PecanSpringsJournal

>>goddess of ovens

The Myra Merryweathers love to celebrate special occasions. This week's celebration is on behalf of the Roman goddess Fornax, the goddess of ovens, whose feast day was celebrated on February 17. What? You've never heard of Fornax? That's okay--most of the Merryweathers didn't know about her, either. She's one of those obscure goddesses that never get enough respect.

But the Merryweathers are out to change that. They had a big herbal bake-off this week, in Fornax's honor. Everybody brought a home-made herb bread and a recipe to share. The breads were polished off in record time. (You know the saying: Good bread never loafs around.) And since few of the Merryweathers have a lot of time to spend slaving over a hot oven (sorry, Fornax), the top two prizes went to the fastest bakers. Here are their recipes, guaranteed to please even the pickiest Roman family.

Betsy Blumefield’s Quick and Easy Herb Biscuits

Betsy is a home-schooling mom who likes to cook with her kids. She says they love the part where they get to scoop the dough into two dozen bitsy balls and roll them in the cheese. ("They get to sweep the floor afterward," she adds. "It's part of the lesson.")

2 cups baking mix
1 cup sour cream (low fat is fine)
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese mixed with 1/4 cup flour

Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly spray a mini-muffin pan. Mix baking mix, herbs, sour cream, and butter. Dough will be sticky. Scoop into 24 balls and roll in cheese/flour mixture. Place in mini-muffin pan and bake for 15-18 minutes, until brown.

Lillian Lippencott’s Saturday Night Special Herb Bread

Lillian works at the dry cleaners in Pecan Springs and doesn’t get home until four on Saturday. She says that if she puts out frozen dough to thaw in the morning, and gets started on it when she gets home, she has hot bread on the table by 6. The Romans would be astonished.

1 1-pound loaf frozen white bread dough (follow package directions for thawing)
2 teaspoons dried basil, or 4 teaspoons fresh, minced
2 teaspoons minced dried rosemary leaves, 3 teaspoons fresh)
1 tablespoon minced chives

Briefly knead thawed dough on lightly floured board,. Knead in minced herbs until evenly mixed. Add flour as needed to prevent sticking. Shape into a smooth ball and place in a loaf pan. Cover, let rise until doubled in size, about 40 minutes. Bake in 375° oven until golden, about 35-40 minutes.

China's Notebook

“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.”--James Beard

"How can a nation be great if its bread tastes like Kleenex?"--Julia Child

>>pass the salt

Have you ever been to a meeting of an herb guild? Here in Pecan Springs, the meetings of the Myra Merryweather Guild are always the highpoint of the month. You never know what sort of crazy thing is going to happen--they're as wild and wacky as the local Red Hatters. 

But other herb guilds are fun, too. Susan recently got an email from Carol Kelly, whom she met on book tour in Pennsylvania a while back. Carol, who is president of the Herb Guild of Historic Saltsburg PA, reported on a recent program called "Salts and Peppers" that sounds like a lot of fun. We thought you'd like to hear about it. (Yes, we know that salt is a mineral, not an herb, and that too much of it is bad for you. But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy it in moderation!)

Carol began the meeting with a presentation on the use of salt from historic times. including the importance of the 19th century town of Saltsburg as a commercial supplier of salt--which, she says, also led to the discovery of oil in the area and the commercial use of oil as an tonic and cure-all. Then the group tasted a variety of salts and peppers, both black peppers and capsicum peppers, while they admired the handsome collection of salt and pepper shakers on display.

And then, of course, came the moment everybody was waiting for--refreshments, each using one or more of those delicious salts and peppers. For the salts, the Saltsburg herbalists sampled Salt-rising Bread, Scalloped Pineapple, Sauerkraut Balls, Sea-salted Smoky Almond Bark,and Carmel Sauce with Apple Dippers.

For the black peppers, it was pepper butters and Peppercorn Fruit Compote, Chocolate Pecan  Brownies, Norwegian Pepper Cookies (there's a recipe in A Dilly of a Death), Zippy Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Pffernuesse.

For the capsicum peppers: Spicy Shrimp Pasta Cheese Dip and (of course!) Ruby's Hot Lips Cookie Crisps.

