food

Beef jerky has always been a welcome treat, but taking one look at the ingredients list of commercial jerky quickly dulls the appetite. By using a high quality, local meat and a flavorful marinade, an excellent jerky can easily be made that will ensure you that the end result is something you'll look forward to.

The marinade discussed below and available via the download link is appropriate for one pound of meat. In the case of beef jerky, I pick up very thinly sliced steaks from a local, trusted butcher.

2 tsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Dry Mustard (Powder)
½ tsp Garlic

This apple cobbler recipe from the Frugal Gourmet (Jeff Smith) series has always been my "go to" dessert when autumn weather makes me hungry for that great baked apple and raisin taste. The ingredient list includes items common in most kitchens and the recipe is comprised of four easy steps. This is great served with homemade whipped cream, yogurt or creme fraiche, my choice the last time I served it.

Sadly, Jeff Smith's cookbooks are not currently available new, but a pdf download of the recipe is available by clicking here.

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Until I thumbed through David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop to see what I could find for pears in the ice cream realm, I had forgotten about this surprising, excellent recipe. I think of pears having a subtle flavor that might not speak well in a dairy dessert, but this combination is quite nice.

3-4 pears, peeled, cored and diced
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar
2 cups of heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon of coarse salt
a few drops of lemon juice

The sugar is cooked over medium heat, constantly stirring gently until the sugar turns to an amber color.