Peanut Salsa for Cookbook Sundays

Yes, you read that correct--Peanut Salsa---DON'T click off this post just because you think it sounds funny.
Trust me.

I found this recipe in an annual Taste of Home cookbook.  The Taste of Home recipes have been tried and tested and found worthy before they are printed and sent to me.  So, if you don't trust me....if the sound of Peanut Salsa turns you off....at least trust Taste of  Home.

Okay.  Are  we good now?

Last week I was going to a little wine tasting party.  We participate in this once a month and it's always a  lot of fun.  If you attend, you bring a bottle of wine and an appetizer.  Believe it or not, sometimes the appetizer is harder to choose than the wine.  I knew it was getting close to the monthly Cookbook Sundays hosted by Brenda's Canadian Kitchen, so I grabbed one of my seldom used (and never for Cookbook Sundays or my own  Cookbook Countdown ) cookbooks and started looking for a good and unique appetizer.
I found it in--Peanut Salsa.  The second recommendation  (the first being in a Taste of Home) was that not 1, not 2, but 3 people asked me for this recipe.  I think that means it's a hit.
It had a really unique flavor, we liked it very much.

Before you go on to read the recipe, just let me tell you one more thing...which is that in a Plains (Georgia) Peanut Festival, former President Jimmy Carter gave first place to this salsa.  That's right--FIRST PLACE.
So, just try it.  You'll like it.


Georgia Peanut Salsa
from the  2008 Taste of Home Annual Recipes
Lane McCloud-Siloam Springs, Arkansas

3 plum tomatoes seeded and chopped
1 jar (8oz ) picante sauce  (I doubled this)
1 can white corn, drained
1/3 cup Italian salad dressing
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
4 green onions, sliced thinly
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 cups salted roasted peanuts OR boiled peanuts  (I used salted-roasted)
hot pepper sauce -optional
Tortilla chips

In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
Just before serving, stir in peanuts and pepper sauce if desired. 
Serve with tortilla chips.

It's really quite good!

Snapshot Saturday

I live in the high desert, in Nevada.

Here's the thing about  the desert....it's really different than people think it is.
It's not just flat and sand. If you are driving thru the state, you probably think...'oh my gosh...it's so....dry and barren and... (say it--I won't get mad.) ugly'.
But it's not.  One just has to get off the beaten path  (or interstate 80 as the case may be)  and there are so many surprises to be found.  There is beauty in the desert.  You just have to have the eyes to look for it. 

A few weeks ago,  I did  a Snapshot Saturday of  a dry lake bed here, which is maybe what people think of when they think of a desert,  but if you head in a different direction, just a few miles you can see this....

Of course a few miles in the west is different than a few miles in the east.
This is probably  60-70 miles --as the crow flies---from the dry lake bed.

I am joining up with  Alyce from At Home With Books for her fabulous Snapshot Saturday!

Fear

March is Women's History Month!  And for that reason I thought I'd share something about women, written by a woman.
I guess I could say I have a guest blogger...my daughter-in-law, Sadie.
I stole this post from her blog--I asked her first of course, but I liked the theme of her post.  Women and fear.  Are you ever afraid? 

I use to walk a lot.  I walked early in the morning, sometimes alone and sometimes with another female friend.  I always comforted myself with the thought that  'bad guys' were not awake at 5:30am in residential neighborhoods.  And I live in a small town.

I know I am deceiving myself.

My daughter-in-law Sadie Stone is the Director of Children and Youth Ministry at the First Methodist Church in Reno, NV
Here was her 'thought' the other day.....

One of the thing that constantly strikes me is the level of innate fear present in the majority of women that men never think twice about. (Stick with me I have a point). On Tuesday nights I have youth group with my middle school and high school students. We end officially at 8:30 but sometimes due to talking, cleaning up etc. We all leave closer to nine. Add to the equation that we are a downtown church in the middle of casinos, bars, homelessness etc. Being out at night can sometimes be unnerving.



