Peppercorn Sauce (Sauce au Poivre)

This is an example of a sauce from the Espagnole (Brown Sauce) family. This is a recipe that uses a demi-glace as a short cut - instead of making a brown roux and adding in brown stock (usually beef). Demi-glace is half brown sauce, half brown stock reduced by half. I use a product called Demi-Glace Gold in this recipe that you can purchase at certain gourmet markets....

Sauce au Poivre

Ingredients:

1 shallot

1 oz. Butter (1/4 stick)

1 tablespoon Cracked Peppercorns

1/2 cup of red wine

8 ounces demi-glace*

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions: Melt 1/4 stick of butter in a sauce pan and sauté shallots (cooking quickly over high heat) until transparent for approximately 2-3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of cracked peppercorns. This is the hardest part to making this sauce. I opted for putting the peppercorns in zip lock bag and cracking them on my cutting board with a hammer. Noisy, but it works! Do NOT pound them too much or you will just pour in a LOT of pepper and have a really spicy sauce!

Add 1/2 cup of red wine, but don’t use plain old cooking wine, big mistake. Never cook with any wine that isn't for drinking. (I just buy a cheaper Cabernet Sauvignon from the wine section of the grocery srore.) Reduce this mixture to an essence which means until there is just a tiny hint of wine left in the pan. Add the demi glace*, stir (with a whisk if you have one) until completely incorporated.
Simmer until the sauce has thickened, approximately 5-6 minutes. The sauce is thick enough when it will coat a spoon. Add 1/4 cup of finely chopped parsley, stir, and serve over steak!

*If using More Than Gourmet's Demi Glace Gold, reconstitute 1.5 ounces with 8 ounces of hot water either in the microwave oven or on the stove and follow the recipe.

Compound Butter Recipes

Compound butter is simply butter with added flavors mixed in. It’s not just like buttering an item and then adding a sprinkle of the flavor - compound butter becomes a unique flavor unto itself. One of the simplest examples is honey butter, a simple blend of honey with butter, whipped together and served immediately. These butters are a very easy way to look like you went to a lot of trouble!

Herbed Butter
(Great on steak, lamb, etc!)
Ingredients
1 pound butter
3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
1 tablespoon thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon sage, chopped
1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped

Directions:
Chop the butter into uniform chunks.
Place the oil into a food processor and add the chives. Process until the chives are finely chopped. Add the remaining herbs and blend until the herbs have colored the oil.
Using a whisk attachment, whip the butter in a mixer's work bowl at medium speed until it softens and lightens in color, about 5 to 7 minutes. OR You can simply soften the butter on the counter - but do not melt it!
Add the herb oil to the butter and beat for 2 minutes until oil is fully incorporated. Remove butter from bowl and spoon onto parchment paper or plastic wrap. Roll into a log, using the edge of a baking sheet to form a tight log. Chill for 2 hours before serving.
Just as you take your steak hot off the grill, cut a slice of the butter and lay it on top. It looks fancy and tastes great!
** I have used dried herbs before and it still tasted good... I would just let it sit in the refrigerator longer.... but fresh is BEST!


Honey Butter
Ingredients
1 pound butter
1/4 cups honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped Cream (NOT whipping cream!)

Directions
You can either soften the butter and simply beat in the ingredients, or you can cut the cold butter into chunks and put it in a mixer's work bowl and beat at low speed, using the whisk attachment to loosen the butter. Increase the speed to medium and add the honey, cinnamon, and vanilla extract and beat until well combined, about 5 to 7 minutes. I also throw in a heaping spoonful of whipped cream to make it really fluffy and yummy! Remove butter from bowl and spoon onto parchment paper or plastic wrap. Roll into a log and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Missing Mom

My friend Becky sent this to me today.... It really reached out to me and how I feel so I had to post it...it is out of a book, Loud and Clear, a compilation of novelist, columnist, Anna Quindlen's columns that she wrote for Newsweek & The NY Times. Only a short portion of the book is about the loss of her mother. Here is part of it....
"We're different, those of us whose mother has gone and left us to fend for ourselves. For that is what we wind up doing, no matter how good our fathers, or family, or friends: On some deep emotional level, we fend for ourselves...."
"The funny thing is that the loss makes us good and happy people in some ways, too, in love with life because we know how fleeting and how precious it can be. We have our priorities straight. When I quit a great job as a columnist because I wanted to take up another great job as a novelist, lots of readers couldn't understand why I would give up a public forum for a quieter, more private one. The answer was simple: I wanted to. But I knew to do what I wanted, when I wanted, because I know that today is the only certainty I possess. I'm pretty sure I'll die a woman without regrets. My mother left me that, along with her engagement ring."
"There's a hole in my heart, and nothing to plug it. The truth is that there's no one, ever, in your life like your mother. And that's even if she's a bad mother, punitive, critical. Your mother is the mirror. Whether you elect to gaze at the reflection with equanimity, to tilt the glass or crack it outright, it is the point from which you always begin."

