Saturday, November 13, 2010

Big event coming up at the vineyard….one week from now, November 20th and 21st!



Owner and vintner (winemaker) at Somerset Ridge Vineyard and Winery, Dennis Reynolds, has done it again! He and Cindy will be releasing their brand new wine, Riesling. Not only is the wine wonderful, but wait until you see the new label! I am not going to divulge any secrets here, but I will tell you it is the next “Local Artist Label” .I was thrilled to have one of my paintings, Vincent’s Sunflowers, on the 1st label in the series, but I am just as excited, possibly even more excited, because I have become such good friends with this artist. I will say no more…..just don’t miss it!

The wine and the label are OUTSTANDING!





How are your plans coming along for the country’s most important and celebrated dinner, Thanksgiving? I am sitting pretty….my dear little 92 year old mother has made reservations for 35 of us to join her at Lakeview Village for our dinner. No cooking! No cleanup! Of course, the downside of that is….NO LEFTOVERS! What will we do for food for the two or three days following the holiday? Good Grief! We will have to cook!

For those of you who will have leftovers, have you ever used Martha White’s recipe for Next DayTurkey Pot Pie? Pretty good stuff! Actually, I’ve never found one of her recipes that wasn’t good. So, if you have a lot of leftover turkey, give it a try.

Go to http://www.marthawhite.com and check out her webpage.

Next Day Turkey Pot Pie
Ingredients
Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
FILLING
1 tablespoon Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 (9 oz.) package frozen spinach in a pouch, thawed
3 cups cubed cooked turkey
1/2 cup chopped country or baked ham
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
TOPPING
1 1/2 cups Martha White® Self-Rising Flour
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preparation Directions
1. HEAT oven to 400ºF. Spray 13 x 9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with no-stick cooking spray. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add onion, carrots and celery; cook and stir until tender, stirring occasionally.
2. STIR in spinach. Spread mixture evenly in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle turkey and ham evenly over spinach mixture.
3. COMBINE soup, 1 cup milk and pepper in medium bowl; mix well. Pour soup mixture evenly over turkey and ham. Combine all topping ingredients in same medium bowl; stir until smooth. Pour over soup mixture.
4. BAKE 40 to 50 minutes or until golden brown.

Of course, there is always the famous Kentucky recipe “Hot Browns”, a special turkey sandwich.

6 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 1/2 cups turkey or chicken broth 1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
12 slices toasted bread
sliced turkey
paprika
12 slices tomatoes
12 slices bacon, cooked

Preparation:
In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Blend in flour; stirring until smooth. Stir in salt and pepper. Gradually add broth and milk. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened. Add grated cheese; simmer for about 8 minutes. Sauce will be quite thick. Arrange 2 slices of toast on each of 6 ovenproof plates. Top each slice of toast with turkey slices, cover with sauce, then sprinkle with a little paprika. Top each with a slice of tomato and a slice of cooked bacon. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until sauce is bubbly. Hot brown sandwich recipe serves 6.

Once the pumpkin pie is gone, what will you do for dessert?


Pecan Pie Squares                           
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces
Cooking spray
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 large egg
4 large egg whites
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press flour mixture evenly into bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray, using a piece of plastic wrap to press mixture firmly into pan. Remove plastic wrap. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
3. Combine brown sugar and corn syrup in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring gently.
4. Combine egg and egg whites in a medium bowl. Stir one-fourth warm syrup mixture into eggs; add to remaining warm syrup mixture. Stir in pecans and vanilla. Pour mixture over crust.
5. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until set (the filling will puff up as it bakes but will deflate as it becomes set). Remove from oven; cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy

Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy
oil painting by Kay Tucker

Somerset Autumn on Wea Creek

Somerset Autumn on Wea Creek
Oil Painting by Kay Tucker, Private Collection

Floral

Floral
oil painting by Kay Tucker

Kansas Storm

Kansas Storm
oil painting by Kay Tucker, Private Collection

Watercolor Collage

Watercolor Collage

Tempo al Tempo....All in Good Time

Tempo al Tempo....All in Good Time
48"x36" sculptural painting by Kay Tucker