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Archive for the ‘General’ Category

I like participating in food blogging events when I can, because they challenge me to come up with variations or to try food combinations I probably would not have thought of on my own. Paper Chef provides a random collection of ingredients and you prepare a recipe using all of those ingredients, like Chopped on the Food Network. Unfortunately, I missed the deadline, but here’s the recipe anyway

This one is an especially interesting mix: honey, ricotta, dill – and an egg.

A recipe came immediately to mind when I saw those ingredients, though. In 2008, I won a cookbook called “Covered in Honey” in a recipe contest at Joelen’s Culinary Adventures, and made Scones with Honey, Rosemary and Goat Cheese. So I thought, why not replace the rosemary with dill and the goat cheese with ricotta, and see what happens?

I was afraid the dill would be really strong, so I used a rather light hand with it – should have used more. The scones have a very light dill scent and flavor, but I think I could have doubled it and had a better result. The ricotta gives the scones a very creamy texture and the honey sweetens them just perfectly. This one is well worth repeating, with some extra dill – I doubled it in the recipe below.

Savory Scones with Honey, Ricotta and Dill

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup herbal honey
1 large egg
1/2 cup cream or whole milk
1 tbsp. dill, chopped
5 oz. ricotta cheese
Additional cream or milk for glazing

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. In another bowl, lightly whisk the olive oil, honey, egg, cream or milk and 2 tsp. of the dill. Use a pastry cutter or fork to blend the ricotta cheese with the flour mixture until the mixture makes pea-size crumbs.

Make a well in the flour mixture and add the olive oil mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until a dough ball forms. Remove the dough ball to a lightly floured surface and knead lightly, just enough to form a workable ball.

Pull off about 1/8 cup-size pieces of dough, roll each in your hands to form a ball, and lightly flatten a bit. Place dough pieces on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or a Silpat, about 1 inch apart. Brush tops with more cream or milk and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tsp. dill. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Yesterday, Dan and I attended the Scottish Walk in downtown Portsmouth, which expresses appreciation for the town merchants. A couple hundred people turned out for a walk led by a Colonial-era bell ringer and accompanied by the music of bagpipes.

At Admiral’s Landing on the riverfront, we were treated to a rousing call to revolution, circa 1779, and a gun salute to each of the rebelling colonies. It was great fun.

Virginia Beach Technology Company in Inc’s Top 500 – Turning Paper Charts into Electronic Records Results in 550 Percent Revenue Increase

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Dad, Brad, Uncle Steven and I were talking about health care policy at dinner and the question of how much money can be saved by using electronic medical records came up. Turns out … a lot.

The theme for this week’s photo is circular. Dan potted up some plants for the patio last weekend, and this beauty is one I’ve never seen before. It’s an African daisy. Isn’t it gorgeous?

Last weekend, I was a hostess at one of the homes on the Holiday Home Tour our neighborhood civic league, the Port Norfolk Civic League in Portsmouth, Va., puts on as a fundraiser every year. Below is one of the homes on the tour – Culpeppers Boat Rental and the family’s home.

It’s an interesting building – the front is the store of a boat-rental operation where people can rent small boats for crabbing or fishing and behind it is living quarters for the family that owns the shop. It was really cute inside and they had a case of interesting antique fishing tackle, among other goodies.

Just had to share:

more animals

Last Saturday, Dan and I went to the Seawall Arts Festival in downtown Portsmouth. It’s an annual event that draws artists from several states, held on Portsmouth’s main downtown drag, High Street. High Street ends at High Street Landing, a little man-made bay where boats can tie up and boaters can spend some time visiting antique shops, restaurants and other little jewels along High Street. Sunday was a beautiful, sunny day, not too hot, with a nice breeze.

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Portsmouth’s LaShawn Merritt won a gold medal in the men’s 400-meter race at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing yesterday. Dan taught him in two classes – Earth Science and Experimental Design – when he was a student at Woodrow Wilson High School.

Way to go, LaShawn! We’re proud of you!

ETA: And today, Aug. 23, LaShawn added another gold medal to his collection, winning the 1,600-meter relay, along with the rest of the men’s team. Congratulations to you all!

Dan and I have been watching the HBO miniseries “John Adams” on DVD through NetFlix. I think it’s very well done – we’ve enjoyed it a lot.

Have a great Fourth – I’m making all-American brownies and Southwestern potato salad to take to a cookout tonight.

24 years ago today, Dan and I tied the knot in my mother’s back yard in Michigan. It was a beautiful ceremony, outside, on the water, with rain for good luck (I’ve heard that, anyway). Happy Anniversary, sweetheart! Here’s to many more