Illinois

The other day, a little girl on the street showed us the bug she had caught. I coaxed Mary to take a closer look at the potato bug as Anna crinkled up her nose and told me it was a rolly polly! It's not the first time that terms and phrases from my childhood have confused others. Lighting bugs. Oh, fireflies. Hello Dollies. Oh, seven layer bars. Fritzers. Yeah, those would be farts.

Growing up, Hello Dollies or seven layer bars were a seasonal cookie, available just twice a year: the week of Christmas and the week we were in Quincy, Illinois with my grandparents.

Usually that trip required a flight to St. Louis; then a two-hour drive in our family-sized Buick rental, boasting just enough room to prevent space wars from breaking out.

You could tell we were almost there by the slowing pace of the world - the car pulling off the Highway and onto Broadway Street, the light softly setting over the Coca Cola plant, the gentle sway of the Sycamore Trees, and the sweet smiles of kids catching lighting bugs. As my Dad would point out where Sally, Marshall, Riff and Dean the Butter Bean used to live, my Mom would pass around her little pink brush. Shoes on. Brush hair. Pack stuff up.

Even in the dim light, you could see my Grandparents oak tree as soon as we turned the corner onto Forrest Avenue. Behind it was the little white house labeled 719. We would park in the driveway lined with roses and shuffle up the stairs to the front door. Butterflies, fluttering with anticipation of cookies, circled through my stomach. By the time my Dad rang the door bell, my Grandma and Grandpa were there to open it. I would have lingered over my hug and kiss longer, but I could see that platter, particularly the line of Hello Dollies from the doorway. Heaven in the form of a bite-sized layer cookie melted in my mouth.

We would take turns bragging about ourselves, giving my Grandma and Grandpa dance recital, home run, A+, and leading role proof points. Around my fourth, okay fifth Hello Dolly, my Grandpa would start to nod off or as he put it, rest his eyes. He was snoring five minutes later.

Bedtimes didn't matter on arrival night. Cookies, hugs and checking into Uncle Jim's old bedroom / corner of a hallway were the only prerogative. My sister would get the next bed over in Aunt Ann's room. Come to think of it, Erin was the only one who actually got a room. My parents and Adam always slept on the cots in the basement next to the ping pong table.

I would finally fall asleep on that first night with sweet visions of radio rolls, roast beef, Dieter's chipwiches, and Spring Lake dancing through my head. A week of fun, exclusively manufactured in Illinois, awaited.

***

There is something about where I live: the Sycamore Trees in the parks, the smell of my gas stove as I turn it on, the Fiesta Ware in my cabinets, the lighting bugs and potato bugs in my back yard, and the August air that reminds me of Quincy every summer. Maybe it's just having Illinois in common, but something about living in Chicagoland brings me a little closer to my Grandparents. And I feel like it's my responsibility to bring a little bit of Quincy to my guests, especially when they happen to be family.

Last night, Mary stayed up to see Nana and Opa arrive. She waited on the front stoop with me, eating her first Hello Dolly as a couple lighting bugs flickered around her. It was getting close to her bedtime, but it was a special night, so I let her stay up. It was worth it; worth the hellos, the hugs and the extra Hello Dolly.

Lo.

Hello Dollies

Ingredients: 
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup (plus a little more) chocolate chips
1 cup (plus a little more) butterscotch chips
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 can Eagle brand condensed milk

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a 9x9 inch pan, mix together butter and graham cracker crumbs and press down to line the pan with a graham cracker crust. On top, evenly sprinkle nuts. Then layer on morsels - I do chocolate and then butterscotch. On top evenly sprinkle coconut and then top, evenly again, with sweetened milk.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the coconut is golden and toasted. Let cool for at least 30 minutes. It's easier to cut them and pull them out of the pan though when they are completely cooled. I cut them small, because they are so indulgent and they need to fit in little hands.

