This is what I've been enjoying with my morning cappuccino.


            Carrot Tea Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Icing

Carrot Tea Cake:
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup (10 2/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup grated, raw carrots
• 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 1/2 cup unbleached flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
Orange Cream Cheese Icing:
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated, organic orange peel
• 1 teaspoon fresh orange juice

1.  Preheat oven to 325˚F.
2.  In a bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  Stir in the grated carrots, eggs and pecans until well-combined.  Sift into this mixture the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; stir until blended.
3.  Butter a 1 1/2 quart loaf pan (or 8 small, individual loaf pans as I've done) and fill with carrot cake batter.  Place on the center rack of the oven and bake for one hour.  If using the individual pans, bake for 25-30 minutes.
4.  Remove from oven when cakes test done and turn out onto a cooling rack.  When cool, frost with cream cheese icing, if desired.
5.  Cream together cream cheese and butter until smooth; slowly add the confectioners' sugar and beat until well-combined.  Stir in the grated orange peel and orange juice.  Spread on top of the carrot loaf cake.

   I'm shifting gears.  I'm moving away from the outdoor grill and from searching my vegetable garden for tonight's dinner.  I'm ready for meals that can be made in one pot on top of my stove.  I'm anxious to turn on the oven, not only to bake, but to take the chill out of the air.  I've been eying this recipe for Potato and Apple Soup all summer; waiting to pounce on it once hot soup for dinner no longer sounded oppressive.  And this was just the ticket!  It's a soup that will ease you into fall - light and crisp.  And a wonderful way to introduce locally-grown apples into your menus. 
    Potato and Apple Soup accompanied by Cheddar Dill Biscuits - get recipe

                                     ∞  Potato and Apple Soup ∞
                              Canadian House & Home | October 2008

• 2 teaspoons butter
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped (suggestions: Empire, McIntosh, Spartan)
• 1 pound (about 2 large) potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 3 cups organic chicken stock
• 1 cup sweet apple cider
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• grated extra-sharp cheddar, to garnish
• sautéed diced apple, to garnish

1.  Heat butter and oil together in a large pot on medium-hi heat until butter is melted.  Add onion, apple and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until golden and slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.
2.  Add potatoes, chicken stock and cider and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
3.  Purée soup in batches in a food processor or blender until smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with cheddar and sautéed apples.

   The Cherokee Purple, Aunt Ruby's German Green, and Red Siberian heirloom tomatoes in my garden are practically a memory (thanks in part to the drought conditions in Minnesota and my lack of desire to water any longer on a daily basis).  But nothing seems to slow the yield of my lingering Sweet 100 Cherry Tomatoes.  They just keep on comin', which is fine by me.  If you are still being inundated with cherry tomatoes, you should consider making this pasta dish.  The combination of fresh tomatoes, minced garlic, and olive oil create a luscious aroma while the linguine is boiling.

     


                Cherry Tomato, Arugula, and Pecorino Linguine
      adapted from a recipe in O, the Oprah Magazine | September 2007

• 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups fresh baby arugula
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound linguine
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup shaved Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1/3 cup basil, shredded

1.  In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, olive oil, arugula, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Set aside.
2.  Prepare linguine according to package directions.  Strain, reserving a bit of cooking water.  Transfer pasta to the tomato-arugula mixture and add butter, tossing until arugula is wilted and butter is melted.  Add some of the reserved water if the pasta seems too dry.  Transfer to a serving platter; garnish with cheese and basil.

   I cringe whenever someone tells me they've thrown fresh basil leaves into a bag and into their freezer. No, no, no... that's not the way to preserve fresh basil for the upcoming winter months.  I process my basil leaves just like I'm making pesto, sans the nuts and parmesan...
   Fill a food processor bowl with as many basil leaves as you can; start pulsing while pouring in barely enough olive oil to bind.  You just need a film of oil on the leaves.  Take the chopped leaves and spoon into ice cube trays, gently pressing on the mixture to form a firm cube -- one packed food processor bowl of basil leaves should yield about one ice cube tray-full.  Place tray in freezer, and once frozen, pop out basil cubes, put them in a zip-lock bag and return to the freezer.  This is the best way of giving your non-summer month meals the taste of fresh summer basil. 
   • I make 4 batches to get me through the months until I'm able to plant basil seeds again in the spring.
  

   I rarely bake cookies during the summer.  If I'm going to crank up the heat in my oven, it will be for a fruit tart.  But once the temperatures cool and  daylight wanes, I'm in my kitchen baking cookies again. 

   I've had this recipe tucked away for years.  After sampling this cookie, I'm glad I finally got around to making it.  As for me, with most of the cookies I bake, I like them a little more brown than golden. 

      • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

                                  Pecan & Butter Log Cookies
                                              adapted from
                   a recipe clipped many years ago in Southern Living

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 3/4 cups unbleached flour
• 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

1.  Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed of an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add the egg, vanilla, and salt, beating well.  Stir in flour.  Cover and chill 30 minutes.
2.  Shape dough into two 8-inch logs;  roll each log in chopped pecans.  Wrap logs in waxed paper and chill for at least 2 hours.
3.  Cut dough into 1/4-inch slices. ( I use a piece of heavy-duty sewing thread to slice my logs.)  Place cookies on  parchment-lined cookie sheets.  Bake in a preheated 350˚F oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until they just begin to brown around the edges.  Cool cookies on wire racks.

