used to be.

I cooked some of the shellies (fresh seeds from over-grown, but not dried, green beans) separately for myself, since I can't eat corn. Black Valentine and Coco Rose de Prague are good varieties for variable fall weather, and make good shellies as well as green beans. Supplement with frozen lima or green beans if you are short of "shellies".

GENERAL

Nothing wrong with having two or three kinds of dressing.

Don't think I'll be doing deep-fried turkey.

My rolls will be from frozen dough, not "scratch".

Hoping that everyone has a great Thanksgiving. Let me know if you have any particularly wonderful dishes for next year.

First Frost

We had a welcome and prayed-for rainstorm last week. Our first light frost was this morning. A full month after the official "you might get frost on this date" consensus - about October 15. It was not cold enough to hurt plants, except for the most tender ones. Most of the tomato plants in the "tomato hedge" are dead or dying, but not from the frost. One plant (I think it's Big Boy) has a lot of little end-of-season tomatoes still hanging on the plant. It's like the plant rushed to ripen them before they reached normal size. They're sweeter than the bigger ones on the same plant - perhaps due to water restriction during ripening - and have less damage on the tops from water condensation. Their skins are pretty tough.

They taste better than the volunteer cherry tomatoes. These volunteer plants are still covered with fruits, but they taste like they grew in cold weather. I'm starting to think that there's something to the idea that plants grown in uncultivated soil are hardier and more drought-resistant. The cherry tomatoes planted in our cultivated "hedge" are dead. Maybe it's time to try the idea of layering amendments on top of the soil, rather than turning them into the soil.

The heirloom varieties of tomatoes which we planted late, on the south side of the house, are still green and lush. Not many tomatores on the plants. A couple of days ago I picked a Cherokee Purple tomato. The top was cracked and damaged from water condensation, but the bottom half was very tasty - on the juicy side, but it didn't have the off-flavors typical of tomatoes which ripen when the nights are cold. I should search through the interior of the big plant for more.

Tiny Batch Applesauce-Raisin Cookies (vegan)

The weather is getting colder, and baking something in our small oven heats up the house just the right amount in the morning. You can make these cookies quickly once the raisins are plumped and cooled, while preparing other foods to bake.

This is a cake-like cookie. I hate the taste of burnt raisins in cookies, so I plump the raisins before adding them (using the leftover liquid in the dough). This recipe contains no animal products (unless you make the variation with an egg yolk). It is low in fat for a cookie.

This recipe makes just enough for some little treats. Use a different recipe if baking for a crowd. It uses some small measurements. You can measure 1/8 teaspoon by leveling a 1/4 teaspoon measure and removing half of your ingredient. But you might want to buy a set of measuring spoons with a 1/8 teaspoon measure. Or a set of spice spoons with small measurements.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup raisins, packed
2 Tablespoons water

1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg or freshly crushed cardamom
2/3 cup all-purpose flour (stir flour, spoon into measuring cup and level)

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup cold applesauce

1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions:
About 15 minutes in advance, plump the raisins by mixing with water in a small bowl and heating on high in a microwave oven just until water boils. Stir, cover with a plate to allow raisins to plump for about 5 minutes. Stir and microwave again until raisins start to steam, maybe 20 seconds. Stir and cover for 5 minutes. If raisins were very dry to begin with, repeat one more time. Remove cover, stir and set aside to cool.

Position an oven rack in the top part of the oven. Preheat oven to 350º. Cover the baking surface of a light-colored baking sheet (shiny metal is best) with aluminum foil and grease or spray with non-stick cooking spray (or grease the baking surface of the sheet itself).

Combine all dry ingredients except flour in a small mixing bowl and stir until there are no lumps of soda and all ingredients are well-blended. Add flour and blend well.

Drain raisins and measure liquid. Add a scant Tablespoon of the cooled liquid to the dry ingredients - less if you want cookies which are more rounded. Add water to make a scant Tablespoon if necessary. Before stirring, add oil, vanilla and applesauce. Then stir just until blended. Stir in raisins (and nuts if used). Drop rounded tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheet, spacing evenly. Makes about 9 large or 12 smaller cookies.

Bake for about 12 minutes, or until medium brown. Do not under-bake or cookies will be gummy. If baked until darker brown, the cookies may be a little tough. I use the small oven at the top of a Gemini dual-oven stove, and switch to the top heating element (broil) for the last half of baking. But in some ovens, you may not be able to set the top element to a temperature lower than "broil". If using a large oven, positioning the rack near the top of the oven should help cook the tops and bottoms of the cookies more evenly.

Cool for about a minute before removing cookies from the sheet to a wire cooling rack. After cooling completely, store tightly covered, with layers of waxed paper, foil or plastic wrap between layers. Texture may improve after the cookies have mellowed tightly covered for a few hours, especially if you have over-baked them a little. They are nice the next day.

Variations
Spicy cookies - Increase the amount of cinnamon to 1/2 tsp. and add 1/4 tsp. allspice, 1/2 tsp. ginger or 1/8 tsp. cloves in place of nutmeg. Or use your favorite spice combination.

You may substitute brown sugar for granulated sugar by sifting dry ingredients with flour instead of mixing with sugar. Omit cream of tartar. Mix the brown sugar with wet ingredients before adding dry ingredients, crushing any lumps of brown sugar. You may wish to omit vanilla.

