Putting in a produce order when picking up groceries can still be tricky. Say a recipe calls for a pound of oranges, which seems reasonable, when considering the average weight of an orange is about 5 ounces. Ordering a pound should get you about three oranges. Unless the oranges are not average. Here is a picture of a pound of orange.
We love cheesecake in this house. Even better is eating it out of a ramekin with a spoon! No crust, no sugar, low fat yumminess in single servings.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese with one egg until blended. Scrape down the sides, add the second egg and mix until blended. Add Splenda, half and half, and vanilla, beating between each addition. Place four 4-oz ramekins in a baking dish, then fill the ramekins with cheesecake mixture evenly. Place the baking dish in the oven and add water to about 1” depth. Bake for 45 minutes or until the cheesecake is set but slightly wobbly. Remove baking tray from the oven and set ramekins on a cooling rack. Top with chocolate chips, almond slivers, or leave plain. Eat when cool enough to touch (so good warm!), although it can be refrigerated.
I had an interesting piece of ginger root in my grocery order. As I sliced it, I made heart shapes because of the naturally occurring crease in the side of the root. What a pleasing serendipity.
I sliced the ginger to make Singer’s tea, which is a wonderful tonic for raspy and sore throats. The recipe calls for boiling 8” of ginger, in enough water to cover, for 45 minutes. I did that the first time, but tried the Instapot the second time for 10 minutes on high. Much less water loss. Here is the way I make it:
Slice ginger root in approximately 1/4” slices, add to Instapot, add water to cover. Add cayenne pepper. Pressure cook for 10 minutes on high, natural pressure release. Strain out ginger slices. Add honey, lemon juice, and apple cider. If the heat of the ginger is still too much, dilute with water. Keep in fridge. I do not reheat the tea to sip it (and it needs to be sipped). I feel the warmth in my throat, a soothing gentle warmth that also clears mucus. This has been especially helpful for me on high allergen days, and the day after intense chorus practice.
Honestly “to taste” means I don’t really measure, but taste it, add a dollop, stir, taste again. You know, scientific-like. Ha.
My favorite cracker recipe. I divide the dough into three sections and roll each section as thin as I can on parchment paper (until it fills most of the cookie sheet sized parchment. I don’t prick them because I rather like it if they puff up. I also bake at full temperature for twenty minutes (or until the edges are just starting to get golden), then turn the oven off, prop open the door and let the crackers get crisp. They don’t last long, everyone in the house likes them.
Mix the ingredients in a bowl, cover, and put in the fridge overnight (or two nights if you forget, they still come out OK). Turn out the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead it gently a few times. Divide the dough into three sections and roll each section out on a baking sheet sized piece of floured parchment paper. Spray the surface of the dough with olive oil, score the dough with a pizza cutter at approximately one inch intervals, then sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Transfer the parchment paper to baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes, rotate the sheets, bake for about 10 more minutes until the edges are just starting to brown. Turn off the oven, prop open the door, and let the crackers cool in the oven. Store in an airtight container. (But who are we kidding? They probably won’t last the day when the fam finds out what you made.)
My eldest and I have been experimenting with fruit smoothies and we have stumbled on a really good combination: Melon and vanilla. I’m growing Aspire melons, which are small 1-2 pound melons with sweet orange flesh. They taste like what I grew up calling cantaloupe. The flesh scoops out of the rind like a dream, and it blends well with our smoothie base.
For two shakes:
Add ingredients in order in a blender, blend until smooth.
This is reminds me of a treat we would have when I was young: a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a cantaloupe half. Nom nom.
Critters and Craft 