The Date Bar

My Dad got a camcorder in 1987. At least that was the year of our first home video - a montage of classic memories capturing the cute, funny, awkward, and downright weird.

One segment, a true fan favorite, takes you through '87's Christmas festivities; the fire roaring at my parents house, our tall Douglas Fir wrapped in strings of popcorn towering over me, my mom making the finishing touches on her table set with Lenox's Christmas China. There is a scene of my sister reading a book about Barbie and Skipper to me, another one where I'm housing chocolate balls in footed pajamas; and yet another of all the cousins lined up on the couch, watching Disney's Christmas Carol, cowering as the ghost of Robert Marley, played by Goofy, appears in shackles and chains.

By far though, the little boy who steals the show, is my brother. Dressed in a miniature suit, he picks up a cookie from a tiered tray, takes one bite, stares at it incredulously, offers it to my Dad behind the camera, and then throws it back on the tray. The crowd roars with laughter.

There's no doubt that the cookie was a date bar. They are sneaky little ones. And have been fooling children with their seductive outward appearance for generations. I can remember making my brother's flawed choice when I was three or four as well. It imprinted a reminder to steer clear of the powdered cookies - they are NOT chocolate; I repeat, NOT chocolate. And as a chubby chocoholic, I was in no mood for a hearty mixture of fruit and nuts growing up.

Today, date bars are one of my favorite Christmas cookies. They seasonal underdogs really, trumped by jumbo sugar cookies, chocolate dominant pairings, and gingermen buttoned up with raisins. They are small, square, and could easily double as an energy bar. They pair well with an aged Port or tall glass of milk and are a welcome break from the rich cookies that tend to stick to the roof of your mouth at this time of year.

So over the past two days, along with kringles, biscotti, Hello Dollies and sugar cut outs, I had the distinct privilege of baking them as my Dad transcribed the recipe over the phone and simultaneously made his own batch.

As I finish my date bar breakfast this Christmas Eve morning, I'm sending you this advice: If you are still looking for one more cookie to round out this year's platter, give date bars a chance. They are a wonderful little cookies.

Lo.

Date bars:

Ingredients: 

2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (I use pecans)
2 cups finely chopped dates

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8x8 inch pan.

Beat the two eggs till light and foamy, then beat in the sugar and vanilla.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the egg mixture and stir till well incorporated. Add the dates and walnuts.

Spread batter in pan evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a dull crust forms. Let cool for about 15 minutes, then cut into squares while still warm. Roll in powder sugar. Remind your children they are about to bite into something that is not chocolate.

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients: 
1 cup lard or shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg, beaten
4 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Roughly 4 cups of flour

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together shortening and sugar. Beat in egg, milk, baking powder and lemon. Add flour, one cup at a time, until dough comes together. Wrap up and refrigerate for at least two hours or up to two days.

Roll out dough very thinly in several batches, cut with Christmas shapes, decorate with red and green sugar, and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes per batch.

Baker and Baby

Yesterday, on Mary's three month birthday, we got a very special visit from some of the Naperville cousins - the first, second, and removed kind.  

Somewhere in the middle of our banter, between Mary's hair, Amanda's nails, and Bob's incorrigible sense of humor, I mentioned that I had made a cake the day before. Melissa promptly asked, 'now how did you do that?' I took a second to answer. How did I do that?

Was Mary napping? No, because outside of her go-back-to-bed-for-a-couple-hours-after-she-eats 'naps' in the morning, she doesn't really nap at all. Oh yeah, she was just hanging out with me in the kitchen the whole time. In short, here's how I balanced baking and baby care.

While breastfeeding Mary in the morning, I selected a recipe to go along with the request, carrot cake, and read it very carefully, making sure I knew every twist and turn in the procedure. Once it was go time, there was no looking back.