No Raisins - Substitute a scant Tablespoon of apple or pineapple juice, or water, for raisin liquid. Or leave out liquid for more rounded cookies.

With Egg - Add an egg yolk in place of raising liquid. This will change (and probably improve) the texture of the cookies.

Allergy Information: Contains no corn products, eggs or dairy. Unless you use the egg yolk variation.

Slightly Spicy Chicken and Rice for a Crowd

A variation on Mexican Crockpot Chicken. Great for a potluck or buffet. Completely fills a 6-quart slow cooker if made with thigh filets (7 or 8-quart cooker is better if you use whole thighs), also appropriate for a large, deep electric skillet.  May be prepared in a large kettle or saucepan, too.  Halve the recipe for a family dinner. Prepare in a 3-quart (or larger) slow-cooker, large saucepan or in an electric skillet.

The ingredient list is about as simple as you could imagine.  Serve with small bowls of condiment-type hot sauce, cilantro or Italian parsley, onions or scallions, radishes, corn kernels and/or other typical Mexican additions to hot dishes if you like.   It's also fine by itself. 

INGREDIENTS:
2 Family Packs (about 5 pounds each ) chicken thighs.  About 12 thighs per pack for a total of about 24 chicken thighs.  You can also used 2 family packs of skinless, boneless thigh filets (about 12 per pack) if you're more short on time than money.


2 - 4 cans, about 8 ounces each, El Pato Mexican hot sauce (the one in the yellow can).  Lately I have been using 3 cans for thigh filets, 4 cans for whole thighs.

1 - 2 large, dark green Ancho/Poblano or other mild chiles - optional

Chicken broth
Salt to taste

Fluffy rice (start with 4 cups dry rice). Or use an equivalent amount of brown rice, cooked in a rice cooker (or maybe a pressure cooker at high altitude)

DIRECTIONS
Chicken thighs and sauce
Cook chicken until almost tender in a slow-cooker or electric skillet (the latter will require some added water or chicken broth) until almost tender, but not falling apart. You may want to add a can of single-strength chicken broth now if you use thigh filets, which don't release as much moisture as whole thighs.  Cool, remove the skin, bones and cartilage after thighs are cooked. Skim fat from liquid. Cut meat into chunks.  (If the meat falls apart, it will be O.K.  The meat just won't be as noticeable in the finished dish). 

Put the meat and liquid back in the electric skillet or electric skillet.  (If you use whole thighs, you may be able to save part of the broth for soup or another dish).  Add hot sauce, rinsing out cans with a little water and adding to the liquid.  Add additional chicken broth if liquid does not come up to the level of the top of the chicken meat.  Seed chiles, cut into large chunks and add to sauce.  Heat through until sauce is steaming and chiles are partially cooked.    Cool and refrigerate  if made ahead.

(You can continue cooking the skin, bones and cartilage in a smaller slow cooker with a little water and any extra broth for a really good chicken stock.)

Serving day: Putting it all together
Rice
Within about 3 or 4 hours of serving, cook rice in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan (about 4 quarts) or in a heavy-bottomed kettle. Do not remove cover during or after cooking. Keep warm. Rice should be completely cooked before adding it to the chicken and sauce.

Chicken and sauce
 Heat chicken in sauce if it was refrigerated. Adjust salt to taste.

Transport hot chicken and sauce in the 6-quart (or larger) slow cooker or electric skillet and transport the warm rice in the covered saucepan or kettle if not making on-site. Maintain chicken at the "keep warm" temperature until serving time. Within a few minutes of serving, gently fluff rice and mix into the chicken. 

NOTE:  All of the rice may not fit into your slow cooker with the chicken and sauce, and you may not want to add it all even if it fits in yours.  I generally leave some of the rice out for other uses. 

VARIATIONS
Leftovers and Home Meals: You may need to add a little extra chicken broth to leftovers if the rice seems dry. David likes this chicken and rice with re-fried beans (maybe covered in melted cheese) and a salad. If serving the chicken at home, you can leave the chicken and sauce in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days, heating some up to serve over rice, with good tortillas, in burritos, etc. as needed instead of mixing the chicken with rice.

"Lots of Chicken" variation: Add additional boneless, skinless chicken breast  meat. Cut away any fat or tough connective tissue and cut into 1/2 inch pieces or smaller. The breast meat won't need as long to cook as the dark thigh meat, so add it partway through cooking. You may need to add a little extra chicken broth to get a "mouth-feel" similar to the original recipe.

Allergy Information: El Pato hot sauce contains no corn, wheat or soy products. There are a few brands of boxed chicken broth which do not contain corn products. Most canned chicken broth contains corn products. Update: Swanson has removed the corn products from its chicken broth. But check the label.

Mexican crockpot chicken

Our friends Manuela and Ana taught us to make this wonderful, amazingly simple dish.

Medium-spicy rather than hot, if you fill a 3 or 4-quart crockpot with chicken thighs and use one small can of hot sauce.

Menos pollo, màs piquante. - The less chicken, the spicier the dish.

DIRECTIONS
Place thawed chicken thighs in slow-cooker. One family-pack (4 or 5 pounds) will usually fit in a 3-quart cooker if you remove most of the skins (you may want to leave the skins on the top layer of chicken. Pour a small (about 8 oz.) can of El Pato Mexican hot sauce (in the little yellow can) over chicken. Add a little salt. Cook for several hours, until chicken is tender, stirring at least once after juices are released from chicken. Adjust salt and skim fat from sauce. Serve with rice and/or tortillas, spooning some of the sauce over the rice. Serve with some vegetables or a salad. David likes refried beans with it.

