Welcome to the best part of my life. I will share here my passion for family, food and feeding them, it is truly feeding a crowd!
Running this ad-free, pop-up-free kitchen comes with costs, but sharing my passion for food and recipes with you is always worth it. If my creations have ever rescued your dinner party, wowed your in-laws, or filled your home with the comforting aroma of freshly baked bread, meals, and treats, consider tossing a little dough my way. Every contribution helps keep "Feeding a Crowd" alive, thriving, and delicious!
Enjoy!
How to deseed your pomegranate.
Fruit Fly Trap in 40 Seconds.
“Life is short, laugh more, worry less. R.F.”
Bread making is so wonderful, it makes the house smell wonderful, it makes everyone smiles, it fills our bellies with deliciousness and makes memories.
I am so happy I have mostly mastered the art of bread making, but I at times fail, due to being in a hurry, to pushing boundaries or messing with the science of cooking with yeast, a live product that does need attention and care for it to work.
Herb Bread, bread is the essence of life and always has been, whole grain, ancient grain, gluten free or chock full of gluten, sour bread, potato bread, quick breads, starter breads and the wondrous French bread, all are fun to make and even more fun to eat! Here is a bread I make using my fresh herbs or dried, both work equally, take my word for it.
Wow! Blast from the past, bread made with Carnation milk, or what is evaporated milk. When I saw the recipe in a very old recipe book that was my mother’s I had to try it.
The book is so old, I am in awe of it, I love perusing the recipes in it and comparing it to how we cook/bake today.
Since I think I want to expand the bread recipes on the Feeding a Crowd website, I thought I would start with that one. It is different in many aspects, and it is worth making, the bread is rich, doughy and yes light, the taste is full flavored and not too sweet.
I am making all these recipes because my wonderful daughter in law loves pumpkins and I love coming with recipes I know she will enjoy when she comes over. And it also gives her another recipe to make with all the pumpkins has laying around, waiting for her to make her magic with.
The pumpkin biscotti were a real hit with her and all of us, so here’s another one for you my Jenny Penny!
Biscotti for every occasion, here is a recipe that is perfect for Thanksgiving, using only a cup of pureed pumpkin puree and is so delicious, you will have it for breakfast, snacks and tea time. I liked using fresh ginger, but dried ginger works as well.
I have used this recipe so often, the pages have come out of the cookbook, this cookbook is Betty Crocker’s Cookbook! I favor many recipes in this book, though most I have changed over the years.
What is happening is the more comfortable I am getting in the kitchen, the less I use recipes, even when it comes to baking. I asked my daughter in law Jenny if this was because I was getting good at baking, of if it just means I am lazy, she says it’s because I am good! So I am taking her word for it.
I have worked hard to find a balance when making this recipe, it can be so delicious or so blah. I like the latter, it has to be delicious, shrimp are not a cheap ingredient, I hate not bringing the best out of an ingredient, I feel I am cheating it out of its glory.
So, it isn't an apple crisp. It isn't an apple pie. I love both of those desserts, here is a really awesome variation that brings both together.
What is different about this dessert, is the dough, the dough is butter based and a tad sweet. It is easy to make also, it is a tad different to work with and roll out, sometimes more flour is needed, but not to much or the dough will harden. Anyhow, it is apple season, so not much sugar is used.
Summer is lasting this year, my garden is happy with plenty of zucchinis, peppers of all kinds, eggplants and strawberries! on't know about this second harvest of strawberries, but I am taking full advantage of it.
The week started quickly, I am still in the midst of full kitchen reno, with only the island to work on, thankfully a large island! It was decided that I would make one of my family’s favorite dishes, the cassoulet with cheese bread and my iced tea. Ok, that is not how it happened at all, but it was a start.
I think I am starting to breathe, perhaps not often enough still, my watch keeps telling me to breathe, I sort of expect it to just say “Breathe! Damn it!” I do take a moment to breathe when the sign comes on, I loosen my shoulders and smile, because we all know, even when you don't want to smile, a smile, even just an inner smile makes things better.
There was something very poignant and difficult for me to watch my kitchen go down under the hammers. I always felt and still feel today, that my kitchen served me well and we have oh so many memories, it almost felt disloyal to get rid of it to get something new, even if it is better suited for myself and my family.
It is important for me to underline the good things in life, the great people I met and the wonderful places that were waiting to be discovered by my family and me.
Where do I start? Since I always speak of finding and using local products, I must tell you Val David’s weekend market is not to be missed if you are in the area. I discovered mushrooms that bring the sea to your meal and vegetables that were so fresh, I did not need to go to the market to buy any till the next weekend, never mind the cheeses and sausages, here is a link should you want to check it out.