'Okay Mary, here's your base camp. (Blanket on the kitchen floor, spit up cloth over that, Sophie teether to the right, bunny rattle to the left.) I'm going to be right here.'
'Coo.'
'Okay, first Mommy has to peel the carrots.'
'Coo.'
'Then I have to shred them in the blender.'
'Baaaaahhhhh.' 
The Cuisinart wailed and so did Mary, startled by the loud sound. I quickly picked her up and showed her what I was doing which calmed her. About midway through measuring and mixing the dry ingredients, I set her back on the floor again so I could continue with two hands. I kept talking to Mary the whole time, explaining what I was doing and why I was doing it - above all to celebrate Uncle Trent. And she remained pacified until the loud noise I was making by leveling the batter sparked a couple more cries.

When the cakes were in the oven, we went for a walk. When they were cooling and resting, I fed her and changed her. When it was time to make the icing, I once again set up her play station and encouraged her to wiggle around while I quickly beat the butter, melted the white chocolate, stirred in the confectioners sugar and started to assemble the two-layered cake. Just as I was licking the spatula and starting to do the dishes, Mary let out an 'I've had enough of this' cry. And up and out we went.

That night, Mary slept through the singing, the wind blowing out the candles for Trent, and the cake cutting.

 

But I had an extra slice for her. I figured if Mary didn't get to have a piece, she could at least have extra sweet milk before she went to bed.

Lo.

10 Tips When Baking with Baby: 

1. Baby base camp is key. I'm sure there are contraptions you can put your baby in while you are cooking, but there's not enough room in our kitchen and I'm a big fan of just letting Mary roll around.
2. Talk to your baby the whole time - tell her what you are doing and why you are doing it.
3. Hold her at times and show her what you are doing.
4. But NEVER hold your baby when knives are present or when the oven is open. (I know that's obvious, but just wanted to clear that up.)
5. When there is a clean break in a recipe - when something needs to set, cool, rest, etc. go take a walk with your baby or just do something else in another room.
6. About every two, three, maybe five minutes check on baby, shake the rattle, smile at her, let her know that Mommy is very close.
7. Basically, you should try to work in 20-30 minute increments - that seems to be the breaking point for any of Mary's activities.

8. Always err on making too much icing - that's just my baking tip in general. 

9. Shop for a recipe on Sweetopolita.com - her zesty carrot cake was a home run on Wednesday evening. 

10. While I was never a fan of 'eating for two' when I was pregnant, if cake is involved, eating for two when you're breastfeeding seems a-okay. 

Nesting

On Wednesday, I started my maternity leave. But to be precise, I'm still not a full fledged mom. I'm still awaiting, willing the arrival of our little one who is apparently quite content staying in utero for the time being.

This pre-due date week is a perk that my company gives to mothers. A wonderful one, which I suppose is meant to offer you time to make all the remaining, necessary preparations for the new addition to your household. To nest per se - an instinct that I have found to be very real, particularly amongst type A people, like myself.

The problem is that my nesting began a couple weeks ago, so by Wednesday afternoon, much of my to-do list had already been accomplished. I've cooked, cleaned, organized, and shopped. I caught up on a year's worth of scrapbooking and a month or more of delinquent personal correspondence. I've continued to cram for my labor and delivery test on March 6. And I even drew up a birth plan. But by yesterday afternoon, I was tapped. So instead of playing mom-to-be, I diverted my attention toward the feathering of my own little nest in the middle of the couch in the basement, where I laughing out loud to episode after episode of Arrested Development, which let me just tell you is still funny the third time around. 

This morning, feeling guilty for the R and R that I allowed myself yesterday, I renewed my commitment to nesting. I asked myself, what would my Mom have done before the arrival of her kids? The answer to that came in a text a couple minutes later: 'I worked until I went into labor.' Right. So I looked another generation back. What would Grandma Barry have done before the arrival of each of her eight kids?