Serve with hot sauce for those who want more heat.

Leftovers still taste good. For a milder flavor, use enchilada sauce (El Pato brand is in a red can. For a slightly different, spicy flavor, use Jalapeno salsa. I think the sauce in the yellow can is the best choice.

VARIATIONS

This is a family-style dish. There's an easy-to-serve variation for a crowd here.

Or you can make this dish "gringo style" by cooking the chicken thighs first, removing skin, bones and cartilage, skimming fat from liquid then adding the hot sauce and cut-up or broken-up chicken to the cooking liquid and allowing everything to cook together for a few more minutes. If you don't have time to cook the chicken in a slow-cooker, you can simmer it on top of the stove in a little broth or water until tender but not falling apart.

You should end up with chunks of chicken in about enough sauce (including liquid from cooking the chicken) to almost cover the meat. This method allows you to remove a little more fat from the dish. You can serve the chicken and sauce with Spanish or white rice or mix the chicken and sauce with cooked white rice. Plus vegetables, beans, etc. as desired.

French Garlic Chicken

Easy. Requires an oven, so it's not a recipe for summer.

Spray the inside of a glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Use a baking dish in which the number of chicken pieces you are cooking will fit fairly tightly. Sprinkle salt and fresh-ground pepper on the dish, then sprinkle lightly with peeled, sliced fresh garlic.

Place one layer of chicken thighs over the salt, pepper and garlic in the dish, skin side up. Sprinkle with a little more salt, pepper over the chicken and lay at least 3 garlic slices on each piece of chicken. Cover fairly tightly (if using aluminum foil, grease the side which will touch the chicken, or spray with non-stick cooking spray). Run your finger along the inside edge of the foil-covered dish to push the foil below the top of the dish (to keep liquid from falling outside the dish).

Bake at 325º F. for at least 1 1/2 hours. Longer is better. You may cook at 275 degrees for several hours if you will be away. If chicken is not slightly browned as cooking nears completion, lift edge of cover to allow juices to concentrate and chicken to brown very slightly. Serve with French bread, roasted potatoes or baked potatoes to soak up juices. And some vegetables or a salad. Leftovers lose some of their flavor, especially if you're short on leftover pan liquid, so don't make too much extra.

Note: The original recipe calls for whole chicken, cut-up, many cloves of whole, peeled garlic and lots of butter. You may dot thighs with a little butter before cooking, if desired. Or remove skin from chicken and baste with butter and broth from the pan during cooking.

Fluffy Rice

Adapted from The Best Recipe.

This recipe is for fluffy, separate white rice - not for rice to be eaten with chopsticks. You may also cook long-grain rice in a rice-cooker without oil for a more delicate flavor. This recipe uses techniques for preparing rice pilaf.

1 cup rice
2 teaspoons vegetable oil, unsalted butter or a combination
1 1/2 cups water (proportionately less water for more rice: 2 3/4 cups water for 2 cups rice, etc.)
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

Place oil in a heavy-bottomed 2 to 2 1/2 quart saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and heat over medium heat. Add rice and saute for one to three minutes, depending on the amount of nutty flavor you want. I go for one minute unless preparing a pilaf-like dish.

Add water and salt and bring to a boil. Swirl pan to distribute rice evenly. Cover tightly, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to sit for an additional 15 minutes without lifting the lid.

How I do it: I usually add a little more water than called for in the recipe above, and cook for 18 minutes before allowing the rice to sit for the additional 15 minutes to finish cooking. For example, for 4 cups dry rice, I have used almost 3 Tablespoons oil, 6 cups water and 2 teaspoons salt, cooking in a kettle for 18 minutes after bringing to a boil, then allowing to continue cooking after turning off the heat. On my stove, the heat setting must be a notch above "low" in order for the rice to cook completely.

You may also need more water than the recipe above specifies if the lid to your pan does not fit tightly. You may need both a longer cooking time and more water if preparing rice at high altitude. If you are planning to serve rice for a crowd, do a trial run in advance to be sure that your rice will be thoroughly cooked at the heat setting and in the pan you choose. Rice cookers give reliable results as long as you are at a relatively low altitude.

Buffet-style Pozole Rojo - chicken or pork

A big, easy-to-serve version of Family-style Pozole.   Instructions for the pork version are below the chicken version.  Very popular for parties in the fall to winter season, especially as Christmas approaches. Pozole is traditional for Christmas Eve.  It is very simple but somewhat time-consuming to prepare. It's way easier to make than homemade tamales. Special tamales, including sweet tamales, are about the most labor-intensive Christmas-time food project in our town.  And Pozole is easier than its cousin, Menudo, too.

Pozole can be largely prepared in advance of a party, except for the raw vegetable accompaniments. It is served in bowls. Not for a formal-style gathering.  Good for brunch on cold mornings, or for people with a cold. The recipe may be doubled or tripled to serve from an electric roasting pan (they vary in capacity), but the weight could strain the handles of the roaster if lifted. Transport part of Pozole (especially liquid) in a separate container.

CHICKEN POZOLE

Ingredients

One family-pack chicken thighs (about 5 pounds)
Chicken broth or water
One very big can of Mexican-style hominy - about 3 Kg or almost 7 pounds
One 8-oz. package dried pods of Chile California or similar very mild chiles
One 2-oz. package dried pods of Pasilla, Pasilla Negro or Pasilla-Ancho chiles (optional)
Garnishes (see below)

Chicken and Broth: Simmer chicken thighs in enough water and/or chicken broth to cover, until tender but not falling apart. Remove from broth. Cool, remove skin, bones and visible fat and cut chicken into chunks.  Strain chicken broth, mix some warm water with the skin and bones and strain into broth.  Skim fat from broth.  If making ahead, it will be easier to remove the fat from the broth after refrigeration. 

Chile Puree (Red Sauce): Tear off and discard stem ends of chiles. Tear in half lengthwise (or break very dry chiles into pieces). Remove as much of the central seed membrane as can be done without too much work and shake out loose seeds.  Tear each chile into several pieces.  Sometimes chiles are toasted at this point, but I learned to make this dish without toasting the chiles.  Pack chile pieces into a large saucepan, cover with water, cover pan and bring to a boil. Remove covered pan from heat, setting aside for 30 minutes to soften and cool chiles.

When at least cool enough to leave your hand on the bottom of the pan, process chiles and part of the liquid in a blender or food processor until skins are reduced to about 1/4 inch chunks, or until smooth. Work sauce through a coarse sieve to remove skin and seed fragments. Or use a food mill or berry press to remove the seeds and skins. You may add the remaining liquid or some water to the skins, stir and strain again. Discard skins. Chile puree may be prepared the day before and refrigerated, or up to a couple of weeks in advance and frozen.

Final Preparation:  Heat broth and chunks of chicken meat in a large kettle.  You can also use an 7 or 8-quart slow cooker turned to high heat, but heating and simmering will take longer. Drain, rinse and add hominy to chicken and broth. Add chile puree and salt to taste. You should have leftover chile puree (red sauce).  Many recipes call for 4 ounces of dried chiles to make puree for this much hominy and meat.  The packages above should make enough sauce for 2 big batches unless you serve additional red sauce as a garnish.  The red sauce can also be used to flavor other dishes.   

Add water and/or additional chicken broth to bring Pozole to a soupy consistency. Adjust salt and simmer to blend flavors, for at least half an hour. The hominy swells as it simmers, so you may need to add additional water, broth and/or chile puree later. Refrigerate or freeze extra chile puree.

To Serve: Ladle into serving bowls and serve with these garnishes:

• A big bowl of thinly shredded or finely chopped cabbage (with tongs for adding cabbage to the Pozole).  I think pre-packaged Angel Hair Coleslaw (cabbage only) works very well.

• Finely diced red or white onion (offer minced scallions for more sensitive tummies or when available onions are very strong)

• Lime and/or lemon wedges (or lemon or lime juice)

• Sliced or julienned radishes

• hot pepper flakes, reserved red sauce and/or hot sauce 

• dried whole oregano to rub over individual servings as desired. 

 Cool and refrigerate leftover Pozole.   You may need to add additional liquid when reheating.   

Notes, including directions for Pork Pozole

The cabbage, onion and/or scallions and citrus are mandatory accompaniments. Other garnishes are optional but may be expected. Minced cilantro and/or Italian parsley are not traditional garnishes for this dish in winter in many regions, but are often offered.  Sometimes shredded iceberg lettuce is substituted for the cabbage and avocado is offered.  I don't know if these are traditional, however.    

I learned to make this style of Pozole from a friend who grew up in Michoacán.   Many of the people who live in our little town are from this state of Mexico.  This state includes mountainous regions where it freezes in winter, so cilantro is not available then.  This state also includes wintering grounds for Monarch butterflies.

PORK POZOLE

In our little town, Pozole made with pork butt or pork neck and a pig's foot is common at Christmas-season family gatherings. You may also use pork in the recipe above.  Pork shank and Boston pork butt are common choices for this size recipe.  Four or 5 pounds of lean country-style spare ribs (not real spare ribs) is an easy choice. Cut into large chunks before or after simmering in water or broth until tender.  Cool meat enough to remove visible fat and any bones.  For buffet-style Pozole, shred meat with two forks.

In some recipes, the pork is cut into one inch or 1 1/2 inch chunks and browned before simmering, adding some minced garlic at the end.   Rubbed oregano or coriander and a bay leaf may be added to the liquid as the meat simmers.   In some regions, the cook may add garlic cloves, cumin and/or a little ground allspice to the red sauce as it is placed in the blender to be pureed.   Garlic, cumin and oregano will make the dish taste more like chili.  Coriander is the seed of cilantro, but has a different flavor.  I have made pork pozole with bay leaf and a little coriander added to the meat, and liked it.  Remove bay leaf before serving. 

Our friend Rosie likes to add some dried Pasilla chiles with the traditional dried California chiles.   I believe that the name "Pasilla" refers to the wrinkled appearance of the dried chiles (like a raisin).   You could also try Ancho/Poblano chiles, which are sometimes smoked while drying.  Here, one popular choice is called "Pasilla-Ancho".  These may be dark Ancho peppers, but I'm just guessing.  Any of these will give a deeper color and more complex flavor to the dish. None of them are very spicy.   We have used a 16 oz. bag of Chile California and an 8 oz. bag of Chile Pasilla-Ancho to make red sauce for a season's worth of Pozole. Chile California is a red, dried version of the Anaheim Chile.  It is very similar to New Mexico Chiles, but milder.  Guajillo chiles are also used for Pozole, often in combination with one of the others above. 

