Benny Grimms - Recipe

Here it is. Our old family recipe...

12 Days of Baking

On the first day of Christmas break in Montana, I baked enough for an army. I wasn't in the mood before our trip because I had too much work to do. Now that I can breathe freely, I'm working on 12 days of baking.

Day 1: Fudge. I love Betty Crocker's recipe, by the way. One tip: swap out two ounces of sweetened chocolate and add unsweetened. With so much sugary condensed milk, I bet you can offset some of that sweetness and make it rich in chocolate flavor. Also, the higher quality the chocolate... well, you know. The yummier.

Day 2: Blondies. I alter every recipe I find. I didn't like the Food Network's recipe. Too complicated. So I stuck to Martha's Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, adding nuts, coconut and oats, and threw it in a glass pan.

Day 3: Mexican Wedding Cakes. Not only did I enjoy the Food Network recipe, my 3-year old watched the video about three times.

Day 4: Sugar cookies. Dare I publish Liz's family recipe? Here's a picture... :)

Day 5: Benny Grimms. These are chocolate balls, with maraschino cherries in the middle, and rolled in coconut. They are probably called something like coconut cherry balls, but an old family friend (before my time), used to eat all of these chocolate balls, so it's named after him. Oh wait, I just googled it and this is the closest I could find online to the recipe -- at Cooks.

Day 6: Peanut Brittle. Well, mom did this one, not me. Too sticky! But scrumptious, nonetheless. Not sure of her source, but I'll share once I find it.

Day 7: Lemon bars. Another mom treat. Her recipe is an old one and they are the best, bar none. And well, it's sort of a family secret... unless I've already shared it? Hmm...

Day 8: Okay, I have five more days and need to get busy. So I'm open to suggestions for the next five days. Help!
Dad just chimed in with a request for oatmeal raisin cookies. :)

Sunshine and Sunflower Seeds

Seems I'm always in baking mode when the weather cools down. Sadly I didn't take a photo of the apple pie we made, but it was pretty good. However, it didn't trump the homemade ice cream Paul whipped up (with a machine). That's always the best.

I took a class on making gelato a while back and we now use the recipe over and over when the sun starts to peek around a cloud or two. You know, Seattle summers.

Sadly I've misplaced that damn recipe hand out, but I promise to share a few when I find it!

Meanwhile, during clean up time, our monkey decided to spread out a bowl of her very own sunshine - can you see the sunflower seeds on every step?

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins

St. Valentines Day is a day of giving. Or so I'm reminded every time I enter a retailer. I succumb to marketing like the next yummie mummie (my new brand), so I have been making goodies for the gals to bring to school.

Today I'll be dropping off some Whole Wheat Banana Muffins (altered recipe from Cooks Illustrated).


1¾ cups (8¾ ounces) whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt (I omit)
6 large very ripe bananas (about 2¼ pounds), peeled (I only had 3)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 large eggs
¾ cup packed (5¼ ounces) light brown sugar (I did half white and have brown sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 375 and fill mini muffin tins with cupcake holders. I use an icecream scoop to fill the mini muffins.

First mix wet ingredients and then add dry.

Mix just until blended. I also completely omitted the part where you cook the bananas (stew them for more flavor). See recipe above if you want to try it out!

And Voila - I decorated with Chocolate Chips. This is for a class of 1-2 year olds so I omitted nuts.

It's 2013

It's 2013 and I'm still thinking about sending out Christmas cards. Maybe if I start now, I'll get them done by next December!

This was a low-key holiday for us. Family was scattered, with at least four who were sick with a flu of sorts. I still got the decorations out and filled the house with Christmas, took my eldest to the Nutcracker and baked up a storm with both kids.

Here's the year summed up with three of my favorite things.

1. Baking (or receiving baked bread).
2. Family chaos.
3. Travel (especially where there's sunshine).

I hope you had a fantastic end to 2012 and an even better start to the new year!

Lee's Fruit Bread, (figs, dates and nuts) wrapped in cheese cloth and soaked in rum before fermenting for 2 weeks at room temp.

E on a boat in Chelan

Me and the Goof Goof

L in her new hat

Peanut butter balls. Yes!

Band-aid nosed L with daddy

More baking!

Breakfast Sans Paul

Whilst Paul was away in Paris, the girls had to make due with "mama-cook".

"Dad's the best cooker", says my oldest monkey. 

I can make anything, I assure her. So she requests an Oven Dutch Baby for breakfast. Well, just to prove my baking prowess, I also made pumpkin muffins a la Moosewood the next morning (which turned out a little rubbery) and a pear gingerbread cake from the same Moosewood cookbook that we ate after dinner - warm out of the oven. Now that was scrumptious!

Homemade Bread and Butter

Mom and dad spent a couple of weeks with us and, on their last day visiting, mom left a surprise in the kitchen.

It has been another crazy day in the life of the Olivier clan. How wonderful to come home from work to the scent of freshly baked bread. Mom had been busy. Helping us with laundry, organizing our drawers and baking bread!

