Having recently gone to pick blueberries I am now in the process of  using them for as many meals as possible. We try to get enough to last an entire year but we may be a little short this year. In any case I could not resist attempting to create a sauce for meat. I had originally been thinking of pork medallions for this sauce because it has some presence.  I had chicken breast so that is what I used but I think that  the pork is the better choice due to the fact that it has more flavor.  I also think this would be great with wild caught fowl, turkey, or even a fish like salmon.

The sauce is spicy. If you don’t like it spicy then adjust the amount of habenero or change the peppers totally. You could go with a chipotle, a jalapeno, or a serrano. It is hard to say how much to use because each person seems to have a different opinion as to what is spicy and the peppers can vary in heat from pepper to pepper. Let me tell you what happened to me.

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A wonderful friend of mine asked me the other day to give her a list of items that I felt should be staples on the shelf of someone who wanted to move beyond homestyle cooking. Staples for the adventurous pantry, items that add that little bit of Shazaam to your meals. I gave her a few ideas and then told her  would post the rest.

I am not sure the foodies are genetically different from other people. I have a hunch that it has to do with many things but that eating a variety of foods while you are growing up is a good start, although not the only piece to the puzzle. My mom did not like to cook and we had a variation of one of three or four meals every night. I was not allowed in the kitchen because I was messy. My kids hardly ever have eaten the same thing twice. They all have helped and do help in the kitchen and are exposed to a variety of tastes and textures, as well as cultures through the food we eat. Kyrie is an expressive foodie. You can see it on her when she eats. She is a picky eater, not that she refuses to eat something but she won’t eat more than a few bites of anything that isn’t to her liking. Yesterday she had a hot fudge sundae. Apparently it hit the spot:

Is that not the picture of a true foodie? I just love that picture!

Anyway. So, if you want to be a little more experimental here are the basics I think you should have. Everyone is going to have different ideas, of course, so take what you like and add what you like! These are not in any particular order or priority.

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Cumin comes in a close second to chipotle on my top ten list of ingredients.  If you are just using cumin in Mexican and Indian main dishes you are really missing out.

Believe it or not cumin is fantabulous with…of all things…vanilla.  And chocolate.  And citrus.

That beautiful golden color is an indication of the flavor because the flavor of cumin is warm, and caressing.  The flavor of cumin is the flavor of a summer day in the country…endlessly long and lazy.

Ground cumin is much more intense that the seed, but getting the seed and grinding your own is the best way to get the most intense flavor.  Here are some ways I like to use cumin:

• Mix with salt and butter and keep in the fridge.  This is fantastic on fresh corn on the cob.
• Add to corn chowder.
• Add to cooked carrots
• Add to mashed potatoes and sprinkle with cheese
• Use as a flavoring in vinaigrette
• Add a pinch to a yellow cake batter
• Add a pinch of cumin and a pinch of chile to a tropical fruit salad
• Add to hot chocolate or fudge frosting

I know, using cumin in such a variety of ways is a stretch for most people but once you start playing with this flavor you will be hooked.  Yeah, it is fantastic in main courses like enchiladas and mac and cheese but….try it in a variety of ways.  It is just that good!

images:maryeaudet (c) 2009

Kelly, from Evil Shenanigans, and I got together last night with my daughter, Erin.   We have been kicking around the idea of a get together for the Dallas (Texas) area food and beverage bloggers and wanted to  compare notes, brainstorm, and see if it was something that would really work..We think it is.

On the one hand we are talking about a casual get together but on the other we are interested in seeing if anyone is interested in forming an association that would meet quarterly for inspiration, encouragement, and education.

Education?

Yep.   We are talking about getting a speaker for each quarterly meeting.  Let’s face it, blogging is somewhat  a new venue for writers but it is exploding.  There is a lot of talent out there, and a lot of questions.  For example, do you have any idea what expenses you can write off as far as your taxes go?

Some other areas we want to get speakers in on are:

• Photography
• Food Styling
• Various Techniques
• Opening a bakery/catering/etc
• Copyright law

There are other things we would like to do.  Support the local food banks, be involved with local charities, watch out for eachother when it comes to people stealing our content… and just getting together and having a good time.  Think of it as a small, frequent bloggers convention.

We don’t want there to be a lot of rules or red tape, just fun and informative stuff…and we were thinking quarterly meetings because it seems less likely to be a stressful thing.  Right now we are planning for the end of May or the first part of June.

If you are in the North Central Texas area  (DFW/Tyler/etc) and you are interested either leave a comment or email me so I can let you know when we have scheduled it.  I am putting a website together as well.

Hopefully this will open some doors for us. :)  If nothing else we are guaranteed great food, right?

Some of you may have noticed that when you went to Baking Delights you were redirected to something called BlissTree.  You may also notice that every thing looks different.  You aren’t imagining things and you have not entered the Twilight Zone.

b5media, of which Baking Delights is a part, has changed format and moved.  Some blogs, like Simply Home Remedies and Marriage Actually, have been dropped.  Kettle and Cup and Baking Delights have not and I will continue to write them. :)  So, other than the change in address and the change in format, there will really be no changes.

Still all Marye, all the time.

It is going to take me a little bit to get used to this format, so bear with me.  Like you have a choice?

In the meantime, have you visited the Baking Delights Flickr group? Wow! There is some amazing stuff on there.  Don’t miss the chance for a little drool break.

I hope to be back a little later with the recipe for Pomegranate Layer Cake with Pomegranate Curd Filling and White Tea Butter Cream…

Oh? You’ll be back?  I thought so.

image:MaryeAudet (c) 2009

According to this news article  home baking and cooking are increasingly popular.  Home Ec is finding its’ way back into schools are a serious course, and more people are spending more time in the kitchen.

Some of it has to do with the rising costs of food.  I don’t know about you but  my grocery bill is starting to be painful. Read more

Image: Morguefile 

Buttercream is a luscious frosting, but if you are making your own wedding cake I would not suggest using it. Why?

Buttercream has alot of butter (duh!) and if you use it you must keep it refrigerated until just before the reception unless Read more

Take a deep breath. I am going to tell you a secret…

Making a wedding cake is not so very hard to do. You can save a TON of money, and end up with a better tasting cake than if you bought it. I promise.

And seriously, have I ever lied to you before?

The end product will be beautiful, especially if you keep it elegantly simple. Personally, I hate the idea of spending 600.00 on cardboard cake slices. Read more

I have added a new page to Baking Delights.  If you look to the right you will see the box marked pages, and in that box there are several pages of incredible, fascinating, and wonderful facts for you to read.  The newest one is substitutions.

I mean, what if you run out of brown sugar part way through a recipe?

If you are reading this anywhere else than Baking Delights, of course, there will not BE a box to your right …So check out http://bakingdelights.com

Have you struggled with making the perfect pastry? The secret is in keeping the ingredients cold and using enough water.

See the entire pictorial tutorial (cool name, huh?) in the Pages section to the right. It is a permanent page now for you to refer to as needed.

Sorry. The tutorial was lost in a move. I will attempt to recreate it if it can’t be found.