As such I always inquire where my high schoolers parked and then if necessary accompany them to their vehicles. When I ask my male high school seniors, they roll their eyes and often respond with a sarcastic tone, "I'm fine I'm a big boy." Where as when I ask my girls they automatically understand and appreciate my concern and respond, "We parked right out front, we drove with each other so we've got each others back." They get it. As females their concern is different and it's heightened.


On Tuesday night as I accompanied two of my senior high girls to their car there was a homeless man standing right at the entrance of our church. He tried to approach the girls and started talking to them, but they both quickly kept walking and got into their car. I then headed back to the building (behind locked doors) and asked the man if he needed something. He claimed he didn't and I went back in to finish shutting of the lights and gathering my belongings.


Then I faced my own dilemma. How did I get to my car safely? I peaked through the window and saw that he was still standing there. So I waited several minutes hoping he would leave, and looked again. He was still there. At one point I stuck my head out the door and said, "hello" and then popped back inside. (I was hoping he was gone).


At this point I called Marcus and asked him if he thought I was being a baby because I was going to call the non-emergency police line and have them escort the man off the property/escort me to my car. Marcus told me to do what I needed to do so I punched the number in my cell phone and as I was headed out I ran into one of our custodians who lives upstairs in the church's apartment.


I was hugely relieved and asked if he would stand at the door as I walked to my car. He was thoroughly confused by my request not understanding what the issue was. It's not as though I expected him to do anything per say but often just the presence of another person will deter someone.


In the end all was well, but it got me thinking once again about a conversation I had with Marcus after I returned home from my summer studying in Spain.


I simply asked him, "When you walk down the street, or are in a parking lot by yourself to you feel afraid. Do you fear for your safety?" His response was a simple shrug and, "not really."


I then explained to him that I, and most of the women I have had this conversation with do. When I walk outside alone, mostly at night I have an overlying level of fear. In Spain this was one of the most challenging aspects. We were placed with host families in various neighborhoods in the city of Seville. Therefore, we were spread all over the city.


I lived in the same neighborhood as two of my closest friends in Spain and so we always walked each other home. The issue was that I lived the farthest away. The other two never arrived at their apartments alone, but as I dropped them off I was left to walk the remaining four blocks by myself and it was deeply unsettling, and my friends felt the same way. We always departed with the simple request, "Text me when you get home."


It was an unspoken understanding and we wanted confirmation about ones safety. It was late often past 10 (this is the nature of Spanish culture). I was alone and we were in residential neighborhoods far away from where any large groups of people would be. During these four blocks home I walked as swiftly as I could, I intentionally carried little with me, if I saw a couple or even better a family I awkwardly tagged along with them, and I often crossed back and forth across the street depending on who was on the other side. Often a single male walking alone triggered a need to cross the street (not always some were more menacing than others). Keep in mind this is also the same city where men frequently whistled, grabbed, made comments, and one guy even ran up and licked my face (although that was not the norm clearly) all in the daylight so at night I felt even more vulnerable.


On one of our last nights in Spain a group of us went to the Bull Fights which ended a little after midnight. We then all went our ways to our various neighborhoods. This evening there was a group of about 6 of us walking in the same direction and finally it was just me and one other guy from the program. He lived a couple blocks away from me.


I was grateful that for once I would have someone accompany me all the way home, especially since it was later than usual. Yet, we reached the road where he turned left and I turned right and he looked at me and said, "see you tomorrow" and walked away.


He obviously had none of the same concerns about walking home alone at night and he seemed oblivious to the fact that walking two extra blocks to get me home would have eased a great deal of tension.


As an adult male he simply wasn't concerned and it didn't occur to him that I might be. Much like Marcus had never really thought about it. After explaining all of this to Marcus I made him promise that should he ever be in a situation where he can walk someone a few extra blocks home (especially a female) just do it.


It sucks that so many women exist with an overarching sense of fear. A fear that my friends and I didn't even have to communicate with each other we simply felt it and knew.


There's a really incredible monologue that's part of Eve Ensler's collection A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and a Prayer that so fully speaks to this fear. (I'll have to look it up when I get the chance).


