Cook the Books - Poulet a la Creme for French Lessons

With the impending demise of Tyler Florence Fridays, and the fact that my ever-expanding waistline will no longer allow me to participate in My Girl Paula!, I was very excited to discover two cooking clubs that I can have more bloggy fun with. The first is I Heart Cooking Clubs, which right now is featuring Nigella Lawson. The second, is Cook the Books. This club chooses food-related novels to read every other month, and then each member aims to make a dish inspired by the book. I was anxious to get started, but had a bit of trouble getting a copy of the most recent selection and was worried that I might not make the November deadline. Not to worry, my bloggerriffic friends! I enjoyed the book so much, that I tore through it in just a few days and have two recipes selected to highlight. The first, I will post today, while the second will depend on the availability of the ingredients I need.French Lessons, by Peter Mayle, at first struck me as an arrogant account of one man’s travels through France on a no-holds-barred mission to eat and get drunk, with a seemingly limitless line of credit. However, the more I read, the more I enjoyed his tongue-in-cheek style and laughed out loud at some moments I could totally relate to. Mayle dedicates each chapter to a specific foodie subject matter, generally centered around a celebration, fair, or eating competition. In his chapter on the famous chicken of Bresse, he describes a meal he and his cohort enjoy at a local restaurant. Poulet a la Crème. I have no doubt that it was amazing in its own right and that I can in no way compete with the Bresse Chicken, however, I had to give it a shot. Any recipe that calls for an entire quart of cream is okay by me. I was intrigued. I managed to find one site (Colloquial Cooking) online that had a reasonable semblance of a recipe to follow, which, in turn, turned out to be almost identical to the brief description of the dish in French Lessons, which I imagined to be far too simplified.

I was mistaken. This dish is entirely too easy to make, and amazingly delicious. I’ll give you a brief rundown of how I made mine.

Salt and pepper four skin-on chicken breasts and four thighs.Melt an entire stick of butter in a large skillet.
Brown the chicken, skin side down first, being careful not to burn the butter.Turn the chicken, and add one large onion, roughly chopped, four cloves of garlic, smashed, some mushrooms (if you’re not allergic, like I am) and a bouquet garni (mine had chives, sage, and oregano, because that’s what is still alive in my garden).Brown the chicken on the second side, then remove to a pan while you make the sauce. If there is too much butter left in the pan, spoon it out. Deglaze the pan with a glass of white wine, scraping up all the brown bits.Let the wine cook down for a moment, then return the chicken to the pan and pour in the entire quart of heavy cream.Cover and let simmer at least 30 minutes, or until your chicken is cooked through (mine took closer to an hour).
Remove the chicken and add the juice of a small lemon to the pan. Let the sauce simmer and reduce until it thickens slightly (and I mean, slightly. I couldn’t get much reduction at all. And, really, at this point, you don’t care, it smells so good you’ll be tempted to just stick your face in the pan and lap it up).
Serve the chicken up with rice (if you have it, if not, just tear the bone out of it, as my husband would say). Drizzle the chicken with the sauce, or do like I did and serve a dish of the sauce on the side and dunk your chicken bits as you pull them off the bone.All I can say is “wow”. This was crazy good, although I don’t think I can make it often or I may start to look like Peter Mayle. If you’re not on a diet, give this a try, and feel just a little bit French while you’re wandering around the kitchen finishing the rest of the bottle of wine...oh wait, maybe that’s just me....

Jo will be hosting the roundup for French Lessons. Check back after November 8th to see the roundup!

Anyway, just a small note, I would recommend eating this straight out of the pan. It is pretty decent reheated, but you know how cream sauces can get kind of nasty and separated. It was definitely better the first night. Bon Appetit!

Because I am such a bad influence on Ginny, she felt compelled to make this dish, too, and sent me a picture of her results!She also made a lovely cauliflower gratin she found on the same site where I got the chicken recipe.

Sausage Hoagies

Here is a super easy weeknight meal that my husband always looks forward to. I'm sorry, but even a monkey can make this, if I monkey would use a knife.