Although rushing to get to our aunt's for dinner, the girls each had a slice of bread with butter. It was still warm enough that the butter seeped into the bread. Delectable.

Dad! Mom! Come back!

Pancakes, Part 2

As a follow up to my entry about pancakes, I wanted to share just how yummy they were.
In this picture, Drew is holding up his plate of blueberry pancakes in syrup. Here are the girls after pancakes - happy little clams.

We had a great impromptu dinner. I think Janet is right - we'll have more of the same again, soon!

Yummy Challah!

Lola made Challah and it was almost as big as our monkey! This bread is wonderful. Especially right after it's cooled down "just enough" to still melt the butter as you're spreading it on a warm slice.

We are still enjoying the loaf. And I think my belly is turning into a loaf of soft bread. Not pretty.

Baking Frenzy or Frenzied Baking?

After laughter and tears, I finally put down the book "The Help" and immediately decided I haven't baked in a long time (since Christmas). That book tugged at every heart string in addition to making me hungry for good food. And we all know that Paul is the cook, so I don't even try!
I decided I needed to use the Mochiko flour to make Butter Mochi, a recipe given to me by a co-worker and friend, Lisa. I also committed to making a pumpkin pie that dad was hankering to eat. Finally, I thought I might just use up the rest of the butterscotch chips from the holidays and make Chocolate Chip, Butterscotch Chip, Oatmeal, Coconut cookies. I ended up with an extra pie crust, and so, two days later, mom made a merengue topped banana cream pie, and she also felt inspired to make lemon bars. We are NOT lacking for baked goodies around here!

Butter Mochi

Banana Cream Pie with Merengue

Monkey decides she likes it better under the vet clinic doorway (out of the snow and wind).

Burning off treats (on a snow day)!

Chocolate & butterscotch chip oatmeal coconut cookies

Autumn Comfort Food

One of my previous entries was about staples. Well, actually it was about a restaurant called Staple and Fancy. This entry is about staple and homely. There is nothing like pairing pumpkin with an old homely staple in our house. Staple that is, since children entered the picture. Homely that is, since I make it that way. Mac n Cheese and pumpkin, please? Glenna sent me a fail-safe recipe. I altered it ever-so-slightly based on what I could find in the fridge and cupboard. It was a hit! By the way, Paul still added more flavor to it after he got home. That's what he does... Sorry folks, I didn't add bacon, which Paul considers a spice. But I bet foraged mushrooms such as Chanterelles would have been fabulous. Paul bought an entire box from a friend who works at Whole Foods. Here's a tip: Don't try to pair it with a German Gewürtztraminer which was all that was open in the fridge. In fact, don't ever buy a Gewürtztraminer! Torsten's theory is that Germans export it so they don't have to drink it. (I agree!)

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Ingredients
·       2 cups dried elbow macaroni (8 ounces) I used rigatoni.
·       2 Tbsp. butter
·       2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
·       1/2 tsp. salt
·       1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
·       1 cup whipping cream I used half & half·       1 cup whole milk I used skim milk
·       4 oz. Fontina cheese, shredded (1 cup) I used Quattro Frommagio
·       1 15-oz. can pumpkin
·       1 Tbsp. snipped fresh sage or 1/2 tsp. dried leaf sage, crushed I used Herbes de Provence
·       1/2 cup soft bread crumbs I used Panko·       1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
·       1/3 cup chopped walnuts I omitted these (Lily is still too young)
·       1 Tbsp. olive oil
·       Sage leaves (optional) I didn't have sage!

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook pasta in a large pot following package directions. Drain cooked pasta, then return to pot.
2. For cheese sauce, in a medium saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Add whipping cream and milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in cheese, pumpkin, and sage until cheese is melted. Stir cheese sauce into pasta to coat. Transfer macaroni and cheese to an ungreased 2-quart rectangular baking dish.
3. In a small bowl combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, walnuts, and oil; sprinkle over pasta. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until bubbly and top is golden. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. If desired, sprinkle with sage leaves.

Living in a Zoo (or Circus)

Sweet Pea in the Kitchen. We had to move the dog bowls...

Every day in the Olivier household holds adventure. Whether we are all madly rushing around to leave the house in the morning to get to school and work or we are rushing around at dinner time to get the cranky girls fed, there is 'never a dull moment'. I have a theme song that ties back to the multitude of people and animals in our house. Our dog and two cats fuel our chaos. "We live in a zoo, zoo, zoo. We live in a zoo, zoo, zoo." And so on.  (Sing to the chorus of Addams Family tune).

In August we were hosting four Germans (Garth, one of my best friends, is actually American but he has now lived in Germany longer so I think he counts there, too!) and spending time enjoying the sites and sounds of the market (Pike Place). After indulging in Jack's Fish and Chips which I HIGHLY RECOMMEND, we took our oldest to get some balloons. It was a long day and we were tired by the end. But now we have these cherished images to enjoy our zoo - and circus - life.

