Grapes!

Finally, after 8 years of growing grapes in our backyard we hit the jackpot! I harvested 7 pounds of red grapes this afternoon! I got to them before they turned into raisins, before the birds ate them and frankly before I forgot about them, again. I don't remember the exact grapes that we planted but I think these are red wine grapes. They taste sweet, have a tiny seed and are very juicy.


So now, what to do with 7 pounds of grapes? Attempt to make a very small bottle of wine? Grape juice? Grape jam? Let me know what you think I should make and if you have any advice for how to go about making wine.

On a Non-Food Related Note...

Isn't this happy little owl adorable? My friend Vicky is a wonderful artist and makes natural toys, art and accessories from wool. Yes, needle felted from wool. The process, according to Vicky, "involves taking a sharp, barbed needle and poking loose fibers thousands of times until the desired form is achieved" and I know these are very labor intensive and are just amazing! She started making these wool toys for her boys to play with and recently started selling them on Etsy.

She is super talented and I absolutely love all her work. This owl is one of her more recent designs and I loved it so much that I just had to buy it! I recommend that you visit her site and check out all the wonderful toys that she makes. She accepts custom orders and each toy is made to order. I promise that you will love all her beautiful art!

Fresh Raspberry Vinegar & Salad

I had quite a few fresh raspberries that were going to waste so I found a delicious way to extend their life! A fresh raspberry vinegar. Delicious, easy to make and has so many uses. One of the first things I made was a wonderful chicken salad using the vinegar for the dressing. Perfect for a warm Summer evening. Enjoy!


Simple Raspberry Vinegar
(Recipe from The British Larder--an amazing blog!!)

1/2 cup overripe raspberries**
1 1/2 cups distilled or white wine vinegar

Remove any moldy raspberries and lightly wash under cold water and drain.

Lightly mash the raspberries.

Add the vinegar of your choice and let it mature in a jar/container for 5 days.

Pass the vinegar through a fine sieve into sterilized bottles/jars. Store in the refrigerator.

**You can also use blackberries, strawberries or other seasonal berries.

Grilled Chicken, Goat Cheese Salad with Raspberry and Walnut Dressing
(Adapted from Cooking Outside the Box by Keith Abel)

4 chicken breast, boneless & skinless
Goat cheese
Sliced almonds
Tomato
Cooked bacon crumbles
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Mixed greens

Dressing:
3 T. olive oil
2 T. walnut oil
2 T. raspberry vinegar
1 T. honey
Salt & pepper

Lightly brush chicken with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Grill until just cooked through and set aside to rest.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and season. Adjust quantities of oil, vinegar and seasoning to your tastes.

Toss dressing with mixed greens and plate. Top with goat cheese, almonds, crumbled bacon, tomato and sliced chicken.

Serve with a chilled Riesling and fresh, crusty bread.

Chocolate Milan Cookies (Daring Bakers)

If you are a fan of the Pepperidge Farms chocolate milano cookies then you must give these a try. A chocolate ganache filling sandwiched between soft, delicate lemon-vanilla cookies. I enjoyed each of the elements separately and together. The cookie would be great on its own with a cup of tea and the chocolate ganache can just be eaten with a spoon! Or maybe with some vanilla ice cream.

My friend Amy & I made these together and we had so much fun! This recipe was very easy so we were able to take our time baking and spend some quality time talking. I left her with quite a few cookies to share with her daughter and husband then I put together a cute box full of these and brought them for my mom to enjoy at work. A nice Friday afternoon pick me up, right?

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network. I didn't have time to make the marshmallow cookies but I will definitely try those sometime!

Milan Cookies
Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website
Prep Time: 20 min
Inactive Prep Time: 0 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 0 min
Makes: about 3 dozen cookies

Note: These cookies spread quite a lot so make sure to space them about 2" apart

• 12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups (312.5 grams/ 11.02 oz) powdered sugar
• 7/8 cup egg whites (from about 6 eggs)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons lemon extract
• 1 1/2 cups (187.5grams/ 6.61 oz) all purpose flour
• Cookie filling, recipe follows

Cookie filling:
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 orange, zested

1. In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar.
2. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
3. Add the flour and mix until just well mixed.
4. With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.
6. While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream.
7. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt chocolate, add zest and blend well.
8. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools).
9. Spread a thin amount of the filling onto the flat side of a cookie while the filling is still soft and press the flat side of a second cookie on top.
10. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.