Blueberry and lavender pops

Originally published in LA times

Total time: 20 minutes, plus freezing time

Servings: Makes 6 to 8 popsicles, depending on the mold

1 1/2 cups full-fat Greek yogurt

3/4 cup whole milk

1/4 cup blueberry preserves (or grape preserves)

1 pint blueberries

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon dried lavender blossoms

1. Place the yogurt, milk, preserves, blueberries and vanilla in a blender. Blend until smooth. Sprinkle in the lavender, then re-cover the blender and pulse briefly to combine.

2. Divide the mixture evenly among the pop molds, pouring so that you leave about one-half inch of headroom at the top. Once they are filled, tap the molds gently against the counter, allowing the liquid to settle evenly into the molds and dislodging any air bubbles that may have formed. Cover the molds and fit with popsicle sticks, if necessary. Freeze the molds until completely firm, at least 5 hours. For easy unmolding, run the frozen pops under warm water for 10 to 15 seconds before removing them.

Each of 8 popsicles: 125 calories; 4 grams protein; 15 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 5 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 10 mg. cholesterol; 11 grams sugar; 26 mg. sodium.

Eating Fresh and Local

By Mira Reverente

Originally published in Your Health Connection Magazine

WHEN IT COMES TO FOOD, CALIFORNIANS ARE FORTUNATE. FRESH FRUITS, VEGETABLES AND DAIRY PRODUCTS ABOUND AND ARE LOCALLY AVAILABLE. YEAR-ROUND, GOOD WEATHER MAKES THE APPROXIMATELY 75,000 FARMS AND RANCHES AROUND THE STATE THRIVE AND YIELD BOUNTIFUL HARVESTS.

DID YOU KNOW that California is the nation’s sole producer of persimmons, pomegranates, artichokes, almonds and walnuts? The state is also the leading dairy producer in the country, producing 22 percent of the U.S. milk supply, according to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report.

With such abundance and diversity of food items, how can locals not take advantage? Take a look.

Fresh produce
Ventura County, considered one of the top 10 agricultural counties in the state, is known for strawberries, lemons, tomatoes and celery. Locally grown produce from beets to bib lettuce can be found at the various farmers markets around town.

Karen Schott, operations manager of the Ventura County Certified Farmers’ Market Association, explains, “The farmers must raise, catch, grow or produce the food items they sell. Those are the criteria in order to participate in one of our certified farmers markets.” The farmers must also receive permits to sell from the county Agricultural Commissioner.

Lavender Lemon Cookies

 The dough needs to be refrigerated for at least an hour before rolling.

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon dried lavender buds
• 1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1 egg
• 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2-1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

PREPARATION:

1. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until it is light and fluffy.

2. Stir in the lavender and lemon zest.

3. Add the egg, vanilla and salt and using the mixer again, mix briefly to combine.

4. With mixture on low speed, gradually add the flour until it is all combined.

5. Gather the dough together and pat it into a disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat oven ot 350°F.
6. Roll the dough out to a thickness of about 1/4-inch. Cut out shapes with biscuit or cookie cutters.

7. Bake the cookies until they begin to brown around the edges, about 10-15 minutes.

 Optional:  make a glaze with powdered sugar and milk you can also add some lemon zest, drizzle on cookies, let the glaze harden before storing

Storage:

May be stored in an airtight container for up to one week.

Pecan crescent cookie recipe, butter cookies with chopped pecans and powdered sugar coating.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups sifted flour
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Combine 1 cup confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Roll warm cookies in confectioners' sugar mixture.
Makes about 5 to 6 dozen pecan crescent cookies.

Just like family rituals, friendship rituals give us our sense of belonging. We bond through rituals of sharing confidences, having long conversations, and engaging in activities and adventures. For many of us, over time, when our friendships become more established, it’s easy to allow them to be pushed into the background of life—to take them for granted. Rituals are vital in keeping that friendship connection.

Seldom do my friends and I even notice or recognize that we’ve created a new ritual—they sort of develop while we’re in the process of having fun. We have our weekly, monthly, and even yearly rituals. For example, we traditionally meet the day before Thanksgiving and spend the afternoon making and rolling out the dough for my truly delicious dinner rolls.

Deb’s Dinner Rolls (Yields 18 large rolls)
1/2 cup warm water (105-112 degrees F.)
1/2 cup warm milk
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 egg at room temp
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, softened

Place water and milk in your mixer bowl with dough hook. Sprinkle in the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients. Mix on low for 5 to 10 minutes. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out. Spread 1/4 cup softened butter over entire round. Cut into wedges. Roll wedges starting at wide end; roll gently but tightly. Place point side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover with clean kitchen towel and put in a warm place; let rise 1 to 2 hours. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, until golden.

It’s not what you do, it’s the joy and support of having fun with your friends that makes the difference.

