 I realize saying we harvested two butternut squashes from @carondeletgarden was a win, but Big Guy and I kept our expectations low after seeing the damage from the spring hailstorm. The plants were growing well with big, beautiful leaves that were smashed to the ground because of the storm. Instead of crying and pulling the plants, we opted to take a wait and see approach as nature has a way of beating the odds and rising from the ground. I decided to make an @inagarten soup with the squash that included an apple component. The recipe had multiple stages, but it was worth the effort. You started by boiling the squash and apples in water until softened. While that was going, I took onions and curry and cooked them together until softened and then set it aside. I took the cooked squash and apples and pureed them into a lovely sauce using my @cuisnart. The finishing step was putting the sauce together with the cooked onions and adding two cups of apple cider. It was the perfect taste of Fall!
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 I remember making gooey butter cake as a kid, but I never understood its history until we moved back to St. Louis. It was just a dessert my parents made that resulted in stories from living in St. Louis. My Detroit friends did not get it either!
I admit this recipe got lost in a cookbook and has not been made in the @carondeletkitchen. The memories flooded back as I mixed the yellow cake mix, eggs, and butter. My, how stiff the batter was as my mixer started to slow and how gooey was the topping of Philadelphia cream cheese, eggs, and powdered sugar. I was proud I remembered to place the baking pan on a cookie sheet as I watched the mix flow over the edges while it baked in the oven. I pulled out the cake and added a dusting of powdered sugar as I watched the cake settle. Once cooled, I trimmed the overflowed edges and got to enjoy a taste of the cake before serving it later in the day. Ah, more fond memories!  Big Guy and I were craving a burger, so we decided to finally try @macslocaleats. We fell in love with the restaurant the minute we walked through the door. As we approached the order counter, we were immediately greeted and asked if it was our first time at the restaurant. As we nodded, we were walked through the menu and the best way to approach ordering our meal. We both declined, with laughter, the option to join the “most burgers eaten” wall of fame. How do they do it? As explained to us, eating very quickly before the stomach and brain join forces to tell the body it is full! I opted for the Classic with American cheese, ketchup, mustard, onions, and house pickles. Big Guy ordered the Louie with Provel cheese, sauteed onions, sauteed orange and red bell peppers, and garlic aioli. We split the onions rings which rounded out our perfectly made meal. The fact we stopped by on National Cheeseburger Day was the “cherry” on top!  I may not be popular when I say goodbye Summer and welcome to Fall! I am exhausted from the endless days of heat and watching the remains of Big Guy’s vegetables wither on the vines. So, I decided it was time to make soup to perk me up! Thanks to @carondeletgarden, I had a huge basket of sweet onions, so I pulled out my Famous Barr recipe and got to work. I do love this soup, but it is time consuming, but so worth it. I love the two magic steps that make this recipe unique. The first is how one stick of butter and five pounds of onions simmering away for an hour and one half become luscious and ready to accept the spices and broth. After simmering for two more hours, the other magic step is adding Kitchen Bouquet to the broth to give it a rich deep brown color. It is perfect served with bread and a lovely bottle of wine!  I used plastic cutting boards for years primarily because they were inexpensive. Once I retired, Big Guy decided to surprise me with a @johnboosco. It was a stunning block, and the knife even seemed to work better. I was happy even knowing I would have to add a maintenance routine to keep my board in tip-top shape.
The issue I did have was getting out the smell of onions which made me wonder if I should return to plastic boards. I started the research and the best I found was using baking soda and vinegar. It worked well, but the smell of vinegar was overpowering in the cleaning process. I started using @mackenziesfisherman which is a natural soap with walnut husk and lemon essential oil. I read about it in @gardenandgun which described this hand scrub as essential after handling fish, so I opted to go on a “flutter,” and tried it. It did a fantastic job of freshening up my board along with leaving my hands soft. I still wash my board with soap and water afterward along with keeping up my maintenance, but this has resolved my dislike of smelling “old” onions each time I used my cutting board. Whew!  Big Guy is so patient when he decides to cook a special side to our meals. I admit anything with potatoes will always be welcome on our table.
He opted to make potatoes au gratin from the onions and potatoes he grew @carondeletgarden. He thinly sliced the potatoes on a mandolin and layered them in a baking dish. He included onions, garlic, and parmesan cheese throughout the layers. Once he completed the “build,” he placed it in the oven until it became golden brown. It was the perfect side dish for a beautiful steak from our friends @legrandsmarket. We added a lovely bottle of wine, and our evening meal was perfect.  Do you have a recipe that requires an antidote? I tapped into Julia Reed’s recipes again to create the perfect Southern pralines. I could not stop eating them! The recipe includes brown sugar, white sugar, evaporated milk, pecans, butter, and vanilla. I have gotten good at cooking these ingredients into its luscious candy state, but I always have a few “ugly” pralines in the beginning because you must start scooping the mix into “cookies” at the perfect moment it starts to cool. I can tell you now that I will never perfect this step because I cannot make these often! This time around I shared them with @vickinorthrop and @abrandt1026 so I did not go into a sugar coma. I appreciate I got a thumbs up on this classic Southern recipe!
 My first Christmas with Big Guy had us going over to his Aunt Edna’s house. The spread was incredible including a layered taco salad. I looked forward to that salad every year which Aunt Edna served in a beautiful bowl filled to the brim with outstanding ingredients. I asked her for the recipe which she gave me without hesitation, but alas, I tucked the recipe into a book and forgot about it.
The impetus that made me remember the recipe was when I found my mom’s trifle bowl. I realize most people would make a dessert, but I realized this bowl would be perfect for Edna’s taco salad. As I read the recipe, I realized I would have to make two changes for our taste @carondeletkitchen. Big guy hates black olives, so that ingredient did not make the cut. I am not a fan of kidney beans, so I opted for black beans. I started with a layer of Fritos, then cooked hamburger, black beans, lettuce, yellow peppers, pico de gallo, cheese, green onions, and more Fritos on top. I opted to keep the dressing on the side since the portion was large and I wanted to keep the salad as “dry” so we could enjoy leftovers the next day. It was messy getting out the first spoonful, but so worth the effort. It was the perfect meal for a scorching summer day in the Lou.  My mom loved to make dips. A true family favorite was her spinach artichoke dip which made the rounds at holiday meals and each time my brother came for a visit. I chuckle as I type this blog because my favorite version of this dip is Julia Reed’s V.D. Dip. I will pause long enough for you to let your mind go wild, but the truth is Julia’s mother made this dip and served it to every “visiting dignitary” that came to her home, hence, the shortened version of her dip name. The ingredient list includes butter, frozen chopped spinach, cream cheese, and canned artichoke hearts. It would not be “southern” without the final ingredient of Ritz crackers. The recipe is simple and so delicious. It also provides lively conversation at the dinner table!   My parents were not adventuresome with their cooking, but I do remember the occasional feast of stuffed peppers. As has been my habit, I wanted to take that memory and create a version of the recipe with my twists on a classic. Big Guy suggested we start by upping the meat to include ground sirloin and pork sausage. The butcher even cheered this suggestion on knowing the fat to meat ratio would be perfect. We sauteed onions from @carondeletgarden to add additional flavor to the meat. We added in marinara sauce from @carondeletkitchen along with cheese and rice to the cooked meat mixture. We stuffed this mix into yellow and red peppers to add sweetness to the flavor profile. After baking the peppers for forty-five minutes, we pulled the perfect stuffed peppers out of the oven! |
AuthorJust a super cool old couple who love to cook and eat and drink in their Carondelet Kitchen in South Saint Louis, Missouri! Archives
January 2025
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