htafood

Cooking with no recipe

2008-08-03T18:29:00.000-07:00

This is the best time of year to cook without a recipe. Next time you go to the market or grocery store don't take a list, instead look at the produce and decide what the freshest and tastiest samples are and build a recipe in your mind from there.
Here are a few hints:
*If Mediterranean ingredients such as tomatoes, eggplants and zucchini all look good, think of a ratatouille. I make it by sauteing separately (for about 5 minutes each) in olive oil sliced onions, eggplants, zucchini, red pepper and tomatoes, turn all the vegetables into a large pot, throw in half a dozen whole cloves of garlic and some salt and simmer on low until the vegetables have almost melted into each other, about an hour. Stir in some chopped basil before serving if you wish and accompany it with some crusty bread. If a stew doesn't appeal, take those same vegetables and roast them instead. Toss the chopped vegetables in olive oil and spread out on a baking tray in a single layer if possible. Roast at 400 degrees until the edges are browned and all the vegetables are soft. Serve over couscous to which you have added a lot of parsley.
*If you have left overs in your fridge, keep them in mind. A chicken or roast beef can be sliced and added to a vegetable salad. See the recipe for an Asian style dressing from my blog about Vietnam. You can buy a rotisserie chicken if you don't have leftovers! Lamb pares beautifully with cherry tomatoes, mint, red onion slices and feta cheese. A plain dressing of olive and lemon juice is all that's needed.
*Everyone loves corn, but you don't have to just boil it and serve it whole. If you have a teenager who has braces on their teeth they will thank you if you strip the kernels off before cooking. I use a serrated bread knife. Right now the corn is so good you can eat it raw. Alternatively, saute some onion and chopped pepper for 10 minutes then add the corn and some salt and toss to heat through. If cornbread is on your menu add fresh corn -and maybe some grated cheese too- to the batter before baking, this will dramatically improve the cornbread made from a mix. Bake the cornbread for an extra 5 or 10 minutes. Corn pudding can be whipped up quickly by pureeing raw corn and adding cream or half and half in a ratio of 2 parts corn to 1 part cream. Add 1 egg for each cup of liquid, season boldly, maybe adding some chili too and bake at 350 degrees until the center is almost set. Serve warm.
* Buy a vegetable that you haven't cooked before or at least not for a long while. If you don't know what to do with it, ask the vendor or Google for recipes.
It's good for a cook to step out of the comfort zone every now and then.

The Original Smith Island Cake?

2008-08-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

Regular readers may recall my blog about our new official Maryland State dessert, Smith Island Cake. Thanks to my friend Dalma, one of the best cooks I know, I believe I have found the derivation of a multiple layer cake where the layers are cooked separately and not split.
Dalma is Australian, but Hungarian by heritage. She read my blog about Smith Island Cake and told me about Dobos Torte as it is so similar in construction. As a child she would ask for this cake every year for her birthday and she showed me the web site http://www.europeancuisines.com/ which has a recipe for the confection. The cake layers are made without butter and filled with a most delicious chocolate cream. The cake is topped with a layer of caramel which looked pretty intimidating to make but was not nearly as difficult as I’d anticipated.
According to one source, the word dobos means drummer in Hungarian and the cake is so named because it is supposed to look like a drum. However, the inventor’s name was Jozsef Dobos and I think it more likely that he named it after himself. I can’t think of a better memorial personally, than a really good recipe! The idea behind the caramel topping was that, in an era without refrigeration, the caramel would prevent moisture loss. For at least two reasons, I would keep this cake refrigerated. Most importantly the chocolate cream contains raw eggs. I do not believe this is a problem if you use eggs from pasture raised chickens. The incidence of salmonella poisoning from raw eggs is usually from intensively reared poultry and not from outdoor, pasture reared livestock but anyone with a compromised immune system, the very young or old should beware. Most cakes set rather hard when they are refrigerated because of the amount of butter in the cake batter. This torte however, has no butter in the cake layers so stays very soft. An additional reason for keeping the cake in the fridge is that it will keep it out of reach of children who always seem to want to touch a good looking cake.

Dobos Torte -serves 12

The cake batter
6 eggs, separated
2/3 cup vanilla sugar
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

Chocolate filling
6 oz semisweet chocolate
3 tablespoons strong coffee
1 cup butter
1 cup sifted vanilla powdered sugar
3 eggs
(my inauthentic addition is ½ cup heavy cream)

Caramel glaze
¾ cup regular sugar

Note: Vanilla sugar is made by storing a vanilla pod in a jar of sugar. If you do not have any to hand, use regular sugar and add a couple of drops of vanilla essence.

Make the cake layers first. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Line 6 9 inch cake pans with parchment paper and butter them or spray with baking spray.
Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form stiff peaks, set aside.
Beat together the egg yolks and the vanilla sugar until the mixture is thick and pale in color. Resift the flour onto the egg yolks about a ¼ cup at a time and fold in to the mixture.
Add a couple of tablespoons of the egg whites to lighten the mixture, it will be very thick and sticky, then fold in the rest of the egg whites as quickly and lightly as possible. The aim is not to lose too much of the air from the beaten egg whites but to incorporate everything into an even mixture.
Spread one sixth of the batter into each pan being sure to have the batter touch the sides of the pan and be as level as possible.
Bake the cakes for 10 to 12 minutes, the edges will harden and the cakes will start to smell great.
Cool them on racks and peel off the parchment swiftly as it starts to stick.
To make the filling, melt the chocolate either in the microwave on very low heat or in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the melted chocolate, the coffee and finally the eggs, beating well after each addition. At this point I decided that, as half the consumers of the cake were to be children, the filling had too grown-up a chocolate taste so I added in ½ cup of heavy cream that I had whipped to soft peaks. No one complained.
Choose the best looking cake layer to be the top of the cake and set it aside on a large piece of wax or parchment paper.
Assemble the other cake layers on a cake stand with a layer of the filling in between using about one sixth of the filling for each layer. Top the fifth cake with filling reserving the rest for the sides of the cake.
Glaze the top layer of cake by making caramel out of the ¾ cup of sugar. In a heavy pan warm ¼ cup of water and the sugar over a low heat until it is almost melted. Turn the heat up to high and let the sugar mix bubble and turn color until it is a medium brown. Be patient and shake the pan rather than stir it. As soon as you have reached the desired color pour the caramel over the cake being sure that it is covered entirely. Take care, it is super hot and it’s no fun to eat cake with your hand bandaged.
Working quickly between the time that the caramel is cool enough to handle and before it is too hard to cut, cut the cake layer into 12 segments with a buttered knife. Lay the segments onto the cake and finally cover the edges of the cake with the rest of the chocolate filling. If you use a warm palette knife you can get a professional look.
Cool in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving to an admiring audience.

