Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Put the butter in a 8×8 inch baking dish and place in oven to melt.

Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if using. Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Spoon on to plates and top with whipped cream or ice cream.

I cannot tell you how many times Captain Wentworth has dropped the “Darling, the Jones’s have invited us over for a drop of port tonight and I told them you would whip up a dish to bring,” at the last minute of course.

To which I answer, “Oh, how wonderful dear, I’ll make something fabulous in the half an hour I have between arriving home from the day job and leaving for the Jones’s.” [Insert fake smile and batting of eyelashes here]

Sometimes it’s a chore to do party after party if you’re unprepared and you work all day.  My dear friend Tia and I were discussing this subject just the other night over a glass of wine. We figured if you plan ahead in a minimal way you can whip up “fabulous” from the basics in the pantry.

You can save the world, or at least your sanity by always having:

Cream Cheese

Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

Here are a few ideas of what to do with them:

Cream cheese makes a great baked dip layered or mixed (layered is faster) with meat, cheese, salsa, sauce or vegetables.

For example:

Southwest Chicken Dip

One block of Cream cheese is spread on the bottom of a small baking dish, topped with shredded or cubed chicken, a jar of salsa and then cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for twenty minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

It takes five minutes to throw together and pop in oven, go fix your hair and make-up, change your clothes and you’re out the door in thirty.

Don’t have chicken? Use left over taco meat, turkey, sausage or steamed vegetables. Just make sure everything gets chopped- it needs to be scoopable! You can also use ham and BBQ sauce, turkey and cranberry dressing, crab and cocktail sauce.

Don’t have time to bake? Mix cream cheese with some marshmallow cream and chocolate chips, serve with graham crackers for instant S’mores.

Think of the possibilities if you have a few more minutes and a can of crescent rolls. You can stuff those bad boys with anything and they taste good.  Cocktail weenies are a given, but what if you don’t have them in the fridge? Think of all the great combinations we’ve talked about. Using the same concept, mixing ingredients together, fill triangles and pinch edges closed- then bake while you get ready. This takes a few extra minutes, but they are easier to transport than the hot baking dish, so it’s a toss up. This is great if you ate all of the tortilla chips last time you had a bad day.

Note: After writing this and asking Capt. Wentworth to read it over, I asked him why he likes springing invitations and a commitment to cook on me at the last minute. You know what he said? “I had no idea that stressed you out, plus you always tell me how much you like to cook.”

I can’t decide if he’s really that clueless or that inconsiderate, so I have decided to make him help next time.

Brandy Slush

Ingredients

7 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 12 oz. can frozen lemonade
1 12 oz. can frozen orange juice
2 cups water
4 tea bags
2 cups brandy

Take frozen lemonade and orange juice out to thaw. This makes life much easier later when you have to mix all ingredients together.

Heat 7 cups water with 1 cup sugar over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Make a strong tea with the other 2 cups of water and tea bags. Let cool.

In a large freezer container, combine sugar/water, tea, lemonade concentrate, orange juice concentrate, and brandy together. Freeze for 24 hours and serve with orange or lemon slice garnish.

We had one of these nights last week at our  local Japanese Steakhouse (one of our favorite dinner as theater gigs). Everything’s business as usual, hour or wine and conversation in the bar and then we wander over to the table for dinner, another glass of wine and a little sushi to start.

And then he showed up—on the surface he looked just like the other chefs in the house—but when he opened his mouth…WoooWoo! No, seriously this guy shows up and does the WooWoo thing all the way to the table followed by “Ayyy Mommie, you want meat RARE?” and  “Ooohhhh Mommie you want a taste, open you mouth wide Mommieeee” followed by shots of Sake being squirted from a squeeze bottle into the open mouths of our table companions.

Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot?!?!?!

Now, I’m all for social drinking and meeting new people, but looking like the baby bird to this guys alcoholic momma bird is a bit much, even for me. As this guy works his was around the table both D and I are trying to figure out how to avoid being included. You know that pressure you feel when you know something embarrassing is coming and you can’t escape it? We look at each other over our glasses of Copola Claret and know there is no hope for escape.

Everyone like a shot Mommieeeee!

So, here he comes around that famous U-shaped table toward us…and we are goaded into the shot by the other members of our party and our new friend the Chef with a “WooWoo” and an “open wide Mommie, you know you like to…”

WoooWoooo!

Imagine if you would a little Asian guy learning English from the Latin MTV channel. Now add to that Sake, fire,  knives and you have our night.

Ayyy Mommie you know you want it, open wide!

This proceeds through dinner and escalates as our dinner companions wind our chef up even more. At one point there was so much food being thrown around I was bobbing and weaving like a prize fighter. I personally caught a piece of zucchini in my cleavage and I thought it couldn’t get a any more interesting than that. I was wrong. This guy is so into shooting his hot sake into everyone mouths that he wont leave until we all have another one…except our timid and wonderful D…who he shot three times before parting.

Yeaaaa Mommie you like take one for road!

By the time we left our clothes were stained with soy and damp from the dribbles of sake down our chins and we smelled like Japanese whores.

Hell yea!  We’ll be going back, but next time we’re taking a table full of people…WoooWooo!