Sometimes we see red hominy (made from red corn) in big cans this time of year, too. 
 
In Mexico, various raw or cooked vegetables (and other accompaniments like chopped hard-cooked eggs) are also offered when other kinds of soup are served, so diners can add the ones they like.

Allergy information: Contains corn.

Family-style Pozole

When the weather gets cooler in the fall, we start seeing big bags of dried, whole Chile California on sale at the store.  It's time to think about making Pozole, a cousin to Menudo. We're not quite up to making Menudo.  Pozole  looks like it contains tomatoes, but the color comes entirely from dried chiles. In summer, diced green chiles and chunks of chicken are often used.

Pozole can be prepared a day or two in advance of serving. Leftovers are good. David likes it for breakfast on cold mornings.

For Pork Pozole, follow the recipe on the 29-oz can of Teasdale Mexican-style hominy, substituting about 7 large dried Chile California peppers for Ancho or Chile sauce and Cayenne pepper. These peppers are mild, but the ones we buy are not smoked like dried Ancho (Poblano) peppers sometimes are. You could also used other dried, mild chiles, or combine California and Pasilla chiles for richer color and flavor. as our friend Rosie does. I use lean "country-style spare ribs" in place of the pork and pig's feet in the recipe on the can.

Remove stems and most of attached membrane and seeds from chiles, rinse and tear into pieces. Place in small covered saucepan and bring to boil in water to cover. Turn off heat and allow to sit until cool enough to comfortably keep your hand on the bottom of the pan. Process cooled chiles and some of the liquid in a blender or food processor until the skins are broken into about 1/4 inch pieces, or until smooth. Strain and press (while stirring) liquid and pulp through a coarse sieve, leaving skins in sieve. Add remaining liquid to skins, stir and press again.  Or try using a berry press or food mill to remove skin and seeds. Add chile puree to Pozole to taste. Adjust salt.

For Red Chicken Pozole, substitute 6 to 8 chicken thighs or a whole, cut-up chicken for pork and pigs feet. Cook chicken until tender in water and/or broth to cover. Remove from broth. People who grew up eating Pozole often like chicken or pork neck and/or pig's foot pieces served whole. For Gringos or for a big party, you may cool chicken enough to remove skin, bones and visible fat, breaking or cutting into bite-sized pieces. Skim fat from broth and return chicken to broth. Drain and add a 29-oz can hominy. Add salt and strained Chile puree to taste as above. Add water or additional chicken broth to produce a soupy consistency. Adjust salt. Simmer until flavors are well-blended.

Serve either pork or chicken Pozole with finely shredded or chopped cabbage, chopped onion or minced scallions, lemon or lime wedges or juice and sliced radishes to be added individually by diners. Also offer dried oregano to rub into Pozole (or finely minced fresh oregano to add) and hot sauce or hot pepper flakes.

Allergy information: Contains corn.

Marinated Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad for a Crowd

Mom taught me how to make this great salad for fall and winter. Even most kids like this salad despite its strongly flavored ingredients. I think the original Good Seasons dressing made with real apple cider vinegar and vegetable oil (add a little olive oil if you like) makes it really good. Use raw cider vinegar from the health food store for even more flavor.

Wonderful for buffets, because it is made ahead and is good at room temperature. It won't take up refrigerator room if you make it two or three hours ahead. You can also transport it in a cooler.  To simplify preparation, use pre-packaged broccoli and cauliflower florets and cut florets to bite size when assembling.  You can start marinating the onion a few hours in advance, especially if the onion is strong.

You can halve the recipe for smaller family meals. Or multiply the recipe for really big events.

Good Seasons Italian Dressing (the kind you make in a shaker jar) - buy a 4-pack.
1 medium to large red (or other mild) onion
2 large or 3 small bunches broccoli (3 to 4 lb.)
1 large head cauliflower (about 3 lb.)
4 to 6 carrots
1 regular can (or more) pitted black olives, sliced or halved, or equivalent of canned sliced olives
Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste

Prepare first shaker jar of salad dressing mix according to package directions, adding more vinegar in place of the water in the directions. Marinating the salad will dilute the dressing.  Soak some slices of macerated raw garlic in part of the vinegar you intend to use (then discard garlic) if you want to ramp up the flavor a bit more. 

Place onion, sliced in thick slices, into a large bowl containing enough salad dressing to cover the onion. I like to quarter the slices except for the center ones.  You can leave some attractive slices whole to garnish the top of the salad. If mild onions are out of season, use a smaller amount of strong onion, slice it thinly and marinate longer before adding other ingredients. Or substitute diced scallions.

Peel and thinly slice carrots on the diagonal.  Sprinkle with water.  Microwave just until easily pierced by a fork, stirring every 15 seconds.  Set aside to cool.   Or cut carrots in long shreds in a food processor rather than slicing. Use less carrot if shredding. 

Wash broccoli and cut into small florets. You may peel and add part of the sliced stems. Pile on top of the onions, shake on more salad dressing and mix. Add salad dressing until there is a little remaining in the bottom of the bowl after you toss. It will take more dressing than you think for the finished salad, sometimes more than 2 little shaker bottles for this big recipe.