I wonder who on Smith Island had a connection with Hungary?

Tomatoes

2008-07-15T18:29:00.001-07:00

The tomatoes in my garden are just beginning to ripen but the markets are full of locally grown, sun ripened, glorious tomatoes. Below are a few ideas to celebrate these fruits.

* Panzanella
Use up old bread (preferably sourdough with a sturdy crumb) by slicing it into cubes about a half inch square. Chop twice the quantity of tomatoes together with some red onion and basil and toss together with good olive oil and sea salt. You could also add capers, some lemon juice or red wine vinegar and chopped anchovies if they appeal to you. Serve at room temperature.

*Tomatoes and Mozzarella
Slice tomatoes and arrange beautifully on a platter with slices of mozzarella cheese and fresh basil leaves torn up and scattered over. Dress with salt and olive oil shortly before serving. You can find freshly made mozzarella cheese most days at the Italian Market on Defence Highway, they do a great job there. Pick up a loaf of their Italian bread too and use it to mop up the juices. A carnivore could add some sliced salami (sold at the same store) and call that lunch.

*Gazpacho
This is just a salad made into a soup but is dead easy if you have a food processor. Originating in Spain, it was traditionally made with a pestle and mortar, thank goodness for technology! Squeeze out most of the seeds from two pounds of tomatoes, peel and seed a pound of cucumbers. Process the tomatoes and cucumbers with half a mild onion, a couple of crushed cloves of garlic, a slice of bread, a couple of tablespoons of red wine vinegar, salt to taste and about a half cup of olive oil. To serve, add small mounds of chopped red and yellow peppers, cucumbers, onions and home made croutons if you want to be fancy. Chill the gazpacho before serving.

Visit Vietnam but Sleep in your Own Bed.

2008-07-10T05:59:00.000-07:00

So far this summer I have taken a mother/ daughter trip to Mexico and visited Vietnam with my family. The trip to Mexico was 5 days of having fun with school friends on the beach. The trip to Vietnam was just a day out.
The Eden Center near Falls Church, Virginia used to be a regular shopping center. In the early 1970s, during the fall of Saigon, many of the South Vietnamese who had worked with the American forces there were evacuated to the US. Families with links to the military and living close to the Pentagon opened their homes to the refugees and soon a thriving Vietnamese community existed in that locality. The Eden Center now has mainly Vietnamese stores and I highly recommend a visit as a quick and inexpensive way of dipping one’s toe into a different culture. One can wander around the souvenir, music and jewelry stores but for me, the restaurants, cafes and supermarkets hold more allure: I am a culinary tourist.
Vietnamese food has been influenced by not only the prevailing Asian ingredients and culture but also the French who had established a colonial power base there. This has resulted in a café society that favors coffee and pastries and there are many Vietnamese dishes that feature spicy grilled meats or vegetables filling bread that looks very French to me, as well as dishes that are Chinese in appearance. We always visit the same pho shop because it is the children’s favorite. Pho is the national dish, a flavorful broth made from either chicken or beef, served in a huge bowl with rice noodles, herbs and slices of the chosen meat. Bean sprouts, chilies, basil and other herbs are served alongside to add in to the soup, together with an assortment of spicy relishes. The pho shop we visit always has the TV blaring and a group of older men at the back playing board games, often mah jong, but others too that I don’t recognize.
The supermarket stocks all manner of interesting ingredients, often with no English on the label. I pick up spices and grocery items such as mushroom soy sauce, rice wine and jars of kim che the Korean picked vegetable assortment which makes a good side dish to barbecued meats. Pork is sold with the skin on and I either roast it plain in the English style or braise it with red spices, Chinese style. There is a good selection of fresh vegetables too, some totally unfamiliar and sometimes I ask other shoppers what things are and how they are used. Last week I bought some rambutans which were my absolute favorite fruit when I lived in Malaya as a child. In the supermarket they appear under plastic wrap looking like small red hedgehogs, when I lived in Malaya we bought them from road side vendors by the branch. Think lychee but larger, they are best served chilled. Saving the best for last I stop by the friendly roast meat vendor at the front of the supermarket, roast ducks and part of a large pig usually hang in the window. I buy a roast duck for my recipe below and also a chunk of the roast pork which makes the car smell divine all the way home and can either be reheated in the oven or served cold for dinner that night.
I like to visit Vietnam, but it’s great to sleep in my own bed at night!

Roast Duck Salad -serves 6
1 Asian style roast duck
10 cups of assorted vegetables, such as carrots peeled and sliced on the diagonal, bean sprouts, sugar snap peas cut length ways, green beans, batons of cucumber, wedges of iceberg lettuce or florets of broccoli.
Sesame oil
A small bunch of cilantro, chopped

Dressing
Juice of 2 limes
1 large clove garlic crushed
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ cup Asian fish sauce (nam pla)
1 chili chopped small if you like spicy food

The vendor in the supermarket will be keen to chop the duck up for you. Don’t let him do this. You can let him split the duck in half if he looks too disappointed.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Bone the duck leaving only the leg and wing bones in. Roast it, skin side up for 45minutes. This will crisp up the skin and render a lot of the fat. Pour off the fat and leave the duck to cool a little. Slice into bite size pieces, discarding the rest of the bones.
Blanch the hard vegetables in boiling water, cool and dry. Rinse and dry the salad items.
Mix all the dressing ingredients and toss with all the vegetables. Pile them on a platter and arrange the duck on top.
Drizzle a little sesame oil over the platter just before serving and scatter with chopped cilantro.

