Episode 6: Salad Dressing

This is the best salad dressing recipe in the world. My mom got this recipe from Miss Courtney a couple years ago and now it is the only salad dressing we eat. And we eat a ton of salad.

What you need:
1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of Dijon or yellow mustard
A couple sakes of pepper

Throw all of these ingredients into a blender or small chopper and blend until it's all smooth. Taste it with a crouton. Yummy!

We change this recipe up all of the time. When it was basil season I threw in about a handful of basil in every batch. Sometimes I throw in dill or parsley or cilantro. This recipe also works with lemon juice instead of vinegar. But the original version is always yummy so make that first and then get creative.

Episode 4: Pie crust

Last week we were invited to a potluck and the plan was to take an apple pie. So we made the pie and split it into two episodes. Consider this Part 1 of 2: The crust.

When I made this recipe I used a little whole wheat flour. You can use the same portions and make it totally with all-purpose flour or totally with whole wheat flour. I've also made this same recipe with pastry flour. Since it was a fruit pie I went easy on the whole wheat. But if you're making chicken pot-pie or something like that then you may want to make it meatier.

You will need:
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1/4 cup of whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup of cold butter, cut into small pieces
3 or 4 tablespoons water

Mix together the flour and salt. If you're making your crust in the mixer just put the butter in and let it get mixed up with the flour. If you're doing it by hand just cut it in with a pastry cutter (Like I did with the biscuits in Episode 3.) or use two knives to cut it in. Then add up to 4 tablespoons of cold water. In the mixer you almost never need more than 3 tablespoons because it mixes really well. If you're doing it by hand you may need 4, but don't use more than that. It will get too gooey and hard to work with. Keep mixing until it's all moist and can form into a ball. Make a disk and wrap in plastic to use later or roll it out and top your favorite pie. The disk will keep in your fridge for a few days in and in your freezer for a couple weeks.

One of the best things about making pie crust is that it doesn't have any eggs. That means you can taste it. It's so buttery and YUMMY! Even before you cook it!

Episode 2: Orange juice and posicles

In this show I visited my friend's orchard for fresh oranges. When you make your juice you can get a bag of juice oranges from the market. But if you live in Southern California or Florida then you should definitely make friends with people who own orchards. I also prefer organic oranges. They're the yummiest. After you bring home your oranges it is best to rinse them off first. (It is windy in Southern California so they collect a lot of dust.) After you rinse them, slice each one in half. Then squeeze them until you get every drop of juice out. Pour them into pretty cups and garnish with orange slices, mint leaves or anything else edible you have lying around.

If you have juice left over, make popsicles! I always put frozen fruit in the bottom of my popsicle molds before I pour in the juice. In this episode I used raspberries, but you can use just about anything. Except peas. One time my mom gave us popsicles with peas and it was so gross. Freeze them for at least three hours or over-night. It's really hard to wait for them to get solid, especially when you know how yummy they'll be. Enjoy!

Episode 1: Cream Puffs

1/2 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 eggs

Filling: We used ice cream. But you can also used whipped cream, pudding or fruit.

Combine butter, 1 cup of water and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Bring to boiling. Add flour and stir. Cook until mixtures forms a ball that doesn't seperate. remove from heat and cool 10 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating with a wooden spoon until smooth. Drop batter by heaping tablespoons onto parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in a 400 degree oven 30 to 35 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack. Split. Fill. Devour. Makes 10-15.