Wash cauliflower and cut into small florets. Add with carrots to other veggies in the bowl.  Toss, add more salad dressing until there is just a little at the bottom of the bowl after you mix. Drain and slice or halve olives or use equivalent drained weight of pre-sliced olives.  Add fresh ground black pepper to taste and toss in.

Cover and marinate for two or three hours at room temperature, tossing occasionally. Or marinate overnight refrigerated. Refrigerate leftovers. The second or third day, you can shred some cabbage, savoy cabbage, Napa cabbage or mild Asian greens into the leftovers just before serving if you like, to take advantage of all the dressing left in the bottom of the bowl.  Angel hair cabbage works nicely. 

Allergy information for the salad dressing is here.

Old-Fashioned Coleslaw with Celery Seed Dressing

An old-fashioned coleslaw dressed with oil and vinegar. Good for buffets or potlucks, as it can be served at room temperature. Adapted from an old Betty Crocker cookbook. Makes 6 servings.

The recipe may be easily multiplied for large groups, but you would really want a food processor to shred or chop your cabbage.

Allergy Information: Some people are allergic to celery. Contains no corn, wheat, milk, soy or egg.

1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. celery seed*
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup chopped green pepper or Ancho or Pasilla chiles (optional)
1 Tablespoon chopped pimento or red bell pepper (optional)
2 Tablespoons minced scallions or 1 tsp. instant minced onion
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup cider or white vinegar
4 cups finely shredded or chopped cabbage.

Mix dry seasonings and sugar in the bottom of a large bowl. Add other ingerdients in order listed, mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Drain just before serving. Garnish with watercress if desired.

You may also mix the seasonings, sugar, onion, oil and vinegar together and allow flavors to blend before adding to cabbage and other vegetables. This is a good option if you wish to make less salad at one time or if your electricity is out and you cannot refrigerate the salad to blend the flavors. Most of the ingredients, other than the cabbage, can be kept in the pantry for emergencies. Cabbage keeps in a cool place longer than most vegetables.

* If whole celery seed is a little too strong for you or if you're short on time to blend the flavors of the salad, substitute 1 1/4 teaspoons celery salt for salt and celery seed.

Fire and Ice Salad

A fat-free marinated tomato salad for summer. Good for buffets and potlucks, served with a slotted spoon.

I think I'll try the dressing for this salad on some finely shredded cabbage (maybe with a little shredded carrot and/or minced scallions or red onion) for coleslaw. I will probably omit the water in the dressing and add a touch of oil to carry flavor, but I have seen other beloved recipes for fat-free marinated coleslaw. This dressing has less sugar than the dressing for this marinated coleslaw recipe.

¾ cup white or cider vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons mustard seed
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoons red pepper (ground)
¼ cup cold water
1 ½ teaspoons celery salt
4 ½ teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

6 tomatoes peeled and quartered
1 green pepper sliced in strips
1 cucumber sliced
1 red onion, sliced

Bring first 8 ingredients to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Allow to cool slightly; then pour over veggies and chill. Gently stir occasionally.

Allergy information: No corn, wheat, soy, egg or milk products.

Marinated Italian Tomato and Cucumber Salad

David's Mom makes this great salad in the summer. She once prepared a big bowl for friends waiting in anxiety for news about a hospitalized child. It was a great stress-reducer and a welcome change from "hospital food". Made them feel loved.

This tomato and cucumber salad has a marinated character, good cold or at room temperature for summer buffets, if served with a slotted spoon.

It is also wonderful in bowls with some of the liquid which will develop in the bottom of the bowl. Try it with some Italian, French or other quality bread and maybe some cheese for a light meal.

Tomatoes and cucumbers are added in about equal proportions, maybe heavier on tomatoes during home-grown tomato season. Onion and bell pepper are for flavor and color, in smaller amounts to taste. In winter, try this broccoli salad.

If someone has a hard time digesting onions, leave them out, use a little minced scallion or sweet onion or allow onion slices to marinate in the dressing for a while then remove them to eat on an Italian sandwich or something. Or cut the onions in big chunks so that they can be avoided by those who have trouble with them. I have a similar tendency to indigestion with green bell peppers, but I still love their flavor this salad. I cut them in chunks so that they will flavor the dressing but I can easily avoid eating too much of the actual fruit. It's also O.K. to leave them out or to substitute deep green Ancho or Pasilla chiles instead of green bell pepper for a touch of heat. Or try ripe yellow bell peppers.

1. Cover slices or chunks of sweet red onion (or minced scallions) with Good Seasons Italian DRESSING, prepared according to package directions in the bottom of a large bowl. I use cider vinegar. Vegetable oil, such as canola, or vegetable oil with a little olive oils will work in this salad. Allow onions to marinate while preparing other ingredients.

Add green or yellow bell peppers or Ancho chiles cut in chunks or slices, freshly ground black pepper and more salad dressing until covered. Allow to marinate for a while to develop flavor, if you have time.

2. Cut tomatoes in bite-sized chunks, removing some of seedy, liquidish pulp (Roma and other low-moisture tomatoes work very well in this salad). This salad is better if you peel the tomatoes first.

Peel and cut cucumbers in slices or chunks and add to the bowl, along with the tomatoes. You may leave the skins on young, tender "burpless" type cucumbers if you like.

Add more dressing until there is 1/4 inch deep layer or more in the bottom of the bowl after tossing.