Doesn't that sound like a lot of fun? If you live in the Saltsburg area, I'm sure the Saltsburgian herbies would welcome you as a guest. If you don't, look up your nearest herb group on the Internet and visit one of their programs. And of course, the next time you're in Pecan Springs, you're invited to join the Merryweathers. No telling what they'll be up to, but it'll be fun!

chili time!

Every now and then, it gets cold in Pecan Springs, and I start thinking about cooking up a pot of chili for supper.

Yesterday, I was leafing through Chile Death, one of Susan’s mysteries, looking for the recipe for Pedernales chili (in Texan, that’s pronounced Purd-NAL-is). I found some notes about chile peppers that I thought might interest you. You might like the mystery, too--although I'm not crazy about the part where I nearly got roasted. Anyway, here are Susan's notes, and that recipe. Maybe it's a good day for chili in your neck of the woods.

The recorded history of the genus Capsicum begins with Columbus, who undertook his voyage of discovery in search of (among other things) black pepper, the most valuable of Eastern spices. Columbus did not find what he was looking for, but, he bit into something better. He became the first European to blister his tongue on a hot pepper.

There are about twenty species and hundreds of varieties in the genus Capsicum, indigenous to tropical America. In their native habitat, they are perennial and woody, growing to seven feet tall, though in American gardens they are grown as annuals, reaching a height of three feet. Two highly variable species of genus provide New World peppers--the red peppers. Bell peppers, pimento, paprika, chili, and cayenne peppers all belong to the species Capsicum annuum. The Tabasco peppers come from Capsicum frutescens, grown commercially in the Gulf states and New Mexico.--Steven Foster, Herbal Renaissance

Neuroscientists believe that when a concentrated solution of capsaicin [the chief chemical compound in chiles] is rubbed on the skin, the resulting burning causes pain messengers (Substance P) to notify the brain to start producing endorphins [natural painkillers]. However, on the skin, capsaicin apparently destroys the Substance P that is attracted to the site....Liniments [containing capsaicin] work on this principle, and capsaicin is the active ingredient of creams for painful skin and nerve conditions including shingles and neuralgia.--Carolyn Dille and Susan Belsinger, The Chile Pepper Book

On the origin of chili: "Before going on the trail, cowboys were known to pound dried beef, beef fat, dried chile peppers and salt into a brick-like compound, which they would add to a few cups of boiling water when it came time to eat. With an abundant supply of Texas longhorns on hand, meat chili became the West's most popular dish."--Chili Pepper Magazine, December, 1996

You can always judge a town by the quality of its chili.--Will Rogers

Pedernales Chili

4 lbs ground lean beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
3 tblsp chili powder
2 #2 cans tomatoes
2 cups hot water
salt to taste

Brown ground beef in heavy iron skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook 4-5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer one hour. When cool, skim fat. Better on the second day, when the flavors have mellowed.

This is Lady Bird Johnson's recipe. She used to carry it with her on a card and hand it out whenever anyone asked for her favorite chili recipe.

P.S. Susan says to tell you that in Illinois, where she grew up, beans (preferably red kidney beans) were an essential ingredient of chili. But one of the things she learned when she moved to Texas was that Texans NEVER put beans in their chili. Pity.

P.P.S. There's a different chili recipe on the Chile Death page. It's good, too!

>>pick a peck of peppercorns

Today's issue of Susan Albert's new weekly eletter, All About Thyme, includes the recipe for pepper cookies that I served to Ruby's' daughter Amy in A Dilly of a Death. Which brings up the subject of pepper, one of those "invisible" spices that we use frequently and never think about.

Almost never, anyway. How often do you reach for the pepper in the same way you reach for salt, almost unconsciously?

But there are people who say that if you can have only one spice in your kitchen (what a horrible thought!) it ought to be pepper, for pepper adds the greatest flavor to the greatest variety of dishes. Maybe they're right. After all, plenty of people have succombed to the power of pepper. Rome was ransomed with with it (Attilla the Hun demanded 3,000 pounds of pepper to raise his siege of the city in 408 CE), men have died for it, and oceans were crossed in its pursuit. So let's pay a little more attention to it, shall we?

Pepper Times Three

Black pepper, green pepper, white pepper? Three kinds of pepper? True, but there is actually only one true pepper (Piper nigrum). It is native to India but now grown widely throughout the tropics. Three different peppercorns are produced from this plant, depending on how they are processed.

