jane's apron

mad hungry

We are ending our Spring Break here.  It has been a great week of cleaning and refreshing.  I could seriously use another week of it.  Jack came home from school last night to begin his Spring Break and the mom in me thought I should make a nice "Sunday" meal while he's here.  A recipe for Chicken in Milk popped up on my Pinterest.  I love Jamie Oliver recipes and found a regular measurement version of it here.  There was a general uprising along the lines of "we always have chicken" (which is completely untrue).  It was crazy delicious and crazy easy.  There was no complaining; and not a scrap of chicken left.  And then I made chocolate pudding.  My work is done here.

blueberry avocado muffins

My teacher-friend Denise made Blueberry Avocado Muffins for us a few times this year.  They are a different kind of muffin but so moist, so dense, so good.  I got the recipe from her pinterest board but the original source has a ridiculous number of pictures of the muffins and much too wordy instructions (they are just muffins people).

 

I made these on what must be our last snow day this year.  They are best on the day you make them (nice and crispy-chewy) but still good later (or even frozen for later).  This is a one-bowl, no-mixer recipe.  As Denise would say, "Holla!".  

 

Blueberry Avocado Muffins

 

1 ripe avocado, mashed 

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup greek yogurt

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

2 tsps vanilla extract
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg

1 cup flour

1 Tbs baking powder

1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen); tossed in a little flour

Wisk mashed avocado, sugar, oil, yogurt, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  

Add flour and baking powder and stir to combine.  

Fold in blueberries.  

Scoop batter into greased and floured 12-cup muffin pan.

Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes and then lower the temp to 350 and bake about 15 minutes more until edges are golden.  Cool and remove carefully from the pan. 

Famous-Barr French Onion Soup

It's another snow day here and I'm making french onion soup; a soup from our local department store called Famous-Barr (now just another average Macy's...blah).  The soup is from back in the day when department stores had restaurants and escalator rides to elaborate visits with Santa (like Elf).  

This soup takes some time and lots of slicing but, like anything warm and topped with toasted bread and cheese, it's worth it. 

Famous-Barr French Onion Soup

• 5 pounds onions
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbsp paprika
• 3/4 C flour
• 3 qts beef broth
• 1 C white wine
• 2 tsp salt
• sourdough or french baguettes 
• swiss or gruyere chesse

Peel and slice onions and add them, along with the stick of butter, to a large stock pot.  Cook (uncovered) over low heat for 1 1/2 hours.  Add pepper, paprika, salt, and flour and saute for about 10 minutes.  Add broth and wine, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 hours.  Pour soup into ovenproof crocks or bowls and top with sourdough bread and cheese.  Heat under broiler until cheese melts (about 5 minutes).

My sister snapped the picture of my house yesterday morning ...from across the street and through the trees.  I LOVE it!

 

summer picnic pork tenderloin

Sometimes I rename recipes so we all know what I'm talking about when asked "What are you making?".  We have "aunt missy chicken" and "party potatoes" and the recently renamed "summer picnic pork tenderloin".  It's marinated overnight, baked at a low 325, and served at room temp (or chilled).  

Summer Picnic Pork Tenderloin

2 - 3 pork tenderloins

1/2 cup whiskey (I use Jameson)

1/2 cup soy sauce

4 Tbsp brown sugar

Combine all ingredients and marinate in the frig overnight.  Bake at 325 for about 1 1/2 hours (until internal temp is 160).  Allow meat to cool to room temp (or chill) and cut into bite-sized cubes.  Serve with chilled dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce (this makes a lot)

2/3 cup sour cream

2/3 cup mayo

1 Tbsp grated onion

1/2 tsp vinegar

 

We had this dish at our recent graduation party.  And that's my embroidered 1947 picnic tablecloth that has made a few appearances here before...something new to see everytime we use it.  

not too sweet chocolate chip bars

There's a record snowfall going on in St. Louis today.  It's gorgeous...really.  Deep, white, heavy snow, giant snow flakes, and massive sheets of it thundering off of our roof every thirty minutes or so.  

So...I'm baking.  I got the recipe for the not too sweet chocolate chip bars that one of my students gave me at Christmas (that I said I would share).  It turns out that they do not have eggs or butter which is a little strange...but the results are sooooo good.  And, even better, everything gets mixed together with a spoon (for when you are just too lazy and ticked off about the weather to get out a hand-mixer)

Chocolate Chip Bars

2/3 Cup vegetable oil

1 Cup unsweetened applesauce

3 1/2 Cups unbleached flour

2 Cups sugar

3 tsps baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

2 cups chocolate chips

Combine the oil and applesauce.  In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and add them to the applesauce mixture.  Mix well with a spoon and then stir in the chocolate chips.  Bake at 350 in a 15x10 pan for about 30 minutes.  

 

thirty-one days {14}

I'm a very organized person except when it comes to recipes.  I collect too many of them and the ones I use over and over are folded and food-covered.  And stored in about 5 places.  I get anxious when I can't find one I'm looking for.  Recipes I share here are usually an emergency backup for me (and the reason I have a search on my blog).  

The recipe for Cranberry Christmas Bread Pudding is from a ME Home Companion (not sure which one but that gives me an excuse to visit all my old issues tonight and find which one this belongs to).  I have been making it at Christmas for at least 5 years.  

1 pound panettone bread (I get mine from Trader Joe's)

8 oz. fresh cranberries

4 eggs

2 Cups heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 Cup sugar

1 6-oz jar of lemon curd (also from Trader Joe's...I know because I just checked it and ate a couple of spoonfuls.  It says 10.5 oz but I'm calling the extra "safety stock")

In an 8x8 baking dish, alternately layer thick slices of panettone with cranberries. Mix eggs, heavy cream, vanilla, sugar, and 1/2 cup lemon curd.  Pour mixture over bread and let sit for 10 minutes.  Sprinkle top with sugar and bake at 350 until the golden.  Serve with additional lemon curd (and whipped cream if you like).

thirty-one days {6}

You may have seen these cookies here before.  They are good and easy...Herman Hill Shortbread.  With some of my notecards, red dot cups and parchment paper from World Market (kind of my new favorite store...have you seen this collection?) and a red dot tray from Ikea, they made a cute vignette and treats for a cookie exchange with my friends.  

pie; three things

I made two strawberry pies on Mother's Day.

1. my mom said it reminded her of her mom...it is my Grandma Leta's recipe.
2. my nephew Frank told me it was really good pie and I told him it was OK to lick the plate...he told me again that is was really good pie as he headed out the back door to walk home (Frank is 6).
3. my boys got into a battle over the last piece and they started grabbing it and eating it with their hands...laughing like crazy.

The recipe is here (please ignore my bad picture).

The instagram is my branch of tissue flowers from my daughter...love.

pancakes & waffles

I thrift magazines.  One time I thrifted the greatest magazine ever...Country Living March 2008.  It was only after I had ripped several pages out of it that I realized it was the greatest ever and should not have been ripping pages out of it.  The pictures above are just a small sample of its greatness.  And then there are these pages (folded and torn but still great)...

The pages were temporarily missing last weekend and there was the threat of a waffle stoppage.  I found them but learned my lesson and am creating a backup here.  

Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Mix (makes 4 cups mix)

3 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

For Pancakes: Beat 1 egg, 1 Tbsp melted butter, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup milk, and 1/4 tsp vanilla.  Add to 1 cup of the dry mix and combine. Then...make pancakes.

For Waffles: Beat 1 egg, 1 Tbsp melted butter, 3/4 cup buttermilk, and 1/4 tsp vanilla. Add to 1 cup of the dry mix and combine. Annnnd...make waffles.

I would like to point out that the only difference between the two is the buttermilk/milk. Also, did you know you can freeze buttermilk?  I did not...but I learned it on pinterest and it worked.  And one more thing; I've had my VillaWare waffle maker for a long time and recommend it to anyone in the waffle market.  

{also sorry I had to hit publish on this post so many times...trying to write and ride herd on my kids at the same time}

 

 

big martha

I'm making big martha's mashed potatoes today (and roasted applesauce and frosted cranberry-cherry pie).   There's a video with the recipe...Martha and Snoop Dog; entertaining and informative as Snoop shares some vocabulary words.  

I'm looking foward to using my newly thrifted tablecloth today.  It's a pretty green linen stitched all around with a deer motif...love the unusual colors.  

I'm also looking forward to a few days off to relax and make crafty plans...fo shizzle.