the fun has begun

We are doing Christmas in July. The table runners have been cut and the machine is ready to go. The pattern is cute. It is a quilt as you go and the Robert Kaufman fabrics are scrumptious. I have been sewing and Jean has been cooking! We have a rhubarb pie, creamy slaw, and deviled eggs under way. This afternoon the biscuits will be started and the baked bean casserole assembled. And those cookies called "Rocks" just came out of the oven. I think we have done enough cooking for today.

On Saturday the weather cooperated enough for the sailboat regatta. So we had entertainment while we recreated our "Sussex, NJ" Sunday picnic.

We will serve the biscuits with peaches, raspberries and real whipped cream!


Orange Shortcake Biscuits



3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
zest of 1 orange, finely chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
2/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup half and half



2 tablespoons half and half for brushing the tops of biscuits
1-2 tablespoons raw sugar for sprinkling on tops of biscuits



Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk to blend. Add orange zest. Whisk. Cut the butter into tablespoon size pieces and cut into flour with your fingers or a pastry blender. Work until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the creams. Mix until dough just starts to come together in a ball. Turn dough onto a slightly floured surface and knead 2-3 times until it just comes together. Do not overwork. Roll or pat to 3/4 inch thickness. Cut with 2-2 ½ inch biscuit cutter or just cut into squares or triangle. Place on parchment lined sheet pan. Brush with cream and sprinkle tops with raw sugar. Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 20 minutes or until biscuits are lightly browned on top and flaky in the center. These are a cross between a scone and a shortcake.


Jean brought recipes and ideas and even a big hunk of barbecued pork which we will have on Sunday when we have a big crowd. We will start cooking again tomorrow. We cooked a flank steak on the grill with spice rub that she brought with her. Tomatoes and corn completed the meal. Easy - we could sit and watch Jack grill.

Meat spice rub

1/3 Kosher salt
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup sweet paprika
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons oregano
2 tablespoons thyme
This a wonderful rub. Sweet but with a little kick. Rub the meat with vegetable or olive oil and massage the rub over the surface. Keep the mixture in an air tight container.

I had to have another one of Dee's paintings for the cabin. There used to be a stove pipe behind those boards. Everyone looked up there anyway so I put something up there to look at! Dee Smart at Sweet Laurel does these paintings and they can go inside or outside.

There will be more recipes and pictures later this week. I need to get everything organized.

Pie or cake or both???

I love a brunch. I like Prosecco in a champagne flute with a splash of peach nectar and a fresh raspberry. The creme brulee French toast is wonderful. Real Maple syrup can be served or fresh strawberries sliced and mixed with a little sugar works as well. Prepare this the day before.

Crème Brulee French Toast

1 stick butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
8-9 inch round country style bread ( or baguette or challah)
5 large eggs
1 ½ cups half and half
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 big teaspoon Grand Marnier
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a small heavy saucepan, melt butter with brown sugar and corn syrup over moderate heat stirring until smooth. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. Cut 6 1-inch thick slices from center portion of the bread, reserving ends for another use. Arrange bread slices in one layer. Squeeze to fit if necessary.

In a bowl whisk together eggs, half and half, vanilla, Grand Marnier, and salt and pour evenly over bread. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Before cooking bring to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake casserole uncovered in the middle of the oven until puffed and edges are pale golden for 35 to 40 minutes. This may take a bit longer because you want to make sure the center is cooked. Serve immediately.

Of course, Bloody Marys are good for a a brunch as well. Bagels with many toppings would be a good and easy combination with the bloodies. A neighbor in Chatham had a weekly Sunday brunch and this egg dish was a favorite.

Brunch Eggs

2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chili pepper
1 8 ounce package mild cheddar cheese, sliced
1 8 ounce package sharp cheddar cheese, sliced
12 eggs
1 pint sour cream
1 ½ teaspoons salt

Cover the bottom of 9 x 13 casserole with the cheeses. Sprinkle chili peppers on top. Beat eggs, sour cream and salt until light. Pour over cheeses. Bake at 350° about 35 to 45 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Cut into squares.

As a young wife and mother, I was a fan of Tasha Tudor. I loved her illustrations and wanted to live in a Tasha Tudor world. Self-sufficient and so very creative. She illustrated the New England Butt'ry Shelf Almanac and New England Butt'ry Shelf Cookbook for Mary Mason Campbell. I must have taken those two books out of the Falmouth, Maine Library every other week. When we moved to Gorham, I was delighted to find a wonderful patch of strawberry rhubarb and of course there was a recipe for rhubarb pie in one of those cookbooks that intrigued me.

Rhubarb pie and potato salad lovers have very definite ideas about how these two dishes should be prepared. I know I do. No strawberries in my pie!

I couldn't make a pie crust to save my life in those days. In another cookbook that I received with my Cuisinart, there was a recipe for vinegar pie crust which is a wonderful partner to my rhubarb pie.

Vinegar Pie Crust

This pie crust is made in the food processor.

Using the steel blade in your processor bowl, combine 1 cup frozen butter (cut into small pieces before freezing) and 2 cups flour. Pulse until the butter is cut into the flour. Then add:
1 egg
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons very cold water (I put a few ice cubes and some water in measuring cup to get very cold water.)

Turn the processor on and off a few times, then just let it run until a ball of dough forms. Chill the dough in the freezer for ½ hour before using. This recipe makes enough for a 2 crust pie.

Fresh Rhubarb Pie

Roll out 1/2 pie crust and slide into a 9-inch pie plate. Cut about a dozen stems of red rhubarb into ½ inch pieces and put in the pie plate.

In a bowl beat two eggs lightly. Add 2/3 cup sugar, 2 Tablespoons flour, juice a half a lemon, pinch of salt and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. Stir together well and pour over rhubarb. With second piece of pie crust, cut strips and weave in a diamond pattern across the top of the pie. Sprinkle lightly with granulated sugar. Bake in a preheated 450° oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° and bake until crust is browned and a knife point stuck into the rhubarb indicates that it is tender. The egg mixture will puff up between the lattice spaces.