It’s true – I copied! I’ve been away for a couple of days because Ellyn & Jason and the kids were here for a little visit, but today I was out surfin’ the bloggy internets, and I saw this really nice slideshow on my friend, Kate’s Photo a Day blog. She learned how from her friend Bush Babe’s blog. The internet is just a big circle of life you know? [lets all join hands and sway back and forth gently for a few minutes, okay?] Anyway – I know of other ways to make a slide show, but this one is so easy that I had to give it a try. Be sure to check out BB’s blog for very good instructions. It’s not difficult at all, once you have a Flickr account set up, and that is also super easy. See? Yellow!
Have a great evening my friends – see you in the morning…
Use metal tongs to turn the pepper as the skin on each side begins to char a bit. Don’t try to get each side completely charred before turning it.
Just keep watching and turning, and go back over to get all surfaces nicely charred.
Don’t forget the top and bottom. An even, heavy charring is what ensures success here.
You can do one on each burner, though you have to pay a bit closer attention. I had 5 to do, so I did the single one first and then the other four.
If a side won’t sit level by itself, hold it with the tongs until that part is done.
The biggest mistake is in not getting the skin charred enough. The moisture in the pepper itself protects the flesh from burning while the skin gets very done. They are much harder to peel if they aren’t done enough, and the flavor will not be as intense or sweet.
As they get charred all over, immediately put them into a heat proof bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. You can use a small paper bag if you are doing just one or two, but for more, the bag gets too soggy, so I use a bowl instead.
See? All nice in steamy in there. Leave them covered until they are cool enough to handle.
Now comes the messy part. No matter how messy it gets – DO NOT wash them. No washing. You can take it! Washing the skin off will take a lot of the flavor and the special character that all of this charring brings to meat of the pepper. Instead, you want to either rub the skin off with a paper towel or pull it off with your fingers. If you have a cotillion to attend that night, you will want to wear rubber gloves, because it might leave your hands looking a little on the grubby side.
Once all of the charred skin is removed, go back over them with a fresh paper towel to clean them up a bit more.
You can store them whole in the fridge for a few days at this point. When you are ready to use one, cut it in half and remove the stem area, ribs and seeds. Cut into strips or a dice or leave intact, depending on the recipe you are using for them. This one ended up on an awesome pizza, but some of the others went into another special dish I will show you in a few days.
I encourage you to give this a try – it is a lot easier than you may think and the result is well worth it. You don’t have to buy those little jars of overpriced roasted peppers at the store, when you have this method under your belt. That Garp was a pretty smart fella!
And on an exceptionally warm evening, cocktail hour may be held on the porch one last time, but for the most part it takes place indoors now.
The hummingbirds left a month ago. The geese are flying south and the robins are gone. Yard work requires wearing a warm sweatshirt. We even had some snow last week. 
Still, there are compensations that make it all worth it.
As I was taking these photos a couple mornings ago, it occured to me that this time last year, I was sending a photo of this very tree to Lauren. It has always been a favorite of hers and I wanted to send her a little taste of home. She was in Iraq, which long time readers will remember, but newer ones may not know. I didn’t dare think ahead to the time when she would be home, just being thankful for each day that brought her return closer. Thinking about it now, I am blessed right down to my socks that this morning she is at home in Georgia, probably baking bread, as she is enjoying a strong dose of domesticity while Steve finishes school. That, my friends, is compensation.
It should be noted that the reason CM sent me the recipe is because of the memory everyone in our family shares – that of a river of Snickerdoodles issuing endlessly from Grandma K’s kitchen. And I do mean endlessly here, people. My sister and I share the opinion that Mark’s memories are fonder than ours because he lived 12 hours away and we lived next door. Our overall Snickerdoodle exposure far outpaced his. I don’t know if they were Grandma’s favorite or if she made them because Grandpa liked them, but they were as ubiquitous as her favorite expression, “great big guns and little bittie fishes!” I had stopped eating them by the time I was a teenager and in my entire adult life, I don’t think I have ever made a single batch of the darned things.
