Citrus Belt

The weather has been so mild this January. The majority of our days have been in the 40s and 50s, with several creeping up into the 60s. 60 degrees. In January. In South Dakota. In-credible.

I wore my flip flops to enjoy it and considered planting citrus trees in the backyard. A lemon, a lime, an orange, and a grapefruit tree to keep me company in the sunshine. Maybe clementines, too. I do love those cuties.

But, it seems that after every 60 degree heat wave, the weather takes a schizophrenic jump and throws us back to the reality of South Dakota winters. We still haven't had much snow, but we have had wind chills. Bitter cold, freeze any exposed body parts wind chills. Brrr.

Instead of planting citrus trees, I think I will stay inside and bake some Grapefruit and Pecan Quick Bread. Something warm in the oven suits the chill outside.

Grapefruit and Pecan Quick Bread

(adapted from Cooking Light)

1-2 large pink grapefruits

1 tablespoon grated grapefruit zest

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Vegetable cooking spray

1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 350F.
Over a bowl, peel and section grapefruit, reserving juice and membranes. Set sections aside.
Squeeze membranes to extract juice; discard membranes.
Place sections and juice in a food processor, and pulse 3 times.
Set aside 1 1/4 cups mixture; reserve remaining grapefruit mixture for another use. (It works well in a citrusy vinaigrette salad dressing.)
Combine zest, flour, and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.
Combine grapefruit mixture, oil, vanilla, and egg; stir well. Add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
Stir in pecans.
Pour batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray.
Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Remove from oven; place on a wire rack.
Combine powdered sugar and water; stir well with a wire whisk.
Drizzle over bread; let cool in pan 10 minutes.
Remove from pan; let cool completely on wire rack.

Fridge Friday: Episode 9

I am cranky today. There is too much on my to-do list, and not enough hours in this day. The wind is a hot and blustery 20 mph pain in my backside with 30-40 mph gusts just to remind me that it can (and will) do whatever it wants. The dogs are barking at imaginary sounds, people are pestering me, and my bottle of Aleve is almost empty. It is one of those days, but here is my Fridge Friday fridge...

Is it just me and my grumpy mind, but does my fridge pretty much always look the same? Most likely, it does. Why wouldn't it? I tend to buy the same types of groceries over and over. On the top right, we have milk, OJ, and a few sodas; the top left holds assorted condiments and at this point, an impressive stack of blocks of cream cheese (I wanted cream cheese for the Candied Jalapenos, but forgot that I had already purchased some. *shrug*). The middle shelf always has the eggs, pickles, extra butter, and some veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, red & green cabbage this time), and today has a bowl of limes and a lemon. Bottom shelf is another mish-mash of fresh veggies (zucchini, green onions, spinach, celery, sweet corn, brussels sprouts), an icy cold beverage, and luscious blueberries and strawberries. There is also a Gladware container with a package of ground beef and some bacon perched on top of the beer. More odds and ends of produce in the bottom right drawer and some cheeses in the bottom left. I am a bit of a creature of habit, and pretty much always put things in the same places. I could probably be a hundred miles away and tell you were to find the jalapenos in my fridge (bottom right drawer, by the way).

Part of the agenda for the day includes Hubs smoking a pork butt at the farm for dinner with some family tonight. The cabbage will be made into coleslaw at some point, and I will fry up the bacon and ground beef to add to my big pot of Cowboy Beans to round out the side dishes for the meal. I don't have those things made yet (and if I don't get my butt moving and get this blog post done, we might just have to have pulled pork and no sides...like that would fly *eyeroll*). So, I am going to zero in on the bowl of limes. Last night, I zested and juiced a few of those tart jewels and whipped up a batch of White Chocolate Lime Cookies.

I am torn by these cookies. They are everything that I love in a cookie: sweet, but not too sweet; tart with real lime; soft and chewy; and EASY. I think that is what makes me feel so guilty. They are so completely, utterly, totally, easy because they start with a cake mix. (OK, serious bakers can click away now. Sorry.) Think what you want about my baking skills, but it has been a trying day and at this point, you might have to just shoot me before I would give up these White Chocolate Lime Cookies On My Plate.

