Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook (13 page)
Read Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook Online
Authors: Debbie Macomber
at
44
CRANBERRY POINT
with
Bob and Peggy Beldon
I
knew Bob and Peggy as high school sweethearts back when Peggy hung around with Olivia and Grace. Bob was a good friend of Dan Sherman’s, too, as I recall. They were on the football team and enlisted in the army together, leaving for Vietnam shortly after graduation.
Bob and Peggy were married after he returned from the war and they lived in Spokane for quite a few years. Every once in a while, I’d run into Bob’s mother, who’d tell me how they were doing, but Aggie died in the late ’90s. I heard nothing more about Bob and Peggy until the summer of 2002, when they moved back to Cedar Cove to retire. They bought the old Crockett property, which was a dilapidated, abandoned wreck of a place, a real eyesore out there on Cranberry Point.
When Bob and Peggy made an offer on it, the rumor was that they intended to turn it into a bed-and-breakfast. Well, the rumor was right, but I don’t mind telling you I was one of the skeptics. To my way of thinking, it would’ve been better to tear down that ramshackle old dump and build something new.
Bob proved me wrong. He must’ve worked night and day for six months. Some retirement! He told me he wasn’t interested in sitting around watching the grass grow, but I had no idea he’d turned into such a handyman. With only occasional hired help, he gutted the house, replaced walls and windows, re-roofed and painted the exterior.
Peggy did a lot of the interior painting and refinished the furniture they’d bought in junk stores. Not only that, she created the most beautiful gardens. All in all, the results are spectacular, and I’m not the only person who thinks so. They’ve been written up in some fancy travel magazines, too.
The day Bob and Peggy hung up their sign for Thyme and Tide Bed & Breakfast, they held an open house for the community. Peggy served a Roasted Garlic White Pizza that was to die for. (I like that expression, although my granddaughter tells me it’s out of date.) Peggy shared that recipe and the one for Fresh Herb Crab Cakes—the best I’ve ever tasted.
I confess that when I first saw Peggy’s herb garden I was struck with envy; if the expression “green thumb” applies to anyone, it does to Peggy. As you’ve already guessed, she’s a wonder in the kitchen, too. And perhaps most important of all, Peggy has the gift of hospitality. Everyone who stops in is immediately welcomed and served a cup of tea and the most delectable baked treats.
Even though the B&B is a major success, the Beldons haven’t always had an easy time of it. A great deal of unpleasant speculation fell on them when one of their overnight guests died under suspicious circumstances. Some people actually had the nerve to suggest Bob was responsible! Fortunately the case was eventually solved by Sheriff Davis, with the assistance of Roy McAfee, our local P.I., and since then Thyme and Tide has done a steady business with plenty of repeat customers.
The breakfasts Peggy provides at Thyme and Tide are legendary. But here’s a little-known fact—her dinners are just as good. Possibly even better. Luckily Bob keeps fit working around the yard and maintaining the house, otherwise he’d be a serious
candidate for a weight-loss program. Peggy’s Seared Scallops with Mushroom Ragout are so good that if nobody was looking, you’d lick your plate. And her Shrimp Enchila das—the only word that comes to mind is
incomparable.
I know she got her wonderful Macaroni and Cheese recipe from Teri Polgar. It’s the ultimate comfort food.
Do take time to browse through these recipes and if you ever have the opportunity to dine at 44 Cranberry Point, count yourself fortunate.
T
his hearty lasagna is a great make-ahead dish—it tastes even better the next day. For even longer storage, wrap tightly and freeze in anticipation of a day when you don’t have time to cook.
Serves 10
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces lean ground beef
8 ounces spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
8 ounces sweet sausage, casings removed
Salt and pepper
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with puree
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 bay leaf
15 lasagna noodles (about 12 ounces)
2 15-ounce containers part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (about 1 ¼ pounds)
1.
Warm oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onion and carrots; cook 6 minutes, until softened, stirring often. Stir in garlic; cook 1 minute. Add beef, both sausages, salt and pepper; cook 8 minutes, stirring and using a wooden spoon to break up meat. Add crushed and diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, oregano and bay leaf. Cover; bring to a simmer. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf.
2.
Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions. Drain. In a large bowl, combine noodles and cold water to cover.
3.
In a medium bowl, whisk ricotta, Parmesan and eggs until blended. Season with salt and pepper.
4.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread ½ cup of the meat sauce in bottom of a deep 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Remove noodles from water; lay 5 noodles on top of sauce, overlapping noodles. Spread half of the ricotta mixture over noodles; sprinkle 2 cups of mozzarella over ricotta. Spread 2½ cups of meat sauce over mozzarella. Layer more 5 noodles, remaining ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella, and 2½ cups meat sauce. Finish with 5 remaining noodles, remaining meat sauce, and remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Cover pan with foil. Bake 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake 30 minutes, until bubbling. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.
TIP
For best flavor, grate fresh Parmesan and mozzarella, rather than using preshredded cheese.
S
ince scallops cook so quickly, it’s important to preheat the pan before you add the fish; this allows the outside to get nice and brown before the inside gets overcooked and tough.
Serves 4
1 ½ pounds large sea scallops (about 20), tough ligament removed if attached
Salt and pepper
Flour for dredging
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, divided
1 pound white or cremini mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
2 medium shallots, chopped
½ cup medium-dry sherry
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1.
Pat scallops dry with paper towel; season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with flour.
2.
Warm oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Cook scallops 4 minutes per side, until golden-brown and just cooked through. Transfer to a platter and loosely cover with foil.
3.
Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook 4 minutes, until golden, stirring occasionally. Add shallots; cook 1 minute, stirring. Add sherry and vinegar; simmer 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Spoon sauce over scallops.
TIP
Drying the scallops well with a paper towel before cooking also helps them brown better.
D
on’t be alarmed by the amount of spinach you add to the simmering skillet—it cooks down tremendously. Just keep stirring, smashing the beans as you do so, and in minutes you’ll have a colorful, flavorful, healthful dish.
Serves 4
3 red, yellow or orange bell peppers
12 ounces bow-tie pasta or penne pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained
Salt and pepper
1 9-ounce bag baby spinach
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1.
Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil. Halve bell peppers, then core and seed. Press peppers flat, skin-side up, onto prepared pan. Broil 10 minutes, until skins are blackened. Transfer to a bowl and cover with foil (use the same foil that lined the pan). Let stand 20 minutes. Peel and discard charred skin from peppers. Thinly slice peppers.
2.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup cooking water; drain pasta.
3.
Warm oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring often. Add bell peppers, beans, salt and pepper and cook 3 minutes, stirring often. Add pasta cooking water and about ¼ of the spinach; bring to a simmer. Let cook 10 minutes, slowly adding remaining spinach, stirring often and smashing beans against the side of the pan to create a sauce. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar.
4.
In a large serving bowl, toss pasta with sauce and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.
TIP
You can roast the peppers up to three days ahead. Drizzle with a little olive oil and store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator.