Sunset Beach

Today I took a brisk autumn walk along Sunset Beach.  I love to sit and watch the water roll in and sift through the beautifully polished stones for quartz and sea glass.

I couldn't think of a better place to enjoy the end of my day.  What a fitting name for a beach.

An Autumn Breakfast

Use your abundance of pears to make a delicious sweet-savory morning meal:

1 small onion
1 pear
1 tbsp butter
baguette slices
cream cheese

Slice the onion into rings.  Melt the butter in a saucepan and begin to soften the onions.  As they begin to sweat, cut up the pear into bite size pieces and add to the pan.  Spread baguette with cream cheese.  Top with caramelized pears and onions.

French Apple Tart

These beautiful apples and the fall air inspired me to make an apple tart:

I used a recipe from a blog I occasionally read called My Photo Journal.  Her photography is exceptional.  I actually saw her post on French Apple Tarts months ago.  When I finally came home with my basket of apples this year, I searched and searched until I "rediscovered" her blog and this fantastic recipe.  I've made a few tweaks to it and I'm leaving it for you:

Sarah's French Apple Tart

(Inspired by Monika Kotus and Ina Garten)

Makes 2- 9 inch circular tarts

 

*Please attempt to make your own crust.  This recipe is so simple and you won't be disappointed!*

For the pastry crust:

  2 cups all-purpose flour

  1/2 tsp finely ground sea salt

  1Tbsp sugar

  12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

  ice water

Add all dry ingredients to food processor and buzz for a few seconds to blend them together.  Cut the butter into tablespoon-size squares and add to the mixture; process in pulses until the mixture resembles little pebbles.  Turn the processor on again and add ice water until dough begins to form.  Then remove the dough, knead together, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about an hour.

To Assemble the Tart:

  4-5 Apples (any variety good for baking will do, I used Idared)

  1/3-1/2 cup unrefined sugar

  4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter,small diced

  1/2 cup apricot preserves 

  2 tablespoons Brandy or water

 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel and core the apples, cutting them into slices 1/4 inch thick.  Roll out pastry crust and fit to the pan, trimming any extra off the edges.  Layer the apples in any pattern you like over the crust.  I chose a rose-like pattern, though all one direction might be particularly striking as well. Cut the remaining butter into small dots and disperse over the tart.  Sprinkle the sugar over the top.  Bake until the pastry and the apples start to brown (approximately 45 minutes to an hour).  Combine the apricot preserves and brandy/water and brush over the tart just after removing it from the oven. This dish can be enjoyed warm (perhaps with a bit of whipped cream) or at room temperature.

Close Up

Sometimes while on walks I find myself stopping to appreciate the tinier things.  I'm happy I have a camera that can capture some of the beauty I've encountered.

Here are a few of the beautiful small things I've encountered today.  I love the intricate shapes and textures.

 This is the immature fruit of Pokeweed.  Don't eat the berries!  They may be cute, but every part of this plant is toxic.

 This tiny flower is from the Jewelweed plant.  As a child, I used to search these plants out in the fall for their beautiful orange flowers and the surprise of their exploding seed pods (which gave the plant its nickname, "touch-me-not").  In case you find yourself with a bout of poison ivy or a rash from stinging nettles, crush the leaves of jewelweed and rub on the affected area for relief.

I love the photo of this honeybee hoarding pollen from a goldenrod plant.  That orange bump on its leg is only half of the collection it was bringing home to the hive.  What a diligent worker.

A close up of locust tree bark.

Next time you're outdoors, remember to take a moment to appreciate the small wonders around you.

To My Dad:

I just wanted to say that I'm thankful for you.  And that we both enjoy eachother's company.  And share so many interests in unconventional things.  Here are a few mementos from our annual father's day outing.  This year, we went to Turning Point park.  We all greatly enjoyed our little hike.

I love you.

For A Special Lady

My Mom is a special lady.

My favorite picture of her.

She's been there for me through thick and thin and has taught me more than she'll ever know.  One of those especially important things is how to appreciate a "Sun Strawberry."  Every June, mom and I make our way to a local farm to fill our baskets with ruby red, juicy strawberries.  There is nothing that compares to finding a perfect, sun-ripened one; it tastes exactly like the sunshine was captured in it.  If you could translate the warm feeling of sun on your skin into taste, a "sun strawberry" would be it.

Due to this appreciation for the perfect find, I always ate more berries than I picked.  Somehow, we still ended up going home with boatloads.  We'd wash, hull and crush them, preparing for her famous strawberry jam recipe that I enjoyed on practically every sandwich.  I will always cherish the memories of those perfect days in June.

Since Mom's birthday falls right into peak season, I had to make her a "sun strawberry" themed dessert.  I knew I couldn't compete with the jam, so I created a recipe for shortcakes topped with homemade whipped cream.  It was BETTER than it looks.

*tip: don't twist your biscuit cutter because you can seal the edges of the dough and make it harder for them to rise.*

Enjoy!

Strawberry Shortcakes

By Sarah Ledtke

approximately 5 servings 

Ingredients:

for biscuits:                                          For topping:

2 cups of all-purpose flour                     2 quarts "sunshine" strawberries, hulled

2 1/4 tsp. baking powder                       sugar to taste

1/2 tsp. baking soda                               Homemade whipped cream 

scant 1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 butter, cut in slices

3/4 cup buttermilk

  

For the biscuits:

  

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Mix together all dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the butter slices and cut in until mixture resembles moist crumbs.  Add buttermilk.  Mix until just moistened, then turn out onto a floured surface and knead until dough forms.  Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness and cut biscuits.  Brush with melted butter and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until biscuits have risen and browned slightly.

  

For the topping:

  

Mash strawberries and incorporate sugar to taste.  Chill until ready to serve.

  

To serve:

  

Cut the biscuits and place the bottom pieces in the serving dish.  Cover with strawberry mixture, and add the tops of the biscuits.  Scoop on more strawberries and top with whipped cream.

Happy Birthday Momma!

 

A Bit of Digging...

There's nothing better than finding buried treasure.  I've always loved the feeling I got when I discovered some object from an era gone by, whether it be in some cruddy box at a flea market, in my grandmother's jewelry box or even out in some stranger's trash (yes, I am a confessed dumpster diver).  Nothing compares, though, to unearthing little bits and pieces of history right from the ground.  I love to think about the last person to hold that object in their hand before me.  What were they thinking?  What was life like in their world?  How did this object end up here?

A few treasures that I've unearthed.

Most of us never realize we can find such amazing things just digging in the dirt.

Let me elaborate:

One thing about me that you absolutely must know is that I have quite a few hobbies.  One of these is metal detecting with my father.  Recently, we set out for our first official trip of the year: to a civil war memorial in a neighboring town.  I figured we'd find a few coins and mostly bottle caps, as the memorial is deteriorated and is used mostly as a party spot.  While the rest of my family stayed close to the tower, my boyfriend and I wandered off into the surrounding forest.  After frustratedly "detecting" all sorts of things and never actually finding them, I decided that the next time I heard the familiar beeping, I would persevere until I found something.  Just next to a protruding tree root, my chance arose.  I dug and dug, flinging dirt madly for close to five minutes.  Ready to give up, I sat back and wiped my brow while Ferdinando reached down into a loose pile of soil I'd thrown and discovered this:

At first, I have to admit I was a bit disappointed, after seeing some of the antique hardware my father had found and an 70s high school relay trophy that my step brother had uncovered, this button seemed so simple.  I brought it to my father and his eyes lit up.  He guessed that it was a civil war button, the kind of find that every metal detector dreams about.  I guessed it was a reproduction, just because I'd found it at a Civil War memorial; perhaps it'd been on the coat of some re-enactor.  My interest piqued, I placed it carefully in my pocket and kept looking.

About a hundred pop-tabs later, we decided to make the journey home.  As soon as we arrived, I went straight to the computer and searched online for civil war buttons  It was again disheartening, since my button looked nothing like the images on the screen.  Clicking around, I stumbled upon a military button database.  After some searching, I finally found that this was in fact a revolutionary war button, made in 1775.  I couldn't believe my eyes.  I am guessing that it is authentic since it is made of heavy pewter just like the original buttons.


It is such a feeling of wonder to hold something over two hundred years old in your hands.  To stand in the same spot that some continental army soldier once stood.  Long after this soldier, his children, his children's children, and even their children had passed away, this little pewter button remains.  It amazes me.