To get to Vietnam, take Rt. 50 to Washington DC, then 395 South to 66 West. Leave Rt.66 at exit 69 and turn left. This road will turn into Roosevelt Blvd and you will see the Eden Center on your right.

Traveling Food

2008-07-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

The glorious weather inspires a lot of us to be outside more and even to take our meals outside, whether as part of a long bike ride, a journey to a tourist destination or just enjoying the garden, local park or playground.
There are many salads that can be easily packed up and toted along; I have been trying to think ‘outside the sandwich’ this summer.
An antipasto I once had in Italy consisted of canned tuna and canned white beans seasoned with a lot of chopped parsley, lemon juice, crushed garlic, black pepper and extra virgin olive oil. It sounds too simple to be delicious but the combination is terrific and it gets better if it has a couple of hours to let the flavors meld together, being shaken around in a bicycle basket does it no harm at all! I add chopped cucumber which gives the salad a good crunch and it is one of my lunch mainstays this year.
Another bean salad that has been well received is the addition of chopped tomato, olives, anchovy and parsley to a can of white beans dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
The recipe below is another well traveled lunch salad.

Smoked Trout and Fennel Salad
1 package smoked trout, -available in local groceries
2 bulbs fennel, tops removed
1 apple
½ cup plain yogurt
¼ cup mayonnaise
Lemon juice
Black pepper

Mix the yogurt and mayonnaise together in a large bowl.
Remove the skin from the trout fillets and pull the meat into bite size pieces, adding it to the dressing.
Slice the fennel and apple into thin shreds and combine with the trout and dressing.
Add lemon juice and black pepper to taste.
Serve over greens if you wish.

More on Foraging

2008-07-03T04:24:00.000-07:00

An article today in the New York Times about food from the wild refers to collecting berries and sour cherries, also known as Morellos.
A couple of books are recommended so that you can identify fruits in the field and collect only those items that won't poison your family. They are "A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and Central America" by Lee Allen Peterson and Roger Tory Peterson (Houghton Mifflin, 1999) and "Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places" by Steve Brill (William Morrow/ Harper Collins, 1994).

Food for free

2008-07-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

I have been spending a lot of time out on family biking trips. That's how I noticed the wild raspberries in Quiet Waters Park. I am told (courtesy of Google and via the children) that the raspberries are Rubus idaeus LINN, whatever their name we have gathered enough to sprinkle on our morning cereal and we have frozen a small bag of them so we can have wild raspberries on our cereal on Christmas morning. I highly recommend them, they are tart and seedy but with a great burst of fruit flavor and FREE!
We picked just a few so there's plenty left for everyone and the deer too.

Cherry Soup

2008-06-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

I have never seen such a bustling farmers market as last Saturday. A visit was positive affirmation that interest in local produce and goods is on the rise.

I came away with a bunch of beetroot, some fresh garlic and a box of sour cherries.
I washed, topped and tailed the beets and roasted them wrapped in foil for an hour at 375 degrees. Once they had cooled the skin came off easily and I sliced them for a salad with goat cheese and walnuts. The sweetness of the beets sets off the salty cheese so well.
I roasted the garlic too as the oven was on, again wrapped in foil but with a little olive oil added. The pulp can be squeezed out of the bulb once it is cooked and spread onto croutons to go with the salad. I sprinkle on some salt and add a grind or two of black pepper to make a pungent spread.

The sour cherries were a bit of a challenge as I had bought them more because they were such a beautiful color than because I had a dish in mind. They were such a vibrant orange red my children called them nuclear cherries. On the way home I remembered the Eastern European tradition of making fruit soups and my version was a hit.

Cherry Soup
1 box sour cherries, washed and with stalks removed
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar or more to taste

Place all the ingredients in a large microwavable bowl and nuke on high for 5 minutes.
Let the cherries cool, then remove the stones from the cherries keeping as much of the pulp as you can. This is a little laborious but the stones do come away easily from the cooked cherries.
Blend the cherries and the juice to make a smooth soup, taste and add more sugar if necessary but keep the mixture on the sour side. Chill and serve in small cups.
You could top each serving with a little cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon for a more grand dessert.

Celebration Lunch

2008-06-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

My family has been celebrating recently and the best received lunch I served was a scratch lunch put together with store cupboard items and a trip to the seafood market. Here's the recipe.

Celebration chowder serves 6-8

3 rashers bacon chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 large onion, chopped fine
3 or 4 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 a wine glass of dry sherry (white wine would do)
2 large baking potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
4 ears corn, kernels stripped from the cobs
1 bottle clam juice
1 quart whole milk
50 clams
freshly ground black pepper and chopped parsley

Heat a large heavy bottomed pot over a medium heat and toss in the bacon. Let the bacon cook for a few minutes to render the fat then add the onion and celery. Cook the mixture for about 5 minutes to soften the onion but not brown it.
Throw in the sherry or wine then add the potatoes and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the clam juice and the milk to the pot and cook on a low heat for another 5 minutes until the potatoes are almost tender.
Add the whole clams and the corn and cook over a high heat until the clams open, 5 - 10 minutes.
Season with freshly ground black pepperand a scattering of chopped parsley, no need for salt with all the bacon and clams. You could add cream for a more indulgent chowder, I didn't think that it needed any. The grown ups did accompany this with a glass of white wine though.

A different kind of cook out

2008-05-23T12:04:00.000-07:00

There will be good weather at last and just in time for the official opening of grilling season. If you are looking for something different to try for the grill this weekend, why not borrow an idea from the native Americans from the west and try cedar planked salmon?
Many supermarkets sell grilling planks and you may find them made from a variety of woods, not just cedar. Pick up some salad leaves from the farmers market to accompany the salmon and finish with local strawberries with ice cream from our very own Annapolis Ice Cream Co on Main Street. Enjoy the holiday!

