brunch at the happy hippie house

Welcome to brunch at the Happy Hippie House–artwork courtesy of Tracy Dove, vittles courtesy of moi!  I whipped up a quiche with caramelized red onion, bacon, fresh spinach, zucchini, basil,  and feta; homefries with onions and garlic, o,j. in our fabulous vintage Tang pitcher–thanks mom! and fresh fruit with yogurt and granola–thanks Bountiful Baskets and The Bread Basket.  This is the best granola I’ve ever eaten!  Tomorrow, it is on to the grand adventure of making marmalade for the first time.  Come on back and read all about it! Til then, have a happy hippie Sunday!

If you haven’t done a lot of homemade bread, it is so  much less intimidating than people like to make you think.  It is well worth the waiting as it rises a couple of times, and you will be rewarded with the outrageous smells of fresh bread baking in your home!  Oh, and your friends will be so impressed with your gorgeous buns!  Happy Baking!

seems as if a mouse may have snuck a roll when I wasn't looking!

Rosemary Lemon Rolls (makes about 24 rolls)

• 1 (.25 oz. package) active dry yeast
• 1 T. sugar
• 1 c. water
• 1 c. milk at room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 2 t. salt
• 2 T. butter, softened
• 1/4 c. fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1/2 t. garlic powder
• 1 T. lemon zest
• 6 C. bread flour, divided
• 1 egg white

1. Dissolve yeast, sugar and water (heated to 110 degrees) in a smalll bowl; let stand for 5 minutes or until creamy
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer at low speed, slowly beat together the yeast mixture with milk, eggs, salt, butter, rosemary, garlic powder, lemon zest, and 4 cups of bread flour.  Add remaining bread flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough has pulled together.
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead for 5 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic.  Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
4. Grease two 9×13 inch baking pan; set aside.
5. Punch dough, and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.  Divide dough into 24 pieces; shape each piece into a round ball, and place in  prepared pans.  Cover and let rise in a warm, draft free place for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. Gently brush each roll with egg white.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.  Let cool in pans for 10 minutes; serve warm.

the optional 'mexican pack' add on for $7.50

If you know me in ‘real life’, than you most likely know about my complete infatuation with Bountiful Baskets.    Bountiful Baskets is a purchasing cooperative that offers fresh produce (and locally baked breads, granola, and other special offerings seasonally) at affordable prices.

I am all in favor of supporting a local vore culture, and absolutely do shop farmers markets as often as possible not only to support local growers but to lessen the carbon footprint of the food we eat.   That said, in a year when, as for most others, my husband and I are struggling more financially than ever before, I was looking for creative ways to get the most ‘bang for our buck’.  I have had to find the balance between wanting to eat all local and the sheer reality of needing to feed my family healthy food at the best possible price–without resorting to Wally World or buying a bunch of cheap,  processed crap. This was the initial ‘hook’ for me to begin using Bountiful Baskets, but the quality of the product and the hard work of the all volunteer staff, is what keeps me going back week after week.  It is a concession that I am willing to make.  I am so tired of the media telling us that we are all too broke or too busy to eat well.  This has never been more untrue!  Don’t buy into that mindset!  BB is one way to fight back against the idea that you can only eat affordably by eating poorly.  It is more vital than ever that we all ‘get back to basics’, i.e. canning, meal planning, getting creative, etc.  BB helps me to do all of this, and for that, it has become a priceless addition to our home.

