Spring Is In the Air, & Everywhere!

Spring is (almost) here!  I say that lightly, because here in North Carolina, it has been a very mild winter, allowing for an early Spring, and I could not be happier!  The trees are budding...and you know what that means?!?!  It means the fruits of our trees and plants will be here very soon!

So, during the first week of March, I ventured out of the cupboard and looked for the first signs of Spring.  To my surprise, I found my lilies popping above ground.  My outside cat, Amber, was rolling in the warm sun, watching the birds.  And last but certainly not least, I found the cherry, peach, and crabapple trees with tiny innocent little blooms!  What a nice surprise!  Guess it's time to start cleaning out the flower beds!   

I'm Back!!

I apologize, I have been away from the cupboard in the last couple of weeks, making funeral arrangements and all of the details that go along with loosing a loved one.  My father-in-law, Ray Norris now rests in peace.  The one thing that comforted us the most during this time was good food.  It just seemed to make the situation seem better, at least for a few moments.  It's simply amazing how food affects us in so many ways, right under our noses.  I would like to show my appreciation to all who supported us during this difficult time.

Moving forward, I am excited to say that Spring is on the way!  I am looking forward to the new birth that this exciting season brings.  I can't wait to see butterflies on bright pink azalea bushes, and honey bees on peach tree blooms, pollinating away, preparing the trees for summer fruits, and vines for blackberries, blueberries, and grapes.  Stay tuned for my early Spring post, coming soon!

With love From the Cupboard,
Jenny

It's Girl Scout Cookie Time!

It's that time of year again! Girls dressed in their Brownie and Junior uniforms, standing out in the freezing cold in front of the local grocery stores with their smiling faces, "Would you like to buy some Girl Scout Cookies?" Your initial thought is "I really can't afford it." But knowing that they are the most delicious cookies on the face of the earth, you buy 6 boxes (or more) anyway.

I did my fair share of cookie selling.  I remember specifically standing in front of the local Food Lion with my best friend and fellow Girl Scout, Claire Bolton, in the cool rain chanting "Girl Scout Cookies $2 a box" as customers entered the building.  (Yes, they were a lot cheaper then!)  I was enrolled in Girl Scouts in 1988 in Brownie Troop 632.  I later was bridged to Junior Troop 1415, both of which were in Council 364 Pines of Carolina.

I was proud of my award!

In 1988, I was the top cookie seller in Person County.  My mom taped multiple Girl Scout Cookie order forms to the windows of her mini van for a "little" advertising.  We would get stopped everywhere we went.  She carried quite a few boxes in the back, and whenever we got stopped, all she had to do was open the hatch, and sell, sell, sell.  I also did my part at cookie booths, selling to friends, family members, fire departments, and schools.  My grandmother took an order form to work for me and sold quite a few.  I sold 500+ boxes that year, and won a free week to Girl Scout Camp, along with a sleeping bag.  That same year I was also featured on the front page of The Courier=Times.  In 1989, I sold 600+ boxes, and once again was the top seller in the county. 

Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

Yeah...you know, the ones that you used to get on your green-tinted, sectional lunch tray in high school??   Those are the ones!  The traditional Halloween meal that was served in our public school usually consisted of brunswick stew, your choice of a grilled cheese or peanut butter sandwich, and then there were THESE...

...peanut butter no-bake cookies...

 They just seemed to fit this meal perfectly. They were sooooo good!

 My husband and I love making these at Christmas time too, at a time when we tend to crave the comforting foods we had as kids. We each grab 2 spoons and stand on opposite sides of the counter, piling up heaping teaspoons of warm, chocolaty, nutty, and just plain yummy cookies.  It somehow brightens our spirits during this magical, yet stressful time of year. 

Molasses Cookies

Charles, my beloved husband, kept saying to me, "You keep promising me you are going to make those, but you never do."  So I finally did.  I looked for recipes for molasses cookies, similar to the ones that I remember making in culinary school.  I remember being proud of myself, capable of producing these wonderful treats from scratch.  

Thick & cakey batch

And now I get to share them with my hubby. He took a bunch to work for their Thanksgiving feast, and I made a separate batch to take to our traditional Thanksgiving family meal. Both batches came out a little bit different.  One was flat and crunchy, and the other was thick, soft, and cakey.  Both were very tasty.  The difference very well could have been the temperature of the butter before it was put into the mixture, or the amount of time the mixer ran at each stage of mixing.

No Bun Pun Intended...Ultimate (Cinnamon) Buns

I know, I know, it's pretty cheesy......CREAM CHEESY!!! LOL.  I came up with quite a few bun puns, but I just couldn't bring myself to use them in this post...I just had to keep it simple and clean.

All puns aside, a great cinnamon bun is hard to find.  The only way I felt I could satisfy my hunger for a warm sweet, cinnamon-y bun, was to make my own.  I wanted to be able to smell them baking in my own kitchen, just enough to warm my heart.  No "Cinnabon" could replace that fresh from the oven sensation we all love so much. 

