A Warm Weather Treat?

Ah, warm weather. Winter has yielded to spring and summer, and those temps are rising. What could taste better than a home-made frozen treat?


Frozen Avocado Pudding

1 3-oz package cream cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 T lemon juice
1 T sugar
2/3 cup crushed pineapple
1 cup thin avocado slices
1/4 cup chopped dates
1 cup thin peach slices
12 maraschino cherries, quartered

Cream cheese, add 1/4 cup cream gradually, stirring until smooth. Add lemon juice and sugar. Whip remaining cream until thick, but not stiff. Fold into cheese mixture. Combine with remaining ingredients, pour into a refrigerator tray and place in freezing unit to freeze. Serves 8 to 10.


I will admit that on an episode of Good Eats, Alton Brown made avocado ice cream. And I will admit that I was slightly intrigued. I like, no make that love, avocados, and I think with the right combo of cream and sugar the ice cream would be tasty. Not quite as tasty as raspberry sorbet, or chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, but still tasty. That being said, I'm not convinced that avocados, pineapple, peaches, and maraschino cherries belong in the same dish together. The recipe starts out really well; combining cream cheese, cream, lemon juice and sugar. That's a fantastic start! But then weirdness descends, and something green is added to your frozen treat. Now if it were kiwi fruit that had been added, the green would have been ok. But adding a darker, more squishy green that is most often associated with chips and margaritas seems to be just a little off-kilter. Personally, I would make this recipe and omit the avocado, either substituting another fruit or increasing the amounts of what is already listed. Now that's a frozen treat!

Check Your Cholesterol First

I'm a Western gal. Born and raised west of the Mississippi, the cuisine of the South sometimes baffles me. I suppose someone raised in the deep South would say the same thing about the New Mexican dishes I crave and love. Their eyebrows would raise at the idea of posole (delicious!) or chile rellenos (sublime!). But, nonetheless, I feel it is my duty to bring to light a dish that ranks up there on pure decadence, and perhaps not in a good way. Have your cholesterol checked before you read any further.

Chit'lin's


Chitterlings (the smaller intestines of swine) are obtainable at souther butcher shops.

2 pounds chitterlings
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 red pepper, chopped
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
cracker crumbs

Wash chitterlings thoroughly and cover with boiling salted water. Add cloves and red pepper. Cook until tender. Drain. Cut into pieces the size of oysters. Dip each piece in egg beaten with water, then cracker crumbs. Fry in hot deep fat (370F) until brown. Serves 4 to 6


I have no idea what type of menu these would accompany; perhaps they are were more of a snack of leftovers that might be munched on throughout the day. I checked the sample menus for the Southern Region, and they aren't mentioned. Either that or the sample menus are too high-brow for this type of dish/snack. Maybe they were taken to a Friday night football game, sort of like Southern corn chips?

Bring Forth Your Inner Flower Child

This is for my dear friend who has boldly leaped into the world of home brewing. Not only is she taking on the beverage-producing responsibilities for her household (that a huge responsibility!) she has decided to get fancy and start with wine. You go girl! So, in honor of you and your undertaking, I encourage you to bring forth your Inner Flower Child!

Dandelion Flower Wine

4 quarts dandelion flowers
4 quarts boiling water
1 cake yeast
3 pounds sugar
3 oranges, sliced
3 lemons, sliced


Select fresh flowers, being careful all the stems have been removed. Pour boiling water over flowers and allow to stand for 3 days. Strain, adding remaining ingredients, and let stand for 3 weeks until fermented. Strain, bottle, and seal. Makes 8 pints.


A word of caution. I have it on very good authority that if done incorrectly this could turn out tasting like old engine sludge. Just who can verify that exact taste, I'm not sure. But I know you get the point. Also, beware exploding bottles. Cleaning brewing goo from the ceiling is neither fun nor easy. Just ask M!

Seriously, Who Does This?

Ok. Its time to come clean. I know there are a lot of ways to make guacamole. I know a gal who puts cottage cheese in it. Sounds a little different, but I've had it, and its good. Everyone and their grandmother has their own special/secret way of making this indispensable dip. What I want to know is who makes it like this.


Red Guacamole


3 large green chili peppers
2 small onions, minced
1 large tomato, peeled and chilled
3 ripe avocados
salt
mayonnaise or French dressing

Heat chili peppers in oven until skin blisters, wash in cold water, peel, remove seeds and chop fine. Add onions and finely chopped tomato. Peel avocados, remove seeds, mash and add to chopped vegetables. Season with salt and mayonnaise or French dressing. Serves 6.