• Black peppercorns have been valued for centuries as a medicine: a treatment for impotence, an appetite stimulant and digestive, a cure for nausea and flatulence, and an antidote to poison. They are harvested green and left to dry for a week or more, shriveling and hardening. Black peppercorns have the strongest flavor, and are best when freshly ground. Also used whole in pickling spices and soup stocks.
• Green peppercorns are also picked green, but preserved to keep them from darkening. Historically, they were pickled; today, they’re freeze-dried. They have a fresh, clean flavor, suited to poultry, vegetables, and seafood. You can crush them between your fingers.
• White peppercorns are allowed to ripen on the vine, producing a large berry with a loose outer shell, which is removed. White pepper is regarded as having a richer, more complex flavor; it is used in light-colored dishes, in sauces, and on grilled poultry.

And then there are pink peppercorns, which (just to confuse you) aren't actually peppercorns at all, but berries of the Baies Rose (Schinus Terebinthifolius), which grows in Brazil. You'll find pink peppercorns freeze-dried or packed in brine or water at gourmet stores. Grind them to release their fruity, peppery taste and aroma. They're used in French cuisine.

Here’s an easy recipe that will introduce you to the variety of pepper flavors. Make it with each pepper separately, or all three peppers mixed in equal parts. Super with vegetables, great with fish and poultry.

Pepper Butter

1/2 cup butter, softened
3 teaspoons freshly ground peppercorns, black, green, OR white (if mixing, 1 teaspoon of each)
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh minced parsley

Grind the peppercorns to a medium coarseness (easy in a mortar and pestle, or in your favorite peppergrinder). Add to softened butter. Add garlic and parsley and mix. Place in a small dish, cover, and refrigerate at least one hour before using. If you like, dust the surface with gound pink peppercorns for color.

And if you're looking for a different holiday gift for that herb-lover on your gift list, drop in at Thyme & Seasons and check out our display of pretty pepper pots, grinders and all three kinds of peppers. (Oh, and Ruby says to tell you that she's having a special on Ouiji boards today.) If you can't make it to Pecan Springs, try this for a pretty gift. Purchase a clear acrylic pepper grinder and fill with a mixture of black, green, and pink peppers. Tie on a pretty bow. Include a card with a bit of pepper history and a copy of the Norwegian cookie recipe, and get ready to accept enthusiastic thanks and a hug! If you hint hard, maybe your recipient will even bake you a batch of those cookies!

More reading: Salt and Pepper, by Sandra Cook
A Dilly of a Death, by Susan Wittig Albert, Book 12 in the China Bayles series

>>herb liqueurs

Ruby and I got together last night and made up a couple of batches of herb liqueurs for holiday gift-giving. We've been meaning to do this for donkey's years, but with the holiday season coming up, the shops have been busy, and so have we. This is one of our annual projects, and our friends have gotten used to getting their favorite liqueurs--they probably wouldn't pitch a fit if we skipped a year, but they'd sure as heck wonder what happened. And Ruby and I would miss it too. It's our way of kicking off the holidays. We always do it together, and we always do it with a glass of last year's liqueur to prime the pump, so to speak. Yum.

Herb and fruit liqueurs had their beginnings in medieval monastic gardens and stillrooms. They can be easy to make, but they do take time to age. To ensure that your liqueurs are worth the time it takes to make and age them, use the best ingredients, store in glass or ceramic containers, and age in a cool dark spot. Ruby and I use vodka and white wine; brandy or white rum are also good.

Here's one of our favorite recipes. Pears are in the groceries just now.

Spiced Pear Liqueur
8 ripe pears, juiced (about 4 cups juice)
2-inch piece ginger root, peeled, sliced
1 whole nutmeg
1 cinnamon stick
4 cups vodka
1/2 cup white wine
Syrup:
2 cups sugar
1 cup water

Combine the pears, ginger root, spices, vodka, and wine in a wide-mouth jar with a tight-fitting lid. Steep for one month in a cool, dark place. Crush the fruit slightly and steep for another 4-5 days. Strain, pressing the juice from the fruit, then filter through a coffee filter or double layer of cheesecloth. To make the syrup, bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan, add sugar, and stir until dissolved. Cool. Add half the syrup to the liqueur; taste, then continue to add and taste until it is as sweet as you like. Pour into a bottle, cap it, and age for three weeks in a cool, dark place.