What I do:
Take two packages of Johnsonville or other "italian" sausage links. I usually get one Sweet and one Hot, so there is some variety in the pot.
Cut each raw link into four chunks and put in a crock pot.
Slice one medium onion, and put it in the pot.
If I have them, I slice two bell peppers in various colors (red and green are very festive) and throw them in, too.
Top with an entire jar of your favorite pasta sauce.
Fill the same jar halfway with water (at the same time, rinsing the jar for the recycle bin!) and pour the water in the pot.Cook on low while you're at work.
Come home to a house that smells like a great little corner deli and serve your sausage up on hoagie rolls with parmesan cheese. Yum!
Its a perfect meal for a cold weeknight. Makre sure you check the pot as soon as you get home, and don't go shopping after work or anything, because if you leave these in too long, they will scorch and be less appetizing.

Tyler Florence Fridays - Farewell Roundup

Sitting back, remembering all the fun I had making dishes to submit to Tyler Florence Fridays, I felt like taking a look back at all the mouth watering recipes I put together. I thought as one final "hurrah!" for TFF, I'd do a little roundup of my own, showcasing all the best pictures of those recipes and links to each of the posts. I did have a few other Tyler Florence recipes thrown in here and there, but these are the ones I actually submitted to the weekly roundups. I hope you've all enjoyed it as much as I have! Thanks for coming along for the ride!

Tolan's Pregnancy Pasta
This was my first entry to TFF, and it was so good, you could really say it got the ball rolling!

Arborio Rice PuddingRice pudding has long been a favorite dessert of mine, and this one did not disappoint.Braised Beef Brisket I had never made a brisket before and I admit it was a little intimidating, especially when I always thought of brisket as a cut that you smoke not roast. It turned out better than I could have imagined.Garlic and Herb Roast Lobster This was by far the most interesting entry I made. I do love some lobster, and for this one I was willing to butcher it myself! You can tell by the awful shadows that this was still before I built myself a light box.Penne with Spicy Italian Sausage One of the easiest recipes ever, and a big hit with the hubs!Baked Lime Pudding Cakes A fun twist on Tyler's recipe.Perfect Roast Chicken A classic menu item that in all my years of cooking and experimenting, I had never attempted. It was fantastic!Salt Crusted Porterhouse This one was for my husband. A special treat after a rough week.Thai Grilled Beef These little babies packed a punch! What a great treat for a summer evening.Roasted Tomatillo Salsa This salsa was the post that got me on Tyler's own blog! Just look at that gorgeous green!Greek Yogurt with Fig and Honey, Date and Honey Swirl Ginny and I made this one during one of her visits and it is still a favorite. What a rich little indulgence.Grilled Cheese (Smoked Mozzarella and Basil Pesto)and Roasted Tomato Soup with Fresh Basil These recipes were both good, although neither one blew me away.Grilled Honey Teriyaki Chicken Another success on the grill! For this one, I took over control of the "man zone" and wielded the tongs myself!French Onion Soup Possibly my all time favorite soup. What a great cool weather dish.Asian Egg Drop Soup Another recipe that definitely didn't rock my world, but we jazzed it up and turned it into something fabulous.Pasta Carbonara And finally, we're back to the beginning again with Pasta Carbonara revisited. We put a different twist on it and enjoyed it all over again. We came full circle!

I had a great time making all of these great recipes, and I can't wait to move on as a part of I Heart Cooking Clubs, and Cook the Books. I am looking forward to trying lots of great new dishes and sharing them with you! I hope you'll join me in the fun!

Shepherd's Pie

Here is a recipe that I can't believe I haven't posted before. I have some recipes that are in regular rotation because they are ideal "construction worker" food. When the weather turns cold, I gotta feed my man with hearty dishes that fill him up at the end of a cold workday, and re-heat well enough to keep him going at lunch the next day. This is one of those dishes. It is a non-traditional take on the classic Shepherd's Pie, adapted from a Paula Deen recipe, made to fit the tastes of my picky eater husband.

Shepherd's Pie
1 container Country Crock (or other brand, like Bob Evans) prepared mashed potatoes
1 pound ground beef
1 can cut green beans
1 cup frozen corn (or 1 small can) or any other combination of vegetables you like
1 14 ounce can tomato sauce
2 cups Bisquick or other biscuit mix
1 1/2 cups milk
4 TB butter, melted

Brown beef in a large skillet (sometimes I also add some diced onion here). Drain, and mix in the tomato sauce, vegetables and salt and pepper.