Guacamole con Tocino: With vegetables chop 3 hard-cooked eggs and 6 stuffed olives. Rub salad bowl with cut garlic clove and garnish with bacon curls. Serve on tomatoes and lettuce, on cold cooked meat, or as an appetizer on toast or tortillas.



First of all, who put French dressing in their guacamole? Don't be shy, come on out. I've never had it that way, and I'm not sure I'm willing to sacrifice a good batch of guacamole just to try it. However, if you've had it with the dressing, let me know how it tastes. Second, far be it from me to be the final authority on such things, but I'm not entirely convinced that once you add hardboiled eggs and stuffed olives to mashed avocados that the resulting dip can still be called guacamole. Hardboiled eggs? Really?

For Your Next Dinner Party

Might I be so helpful as to offer a suggestion for your next dinner party? A main dish sure to impress and delight the most discerning of palates... A dish most worthy of your superb culinary talents... A dish that will have the neighborhood talking about it for weeks... May I present...

Stuffed Crown Roast of Frankfurters

20 frankfurters
2 cups sauerkraut or Hot Potato Salad


Arrange frankfurters side by side, with curved side up. Using a large needle and string, sew through all the frankfurters 1/2 inch from the bottom - and then the same way 1/2 inch from the top. Tie the ends of the top string together bringing the first and last frankfurter of the row together. Repeat with the bottom string. Stand the frankfurters on end and you have a most attractive crown of frankfurters. (Concave side should be out.) Fill the center of the crown with sauerkraut or potato salad. If you use the potato salad in the center of the frankfurter, do not cook the potatoes quite as long as you would ordinarily. Bake the filled roast in a moderately hot oven (375 F) for about 20 minutes. Serves 10.


I'm not sure even I have words suitable to comment on this recipe. A snicker or giggle or two, but no words.

Would you drink this?

I continue to be amazed at the beverages I find in these old cookbooks. Were folks back then more inventive, more daring, or just more weird? This one is courtesy of my current favorite, The United States Regional Cook Book.


Grapefruit Pecos

1 egg, separated
1 cup grapefruit juice
2 to 4 teaspoons honey
few grains salt
nutmeg

Chill all ingredients well. Beat egg yolks. Add grapefruit juice slowly, beating constantly. Add honey and salt. Beat egg white until stiff. Add grapefruit juice mixture slowly. Mix well. Pour into a chilled glass. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Serves 1.

Variations: Use half orange and half lemon juice instead of grapefruit juice or use kumquat, tangerine, grape, or pineapple juice with half lemon or lime juice.



At first glance this makes me think of something Rocky would drink prior to going to the gym. I can see using the egg whites to get a foamy, frothy drink. I'm just not really sure about the combination of grapefruit juice and egg yolks. Bleh.

A Rose By Any Other Name

I've often wondered at the different regional names you find for food throughout the US. Why is something called one thing in the South, and something completely different in the West? In this case, I think the reason may be more to disguise the ingredients and make the recipe sound more mysterious and interesting than it really is.


Love Apple Cake

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups sifted cake flower
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 cup tomato soup
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts

Cream butter or other shortening and add sugar slowly. Sift together dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture alternately with tomato soup which has been combined with water. Mix thoroughly. Add raisins and nuts and pour into a well-greased tube pan. Bake in a moderate oven (~350 F) for 1 hour. Cool and ice with Cream Cheese Frosting. Makes one round loaf (9 inches).

So why is the tomato also known as the love apple? The tomato has a long history of getting a bad rap. According to The Epicurean Table, at one point the Church of Rome banned it for being "the devil's fruit" and it was considered a sinful indulgence. The Church Fathers called it scandalous because of its seductive red color and slightly sweet, juicy flesh. They deemed the tomato a threat to male dominance; tempting, bewitching, and the very symbol of woman. These aspersions were compounded by the fact that the tomato plant contains all it needs to self pollinate. There are some who thought Eve offered a tomato instead of an apple to Adam, and thus both were cast out of Eden. The French, however, are credited with first calling it pomme d'amour , or "love apple". Regardless of its name, I'm not entirely convinced tomato soup belongs in a cake. End of story.