Kissing Dragons

Twilight at Dragon Hollow
Original Painting by AnnMarie Eastburn copyright 1985
www.ArtworkbyAnnMarie.com
from the Resident Dragon's personal collection

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to kiss a dragon?  Would the kiss be fiery and ferocious, or would it be something . . . more?

We envision dragons to be ferocious, but in many folk tales they are also sensuous and beguiling (and ferocious)!  It's appropriate, then, that the new Savory recipe is called Dragon's Kiss.  It beguiles the palate with a sweet start, but thrills with a fiery finish.

The secret to this dragon's fire is organic tabasco peppers (30,000-50,000 Scovill units), grown here on the farm.  For more about how we grew the peppers, jump on over to our garden blog, Savory LeJardin.


SAFETY HINT:  Don't neglect to wear safety equipment any time you are working with hot peppers:  rubber gloves, eye protection, and sleeves.  I wore a sleeveless blouse and my arms itched for days.

Warnings aside, this savory condiment is well worth the effort!  It's perfect for gifts--perhaps adding a dragon--soft or hard--for that special someone?-- and for spicing up your favorite meals.  Just one taste, and you'll know what it's like to kiss a dragon!

Dragon's Kiss

Even the steam rising from the pot
is muy picante!

1 cup organic tabasco peppers, ground with seeds
2.5 cups white vinegar (divided)
0.5 cups cider vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
2 t. salt
1.5 T. Monterey Bay pickling spice (tie in a spice bag)
1.33 quarts crushed tomatoes (I used canned)

Combine tomatoes, peppers, and half of the vinegar in a large non-reactive sauce pot.  Cook until tomatoes are soft, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.  Add sugar, salt, and pickling spice and cook until thickened, stirring frequently.  Add remaining vinegar and cook until desired thickness, about 30 minutes.  Ladle into sterilized, hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4" headspace.  Adjust two-piece caps and process 15 minutes in a boiling water canner.  Yield:  about 5 half-pints.

What's cooking in your Savory kitchen?

Bowled Over by Bowl Cake

There's no trifling with the flavor of bowl cake!

I had never heard of a bowl cake until I first ate some on vacation in Kentucky.  I would swear it was at the sublime Patti's in Grand Rivers, but I do not see it on the menu.  Anyway, it's always been a big hit in my family, and it travels well for a pot lucks since it's in a bowl rather than perched on a plate.

A bowl cake is a layer cake is one that has been filled with pudding, frosted with buttercream, then dropped by slices into a larger bowl or 10x13 pan so that the flavors mingle and it becomes a little mushy.

We have a pot luck at church tomorrow, so I'm sharing a family favorite with my church family.  Tomorrow's contribution is Boston Cream Pie Bowl Cake.

Boston Cream Pie Bowl Cake

Cake:
1 Duncan Hines yellow cake mix (there is no other!)
3 eggs
1 cup water
1/3 cup oil

Prepare according to package directions and bake in a 9x13 pan as directed.

Filling:
1 small package French Vanilla pudding (Jello really does taste the best)
2 cups cold milk

A single layer was split, filled with pudding, then frosted.
You could also layer in a 9x13 baking dish.

When the cake has completed cooking and is nearly cool, prepare pudding according to package directions.  Allow to sit until it has thickened so that it does not run off the cake.  Spread either over the top, or fill between layers.

Frosting:
1 stick butter, softened
4 heaping teaspoons of cocoa
1/2 teaspoon Watkins double-strength vanilla (there is no substitute!)
1/4 to 1/3 c. milk
1-2 cups confectioners sugar

After you have filled the cake, cream the butter with the cocoa.  Add vanilla.  Add sugar gradually with mixer on low speed so that the sugar does not create a dust storm.  If it becomes "gritty," add a bit of milk or cream to soften.  Spread over top of pudding, and cake.

Slice or spoon into a clear bowl.  Be sure to maintain layers.

Spoon into trifle bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  The pudding moistens the cake, and the frosting chills into delightful  morsels.

Bowl cake can also turn a dry or "cracked" cake into a moist treat.

One of our favorite combinations is yellow cake, French vanilla pudding, sliced sweetened strawberries, and whipped topping.  We've also tried chocolate cake, French Vanilla pudding, and caramel icing.  Your creativity is only limited by your imagination!

Enjoy!

What's cooking in your kitchen?

Roasting Life's Pumpkins

The pumpkins "dimple" when done (top left).

Autumn is my favorite season of the year because the white heat of summer turns golden, and the temperatures cool down.  Autumn means pumpkins, of course.

Easy Tortilla Soup

Mix ingredients together in a soup pot.

The days are growing shorter and the evenings cooler, which means that soup season is near. Making soup from scratch can mean a long evening of slicing and chopping.  If you don't have time for that, reach into your pantry for ingredients to make this easy weeknight soup that will make your family cheer!

Something old, something new . . .

Old + New = Delicious!

My garden is coming in--finally--and I'm enjoying its bounty.

Pass the Chicken, Dumpling!

Yum!

Despite the heat, the RD and I found ourselves craving chicken and dumplings this week.  While it takes a bit of time to make (we spread it over a couple of days), it really hit the spot this evening.  Here's how I made it:

Don't let the heat put you in a pickle!

First batch!

For the past few years, my summers have developed a theme.  One year was the Yard Summer where I tried to get my new yard in order by planting roses and bulbs.  Then there was Bread Summer and I spent the whole summer learning to work with yeast.  Last summer was Garden Summer, with lots of peppers but scant few tomatoes.  This summer is shaping up to be Canning Summer.