Prepare the mashed potatoes according to the package and spread in the bottom of a deep casserole dish. Layer the meat mixture on top of the potatoes. Mix the Bisquick with the milk and pour over the top of the meat.Drizzle the melted butter over the biscuit layer and bake at 350 until the biscuit layer is golden and cooked through.Allow to cool slightly before serving (or the mashed potatoes will just ooze all over the place).Here it is, deconstructed. When I serve it, I like to take the biscuit crust off first, then dish out the meat filling, and finally the potatoes from the bottom so I have some of each on my plate. Plus, it just looks better that way, and you know that's what its all about, after all!

Cheeseburger Soup

Here is another cold weather favorite of my husband's. He is not normally a big fan of soup, but there are a couple that he is always happy to see in the meal rotation. One is my butter bean soup, the other is cheeseburger soup. This is a recipe that came from a lady I used to work with back in my fabric store days. I'm not really sure why she called it "cheeseburger" soup, because its really more of a steak and potato soup, but hey, who am I to quibble? It really is a meal in a cup, so no wonder Matt likes it. It could also have something to do with the large quantity of meat, potatoes, and Velveeta it calls for!

Cheeseburger Soup
1-2 pounds lean stew meat

1 TB minced garlic

1 Tb Italian seasoning

5-6 large potatoes, cubed

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

3 cups chicken broth

4 TB butter

1/4 cup flour

8 ounces Velveeta

1 1/2 cups milk

salt & pepper

In a large stock pot, brown the beef on all sides in a little oil with the garlic, then set aside. In the juices, saute the herbs and the onion until translucent. Return the meat to the pan, and add the potatoes and the broth. Bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are tender. Melt butter and flour together; add to soup and bring back to a boil (add more flour if necessary to thicken).

Add cheese, milk, salt & pepper. Cook until cheese melts and soup reaches desired consistency.

Taco Casserole

You can tell the weather has turned toward fall. I'm starting to get back in the comfort food groove and have been putting together dishes geared toward my husband. This one is uber-simple, and if you cook your meat ahead of time, takes only minutes to prepare. I always keep the ingredients for this one on hand for a quick and easy dinner in minutes.

Taco Casserole

1 pound ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or more, if you like it really cheesy)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup taco sauce OR Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce (yes, I know, not really a "taco" ingredient, but it is one of Matt's favorite things, so we put a twist on the taco concept.)

3 - 10 inch flour tortillas

Brown the ground beef and drain thoroughly. Mix in taco seasoning and 2/3 cup water.

In either an 8 inch square dish or a deep round casserole, layer the ingredients in the following order, using about 1/4 of each, per layer.

Seasoned beef

black beans

Country Bob's sauce or taco sauce

cheese

tortilla

Now, REPEAT!

Then, repeat again until you have used up all of your ingredients.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 until bubbly. Serve!

This is by no means an exact recipe. Its is easily doubled, and there is no reason you can't switch up the ingredients to your liking. If I wasn't feeding Matt, I'd put in fresh diced tomatoes and top it with sour cream. Sometimes when we're feeling the urge, I throw in a bunch of chopped jalapeños. Whatever your family likes, it will all work in here!

Of Words and Wine - A Book Club

I haven't mentioned it yet, but you may have noticed that I added a Bookshelf to my sidebar several weeks ago. This is because I managed to persuade a few of my coworkers to start a book club with me and I am so excited about it that I wanted to share what we are reading with you.

This past Friday night was our first meeting, and the book we chose to read about a month ago was a long one, about 932 pages. I hosted the inaugural meeting at my house, and (I know you're going to be shocked) I made some goodies for us to snack on while we chatted.

If you wonder how we came up with the name for our club (and even if you didn't) I'm going to tell you! I told the girls when we decided to do this, that the one prerequisite for membership, was being okay with a few cocktails during the meetings. I think I just christened the birth of the anti-AA meeting.

In any case, real quick I'll just say I served up a little antipasto salad, sesame chicken skewers, and french onion biscuits. Just some little tidbits to nibble on during the meeting.

So, on to the book.

Five Smooth Stones, by Ann Fairbairn.

This book was first published in 1966, and it amazed us that we hadn't ever heard of it before now. I have no doubt that the novel was extremely controversial in its day, a "monumental" story of interracial love and the civil rights movement. I have always considered myself to be the opposite of "racist". I was raised in a very loving home where I was taught that people should be judged by their actions, not by their genes. I grew up with friends of every ethnic background and cultural upbringing. I pursued a degree in foreign language in college.