Cedar Planked Salmon -serves 4

2lbs salmon, preferably Alaskan, in one piece and sprinkled with salt.
1 cedar plank

Soak the cedar plank in water for at least an hour before starting to cook, all day would be better. Preheat the grill, then turn down the burners or adjust the fire to a medium heat, if you have a thermometer in the grill you are aiming for 350 degrees.
Place the wet plank on the grill and leave to cook for 5 minutes with the grill lid closed. Don't worry that smoke appears.
Turn the plank over and place the salmon, skin side down, onto it. Close the grill lid and cook, still at a medium temperature until the salmon is cooked to your liking, my grill takes about 20 minutes. You can always take a peek by making a cut with a small knife into the fillet to check that the interior is opaque.
This recipe not only in a delicious dinner but also a very appetizing aroma from the grill, don't be surprised if the neighbors drop by around dinner time!

Strawberries are here!

2008-05-16T07:21:00.000-07:00

Despite the wet weather the strawberry season has arrived and The Capital’s food section last Wednesday listed some great recipes and locations for U-Pick farms. Our local strawberries have a better taste than the packaged varieties from California found in the stores. This is because they are varieties of berry grown for flavor rather than for their keeping qualities and large size.
I want to add a couple of recipes to promote what I think of as a marriage made in heaven, the pairing of strawberries and rhubarb. Rhubarb is a vegetable; we eat the bright red stalks of the plant. It’s available now in stores, choose slim stalks with a bright color.

Strawberry and Rhubarb Compote

4 cups rhubarb chopped into ¾ inch lengths
4 cups strawberries, hulled and halved
¾ cup sugar
A few drops of lemon juice

Cook the rhubarb in a large pan over a low heat with the sugar and a couple of tablespoons water, until it is tender, about 15 minutes. If you already have an oven on, it can cook in there for 30 to 45 minutes.
Once the rhubarb is cooked, pile in the strawberries and let them sit in the hot juices to soften. Add the lemon juice to spark up the flavor.
Serve at room temperature or chilled. This compote is good with ice cream or plain yoghurt and also dresses up an angel food cake.

Strawberry and Rhubarb Pie

3 cups each of chopped rhubarb and strawberries
¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons instant tapioca
A few drops of lemon juice

Toss all the ingredients together and turn into a 9 inch pie dish, let sit for 20 minutes or so.
Cover with pastry (see below) and brush the top with beaten egg for a glazed crust. For a crunchier crust, sprinkle with a little sugar too.
Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, and then turn down the oven to 325 and cook for a further 45 minutes. Cool before serving.
Pie Dough --enough for two 9 inch crusts or one large one. Can be frozen.

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
11 tablespoons chilled butter
7 tablespoons chilled all vegetable shortening
1/3 – 3/8 cup iced water

Place the flour salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to mix.
Add the butter and shortening, chopped into ¼ inch dice, pulse again until the mixture looks like it has small peas in it, about 3 or 4 5 second pulses.
Add the ice cold water, pulse once and turn out into a large bowl. Gather the mixture together and swiftly give it a couple of kneads so that it is a cohesive mass. Do not over work it at this stage.
Rest for at last a half hour before rolling out and baking.

Anchovies anyone?

2008-05-05T13:08:00.001-07:00

Do you like anchovies? My guess is that most of you would instinctively say no, but you don’t know what you are missing!
Anchovies are small fish, caught in their thousands in the Mediterranean Sea, dried and salted and now usually packed in oil. They are more often used to give a saltiness and depth of flavor in recipes than used by themselves but in some recipes from southern European countries they are used whole, in Salad Nicoise for example, anchovies recline gracefully over hard boiled eggs as though they are sunbathing on the beach in San Tropez. In Asia their version of anchovies are dried and fermented into a sauce called nam pla which is added to many dishes for flavor and salt.
I have temporarily mislaid my recipe for roast leg of spring lamb using herbs and anchovies. I will post it once I come across it but below you will find a recipe for green sauce which can be used to dress up plain grilled fish or an egg salad, don’t tell the kids what’s in it until they have already declared that it is delicious.
Are you already converted? Try my favorite sandwich, thin slices of good whole wheat bread spread with cream cheese and anchovy fillets draped criss-cross on top.

Salsa Verde

1 clove garlic, crushed
6 anchovy fillets
3 tablespoons capers
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped mint
Juice of ½ lemon
½ cup olive oil

There are two ways to make this sauce depending on whether you want a smooth or chunky texture. The traditional way (and my preference) is to create a chunky sauce by mixing the garlic, anchovy, capers and mustard in a pestle and mortar. Crush the ingredients enough to eliminate any large pieces of garlic, add the herbs and lemon juice then dribble in the oil whilst stirring to create an emulsion.
Alternatively for those short on time but with patience for washing up, put everything in a food processor and process for a minute.

Buttermilk and Herb Salad Dressing

2008-04-25T06:57:00.000-07:00

My haul from the Farmers Market on Saturday included mixed salad greens and some fabulous green onions. I persuaded Holly to make her buttermilk salad dressing which always gets rave reviews.

Buttermilk and Herb Salad Dressing

1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice or more to taste
1 clove of garlic, crushed
¾ cup chopped mixed herbs; we use chives, chervil and a little mint
A grind or two of salt and pepper

Combine everything and either stir, or for a smoother dressing, blend.
The dressing keeps for about a week in the fridge and thickens up a little as it stands.
I served the dressed salad greens with shards of duck bacon which made a great salty contrast to the creamy dressing.

Pineapples

2008-04-18T06:11:00.000-07:00

I have been asked about the way I prepare a pineapple.

Pineapples are delicious to eat and very versatile. They are refreshing as a dessert, just a thin slice with a couple of strawberries too, or maybe grilled with a scoop of ginger ice cream or used as a savory complement to some grilled pork, Hawaiian style.