White Chocolate Lime Cookies

1 box white cake mix

1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature (melting it makes the cookies texture tough)

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon grated lime zest (don't skip this, it is worth it)

1 1/4 cups which chocolate chips

3 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons grated lime zest (again, do it; really)

5-6 tablespoons FRESH lime juice (don't open a bottle, squeeze a lime, please)

Preheat oven to 350°.
Cover cookie sheets with parchment.
With mixer, combine cake mix, softened butter, eggs and 1 tablespoon lime zest until blended and smooth.
Stir in remaining white chocolate chips with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Drop dough by teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto prepared cookie sheets.
Bake 10-13 minutes or until set at edges and just barely set at center.
Cool 1 minute on sheets; transfer to wire racks and cool completely.
Combine powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons lime zest and enough FRESH lime juice make icing just thin enough to drizzle off fork.
Drizzle icing over cooled cookies. (4 dozen cookies)

Did you think I was going to let this post slip by without another voyeur slide show of other people's fridges? Of course not. I love it when you are willing to share your fridges here on the blog. 

Also, be sure to check out Jeanne at Jeanne Eats World and her fabulous Fridge Friday posts. Scallops on her plate tonight. Doesn't that sound good?

Oh My Darling

Oh my darling, oh my darling; Oh my darling, Clementine!

I love those juicy, little citrus fruits. They are a flawless balance of sweet and tart in such a perfect size for snacking. A full orange or grapefruit sometimes seems too much, but the little darling of a clementine is just right. I snatch some up every time I see them in the grocery store.

However, Hubs isn't a fruit guy. Apples with caramel dip or occasionally some grapes when the mood hits him are pretty much his limit. He doesn't care to indulge in citrus snacks. Often this means that unless I find someone with which to share the bag or mini crate of clementines, some go to waste before I can eat them all. It is a disgrace, and I am honestly ashamed at how much food I probably do allow to spoil because when shopping, my eyes are bigger than the amount of meals we are realistically able to prepare and eat.

I was, therefore, delighted to find a way to use more of those dear clementines with a Clementine Quick Bread recipe discovered while sorting through some Martha Stewart Living magazines. (Yes. I am sorting through A LOT of magazines lately. It is part of my belated spring cleaning process, and my attempt to not be a hoarder.) The original recipe included vanilla bean seeds which I didn't happen to have on hand, but would ultimately only improve the flavor of the bread. As is, zest and clementine segments provide a delicate citrus sweetness to a pretty basic quick bread recipe. Brushing the baked loaf with a glaze created with clementine juice enhances it perfectly. Even Hubs sliced into this quick bread for a second portion. It is darling to have Clementine Quick Bread On My Plate. 

Clementine Quick Bread

10 clementines

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter

1 1/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter and flour a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan. 
Zest 4 clementines to yield 1 tablespoon zest.
Juice 8 clementines to yield 3/4 cup juice. 
Cut pith from 2 remaining clementines. Slice fruit along membranes to release segments into a bowl; discard membranes and any seeds. 
Combine 1/4 cup clementine juice, the cream, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. 
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in another bowl. 
Beat zest, butter and 1 cup sugar with a mixer on medium speed until combined, about 4 minutes.
With machine running, add eggs, 1 at a time.
Reduce speed to low, and beat flour mixture into butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour. 
Fold clementine segments into mixture, and pour into pan. 
Bake until a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. 
Meanwhile, bring remaining 1/2 cup clementine juice and 1/4 cup sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. 
Reduce heat, and simmer for 3 minutes. 
Remove bread from oven, poke top all over with a skewer, and brush with half the clementine syrup. 
Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cool for 15 minutes. 
Invert pan to remove bread. Let cool completely on wire rack, top side up. 
Brush remaining clementine syrup onto sides and again on top of bread.
(Bread can be stored, wrapped, at room temperature overnight or refrigerated for up to 5 days.) (Yields 1 loaf)