The contents of a recent basket

The way it works is that for your $15 contribution ($25 for organic) you receive 2 laundry baskets of produce, one of fruit and one of vegetables.  There are locations listed all over the state of Arizona (as well as Washington, Oregon, Utah and Idaho) where you go to pick up your items.  You simply pick the location nearest you, prepay for your basket through the website using your debit of credit, and show up at the appointed time to retrieve your ‘goods’.    It is sort of like Christmas morning because you never know what you are going to get until you pick it up.  I have heard some people say they don’t like this aspect of BB because they get items they are unfamiliar with, or they get more of a particular item than they can use,  etc.   For me, that is part of the fun of it.  It is like a game for me to bring home my bounty and lay it all out on the kitchen table and make plans for what it will become.  For just the 2 of us, sometimes it is too much to use in a week, so what I know we won’t use immediately, I vacuum seal and freeze for later use.   Also, there is a bulletin board on the site where people are happy to help you figure out creative uses for 2 huge bunches of celery or a dozen baby bok choy.  Another option is to split a basket with another family.

My only words of warning:

1. the website is less than intuitive, and can be a bit confusing to get through, but once you navigate it the first time, it will be easier in subsequent visits.
2. Also, I’ve never seen it mentioned on the website that you need to bring your own bags or boxes to carry home your basket contents. (think large, heavy duty nylon type shopping bags, laundry basket, etc.)
3. there is a one time fee of $3 for your first order–be sure to uncheck this option when ordering from then on, as they will not give you a refund if you overlook this.
4. BB is run entirely by volunteers, so please keep this in mind if you are unhappy with something, have to wait in line, or are just generally having a bad day–DON’T take your frustrations out on the people that are donating their time and energy to bring this all together.

A different kind of Bountiful Basket or 30 lbs of cat in a 5lb basket

We met at my place early on a Saturday morning to peruse the market for the fixins of a grand meal that we would prepare together post-shopping.  It was a glorious day as we made the short trip to 1st St. and McKinley.  We made a plan to rendezvous at a designated time and then I set them loose to adventure on their own.   For many of the gals, this was their first trip to the market and it was a real joy to watch them take in the sights and sounds together.

I was armed with many market bags and the quick list of ingredients and menu ideas I had jotted down with the thought of what I might actually find based on season.    It was a fun sort of game to see which vendors had the items I needed and it was my goal to spend money with as many vendors as possible, to ’spread the love’, so to speak.

This was my kind of scavenger hunt, and it was not only fun, but as always, I am so inspired by the varied and gorgeous bounty that is available to us here in the Valley of the Sun.  Many people probably don’t even realize that we have access to locally produced beef, bison, gorgeous organically and sustainably grown flowers, fruits as well as wonderful artisanal breads, jams, tamales, etc.  My list was smallish, but diverse, and I was able to procure everything in one quick (less than an hour) walk around the market stalls.

Here is a run down of the menu that we enjoyed–all of which were made completely from items from The Downtown Phoenix Public Market! (with the exception of the champagne and a little raw sugar for the aqua fresca)

zucchini "noodles" to go with Bison meatballs

Appetizers:

• Fresh baked baquette Bruschetta with baby heirloom tomatoes, garlic, feta stuffed olives, fresh basil, olive oil
• Baby quesadillas with grilled corn and southwest spiced goat cheese

Salad:

• Mixed greens , roasted bell peppers, sauteed pears, and spiced pecans tossed with citrus/shallot/thyme vinaigrette

Pasta:

• Saffron fettucine with whole cloves of roasted garlic, butternut squash, bacon, walnuts, crispy sage leaves, French herb goat cheese
• Organic beef meatballs with fresh garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, in a quick homemade marinara served over ‘noodles’ of barely sauteed julienne cut zucchini

Dessert:

• Fresh Peach gallette with blackberry jam glaze served with Toasted almond and Sea Salt Ice Cream

Beverage:

• Watermelon and Lime aqua fresca with Prosecco

The weather was perfect for preparing and eating out in the front yard.  What a spectacular way to spend a gorgeous Arizona autumn day!

My Sunday morning girlfriends and I hit the Downtown Phoenix landmark early this morning, and, as always, it was sooo worth the wait! Of the 4 of us, I was the only repeat customer, and as the waiter pointed out–the rest of my companions ‘owe me’ for bringing them to the worship at the altar of Matt’s artery clogging goodness!