I think I'll be having a larger discussion with the youth group about this very thing. Especially since so many of them are off to college next year. A talk about safety, a talk with the guys who roll their eyes at my concern, and a talk about why we feel this way and what we can do to combat it. Women should not have to exist with fear.
****************************************************************************

Thanks Sadie for letting me steal your post!

Are there times when you might feel afraid in a situation because of your sex?

Sour Beef: are you a fan or not?

I am a suggestive eater.  Wait....that doesn't sound quite right.  Let me try again...... I'm a suggestive cooker?  No, not that either, altho, I do have the cookbook Cooking in the Nude by Debbie and Steve Cornwell.  I've never actually used it.  It was a gift from someone.  Possibly the Handyman.
......I am often swayed, by books I've read, to make certain food dishes.  Food dishes?  Recipes?

Last week, when I read  The Sugar House by Laura Lippman, a Tess Monaghan book,  the characters went to a festival and had Sour Beef.    They were all looking forward to it.  Tess was even going to ask for an extra dumpling!

Most of the Tess Monaghan books take place in Baltimore, Maryland.  I love learning about Baltimore thru the Tess Monaghan books.  I am wondering tho,   is Sour Beef a local favorite of Baltimorians?  (or however you refer to yourselves). Or perhaps a favorite of author Laura Lippman, so she incorporated it into her book?

I couldn't get it out of my mind.  Sour Beef.   Sour Beef.

All the characters LOVED it.    I Googled it. 

It's pretty much another name for Sauerbraten, the German pot roast which is marinated in vinegars and spices, and some recipes use gingersnap cookies in them.


Since I couldn't get it out of my mind, I  knew I had to make it.  (this happens quite often when I am reading a book, just ask my family.  Sometimes it turns out great!  Sometimes not)
It was our Sunday dinner.  Mmmmm...Sour Beef.   We would be enjoying it just as Tess and Crow had in the  Sugar House.
Except for one thing.  We didn't  enjoy it.

Please, please don't take offense all you from Baltimore  (I still love Baltimore), it's just that this recipe was ----well, it was REALLY sour.  And it kind of ruined the roast for us.  Maybe it's an acquired taste.
To be fair, I would try Sour Beef or  Sauerbraten again--at a festival or restaurant where their specialty is German food, but I'll never make it again at home.  It just wasn't good.  At least how it turned out for me.

WAIT--I might have spoke too soon.  I just remembered a German Pot Roast recipe that my grandfather wrote down for me.  And I just went and looked it up.   Ooohhhhh.....I should do a contrast and compare between the two.
This one is different tho, it only has 3 T. of vinegar and the sour beef had cups.  CUPS of vinegar--red wine vinegar--but still.....
I'll get back to you on that one.

But for now.....just in case I am wrong  (it's been known to happen)

Baltimore-Style Sour Beef and Dumplings
adapted from Coconut and Lime, a food blog.

Marinade
1 3/4 cups red wine vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 onions sliced
2 carrots sliced
2 bay leaves
1 tsp whole allspice
1 tsp mustard seeds
3 whole cloves
2 tbsp  black peppercorns
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt

3 1/2 pound beef round roast

24 hours before your meal,  make the marinade in a non-reactive bowl and place the roast in it.
The next day:
remove roast from marinade and pour the marinade into a slow cooker.  In a large skillet, quickly brown all sides of the meat in  canola oil. Add the meat to the slow cooker and turn on low for about 8 hours.

Potato Dumplings

4 cups plain mashed potatoes made from peeled red potatoes.
flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 egg
salt

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  In a bowl combine the cooled mashed potatoes, salt and egg. Stir in the baking powder and add the flour in 1/2 cup increments until it resembles a dough and the mixture holds its shape when molded  (roughly 3 cups).  Form into 2 to 4" balls.  Drop them into the water.  They should sink, then rise to the surface when cooked through. Set aside.

During the  last 1/2 hour of cooking time, skim off any visible fat that may have risen to the top of the slow cooker.
Add 8 crushed gingersnaps and turn the heat to high.
After the time is up, shred the meat with a fork or break it into pieces.

