Cooking My Way through Life--Guest Post by Author Judy Alter

Please join me in welcoming guest author Judy Author to Killer Hobbies today.  In addition to being the author of over 60! books (many of them mysteries) Judy has a talent I certainly don't share--cooking.  Check out the recipe at the end of the article.

In my next life, I think I’ll come back as a chef. I love writing, but if I’m not at my computer (or in Scotland or at a gathering of my family), I’d just as soon be in the kitchen. It’s a legacy from my mom.

Food has always been important to me. Like my faith, it sustains me. It is part of my self-assumed role as a nurturer—I love to feed people—and it’s a big factor in my social life. I’d rather go out to dinner with friends or have them into my house than go to the theater or a movie. At the table, there’s sociability and interchange and friendship; at the theater or the symphony, each person is pretty well isolated until afterward, when talk may flow in comparing reactions.

For me, food is also about continuity—and change. I bring to the table today the recipes of my mother, still often used and some, I’m sure, from her mother. I bring a few from my ex-husband’s Jewish tradition. So my cooking preserves the past and carries it on for my children and grandchildren.

But cooking is also about change. Now well into my seventies (can that be true?), I’ve seen a lot of changes in what we Americans eat. I’ve seen fast food mushroom beyond belief and the family dinner hour almost disappear—both trends I bemoan. I’ve seen foods come and go—remember when the “in” thing was to order fondue at a fancy restaurant?  But not many eat fondue today, although I hear it’s making a comeback.

In the ’80s there was all that fuss about crepes—whole restaurants devoted to them—and quiche, and the book Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche. Pasta changed from spaghetti and meatballs to all kind of exciting things, beginning with fettuccine Alfredo and moving on to goat cheese pizza. Italian food in the United States today is much more sophisticated than lasagna, and that’s a good thing, though I still love lasagna.

Pretty much gone are the Chinese restaurants of my youth, with chrome and Formica furniture and little white take-out boxes (not that I ate at them very often—Chinese was not on my dad’s list of acceptable foods). Today, we eat pan-Asian food—Thai, Vietnamese, everything from glass noodles to sushi and sashimi (which I love)—but who would have eaten raw fish in the ’60s?

Hamburgers have morphed from a meat patty on a bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, and mustard into imaginative concoctions of which guacamole and bacon are the least exotic additions. We’ve added game to our menus, and now the trendiest restaurants serve elk tacos, venison medallions, wild boar chops, and buffalo hamburgers. 

I’m a believer in experimenting with the new foods, and I’m as ready as anyone to try a seared scallop on a bed of pureed cauliflower (even though I don’t much like cauliflower) and topped with foie gras (it was probably the best tapa I’ve ever had). But I also think it’s important to carry on the recipes of the past—King Ranch chicken and meatloaf and tuna casserole, albeit with a twist. In many ways, the path of my life with food traces the ways that our food has changed in this country and yet, I hope, emphasizes the importance of keeping tradition.

I’ve thought about the different foods that have been in my life at different times: a sheltered child in a middle-class, slightly British meat-and-potatoes household; a young adult who married into a new culture (Jewish) and moved to another new one (Texas); a single parent of four making a lot of casseroles; and now an older adult, living alone and entertaining often.

I am not a gourmet cook. My friends call me that, and one who has traveled the world often says she’s never had better meals than she has at my house. But I know better. I use prepared ingredients—I’m not above admitting that I use Campbell’s soup in some recipes, and have for years. When a recipe says “the finest French chocolate,” I use Baker’s if I have it on hand. I figure my friends and I can’t really tell the difference, and, frankly, I don’t have time to make my own pasta, and I often don’t have the money for French chocolate. So I fudge in ways that a true gourmet never would. I also use shortcuts, and I cook ahead of time rather than killing myself trying to coordinate a meal by preparing everything at the last minute for freshness. True gourmets would discount my cooking—but my friends and guests love it. So maybe my story is how a busy woman with a limited budget can still come off as a gourmet cook.

Recipe for Doris Casserole

This is a family favorite, beloved by all but one of my children (she doesn’t like cream cheese, sour cream, etc.). It was served to me at a dinner party nearly fifty years go by a woman named Doris. I didn’t see much of Doris in later years but when I did she barely remembered the casserole. I gave the recipe to a friend who insisted the noodle layer should come first. I assured her it shouldn’t. This is supposed to feed six, but it disappears quickly.

