Clotted Cream

When I saw this recipe on Pioneer Woman's site, rushes of memories good and bad at the same time rushed in.  After teaching 30 years I went into antiques in a big way.  I had been writing books and collecting heavily since the early seventies but when I got a taste of buying to sell and to research for my books, I started traveling every other month to London and Paris.  Coming home on the plane from London they always gave me a scone, clotted cream, and jam of some sort.  Now I loved this combination with a passion usually reserved for beef stew.  But, there is so much involved in coming home with 15 to 20 boxes and trunks filled with antiques, the thought of customs, the question will all the parcels arrive, and if they arrive how much damage can I assume will be there when I open the container?  That is what kept me from eating the treat right away.  I had no appetite until I was on the connecting flight home. I had nearly the same worries, but being back in America I knew I could get help of some kind. So, I usually carried the scone treat with me until I could eat it in peace.  Now I am not sure I could get in the country with a scone, clotted cream, and jam.  There is certainly a regulation against those dangerous combinations written someplace...let alone get into the country with 15-20 boxes and trunks.  Glad I did it, glad it's over.

Clotted cream  (it's hard to find in the stores and expensive) but this will certainly do.

4 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cut room temperature butter
1/2 cut sour cream

beat the cream cheese first
add butter to cream cheese and beat again
add sour cream to the cream cheese and butter and beat until smooth

How easy will that be?  

Vegetable beef soup

There was just enough stew left last night to turn it into a vegetable beef soup with tiny pasta floating around in the goodness this morning.  I'll send my 82-year-old husband off to school at OSU with a nice bowl of tasty soup.  He is taking two courses this semester, so he goes every day.  Astronomy is one and Christianity is the other. It makes for lively discussions, I can tell you that.

Cook's Corner came this morning and I must say they are not stingy with buying articles from other newspapers.  The Corner was packed with Asian delights today.  Remember the rice pilaf craze?  I served it at nearly every dinner party back then because it was so 'in.'  Well the recipe, which is simple to begin with, is in Cook's Corner today along with one I might try, shrimp meatballs.  Shrimp is a favorite and Asian cuisine does justice to them.

Shrimp meatballs (ebi dango)
1 pound of cleaned and minced (fine) shrimp
2 scallions, chopped equally finely
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons. plus 1 Tsp. soy sauce, divided
1 beaten egg
4 cups chicken or fish stock
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 head Chinese Napa cabbage, about 1 1/2 pounds cut into 1-inch cubes
8 dry mushrooms, reconstituted

In a large bowl, blend together shrimp, scallions, cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of the soy sauce and the egg.
In a large pot, season the stock with the remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and the sugar, bring to a boil.  Drop spoonfuls of the shrimp mixture into the stock and that will cook into dumplings.  When they rise to the surface, they are done.  Add cabbage and mushrooms.  Cook 7 minutes, covered, and serve with hot rice.