Make meals to feed an army and freeze them? Yes. 
Stay comfy in her 'intermediates?' Absolutely.
Screen the door for strange utility men who you don't want in your house? Certainly.
Make some nut rolls? Most definitely.
Bake dozens of cookies? Of course.
With many future dinners already occupying the freezer, and while already dedicated to stretch pants and screening, I turned to baking today. And a typical Barry baking day at that. Three nut rolls: one for the freezer, one to give away to a deserving visitor, and one for breakfast tomorrow. And three dozen maple twists, which I fondly remember lining many of Grandma's cookie trays.

I concluded that another part of nesting is continuing to feed your baby bird, so I wasn't shy about sampling.

Since my typical TGIF tweet seems irrelevant without a workday to say goodbye to, I'm shouting a more appropriate exclamation: TGIM. That is, thank God it's March.

Lo.

Maple Twists 
Makes 3 dozen 

Ingredients for Dough: 
2 1/2 cups of flour
2 sticks of unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1 1/2 packages of dry, active yeast
2 tablespoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 egg yolks (I cut this recipe in half, thus the dividing of an egg.)
3/4 cup sour crean
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 tablespoons of ice water

Nut filling: 
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 1/2 cups finely chopped walnuts 

Icing:
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 tablespoons milk, or just enough to make the icing a smooth, spreadable consistency. 
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the yeast, water and sugar. Let the yeast dissolve for 10 minutes. It should look like brownish mush when it is ready.

Using a pastry blender, in a large bowl combine the flour and butter until the mixture resembles course meal. In another small bowl, combine egg yolks, sour cream, vanilla, salt and yeast mixture. Stir till just blended. Make a well in the middle of the flour in the large bowl, and add the wet ingredients. Blend into dough using your hands, until it comes together. You might need to add 1 or 2 tablespoons of ice water to get it to stick together. (I did.) Wrap the dough tightly and refrigerate for at least three hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

When the dough is ready, combine the ground nuts and cinnamon and set aside. Remove the dough and cut it in half. Spread about 1/4 cup of sugar on a large, lightly floured cutting board, and roll out dough over the sugar, incorporating the sugar into the dough. Roll the dough until is about 1/8 of an inch thick, and about the size of a 20x12 inch rectangle. Sprinkle the walnut mixture over the dough. Fold into third like an envelop, gently pressing the final fold to seal the dough slightly. Cut the dough into 3x1 inch strips and carefully twist each slice about three times around. Set on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until just turning golden brown. Cool completely.

Combine the icing ingredients and dip the tops of each (cooled) cookie in the icing. Refrigerate for 45 minutes or so until icing is set.

Large Nut Rolls 
Makes 3 Nut Rolls 

Ingredients for Dough:
3 1/2 cups flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 packet of yeast, dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water and 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick (8 tablespoons) of unsalted butter
3/4 cup milk, divided into 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup
1/4 teaspoon salt

Nut Filling:
3 cups finely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups applesauce

Mix together the nut filling, set aside.

In a small saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter with 1/4 cup milk, salt, and sugar. Remove from heat and reduce the temperature by whisking until its still hot, but bearable to touch by hand.

In a large bowl, combine flour with dissolved yeast, 1/2 cup milk and egg. Add the milk mixture and knead until the dough is soft and supple. Cut the dough in three parts.

Roll out the first part of the dough on a lightly floured surface. It should reach the shape of a rectangle about 18x12 inches.  Spread about a third of the nut mixture all over the top of the dough, then carefully roll up the dough over the nut filling as tightly as possible. Wet your hands and gently seal the ends. Place seam side down on a cookie sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining dough and nut mixture. If you use a big cookie sheet, you should be able to fit all the nut rolls on one of them.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.

A Timely Celebration

When a baby has nearly the same date as Jesus; and when you share time during the holidays with two sides of the family, Christmas is bound to come a little early.

Last night, it did. Nestled away at Schloss 440, a growing family, with two on the way, one who is oh, so close to making his debut and the other who is in need of two and a half more months of cook time, gathered to celebrate in style.

We wore our winter best. (Or whatever fit.) 

I played carols on Winona's Steinway.