First layer:
1 lb. ground beef
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed in garlic press
2 tsp each sugar and salt (I cut back on those but sugar is important in tomato-based sauces—my mom taught me years ago it sort of rounds it off.)
Pepper to taste

Brown ground beef in skillet. Drain grease and return to skillet. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer 20 minutes, until it thickens a little.

Spread in a 9 x 13 pan.

For noodle layer:

5 oz. (approximately—they don’t come in this size pkg.) egg noodles
3 oz. pkg. cream cheese (here again, you have to fudge; cream cheese doesn’t come in 3 oz. pkg. anymore)
1 c. sour cream
6 green onions chopped, with some of the tops included

Topping:

1-1/2 c. grated cheddar

Cook egg noodles and drain. While the noodles are hot, stir in cream cheese, sour cream, and green onions. Spread over meat mixture. Top with grated cheddar, bake 35 minutes at 350 or until bubbly and cheese is slightly browned.

 Leftovers, if any, freeze well.

 

Click the cover below for a link to the cook book!

 

 

Judy Alter, an award-winning author with over 60 books for young adults and adults to her credit, has written her own cookbook/memoir, Cooking My Way Through Life with Kids and Books. Currently she writes the Kelly O’Connell and Blue Plate Café mysteries series. The fifth Kelly O’Connell book, Deception in Strange Places, will launch as an e-book July 31 and a stand-alone mystery, The Perfect Coed, will be available as an e-book and trade paperback October 15.

Find her at http://www.judyalter.com, http://www.amazon.com/Judy-Alter/e/B001H6KPU6/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1403141253&sr=1-2-ent; or on her blogs, http://www.judys-stew.blogspot.com and http://potluckwithjudy.blogspot.com (a food blog—no surprise!).

Good Ol' Pistachio Jello Salad

As a cookbook author, of course, I used to hear from readers. But mostly it was about recipes.  So now as a fiction author getting emails every now and then from readers, it’s mind blowing to hear from people about my writing or my characters—or even the town in my book, Cumberland Creek.I don't think I will ever get over it.

So I had to laugh the other day. A Creative Memories consultant contacted me. For those of you who don’t know, Creative Memories is a huge scrapbook company. She loves SCRAPBOOK OF SECRETS, loves the characters, the scrapbooking and the way food is involved in the scenes. She mentioned one particular item that she says is popular at a lot of crops—the pistachio jello salad. She said she had a good laugh when she saw it in my book. That warms my heart.

So I’d thought I’d offer up the recipe today for those of you who don’t know the mainstay at crops, picnics, and other family gatherings.

                                          Photo by Angela de Marco

Pistachio Jello Salad

1 carton (16-ounce size) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 package (3.4 ounce size) instant pistachio pudding mix
6 drops green food coloring, optional
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1 can (20-ounce size) crushed pineapple, undrained
1/2 cup chopped pistachios or walnuts 
In a large bowl, combine whipped topping, pudding mix and food coloring if desired. Fold in the marshmallows and pineapple. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Just before serving, sprinkle with nuts.

Strawberry Love

“Gonna make a pie from heaven above,
Gonna be filled with strawberry love.
Baby don't you cry, gonna make a pie,
and hold you forever in the middle of my heart.”
—from The Pie Song, from the movie “Waitress.”


Spring is my favorite season. Oh I love the flowers, the buds, the birds. I just love watching this bursting of colorful life. But I have to admit that one of my favorite things about spring is the strawberries that I grow right outside my sun porch that I call my office. Okay, it’s just a wee bit early for them. But before I know it, I will be overwhelmed with the berries. I love growing my own because strawberries are one of those fruits that are extremely porous and unless you buy organic, it’s very difficult to know if your berries ever get shed of those pesticides—no matter how much you soak and scrub. My girls enjoy these berries from our garden unabashedly. And if there are any left from their snacks and smoothies, I always make a pie (or two). This recipe is from my cookbook, MRS. ROWE’S LITTLE BOOK OF SOUTHERN PIES.
Strawberry Pie
You must use fresh berries for this pie. Frozen ones will not work—they will make it too runny. Any kind of fresh berry can be used for variety, but make sure the berry and the gelatin complement one another.
Makes two 9-inch pies
2 crusts, prebaked
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 ounces strawberry gelatin mix
2 pounds fresh strawberries
whipped topping
Clean, cap, and drain strawberries. Set aside.
In medium saucepan over medium-high heat, cook water, sugar, gelatin, and cornstarch until thickened.
Whisk constantly. It will not be like a cream; it will feel thick, will thinly coat a spoon, and a line drawn on the spoon will stay clear.
Remove from the heat. Cool to lukewarm.
While mixture is cooling, place strawberries, pointed end up, starting in the middle of the pie and working out to the edge of the pie shell.
Pour half of the cooled mixture over the strawberries in each pie shell.
Chill pie until the filling is set like gelatin, several hours or overnight.
Serve with whipped topping.