The first thing you will notice when you walk into this hot spot is the decor. Trendy, sleek and beautiful with hand blown glass light fixtures and a breezy curtain wall that separates the entrance from the dinning room. There’s a giant high-top table that can seat eighteen and a sexy bar that makes you want to have a drink. All together the place makes you feel like you’re doing the trendy downtown thing the minute you walk in the door.

Next thing you will find is a excellent wine list. Plenty of tasty wines by the glass and a list of bottles the likes of which you won’t normally find in a restaurant. There’s a long list of imported beers to go with the domestics and a couple of fruit beers so you can order up a black and red made of Lindeman’s Framboise and Guinness. The bartenders are knowledgeable and fun to hang out with and this is the bar of choice for an eclectic group of young townies, businessmen and couples.

Crave has an eclectic menu that at times can be a little daunting for the uninitiated. Here’s what I’ve figured out: read six words in to any of the lengthy descriptions and you’ll figure our what they are trying to serve you. Aside from the wordy descriptions, I have yet to find anything on this menu that disappoints. The chef brings out the best in all of the ingredients, using both the  ordinary and exotic to create something bursting with personality. The perfect example of this is the steak skewers marinated in beer and served with a smoked Gouda cheese dipping sauce. They serve up a mean Duck Confit salad with figs, goat cheese, baby spinach and candied almond brittle or a low-carb steak wrap with peppered bacon and Worcestershire aioli. One of the richest dishes on the menu is my favorite, the pan seared sea scallops with macadamia nuts over lobster ravioli is a dish you will adore for its layers of flavors and the surprise you get as they blend together in each new bite. As for the entrees, you can get lost in all of the choices but a sure thing is the Smoked Gouda Mac-n-Cheese with blackened chicken, it’s he dish that everyone raves about.

This is all basic comfort food taken to a new level. You don’t have to be a foodie to enjoy Crave, but you do need to have an open mind, my recommendation- let the chef do his thing and enjoy.

This is a great place for an night out, or a business lunch, but I don’t think you can have a romantic dinner here easily. Crave is a noisy place day or night, with lighting that lends to a more energetic atmosphere than a couple looking to canoodle would find conducive. On the other hand if you are tying to impress, this is the place to take the date!

Crave is open Monday-Friday for lunch and Monday- Saturday for dinner and if located at 57 E. Market St. They are closed on Sundays. Reservations are accepted, along with most major credit cards. Private room available.

For more info: Visit their web site for a look at the menu, hours, reservations  EatDrinkCrave

For those brave souls who want to come and have  a little dinner with us—and a few margarita’s— send me an email for time, location and directions!

jmb@menopausemafia.com

I prefer Rieslings from the Rhine River Valley. Being in a hurry I didn’t realize what I was picking up- I was pleasantly surprised to find a new wine that come from a region just a few miles away- from the Grand River Valley in Ohio!

Rich peach, apricot and floral aromas with a balance of sweetness and a tart finish. Check out the Debonne site http://debonne.com/ for more information.

Keep checking back for a post about a trip we are planning to go visit this and two other Ohio vineyards!

1 large chicken breast, cubed
½ onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 loaf Ciabatta or French bread cut in half
1 cup ranch dressing
¼ cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (any hot sauce)
½ bag shredded mozzarella

• In hot skillet cook chicken, tomato and onion in butter until chicken in done and onion is caramelized
• mix ranch and hot sauce to taste and spread on bread
• Top with chicken, tomato, onion and cheese
• Broil until cheese is melted and bread is browned

Beet Pickled Eggs

Beet Pickled Eggs

1 cup vinegar, white or cider

4 tablespoons of sugar

4 teaspoons of brown sugar

1 ½ tablespoons pickling spice

2 cans of beets, sliced or whole

1 ½ dozen hard boiled eggs

1 large onion, sliced

1 very large airtight glass Mason jar

• Combined vinegar, sugars, beet juice (setting beets aside) and pickling spice in a sauce pan
• Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes
• Remove from heat and let completely cool
• Place hard boiled eggs in Mason jar, add beets and onion slices
• Pour beet juice mixture over the top
• Seal jar tightly and refrigerate for 3-4 days

Cabbage Rolls

1 large head of cabbage
2 lb. hamburger
1 egg, slightly beaten
½ lb. sausage
¼ cup of rice (rinsed)
¼ cup of bread crumbs
1 small onion finely chopped
¼ of a green pepper diced small
salt, pepper, parsley flakes, Accent, and paprika to taste
1 package sour kraut
2 cans tomato sauce
Pork backbone/ribs (enough to cover kraut)

• Cut out core from cabbage
• Parboil cabbage in large kettle in boiling water for about 15 minutes or until leaves separate easily.
• Invert cabbage, hole side down to drain and cool.
• Separate the leaves ( about 20 )
• With sharp paring knife remove some of the hard portion (the large vein) of each cabbage leaf to make rolling easier.
• Combine hamburg, sausage, egg, rice, green pepper, onion, bread crumbs and seasonings
• Place meat mixture onto cabbage leaf, roll up and secure (tuck the ends in)
• Drain kraut and rinse
• Place kraut in bottom of pan
• Next place pork backbone on kraut
• Lay cabbage rolls on top
• Dice remaining cabbage on top of rolls
• Salt the cabbage
• Pour tomato sauce over all
• Cover with lid or foil tightly
• Simmer 4-5 hours at 350
• Delissioso!