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As a young girl my mother made this dish. Then it was a special treat. Now it is one of my most favorite comfort foods. Peas, onions, chicken, sour cream, salt, pepper and egg noodles.
That is a stark difference from the “health” eating that has been happening.
The weather, another screwy thing around the Northeast lately, has provided some lovely sunsets.
The season of birthdays is upon us. Most recently we have toasted my incredibly talented work husband, my best friend’s fiance, my most favorite wingwoman in the entire word, my baby cousin who can’t possibly be 18 and his smarty pants sister who just hit the mid twenty mark, hopefully to be her best years ever.
“Food is the most primitive form of comfort.” ~ Sheila Graham
This year I hope to…
Increase DIYing, from sauces and breads to time capsules, pasta and rooster sauce and maybe even some coffee liqueur.
Travel.
Conquer everything on Bon Appetite’s 25 things… thinking the biggest challenge is going to be Tasmania.
Be comfortable in a bathing suit on my 30th birthday.
Step out of my comfort zone just because.
Learn how to type on t he new iPhone with only minimal auto-corrects.
Conquer my first class… as a… professor.
Take more pictures.
Enjoy and get to know Pinterest, Hipstomatic and my google reader better.
Get published in a food publication, online version would suffice.
Limit the people in my life who don’t value our friendship as much as I do and practice what I preach, all relationships have to be mutually beneficial at some point or another.
Accomplish at least five of these financial tips.
Dance around in my underwear [more].
Make parmesan crusted goat cheese with basil oil, spiced chai concentrate, vanilla bean syrup, and pork crown roast.
“The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
Cheesecurd at the Tillamook Cheese Factory.
Crows perched at the Oregon Coast.
Sweet and cool sand on the west coast.
Best BELT (bacon, egg, lettuce and tomato) ever at the Love Joy Bakery.
I could get used to this Oregon place.
“We want you to visit our State of Excitement often. Come again and again. But for heaven’s sake, don’t move here to live. Or if you do have to move in to live, don’t tell any of your neighbors where you are going.” ~ Governor Tom McCall, 1971
Commitment defined.
1. Rennett and citric acid have arrived for the mozzarella making… keep you posted.
2. There will be 144 cupcakes and one four layer birthday cake coming out of my kitchen this weekend.
3. The leaves are GORGEOUS in the Hudson Valley, but it is raining and wet and gross, therefore there is a lack of pictures.
4. Mom delivered apples last weekend and I will be making apple-like things. Starting with Apple Pudding Cake with Cinnamon Butter Sauce.
5. I am throwing a football themed birthday party for my roommate and will be making pretzels, nacho cheese, pigs in a blanket, chilli and football cupcakes. Someone tell me where to apply for the “roommate of the year award.”
6. We just celebrated the wedded bliss of my cousin and her brand-new husband. It was an amazing and magical wedding. I still have my own personal thoughts on weddings, but if my mind was going to be changed it would be with that event. Well done. And slightly sneaky, universe.
7. Although we are not having a Halloween party this year, I WILL be having a Wicked Witch Martini on the west coast.
8. I am having serious Frye boot and iPhone envy. And yes, sometimes THINGS do make a difference.
9. The girls and I are on the lookout for wonderful single men. Please send them to the Hudson Valley if found.
10. It’s amazing how far, “you are beautiful,” can go in my book.
After much hemming and hawing, for reasons unreasonable to some, I got over it. Here is Thea Sphere Sweets.
And this is a sample of what I make over at Thea Sphere Sweets:
Ever play the game “Never have I ever?”
That is how my latest project has come to be. Never would I ever have been able to shape my cooking and baking craft if I hadn’t moved to the country, found a roommate, rented the most colorful house in all the land and spent many of a night in the red and orange kitchen. Yes, the walls are prison orange and the cabinets are cherry red. I wouldn’t have it any other way, even if I had gotten to pick the wall color myself. So for the last two years, I have made cakes, cheesecakes, cookies and cupcakes for every holiday, birthday, sappy Friday, snowday and BBQ in and around the Hudson Valley. The confections made their way to Syracuse, the city, Long Island and New Jersey. And where ever the treats went I heard, “why don’t you sell these?” I had two, in my humble opinion reasons why not to make baking more than just a middle of the night de-stresser.