First, choose the right pineapple! The best pineapple to eat will be the one that smells the best; some people prod fruit to determine ripeness, I smell it. Your nose will tell you how much sugar the fruit has. Choose a fruit that has no obvious bruises or mold and a set of good looking leaves.
Using a bread knife cut off the bottom of the fruit so that it stands upright and proceed to shave off all the skin. You will be left, as you will see from

the pictures, with rows of small blemishes that form a diagonal pattern around the fruit. Hold the fruit at an angle and cut into one side of a row of blemishes at a 45 degree angle then turn the pineapple around and cut the other side so that a triangular shaped strip is removed. Continue around the fruit until all the blemishes have been removed. Tidy up the bottom leaves of the pineapple and, if necessary, cut the top leaves at an angle to remove any dead or dried parts.
After the first trail run you will not spend more than 5 or 10 minutes doing this, but it looks impressive.
I plan on firing up the barbeque this weekend and will grill some pork tenderloin to go with the pineapple.

Grilled Pork -serves 4

2 pork tenderloins
¼ cup salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed to a puree
¼ cup olive oil

1 pineapple, prepared

Brine the pork by dissolving the salt in a cup of boiling water then adding enough cold water and ice to cover the pork. Let the pork stand for at least 30 minutes, a couple of hours would be best. You can add herbs and crushed garlic to the brine if you want; rosemary in particular adds a faintly herby taste to the meat.
Fire up your grill well in advance.
Take the pork out of the brine and dry off. Coat it with a mixture of crushed garlic and oil. There is no need to season it as it has been brined. Cook the pork over a medium heat for about 10 minutes in total, turning it once. The internal temperature should be 150 degrees.
Let the pork stand on a dish to rest whilst you turn up the heat on the grill and cut ¼ inch slices from the pineapple. Grill them just until there are grill marks on the underside.
Serve the pork sliced diagonally with the pineapple and a crunchy green salad with hot sauce on the side.

Rochelle's Portuguese recipe

2008-04-15T11:20:00.000-07:00

I like to collect recipes that remind me of people and places. I have an interesting lemon chutney recipe from Australia for example and I cook up Singapore chili crab if I want to be reminded of growing up in Asia.
I met my friend Rochelle when she was a neighbor of mine in London. Every summer she would quit her job and go traveling, I was deeply envious as I spent my London decades working too many hours building my career and she was swanning off like a hippy, coming back with recipes and cool clothes. In fact I have never figured out which of us had the right formula for life.

Pork and Clams -serves 4
1 ½ lbs boneless pork, cubed
2 onions, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
2 large tomatoes, cut in half, the seeds squeezed out and chopped
1 chili, seeded and chopped
2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon paprika
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
4 dozen clams, the smaller the better
¼ cup chopped cilantro

Fry the pork until browned all over in a slick of oil.
Add the onions, red pepper, garlic, tomatoes, and chili and turn to color before adding the wine, paprika, bay leaf and a grind or two of black pepper.
Do not add any salt at this stage as the clams will add saltiness later.
Let the pork simmer on low until it is tender, about 45 minutes.
When the pork is cooked, place the clams in a large sauce pan set over high heat. Pour over the clams the wine mixture that the pork was cooked in and cook until the clams have opened.
Add the pork and clams together and serve in soup or pasta bowls with cilantro sprinkled over.

Notes
The pairing of pork and seafood may seem strange, but it is no different really to our recipe for clam chowder which contains salt pork and clams, that recipe too may have Portuguese origins from the cod fisheries off the coast of New England. Paella from Spain similarly has a combination of meats and seafoods.
When I cook this dish I cook double the recipe of the pork stew and freeze half so that it can become a quick weeknight dinner.

Fish Cookery

2008-04-11T06:03:00.000-07:00

I have had enough cake for a month or so.
All the sugar I have eaten recently left me craving for a savory taste so I decided to visit Annapolis Seafood. There is a terrific selection of both fish and shellfish there and I was reminded of a seafood cookery class that Holly and I took last year at L’Academie de Cuisine. We spent a Saturday learning how to identify the freshest fish and what to do with it once it was in the kitchen.
The class was a practical workshop so we really got our hands dirty. We cooked up mussels four ways, oysters, halibut, salmon, sole and of course Chesapeake Bay rockfish. Our favorite recipe from the session was rockfish with a beurre blanc sauce. The recipe appears below but first, do your best to find the freshest possible fish because it will make a real difference to the cooked dish. Fish starts to deteriorate more quickly and at a lower temperature than other food stuffs, the process of decomposition results in the production of ammonia, -what we think of as a ‘fishy’ smell., hence the addition of lemon juice in many fish preparations; the acid of the juice counteracts the ammonia. Fresh fish does not smell fishy! It is most easy to detect signs of decomposition in whole fish, if you see sunken, dried out eyes and a flat looking skin the fish is old or has not been stored well. Typically when a whole fish reaches this point the fishmonger will usually fillet the fish and put the fillets out on display. –So a whole fish is likely to be a better purchase than fillets.

Rockfish with beurre blanc sauce -serves 4

Make the sauce first
½ cup white wine
¼ cup white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon very finely diced shallot
1 bay leaf
1 few peppercorns
1 stick cold butter, cubed (yes you read that right)
Salt and pepper

Bring the wine, vinegar, shallots, bay leaf and peppercorns to a boil in a small pot and cook until it is almost dry. This needs watching like a hawk. Whisk in the butter one cube at a time, over a very low heat.
Season the sauce and set aside. It is possible to make this sauce using less butter, I have given the classic French proportions, use as much butter as your conscience will allow.

4 rockfish fillets, about 6oz each
Heat a splash of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Season the fish with salt and pepper and sauté them, skin side down to start for 3 or 4 minutes on each side. The fish is cooked when it is opaque.
Place a fillet on each plate and slather with the butter sauce.

If your cooking style leans more to the ‘shove in the oven’ variety the following recipe may be for you.

Baked herbed fish -serves 4

4 white fish fillets, about 6oz each
½ cup mayonnaise
1 small clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons capers
1 dill pickle diced small
¼ cup or more to taste chopped cilantro
Grated zest of ½ lime
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs

Set the oven to 400 degrees.
Mix the mayonnaise with the following 6 ingredients. This can be kept in the fridge for a week or so and is good with chicken, fish and sandwiches.
Lay the fish in an oven proof dish. Try to get the fillets the same thickness by folding any tail end under. Anoint the fillets with the herb mayonnaise, season and sprinkle with the cheese and bread crumbs.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the fish is cooked through, it may be only 15 minutes for thin fillets.
Serve either fish dish with steamed green vegetables.
Bon Appetit!

