Monday October 18, 2010

Ms Murky Mondays:
Autumnal Bliss

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. This is the view I am blessed with seeing each morning and well most days. The mist, the colors and texture are all too beautiful for words to describe. Soon the color will be gone and we'll enter the season of grays, whites, and browns. Until then, I relish the colors and the frost on the pumpkins and look forward to the smell of the first fire in the fireplace and the cozy, dark days ahead.

Monday October 11, 2010

Ms Murky Mondays:
Alex Elman

Sometimes people are placed in your life to inspire you. I met such a person last night - her name is Alex Elman. She doesn't yet know that she had such an impact on me, but she did. Her story - inspiring!
We spoke about organic farming and organic wines and I was excited to see if perhaps she might want to be a guest on my radio show, and better yet, a guest wine blogger. You see, Alex is a wine expert and has started her own label - Alex Elman Wines - Authentic Wine Treasures that are natural and organic. Alex is also blind. I tip my hat and raise my glass to Alex!!

According to a NY Post article:

"These wines are the best examples of what they are and where they come from. They are wines that are honestly made," she said.

Elman goes for wines that are organically produced, and has picked four with which to launch her company: a Chardonnay and a cabernet sauvignon, both from France; and a red, a Malbec, and a white called a Torrentes, both originating in Argentina.

The wines go for $12 to $15 a bottle, and Elman wanted them to be good enough for people to bring to a party, and affordable enough for every day.

"I'm not someone who is out there telling you what to drink," she said.

"What we're trying to do with Alex Elman Wines is to take a lot of the guesswork out, because when you walk into a store there are so many wines.

"I would really like this to be people's go-to wine," she said.

I can't wait to taste them!! Thank you Alex.

Monday October 04, 2010

Ms Murky Mondays:
Moroccan Brisket Recipe

Kudos to Whippoorwill Farm in Lakeville, CT for raising, then selling the most beautiful and delicious cut of brisket from their herd and for sharing "Laura's Moroccan Beef Brisket" recipe. Thank you Laura, whoever you are!!

Here's the recipe with my comments, of course:
This should be made a day ahead for maximum flavor.
1 whole beef brisket, about 5 lbs
2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil
2-3 large onions (I sliced them)
2 cloves of garlic (I used 4 and minced them)
1 can tomato paste
1 cup beef broth (I used more like 2)
1-1/2 cups red wine (I used 2 1/2 -3)
1 cup dried apricots (I used organic, unsulfured and left them whole)
1 cup of green olives, halved
1 cups prunes, slices
Pepper and salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon (I used 1 tsp)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat a large dutch oven on high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the olive oil, then add the beef. Sear the beef for about 5 minutes on both sides until browned. Remove and season with salt and pepper. Add sliced onions and saute over medium heat for 10 minutes until golden. Add salt, pepper, garlic and tomato paste. Put meat back in, add cinnamon and then wine and broth to cover the meat. Add apricots, olives and prunes. Cover and place in oven. Turn the brisket once or twice while it's cooking for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Cool in refrigerator overnight. While the recipe says to defat the gravy, the brisket was so lean there was no fat and the gravy was a perfect consistency and did not need cornstarch to thicken. Slice the brisket while its cold, put back in gravy and reheat in a 350 degree oven.

I served it with roasted potatoes, broccoli and green salad; and with polenta and sliced tomatoes the next day for dinner. YUMMY. It was sweet and savory with a nice robust flavor and very tender. It's a keeper for sure!!

Monday September 27, 2010

Ms Murky Mondays:
Return from Country Living Fair

It was quite a trip - 22 hours of driving, 2 cooking demos, lots of great vendors at the fair and an overall great time!! Thank you Country Living!!
Here's my view from the stage:

And here's what a couple of people had to say:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgZJoFmkZuc?fs=1]

Basking in the glow!!

Monday September 20, 2010

Ms Murky Mondays:
Apple Torte Demo on Newschannel13

Basking in the afterglow of a great time with the news team from Albany's NBC affiliate - WNYT - Newschannel 13 - Dan Bazille and Tim Drawbridge!!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfudby5gaRs?fs=1]

Here's the recipe:

Jo’s (my Mom’s) Apple Torte

Our family loves cheesecake and we love apple pie. So way back when, my Mom who tends to be pie crust challenged, decided to do away with the frustration of a rolled pie dough and combined her cheesecake acumen with apples to create the simplest and most delicious winner. Try it - it will impress your friends and your taste buds!!

Crust

1 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 stick butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

Cream Cheese Filling

2 - 8 oz. packages of cream cheese at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs at room temperature

Apples

2 large tart apples such as Granny Smith - peeled, cored and sliced

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, sugar, vanilla in a bowl and then cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Press into bottom and up about 1” of the sides of a 10 inch springform pan. Bake for 5 minutes, cool to room temperature.

Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Spoon mixture into crust.

Mix apples sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Spoon over cream cheese mixture and then sprinkle with walnuts.

Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake another 45 minutes until your tester comes out clean. Cool on a rack and then carefully remove sides of springform pan. When completely cool, turn upside-down, remove bottom of pan, place plate on top and flip over. And ENJOY!!!

Monday September 13, 2010

Ms Murky Mondays:
Treasure Hunting at Brimfield

Brimfield makes me happy!!
I had the best day on Saturday. I went to Brimfield and I arrived home with the back of my pick-up full of unexpected treasures!! The best was - 6 dining room chairs for $200. Mind you they need work BUT I have been coveting this style chair for my dining room for years and never pulled the trigger because I was looking at forking over at least $1200/chair with my designer discounts! Not in my budget, now or ever. So when you come across the deal - you have to scoop it even when you had no intention. That's the beauty of Brimfield - you just never know what you are going to come across.

I will post the "after" photos when they are reupholstered.

Great finds aside, I also come across all sorts of heirloom kitchen tools, gadgets etc. So FUN - even if you don't buy - it's a veritable museum of other people's discards from estates, attics, garages, or basements.

Here are a few of my scores: