 I promised my new doctor I would get back on the better cholesterol train, but I had to make one more batch of ice cream because I had already bought the ingredients. I cannot throw away good stuff, right?
I love my @cuisinart ice cream maker as it is easy to use, and the ice cream is fantastic. I mixed milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt. After a resting period in the refrigerator, I put the liquid into the ice cream maker. It only took twenty minutes, and I was ready for my summer treat. And, yes, as a nod to DQ, I bought Butterfinger bars for me and Heath bars for the Big Guy. Yummy!  Big Guy has been quite successful growing his heirloom tomatoes @carondeletgarden. We have certainly been giving them away, but I decided it was time keep eight of them to make an arrabbiata sauce. My timing is terrible with the heatwave, so I got creative and decided to make it in my crockpot as an experiment. I used my @cuisinart food processor to puree my ingredients with the hope of melding the flavors during the cooking time. I used heirloom tomatoes, patio tomatoes, peppers, onion, and garlic from @carondeletgarden. I used tomato paste, red peppers, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes from my pantry. The mix worked well and made enough for me to can four jars for future use. YEAH!  Big Guy and I were reminiscing about our visits to see my snowbird parents in Florida. One of our favorite restaurants to put on our “to-do” list was @crowsnestveniceflorida. You could not beat the view nor the outstanding food. My usual meal was a filet served with Gunther Gebel-Williams’ steak sauce. Who knew a famous lion tamer could create the perfect steak sauce? I was lucky to find the recipe on one of our visits and I have squirreled it away for special occasions. The sauce consists of onions, scotch, soy sauce, beef broth, dark brown sugar, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. It comes together in about thirty minutes and usually is enough for two meals. Yes, I usually freeze the leftovers. We pulled out two bacon wrapped filets from @legrandsmarket along with vegetables to roast from @carondeletgarden. The final addition was opening a lovely Cabernet from @seanminorwines to create the perfect Sunday meal!   It was “stay and train” day for our sweet Doodle, so Big Guy and I got in our car and headed east. We decided to head to Belleville, Illinois for breakfast and book shopping. Our first stop was to @clarabskitchentable and @longstorycoffee. As their website states, this place “is an homage to a time when scratch cooking and baking was all there was.” These two businesses share a space in an old train depot located near the heart of Belleville. We were impressed with the service and friendliness of the staff. We asked for food and drink suggestions and the staff gave us great options. The maple cappuccino was impressive, and the loaded burrito and biscuits and gravy was outstanding. I wish I could include a taste, but I can tell you I said “wow” with my first bite. We headed next to Belleville Books to see this great new independent bookstore located in the town’s old bank building. It was impressive to see this reuse of a cool building including using the old vault as their history room. It was a great visit, and we cannot wait to see what the owners do next with this incredible space. We took the long way home and even stopped @stclairantiquemall for a little antiquing before picking up our girl. We were all tired after a fun day out!  Big Guy and I mourned the “death” of our sugar snap peas @carondeletgarden. We understand in gardening that crops are seasonal, but with no guarantee for a successful harvest. This was the year I did not get to enjoy them and freeze them for use in the winter. I gave up on the idea of any beans until we happened to see blue lake bean plants @greenscapegardens_stl. We had just harvested the last of our spring lettuce and had room for one new plant option. We got the plants settled and they have been prolific providers of outstanding beans. I have already used them in soups and as part of a roasted vegetable mix. I am anxiously awaiting the next flush of beans so I can blanch them and freeze them for winter.   Do you ever get enamored by the idea by a new way of thinking about a plant? It happened when I tripped upon a patio eggplant also known as a patio baby. Big Guy had maxed out our raised beds and I was resigned to not having eggplants this year. The patio eggplant was the perfect solution in that they love to grow in pots. They are compact and prolific dwarf plants which should produce over twenty-five small, dark purple fruits with a mild, sweet flavor. They are almost ripe, and I cannot wait to try them in pasta or as an appetizer. The best part is the fruit is small so I can tailor the size to a two person meal. Winner!  |
AuthorJust a super cool old couple who love to cook and eat and drink in their Carondelet Kitchen in South Saint Louis, Missouri! Archives
November 2025
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