While Jan wailed a couple on his trumpet.
Ellie played her loud, musical hat and added her own, 'ho ho ho's' to the melody line.

Trains went round the Christmas tree.
And rocking horses came to life.

Peggy gave a nod to Jess by preparing her stuffed flounder. 
As SGS made sure the rolls were fresh, not frozen.
Gifts were given and received.

One was played with all night.

Cups of tea eased flu symptoms while a mini glass of port eased seemingly eternal sobriety. 
The icing on the dark chocolate cake was pure peppermint delight thanks to baker and blogger, Sweetapolita.

Sorry, office. I failed again. There is only one piece left. (And sorry, it's mine.)

All toast after toast was made to a loving, lovely family.

While it's a little sad that Baum #2 is missing so many shiny presents this morning, I have a feeling that the kind of Christmas that comes a little early, also goes a little late. After all, the best gift won't be here till March 6. 

Lo. 

Brunch and Brew

I never wanted the characteristic rectangular Kaufmann's box at Christmas or on my birthday - I was doomed the moment it was handed to me. Forget the wrapping paper, forget the tissue, I already knew what was underneath the Santas who appeared to me mocking me and my wish list. It was a sweater - yet another to add to my burgeoning collection of neon, chevron-printed turtlenecks that made my skin itch just thinking about the prickly wool sliding over my head. The worst side effect of celebrating the most commercialized holiday and my birthday during winter in Pittsburgh was a chest of drawers filled with classic early 90's sweaters.

Outside of the Christmas and birthday window though, the Kaufmann's box interchange was welcomed with chubby open arms. Mostly, because any box-to-Lo trade was done by my Grandma with little pay-off on my end, perhaps just a hug and a squeeze. And inside that recycled box, which most likely would have hosted a wool sweater for my Grandma, was a sampling of her treasures: A dozen sesame seed buns, two dozen Parker rolls, square upon square of her Texas sheet cake, a nut roll or her miniature cookie versions, and if I was really lucky six big bear claws - my all-time favorite pastry.

Riding home from her house, I would hold the box tightly, careful not to let it tip or slide. When no one was looking, I would rip off the pinky claw of one of those bears to sample just how amazing this batch was. For breakfast the next day, we would each get one. Far better than any choice we could make from the collection of multi-grain cereals lining our pantry cupboard, was the sweet seduction of a nut-filled, iced pastry that had my grandma's love wrapped up in it.


Yesterday, was another brew day. Well, Peter brewed and I took the temperature during various phases of the process. At my request, he made an all-grain Saison beer - a traditional Belgian farmhouse ale.

Brew days for Peter are cooking and baking days for me though, and on the docket for this event was a brunch of prosciutto omelets and my Grandma's Bear Claws - a treat that I have been craving for too long. I pulled out the recipe that I had copied down from my cousin Meghan when we visited her in D.C. this summer. There were gaps here and there in the instructions, but I took a leap of faith or two while thinking, 'what would Grandma do?' I guessed right and right again, and ended up proud of my results.

Since Macy's bought Kaufmann's and all the other unique department stores in mid-size cities, I didn't have the characteristic storage vessel to complete my project. But luckily some visitors stopped by, helping us scale down the number of leftovers. 

Later in the day, while the beer was going through a boiling phase, Peter asked what was on the menu for dinner. I again asked myself what Olga would do, and she answered Swiss Steak. So I got one of the cheapest cuts of meat - round steak - and roasted it and served it with gravy, mashed potatoes and spinach souffle. It was the perfect panacea to a weekend of hard work around the house. Even better though, was the bittersweet satisfaction I felt when my phone buzzed with a text from Meghan. She said she had showed my Grandma the picture of my bear claws and she said, 'it's beautiful.' Just like that.

Yet another chapter in the family recipe archives made and consumed. I just wish I could still share it with my Grandma.


Lo.