Serve hot with dumplings on the side.

(sigh) for the sake of full disclosure....I had no red wine vinegar, so I used white wine vinegar and red wine mixed together. I didn't think there could be that much difference, but maybe there was. According to ask.com it says I can interchange them if...if...if I want to die!

Food.com says that white wine vinegar is more tangy. Maybe that was my problem. I shouldn't have substituted.
As I said....to be fair, I would try Sour Beef again--made from a qualified Sour Beef maker!

Buying Books.

Yesterday, the Handyman and I drove to Reno--he had to pick up some works supplies and I had a gift card.

I had a $25 gift card for Borders.  I went into the store fully intending to stay within my budget, but sadly,  I spent another $50 of my own money.  And still, my receipt said I saved  $6.92.     So, if I hadn't used my gift card or my members card I would have ended up spending  $81.92 of my own.  See Handyman!!   I still ended up saving  money!!   (and you say I have a hard time doing that.....phffftt! )

It was a good day.

It's Monday and some musing

This week’s musing, hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading asks…


Which do you prefer: Adult -or- Young Adult books? Or, both? Why?




I prefer to read Adult Novels  (altho I've never thought of them in that term before), but I love Young-Adult books too.  I think lots of people miss out on really good books, good writing, good stories because they think of  YA as being for teenagers.   I don't think that's true.  Subject matter, themes, plot,  character development,  social issues in YA adult books are as engaging and intense and interesting as in "Adult" novels.  
Again...that would  "adult"  concerns me.  Good literature is good literature...I think a person  should read what interests them and not worry about labels.

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Last week, I  finished  "The Hand That First Held Mine" by Maggie O'Farrell.

We read this one for one of my book clubs.  While I enjoyed it, I didn't love it.  I've noticed tho, that books we don't LOVE are the best books for our book club discussion.  We all enjoyed the book on some level, as well as we each had issues with the book on other levels.

O'Farrel's writing style was different than what some of us were used to.

If you remember, I read Cannery Row the week before last, for my other book club.   O'Farrel's writing style reminded me a bit of John Steinbeck's in Cannery Row.

I guess that's a compliment!

I liked the book and it was a quick and easy read for me.  I would recommend it to YOU.

I also finished   "Sugar House" by  Laura Lippman.  I love Lippman's Tess Monaghan.    She's one of my BFF's--in book land, that is.  I just love sitting down with a Tess Monaghan book and a hot cup of coffee in the morning  (along with a few homemade biscotti--perfect!)

I will be posting more about this book in a day or two. 

Up for this week?

Room by Emma Donoghue.

I'm 3% into it  (thanks Kindle), I can't wait to finish it.

And that is what I'm reading lately.



Biscotti--Good things come in three's

A few days ago, Brenda at Brenda's  Canadian Kitchen made biscotti and it got me to thinking about making some myself. 
I am easily swayed by reading about food...the idea gets stuck in my head and I can't get it out.  And then it must have multiplied, because I ended up making three--yes THREE kinds of biscotti.   I wanted to do a contrast and compare taste test of my own.
I actually couldn't think of anything better than  getting up early in the morning,  getting a steaming hot cup of coffee, my book, and a couple  (or a few) biscotti and....well, need  I say more?  A perfect morning!
But oh my gosh, you should have seen my house yesterday.  Baking day.  I had biscotti all over the place, not to mention bowls and beaters and baking sheets.  I really should have taken a picture of that!

It seems that you either love biscotti or you don't.  I'm not sure there is any in-between.   I found this out yesterday after make three different kinds.  No one in my household would try any of it.  Not the Handyman nor my son, nor his wife, who were here for the evening.  I tried to give some to the twins (my grandchildren) ....they weren't that impressed either.

Maybe biscotti is an acquired taste.  Perhaps if you've had nothing but the dry, hard, rock like,  tooth-breaking, store bought, pre-packaged kind of biscotti,  you think you are not a biscotti liker. (unless you are a coffee dunker, but I am not that either, as I don't like crumbs in my coffee)  BUT,  you really should treat yourself to some homemade biscotti.  There is a world of difference  and enough varieties to make anyone happy.
Homemade, while also 2x baked, is just a bit fresher and moister, not so "rock-hard."  It's just better.  (I have such a way with words....better.  It's just better.  Really, seriously BETTER.  Trust me.)