Smith Island Cake

2008-04-07T11:12:00.000-07:00

I have not been to Smith Island but it has received quite a lot of publicity recently following the proposal to make its’ signature cake the official state dessert of Maryland. It even got a write up in the New York Times last week.
A few of the articles about the cake included recipes and many were different from each other. There isn’t even any real agreement about how many layers it should have. It appears it started out as a regular four layer cake and then some competitive ladies on the island got ambitious to the point where the layers are all baked separately as they are too thin to cut.
I decided to test out the recipe myself and a video of my baking session will be posted later. I tried out two recipes for the chocolate icing and found some impartial judges to taste both versions (thank you teachers of Indian Creek School). The most popular recipe was the one appearing in The Capital last week and I reproduce it below.
Let’s see if our legislature has as sweet a tooth as Smith Island.

Smith Island 10-Layer Cake

Set the oven to 350 degrees.
Make the chocolate icing.
2 cups sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
5 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 stick butter at room temperature
½ to 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt the sugar in the evaporated milk over a medium heat for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate, allow it to melt then stir the sauce and add the butter. Stir again to amalgamate and leave to cool. After about 10 minutes add the vanilla and stir again. Set aside until the cake is baked.

2 cups sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
5 eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup water

Cream the sugar and butter together in a mixer until light and creamy. Add the eggs, beating after each addition and then the vanilla. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together and add to the egg mixture in thirds alternating with the evaporated milk and water. Do not over mix once the flour has been added.
Spoon the batter into 10 9inch baking pans which have been either greased and floured or lined with parchment paper if, like me, you don’t want to live dangerously. About three serving spoons of batter is the right quantity for each pan. Try to get the batter more or less level in the pans, I found this rather tricky. Those Smith Island ladies must be pretty skilled by now.
Bake the cakes for 8 minutes –until the batter is set and starts to smell good. The official recipe says that the cake is done when you don’t hear a sizzle when you hold it near your ear, I never heard a sizzle.
The cake layers can be cooked in batches and you can start assembling the cake as soon as the first layers have cooled a little, 5 minutes or so is all you need.
Turn the first layer out of the pan and peel off the parchment paper. Lay the cake on a cooling trivet set over a plate or chopping board to catch errant drips of icing. Anoint the cake with about 3 spoonfuls of the chocolate icing and spread evenly, don’t use much as you’ll need a lot to cover the sides and top. Continue to layer the cakes and icing until you have used up all 10 layers. Do remember to peel off the parchment paper! I like the idea of adding thinly sliced banana to the layers.
Finish the cake by icing the sides and top, I found I had to warm the icing a little to make it runny enough to spread evenly.
Serve with glasses of cold milk and toast our very own Smith Island.

Farmers Market

2008-04-04T07:34:00.000-07:00

The Annapolis farmers market opens this Saturday, April 5, and will run from 7am to 11am. The growing season has only just started so I do not expect to see any produce yet but there will still be interesting local items on display and I am looking forward to seeing everyone.

At this stage in the year I realize that I need to use up the stores in my freezer of last season’s produce before this season starts. I still have a surplus of blackberries even though I gave away bushels during the season last year. I grow the thornless variety of blackberry and every year we seem to harvest more than the last. By the end of the summer we need a rest from them but during the winter it is a treat to have some from the freezer.
You can find frozen blackberries in stores now.

Blackberry Slump -serves 4 generously

6 cups blackberries, defrosted if frozen
1 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
Pinch salt
1 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat heat oven to 375 degrees
Put the berries in an oven dish and sprinkle with 3/4 cup of sugar.
Stir together the flour, salt, baking powder and the other ¼ cup sugar and add the buttermilk and melted butter. Stir to combine and pour over the berries. Don’t cover all of the berries; the recipe works best when about half of them are covered.
Bake the slump for about 45 minutes until the top is browned but the underneath still slumps.
Cool for 20 minutes or so before serving, ice cream goes well.

Cooking with Halloumi Cheese

2008-03-31T08:49:00.000-07:00

Here is another quick weeknight meal that is popular with my family. It uses Halloumi cheese which is available in most grocery stores. For those who have not yet cooked with it, it does not behave like other cheeses as it does not melt. This means that it can be grilled or sautéed without becoming runny.
It is terrific cut into large squares, put onto skewers with some vegetables and grilled as kebabs which make an easy vegetarian alternative for summer barbeques.

Halloumi Cheese with Herb and Caper Dressing. –serves 3 or 4

1 package Halloumi cheese cut into 8 slices
4 zucchini split lengthwise into 3 or 4 slices
3 scallions, sliced crossways
½ cup chopped green herbs such as cilantro, parsley or chervil, or a mix
2 tablespoons capers
Juice of 1 lemon

In a ridged grill pan or large frying pan, grill or sauté the zucchini until tender. Set aside to keep warm and wipe out the pan.
Pour a small slick of olive oil into the pan and cook the cheese over a medium high heat until the bottom of the cheese has browned nicely, turn the cheese over and add the scallions. Cook for another minute or so and throw in the chopped herbs, capers and the lemon juice.
Serve the cheese and dressing on top of a pile of zucchini with some good quality bread.

Spring has sprung.

2008-03-28T08:04:00.000-07:00

Now is the time to start sowing seeds for a summer produce garden.
We are still a long way from the frost free date, -generally around Mothers Day here, - but there are many seeds that can be sown now. I do not grow too many vegetables as I don’t have the room or time and anyway, I like to shop at the farmers markets. I do like to grow my own salads and herbs though and this weekend I will be tilling the soil and sowing.