Baking any kind of yeast dough is a lengthy process...from mixing the dough, letting it rise, forming the dough, and then letting it rise again.  It was an all day process for me, but well worth the wait.  Looks like the little dough boy helped too!!

Continue reading for recipe...
(Revised from America's Test Kitchen, All-Time Best Holiday Recipes)

"Tis the Season

Norman Rockwell

'Tis the season to fill everyone's heart with something tasty to eat!  The best gift a cook could ever receive is the satisfaction on their guests' faces when they indulge in something you have prepared with your own two hands. The love that is shared during this process is priceless.  Whether it is friend to friend, family to family, friend to family, cook to cook, or cook to guest, there simply is no replacement for the joy it brings to one who loves to cook and share.  This my friends is the passion of food.

Corncake--I Mean--Cornbread

Brunswick stew, pumpkins, bake sales, yard sales, flea markets, and fall fundraisers.  Fall is just around the corner now...the leaves are starting to change and fall to the ground, and we are starting to have longer, cooler nights here in North Carolina.  It is my favorite time of year for many reasons, but I think my absolute favorite has to be the hot meals that comfort us throughout the cooler seasons.  Here my focus isn't necessarily on the main course, but the bread...nice, soft, steaming hot cornbread.

Summer 'Mater Sammiches

I just can't go on without sharing this experience.  It seems simple for some, but it is just so satisfying and simple...and of course for me, it brings many great memories back to the surface. 

Wheat bread, juicy maters, southern Duke's Mayo, salt and freshly ground pepper...that's all you need to experience this creamy, salty and acidic goodness.

Bubbly Summer Apple Triple Crust Cobbler

The refreshing yet warm, country smell of apple cobbler reminds me of Fall, only a little bit early...cinnamon, brown sugar, and of course, the crisp yellow apples.  

To me, the best thing about a cobbler is the crust.  If you agree, you would love, love, love this!  It has a soft bottom crust, a crisp top crust, and an extra crispy crust drizzled over the top before baking.

This extra crispy, thin crust is what makes this cobbler delish.  Made of equal parts brown sugar and butter, and a little flour, it gives the apples a caramel kiss of flavor.  You can almost eat it like a cookie, sopping up all of the melted ice cream and applesauce that has left its mark on your plate.

The second best part has to be the home grown apples.  They are the bigger and better this year, the best I have seen in the 8 years I have lived here. I am still unsure what type of apples they are, other than a gracious, soft, yellow apple, not too sweet, and not too tart.  They seem a little mealy, but nothing a little cooking can't fix!

And last but not least, the cobbler must be eaten warm with a nice scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, slowly melting down the sides.  After this scoop of vanilla, I just might have to switch to the butter pecan...hmmmmm.

The end product is a warm, thick, and bubbly cobbler, with a cool, creamy melting ice cream, tart summer apples, and lots of homemade love in my tummy!

The "O" Balls

Last year, for the holidays,  I decided that shopping for gift after gift was a bit too much of the norm.  I wanted to give a gift that had a "bite" of a special touch. Let's just say I felt like Willy Wonka and the Keebler Elves had visited my home.  I made all kinds of cookies, breads, candies, and spiced nuts for friends and family.  And then there were these...oreo balls.  I was surprised when I was told by my step dad (Ken) that these were his absolute favorite "sitting-at-the-computer-late-at -night-snack."

These "preciouses" consist simply of oreos, cream cheese, white chocolate, and of course, a little bit of love.  The sandwich cookies are lightly crumbled, mixed with cream cheese, and then covered in creamy white chocolate.  I had no idea these would be soooo tasty. With a crisp white chocolate shell, and a soft, cakey, dark chocolately filling, its was a match made in heaven. One can only imagine why Ken calls them "O" Balls...of course it's because they are made with oreos...ha ha.

I made a couple dozen upon request for one of my husband's friends...the result...no other "brownie" is allowed to replace the oreo balls in their house...

So who knew something so simple could start such conversations, deliver such smiles, and create such memories?  Especially something that my very own hands created...

P.S.  I wonder what would happen if I accidentally spilled some mint extract into them next time? Hmmmmm.....

Crabapples are such a yummy treat!

The low branches were hanging full!

The center contains seeds like an apple.

These tiny and tart fruits are similar in appearance to apples.  They grow in bunches with a stem similar to those of cherries.  They have an extremely tart flavor, comparable to lemons.

Crabapples are grown normally for their ornamental abilities.  But I was curious.  Since they were an edible fruit, I figured there had to be some way to utilize the bearing fruit.  The only recipes that I found were for jelly, chutneys, or cooked in addition to another ingredient, mainly because they are inedible by themselves.  They are packed with a natural fruit gelatin called pectin, which is the ingredient that causes jelly to thicken.  When cooked with sugar and pushed through a sieve, they produce this wonderful, flavorful, vibrant, ruby jelly.

Crabapples are very labor intensive.  I spent about half an hour plucking these delights from the tree.  I was accompanied by the sound of a gray dove somewhere in the distance, and a light breeze to keep me cool.

Wonderful as an afternoon snack!

Next I took them inside, removed the stems (which was no easy task), and thoroughly washed them to remove the bloom ends.  They were then cut, cooked, and strained.  Sugar was added, and the pulp was reduced once more.  Then it was poured into a glass jar and allowed to cool overnight. Definitely well worth the wait...even Charles enjoyed it!

From my very own tree!

There is absolutely nothing better than harvesting your own fruit to fill your own tummy and fridge...

Cooking for Someone Special...

Out of all the people I have fed or prepared food for, the most intriguing has been my husband, Charles.  The poor guy is the guinea pig of my cooking and testing...but it turns out he likes more things than he thought he did!

Me and Charles

One day we had a conversation on the food that we grew up with, and he told me his fondest memories of his mother cooking homemade biscuits every night to go with the fried pork chops and pintos, or meatloaf with tomato topping and mashed potatoes.  So I felt like it was my calling to reproduce these meals that were obviously so near and dear to his heart.  Preparing meals for Charles in the same way his mother used to, who is now deceased, fulfills my passion to share my love for food with the ones I love.

We both agreed that I will never be able to reproduce these meals exactly the way she did...her hands were so different from mine, and I don't own the wooden "biscuit bowl" that she used to make those lovely, rounded top biscuits.

But I sure was going to try...

The smells and sounds in my warm kitchen while I cooked the fried porkchops reminded Charles of times when he himself would prepare this meal down at the old white house he was raised in.  He pointed to a burn scar on his hand where the grease popped and burned him.  To him, and I guess to just about every home cook, a "fried" pork chop is dusted in flour and seasoned with "just salt and pepper,"  and then fried in a cast iron frying pan.  The smile on his face reminded me of why I love to touch someone's heart through food.

Delights from My Garden--Part 2

As the summer continues, my cupboard continues to fill with lots of tasty things, some with a childhood memory attached, and others left open to start new beginnings.  I will begin with the grapes.

"I heard it through the grapevine.."

Their twisty, curly vines wrap around the man- built frame, supporting tiny bunches of premature grapes; accompanied by the sweet smell and honeysuckle.  The grapes are a new and exciting venture for me, I can't wait to see how these tiny bundles of joy grow!

Honeysuckle contains a sweet, edible nectar. 

 Next up are the famous wild blackberries.  To me, summer just isn't summer without them.  I spent many summers picking blackberries in the dark until my fingertips turned purple...now that's love!

Looks like the critters enjoy them too!

I enjoy eating them just as they are, right off the vine, or, rinsed and chilled (if they make it back to the house). But, my all-time favorite would still have to be homemade blackberry cobbler (right out of the oven), topped with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream.  Summertime lovin'...lovin in the summertime!

The blackberry "bush"

Delights from My Garden--Part 1

German Johnsons are going to be here soon!

Wow! I have quite a few delightful treats in my garden this year!

First and foremost, the German Johnson tomatoes...I can't wait...and the Marion heirlooms right beside them.  I can't wait to fight for that tangy juice from the bottom of the bowl, to be able to make a sloppy sammich with just salt and pepper, or to simply eat one like an apple...dirt and all.

 There's also quite a few different varieties and colors of summer apples-red, green, and yellow.  It is such a joy to watch them grow and mature into a tasty morsel...whether eaten raw, in a cobbler, cooked to perfection in a cast iron frying pan, or pureed into homemade applesauce.  Nothing better than shaking the tree to have them fall from up above...like pennies from heaven.

Apples in the morning dew

Apples from 1 of about 8 trees in my yard

 Last year I had all of 1 peach from my tree.  I distinctly remember my mom trying to tell me that there was a ripe peach on my tree.  I didn't believe her...it had been very dry, and none of the trees had produced anything all year. But sure enough, there it was, a beautiful piece of art. I carefully plucked the single peach off the tree.  As I bit into it, I realized it was the freshest,  sweetest, juiciest, peach I have ever put in my mouth...too bad it was the only one :(.

...gonna eat alota peaches." 

"Movin to the country...

So this year I have 2 trees hanging full of 'lil peaches, and I am hoping that we are granted with enough sky juice to once again produce these flavorful, ripe, fuzzy  peaches.

 ...yes Juli, I remember the 6 hour tour...with all the peaches!

Blackberries...Take Me Back To The Good 'ol Days

Sitting here eating blackberries...soft yet crunchy, sweet yet tart...takes me directly back to my childhood. I vividly remember picking wild blackberries in the edge of the woods on a hot, humid summer night. Most of the time it was a treat after a long day of hauling corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, squash, potatoes and butter beans to the house from Gingi's garden. The sound of tree frogs and crickets in the background, the setting sun (if it wasn't already dark), sweat dripping down from Gingi's sweat band ,and the smell of honeysuckle. There was nothing better than sticking your already dirty hand into a prickly bush, and finding that big fat juicy berry. The end result...purple stained fingertips and seeds in your teeth...yummy, yummy, yummy, I got love in my tummy!


I will also never forget the red bike tire tracks I received while picking blackberries...;)