Here are a few different varieties to try....the ones I made yesterday.

Talk about contrast and compare.  These are all biscotti.  Different varieties.

The biscotti on top is  Cranberry-Walnut Biscotti.    This is my friend Karen of Karen Cooks, recipe.  The funny thing is, I didn't get this off of her blog, I had her send it to me about a year ago, when she wrote about it on facebook.  But last night, I checked her blog to see if she had ever posted it, and she did....about 3 years ago.   

I loved this biscotti.  The walnuts gave it a different taste than the almond biscotti I am used to. I love walnuts in cookies, so this was a great taste.  The cranberries gave a great tart/sweet bite.

Mmmmmmm!

Cranberry-Walnut Biscotti

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter (room temp)

3 large eggs

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1/3 cup Sherry

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs, cranberries, walnuts, and sherry. Blend in flour and baking powder.

Form two loaves, 2"x 2" x 16" (dough will be sticky)

Bake at 375 degrees for approx 20 minutes.

Cut into 3/4" diagonal slices; place flat side down on cookie sheet. Bake for approx 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

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The biscotti in the middle of the plate is  from a recipe I received from an older Italian lady when I lived in Los Banos, California.  Her name was Alma Petrocelli and she called them,  "Italian Almond Cookies".

 

If I make biscotti, this is the recipe I usually use.  Very simple and very good.

Italian Almond Cookies

1 stick of butter

1 stick of margarine

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

Mix together until well blended

1 cup toasted almonds--roughly chopped

1 tsp vanilla

add to the mixture and stir well

3 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

add to mixture and mix well with a large spoon.

Heat over to 350.

Place the dough on a floured board and make 6 pieces.  Roll each piece into an oblong roll 6" to  8" long and place on a cookie sheet.  Bake for about 25-30 minutes...till lightly browned.  Remove from oven and cut with a very sharp knife, diagonally into 1" wide pieces...return to cookie sheet and bake about 10 minutes more.  Remove from oven and place on paper towels.  Let cool for about 20 minutes and then sprinkle  with powdered sugar.

When completely cool, place in canister and you can freeze or not.

Makes about 6-7 dozen cookies.

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The third one on the plate is a recipe I have in my kitchen notebook.  I

e-mailed it to myself, which means I did find it on someone's blog.  I just didn't e-mail that part of it.  I try really hard to give credit where credit is due, but in this case, I'll just say:  one great biscotti!  (whoever... ?)

Coconut Pecan Biscotti

I could really taste the brown sugar in this recipe.  I love coconut and I love pecans, so this too is a win-win.

Coconut Pecan Biscotti

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp.

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup plus 2 T. sweetened shredded coconut

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

 1 cup finely chopped pecans

*optional: chocolate for dipping

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar in a large bowl.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in coconut.  Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.  Gradually stir dry ingredients into butter mixture.  Mix in pecans.

Cover and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to  350.

Line cookie sheet with parchment.  Turn dough out onto a floured work surface.  Divide dough in half. Shape each half into 2-inch-wide log.  Transfer logs to prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly.  Bake until logs are golden brown, firm to touch and tester inserted comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool logs on cookie sheet for about 20 minutes.

Reduce oven temp to 325

Transfer logs to work surface, discard parchment.  Cut each log diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange cookies flat side down on unlined cookie sheets. Bake until golden and crisp about 15 minutes.

Transfer cookies to racks and cool completely.

*If desired, dip one end of biscotti into melted chocolate: cool on racks.

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We all have our ways of taking our pics.  And before I got my good camera, I had a little folding white board that I used as my backdrop.   I used it again this time.

Here are a couple of bloopers that took me by surprise while I was trying to get a good pic.

This was my son Mark's hand coming at me...or...coming at the cookies.

(WHICH, he wouldn't eat by the way!)