Flying Squirrel

It's just pizza, so how adventurous is it for a night out?  Well, that may be true, but the fact that it was girl's night out made up for the venue AND we were erring on the side of "cheaper" eats (although it's not quite in the "cheap eats" category). 
Glenna, Les, Liz and I were deciding between Tutta Bella and Flying Squirrel. We all love Tutta Bella so it's an easy decision, but Liz suggested trying this new pizza place in Maple Leaf. The service started out a little slow, but once they took our order for a pitcher of Kolsch and Anti Pasti, we were well on our way with good conversation and good food.  The pizzas were delicious, and my preference was the fig, goat cheese, prosciutto and arugula... Mucho bene, grazie.

Eat Your Heart Out

Despite the fact that one of my old familiar hangouts closed in old town (Bad Alberts), I still love Ballard. One night on the town, Paul and I met good friends for dinner at Staple and Fancy Mercantile and had the Chef's menu ($45 per person). This is the lowdown. You select it. You commit to a surprising four course family style dinner. You eat things like Peppers with tuna hearts.

Holy Mackerel that fish was good!

You love it, and even your foodie husband loves it. You still pay an arm and a leg but at least you got more than what was served at the other damn French place in Madison. Rovers? Yes, Rovers. Where we had 2 whole scallops for $20 and hence ordered about 6 courses each AT that price. Dad-in-law bought (Pierre) and subsequently told Thierry (Chef) that this is not French (he said this all in French), because never had he experienced this type of dining in France. And then he proceeded to ask if the Chef if he only bought one crab to feed the entire restaurant. His disarming smile kept things amenable but I wonder if Thierry was cursing that damned Frenchman! 
Well, anyway, Ethan Stowe impressed us at Staple and Fancy (and once a long time ago at How to Cook a Wolf). So, we'll have to go back or try another!
http://www.yelp.com/biz/staple-and-fancy-mercantile-seattle

Craft Night

Eliana, my friend and neighbor, invited me and my mom to a Mosaic party.  At first I was sort of dreading it.  I was thinking of about 20 other things I'd rather be doing when nodding my head in agreement to attend the event.  But I thought about mom and how much she might enjoy it, and so I started talking myself into it.  And then we drew names last weekend for our annual family Christmas home-made gift exchange (which we celebrate during Thanksgiving) and I drew Rick's name. I was imagining a fish-themed stepping stone or something either he would absolutely love or that his dog would just pee on.

Thankfully for him, I gave up on that idea when Laura, the host, told me the wood mosaics could not be stepping stones. So I chose to make something for my eldest daughter since she would appreciate it more than Lil'. 

Mom's mosaic masterpiece

I had to rummage around a few children's books before deciding on a giraffe

Eliana brought a halloween themed picture (a scary house). Mom knew immediately that she wanted to make a bird. We were all thrilled with our mosaics, (and the prosecco)! Upon our return around 9 pm, Paul offered mom and me some of his home-made yummy potstickers prior to cooking up a pot roast at 10 pm. 

Paul's gourmet masterpiece

Paul decides to make Pot Roast at 10 pm

What a fabulous and adventurous evening.

Where Are the Green Bits?

Mom is here. You can tell because the house becomes wonderfully transformed. The kitchen is filled with desserts. She absolutely had to bake zucchini dessert and zucchini bread.

This dessert came from catholic nuns.

Ironically, neither the bread nor the dessert looks much like zucchini. She shaves off all of the green so the textured look from dark green peel is missing. And yet...the taste is so, so, so amazing. One bite and you stop looking for the green bits. You just close your eyes and smile.

Simple Recipes

It's summertime, and the livin' is easy. We are spending time in Montana with family, celebrating birth years and reminiscing about our youth. There are some funny pictures of our family (and the clothes we are wearing!) But all in all, I can see the smiles on all of the faces as they thumb through photo album after photo album of our past. This family reunion is a savory recipe of one part nostalgia and one part creating new memories.

Our family reunions are always potluck style. Julie brought Goulash, a macaroni and hamburger stew with tomatoes (Dode used Tomato Soup); Deanna made baked beans with bacon, our favorite, Vonda made a healthy salad with huckleberry dressing, Connie made old fashioned fruit salad with cool whip, and Marci brought granola baked in a pan with melted chocolate chips on top. Mom, dad and our siblings contributed to A LOT of meat, and Paul grilled it up. We all ate too much. So now I am thinking about something I want to try to make (of course - food obsessed!)

Marci's Granola recipe goes something like this:
2 cups granola
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1 pack chocolate chips (melted)

I guess I need to try making it, but I'd like to start with home-made granola and use Adams or 365 brand peanut butter (no lard). Let me know if this works for you!

Did I Mention Fiddleheads?

From the various comments I've received, many of you have been asking this question, what the heck are fiddleheads?

I was at the University Farmer's Market with mom and saw these green spirals that almost looked like alien forms from another universe. So I bought a half pound, par boiled for 2 minutes and sauteed with bacon. They were still somewhat crunchy but tasted fresh and healthy. Well, except for the bacon part of it. That part tasted decadent. Okay let's face it, bacon is a spice. So anything sauteed with bacon is mighty flavorful...Paul even subscribes to bacon and peanut butter sandwiches. But he IS Canadian, afterall.