1. I love to watch people at food I have made. If I were to sell baked goods how would I ever go to every single order’s home and see them eat the confection I created.
2. People who cook for a living often end up hating it. And that I can not and will not have. Baking (and cooking in general) is the only thing that stops my eye twitch. I have a stress eye twitch that come from work, car and personal stress. It’s the right eye above and sometime below the lid. It makes me batty. So why would I risk not enjoying the one remedy I have?
Alas, I broke down and ordered business cards.
And I made this page.
And then I bought labels.
And now I am planning an open house for 11.11.11 to showcase what is available for the holiday season.
In the midst of baking and cooking in the country, friends and family have pushed me in the direction of making it official. And although I am not ready for that, I can do the local thing and bring baked goodness to the ones I love (and the ones they love). Thank you for the push [read shove] to the next step.
“Like” away at www.facebook.com/theaspheresweets and you can check out all of the amazing baked goods that I have come up with in the last year or so. Phew. I’m glad that’s out.
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” ~ Luciano Pavarotti
One of the most fun “country bumpkin” activities is the farmers market in uptown Kingston. Not necessarily because of the location, but for the amazing fruit and produce selection and more importantly the COLORS. There is reddest radishes, purple cabbage, yellow corn under the greenest husks and this weeks personal favorite orange (on the edge of dark yellow) cauliflower from Maynard Farms.
I was undecided on what to make with this new vegetable. Steaming it sounded too boring for such a colorfully pretty vegetable. There are many people in the food world that have gone the “healthy” way with mashed potatoes and substituted cauliflower for the starch. I set off on to the adventure of cauliflower mash.
Here are the pretty friends at home.
I cleaned the cauliflower and chopped it into pieces.
The cauliflower then went into boiling water with salt, pepper, bay leaves and four whole garlic leaves.
Once the cauliflower was soft enough to be stabbed with a fork, the water was drained.
The cauliflower went back into the pot. Two tablespoons of cream cheese, half a cup of skim milk, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and oregano all went into the pot as well.
Then the fun part came along. Mash. Mash. Mash. And then mash. Mash. Mash. At this point you could put the mash into the food processor if you would like a smooth mash, but in our house there was a request for a chunky feel.
The mash was then put into a serving bowl, topped with fresh grated parmesan cheese and fresh crushed pepper.
Finding alternative foods for those that are calorie-conscious is very important. The cauliflower is low in fat and high in fiber, folate and vitamin C. Going to the farmers market opens you to new and different vegetables. The other benefit of new vegetable, just like the golden cauliflower, is the new adventure of making something for the first time. A curse to some, but a blessing to this foodie in the country.
“Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.” ~ Voltaire
Anyone that comes in contact with me, my kitchen or my ordering habits knows I heart cheese. I love the texture, the smell, the styles, the history, the purity of it all. I like that the smooth just has much as the hard and the stinky just as much as the faint odors. On my list of things to do in the cheeseworthy category:
Visit Murray’s cheese caves
Make homemade mozzarella
And finally one I can cross off the list:
Make homemade ricotta
[Insert proud and large beaming smile here]
I came across a recipe from Smitten Kitchen on how to make homemade ricotta and thought it would be a nice intro to the cheese-making-world. I am still looking for the right citric acid for the mozzarella anyway, so I had some time for another challenge.
The ingredients were easy to collect…
3 cups of whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 3 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice, candy thermometer, cheesecloth and a strainer
I combined the milk, cream and salt into a saucepan, attached the thermometer and turned the heat on low. There is a warning about the bottom of the pot scorching. It’s funny how the first time you make something I follow directions and then by the third or fourth time around I tend to wing it. I carefully monitored the mixture, stirring it occasionally, until it reached 190 degrees F.
I turned the heat off, added the lemon juice and stirred it a few times to incorporate. I left the pot alone for 5 minutes.