Swiss Steak (serves 2 with leftovers)

1 pound round steak, trimmed and cut into thin slices
1 clove garlic
Flour
Salt, pepper
Bacon drippings
1/2 an onion, chopped
1 cup beef stock 

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Rub steak pieces with garlic clove. Mix together flour, salt and pepper and cover steak with the mixture. In a medium dutch oven, heat bacon drippings. Brown steak, about 3 minutes per side. Set aside. Add onions and saute until softened, about 5 minutes picking up the browned bits stuck to the pan. Add the stock, then return the steak to the pot.

Roast at 350 F for 2 hours or until the steak is fork tender. Naturally, the juices in the pot should render a gravy that is a pretty perfect, but if you need to, remove the steak from the pot and then reduce over medium high heat until the gravy is thick enough. Serve with mashed potatoes.

***

David Lebovitz' Spinach Souffle (serves 4)

1 bag fresh spinach
1 leek
2 tablespoons butter
Nutmeg
Salt
Chili pepper
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup Parmesan 

Use only the light green to white part of the leek. Slice thinly. Fill a bowl of water and swish leek slices around in it to clean. Drain and set aside.

In a medium saute pan, over medium heat, melt butter. Add leeks and saute until soft and transparent, about 10 minutes. Add spinach bit by bit until wilted. During the last batch, add a pinch of fresh nutmeg, chili pepper and salt. (Smell the combination now, heaven!) Set aside and let cool.

When cool, place in food processor with eggs and milk and process until smooth. (There should be green pieces everywhere though.)

Lightly butter four ramekins and fill 3/4 of the way with the spinach mixture. Top with Parmesan cheese. Let settle for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 F. Bake for 45 minutes or until you stick a tester in and it comes out clean.

***

Bear Claws (makes 12) 
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon almond extract or vanilla
2 packets of yeast
2 eggs, beaten
4 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons butter, softened

Filling
1/3 cup nuts (I used almonds - if I used vanilla above, I would have used walnuts)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (or is using vanilla and walnuts, cinnamon.)

Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon almond extract or vanilla

Over medium low heat, warm milk and butter until butter is melted. Cool until lukewarm (about 100 F.) Mix in sugar, salt, almond extract and yeast. Stir well, then let sit for five minutes, until yeast is dissolved.

Stir in eggs.  Add flour in stages, until a dough forms. Knead until smooth and supple. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Mix together filling. Make sure the 2 tablespoons of butter is soft. On a well floured surface, roll out dough into a long rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. You might want to break the dough into two pieces and do this twice. Spread butter all over the pastry dough. Then in the central section spread filling evenly. Fold into thirds, like an envelop, encasing the filling. Cut the pastry into about six sections, each about 2 1/2 inches wide. Place them on a bake sheet. Cut slits into each pastry and spread the 'claws' apart so they are shaped like a bear claw (ta da! thus the name.) Repeat with the second piece of dough. Cover claws and let rise until double in size.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Let cool then ice.

Brewday Birthday

Yesterday was one of those days when I particularly wanted to live life like a Barry. Mostly, I just wanted to be with family. I started thinking that I should have told my cousin Ellen to drive out La Grange this weekend instead of last.

Yesterday would have been my Double G's 90th birthday. I think we all thought he was going to make it that long - that we would have a big birthday bash and we would be convincing him to get off his tractor and come, up until the party started.  

As it was, my Grandpa was partying in Heaven, watching down over his family in Pittsburgh, as well as Honolulu, DC, Virginia Beach, New Orleans, and Chicago who were celebrating at mass, by his grave, around the table, in song, dance, and speech, with my grandma and with each other, and of course over Guinness toasts 'to Red.'

In Chicago, Peter and I were having our own version of Red's birthday party - a brewday birthday - the kind of Barryific day that I believe Grandpa would have loved. It started in the early morning, watering the garden, chasing the bunnies away, and tending the tomatoes and peppers. Afterwards, I challenged myself to make something that could readily be found on the breakfast table at 126 East Edgewood - My Grandma's nut roll, with a little twist of Lo. 