This book made me ashamed of my white skin.

Please don't get me wrong, this was an amazing book, I think everyone (I mean EVERYONE) should read it. I know all about the civil rights movement, the history of slavery, and I am proud to say that one of my ancestors ran a station on the Underground Railroad. I can also say that I now know that I had no idea how horrific the reality of those dark days was. The book made me proud of those who stood up, made me feel guilt for not being more of an activist and being content to say, "I do not subscribe to that point of view", and it made me cry for the pain and suffering of the characters in the book, both black and white.

It shocks me that this book is not more well known. It is not heavily circulated, but is incredibly well reviewed by those who have read it.

If you can get your hands on a copy, I encourage all of you to take the time to read this book, and re-evaluate your position on the issue. It really makes you think about who you are, and whether or not it is the person you truly wanted to be. If you can't get a copy, I'll send you mine, as long as you promise to read it and then pass it on to someone else to read. Keep this one going, it may be the best book I've ever read.

Ginny's Special Request - Pumpkin Roll

Many, many moons ago, when I was just a teenager, I attended an event at a friend's home and fell in love with one of her mother's desserts. It was creamy, rich, and the epitome of autumn baking. Pumpkin Roll. I had never had such a thing roll across my tongue before, and I begged for the recipe. This may actually be the first recipe I had in my own personal collection.

I made batch after batch throughout the next decade (ok, more than a decade) and it became the most requested recipe in my rapidly growing repertoire. I can't say for sure what the reason behind it was, but I haven't made this in quite a long time. Pumpkin roll burnout? Maybe.... In any case, while we were planning the onslaught of recipes that we planned to make while Ginny was here, this came out as a special request from the lady, herself.

"Can we please make pumpkin roll?"

Wow. Well, YEAH! Of course we can!

Did you know there is a pumpkin shortage this year? That's what my local grocers tell me. It was actually fairly difficult to come by a can of pumpkin pie filling for a little while there, but I got it together and sure enough, we had pumpkin roll. For breakfast.

This is not a difficult recipe, by any means. I think that I must have some particular ways in which I coax and soothe the ingredients after rolling these out in such quantity over the years, that it always just sees to come out better from my kitchen. I even have one tea towel and one jelly roll pan that are reserved strictly for this purpose. When those two items finally see their last days, I don't know what I'll do.

So, if you are looking for a fantastically seasonal dessert (or breakfast) that is bound to satisfy anyone's palate, give this one a shot. It is a tried and true favorite in our house and many others.

Beth’s Pumpkin Roll
Cake:

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 – 1 cup pumpkin pie filling
1 tsp baking soda
2 TB cinnamon
¾ cup flour

Beat eggs; gradually add sugar. Blend in remaining ingredients. Spread onto a greased, wax-paper lined cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 – 14 minutes. Turn out onto a tea towel covered in powdered sugar.

Roll lengthwise and let cool. (Yes, roll it up on the towel and put the whole thing in the fridge for a few hours.)

Filling:
1 – 8 ounce package cream cheese
1-2 teaspoons vanilla
2 TB oleo
1 cup powdered sugar

Cream all ingredients together. Carefully unroll the chilled log. Spread the filling generously on the inside of the log. Re-roll and chill again.Slice and serve.

If you chill it for a few hours after filling it, you will have a nice, consistent roll with a firmly set cream layer. We weren't that patient, and we ate the gorgeous thing immediately after filling it, so the picture above makes it look a little gooey. It still tasted great, you can take my word for that. Enjoy!

Avocado Smoothies

I know it is probably hard to believe, but even with all the foodie posts that I have put up from my weekend-o-food with Ginny, I'm still not done. Nope! You heard me right. I still have a couple more recipes to post just from the couple of days Ginny spent here a few weeks back.
The next one I am going to share with you is an avocado shake. Now, I love avocado. I like it in salads, love guacamole, and even just as a little treat with salt, pepper and olive oil on a bagel. But I always, always eat it in a savory form. I have seen avocado turned into a sweet treat, usually in some Asian methodology, but I have never considered trying it that way. I just didn't think I'd care for it that way. I don't know why I have put it off, I always claim to be so open minded about food, counting a dish out just because it is out of my normal comfort zone is just not like me. So, when Ginny suggested an avocado shake, well, I had to remind myself of my foodie motto, "Try anything twice, just in case you were wrong the first time."