If you're a little late making this, as Ruby and I are this year, give it with a "Do Not Open Until January 31" note. Practicing the art of delayed gratification will be good for the soul--and will also ensure that the liqueur will be more mellow and tasty!

>>cabbage and herbs, naturally

There's cabbage in the garden, this time of year. Of course, cabbage and herbs are a natural pair. Try some curried cabbage, or red cabbage cooked with onion and caraway seeds, cabbage cooked with apple and seasoned with paprika, or braised cabbage with parsley and thyme.

You might enjoy cabbage a little more enthusiastically if you also remind yourself of its health benefits. Scientists tell us that cabbage kills harmful bacteria, soothes ulcers, and inhibits colon cancer. It's rich in vitamins E and C and sulphur.

And cabbage is pretty, to boot. Try these old-fashioned instructions from Vaughan’s Vegetable Cook Book (1898) for making a cabbage centerpiece for your autumn dining table. (This might have been easier with old-fashioned cabbage, which had a looser head.):

Take a head of cabbage, one that has been picked too late is best, for the leaves open better then, and are apt to be slightly curled.  Lay the cabbage on a flat plate or salver and press the leaves down and open with your hand, firmly but gently, so as not to break them off.  When they all lie out flat, stab the firm, yellow heart through several times with a sharp knife, until its outlines are lost and then place flowers at random all over the cabbage.

Roses are the prettiest, but any flower which has a firm, stiff stem, capable of holding the blossom upright will do.  Press the stems down through the leaves and put in sufficient green to vary prettily.  The outer leaves of the cabbage, the only ones to be seen when the flowers are in, form a charming background, far prettier than any basket...[In autumn,] the brilliant scarlet berries of the mountain ash or the red thorn mingled with the deep, rich green of feathery asparagus, make a delicious color symphony most appropriate to the season.

>>election cake

Election Cake (adapted for the Web from China Bayles' Book of Days for November 4)

Here in Pecan Springs, as everywhere across the country, we'll be voting tomorrow. And since it's bound to be a big day (and a long evening), we'll want a little something for snacks.

The tradition of celebrating an electoral victory (or consoling yourself for an electoral loss) with food seems to be a long one. I was browsing through an early nineteenth-century cookbook the other day when I came across a  recipe for something called Election Cake. “Old-fashioned election cake,” I read, “is made of four pounds of flour . . . .”

Election cake? I’d never heard of it!

But some online research pulled up an answer, in an article written by the well-known food historian Alice Ross. Election cake, Miss Ross says, was a tradition that began back in England, with the “Great Cake,” rich, spicy fruit-filled cakes baked to celebrate important family or community occasions, such as weddings, births, funerals, and holidays.

One such occasion arose during the Revolutionary War, when men flocked to the colonial towns to report for duty in the Revolutionary Army. According to Ross, the inns and taverns served cake: “Mustering Cake.” After the War, men came to town again—this time to vote in elections for which they had fought and died. It was time to celebrate again, this time, with “Election Cake.”

The recipe for Election Cake appears in the second edition of Amelia Simmons’ American Cookery (1800, online at Project Gutenberg)—a truly American cookbook, with recipes for such colonial novelties as Johnny Cake, Indian Slapjacks, “Pompkin pudding” (the first pumpkin pie), cooked squash with whortleberries, even the quintessentially American Spruce Beer. What’s more, Mrs. Simmons was the first cookbook author to use the word "cooky," from the Dutch “koekje,” the treats offered in colonial New York to holiday callers.

So it seems altogether appropriate that American Cookery should include recipes for three American cakes: Independence Cake, Federal Pan Cake, and Election Cake. Here is Amelia Simmons’s recipe for a cake that was obviously intended to be served to a large crowd of enthusiastic (and hungry) voters.

Election Cake

30 quarts flour
10 pound butter
14 pound sugar
12 pound raisins
3 doz eggs
one pint wine
one quart brandy
4 ounces cinnamon
4 ounces fine colander seed*
3 ounces ground allspice

Wet the flour with milk to the consistence of bread over night, adding one quart yeast; the next morning work the butter and sugar together for half an hour, which will render the cake much lighter and whiter; when it has rise light work in every other ingredient except the plumbs**, which work in when going into the oven.