Sunny Delight

First, I used the excuse that the gloom that permeated most of June with cloud cover and drizzle prevented me from snapping acceptable photos for this blog. Then, when the sun did come out, I was so wrapped up in my attempts at yard and garden care and lounging under that glorious golden orb that I still neglected to post anything. The sun has felt too good to tie myself indoors with the computer. (Nevermind that I have wireless and can easily take the laptop outside...which is where I am right now.) I have been a slacker about sharing my recipe discoveries and wildly interesting *insert sarcasm* life.

Truth be told, daily cooking at home has dwindled. It is that time of year when if Hubby can work, he does. His hours are long and dinner doesn't usually happen before 9pm, if not closer to 10pm. He makes hay while the sun shines, and in the age of technology and headlights on field equipment, often longer. Our menus have been lighter and sometimes nothing more than odd assortments of snacky stuff pulled from the fridge in a hunger induced haze (when I ignore the signs of my plummeting blood sugar levels and wait for his return home to eat anything at all). At that point, food is just another necessity and has lost all fun and appeal. Anything will do; and anything usual does. (I think that there was a day that my "nourishment" totally consisted of Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels from World Market and Diet Cherry 7-Up...unfortunately.)

Occasionally, I have planned a bit better and our dinners were made up of quick, cool, and simple salads and something tossed on the grill. A fresh, sunny coleslaw from Martha Stewart Living caught my eye and paired really well with some extremely lean buffalo hotdogs (samples provided by a friend at the Tanka Bar company). It was a perfect summer supper...except that the Citrus Slaw and Tanka Dog landed On My Plate about the same time as the 10pm news. It is just that time of year.

Citrus Slaw

2 navel oranges
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small head Savoy cabbage, cored and shredded (2 cups)
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 cup fresh basil, leaves torn
3 scallions, thinly sliced
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Cut peel and pith from oranges. Slice oranges along membranes to remove segments, letting segments and juices fall into bowl. Squeeze juice from membranes over segments and discard membranes. Remove orange segments from bowl and set aside. Combine champagne vinegar with orange juice. Slowly whisk the oil into the juice and vinegar until emulsified. Combine cabbage, parsley, basil, scallions, and orange segments in serving bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (Serves 4)

Pucker Up

I prefer sour to sweet. Chocolate is awesome and satisfies a certain type of craving, but most days I want the crisp, tart flavors that make my taste buds pucker. Cranberries are one of my favorite Fall offerings. As a child, the jellied, canned cranberry sauce on the Thanksgiving and Christmas tables was something that I always looked forward to enjoying with my turkey. I have been making the Cranberry Dessert Cake that I featured earlier all of my adult life, and recently tried a Cranberry Apple Pie that was superb. These little tangy berries (fresh, frozen and dried) have found their way into relishes, salads, bread stuffings, and trail mixes, in addition to many, many desserts. I love to pucker up.

This morning's breakfast provided that perfect pucker. The cranberries are macerated in a sugar syrup and combined with juicy grapefruit. This is a tart lover's paradise and a crisp and flavorful way to start the day. The cranberry syrup can be made ahead and stored in the fridge. You can also use the the grapefruit that is already peeled and sectioned in jars from your produce department, if you need a time saver. If you like tangy, but slightly sweet treats, you should try a Cranberry Grapefruit Cup.

Cranberry Grapefruit Cup

1 cup sugar
2 cups cranberries
3 grapefruits, peeled and sectioned
1 cup water

In a saucepan, combine sugar and water; boil; stir to dissolve sugar.
Boil for 5 minutes.
Add cranberries; cook until skins pop, about 5 minutes more.
Remove from heat; chill.
Pour cranberry mixture over grapefruit sections in individual servings bowls. (Serves 6)