Recipe for a Fabulous Fourth--Watermelon Salad

All week long, the Killer Hobbies Blog Sisters will be sharing their favorite picnic worthy recipes. Yum! I'm leading off with a juicy treat:

Watermelon Salad

3 cups of cubed seedless watermelon

2 T. raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing (Newman's Own)

2 T. unsalted sunflower seeds

2 T. blue cheese (crumbled)

Put watermelon in large bowl. Pour vinaigrette dressing over the cubes and toss. Mix in sunflower seeds and blue cheese. Salt to taste.

**

I grew up in a small town called Vincennes, Indiana, which was known as the "Watermelon Capital of the World." The first thing every resident had to learn was how to spell the town name. We did it with a rhyme: v-i-n/ c-e-n/ n-e-s.

Do you love watermelon? Growing up, I recall a watermelon festival in the summers. Oh, how I loved the sweet, ripe fruit, and the feel of the juices dripping down our arms on a hot summer day.

Today, you might have heard about Vincennes because they have another use for watermelons. Each New Year's Eve, they drop watermelons 100 feet to mark the New Year. Last year, they dropped ten melons. My best friend from Lincoln High School (in Vincennes) told me it was a hoot.

I'm feeling awfully partial to my old hometown these days because I just received a very special invitation. I've been invited to serve as the Grand Marshal for the Christmas parade. Next time you see me, be sure to ask me to show off my "wave" technique. (I've been practicing.) My dictionary says a parade marshal is someone who is an honoree and usually rides in front of the parade in a vehicle. Hmmm. Or maybe on Santa's lap?

Just when I was thinking life couldn't possibly get any better, my husband came home with the news that we're supplying the Steinway grand for the 4th of July celebration on the National Mall. Imagine fireworks with our national monuments as a backdrop. I can't wait!

**

WINNER OF FREE COPY OF PHOTO, SNAP, SHOT:

Sarah S. of Sandwich, Illinois

Thanksgiving Memories

I am the oldest of six children, so my memories of Thanksgiving tend to be jumbles of noise and children, both from when I and my siblings were youngsters and later, when they brought their own youngsters to the feast. The sheer exuberance of those times are golden sparkles in my memory. I remember one time going to Marshall, Illinois, to have Thanksgiving with Aunt Mamie, Uncle Paul, and a set of aunts, uncle and cousins, some of whom I had never met. There must have been forty people in that house! I remember it because I got to sit at the grown ups' table, a gratifying experience, even if most of the talk was about crops and canning -- they were mostly farmers on that side of the family.

But there is one exception to those times. I was working a killer job, full of stress, and trying to go to college in the evenings as well. Thanksgiving came on the horizon and suddenly I couldn’t face the racket. I begged off and spent the day alone in my apartment half a state away from my sister Therese’s house, where the others gathered. It seemed everyone else in the building had a home to go to for their feast, so it was really quiet. I had somewhere found a half of a turkey breast, so I roasted that, and made a salad and baked a single potato. I found a great old movie on television and watched that. I read a favorite book. I was so grateful for the peace and quiet, I felt no guilt at staying away from the home gathering, and returned to work refreshed and renewed. It was and remains one of my favorite Thanksgiving memories.

This year I am celebrating Thanksgiving twice. Once today, a day early, and again tomorrow, on the actual day. The early Thanksgiving started some years back when a dear friend of mine and my husband’s complained to us that he had to go home to his raucous family, at that time full of ructions and quarrels, for Thanksgiving dinner. He asked us what we were doing, and I said I was roasting the smallest turkey I could find (we LOVE leftovers!), then lighting a fire in the fireplace and settling down with favorite books. He said immediately, “Can I come?” We changed our plans to celebrate Thanksgiving a day early so he could store up the peace and quiet before facing the noisy Thanksgiving. He liked it so much that we continued the custom even after his family stopped marking the holiday by shouting at one another across the dinner table. One year my sister-in-law called to ask if we were holding early Thanksgiving and asked if she could come. She had been caught in the middle of one of those family quarrels whose terms seemed to be, “If she’s coming, then I’m not cooking.” All Margaret wanted was a slice of turkey. We told her she was welcome. After a hiatus of several years, we’re doing it again -- we agreed to do it before we got the invitation to a regular Thanksgiving meal with my husband’s family.