We filled both benches around the Brunch table and encouraged a lot of passa passa to go on.

And the sunny afternoon was filled with a lot more outdoor time than indoor, as Peter directed the group to not only make one beer, but two: a bourbon barrel porter and a rauchbier. 

Together, perhaps with a little intervention from Red, we had our first full Brewer and the Bee day, two brews, one historic baked good, five mouths fed, and many memories made for a little one, just like the memories that my cousins and I share of making apple cider with my Grandpa.

Happy birthday, Double G. You are missed beyond words, but you can rest assured that your family continues to do the Barry name proud.

Lo.

Pesto Pizza Please

It has been a week colored with closed conversations - passionate offline dialogue that isn't ready for the public's attention. So as a blogger with too much to say, but under the guidance to hold off for now, what to do?

I'm guessing, just talk about the other things that happened this week, which for us, of course centered on food. That and the many hours I have spent watering the garden.

It has been a remarkable summer in Chicago so far - remarkable in that the heat indexes have consistently soared above 100 degrees, the humidity makes the neighborhood feel like a sauna, and we have reached drought status. We've only seen about an inch of rain in the last 30 days. The lawns are scorched, except for my neighbor down the block who must have a permit to produce a rain forest climate in his yard. The hostas, hydrangeas and lilies around the block have browned. And there are trees that are already changing color and losing their leaves.

While I let our grass go an au naturale brown, I refused to give up on the garden. I had worked so hard on it at the beginning of the summer, and I was determined to make it thrive. I've probably spent a good 40 hours alone watering plants - a labor of love, dedicated Double G and Dad, my gardening role models. But it has worked. This week, the tomato and butternut squash vines started showing more and more young fruit, I harvested the first round of jalapenos, the herbs got fuller and fuller, and the flower beds showed bigger, brighter colors. I felt like I could finally say that I had traded in my dirty thumbs for green thumbs. (And I was pretty proud.)

On Tuesday we added the jalapenos to the beef kebobs. And last night, I gathered basil, Italian parsley and a little bit of mint to make pesto for the first time this year. 

We used it as a base for one of the pizzas we made. On top of it, we stacked shrimp, sun dried tomatoes, and goat cheese. Then as we've been doing a lot this summer, we took the cooking outside. We baked the pizza at 525 degrees in the gas grill, which resulted in the best crust yet. Airy and a little bit chewy on the inside, crisp on the bottom and around the edges.

(This photo was taken about 10 minutes into baking, we let it bake another 5.) 

The next best thing besides food to keep your mind off of things is traveling. So I'm off to Park City for my first blogger conference. Now this should be interesting ...

Lo.

Pizza Dough

3 1/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups luke warm water

Mix together flour, yeast, and salt. Add water and stir until shaggy. Using your hands, bring dough together until it just forms a ball. Cover it and let is rest for 10-15 minutes.

Take dough out of the bowl and knead for 5-8 minutes, until smooth and supple. Do not add extra dough - use a dough scraper if need be.

Using the dough scraper, divide the dough into four equal pieces. Roll each into a ball. Then one at a time, roll each ball of dough up like a carpet, then turnover and seam side down, roll up again, and then one more time. Mold the dough into a tight ball from there, roll in flour and set on a tray. Repeat this folding and rolling process with the remaining balls. Cover the dough, and let rise for 5 to 6 hours.

When finished rising, either heat grill or oven to 500 - 525 degrees. (I can never get my oven hot enough.) Top pizza with desired toppings. Tonight we went traditional: Garlicky roasted tomato sauce (roast garlic, shallots, tomatoes with juice, salt and pepper in 2 tablespoons butter for 30 minutes), pepperoni, mozzarella. And gourmet: pesto, roasted red peppers, shrimp and goat cheese. And bake for 15 -18 minutes.
 
