Cooking and Eating – Page 2 – Ruth E. Hendricks

What do you see?

Besides a heel of French loaf becoming unevenly browned as French toast in a cast iron skillet.

I saw a profile of a smiling dog.

August 30, 2022 by Ruth Categories: Cooking and Eating, PhotographyTags: cast iron skillet, dog face, food, French toast, humor, imagination, photography, Pittsburgh, postaday, puppy 7 Comments

Arugula Microgreens Grown by the Lettuce Ladies

Grown hydroponically by the Lettuce Ladies Ambridge PA.

I used arugula microgreens for the first time in the Spaghetti Arugula dish I learned how to make when I took a cooking class at La Cucina Flegrea taught by chef Anna Fevola. (Click to see links)

The micro greens are fragrant. Delicate but flavorful. Delicious! Have you tried microgreens?

Added some freshly grated Parmesan on top

I put the micro greens on top of the spaghetti arugula mixture at the end. Don’t cook the micro greens for this dish. Just toss the arugula throughout your portion!

June 16, 2022 by Ruth Categories: Cooking and Eating, PhotographyTags: arugula, cooking and eating, kitchen, Lettuce Ladies, micro greens. Ambridge PA, onion, Parmesan, Pittsburgh PA, Spaghetti x 5 Comments

Mushroom Risotto

The only risotto I’ve eaten was made in fine restaurants. Although I always loved eating it. I’d never made it myself.

I’ve been binge watching lots of cooking shows. One episode of Master Chef Junior had Joe Bastianich demonstrating how to make risotto. Then I found a video of his mother Lidia Bastianich at Harvard demonstrating the science behind the cooking of risotto at a public lecture on Science and Cooking. I watched them and felt confident but upon a second look I heard that you use 1/4 c of wine not the one cup I thought I heard. Good thing I watched again.

You need the Arborio rice to begin with so I bought the correct ingredients (except I did not have a hunk of Grana Padano cheese and used some Parmesan to finish it) cook with wine you would drink, no cooking wine.

The best 22 minutes I’ve spent in a long time, and standing at the stove stirring constantly wasn’t difficult. Can’t wait to make it again.

January 28, 2021 by Ruth Categories: Cooking and Eating, PhotographyTags: baby Bella mushrooms, cooking, cooking shows, food, irish butter, Italian cooking, Joe Bastianich, kitchen, Lidia Bastianich, parmesan cheese, photography, postaday, risotto, science, shallots, wine 20 Comments

Spinach Pie Recipe – No Crust

This recipe is from a woman named Becky in 1980. It has been a family favorite since then. Somewhere I have the original recipe card.

Spinach Pie

Butter a 9″ glass pie plate. Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a large bowl mix together:

2 10 oz packages Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed, drained and squeeze out as much water as possible

4 Eggs

1 16 ounce container Cottage Cheese, (I like the small curd)

2 Cups of shredded Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese ( I have added a bit of shredded Gruyere or fresh Parmesan on occasion)

Salt and Pepper to taste. The cheese is salty to me so I don’t add much salt.

Pour into the buttered pie plate. Bake for 45 minutes or until knife in center comes out clean.

Let rest a bit before slicing so the wedge holds shape nicely.

January 24, 2021January 25, 2021 by Ruth Categories: Cooking and Eating, food, PhotographyTags: 1980, cheddar cheese, cheese, cooking, cottage cheese, dairy, eggs, food, photography, postaday, recipe, spinach, spinach pie, spinach pie recipe, vegetarian 11 Comments

Share Your Stained Pages

Stained Page News is the best name for a newsletter all about cookbooks. You can click the link to learn more about SPN but I subscribed when my friend Joanne told me about her daughter’s friend , Paula Forbes, writing all about cookbooks. She’s had a lot of experience critiquing cookbooks.

I love cookbooks. Reading them. Thinking about what you can cook or bake. Trying something new. I probably have too many of them. My sister sends me funny ones. Now we Google snd search online but it’s wonderful to have a cookbook in hand poring over the possibilities. Favorite recipes cooked often show signs of the cooking right on the page.

Hence Stained Page News.

I was baking from a favorite recipe today (spoiler alert cousin Chris) and saw this stained page. it’s that time of year -I thought it might be interesting to see other contributions of your stained page. Email me your favorite stained page and anything you want us to know about the recipe. Rutheh (at) gmail (dot)com and I’ll post a gallery.

I’m compiling family recipes as a Pandemic project snd hope to make a little book.

Swedish Limpa Bread recipe must have met up with some molasses. One of my favorite things to eat with extra sharp cheddar cheese.

In the meantime head over to Stained Page News .