Cover and marinate for up to two hours at room temperature or a few hours in the refrigerator, tossing occasionally.

Allergy Information: Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix contains maltodextrin and Xanthan Gum, which are typically manufactured using corn products. I can usually tolerate a little of this dressing without a problem, however. The Garlic and Herb and Mild Italian varieties contain xanthan gum, but not maltodextrin. I prefer a non-sweet dressing for this salad. The Garlic and Herb variety works, but the original Italian is particularly suited to the ingredients in this salad.

Check for soy sauce, which includes wheat.  

Fat-Free Alternative: This salad has a different character, with a little sugar in the dressing, different seasonings, and no fat. Also contains no corn products.

Pomegranates and Late Plums

Our "Grenada" pomegranates have been ripe for a few weeks. Need to pick the rest and refrigerate them before wet weather. They come on about a month before "Wonderful", in the same season as "Angel Red". I have a potted tree of this new variety to plant. Gets good reviews. It's supposed to be a superior variety.

Emerald Beaut plums set better this year than most, because the bloom season for plums was compressed. The plums were good the first week of September, but got better through the month and lasted through about the first week of October. The last fruits had started to wrinkle a little on the tree. Castleman stayed in good shape even longer. They're a very firm plum with nice flavor, but not as sweet or flavorful as Emerald Beaut. Castleman stayed in good shape on the tree into the middle of October.

Got our first Golden Nectar plums this year. The tree is planted over the spot where we buried David's little princess dog, Sula. They come on before Emerald Beaut. The fruits is a thing of great beauty, very sweet, but it has a less complex flavor than Emerald Beaut.

Just for fun and wonder, some bug faces. The photographer says,

I don’t consider photography art. I’m not creating beauty, I’m just recording and translating what is beautiful. Much of my photography is of details and subjects not visible to the human eye. I want to express and reveal to others the abundant, amazing world of arthropods and science.

Food Safety and Storage Life

Answer to questions on shelf life of foods, proper storage conditions and food safety here.

Our Sherwood Jujube Tree

Our weather has been hotter than normal for this time of year, but it will change to cooler than normal tomorrow. Our first crop of Sherwood Jujubes is on, a little ahead of schedule. A second crop, on new growth, is coming up in a few weeks. The green fruits are hanging below the brown ones on the same branch.

I prefer the fruit of this variety when it is fully brown, but before it starts to shrivel on the tree. I don't think it will fully dry on the tree like Lang is reputed to do. The fruit tends to drop just after it starts to shrivel. The flesh starts to oxidize and brown as it shrivels.

The skin of the mature, but not shriveled, fruit is hard and crispy and the flesh is flavorful, aromatic and very sweet. Its texture is like a slightly dry apple. You don't notice the texture of the flesh as much as the crunchiness of the skin.

I chose Sherwood because of its weeping habit, slightly smaller size (compared to the largest cultivars) and relative lack of thorns, for the front corner near the driveway. It is a beautiful, narrow tree with shiny leaves that turn yellow in fall and weeping branches. But we may need to take it out this winter because it is in a very small space and the suckers sometimes creep into the street asphalt a little and into the neighbor's yard. We placed upright perforated irrigation pipe around the tree to allow for deep watering, but this was not enough to prevent suckering. I think it did help the tree grow faster. The suckers are very thorny.

The tree grew a little faster than I expected and started bearing fruit young. It started to sucker once the tree got a little larger, Once I neglected to cut a sucker for a couple of months, and it set fruit, too.

This tree is worth considering as a landscape tree where you can mow or cut the suckers regularly. Water deeply to avoid suckers, too. It does well in reflected heat even in our hot climate. There is some fruit drop, but if you want a fruit tree in the landscape, this is one of the least-messy to clean up after. It doesn't require much special care. To grow as a landscape tree, train to a central leader to prevent large branch crotches. Encourage horizontal (weeping) branches from the central leader. To grow for fresh fruit production, prune a dormant whip at knee level to several form low main branches, or prune a leafed-out young tree to encourage lower, well-formed branches.

LE Cooke sells four varieties of Jujube, and plans to introduce "Sugar Cane" in 2011. CFRG has more information on jujubes and recipes for candied jujubes and jujube syrup. I think I would add a little lemon and/or vitamin C crystals to the syrup to limit oxidation. I like the idea of using the leftover syrup from candying the fruit as pancake syrup. I might try candying a few halves (eating the central sliver containing the seed fresh). Seems to me they could make good nests for an almond as a little treat.

Cross-posted here.

Coconut/Oatmeal cookies

David loves these. The recipe is from blogger Jane Galt (nom de blog) who writes,

These are the rare cookies that improve with age; they just get crispier and more delicious every day. Hope y'all enjoy.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 cup sweetened, flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups oatmeal (old fashioned; not quick or instant)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Cream the butter and sugars together. Beat in egg. Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda, and add to mixture. Stir in nuts and coconut. Stir in oats. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and bake 12-14 minutes, until golden brown.

Allergy information: Most sweetened, flaked coconut products contain corn derivatives and also a sulfiting agent to preserve whiteness. Sulfites can cause anaphylaxis in sensitive people.

Chewy Chocolate Chip or Coconut Cookies or Bars

The Best Recipe includes recipes for both traditional chocolate chip cookies and big, chewy cookies like the ones you get at cookie stores. And they tell you how they came to the ideal recipes. The latter recipe uses melted butter. Following are tweaks and variations on that recipe. The bars are seriously chewy.