**Tips**

* For this dough recipe, you really do have to wait 5 or 6 hours, don't skimp because that rising period adds so much air and dimension to the dough.

* Using the grill made the best pizza crust yet - we cranked it all the way up to 525 degrees. If you have an outdoor oven you will get the same effect, but in my experience, using our indoor oven hasn't cooked the crust as evenly as possible.

* Brush the edge of the crust with olive oil - it gives the crust a nice brown color and makes it taste even better.

Ribfest

Every year, Naperville hosts Ribfest during Fourth of July weekend. It's a four or five day event, centered on 16 of the best rib vendors in the country. The party extends far beyond barbecued slabs of pork though - there are carnival rides, concerts, games, and tent after tent of fat people food, designed to help you pack on the pounds as quickly as possible.

We not only used to attend Ribfest, we used to actively participate. Peter was a rib judge several years in a row; we had parties in sponsorship tents; and I spent a lot of time hanging out with the Mayor's grand kids. While at first, I was incredulous that this activity was going to happen on more that one day in a lifetime, it started to grow on me. I liked the Americana feel. The ribs started to season my stomach. And the pulled pork - it was just awesome. I found that for a weekend, I enjoyed embracing my inner park person, relaxing in the grass while listening to over the hill rockers like Joan Jett and ZZ Top, and methodically snacking on every bite of my perfectly prepared funnel cake. 

With our move closer to the city and with our trip to D.C. last weekend, we didn't make it out to Ribfest this year. And we were both sensing a summer void. So midweek, Peter asked what was planned on Friday night?
Nothing.
Saturday night?
Nothing.
Done.
We're smoking ribs.
Great idea!
Which then made me think that where there are ribs, there has to be a festivity.

So today we hosted our own little ribfest at our house.

It starred the rib master and his ribs:

The rib judges and their overwhelmingly positive scores: 
Trent: 10
Claire: 10
Becky: 10
Kate: 10 

The live entertainment:

And the park people food, brought to the crowd by yours truly.

If you don't have any plans next Saturday, I'd recommend hosting your own ribfest. (The recipes are below.) It was a great afternoon and evening.

Lo.

Sweet Potato Chips

5 sweet potatoes, peeled, and thinly sliced
Tub of crisco
Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, finely grated

In a large dutch oven, heat the oil until it reached 350 degrees. In about 4 or 5 batches, drop potato slices into the oil and fry until crisp and browned. About 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and let dry on a rack. Season with grated cheese.

***

Corn Bread Salad with Green Goddess Dressing

Corn Bread (I've tried tons of recipes, but I love Jiffy Mix), cubed and toasted
Boston Bibb Lettuce
1 Avocado cubed
3 tomatoes, preferably heirloom or three different colors
Shallot finely sliced

Mix together lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and shallot. When ready to serve top with croutons and toss with Green Goddess Dressing (below.)

Green Goddess Dressing (Adapted from CHOW)
1 anchovy filet
1 clove of garlic
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup tarragon
1/2 cup Italian parsley
2 tablespoons scallions
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon course salt
Pepper

Place all ingredients in blender, mix until smooth. Add extra seasoning if desired. Serve over crouton salad.

***

Apple Slab Pie - Just like Grandma's

Buttery Pastry Dough (I also really like Martha Stewart's Pate Brisee)
Three big granny smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced and then halved
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Egg wash (1 egg plus a bit of water, whisked together)
Vanilla Glaze (1 cup confectioners sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Butter a 10 by 10 by 3 inch pan.

Mix together apples, cinnamon, sugar and lemon juice. Set aside.
Split dough into two pieces - one bigger, one smaller. Roll out large piece of dough and lay in pan, letting the extra crust drip over the side. Fill with apples. Roll out the small piece of dough and drape over the apples. Pinch together the two crusts and trim the edges with a knife. Brush the top with egg wash. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let cool and drizzle with vanilla glaze.

I'd give you Peter's rib recipe and methodology as well, but the rib master did not reveal his secrets.