This Ginger Snaps Recipe just in from Pam in Massachusetts. An excellent Stained Page. know they taste good too. Thanks Pam for the first contribution to the gallery. “
Pamela Hinckley: This was written out for me by my grandmother nearly 50 years ago”

“This is the kids’ favorite banana bread recipe. Everyone has asked for it after they left hone” from Linda in Massachusetts

hi Ruth, This is my Mom’s delicious creamy chocolate sauce that she always had in a double boiler on the stove when we showed up for a visit. It was generously poured over french vanilla ice cream. Joe and Ann still talk about it. Her unique handwriting was known by all. Love, Tookie

Here are a couple of my stained pages.
1. This stained page is my recipe for making a gingerbread house. I’ve been making this recipe and pattern since the little girl in the photo was 4. I think I only missed one year. The recipe is faded and stained and I might need to re-type it. But I just sent a photocopy and the pattern pieces to my daughter, who is the little one in the photo. She is now 36 and it’s time for her to start making it with her own little ones.
2. Not sure if this qualified for a “stained page” but this is one of the first cookbooks (1973 ediiton) I bought in order to learn to cook. First lesson: don’t put your cookbook on the stove when following a recipe. Same goes for cutting

“Not sure if this qualified for a “stained page” but this is one of the first cookbooks (1973 edition) I bought in order to learn to cook.

First lesson: don’t put your cookbook on the stove when following a recipe.

Same goes for cutting board” from Joanne in Florida

December 4, 2020December 5, 2020 by Ruth Categories: Cooking and Eating, PhotographyTags: anise, baking, cookbooks, cooking, eating, food, lebkuchen, molasses, orange peel, recipe, stained page, Stained Page News, Swedish Limpa bread 11 Comments

Two Longtime Friends Cook Modern Comfort Food Guest Blog

Watercolor by Joanne -Applesauce Cake with Bourbon Raisins baked by Colleen

Joanne writes from Florida:

So …. one day last month I was on the phone catching up with my friend Colleen who lives in Nova Scotia. As we were talking about her new cookbook purchase, Ina Garten’s “Modern Comfort Food“, my doorbell rang and a package was delivered. I opened it while talking and it was a copy of the same book! What are the odds? My dear friend Ruth had sent it as a surprise. Colleen and I decided we would each pick some recipes to try out and share our results. Here are the photos of our month-long project. Fun and nice way to keep in touch. Overall we both agree that Ina Garten’s recipes are easy to prepare and almost always turn out looking exactly like her descriptions and photos.

We’re looking forward to trying out another cookbook author soon.”

Colleen cooked:

Warm Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Spaghetti Squash with Arrabbiata Sauce

Seared Salmon with Spicy Red Pepper Aioli

Applesauce Cake with Bourbon Raisins

Joanne cooked:

Brussels Sprouts Pizza Carbonara

Fresh Zucchini with Lemon and Mint

Roasted Sausages, Peppers and Onions

Tuscan Baked Apples

Colleen has been featured on the blog with quilts, cookbooks and a mug rug she made me

Joanne has been featured with Tea Bag Art and recently the zucchini as cucumber confused produce sign

November 23, 2020November 24, 2020 by Ruth Categories: Baking, Cooking and Eating, foodTags: baking, Barefoot Contessa, comfort food, cookbook, cooking, eating, friendship, kitchen, Modern Comfort Food, Pandemic Project, photography, postaday, recipes 11 Comments

Apple Butter Season

Apple butter. No butter involved. My sister’s idea. First time making it. Three kinds of apples. Ten hours in the slow cooker. House smelled great.
**Recipe**– reduce sugar called for

Immersion blender smoothed it out. All those apples cooked down to four jars.

October 15, 2020October 15, 2020 by Ruth Categories: Cooking and Eating, PhotographyTags: apple butter, apples, cinnamon, cooking, fall, food, King Arthur Flour, kitchen, Pandemic activity, photography, postaday, slow cooker 11 Comments

Summer Supper

The recipe from my Clarion PA neighbor, Nell Miller, was called Poor Man Meatballs.

No meat was involved.

Take 3 zucchini and grate or use food processor. Tip bowl to let moisture run off and discard. Get zucchini as dry as you can.

Add an egg

and about 3/4 c Italian Bread crumbs. Add a minced garlic clove or two

Salt and pepper let sit a few minutes. Form in patties.

Sauté in olive oil ‘til brown on both sides. Cast iron skillet works wonderfully. Freshly grated Parmesan is always welcome

A little heavy on the crumbs this batch. Zucchini can be so wet, drain off what liquid you can.

May 28, 2020 by Ruth Categories: Cooking and Eating, food, PhotographyTags: cherry tomatoes, food, garlic, kitchen, neighborhood, photography, Poor Man Meatballs, postaday, recipe, vegetarian, zucchini 7 Comments

One Red Pear

February 14, 2020 by Ruth Categories: Cooking and Eating, PhotographyTags: fruit, kitchen, pear, photography, postaday 4 Comments

Chef Sam Teaches Us to Make Pasta

Tuesday at the Senior Center, Stephen Foster Community Center, in Lawrenceville. Pasta Making Class taught by Chef Sam , some hand cut and some hand cranked through Pasta Machine. Three different sauces, all delicious.