You can divide the dough to make more than one kind at the same time. You might want to prepare some cookies to eat while warm and bars to cool for later. Or make part nut or coconut and part chocolate-only cookies. If preparing part of the batch with nuts, prepare them after the no-nut cookies to prevent problems for anyone allergic to nuts.

If you don't have two big cookie sheets (around 11 x 17 inches) or if you want to make smaller cookies, you may not be able to get all the cookies in the oven at the same time. But you could make one sheet of cookies and one pan of bars at the same time - say a 9 x 13 inch pan of coconut bars and 6 chocolate chip cookies (slightly smaller than in the directions) to eat while warm. They would fit on a smaller cookie sheet. Or make a big sheet of big cookies and a 9 x 9 inch pan of bars. I would put the sheet of cookies on the top oven rack if I chose this option. Cookies will be done before the bars. You could move the bars to the top rack when you take the cookies out if you like.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, melted and cooled to warm. (1 1/2 sticks, 12 Tablespoons)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons flour (stir, spoon into cup, level without shaking)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup to 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks
I prefer not to use the full amount of chocolate chips in most chocolate chip cookie recipes. Half a cup for the entire recipe below is fine for me. Choose your personal chocolate level.

Directions

Set oven racks at medium-high and medium-low levels. Set oven temperature to 325 degrees. This is a lower temperature than most cookie recipes. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and the sugars well. Beat in the egg and egg yolk, then the vanilla until well-combined.

Sift baking soda into some of the flour, whisk together with the rest of the flour and the salt. Beat flour mixture into butter/sugar mixture just until combined. Do not over-mix. Stir chocolate pieces or other additions (below) into dough.

Big Cookies

If dough seems too soft to handle, refrigerate for a few minutes while preparing cookie sheets. Line 2 large cookie sheets with baking parchment. Roll scant 1/4 cup portions of dough into balls. For a "bumpy" look, pull apart and jam together again with jagged sides facing up. Space on cookie sheets. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, reversing sheets top to bottom and back to front halfway through baking. For smaller cookies, reduce baking time. When cookies are golden brown and have started to harden at the edges but are still soft and puffy in the center, remove from oven. Cool on cookie sheets on rack. Serve warm (not hot) or allow to cool completely then peel from parchment. Makes about 18 big cookies.

Bar Cookies

If you are worried about the bars sticking to the pan, oil the pan or spray with non-stick spray and line the bottom and two sides (leave enough at the two sides for "handles" to remove cooled cookies for cutting) with parchment or waxed paper, folded under to fit the bottom flat, while missing the corners. Oil waxed paper again to plaster it flat to the pan. This is a good idea if you are baking the bars in a metal pan which you could mar while cutting the bars.

Press dough in a 10 x 15 x 1 (at least) inch baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 23 minutes or more, until golden and starting to harden at the edges but still soft and puffy in the center. You may also bake half the dough (with chips, etc.) in a 9 x 9 inch pan or 3/4 of the dough in a 9 x 13 inch pan for 20 minutes or more. Prepare the remaining dough as cookies. See above.

Cool bars in pan on a wire rack. If you lined the pan with waxed paper or parchment, loosen the sides of the cooled "cookie" and lift out of the pan with the paper "handles" to a cutting board. Peel paper off the bottom, place right-side up and cut into bars with a serrated knife. Cover when fully cooled. You may put cut bars back in the baking pan if you don't want to dirty more dishes.

Chocolate Chip/Nut Cookies or bars

Add 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans with chocolate chips. You may substitute white baking chips for half the chocolate chips. Save a few nuts to garnish the top if making bars.

Coconut/Nut Cookies or Bars

Toast 1 cup sliced almonds or whole almonds or pecans and cool, or use raw almonds or pecans. Chop nuts if not using sliced almonds.

Lightly mix nuts and 1 1/2 cups sweetened dried coconut into the prepared dough. You may also add chocolate chips as above. You may reserve up to half the nuts to garnish the top if making bar cookies (try to pick the large pieces if using chopped nuts). Press into the dough lightly before baking.

Bake as for chocolate chip cookies or bars (see above).

Milk Chocolate-topped Coconut/Nut bars

Omit chocolate chips. Press dough containing coconut and half or more of the nuts (in the variation above) into baking pan. See directions under "bar cookies" above. Sprinkle remaining nuts over the dough and press into dough lightly. Bake as for bars above. Remove from oven and cool for three minutes in the pan, or until center feels "set". Sprinkle with Guittard Milk Chocolate baking chips (or other favorite chocolate). Leave some of the bars "bare" if you like. Allow chocolate to melt and swirl over the top of the bars. Chocolate may not harden for several hours after cookies are cooled. You may wish to refrigerate cooled cookies for a while if you want the chocolate hardened sooner.

To cover about half of a 9-inch square pan use 1/2 cup chocolate chips. For the entire pan, use 1 cup.

For a 9 x 13 inch pan use 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips. Use 3/4 cup to cover half the pan. If you cover half the bars lengthwise with chocolate, you can make 5 rows of bars (the long way) with the middle row half plain and half chocolate.

For a 10 x 15 inch pan use 2 cups milk chocolate chips (1 package) for the entire pan of bars, 1 cup to cover half the pan.