The annual seeds that I consider essential are parsley, cilantro and chervil and these compliment my perennial herbs, chives, mint, thyme, sorrel and tarragon. All of these can be pot grown if you don’t have garden space but I use the herbs so much I like to have more than a pot will provide.

The least well know on the annuals, chervil has a delicate anise flavor and is a great addition to any fish dishes. Cilantro can be used with abandon in all manner of Mexican flavored concoctions and parsley is good with almost everything. It has a reputation as a garnish but is actually worthwhile using more of, it has a high iron content so is useful to supplement a vegetarian diet. Here is a recipe for parsley lovers.

Parsley Soup -serves 4

4 tablespoons butter
2 leeks, white parts cleaned and sliced small
2 large bunches flat leaf parsley, stalks and leaves separated and stalks chopped
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
2 ½ cups low sodium chicken stock
½ cup cream
Salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a large pan and cook the leeks and parsley stalks on a low heat for about half an hour. Add the potato and the stock and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the leaves of the parsley to the soup and simmer for a couple of minutes more before blitzing the mixture in a blender. Don’t cook for too long after the leaves have been added as the bright green color will be lost.
Return the soup to the pan, add the cream and season to taste.

Real Eggs

2008-03-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

I am not old enough (HA!) to remember the time when real eggs were commonly available. My mother tells me that they would be delivered with the milk in the early morning, just a half dozen at a time. They were served fried for breakfast or boiled for tea and served with ‘soldiers’, -strips of toast for dipping.
The eggs we commonly buy now are produced by hens that literally do not see the light of day. Even cage free hens do not necessarily have access to the outdoors. Many producers use questionable feed, with cost of egg production rather than egg quality being the overriding consideration.

I have just found real eggs!
While I was looking around the Gourmet Market on Forest Drive, I found some eggs in the refrigerated case. The picture of the chicken, -from Mystic Acres in Centreville, - on the front of the box was enough to persuade me to give them a try. First I cooked an omelet, it was delicious with a depth of flavor that I had not had from eggs before. I have been used to buying cage free eggs, but these taste so much better. They are produced by chickens that live outdoors and can forage for food. Eggs are a wonderfully convenient food, ready portioned and waiting in the fridge for just one person or a whole family.
Below are a couple of ways I have used my new find so far, I am hooked.

Classic Omelet -serves 1

2 eggs
½ tablespoon butter
½ cup sautéed mushrooms or another filling of your choice

Break the eggs into a bowl and beat lightly adding a pinch of salt and a couple of grinds of black pepper
Heat a small sauté pan over medium heat, toss in the butter and swirl it round the pan until sizzling.
Pour the eggs into the pan and allow them to set around the edges then, with a fork, pull the set eggs towards the center of the pan allowing the liquid part to run onto the empty side. As soon as all the egg has set but whilst it is still very soft, add a filling if you want to, mushrooms, ham and grated cheese or just chopped herbs are all good. Fold the omelet in half and serve immediately.

Oriental Eggs and Bacon -serves 4

1 small Savoy cabbage
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 rashers bacon, sliced into ¼ inch shreds
4 cloves garlic
1 red jalapeno chili, sliced fine
An inch long piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into small matchsticks
1 star anise, broken up
1 tablespoon soy sauce
8 eggs

Cut the cabbage into quarters, cut out and discard the core and slice the remains thinly.
In a large wok or frying pan, heat the oil, bacon shreds and garlic over a medium heat until the bacon has melted a bit, three or four minutes.
Toss in the chili, ginger and star anise and stir fry for about 5 minutes. The aim is to add flavor to the oil in which the cabbage will be cooked.
Raise the heat to high and add the cabbage. Stir fry, tossing frequently, until the cabbage is wilted but still has some crunch, about 5 minutes. Pour in the soy sauce and toss again.
Turn off the heat and set aside while you cook the eggs.
Poach or fry the eggs, -your choice, and serve them on a mound of cabbage with a grind of pepper.
Vegetarians can omit the bacon and change the name.

Eggs from Mystic Acres are also available at Wild Orchid in Eastport, except there you don’t have to cook them yourself.

PIZZA

2008-03-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Making one’s own pizza sounds like such a lot of work, but although it takes time, it is not labor intensive. There is something miraculous about the way yeast can transform flour and water into bread dough. Whenever my niece and nephew come to stay we make DIY (do it yourself) pizza. It’s pretty funny to watch a group of kids turn their own piece of dough into a pizza. There are the careful chefs who use a rolling pin and try to keep their pizza round and the risk takers who try to imitate TV chefs by throwing the dough in the air. The dog likes that technique. Creativity so far as toppings are concerned should be encouraged.
This pizza recipe is my suggestion for a weekend project.

1 tablespoon sugar
1 package dried yeast
7 fl oz warm water (if you have well water, use bottled water for this)
3 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil

Put the sugar, yeast and 3 fl oz of the water in a small bowl, stir and leave for 5 minutes. If there are no bubbles throw the mixture away and start again.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, remaining water, yeast and oil. Mix together until it is a cohesive mass, adding a little more water if necessary to achieve soft but not sticky dough.
Turn out onto a floured work surface.
Knead the dough for about 10 minutes. It will become easier to work and more elastic as you knead. This can be difficult for kids to do because their hands are too small to make much of an impression, show them how to take the dough in one hand and then press with the heel of the hand into the work surface.
Rub the inside of a large bowl with a little more oil and oil the dough. Cut a shallow cross in the dough and let it rise in the fridge, covered, for 8 hours. If you do this in the morning, you’ll have pizza for dinner.
Let the dough warm to room temperature and divide it in half. Each half will make a 12 inch pizza.
Shape the dough into a round or as much of a round as you can make. I find that a rolling pin is the easiest way, but you can just stretch the dough to any shape. Let the dough rest again at room temperature for about a half hour and preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Use a baking stone if you have one.
Apply any toppings that appeal.
I think it’s a mistake to add too much tomato sauce as it can make for a soggy pizza. Add just a smear of tomato, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese and basil leaves or just anchovies and mozzarella over the tomatoes.