I prepped the cheesecloth, strainer and bowl while I waited. I also used this time to clean up the counter. I can’t help myself.
I then poured the curds and whey into the strainer lined with cheesecloth and let the curds strain away from the whey. Can we discuss how happy I am to really know what ‘curds and whey’ are? I mean all of these years of “eating her curds and whey” and now I know and can attest to what that actually is. It really is the little things. Who knew Little Miss Muffet had this going for her.
The original directions said to leave the mixture for at least an hour. At one hour it is supposed to be tender, spreadable ricotta. At two hours, it is supposed to be spreadable but a bit firmer, like cream cheese.
I left my curds hanging out for about 3 hours, since the whey kept separating from the curd, I figured it was safe to leave it alone for longer. You can’t judge the texture based on this point anyway as the ricotta will firm up more when it is refrigerated.
Here is the finished product! The most amazing ricotta you have ever put in your face. I served it on a spoon to my mouth when it was just me and then on amazing garlic bread with salt, pepper and truffle oil to my dinner guests. One you go homemade, you’ll never go back.
“Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.” ~ Harriet Van Horne
I am ready.
I am ready for it to stop raining. I am ready for sundresses and flip-flops.
I am ready to fall in love.
I am ready to change my hair color.
I am ready to create.
I am ready to let go.
I am ready to move on.
I am ready to forgive, but not forget.
I am ready to manifest change on a higher level and help the people around me to do the same.
I am ready to bake. And cook. And make homemade mozzarella.
I am ready for the rest of my life to get started.
I am ready to change my bedspread.
I am ready to say goodbye to my insecurities.
I am ready to accept help.
I am ready to clean out my closets, material and intangible.
I am ready to make a difference.
I am ready to dance.
I am ready.
“It just goes to show you that you don’t really know how impactful you are on someone’s life. It’s really important to be the best person you can be because you don’t know what kind of an impact your actions are having on the other person. ” ~ Thea Linscott on July 1, 2009
Attending the first ever Ramp Fest in Hudson, NY was a moment of clarity in being a “foodie.” It was an amazing compilation of food, friends, music, drinks and RAMPS. For those who need a lil background on ramps, please check out this, this and this.
The most amazing ramp focaccia served with ramp butter from the not yet opened Cafe Le Perche in Hudson, NY. Meeting the executive chef Lisa Brickman was an awesome experience and her enthusiasm for the new bakery and restaurant was infectious. I can not wait to go visit Lisa and her team in June at their boulangerie, bar and patisserie
Fatty ‘Cue in New York City brought one of my most favorite things to the table. Sidebar: one of my favorite cocktail scientists, Jason Littrell, first served me a pickleback while throwing drinks at The Randolph. Jason said, first drink this and then drink that. I did what I was told. And have never been the same. Seeing the two piles of shot glasses lined up, I had a hunch that the guys at Fatty ‘Cue were serving up a treat. Ramp infused pickle juice in the ‘this’ and Wild Turkey whiskey in the ‘that.’
The guys at Fatty ‘Cue / Fatty Crab also served a ramp curry goat dish that was pretty intense.
I think chicken sausage can only be made better by adding ramps.
The classic beggar’s purse tied with ramps, now you are speaking my language.
Dessert can go wrong when adding an onion based flavor, but hey, the guys at Da Ba did it right with ramp lime sorbet. The executive chef told me they serve a sorbet before the final cheese course. I heart cheese.
The steamed clam from great people at The Fat Radish in NYC was wrapped in ramps, peas and white wine. It was delish and wonderful and light. The presentation in the clam shell was perfect for a finger food.
Foodies! at the beautiful Basilica Hudson in Hudson, NY.
After leaving the Ramp Fest, all high on ramps, I went to Adam’s Fairacre Farms. Once of my most favorite markets to shop. And there for all $11.99 a pound, we my ramps (here soaking off the dirt). Let the ramp-ing begin.
“Imagination is the real and eternal world of which this vegetable universe is but a faint shadow.” ~ William Blake
