Cucumber Melon Refresher

SRC: Secret Recipe Club May 2013

It's a heat wave, in May no less. Seattle tied with Phoenix for the highest daily temperature in the nation this past week, a scorching 87 degrees F. No complaints here, it has been lovely, if just a bit unreal. The hot weather made it easy to choose a few drink recipes from Amy's Cooking Adventures for my Secret Recipe Club post this month. I picked the coolest, most refreshing beverage I could find, Amy's Cucumber-Melon Refresher. Actually I tried several other drinks, but this was the first and most in-season with mint and strawberries. As a bacon and popcorn fan I was tempted to make multiple batches of her Bacon Caramel Corn with Dark Chocolate, but we're on a renewed campaign to eat healthier. Healthier probably shouldn't include bacon, brown sugar, light syrup and dark chocolate but damn! that sounded tasty. Sigh, moving on...

Amy's base recipe works best with a really sweet, flavorful watermelon. My mini melon was pretty cute, quite colorful and waaaay too bland. Lime juice and fresh strawberries came to the rescue, adding a sweet/tart note that balanced the more assertive cucumber flavor. The watermelon played a minor role, adding volume, color and just a hint of flavor. We tried a glass straight up, then another one with rum and finally a third with a shot of tequila. I enjoyed the kid's version, served over ice, but would never turn down the high test adult version with alcohol. Mmmmm, delicious. Thanks, Amy. 

Note: you will enjoy cruising through Amy's blog, checking out her recipes and admiring her sense of adventure and humor. For example, 

"I love taking risks in the kitchen. One thing my wonderful husband has taught me is that cooking experiments are always welcome, as long as McDonald’s or Little Caesars is an option in the event of a cooking disaster. “

Photo: Cucumber Melon Refresher basic ingredients - in generous measure

Photo: Ready to blend, no liquid needed 

Photo: Frothy mixture of fruit and vegetable

Photo: Straining the pulp is a recommended step

Cucumber Melon Refresher

adapted from Amy's Cooking Adventures (link) 

Makes 1 serving

1 cup seedless watermelon, cut in chunks

1/2 cup strawberries, cleaned & hulled (optional)

splash of lime juice (optional)

1/2 cup cucumber, peeled & seeded

1 sprig mint, 6-8 large leaves

1/2 cup Sprite, or other lemon-lime soda

1 oz white rum or tequila (optional)

1. Place the watermelon, strawberries (optional) cucumber and mint into a blender. Blend until smooth.  
2. Use a fine-mesh sieve and strain the mixture into a bowl, discarding the pulp.
3. Pour the strained juice into a glass. Stir in the Sprite and lime juice (optional). Add liquor and ice, if desired.
4. Garnish with a slice of cucumber, a chunk of watermelon, a sprig of mint and/or a fat, ripe strawberry. Enjoy!  

Train Wreck for Lunch

  
YOU may have reveled in Mexican menus on Cinco de Mayo, but we were happy to celebrate with friends, sipping a brew and ordering off the regular menu at Burlington's Train Wreck Bar & Grill. The restaurant sits close to a main rail line, close enough so that everything vibrates whenever a freight train passes. I mean everything: the building, the floor, your chair, your bones kind of everything. Conversation stops, seconds pass and then the party gets rolling again. But even more memorable than the locale were the friendly, knowledgeable servers and the tempting menu. It took me forever, much longer than usual, to read through each section, trying to settle on the perfect item for a late lunch. Once again fish tacos sounded too good to ignore.

Just look at this loaded plate of fish tacos, doesn't that bring a smile to your face and tempt your appetite? The cod was impeccably fresh and perfectly grilled, the accompaniments well-suited to complement the marinade. Three tacos were more than I could eat for lunch, so RL speared some fish onto his plate and declared it delicious. I agreed!

The BBQ Burger held a juicy patty composed surprisingly of flavorful smoked BBQ pork pieces. Served on a toasted, house-baked bun, this tasty sandwich held together until the very last bite. No annoying dissolving bun syndrome here, and check out the tasty sauce drippings on the plate. The clam chowder was creamy, well-seasoned with an unidentified special something, and packed with more seafood than potatoes - my criteria for a good recipe. I sampled a spoonful or two, and could have easily worked my way through the entire bowl.

Bill and Charlene ordered house favorite Train Wreck Burgers with cheese and bacon, but I think Char was most enthusiastic about the battered onion rings with tartar dipping sauce. I'll have to take her word for it. I passed on the offer to sample one, 'cuz you know you can't eat just one.