Looking around on Tastespotting, Ginny found this recipe, and we got the food processor out and put it to work. It turned out this gorgeously creamy concoction that bore a slight resemblance to a facial masque. Probably would have done wonders for my complexion. It was reminiscent of ice cream, but somehow, I felt none of the guilt I normally associate with such decadence.

Coming from the girl who doesn't think she'd like "savory" done "sweet", comes this admission....I was wrong. And you know how I know I was wrong? MY SON ATE IT.Yep, that's right, that's my picky little four year old licking the spoon, and loving it. He was like a little guppy with a spoon. Aside from that, Ginny and I were giving ourselves brain freeze because we were slurping it down so fast.

This is definitely a recipe I can recommend and I will be making it again!

Avocado Shake (Sinh To Bo)
(makes 2 servings)
1 large, ripe, avocado
3 tbs of sugar or condensed milk (start with this amount)
1/2 cup half and half (or you can use regular milk)
1 cup of ice (the more ice you use, the thicker it will be)
couple drops of vanilla extract (optional)

Ripe avocados should be firm but will yield to gentle pressure when held in the palm of the hand and squeezed. Color is not always accurate. Slice lengthwise and split in half. To remove the pit, place the avocado on a cutting board and with sharp knife, strike the pit--knife should now stick to the pit for easy removal. Combine ingredients in blender and puree until it thickens. Taste and make final adjustments on sweetness or consistency by adjusting amount of ice/half and half. So rich, yet refreshingly delicious!

TFF - Pasta Carbonara (Tolan’s Pregnancy Pasta)

Its always so sad to see a good thing come to an end. I have thoroughly enjoyed posting recipes for Tyler Florence Fridays, and was even lucky enough to get one of my posts featured on Tyler's own blog because of it. But, alas, nothing lasts forever. Tyler Florence Fridays is wrapping up at the end of this month, and although I will miss it, I am really looking forward to participating in the new spin off, I Heart Cooking Clubs.

So, I thought that this would be a fitting post for my last submission to Tyler Florence Fridays. Although I was a stealth reader for quite some time before actually submitting a recipe, my very first post for TFF was Tolan's Pregnancy Pasta. Since that time, I have been telling Ginny how amazing it was, so when she came out for a visit recently, we made it again. As we always do, we changed it up a bit, using some fresh bucatini instead of spaghetti, and made a few other minor tweaks. We also toasted up some little slices of baguette to mop up the sauce with. It did turn out slightly different, but every bit as tasty.

Here are some shots of my versions of Tyler's Carbonara, then and now. This recipe was both my first and last post for TFF, and it made for a great beginning AND end. I can't wait to start with some new cookbooks, and get some more great new recipes out there for you all to drool over!

Then:
Now:Adios, TFF! Next week I'll do a roundup of all my TFF posts, just for fun!

Cucumber Mint Salsa

Ok, here's a quickie! This is a recipe Ginny brought along with her to make during our weekend-o-food. Quite the refreshing little treat! You really have to like cucumber and mint, since they have such dominant flavors, but we both enjoyed it.

Cucumber Mint Salsa

1 Cucumber seeded and chopped

4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1 tablespoon vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Mix together and allow to set for few minutes adjust seasonings as needed. :-)

Panna Cotta - Guest Post!