Add, and beat well
Beat in, half at a time
Working quickly, use a medium cookie scoop to form 2-teaspoon sized balls. Roll between your palms until uniform and then roll in the sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on a greased or parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. I do two sheets at a time, and once I have rolled all the cookies in the sugar once, I start back at the beginning and roll them all a second time – this really increases the nice sugary crispiness on the baked cookies. Trust me here – it is worth doing.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes, until they are very well browned. Remove immediately to a wire rack and cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
I think Grandma would be glad to know that I have finally given in and joined the Snickerdoodle cult. I am pretty sure heaven is full of them by now.
Let me sing the glories of the lowly pork steak. There is not a part of the pig that I don’t love, but pork steaks have always been a favorite. They are usually cheap for starters. They have a ton of flavor, and a pretty high fat content which means they won’t get all dry and cardboardy when you cook them like this. This is not really a recipe, in that I am not going to tell you amounts to use – that will vary by how many people you are serving because this is a very flexible dish. You can make enough for just two people, or expand it to serve 20. 20 very happy people, because this meal is seriously delicious. Instead of a recipe, I am going to show you the method – you will be able to take it from there. Braising is a very useful cooking method for several reasons. Because the cooking time is relatively long, you are able to impart a lot of flavor. It is also great for tougher cuts of meat, like a beef chuck roast for example, because the long cooking time allows the meat to get very tender, while the moist cooking keeps it from drying out. Pork steaks are a perfect choice for braising.
While the steaks are browning, cut a couple of nice big onions into thin wedges, and peel 4 or 5 big garlic cloves and cut them into thin slices. Put 2/3 of a can of sauerkraut into a roasting pan and spread evenly over the bottom. How much depends on how many people you are serving. I used 3 quite large steaks, and a 28 ounce can of sauerkraut was just right. Sprinkle the sauerkraut with some fresh thyme leaves, stripped from the stems, or a little dried thyme. Then, add a few grinds of fresh pepper. Once the steaks are well browned on each side, lay them atop the kraut. I had room here to lay them flat, but you can overlap them if you need to, in order to fit them in the pan.
Dump the cut onions into the saute pan you used for the steaks, sprinkle with a couple pinches kosher salt and let them cook over high heat for a few minutes. We aren’t really cooking them much – we just want them to deglaze the pan and grab all of the tasty browned stuff from the steaks. When they have cleaned the bottom of the pan and taken on some nice color, add the garlic and cook for another minute or two, taking care not to let the garlic brown. Spread the onions evenly over the steaks, spread on the rest of the can of sauerkraut, and cover tightly with foil. Place in a 350 degree oven for about an hour.
At this point, I lost the light for a good photo, so I’ll spare you the ones of the veggies. But, while the steaks are cooking, prepare some potatoes and carrots. I like to use russet potatoes for this – scrub or peel them and cut into large chunks, or leave whole if small. Cut carrots into thick strips. Again, I am not going to give you an amount, but you will want a largish potato and a couple good-sized carrots per person – plus a little extra. I like to be prepared for big appetites, so I make a bit more than I think I will really need. If there are potatoes and carrots left over, they are really good fried alongside some eggs for breakfast the next day. Scatter the vegetables evenly over the top of everything and use a baster or large spoon to baste them with the pan juices. Cook covered, for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the vegetables are done. Baste again and turn up the heat to 400 degrees, leave the foil off and roast about 15 minutes more. 
To serve, you can either plate individual portions, arranging the meat, vegetables and sauerkraut around the plate, or serve family style. I usually pile the steaks on a platter, with a mound of sauerkraut next to them, and the veg all together in large bowl. In either case, a little sprinkle of fresh, chopped parsely is a nice addition. Put some of the pan juices in a gravy boat or pitcher for the table. You will also want to have butter on the table, because most people will want to put a bit on their potatoes.
It is the best kind of food -simple preparation, lots of great flavors and a very satifying meal to share with friends and family. Almost makes it worth saying goodbye to summer!