   With the end of summer comes, the dreaded grape harvest!  Don't get me wrong, I love the grapes and the juice we get from the grapes... but I can have my day planned out, and think I know the way my day is going to go, when all of a sudden, there are 6 quarts of freshly picked grapes staring at me (more like screaming at me, really) thanks to my husband.  Experience has taught me, you don't leave the grapes setting in a big container, outside, for very long.  It doesn't take much for the sweet, ripe grapes to go bad. 

    So, as I have done in the past, I made the concentrated grape juice my aunt made every summer with the Concord grapes she grew.  I think my aunt would approve of my Edleweiss grape juice.  I bottle the juice in old, French lemonade bottles that I always save, and keep the juice in my refrigerator.  It doesn't last very long.

   This is my favorite way to make (and eat) a turkey burger -- and it's healthy, loaded with shredded organic carrots.

                                   TURKEY BURGERS
                       (don't remember where I found this recipe)
                  
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 pounds ground turkey
• 3/4 cup grated organic carrots
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

   Combine all of the ingredients and shape into patties.  Grill and enjoy!

   I probably shouldn't admit this, but my idea of a good time is to sit at the bookstore near my house and pour through the magazines.  I will treat myself to a visit when I've been working hard and feel I deserve a break from my routine.  Lately, my excuse has been --Pipi could use the walk.  Those five blocks to the bookstore are great exercise for her, and me.  Pipi always refuses to retrace her steps, knowing if she does, she will end up at home, and home is not as fun as being in a place where everyone that walks by stops to pet her.  Since Pipi will not walk home (oh yes, I have tried to change our route to confuse her), I end up carrying my overweight Frenchie, and get a good workout myself.
   I found this recipe for Raspberry Semifreddo on my last sojourn.  The mixture was frozen in a large rectangular, ceramic dish, and I cut the round shapes using a biscuit cutter to make an impression and a sharp knife to finish.  Summer temperatures have returned for several days and this frozen dessert, with end-of-summer raspberries was the perfect end to our meal.

     Raspberry Semifreddo
              adapted from
  LIVING etc | September 2009

• 1 pound, 4 ounces raspberries
• 3 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream

   Place berries in the bowl of a food processor and purée until smooth.  Set aside.  Place eggs, egg yolks, and sugar in a large heat-proof bowl.  Set over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk with a hand-held mixer for 4-5 minutes, or until thick and pale.  Remove from heat, add the vanilla extract, and continue whisking until cool.  Whisk the heavy cream until you have soft peaks and gently fold into the egg mixture.  Reserve 2 cups of mixture and pour remaining into a large dish.  Fold reserved mixture through the raspberry purée and spoon on top of the plain mixture in dish.  Place in the freezer and freeze for 4 to 6 hours.  Remove from freezer about 10 - 15 minutes before serving.  NOTE:  If using a fresh vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scrape the seeds from the bean.  Combine seeds with eggs and sugar before whisking.

       Pipi was just told by her doctor on Friday that she is overweight.             Please  support Pipi in her quest to shed those 2 ugly pounds by January 1st.

   Each Saturday afternoon I look forward to listening to MPR's The Splendid Table, hosted by Lynne Rossetto Kasper.  I also receive the program's newsletter.  Greek Salad with Char-Grilled Salmon was the featured recipe this week.  Since my husband had requested salmon for dinner and I had all the ingredients for the salad in my garden and refrigerator, I thought I'd give it a try.  We loved it and I'm hoping to make this one more time before my tomatoes and lettuces are history.  The only change I made was to substitute baby lettuces from my garden for the romaine called for in the recipe. 

                             Greek Salad with Char-Grilled Salmon
             adapted from Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone by Curtis Stone

Serves 4

Salmon:
• 4 6-ounce salmon fillets
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons garlic-infused extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Olive oil, for brushing grill
Salad:
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•1 head romaine lettuce, torn into pieces
• 3 or 4 small Heirloom tomatoes (I used Red Siberian)
• 1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced crosswise
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• 1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
• 4 ounces feta cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1.  To make the salmon:  Prepare a barbecue grill for medium-high heat.  Sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper.  Rub the garlic oil and the oregano over the salmon.  Brush the hot grill with olive oil.  Place salmon on the grill and cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until it is just cooked through and pale pink in the center.  Gently peel away the skin from the fillet.
2.  Meanwhile, prepare the salad:  Place the red wine vinegar in a large bowl.  Slowly add the olive oil, whisking constantly to blend.  Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper to taste.  In a large salad bowl, toss the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and onions with enough vinaigrette to coat.  Season the salad with salt and pepper to taste. 
3.  Divide the salad among 4 plates.  Crumble the feta cheese over the salads.  Top each salad with a grilled salmon fillet, and sprinkle with the parsley.  Drizzle some of the remaining vinaigrette over the salmon, and serve immediately.