Prayer

I have an amazing friend that has been going through so much this week with a younger brother in the hospital after a terrible motorcycle accident this past weekend. I think about her and her family all day but I hesitate to call... I just don't want to bug her or interrupt her. That and I know from personal experience that sometimes emotions are so raw... it just gets hard when people ask over and over... how are you... hows your brother... hows your family... it gets overwhelming.

I see her and work with her a lot so I just offer any help and support that I can.... babysitting, dinners.... anything to help ease her burdens.... and just try not to ask too many questions.

I have been amazed and grateful that for the last couple of nights she has been sending out an email with updates on her brother and on how her family is coping and holding up. Tonight she wrote about the power of prayer and included this beautiful story... i hope she doesn't mind me sharing it...

This story was written by a doctor who worked in Central Africa .

One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive; as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator). We also had no special feeding facilities.

Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates).

'And it is our last hot water bottle!' she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.

'All right,' I said, 'put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm.'

The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.

During prayer time, one ten-year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. 'Please, God' she prayed, 'Send us a hot water bottle today. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.'

While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, 'And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?'

As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say 'Amen'? I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!

Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the porch was a large 22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly... excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box.

From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend.

Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the...could it really be?

I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could.

Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, 'If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!'

Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted! Looking up at me, she asked, 'Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?'

'Of course,' I replied!

That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it 'that afternoon'.

Our thoughts, love and prayers are with you, your brother and your sweet family M...

Missing in Action

I have been trying to decide after such a long absence in the blogging world if maybe its time to quit. We have been so very busy the last 2 months..... its been a bit overwhelming and I am exhausted!

A VERY quick recap:

Our oldest 3 kiddos perform in the Gilbert Fine Arts production of Thoroughly Modern Millie.... and I handled all cast presale ticket sales. A BIG job. We were at the auditorium frequently past 10pm every night for 3 weeks. (Rehearsals started in December...)

For some reason (ha ha) I got sick in February and couldn't shake it.... I was sick for 5 weeks!! And yet... the play must go on and the volunteers must be there to help!!

I was also called as a YCL leader for camp. I am VERY excited about this opportunity.... but it is a LOT of work too! Meetings, High Adventure trips, certifications, Psych Night.... the list goes on and on!!

For fun I help with food on the Enrichment committee....(my actual church calling is teaching in Primary...)

Spring Break = Disneyland and Lego Land!!

I was just elected Secretary for the Valle Del Sol Golden Retriever Club in Phoenix.... I am not sure WHAT I was thinking when they asked me to do this one....and then I agreed!!

We got a darling new 4 pound Coton De Tulear puppy from Paris.... we named him Armani....

Most everyone knows that I have a rather different "hobby". I breed and show European imported cream colored Golden Retrievers (and someday Coton de Tulears as well...). On Saturday we had 11 golden retriever puppies.... 3 of which were born in the back of my Ford Excursion at various stops along the 101.... Luckily Katie was with me and is now very good at getting the sacks off newborn puppies, drying them off and making sure there is no fluid in their lungs.... all of which she would do while I was trying desperately to reach exits to get off the 101....in heavy traffic!! You can see our babies on our puppy blog at http://www.wagsnwiggles.blogspot.com/

I attended 3 weekends of dog shows... one just to help our club out working a booth and 2 in the ring myself. Our Diva is now an International Champion and is 1/2 way to a UKC Championship as well....

SO ... over the past 2 months I have stopped exercising... I have been eating TERRIBLE.... I have not been in touch with many of my friends... I have forgotten VERY important birthdays.... just dropping all sorts of balls!!! I am trying to get back to normal but life keeps getting in the way! Life with 6 kids active in church, scouts, sports and music is frequently CRAZY. When you add my canine gang and all that comes with properly caring for them... well you get the picture.

Just be patient with me if I am preoccupied or forgetful..... Life will slow down soon.... right?! (Maybe after Easter?? :)...)

My Movie STAR!!!

Today was a FUN day....

I had to be at the FOX studio at 9 am for a Disney promotional spot.... for my DOG!!!

Our new golden retriever puppy, Maverick, was asked to double for "Buddha" for the upcoming Disney movie - Space Buddies!!!! Today we did 2 shows.... the morning show on FOX and the mid-day show on NBC.

