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Summer Picnic Treat

June 13th, 2010 by peter

Stirring it up! We had a BBQ on the long weekend in May, a day I always think of as the first day of summer. In my books, watermelon is the quintessential summer fruit so of course it had to be included in the menu, but watermelon with a twist.

Watermelon & English Cucumber Salad

A cool and crisp summer salad.

  • 1T apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 c. olive oil
  • 1 sm clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2  large watermelon
  • 1 English cucumber
  • 1 cup  feta cheese
  • 5-6 sprigs of mint, save some whole leaves for garnish and finely chop the remainder
  • 1/4t. salt
  • a few grinds of fresh pepper

Mix the first three ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside to allow the flavors to blend.

Cut the watermelon in half width-wise then cut slices about 1″ thick. Remove rind and cut into bite-sized chunks. (If you wish to  serve the salad in a melon bowl, cut the melon either width-wise or length-wise and remove melon flesh with a melon baller. Scrape out remainder of the flesh with a large spoon then turn over the “bowl” and trim a small piece off the underside of the rind so the “bowl” sits flat.)

The skin on an English cucumber is edible so wash the cuke and trim the ends off. Cut the cuke into bite- sized chunks.

Place the melon, cuke,  feta cheese, and chopped mint in the serving vessel, sprinkle with salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss.

Place whole mint leaves on top and either serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until serving. It is not a good idea to make this too far in advance of serving as watermelon tends to loose a lot of juice as it sits.

Dishing it out! Many, many years ago we lived two doors down from a family with 5 boys roughly the ages of the four of us. Often on hot summer weekends the two families would pack up food and kiddos and go off to the mountains for a picnic. Watermelon was always for dessert and cooled in a nearby stream while we all enjoyed our lunch. Upon arriving at the picnic ground we would park the cars and the 7 younger kids would race off to find the perfect picnic table leaving the oldest offspring and adults to lug the food. On one memorable occasion I guess my dad was carrying a bit too much as the watermelon slipped from his grasp and landed with a resounding kerthump on the ground splitting open and  laying the juicy fruit at our feet. Needless to say lunch started with dessert that day!!

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A Chocolaty Afternoon Snack

May 19th, 2010 by peter

Stirring it up! Sometimes our cookie jar is in reality a cookie plate – especially when I’ve baked a Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Sheet Cake. I found this recipe on The Old Farmer’s Almanac web site.  From the original recipe I have cut down the sugars and chocolate chips a bit with no complaints from chocoholics! Great for an afternoon snack or a dinner dessert with a scoop of ice cream – Ben & Jerry’s of course!

Not quite cool yet.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Sheet Cake

350′F              20-25 minutes baking time              Makes about 35 servings

  • 1 3/4c. boiling water
  • 1 c. rolled oats (not instant)
  • 1/2 c.  (1 stick) butter or margarine
  • 3/4 c. light brown sugar, packed
  • 3/4 c. white sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 3/4 c. sifted all-purpose white flour
  • 1 t.  baking soda
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3/4 c.  semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 3/4 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Hurry, they won't last long!

Preheat the oven to 350′F.
Lightly grease a 15″ x 10″ baking pan. I line my pan with parchment paper so it is easy to transfer to the cooling rack.

Pour boiling water over the oats and let stand for 10 minutes. Be careful as the hot water may bubble up when it hits the oats.
Add the butter/marg and stir until melted.
Add the Sugars and stir until dissolved.
Add the eggs and mix well.
Sift together the flour, soda, salt and cocoa.
Add to the oat mixture and mix well.
Pour into the baking pan.
Sprinkle chips and nuts on top.
Bake for 20 – 25 minutes.
Cool completely before serving.

My preference is to cut the cake into squares about 2″ x2″ dust them with powdered sugar and serve them like brownies. Cut into larger pieces with a scoop of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream on top makes a wonderful dessert!