*Colander seed is coriander seed, which was brought to Britain by the Romans. It was once used extensively in confectionery.  “The seeds are quite round, like tiny balls,” Mrs. Grieve tells us, “about the size of a Sweet Pea Seed . . . The longer they are kept the more fragrant they become, with a warm pungent taste.” Coriander seed was kept whole and roasted and ground before use. You might want to include more coriander in your diet. The Chinese thought it conferred immortality!

** “Plumbs” are dried raisins. A Washington Post article reports that one teacher and her students baked an Election Cake as part of their study of the voting process. Queried about what they liked and didn't like about the cake, one boy, who wasn't too keen on raisins, voted for replacing the raisins with double chocolate chips.

For a more manageable recipe (but still rich in the traditional spices that made this cake special) try this adaptation from Fannie Farmer's The Boston Cooking School Cookbook:

Election Cake

1/2 cup butter
8 finely chopped figs
1 cup bread dough
1 1/4 cups flour
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon soda
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sour milk
1/4 teaspoon clove
2/3 cup raisins seeded, and cut in pieces
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Work butter into dough, using the hand.
2. Add egg well beaten, sugar, milk, fruit dredged with two tablespoons flour, and flour mixed and sifted with remaining ingredients.
3. Put into a well-buttered bread pan, cover, and let rise one and one-fourth hours.
4. Bake one hour in a slow oven.
5. Cover with Boiled Milk Frosting.

Boiled Milk Frosting
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Put the butter into a saucepan and, when it is melted, add the sugar and milk. Stir until the boiling-point is reached and then boil for 10 minutes without stirring (235 degrees). Remove from the heat, add vanilla and beat until of spreading consistency.

And be sure to vote!

>>tomatillos

Susan is working on Nightshade just now, and thinking about the various plants that belong to the Solanum family. To help her out, I went over to Cavette's Grocery.

Cavette's is one of those old family markets that have been almost completely obliterated by the Safeways and Wal-Marts of the world--a small shop with wooden bins and wicker baskets of fresh frut and veggies lined up on the sidewalk, a Farmer's Market every day. The Cavettes buy organic produce from local growers, tortillas from Zapata's Tortilla Factory, and fresh herbs from the gardens at Thyme & Seasons. Young Mr. Cavette (he's seventy and as bald as an onion) handles the produce. Old Mr. Cavette (who recently celebrated his 90th birthday) manages the cash register, a manual model with a clang-clang bell that must be almost as old as he is. Younger Mr. Cavette (everybody calls him Junior) is middle-aged and makes deliveries on his red motorbike.

I was looking for tomatillos, or husk tomatoes (Physalis philadelphica), a relative of the tomato, potato, and eggplant. In Tex-Mex and Mexican food, the tomatillo gives salsa verde its color and bright, tart flavor. The fruit dates all the way back to the Aztecs and made its way to Europe along with its cousin, the tomato. It didn't catch on there, but it's still an important ingredient in Mexican and Southwest cookery.

At Cavette's, I found the tomatillos in a basket between the garlic bin and a pile of avacados. Nice and firm and green (if they're yellow, they're past ripe), with their papery husks still clinging to them. I picked out the best and took them back to the shop to show them to Susan, who confesses that she's never cooked a tomatillo.

"You gotta learn sometime," I tell her, so I take her back to the tea room kitchen, where we pull off the husks, wash the fruit (you don't want to eat the sticky stuff left on the surface), and cut them in eights. We chop up some some green chiles, onion and cilantro, put everything into a microwave dish with a glug of water, and pop it into the microwave. When the tomatillos are soft, we let them cool and then turn them into a sauce with the blender.

And here's our salsa verde. For garnish, we add a touch of chopped red chiles and yellow sweet pepper (all members of the Solanacae family). For more heat, we'd add more chiles. This salsa verde is great with enchiladas, chicken, eggs, fish. Even guacamole is improved when you add a couple of spoonfuls.

Susan says to tell you that she'd love to have a tomatillo recipe to include in Nightshade. Email your favorite to us at china@tstar.net, or just post it under comments.

P.S. Yes, tomatillos have their medicinal uses as well. In Mexico, the husks were brewed into a tea to treat diabetes, while juice from the fruit has been used to reduce fevers.

P.P.S. Here are several tomatillo recipes that people have sent in. Enjoy!

