Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!! I have so much to be thankful for ... family, friends, food, freedom. We had quite the feast today with Gordon, Ivona, Emily and Jonathan. I'm grateful to have a sister to call my own! :)

Eggnog Loaf Cake

Of course, I shouldn't probably follow my last post with this post, but...!!! ☺ To be honest, I haven't even tried the cake itself yet because it just started to bake, but I did like the beater!!

Eggnog Loaf Cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon rum flavored extract
• 3/4 cup milk (I used eggnog!)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8x4 inch loaf pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and ginger; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together sugar, butter, and shortening until light and fluffy. Blend in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the rum extract. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 65 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Because I need to read this often and make it my own

Long after I sell my psych book, I want to be able to read this.  Stephen Ilardi and colleagues used these steps toward a therapeutic life-style change for people with depression and 77% of the 74 people who completed the program (12 weeks) experienced relief from their symptoms.  So this is for me.
Aerobic exercise: 30 minutes a day, at least three times weekly (increases fitness and vitality, stimulates endorphins)
Adequate sleep: with a goal of 7-8 hours a night (increases energy and alertness, boosts immunity and memory)
Light exposure: at least 30 minutes each morning with a light box (amplifies arousal, influences hormones)
Anti-rumination: by identifying and redirecting negative thoughts (enhances positive thinking)
Nutritional supplements: including a daily fish oil supplement with omega-3 fatty acids (aids in healthy brain functioning)(520)

Imagine the possibilities!  And doing this continually can only prevent future recurrences of what ails us!
(Myers, David G. Exploring Psychology Eighth Edition. New York. Worth Publishers. Print. 2011.)

More Yumminess!!!

We started the day with these Buttermilk Pumpkin Pancakes.  They were some of the best pumpkin pancakes ever and a great way to use up the rest of the can from a cake I made earlier in the week.  For dinner I tried this new recipe!  WOW!!!
Coffee-Crusted Pork Loin
2 Tbs. freshly ground fine-grind coffee or instant espresso powder
2 Tbs. packed light brown sugar
3 tsp. kosher salt, divided
2 tsp. coarse ground pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 boneless pork loin roast (3-3½ lb.)
8 large carrots, cut into 3" pieces
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 large red onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. adobo sauce (from can of chipotle chiles)
Heat oven to 425º.  In small bowl, mix coffee brown sugar, 2 tsp. of the salt, the pepper and garlic powder.  Rub coffee mixture on all sides of pork, coating completely.  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap; let stand at least 10 minutes or refrigerate up to 2 hours to absorb the flavors.
Spray shallow roasting pan or broiler pan with cooking spray.  Place pork, fat side up, in pan.  In medium bowl, toss carrots, garlic and onion with oil.  Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. salt.  Arrange vegetables around pork in pan.
Roast 40-50 minutes (OR MORE!!) or until meat thermometer inserted into center of pork reads 145º.  Place pork on serving platter.  Cover with foil and let stand 5 minutes before slicing.  Stir adobo sauce into pan drippings, tossing with roasted vegetables.  Spoon vegetables and sauce onto platter around pork.

I did not use the adobo sauce and it was still sooo good!!  I added brussel sprouts to the mix for my dad!  Definitely pull the pork at 145º and let it sit for 5 minutes!  It will otherwise be a bit dry.

Borscht - per request!

Classic Ukrainian Borscht from: Please to the Table - A Russian Cookbook
STOCK:
1½ lb. beef chuck, shank or flank
1 meaty ham bone (about 1 lb.)
2 beef marrow bones (about 1 lb.)
3 qts. water
1 onion
1 carrot, peeled
2 medium sized parsnips, peeled
1 rib celery with leaves
Bouquet garni (3 dill sprigs, 3 parsley sprigs, 4 bay leaves and 10 black peppercorns tied in a cheesecloth bag)
salt, to taste

SOUP:
2 large beets (about 1¼ lb.)
4 med. sized boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces
1 lb. fresh, ripe plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped, or 1 can (16 oz.) plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
salt, to taste
¼ c. vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into julienne
1 large green pepper, seeded and cut into bite-sized pieces
4 c. shredded green cabbage
¼ c. fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
3 Tbs. tomato paste
5-6 pitted dried prunes, chopped (I use 1 container of baby food prunes!)
1 tsp. sugar or to taste
freshly ground pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley, plus additional for garnish
3 Tbs. chopped fresh dill, plus additional for garnish
sour cream


1. Preheat oven to 375º.  
2. In a large soup pot, bring the meat, bones and water to a boil over high heat, periodically skimming off the foam as it rises to the top.
3. Add remaining stock ingredients and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, until the meat is tender, at least 45 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, wash and dry the beets and wrap each one separately in aluminum foil.  Bake the beets until tender, 1¼ hours.
5. Allow the beets to cool until manageable, then stem, and peel them and cut into julienne or fine dice.
6. When the stock is ready, removed the beef, ham bone, and marrow bones, and set all but the marrow bones aside (I feed the meat to the dog!)  Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a clean pot and discard all the solids.
7. Bring the stock to a boil, add the potatoes and tomatoes (if using fresh),  and season with salt.  Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender, about 10 minutes.
8. While the vegetables are cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrot, and green pepper and saute over medium heat until the onion and green pepper are slightly softened, 5 minutes.  Stir in the cabbage and continue to saute the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is softened, 10 minutes more.  Add the vegetables to the soup.
9. Sprinkle the beets with ¼ c. lemon juice and add them to the soup.  Stir the soup an d simmer, uncovered, for 5-7 minutes.  
10. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste and prunes.  Season to taste with sugar, pepper and additional lemon juice and salt, if desired.  Simmer another 7 minutes.  
11. Cut the beef into bite-size pieces and scrape all the meat off the ham bone.  Add to the soup. (As I mentioned, I omit this step!!)
12. Remove the borscht from the heat and sprinkle with the minced garlic and parsley and dill.  Let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.  Serve garnished with additional chopped fresh herbs and pass the sour cream.  REALLY good after a day or two!

Happy Birthday, Coda!

We don't know Coda's exact birthdate, but the 17th of October seemed about right to the vet - 9 years ago!

Another good one worth remembering!

Whenever something starts to get you down, challenge yourself to remember why you're doing it. ~Ralph Marston (The Daily Motivator)