Some things are worth the trip. Especially when they’re hand-crafted food products that are local, organic and gourmet. Yes, it’s worth the drive out to Queen Creek, Arizona to visit The Queen Creek Olive Mill where you can take in a factory tour or stroll the orchard, savor gourmet olives, sample fig or pomegranate white balsamic vinegars, try tasty tapenades and take home fresh pressed extra virgin olive oils infused with chocolate, white truffles, bacon, roasted garlic, Meyer lemon or blood orange. Then there’s the Tuscan-inspired eatery, wine tastings, music and dancing. The Queen Creek Olive Mill is Agritourism at it’s best, and the booming town of Queen Creek has had Arizona’s only olive working farm and mill all to itself for the last 17 years. If Queen Creek is too far of a trek, you can visit Queen Creek’s Oils And Olives at Kierland Commons in Scottsdale. But the Olive Mill is certainly worth the drive.
Owner Perry Rea started with 10 acres, 1000 olive trees and a retired career in the automotive industry. Now with 25 acres, 16 varieties of olives and 40 products under the Queen Creek label, many of us are happy that Rea switched from motor oil to olive oil. At the heart of everything that Rea does is creating a fun friendly atmosphere where families can gather around the table and enjoy good food, whether it’s at the olive mill or in your own home. So that brings me to my new favorite product from QCOM. Bacon infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil. What that means is you now get all the tantalizing flavor of bacon without any of the bacon fat. What better way to enjoy this dynamic duo of olive oil and bacon than with a good old fashioned Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing, the flavor richly enhanced by full-bodied Queen Creek Fig Balsamic Vinegar? This recipe was created just for you by Perry — for olive us to enjoy!
fresh lemon juice
Easter Deviled Eggs
They should be called “Angel” eggs because it seems as though just about everyone loves them. In fact, Deviled eggs are generally the first things to be gobbled up at a gathering like Easter Brunch. There are hundreds of variations on the popular party food that Julia Child simply called Stuffed Eggs. Can you just hear her, reading a line from her own book, Julia Child’s Menu Cookbook?
“I do think eggs look most attractive and professional when filled with a pastry bag and cannelated tube!”
Once I found out what the heck “cannelated” meant (fluted or grooved) I agreed with her! So, just in case you have some extra hard boiled eggs in the refrigerator after Easter egg dyeing this week, or you are hosting a get-together tomorrow, let me share one of my favorite recipes for Deviled Eggs. I found it in one of my oldest cookbooks called Quantity Cookery from 1922. I didn’t think you’d appreciate a recipe, however, that calls for 96 halves (or 6 pounds) of hard boiled eggs. I got the recipe down to a manageable size and started with an egg yolk and mayonnaise base. Softened butter and cream cheese add a rich, smooth texture while spicy mustard, prepared horseradish and Worcestershire sauce all add the kick. In fact, many Deviled eggs recipes I came across had dashes and splashes of flavor like lemon juice and hot sauces added to the base, which just goes to show that when it comes to Stuffed Eggs, the Deviling is in the details. Happy Easter and happy brunching!
Salmon Wellies
It was always the elegant “signature dish” reserved for special occasions like weddings or a New Year’s Eve celebration. Beef or Salmon Wellington with its beautiful puff pastry encasement was truly the fine dining darling of the 1960’s.
But take away the fête factor, and you have a fabulous weeknight or Sunday supper that turns a fresh piece of salmon into something really wonderful–especially if you give it a quick grill before enrobing it with dough. This recipe also included the ingredients for a classic Duxelles–that magical blend of butter, garlic, shallot and finely chopped mushrooms. That’s the second layer of deliciousness. The third is a layer of fresh, tender baby spinach. Slice through the layers of delicate puff pastry and enjoy the show!
Strawberry Pie
What a delicious way to combine Mother’s Day with a delicious Spring Pie! This Heart Shaped Strawberry Pie has a sweet history that’s worth remembering! In 1949 if you had wanted to know about rural life in Iowa, you would have looked to Evelyn Birkby, the newspaper columnist, author, and radio personality who for almost 60 years shared stories of farm life, recipes and tales from her own country kitchen. Evelyn was also one of the famed “Radio Homemakers” who, for 40 years broadcast across a five-state area on radio station KMA in Shenandoah, Iowa. (In the 1950s, domesticity dominated the lives of most rural Iowa women. Somewhat isolated on the farm, many relied on the radio to hear a friendly voice. The KMA Radio Homemakers were the ones they turned to for advice and information about cooking, gardening, household hints and beauty tips.) Evelyn Birkby was by far the most popular of the “neighbors on the air,” helping women with everything from menu planning to child rearing. For more than a quarter century Evelyn was a regular monthly columnist for Kitchen-Klatter Magazine, and broadcast on the syndicated Kitchen-Klatter radio program. Birkby is the author of ten books radio homemakers. Her book Up a Country Lane stitches together stories, photographs and recipes from Iowa farm life in the 1940s and 1950s. The Strawberry Pie in Up a Country Lane is reflective of all of the recipes in the cookbook. They are fun, simple, and were often sent in to Evelyn from her adoring radio fans and newspaper readers. While so many recipes for Strawberry Pie use a strawberry gelatin as a thickener, the
natural pureed strawberries in this version really gives this pie a through and through fresh strawberry flavor. I think you Mom will enjoy a little neighborly Iowa hospitality with Evelyn Birkby’s summertime favorite!
Barbecue Pork Sandwich
I appreciate wine so much more after this recipe. Not because there’s wine anywhere in the dish, but because it was the wine that loosened the lips of Mrs. Stebbins that finally got her to give up her secret recipe for the most scrumptious Barbecue Pork ever! I received the recipe and story from Chandler resident Ann Todd and I loved both so much I couldn’t wait to share them with you! “Jan, my mom, Liz Ramsey, makes this recipe for weddings– mine in fact! She also makes it for parties, picnics and other promotions.” Ann told the story of her Mom’s friend, Mrs. Stebbins who would sit in the front of her house cross legged, leaning against the door reading a novel and having a glass of wine in the sunshine. Ann’s Mom had Mrs. Stebbins’ Barbecue Pork at a party and really wanted the recipe. Mrs. Stebbins didn’t want to give it up because she didn’t want the secret out so that she could make it every time she had a party. However one afternoon after one of those reading and sipping in the sunshine sessions, she was a little loose-lipped and let the secret of her great barbecue pork out. She just walked into Liz’s kitchen and said, “Oooooo-kay!” If you’re looking for a delicious and hearty recipe for your Super Bowl spread this year, you’ve got a winner right here. Devour it and raise a glass to Mrs. Stebbins!
Strawberry Fool Dessert
Don’t you just love having recipes that are so simple and yet produce the most stunning results? I can guarantee that if you make this light, fluffy mousse-like dish, folks will wonder how you found time to make such an exotic dessert! Well, they have just been Fooled! Yes, it’s called Strawberry Fool and I think it may be a new favorite for you and your family! We should rename this delight The Four Ingredient Wonder. That’s all it takes to create Strawberry Fool, and it couldn’t be easier to whip up! What gives this strawberry mixture a wonderful texture is straining out the grainy strawberry seeds. You’re left with a perfect puree that will easily blend into the whipped cream. I’m pretty obsessed with this dessert and I plan on trying it with fresh peaches, pineapple and mango. I love the name, too! In doing research on this centuries-old dessert, many accounts claim the word “fool” is most likely derived from the French verb “fouler” which means “to press.” One thing’s for sure. I’d be a fool not to make this for my dessert-loving family members!
Watch My How To Video For Strawberry Fool here!
