Cleaning the Microwave

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I found a television series on BBC that I've been enjoying lately -- "How Clean is Your House?" It's a very humorous look at dirty homes, and typical of reality TV, the homes they feature are really super filthy. What I enjoy the most is that the hosts (hostesses, if I may be sexist) give some great tips on cleaning, especially with natural products.

A few weeks ago I watched an episode where they used lemon, water, and dish soap to clean the inside of a really dirty microwave. I tried it last week and wanted to share -- it was such an easy clean, and so simple. My microwave wasn't nearly as dirty as the one they cleaned on the show, but it did have some splashes in it -- my husband and children just refuse to cover their food!

Place a cup or so of water in a microwave-safe bowl. Squeeze the juice of a lemon into the water (the lemon isn't crucial to the cleaning, but it does deodorize). Place the bowl in the microwave and heat on high for several minutes. I think I ended up doing it for about 6 minutes, but watch your water so it doesn't all evaporate. I just cooked it until it was almost gone.

After the water evaporated, take a soapy dish cloth (just regular dish soap) and wipe out the mess. Any splashes will have softened greatly from the water and should wipe right out.

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Over Easy

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Tough stuff, I know. Actually this was tough stuff for me. My husband has been putting up with messed up eggs for almost 24 years. He likes them over easy, and I almost always break the yolks trying to flip those suckers over. Or I overcook them. Poor guy never gets them just right.

Until now.

Voila.


Perfect over easy eggs and I didn't even have to flip.

The Farmer's Wife taught me how. Go see how she did it. Apparently you can teach these old dogs new tricks.

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Roasted Corn on the Cob

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With the abundance of fresh corn on the cob at the market (can't beat 10 for $2), we've been enjoying fresh corn a couple times a week. The kids beg me to roast it every time and Doug said he doesn't think we'll ever boil corn again. Probably not.

This is not really a recipe as much as a method. It's simple, keeps the kitchen cool, and is really delicious. We love the flavor grilling imparts to the corn, and it's fun to eat while holding the "husk handle." The only stipulation I make at our house is the corn must be eaten outdoors. The husks get charred and little flecks fly when you are peeling the corn. So, if you're not eating outdoors, make sure you peel the corn outdoors and remove the husks before bringing it indoors.

We use plain butter, salt and pepper, but you can jazz it up with chili powder, sour cream, lime juice --- whatever sounds good.

Roasted Corn

Directions: With a kitchen shears, trim hanging silks and extra long husk ends from the ends of each corn (do not peel them back -- the inside silks come off easily after it is cooked). Fill the sink with water and immerse the corns. Soak them for 30 minutes. During the last five minutes, preheat the grill. Remove the corn from the water and drain briefly over the sink. Transfer, in a large bowl, to the grill. Place corns on the grill over medium heat. Grill for 20 to 30 minutes, turning every five minutes or so to cook them all the way around (just grab a cold beverage and park yourself outside!). When time is up remove corns from the grill. Peel and eat. Yum! (And thank that farmer when you say your Grace!)



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Irish Shepherd Pie

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No awards for presentation here, but what can you do when the kids don't like their foods to touch?

For future reference I am posting here what I did on St. Patrick's Day --it's a good idea to keep in mind for other Irish saint feast days. I used this Shepherd Pie recipe (sans peas because I was preparing peas on the side) but because I was a little short on time, I put the prepared meat and vegetables in ramekins and topped them with little individual mounds of potatoes. I think the children enjoyed having their own little serving, and those few members of my clan who have "issues" with casserole type meals really liked it. I think they must have a problem with the visual effect of a casserole -- all the food all mixed together, and using the ramekins resolved that problem. The food cooked very quickly too, so I'll keep this method in mind for future pot pies and other casseroles that might lend themselves to individual portions.

I also used Deborah's recipe for Peas and Bacon (sans onion), which is very yummy -- Peach ate several servings, but then she's a veggie girl (she pushed the bacon to the side -- crazy kid!). The Irish Soda Bread is my own recipe (and is apparently not really soda bread at all, but soda cake). The green beverage is lemonade with food coloring.

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Pumpkin Roll Tutorial

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I posted the recipe for this Pumpkin Roll here last fall, but when I made it last Sunday I decided to photograph the process since this recipe uses the same procedure as a jelly roll cake, ice cream cake, and a Buche de Noel. It is really not a difficult procedure, but the steps can be daunting if you have never done them. And rolling a cake up in a towel may seem pretty strange if you've never seen how it turns out in the end.

I only have one warning about this cake. Do not attempt this cake if you do not have wax paper or parchment. It will stick and you will be sad. Grab some the next time you're at the store and try the cake then.

Pumpkin Roll

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
⅔ cup pumpkin
1 t. lemon juice
¾ cup flour
1 t. baking powder
2 t. pumpkin pie spice
½ cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
4 t. butter
1 t. vanilla

Grease a 10 x 15 rimmed baking sheet and line with waxed paper.
Grease the waxed paper.
Beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, lemon juice, flour, baking powder and spice until creamy.
Pour mixture onto waxed cookie sheet.
Sprinkle with nuts if desired.
Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.

The baked cake (duh)



Remove from oven and immediately cover with clean dishtowel.

Flipped on a dishtowel with wax paper still attached.


Flip cake onto counter with towel under.
Remove waxed paper.
Trim edges with a sharp serrated knife.

All edges trimmed. The next picture is a close-up so you can see how much I trim -- just the very crispest part of the edge.


Sprinkle with powdered sugar.





Roll towel and cake up like a jellyroll, rolling from the shortest side.



Let cool.
Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla until creamy
and spread on cooled cake (unroll).

Blurry picture, but I wanted you to see what it looks like when you unroll it.


Re-roll and cover with plastic wrap.



Refrigerate or freeze.



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Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

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I boiled eggs today to color tomorrow and I thought I'd share some tips for boiling a perfect egg.

1. Make certain your eggs are uncracked. Even a tiny crack will leak egg into your water. Not that that's the end of the world, but it's no good to color, so save it for something else.

2. Use your oldest eggs. The older eggs have more air between the shell and the membrane that surrounds the white, making it easier to peel. I try to buy my coloring eggs a few weeks ahead of time, so they have time to age before I cook them.

3. Add 1 T. of salt to your water -- it will also make your eggs easier to peel.

4. I use the Martha Stewart method for boiling a perfect egg:
Place eggs in a large saucepan. Cover them with cool water by 1 inch. Slowly bring water to a boil over medium heat; when the water has reached a boil, cover and remove from heat. Let sit 12 minutes.
Transfer eggs to a colander; place under cool running water to stop the cooking. Eggs can be peeled and served immediately. Remaining eggs, with shells on, may be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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