Dishing it out! I have on my bedside table, a stack of books all of which I am reading depending upon the mood I am in…  historical fiction, biography, Vermont history, classics and of course a couple of cookbooks. Many of the cookbooks I have are gifts from friends. Just now I am perusing “Fare for Friends” a delightful gift from a friend of more than 30 years. The book is filled with recipes which are simple to make and with ingredients which are likely to be on your panty shelf. While chances are I’ll never make all the recipes in this or any other of my cookbooks, I love to read recipes, get inspiration, think about the combination of tastes and what I would serve along with it. Above all, it’s nice to remember the friends who have given me these books and their contribution to my life;  a good serving of care, a heaping helping of laughter, and a cup full of love. What better gifts to give a friend.

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A Cookie Jar Favorite

May 3rd, 2010 by peter

Stirring it up! This recipe is a guest favorite here at West Hill House and should be familiar to those of you who get your oatmeal from those lovely tubular containers of Quaker Oats. I like the recipe because it requires no fancy ingredients, is quick to make,  numerous items can be substituted for the raisins and the cookies taste great!

Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies

350′F      10-12 minutes baking time      Makes about 4 dozen

Oatmeal Cookies

Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies

  • 1 c. butter, softened
  • 1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 c. white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 t. vanilla
  • 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 t. baking soda
  • 1 t. cinnamon
  • 1/2 t salt (optional)
  • 3 c. Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
  • 1 c. raisins

Beat the butter and sugars until creamy.
Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.
Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and mix well.
Stir in oats and raisins and mix well.
Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool for about 1 minute then remove to cooling rack.
Can be frozen -if you can get them into the freezer before they are all eaten!

To make bar cookies: Put dough into a 9×13 inch metal baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Dishing it out! It’s hard to say exactly when my interest in cooking began – likely as a baby when I started to eat solid food!!  Really though, the first time I  remember buying something which was food prep related was one summer when we were camping – I must have been about 8 years old.  I wanted to be able to cut my own apples and sandwiches so with my parents’ permission I purchased a very small pocket knife with one blade and a picture of the Grand Canyon on the case.  While the knife served me well and my mom let me help with meal prep,  a younger sister decided to give the knife a try and ended up cutting her finger. The knife went into the care of my dad for the remainder of the trip. Hummm, I think I still have that knife packed away somewhere…

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Ah, the Smell of Home Baking

March 29th, 2010 by peter

Stirring it up!  Our guests tell us they love waking up to the tantalizing smells of home baking and freshly brewed coffee. The following recipe is one of our morning “wake-up smells”.

Quick Honey Oatmeal Muffins

400′F         12-18 min           =12 muffins

Mufffins

Freshly Baked Muffins

In a large bowl combine:

  • 2/3 c. milk
  • 1/3 c. vegetable oil or applesauce
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/4 c. honey or slightly less maple syrup

In another bowl mix together:

  • 1 1/2 c. quaker oats (not instant)
  • 1 c. all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/3 c. brown sugar
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 c. raisins
  • 1/2 c. chopped nuts

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients, stirring until just blended.

Spoon into a muffin tin lined with cupcake papers. Bake and enjoy.

You can use raisins, chopped dried fruit or fresh cranberries, dates, pecans, almonds – use your imagination just remember that the more dried fruit you use, the more liquid is absorbed from the mix so don’t get carried away.

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Dishing It Out! My first stove was a wooden orange crate complete with painted-on burners, wooden spool knobs, and a heavy cardboard oven door kept closed with a twist knob. I graduated from that directly to cooking with the real thing… no Easy Bake Oven for this kiddo! My mom encouraged my cooking skills and my dad encouraged creative interpretation of  recipes. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t like to cook.

Guests often ask for recipes so from time-to-time I will post some of our guest favorites on the blog. I don’t claim any of the recipes as my originals as they are from my stash of over 45 years of collecting recipes from family, friends, magazines, cookbooks, and various internet sites. Bon Appetite!

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