This year we’ll have three guests, all seeking something quiet. We’re in our new place and we don’t have a fireplace. But I bought one of those imitation wood-burning stoves with the fake fire for my office and I may haul it out into the living room to create a little nostalgia.

One dish I’m serving is Aunt Velva’s Bean Salad, which I only make twice a year because it’s so fattening.

Two cans of dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
One small onion, chopped
Four or five little sweet gherkins, sliced into rounds
Two hard boiled eggs, chopped

Mix these ingredients in a bowl and make the dressing:

One-quarter cup cider vinegar
One-half cup sugar
One cup sour cream

Blend well and pour over the bean mixture. Stir. This tastes especially good if you make it the day before and let it marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Have a Happy, Joyous Thanksgiving

One Prayer of Gratitude and Two Recipes

# #

Here is my favorite quotation about gratitude. It's by Meister Eckhart:
If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice.

I am grateful for so much and for so many people in my life. Most especially, I'm grateful for my family. The photo above is of my grand-nephew, Skyler. Babies are a constant wonderment. This little guy has awesome power because he can always make people smile!

# #

You know, when we focus on what we have, not what we want, our eyes open to our good fortune. Behavioral scientists have discovered that people overestimate the amount of happiness aquisition of any "thing" will bring them. So we move through life relentlessly trying to possess this and that, hoping we'll find elusive joy...and it's only that: elusive.


I once heard a motivational speaker tell a story about a man and his wife who had struggled to build a beautiful house on a farm. They lived there for years in contentment until a tornado destroyed the building. In the aftermath, the man and his wife walked the site, viewing the destruction. The woman was crying but the man was smiling. She asked him, "What's wrong with you? Don't you care that we've lost all this?" And he said, "I'm gladder than sadder. Gladder that I had the years of enjoyment than sadder for my loss."

This Thanksgiving, I will try to be gladder than sadder. I've lost my mother this year, and we sold the house where we raised our son. But I'm gladder that I was by my mother's side when she needed me, gladder that my sisters and I could pull together and lean on each other, gladder that I have good memories and a strong family--and as for the house? A house is just an edifice for storing good memories. I have a new home, and with every day I add a new memory to my mental album.

# #

Meanwhile, here are a couple of recipes to share--and I hope some of you will send in your recipes as well! We had such a great response last week to our Writing Clinic that all of us plan to do it again soon. So, stay tuned!





Apple Tarte Tatin





I actually attended a Cordon Bleu class when we lived in England. I kept waiting for one of the chefs to come toss me out! But no one did, so I took a lot of notes. I've made this, and it's a glorious desert. When you tell people it came from the famous Cordon Bleu, their eyes light up!





1 sheet 8 x 8 inch puff pastry thawed or pie crust rolled flat


8 apples


2 T. fresh lemon juice


1 T. butter


1 T. sugar (or more. More sugar is always better, IMHO)


4 T. water





For topping--


4 oz. sugar


2 T. butter





Roll the pastry to 1/4 inch thick.


Peel, core the apples, slice into quarters or so, toss in a bowl with lemon juice.


Place 1 T. sugar in cast iron skillet, pour in sugar in an even layer. Put on stove at medium heat. Don't touch until this turns golden brown, then stire in butter and pour all into an 8" round baking pan. Place apples tightly in pan. Brush with melted 4 0z. butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees.





Remove from oven. Place puff pastry on top and tuck in around. Cook another 30 minutes. Allow to cool to room temp. Run a knife around the outside. Flip onto serving plate. Serve with ice cream.





# #





Persian Spaghetti





Tired of turkey? Or do you need a pre-holiday meal for your guests? This is an excellent way to stretch a small amount of meat. Don't let the spices scare you. The finished mix is a wonderful savory meal. A college friend who married a man from Iran dreamed this up. I find it a lovely comfort food when the cold weather approaches.





one box of spaghetti (whole wheat)


1/2 pound of hamburger


1/2 large onion


2 cloves garlic


one small can sliced mushrooms


1/4 tsp. cinnamon


1/4 tsp. tumeric


3 pinches of nutmeg


1 can of tomato paste


butter or margarine





Start water boiling for spaghetti. (I like the whole wheat pasta because it's more chewy.)