For more insights on female friendship (and some great recipes) go to Female Friendship Examiner

Try a spiced up version of a classic dessert this year with a Pumpkin Spice Creme Brulee by the Creme Brulee Queen, Debbie Puente,

This delicate, silken and sinfully rich dessert, which blends the cool velvet of custard, with a crisp carmelized topping.  It is actually quite simple to make and it's economical too costing just pennies per serving.

2 cups heavy crème

2 teaspoons runor vanilla

8 egg yolks

1/3 cup granulated white sugar

1 cup pureed pumpkin

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ cup granulated white sugar (for caramelized tops)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F

In a large bowl, whisk together the crème, rum, or vanilla, yolks, sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.  Blend well.  Strain into a large bowl, skimming off any foam or bubbles.  Divide mixture among 6 ramekins or custard cups.  Place in a water bath and bake until set around the edges, but still loose in the center, about 30-40 minutes.  Remove from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled.  Remove cups from water bath and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.  

When ready to serve, sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of sugar over each custard.  Use either a kitchen torch or your broiler to caramelize the top.   Re-chill for a few minutes before serving.

For more scrumptious crème brulee recipes, get Debbie's book, Elegantly Easy Creme Brulee

Yummy holiday side dish you can make ahead of time.

Gruyere Mashed Potato & Caramelized Onion Casserole

(Serves 8)

by Debby Poe, Personal Chef

Mashed Potatoes

2 ½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes

3/4-teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon Lawry’s seasoning salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper

1 to 1 ½ cups milk (at least 2%)

3 T. butter

2 heaping cups (8 oz) shredded Gruyere, (divided for separate use)

Caramelized onions

3 tablespoons butter or olive oil

1 large red onion, sliced thin

Directions: For the onions, melt the butter or olive oil in a med. skillet over

med. heat. Add the onion & sauté, separating the onion into rings, until they

Begin to turn light brown. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook,

Stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates and the onion begins to turndark brown and caramelize. Be careful not to burn. This will take about 20minutes.

Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and slice them into 1” pieces. Add potatoes,

some salt and cold water to a large pot until the water filled is at least 1”

above potatoes. Bring to a boil and then cook on medium until potatoes are

fork tender, about 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, Pre heat oven to 350-degrees. Butter an ovenproof 10-inch

round or square casserole dish.

Heat the milk to a simmer in a small saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons butter.

Whisk for 1 minute.

Drain potatoes in a large colander. After they are drained well, place the

potatoes in a large bowl. Mash the potatoes with a hand masher or if you

want, you can use an electric mixer. Mix until smooth. Add the milk and

butter and continue whipping the potatoes by mixer or hand. Gradually add

1-½ cups of the Gruyere cheese to the potatoes. Season with both salts &

white pepper. (Taste to see if you want more salt and/or pepper).

Pour the potatoes into the casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of

Gruyere over the potatoes. Cover with the caramelized onions. Place into

oven for 20-30 minutes until the cheese melts and slightly browns.

Serve hot from Casserole dish.

Note: Can be made earlier in the day and then reheated prior to serving.

 By Debbie Puente, Female Friendship Examiner

Would you like to feed you guests without taking a bite out of your budget? One of the most important elements of entertaining is making your friends feel comfortable. And isn't it nice that comfort foods are also some of the most inexpensive foods?

Good cheap food starts with bread! Bread and cheese, sub sandwiches, and bruschetta are all good simple crowd pleasers that are also easy on the budget.

Bruschetta (recipe below) is grilled or toasted bread, topped with a mixture of fresh diced tomatoes, garlic, and basil. Lots of us have tomatoes and basil growing in our gardens right now, or we know someone who does, so the only cost is in the bread. For about $2 you can made a plate that will serve six people. That's 33 cents a serving. Other tips:

• The morning of your get together, throw a chicken, or a cut of pork or beef, into your crockpot with some barbecue sauce. By evening, you've got the filling for a yummy shredded meat sandwich.
• If you're too busy to make something at home, a large Italian sub at Subway is about $6. Ask them to cut the sandwich into 6 slices for $1 a serving. Also, think pizza! Especially if you have a great little mom and pop pizza place in the neighboorhood.
• Stretch a bottle of Champagne by mixing it with a tasty juice, like cranberry or pomegranate.
• Eggs! Deviled eggs, frittatas, or egg salad finger sandwiches are all crowd-pleasers, and oh-so-cheap.

Simple Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil

fresh garden tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs), diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
fresh basil leaves, chopped.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 baguette
olive oil

In a bowl, mix together tomatoes, garlic, about a tablespoon of olive oil, about a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar, and a small handful of the fresh chopped basil. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper. 
Slice the baguette to make 1/2 inch thick round slices. Warm a generous amount of olive oil in a skillet or fry pan. (I always use my big cast iron pan for PERFECT toast.) Toast bread slices for 5 minutes, or until the bread just begins to turn golden brown. Place toasted bread on a platter and top with the tomato/basil mixture.