National TV News reported two cities tied for high temperature records on May 5 - Phoenix, AZ and Seattle, WA. Whaaat? Seattle?!? That was a surprise and a half. It was the perfect day for a road trip north to Burlington to visit friends, and enjoy a late lunch at a terrific eatery. Ole! Train Wreck Bar & Grill, we'll be back.

I'll get to the side trip some other time. The wolf dogs, fluffy-headed (Polish?)chickens, fat turkeys and multi-colored fresh eggs deserve their own post. 

Reflections on Swedish Pickled Herring

Swedish Pickled Herring - I enjoy eating it, but did NOT have much fun preparing it... once, only once.  In fact, it was so NOT FUN that I swore I wouldn't mess with herring again. But that was in 2008. Today I went back to reread my old post, "The Great Herring Experiment", and had to giggle. Was it really that traumatic? 


There's not a fresh herring in sight today, so what brought that episode to mind? I found a Pickled Herring recipe at Hank Shaw's site Honest-Food that tempted me to try again, just one more time. But only IF I discover an easy way to get rid of all of those stubborn little bones. Please, share the secret if you know it.


Does pickling herring work as a metaphor for life? Well, it's quite a stretch to link the two. Both do surprise us with unexpected challenges that invite analysis and adjustment. We can give up to avoid frustration when things don't go as planned. Or we can persist by learning new  skills or developing other approaches. Forget the metaphor notion, I should revisit the whole pickled herring issue in Petersburg this Spring. Just because. 

Meanwhile you might consider giving Hank's recipe a try. (link)

Confession Time: two years have passed since I wrote this draft and left it sitting unpublished in my files. We still enjoy pickled herring, the refrigerator currently holds a brand new quart jar of Vita brand labeled "wild caught of Canada". This really should be the year I take Hank's advice to ignore the tiny bones and get on with it. One more time, it's the year for Petersburg and pickled herring. Maybe in June.

Buttermilk Skillet Scones with Cheese & Peppers

Savory scones are an occasional store-bought indulgence, a secret sneaked treat when I'm at the co-op, or the local bakery, or some Farmers' Markets. Somehow these flaky, veggie-filled triangles of delight have never come out of my oven, not until today. I woke up craving scones, jalapeno scones in particular, scones loaded with cheese and chunks of multicolored peppers. It's easy to find sweet scones, some okay and others meh!, but really good savory scones take a little searching. I wanted them now, right now, without waiting to shower and get dressed to drive around town hunting for those savory treats.

No problemo. The Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook supplied a basic recipe that accommodated savory peppers and cheese as add-ins. Who knew? This book has traveled on the boat for years but was rarely used, so last Fall I moved it from the galley afloat to the kitchen ashore. Good move, since it thwarted any recipe panic this morning, 

The scones were wonderful served warm for breakfast, split in half and barely coated with a slick of butter. RL topped his halves with orange marmalade and ginger preserves, preferring to add a sweet note to the savory. Cooled and nibbled without butter or jam, a scone was the perfect lunch accompaniment to a bowl of chicken tortilla soup. Now I'm considering splitting one more scone, adding a slice of cheese and popping it into the microwave for a late-night snack. Sigh, my will power disappears when freshly baked scones are available, and that's the reason they should remain a store-bought indulgence. You I can't eat just one.

Buttermilk Cheese Scones with Peppers & Onions 

Recipe adapted from The Cast Iron Skillet by Kramis & Kramis-Hearne

Makes 12 scones

2 1/3 cups unbleached AP flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/8 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups chilled butter (1 ½ sticks), cut into 6 to 8 pieces
1/4 cup jalapeno, small dice
1/4 cup green onions, small dice
1/4 cup sweet red pepper, small dice
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + lemon juice to curdle)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. 
2. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt to the mixing bowl of a stand mixer and stir briefly to mix. 
3. Add the butter pieces and mix at low speed until just combined. (Low speed is recommended to avoid a cloud of flour billowing out of the bowl – ask me how I know this detail.) 
4. Add the jalapeno, green onions, red peppers and cheese to the bowl. Run the mixer at low speed and pour in the buttermilk. Again, mix at low speed until just combined. 
5. Divide the dough into two balls. On a lightly floured surface, pat or roll one dough ball into a circle, roughly ¾-inch thick. Cut the circle into 6 equal-sized wedges. Place the wedges in a buttered cast-iron skillet, spaced apart and forming a circle. 
6. Repeat with the second ball of dough. 
7. Place on a rack in the center of the oven and bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes in my oven. Remove from the oven and serve immediately, or cool on a baking rack and reheat later in the day. 

Note: the use of a stand mixer is purely optional, you can mix the scones with a hand-held mixer (or by hand if you put a little muscle into incorporating the butter)