Put in pasta when water is boiling. You can try 1/2 a box and later up the amount of pasta if you wish. (It depends on the amount of "sauce" pasta ratio you prefer!)





Meanwhile, brown 1/2 pound of hamburger with 1/2 chopped large onion and drain. Add one clove of garlic, crushed, if desired. (You can do without the garlic if you're a vampire.) Add one drained small can of sliced mushrooms, if desired. Add 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. turmeric and three pinches of nutmeg. Stir in one small can of tomato paste. Mix together well. Add the hamburger and tomato paste "sauce" to the drained pasta. You want to try to coat the pasta with the mixture, but the mixture will be dry as opposed to wet sauces. Serve in a bowl with a heaping tsp. of butter on top. (Or more butter!) Yum.

How to Make a Frittata

They're coming! With Memorial Day around the corner, friends and relatives are packing their cars and heading to -- your house. Most house guests are out at lunchtime, so that leaves breakfast and dinner. Dinner can be barbecue, after all it's summer. But even if you take your guests out to dinner, you still have to make breakfast.

Enter the frittata -- a versatile breakfast/brunch egg dish that you can make while talking about Aunt Edna's allergies and giving directions to places you've never been.

Shopping List for the Frittata

eggs
olive oil
mushrooms
onion
garlic powder
salt
pepper

Shopping List for Things to Serve with the Frittata

breakfast meat (bacon or sausages)
butter
bread for toast (buy a fancy local jam to go with it)
or breakfast breads (muffins, coffeecake, etc.) fruit for a fruit salad (can be made the night before)


Before you begin the frittata, there are a couple of extra steps I recommend for your general sanity.
1. Make coffee or tea (or both). Put out sugar, milk, and mugs where your guests will see them so they can help themselves. They'll think you did it for them, but I know you were the last to bed and the first one up -- you need your jolt of caffeine.

2. Set the table. The coffee is perking. You're still groggy. Perfect time to set the table.

3. Place a basket of breakfast breads where your guests can find them. At least one person will nosh on them before breakfast.

4. Start the breakfast meats.

5. Take the fruit salad out of the fridge to come to room temperature.

And now -- the frittata.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
1 cup diced mushrooms
6 eggs (about 1 1/2 cups of eggs)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Warm the olive oil in a skillet over medium/low heat. Swirl it around a couple of times to coat the sides of the pan. (Note: I do NOT use a nonstick pan for this.)
3. Add the onions and let cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Stir occasionally. If they threaten to burn, turn the heat down.
4. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft, about two minutes. Stir occasionally. (If you're experimenting, and you're a huge fan of herbs, this would be the time to add them.)
5. Meanwhile, add the salt, garlic powder, and pepper to the eggs and whisk together. (I like to use a Pyrex bowl that can go straight into the dishwasher.
6. Give the pan a good shake to distribute the mushrooms and onions evenly. Pour the seasoned eggs over the mushrooms and onions. Do NOT stir. Watch the eggs. After two to three minutes, you should see that the bottom is becoming firm.
7. Place the pan in the oven. You now have six to seven minutes to find the sock your dog stole from Uncle Elmo while he was sleeping.
8. After six to seven minutes, use a POTHOLDER to remove from oven and serve. It will deflate a little bit, but that's okay. For ease of serving, run a knife around the edge to loosen it and serve with a spatula or pie server.

I love this recipe because it's so simple. If you don't like mushrooms or onions, use spinach, leftover asparagus, ham, cheese, shallots, or peppers. I think this is one of those recipes where less is more. Don't overload with too many additions. Keep it simple and it will turn out great every time.

**

Krista Davis is the nationally bestselling author of the Domestic Diva Mystery series. The first in the series, The Diva Runs Out of Thyme was nominated for an Agatha award. The second book, The Diva Takes the Cake, will be available in bookstores on June 2nd. This time the divas take on a wedding. Sophie Winston has her hands full dealing with her bridezilla sister, Hannah. But when the groom's ex-wife is found hanging from a pergola, Sophie has bigger problems that she ever expected.

Visit Krista at her website http://divamysteries.com/ and her blog at http://thedivadishes.blogspot.com/ .