How To Store Cilantro

We go through a lot of cilantro at our house.  Since Mexican is primarily our cuisine of choice, it's an herb I always have on hand.  Well try to have it on hand.  Until recently I could only keep if fresh for a couple of days.  Every time I would go to make something like my Cilantro Lime Rice or Cilantro Lime Chicken, I would remove my cilantro from the refrigerator only to find it limp, dried out, and/or brown.  Gross.  As much as I enjoy cooking, and as much as I try new recipes on a whim, I don't want to run to the store every time a recipe call for fresh cilantro.  I've tried a million ways to keep it fresh.  I've left it in the produce bag and shoved it in the vegetable bin.  X.  I've wrapped it in a damp paper towel.  X.  I've put the entire bunch in a glass of water in the fridge.  X.  I've put the entire bunch in a vase and left it out on the counter.  X.  I can't tell you how many bunches of cilantro I've tossed because they've gone bad.  Finally I found a way that works.  I have been able to keep bunches of cilantro fresh in my fridge for well over two weeks using this method.  I've also used it with curly and flat-leaf parsley with the same success.  If you enjoy using these herbs, then definitely give this a try.  It should save you some time, money and hassle!

Step 1:  As soon as you get home from the store,
trim the bottom of your bunch of cilantro.
Place it in a tall glass or vase and fill with cool water.

Springtime Raspberry Salad

We've had a few days of weather in the high 80s, and I'm willing it to be summer already.  We've been lucky to have plenty of mild days, but I know a lot of my foodie friends across the country are under a pile of snow.  While Spring may not fully be everywhere, it has definitely made it's way to my kitchen.  This Springtime Raspberry Salad with its raspberry vinaigrette is like a bowlful of Springtime right on your table.  With the addition of juicy oranges and tangy raspberries, it's colorful and elegant and super fresh and tasty!

Whether the weather is like spring or not,
your table can look like it!

Tee Time Trail Mix

It's Masters Week, and if you're a golf widow like me, then you know what I'm talking about.  My husband is giddy like a little kid.  He wore a green shirt to work today with his Masters logo belt.  I said, "Remember the time I had all of my friends over and we stayed up all night to watch the Royal Wedding?  The Masters is kind of like that for you and your friends huh?"  He looked at me like I was insane, which he does on a regular basis and said, "NO it's nothing like that." To which I replied, "Really?  Because you're wearing a Masters belt and all of your friends have changed their Facebook profile pictures to the Masters Logo."  If you're not a golfer then you obviously won't understand their giddiness, but it is a pretty big deal.  I've had this yummy snack mix recipe in mind for a while.  Knowing all of the men in my family would be glued to their television sets today, I gave it a golf twist and delivered a little snack to all of them.  I've named it Tee Time Trail Mix, but if you don't golf that's okay.  It's equally delicious watching a Lifetime Movie or a re-run of the Royal Wedding.  (Not that I've ever done that.)  The Masters motto is, "A tradition unlike any other." When I gave my husband his little snack mix I declared, "This is a snack mix unlike any other."  Not only did he appreciate my humor, but when he tasted it, he agreed. 

"A snack mix unlike any other..."

Tee Time Trail Mix
It's delish whether you like golf or not.

I packaged them up in little bags,
tied with green ribbon and added a golf tee for fun.
My husband, Dad and Father-In-Law
were really impressed.
My FIL asked, "Did she really make us this
just for The Masters???"

Mr. Devilish Dish loves anything with dill.
The dill and lemon pepper give this mix a light,
tangy flavor.

It really is a snack mix unlike any other!

Even if you don't know the difference between
a golf ball and a bowling ball, you will still LOVE this
snack mix.

Louisiana-Style Pecan Pralines

In 1984 my parents took me to the World's Fair in New Orleans, Louisiana.  This was my first experience in the Crescent City, and although I was only 12 I fell in love with the culture that is New Orleans.  Besides king cakes and beignets, pecan pralines are a New Orleans institution.  The delectable candy dates back to the 1700s.  The French elite of Louisiana enjoyed a candy made from white sugar and almonds, but soon their Creole neighbors added the plentiful local pecan and brown sugar.  And the praline as we know it today was born.  Throughout the 1800s, African-American women sold their homemade pralines throughout New Orleans.  They became the most popular of the street vendors in the area.  In the 1900s the praline ladies gave way to praline stores throughout the French Quarter.  I remember enjoying the candies on our trip so much that I picked out a souvenir that has well out-lasted any piece of candy.  I chose a beautiful doll, made in New Orleans from the Gambina Doll Company.  I'm sad to report the doll factory has long since closed, but I still have my beautiful doll as a reminder of that vacation and the delicious pralines we enjoyed. 