Bake the pizzas as soon as you have put on the toppings. They will only take 10 minutes, just enough time to make a green salad and open a bottle of wine for the adults.
These 2 pizzas serve four generously and as every college student will attest, leftovers are good for breakfast.

Celebrating 3.14159265358979323846

2008-03-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

Friday is Pi Day and some lucky kids are allowed to take real pies to their Math classes that day. My son has decided to bake a Key Lime Pie because it is his favorite and it’s pretty easy to make.
The pie originated, I understand, down in the Florida Keys. Limes and all citrus plants are Asian but a species of lime came to flourish in the Keys, tolerating the poor soil and drought conditions. The fruit is virtually inedible however, as it is small, bitter and almost rock hard. Before the road down to Key West was built the only supplies arrived by ship and fresh diary goods were not available. The dairy product du jour was canned sweetened condensed milk. Some bright spark put the two together as a way of making each a little more palatable, add an easy crust made of smashed crackers and a famous pie was born. There have been some refinements to the recipe since then like the addition of eggs to set the custard, the use of larger Persian limes that are available in the grocery aisles, and adding butter and sugar to the crust, but please, don’t be tempted by food coloring.
Remember to check with your math teacher before showing up with your pie.

Key Lime Pie -serves an entire class if cut small enough.

1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs, -from about 9 crackers
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
4 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Stir the above ingredients together and press into an even layer on the bottom and sides of a 9” pie plate. A disposable one is fine, though it does give the impression that you bought the crust.
Bake for 10 minutes whilst assembling the filling ingredients as follows.

1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
Juice of 2 limes or more to taste

Stir the ingredients together and taste to check that it is tart enough, add more lime juice if necessary.
Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 15 minutes.
Cool and then refrigerate the pie.
Serve with whipped cream if you like.

On no account should you discard the egg whites left over from making the pie. They can be stored in the fridge for a week or so until you are ready to make meringues.

4 egg whites, -no trace of yolks allowed.
½ cup white sugar
½ cup light brown sugar

Mix together the sugars, making sure there are no lumps.
Whisk the egg whites in a very clean bowl, any oil or fat will result in a flat mixture.
When a soft billowing white mix has been achieved, add half the sugar and continue to beat the whites until they are stiff and glossy. Beat in the remaining sugar.
Spoon tablespoons of the mixture on to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the oven at as cool a temperature as possible for 3 or more hours until the meringues are crisp.
Serve plain, with whipped cream and fruit or lemon curd.

Truffle Butter

2008-03-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be interesting to make a list of what I think of as ‘special’ food items, ingredients that offer a lot of flavor without asking for special treatment.

Top of my list is truffle butter; it is tremendously versatile, turning plain grilled meats, boiled pasta or a plate of sautéed mushrooms into party pieces. A truffle tastes like a mushroom that took steroids to become a bodybuilder, without all the legal and moral implications.
Truffle butter is simply a blend of top quality butter and shavings of truffle, the celebrated fungus that is traditionally harvested in Europe by a pig on a leash. The truffles have a powerful aroma which the pigs find irresistible, they start to dig for the truffle and the human’s job is to intervene before the pig consumes it. Increasingly dogs are taking over the pigs’ role. Dogs do seem to have better pr than other animals. Truffles can be either white or black each having a different season; the black seems to me to have a stronger flavor.
This winter the price of fresh truffles has rocketed as a result of a poor harvest following the summer drought that hit parts of Italy and France. My family visited the Umbrian mountains of Italy last summer; we spent a day in the magnificent walled Roman town of Gubbio. It is the center of truffle culture for the central part of the country and many shops and restaurants are devoted to truffle products. I have found it here at the Gourmet Market on Forest Drive and it is available elsewhere too.
A 3oz pot of the butter costs about $10, but a little goes a long way. A tablespoonful is all you would need to flavor pasta for two, toss with the drained pasta and serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese. The same amount can be used to sauté chicken for two, stirred into a pot of rice or scrambled with eggs.
My most recent discovery makes a quick weeknight dinner.

Baked Potatoes with Truffle Butter -serves4

4 baking potatoes, scrubbed clean and dried
1 pot truffle butter

Bake the potatoes, either in the oven or microwave, whatever suits your schedule. Serve with a smear of the butter and a large green salad.

Lunches for everyone.

2008-03-06T06:55:00.000-08:00

Recently our Girl Scout troop prepared lunch for crews who were working for Habitat for the Humanity, it was a very fun day.

The Scouts got together early in the morning at my friend Amy's house to prepare the lunches and, of course, have a good chat. We then loaded up the cars and went over to the Brooklyn area to make deliveries, more chatting involved. The crews were working in two different areas so we were able to see a house that was just starting to be renovated, -it had a roof but no inside walls, and a house that was ready for occupation. What a difference! The quality of the work was fabulous. We also saw a new house that was under construction, we were not allowed inside when work was underway for safety considerations but the crews stopped for lunch and we looked around, -and chatted.

The Volunteer Coordinator we worked with to set up our lunch run was Toni Cain. She has a wonderfully inspirational story to tell of her own struggle out of poverty and she was gracious enough to show us her own house which she has decorated with real flair. The Scouts were envious of her daughter's room! Our girls are not yet old enough to wield a hammer or paint brush so providing lunch was their way of supporting this worthwhile organization. Toni can be reached at toni@arundelhabitat.org if you'd like to volunteer some time.

We made lunch for 65, here is our recipe for tuna fish salad.

Tuna Fish Salad Rolls -serves 2 to 200

1 can light tuna in water per 2 people

1 stalk celery washed and chopped fine per 2 people

1/4 cup mayonnaise per 2 people

a grind of black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice if you like

Divide your scouts into groups of at least 2, they have to have someone to chat to.

Assign the following jobs;

Open cans and drain tuna

Wash and chop celery

Dump tuna into large bowl and mix with other ingredients

Fill large rolls with finished mix

Make signs to identify what filling is in the rolls.

Assemble the rest of the lunch comprising some ham and cheese rolls, chips and drinks and apples, paper plates, cups and napkins.

Everyone does clean up and car loading.

The girls chatted the whole way home!