I had the cheese omelet with bacon added. A simple but blissful affair. The omelet comes with a side of their stupidly good home fries and 2 thick slices of generously buttered sourdough bread and the requisite accompaniment of Terra Verde Farms luscious blackberry preserves. I always have to restrain myself from swirling my tongue around the darling little ceramic dish that the preserves are presented in for fear that it might just be considered bad form.

Everything at Matt’s not only tastes outrageous, but is presented with such charm. My friend Julie had the winning moment of the morning, when upon seeing the super cute little red rooster glass the orange juice comes in, declared she MUST have an O.J.! Of course, it is freshly squeezed and perfect–she was delighted!

Vicky and Jenny, who share my ’sweet or savory’ dilemma, solved it by ordering one of each (the “Special” scramble with spinach, mushrooms, etc.) and the waffle and then split them. These are smart, smart ladies I breakfast with folks–real breakfast pros!

Some of you may also know about our famous “Lingo Family Thanksgiving”, a tradition that was started more than a decade ago.   This annual event has grown from maybe 20 or so merry makers, to last years record breaking 115+ attendees!  That breaks down to four 20 lb. birds, about 50 lbs. of mashed potatoes, at least one keg of Four Peaks Ale, and uncountable great memories with good friends.

I realize that this year has been a tough one for many of us, but I also know that we as a community are blessed beyond measure in so many ways.  This year, my thought is that we can enjoy our usual stellar celebration while also sharing with those less fortunate through the Come Together Campaign.

This is all still in the planning stages, but I think that “The Good Karma Mushroom” could make a huge difference this year in the lives of so many.

Look for details to come soon, and until then, if you are local and want to be part of our ‘little’ event, mark your calendars now and save the date!  Saturday, November 28th.

my gorgeous Auntie Berta "The Bird" (on left), at her 80th Birthday Celebration. That's my gorgeous Mamacita on the right.

This is particularly exciting because about 2 months ago, I began very seriously contemplating making the leap of faith to quit (one of) my jobs to pursue a completely new career as a personal chef.  I was really stuck when it came to a ‘catchy’ name for this new venture.

As I often do when I am in need of a sounding board, I called my mom to pick her brain.   Unfortunately, she didn’t really have any ideas, but said she would ask “Auntie Bird”, because, “she always has great ideas about such things”.   I was so tickled when the next day, I got a call from Auntie.  She was so excited and sounded like she was just going to pop as she explained to me that she had the ‘perfect name’ for my business.  “Denise is cooking!” she said enthusiastically.  I have to admit, I was a little ‘underwhelmed’, until she began to explain…”Just imagine, my husband says to me..’honey, what are we going to do about dinner?’ and I say, ‘Don’t worry…Denise is Cooking!’…that’s it!  it has to be that, it’s perfect” she said.  I giggled and agreed to give it some thought.

Well, as you can see by the name of this website and blog–I came around to her way of thinking…and now…I am proud to present to my precious Auntie Berta (and the rest of the world wide web), my new ‘baby’.  I had mentioned Auntie’s idea to my dear husband (and resident web guru) and he was completely supportive of the idea.  Imagine my surprise when I awoke one morning last week to find that after our conversation, he had secretly bought the domain and started putting together the ‘bones’ of what is now deniseiscooking.com.  I was in tears when I sat here at my computer and realized that I had so many wonderful people who believed in my dream and wanted to see it come to fruition.

I am so blessed to have the inspiration and support of such wonderful friends and family to guide me in this new adventure!  Please keep me in your thoughts as I leap off the cliff and trust that the universe will indeed catch me and help me to fly into a prosperous and fulfilling future.

Julia Child wisely said,  “Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it”.  Well, I am passionate about good food and can’t wait to see what new avenues this interest will open up to me.

Thanks Auntie, and Happy Birthday!  I love you more than ice cream!  (and that’s A LOT!)