Letting Go of the First Hand Who Held Mine~

Catherine "Kay" McCandless
April 16,1921- January 18,2012

My heart,my life, my love...Mom.

Wonderful,Easy Potatoes

MUFFIN TIN ONION GRUYERE POTATO STACKS~ FROM STONEGABLE'S KITCHEN
5 baking potatoes
2 onions, chopped
6 TBS butter
1 1/2 cups grated cheese, Gruyere or cheddar
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
heavy cream or half and half
cooking spray
thyme sprigs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Thinly slice raw potatoes. I use a Mandoline but they can be carefully hand sliced into thin even slices. Set aside.
Melt butter (about 4 TBS) in a large skillet and saute onion over a low heat until translucent and slightly golden. Add 2-4 TBS butter in the pan and melt the butter. Set aside.

Grate cheese. Gruyere is my favorite but cheddar works great too! Set aside.

Spray all twelve muffin cups of a regular size muffin pan.

Add 1 slice of potato to the bottom of each muffin cup. Salt and pepper. Add 1 more slice of potato. Top each potato evenly with 1/2 onion and butter. Add 2 more potato slices. Sprinkle 1/2 grated cheese evenly over potatoes. Add 1 more potato slice and salt and pepper. Add 1 more potato slice and evenly add the remaining 1/2 of onion and butter. Add 1 or 2 potato slices and top evenly with remaining cheese.

Pour 1 TBS cream over each potato stack.

Bake for 35 minutes until potatoes are tender. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.

Run a sharp knife around the edges of each muffin cup and pop each stack out with a fork.

Garnish with thyme.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Cooking spray
1 medium zucchini
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chocolate chunks


1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 by 4-inch loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Shred the zucchini lengthwise, turning to get as much flesh and as little seed as possible. When you get down to the seeds, stop shredding and discard the seeds. You should have a generous cup of zucchini. Squeeze the zucchini by hand to remove excess moisture.

3. Whisk together the buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs in a large liquid measuring cup. Stir in the zucchini.

4. Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

5. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just incorporated, take care not to over mix. Fold in 3/4 cup of the nuts and all of the chocolate.

6. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan(s), scatter the remaining 1/4 cup nuts over the top. Tap the bottom on the work surface to distribute the batter in the pan evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour for the large pan and 35 to 40 minutes for the minis. Transfer the pan(s) to a wire rack to cool 30 minutes. Turn the bread out and let cool completely on the rack. Save in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Burrata- "Fresh Mozzerella stuffed with Ricotta"

My new,fabulous find,Burrata! Many may have heard of it and even tried it.A Burrata comes form the word Burro meaning butter..Need I say more! Once you do, you will want it again and again. We recently dined out in Margate @ Johnny's Cafe. They served a Burrata (funny my hubbie already knew what it was)over arugula with warmed grape tomatoes and balsamic drizzle. It was so wonderful and I will recreate it home. I received a tip from the waiter that Claudio's in South Philly make the best. Many other specialty stores sell it but it must be fresh and used in about 4 days. The search for the best Burrata is on!

Beach Box

This great off 33rd St find in Ocean Ciy is run by two best friends. Monica and Erin, with 8 kids btw them, still seem to manage a smile, great food and super kindness to all patrons. If you are on the beach or riding by, stop in for the best, casual bkfast and the most wonderfuls spinach salad for lunch. The gals make their own cookies and cupcakes with daily specials...Do not miss this!

Best Candles

Check out the Montag candles website. They are based in OK but sold throughtout the states. The butter rum is especially wonderful but all the scents are the highest quality,slow burning and extremely fragrant. Enjoy warming your home with the best!