A taste of New Orleans:  Louisiana-Style Pecan Pralines

Here's my beautiful Gambina doll.  Her tag reads:

"ODELIA"
PRALINE LADY
The people of old New Orleans were delighted to see this lady
walking down the street selling her pralines (prah-leens).
She made this savory candy herself using sugars, syrups and
tasty pecans.  She added other ingredients to vary the flavor
and color.  Those same recipes are still handmade and sold
in New Orleans today--M-M-M Good!
C.V. Gambina, Inc 1983

Little Devil and I picked these pecans ourselves out
of my aunt's backyard.  My uncle (who was like a dad to me)
passed away in 2005.  One of my favorite activities as a child was
picking buckets of pecans with him every fall, so this recipe
has a special place in my heart.  Also it is my mom's
absolute favorite kind of candy!

Aunt Judy's Foolproof Pie Crust

Recently I conquered my 20-something year fear of pie making.  I made my husband's grandmother's Coconut Cream Pie recipe for Pi Day.  The recipe was a little vague and called for a baked pie shell.  I figured if I was going to go all out and actually make a pie, then I should make the crust too.  My Aunt Judy was a fabulous pie maker.  Mr. Devilish Dish LOVED her chocolate pie.  I knew I could not fail if I used her pie crust recipe.  Like many older recipes, it too was a little vague.  My guess is there is enough dough for an accomplished pie maker to make two crusts.  This non-accomplished pie maker made one slightly too-thick crust and threw some dough out.  Had I been making a fruit pie, there certainly would have been enough crust to create some lattice strips or other design.  Since my recipe only called for a single crust baked shell, that's what I created.  And while it was probably too thick by State Fair Pie Judging standards, it tasted delicious and for my first try I think it looked pretty good too.  Whether you are a pie genius or a pie novice, I think you'll appreciate how tasty and flaky this crust is.  I'm excited about the success and I'm anxious to use this crust recipe and get a little more adventurous on my next try.  Let me know what kind of pie you intend to bake in it!

If I can do this, you can too!

I love that the dough only needs to chill 15 minutes
because I am the most impatient person in the world.
I will skip a recipe if the dough needs to chill for hours.

I rolled the dough out on a floured surface with a rolling pin.
I'm positive I got it too thick, but it was really important
to me that the crust edges stay intact and make a pretty pie
since I was making this in honor of my husband's Mamaw.

Here's my finished
Coconut Cream Pie

If you aren't a pie maker like me,
then I hope you too will get inspired.
It certainly helped that I had this
truly foolproof recipe.

The History of April Fool's Day

The idea of playing tricks in the springtime dates back many years, surprisingly with a rich history. 
In the Nun's Priest's Tales, Chaucer made the connection between April 1 and foolishness.  And that was 1392. 

Did you know that the French call April 1st Poisson d"AVril or April Fish?

As far back as the 1500s mischief makers poked fun at French conservatives and their steadfast attachment to the old tradition by sending them silly gifts and invitations to nonexistent parties. They would also stick paper fish to their backs, popularizing the French term for a person who gets duped on April Fools’ Day: "poisson d’Avril," or "April fish."

The idea seems to be a reference to the fact that fish are most plentiful and hungry during the spring. An "April fish" was easier to catch, i.e., more gullible, than a fish at any other time of the year. The fish image features prominently in artwork and postcards in France in the late 1800s to early 1900s. 

Although the idea playing pranks on April 1st is recognized worldwide, it is not considered a national holiday anywhere. 

In 1957, the BBC aired a documentary about the harvest of spaghetti crops in Switzerland, with footage of women picking strands of spaghetti.  This story managed to fool a lot of people, although it's hard to imagine anyone believing spaghetti grows on trees.  However, the documentary was narrated by a distinguished journalist giving it an air of credibility.

With the advent of the internet and social media, April Fool's day pranks are known to hit viral proportions, and fool or embarrass a wider audience.  Sadly in a time when everyone is offended by everything, even well-intentioned mischief has been labeled as a waste of time and resources often resulting in commercial and even legal consequence. 

We might all be better off if we took a cue from our ancestors and used this one day in the spring that was set aside for behaviors that are normally considered socially unacceptable to become temporarily socially acceptable.

They say laughter is good for the soul, and since Spring is considered a time of renewal, April 1 seems like a great time to approach life with a little light heartedness and laughter.  I think it's okay to have one day a year.  I don't think MR. T will pity us either.

Pretzel Knots

I love pretzels.  The soft kind.  Not the  hard, flavorless I'm only eating these because they seem better for me than potato chips kind.  The dip in mustard kind.  I tried making them several years ago and the results were disappointing.  But then I read up on them a little bit and realized I was doing everything wrong.  I recently prepared a meal that included bratwursts and a cabbage recipe (stay tuned!) and I thought some pretzels would be a nice nod to the German-esque meal.  I saw a picture somewhere of Pretzel Knots which turned out to be cuter than regular pretzels.  Who doesn't want to eat something that's cuter than a pretzel?  It turned out to be super simple.  I used my Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe for the dough.  Then I did a simple boiling technique, sprinkled them with salt and baked until golden.  They were delicious.  Authentic and the perfect compliment to our German-style dinner.  I'm so happy I decided to give pretzel-making another try.  Turned out to be very simple and very tasty.

Homemade Pretzel Knots
with cheese sauce for dipping...