Well, this post is overdue. Beth has been bugging me for a couple weeks for this post (um, yeah! Get on the stick, there, Gin!), so since it’s my day off I should quit putting it off. She suggested I write a guest post for her blog, so I tried my hand at photographing my food for a reason other than to torture her with what I’m eating (she can be a real bitch when it comes to food torment) . Don’t be surprised if Beth adds comments (gee, really? I wouldn't do that, would I?), I told her she could; after all it is her blog.
When my parents come to visit I like to make things that they wouldn’t normally try, which usually results in research and discussion, because my dad is very meat and potatoes (Ginny and I have this in common with our families). So for dessert I picked Panna Cotta. I had some fresh frozen peaches from my aunt’s tree that were itching for something creamy and I thought that would do the trick. Boy, did it ever! But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Much like Beth, I am a creative cook (and people wonder why we get along so well). My co-workers hate me sometimes when I take food to work (again, common ground). They ask for the recipe and I tell them I can give them the original recipe and then that I didn’t follow that recipe. I doubt anyone at work has ever effectively re-created what I cook.
So, I must have looked at a dozen different recipes for Panna Cotta before I decided how to proceed. The basic concept is warm milk or cream to dissolve the sugar and gelatin (sometimes a flavor of some kind), then add cream/milk/yogurt/sour cream/buttermilk to the gelatin mixture and pour it into either a large container or individual dishes.
My two inspirations were the aforementioned peaches and some amazing cinnamon that Beth and I found at Penzey’s Spices. They have catalogs, are online, or they have retail stores. If there is a store near you, you should take the opportunity and go. They have all the stuff they sell in open containers that you can smell and I suppose if brave enough taste. (You should have seen us slinking around the store in Maplewood, MO, sniffing and making tiny little sounds of pleasure) So if you hear about something and wonder, what is that like? You can find out! It was the Vietnamese Cinnamon that captured us a couple of visits ago, and I have to say, I am in love! (I will never go back to any other kind of cinnamon now. Seriously. I would just throw out any other kind you have in your spice rack and buy some of this. Now.) I have always liked cinnamon, but this makes your mouth say WOW, that’s some cinnamon! I’ve been putting it in everything. I found no recipes involving cinnamon, so I was on my own. I am undaunted!

(Here is the basic recipe for the panna cotta we made.)
In a mixing bowl “bloom” one packet of plain gelatin in 2-3 Tablespoons of cold water. (If you don't know about "blooming", it just means to gently mix the two together and let it rest for a minute to give the gelatin a chance to "activate" kind of like yeast does.)
In a saucepan heat:
1 ½ cups half and half
2/3 Cup Sugar
½ - 1 tsp Cinnamon (the Vietnamese Cinnamon is strong, so I used ½ tsp).
Heat gently until the sugar is dissolved. (I allowed some time for the cinnamon to steep in the milk.) Do not boil. Pour this mixture into the bowl with the gelatin and whisk until the gelatin is dissolved.
Add 1 ¼ Cup of sour cream and 1 tsp vanilla and whisk until well blended. Pour into serving container. Refrigerate until set.

I have to say I made two batches for the parents visit, because the first batch was small, and my family likes to eat, so… I liked my second batch better, which I of course altered slightly. I tested the first batch and it was a little more solid than I would have liked, so in the second batch I used less gelatin. The above is the second attempt. My nephew asked me what it was; the best I could come up with was “it’s like milk jello”. (I don't know about you, but "milk jello" would not entice me into trying something new.) BTW, I don’t like jello, not since a high school cafeteria incident, so this was a big experiment for me. This is why I used less gelatin in the second batch. This was amazing with the peaches!
I liked it so well that I knew I had to make it again when Beth and I got together. However, it was time for another variation. This time we used ginger instead of cinnamon. (Ginny didn't say this, but she has a nearly obscene fetish for ginger.)
In a mixing bowl, bloom one packet of gelatin in 2-3 Tablespoons cold water.
In a saucepan heat 1 ½ cups half and half with ½ Cup Sugar and grate about 1-2 tsp fresh ginger into the pan (this will depend on how much you like ginger). After the ginger gets a chance to steep in the milk, pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into the mixing bowl. Whisk to dissolve the gelatin.
Add 1 ½ cups of buttermilk and 1 tsp vanilla and pour into serving container. Refrigerate until set.
We served this with some fresh pineapple and it was fabulous! I have to say even Beth was amazed when I asked her for the glasses that we were serving this in. Done already?! (yeah, yeah, know-it-all, I was surprised, I admit it.) There are times when you read how easy something is to make, but no lie, this is a fast and easy dessert! I still want to try this with a Greek Yogurt variation, I just have to decide what other spice to use with it…sweet, maybe savory, who knows? (I could totally see a basil-tangerine variation....although I can see us trying something like rosemary-parmesan. Ginny is a freak about rosemary, too.)

So, the picture above is the original shot Ginny took of the batch she made for her family, and the rest of the pics are the version we made at my house. It was really amazing, and as Ginny said, incredibly easy! See if you can come up with a new variation and let us know how it works out!