He looked OH so CUTE dressed in a space suit and wearing his trademark Buddha necklace.

I hope all the attention doesn't go to his head!!!

I will post the clip on YouTube soon!!

Too Many Kids???

I just got a call from our piano teacher. Our oldest 4 kids all play piano (we start them when they turn 7). She is nice enough to let us drop them all off at her house for their lessons ...for 2 hours!! While 1 kid is having their lesson, the other 3 do their homework.

Today after John picked the kids up, the piano teacher called and asked... "Guess what you forgot???" (I could hear the grin in her voice...."

"Adam forgot his homework and backpack... AGAIN!!!????" I replied......

"No...................he forgot Olivia...... "


WHAT!!!!

This Week for Dinner....

On Saturday I sat down with all the kids and asked them each what meals they would like for dinner this week. Some of their responses surprised me!! (but pleased me!!)

Katie - Taco Salad (Aunt Sheryl's recipe on Fritos with Honey French Dressing)
Rachel -Homemade Southwest Hamburgers (with shredded pepper jack cheese, fajita seasoning, a touch of ground sausage and diced jalapenos mixed right in the meat - served with guacamole and salsa... YUMMY!)

Adam - Shrimp Jambalaya (I love that my kids will eat this.... it has been a family favorite for years... with Chopped rotisserie chicken, smoked sausage and shrimp - a bit SPICY!)



Olivia - Oriental Lettuce Wraps (at Sams Club.... EASY and fast!)

Eric - Pizza (no surprise there....)

It was a really fun week.... the kids got so excited when I served their meal and it was nice for me to not have to come up with this weeks meal ideas!

Lion House Shrimp Jambalaya

2 Tbsp. butter

1 1/2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules

1/2 c. sliced celery

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 c. copped green or red bell pepper

1/8 tsp. thyme

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh garlic

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/2 c. uncooked long-grain rice

1 small bay leaf

1 c. cubed, cooked chicken (I use left over rotisserie chicken)

1/2 pound fresh or frozen raw shrimp, shelled, deveined and rinsed

1 c. water

1 16 oz can tomatoes with liquid

1/2 pound smoked sausage, cooked and cut into 1/4-inch slices

Hot pepper sauce

Melt butter in a 3 quart saucepan; add celery, bell pepper, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat, until vegetables are tender (4 to 6 minutes). Stir in rice, chicken, water, tomatoes with liquid, sausage, bouillon granules, paprika, thyme, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and bay leaf. Over high heat, cook until mixture comes to a full boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender (20 to 25 minutes).

Add shrimp; continue cooking until shrimp turn pink (4 to 5 minutes). Remove bay leaf. Serve with hot pepper sauce.

A trip to Phoenix

Last weekend we decided to take the kids on a fun adventure.

We rode Phoenix's new Light Rail into downtown and explored the sites.

It was a pretty long ride.... so we kept Sophie entertained with bubble gum.

I think she ate 4 sticks of Juicy Fruit along the way.... :)

We started off at Bank One Ball Park....

and stopped by a Mining and Mineral Museum...

and ended at the State Capital where we looked at all the war memorials.

Above is the anchor to the USS Arizona sunk at Pearl Harbor.

... looking up at the flag pole of the USS Arizona....

Afterwards we rode a city bus back to the light rail stop....

Ya gotta sit in the WAY back you know!

On the way home we stopped in at Rosa's for dinner.

It was a really fun day for the whole family!

Thank You Friends!!

I just wanted to make a short post to say "Thank You" to all my friends that have called me, posted , and commented to me in person about my previous post. The response to my last post was amazing....

I even had one of my best friends from high school who also was a roommate at BYU call me out of the blue a few days ago. It was amazing.... not to mention extremely timely!! We have always stayed in touch but we haven't always called or written as much as we should. Luckily neither of us has ever taken offense at the lack of communication.... we both know we are both busy with life.... my 6 kids and her 4 boys!! Anyway, she called after reading my post and thanked me for being such a great friend to her in college. Leaving her family was very difficult for her and my happy, partying college girl ways helped her a lot to get her mind off of her troubles and to help her through it! What can I say.... I wanted to have a really FUN time in college... and we DID!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR CALL DEBBIE!!! It meant a LOT to me that day!!

Anyway...no worries!! The day after that post I woke up feeling better.... Like the clouds had parted and the sun was shining! I am happy... I am healthy... and I am FEELING GOOD!! I am going to make an effort not to dwell on the things I didn't accomplish but rather on what things I am going to accomplish! I am going to be positive and happy.... its the best for my family, for me and for all my amazingly supportive friends!

THANK YOU ... THANK YOU... THANK YOU!!!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!