Chick Pea Tomatillo Hot Dip, from BarbieZ

1 cup chickpeas, cooked

1 1/2 lbs. fresh tomatillos         
1 fresh poblano pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 Teaspoon ground cumin
2 t. salt
Freshly ground black pepper                                                            
1 cup. cream, milk or unsweetened soy milk
1//2 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 t. sugar
juice of 1/2 lime
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Lightly smash cook Chick Peas with a fork, set aside. Remove and discard outer husks from the tomatillos, wash thoroughly, and chop. Sauté onion in olive oil till golden and sweet, quickly toss in garlic then add tomatillos, poblano pepper, salt, cumin, and pepper to skillet. Cook over medium high heat about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly to keep from scorching. Add cream, milk or soy milk to skillet and stir well. Cook for 2 or 3 more minutes. Then incorporate Chick Peas, stirring until thickened and smooth.  Add sugar, Worcestershire sauce and lime juice just before serving. Taste and adjust seasoning if need be... Pour into a pretty earthenware bowl garnish with chopped roasted red peppers and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro. Tuck a few wedges of lime at edge for a nice presentation. (Sometimes I sprinkle a few toasted Pine Nuts on too...) Serve with toasted triangles of Pita Bread. Makes 6 to 8 appetizers servings.

Chicken Enchiladas, from Toni Anderson
2 whole chicken breasts
½ medium onion
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup Monterey jack cheese, grated
1 can diced green chiles
15 tomatillos
¼ cup cilantro leaves
¾ cup whipping cream
1 egg
8 flour or whole wheat tortillas
4 oz. Cheddar Cheese, grated

Steam chicken breasts- add a pat of butter and a couple sprigs of cilantro to breasts and wrap in foil-steam for 20-25 min. Let cool and then shred chicken. Mix shredded chicken, chopped onion, parmesan cheese and Monterrey Jack Cheese.
To prepare tomatillos, remove husks, put in sauce pan with water to cover and heat until soft-about 10 min. In food processor combine green chiles, tomatillos, cilantro, whipping cream and egg. Blend until smooth. Place chicken mix into tortillas, roll and place in baking dish. Cover with sauce. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over all and bake at 350 for 30-45 min. Put a dollop of guacamole or sour cream on each enchilada or use both and serve!

Tomatillo and Serrano Sauce, from Cheryl Yates

Enough water to cover tomatillos
1 lb tomatillos, husked
1 white onion, about 1/3 diced finely for garnish, rest coursely chopped
4-8 chiles serranos
4 cloves garlic
10-15 sprigs cilantro
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste

Bring water to boil. Add tomatillos, 1/2 coarsely chopped onion, 4 chiles,and 3 cloves garlic. Cook until tomatillos are tender.Cool slightly. Drain. In a blender or food processor, blend tomatillo mixture with the other 1/2 chopped onion, 1-3 chiles, 1 raw garlic clove, cilantro and 1 tsp sugar.  Add salt to taste.  Pour into sauce bowl and garnish with diced avocados and the finely diced onion.

Thyme & Seasons Herb Quiche

This easy-to-make quiche is on the Thyme for Tea menu at least twice a week. When you make it at home, think of China and Ruby and enjoy!
         
9-inch unbaked pie shell
3 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups warm milk
3/4 cup grated Swiss cheese
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/2 cup cooked, drained, chopped spinach
1/2 cup sauted mushrooms
3 tablespoons fresh snipped chives
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, minced
salt and pepper to taste
leaves of fresh greens (kale, arugula, lettuce) and fresh chive blossoms for garnish
       
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Spread the grated cheese evenly in the bottom of the pie shell. Mix the spinach, mushrooms, and herbs and spoon over the cheese. Pour the milk-and-egg mixture over all. Dot the top with butter or margarine. Place the pie plate on a cookie sheet and bake until set, about 30-35 minutes. Remove when the outside is set and the middle still jiggles when shaken. Let stand 10-15 minutes before you cut it. Set each slice on a few leaves of fresh greens and add chive blossoms. For a spectacular brunch, serve with
sliced melon, strawberries, or orange sections.

>>Cass's Cranberry Orange-Mint Muffins

Cass's Cranberry-Orange Mint Whole Grain Muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 tablespoons fresh orange mint leaves, minced (or substitute mint)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted butter

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then stir in the cranberries and nuts. Whisk together the orange zest, minced herbs, eggs, milk, and oil or melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until just blended (not too much!). Fill 12 greased muffin cups or paper liners about 3/4 full. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove them from the oven, leave them in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.