A Sunday Drive, A Sunday Dinner, and Bourbon Glazed Carrots

Sunday dinners at my house are not what you might expect to see in a Norman Rockwell painting. Since my daughter's house is not yet done and she has no kitchen, her new Sunday tradition has begun while they're staying with me, with an open invitation to all who might like to join. While ours is not a Rockwellian family composition, it is a happy group and our current round-up includes Katie, Bill and Henry with any and all grandparents (me, Bill's father Richard and his significant other Sydney, and Bill's mother Penelope). Also invited are Henry's aunts and uncles, though my sons Joe and Jeffrey are the only ones to make it so far. Meghan and Tricia typically work on Sundays and haven't yet joined us at my new table, though they are palpably missed and I am looking forward to the time when they will be able to make it.

Hayden the Bloodhound and Oden the Black Lab would be eager dinner participants, but I insist that they go outside when dinner is served, lest we all deal with the pathetic eyes and jowl-ful drooling that inevitably accompany their presence. They are fed well ahead of the rest of us, and just as dinner is about to be served, I lure them outside with two dog biscuits with an invitation to play in the yard. They are welcomed back in as soon as the table is cleared. I don't know about you, but for me it's pretty difficult to enjoy dinner when there's a whining dog waiting anxiously by your side. Perhaps a session with the Dog Whisperer is in order.

Last night Katie made individual meat loaves (I have a special pan), mashed potatoes, and bourbon-glazed carrots. I exchanged kitchen duties for Henry supervision, happily. Katie, Penny, and Sydney peeled carrots, apples, and potatoes. I read to Henry. I did set the table and took care of the dishes, so I don't feel too guilty about it! Sydney put together another one of her lovely apple pies, and with it we served Mann's scrumptious pumpkin ice cream, hand-packed at the "Ice Cream Mann" shop in Greenwich, New York. We'd traveled through Greenwich earlier in the day on our way to see a lovely house for sale, just for fun. My sister Anne is a local realtor and she was hosting this open house for the owners who are being transferred. It was a beautiful, light-filled farm house in Salem, New York (a very New England-y town, just a few miles from the Vermont border, and about 45 minutes from Saratoga) with nine acres of rolling hills, two barns, fancy chickens, friendly goats, and a sun-drenched front porch! The huge country kitchen is perfect for preparing big, celebratory dinners. It will make a lovely home for one fortunate family.


Katie's Bourbon Carrots

5 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut in to 1/4 inch slices
3 tbs. butter
3 tbs. dark brown sugar
1 shot bourbon (1 oz.)

In large skillet, melt butter and add brown sugar. Add carrots and simmer till soft. Add bourbon and cook a few minutes more.

Norman Rocwell's Freedom From Want: http://farmchronicles.files.wordpress.com/2006/10/1943-03-06-saturday-evening-post-norman-rockwell-article-freedom-from-want-430-digimarc.jpg

Seafood Chowda

This weekend my daughter Katie made a great big pot of seafood chowder (chowda, she says, in a mock-New England accent) and it was GOOD!

We’d been to the Hand Melon Farm stand in Greenwich, New York, on Friday and picked up some nice veggies. We left with two huge tomatoes, radishes, celery, and Montauk corn – a baker’s dozen – and of course a sampling of their chocolate raspberry and chocolate cheesecake fudge (just to see if it was any good, and it was!). The stand is directly across from the Washington County Fairgrounds. The fair was in full swing and it was fun to see the rides in operation. Henry (now 16 months) was mesmerized by one ride that went forward at full speed, and then backward, (Tilt-a-Whirl?) all the while making interesting whistling and clanging noises. There's something about a fair and summer. Very Americana.

It's always good to travel east a few miles. It's a beautful ride across the Hudson River from Saratoga through Schuylerville and on to Greenwich. The sun was out and it was a warm, sunny late summer day, perfect for a short jaunt.

We had the corn that night (delicious) and there were many ears left over, so we decided to make a chowder the next day. We had a lot of the ingredients on hand and stopped by the store the next morning for seafood.

I was out running errands when Katie got started. When I came back, the aroma was heavenly, as if I were in a seaside restaurant! I couldn’t wait to ladle me a bowl of that chowda. It was GREAT and here’s the recipe in case you find yourself with a few extra ears of corn and most of the fixings. It’s well worth the ingredients and the time it takes to put it together.

Katie’s Seafood Chowda

3 strips bacon
1 Vidalia onion, diced
1 c. chopped carrot
1 c. chopped celery
4 red potatoes, skin on, diced
Kernels from 3 ears cooked, sweet corn
3 cloves chopped garlic
3 tbs. cornstarch
32 oz. seafood stock
6 oz. bottle clam juice
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig dill
Salt
Pepper
½ lb. bay scallops
1 lb. medium shrimp, cleaned, tails removed
2 cans chopped clams
1 pt. heavy cream

Cook bacon in large stock pot to render fat. Once crisp, remove bacon and add onion. Saute until soft. Add cornstarch and stir until incorporated. Add corn kernels, carrot, celery, garlic, and potatoes. Saute until vegetables are soft. Add herbs, salt, pepper, and then stock and clam juice. Bring to a simmer. Add seafood and cream and simmer for about a half hour or longer until it thickens up a bit. Remove sprigs of thyme and dill. Ladle into bowls and garnish with crumbled bacon.

Photo credit: http://www.marketpride.com.au/Portals/6/RecipeImages/Thumbnails/SeafoodChowder_Damper_thumb.jpg

Memories of Strawberry Shortcake

After a nice run of beautiful weather, it's raining today. Days like this pull me in to the kitchen, with ideas of baking something sweet and summery to chase those clouds away. Within a few weeks it will be strawberry season here in upstate New York. Memories of strawberry picking at the Hand Melon Farm in nearby Greenwich, New York (pronounced Green-wich unlike our Connecticut neighbor) are priming my taste buds for the strawberry shortcake we used to make for Greenfield Elementary School's Spring Fair. My sister-in-law Carolyn and I would take our kids with various and assorted vessels and park them between rows and rows of gorgeous ripe berry plants. About as many went into their stomachs as their pots, so we got the better of that deal! Once we were home, we'd make a real project out of it. Carolyn (a GREAT cook, by the way) cleaned and hulled the strawberries and I baked the biscuits. Our shortcake used to be created in industrial quantities, but here's a fast and simple recipe to satisfy the crowd around your dinner table:

Berries:
1 quart of strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced lengthwise
2 tbsp. to 1/4 c. granulated sugar, to taste (I like more!)
2 tbsp. orange juice

Allow the above ingredients to macerate (fancy word for sit and get juicy) at room temperature. Stir a few times while the biscuits are baking.

Make biscuits:
3 c. flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. very cold butter, diced
1/2 c. plus 2 tbsp. half and half plus extra for brushing

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in cold butter until it's crumbly (smaller than pea-sized). Stir in half and half. On floured surface -- I use wax paper for easy clean-up -- pat into a 1" thick square. Work in more flour, a little at a time, if necessary. Cut large square into 9 smaller squares (3x3). Place squares on parchment paper (or greased surface) on cookie sheet. Brush surfaces with half-and half. Bake in preheated oven at 450 degrees F for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on rack.

Whipped cream:
1 pt. heavy or whipping cream
2 tbsp. confectioners sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Place ingredients in chilled bowl and beat until soft to medium-soft peaks form. Be careful not to over-beat. Chill until ready to use.

To assemble:

Split square biscuit. Layer bottom biscuit, berries and juice, whipped cream, top biscuit, berries and juice, and whipped cream.

Tomorrow's blog: Favorite Utensils ~ My New Kitchen's Must-Haves!