I bought some cranberries a couple of weeks ago with the intention of making cranberry muffins but never got around to it. I saw this recipe yesterday by The Barefoot Contessa for blueberry crumbcake so I decided to change it up by using cranberries. I was concerned that the cranberries would be too tart so I upped the sugar a little and added some frozen blueberries. All was well on a blustery afternoon; the smell of cake makes everything better!

Blueberry-Cranberry Crumbcake

Adapted from Blueberry Crumbcake by Ina Garten

For the streusel:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

For the cake:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2/3 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
• 2/3 cup fresh cranberries, rinsed
• Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.

For the streusel:

Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.

For the cake:

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and nd cranberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers,

crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.

I love to cook and I love to read. As a result, I buy a lot of cookbooks. My collection is out of control. It is hard to keep track of them and even worse trying to remember where I saw that great recipe that I read last week, especially if I am looking at multiple cookbooks at a time (which I do most of the time).

I just purchased a database program, Bento for my Mac, so I can try and get this under control. I am inputting my cookbooks and recipes from my cookbooks plus recipes from other sources. So far, I like it but I am far from done. I am up to 123 cookbooks so far but I still have many more to go. I really like the fact that I can link recipes in the cookbooks to the actual books. I will keep you posted as I go.

As I was working on my project today, I came across my favorite recipe for lentils so I thought I would share it with you. 

Herb-Roasted Vegetables and Lentils

Adapted from One Dish Meals-The Culinary Institute of America

• 1 cup diced carrot
• 1 cup butternut or acorn squash
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced tomato
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp minced fresh basil
• 1/2 tsp minced fresh oregano
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• 2 cups cooked French green lentils
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• Juice from 1/2 a lemon or 2 tbs red wine vinegar

Preheat oven to 375º. Toss together the carrot, squash, onion, garlic, basil, oregano, salt & pepper and 2 tbsp olive oil on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and roast, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and browned, about 30 minutes.
Remove the vegetables from the oven and add to a saute pan over medium heat. Add the lentils and a small amount of chicken broth to keep the mixture moist but not soupy.
Saute, stirring frequently, until the lentils and vegetables are very hot and flavorful, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and lemon juice or vinegar.

I had a pork shoulder sitting in the fridge that I really wanted to make. They take a LONG time to cook on the Big Green Egg but don't require much work; season it simply, and just keep the temperature fairly low (around 300º). I pulled it off the Egg after 4 1/2 hours and let it rest for 30 minutes. It was tender and juicy without a lot of effort.

But what to have with it? I usually like a homemade coleslaw made with a little mayo but quite a bit of apple cider vinegar. The vinegar helps cut the richness of the pork but I didn't have any cabbage. I went with some tropical flavors and came up with a Mango Salsa made from farmer's market tomatoes, avocado, mango and lime juice. I still needed one more side dish so I raided my fridge and used up some leftovers. I had 2 ears of corn and some leftover green beans. I combined them in a bowl, added some tomatoes and boiled a few potatoes and added them to the party. I made a simple vinaigrette with red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, honey, basil and olive oil and tossed it all together. It was great; an excellent use of leftover vegetables. You could easily vary the ingredients based on what you have in hand and the vinaigrette could be used on freshly steamed or boiled vegetables.

• 1 mango, peeled and diced
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 avocado, peeled and diced
• 3 scallions, sliced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ancho chili powder
• 2 limes, zested and juiced
• 2 tbs cilantro, minced

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and serve.

• 1 lb. Green Beans, cooked
• 4 new potatoes, peeled and cubed, boiled
• 1 cup of corn, frozen and thawed or fresh and cooked
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tbs dijon mustard
• 1 tbs honey
• 3 tbs olive oil
• 2 tbs fresh basil, cut into ribbons

After making Turkey and Pinto Bean Corn Bread Pie a couple of weeks ago, I saw the cookbook, Almost Meatless: Recipes That Are Better for Your Health and the Planet in my local bookstore. Everything looked so good, I snapped it up and set about figuring out which recipe to make first. This carbonara sounded delicious and was quick and easy to make. I also liked the idea of adding asparagus and I had everything on hand. This is a great go to recipe to have in your repertoire as it can be made with frozen peas and pantry staples. I used 1% milk as that was what I had. The most important step is to transfer the pasta to a bowl, add the eggs and quickly stir in the eggs so they don't become scrambled eggs.

INGREDIENTS
3 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 pound English peas, shelled (about 1 cup), or 1/2 cup frozen peas
1 pound spaghetti
4 ounces asparagus, sliced diagonally 1/8 inch thick (1 cup)
10 fresh basil leaves, sliced thin
5 eggs, whisked, at room temperature
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish (2 ounces)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add the bacon, cooking for about 5 minutes, until crispy. Transfer the cooked bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel and set aside. Return the pan with the rendered fat to the stovetop for future use.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop the peas into the water and cook them for 5 minutes. Transfer them to a strainer with a slotted spoon or a spider basket. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 10 minutes, or until al dente.

While the pasta cooks, heat the bacon fat in the sauté pan over medium heat. Add the peas and asparagus, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the basil, and set aside.

Whisk together the eggs and milk. Have the egg mixture, vegetables, and bacon ready to toss with very hot pasta.

Quickly drain the pasta and transfer immediately to a large serving bowl. Pour the eggs and cheese on top of the pasta, and toss vigorously to coat the strands and gently cook the eggs, forming a creamy sauce. Add the vegetables, and bacon, and continue tossing to incorporate them. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4-6

Portion the spaghetti on plates and ladle any sauce left in the bowl over each serving. Grate additional cheese on top if you like.

On Friday, I was reading Dorie Greenspan's excellent blog where she wrote about a blueberry breakfast cake. That got me thinking about her recipe for Blueberry Crumb Cake from her book, Baking: From My Home to Yours. Soft and flaky, with fresh blueberries bursting in each bite. I can't stop thinking about it. I made it yesterday morning with the idea of having it for dessert last night but by mid afternoon I couldn't resist any longer! My family came home to a beautiful crumb cake sitting on the counter, missing a big piece! I, of course claimed that I needed to sample it in the name of quality control! 

Blueberry Crumb Cake
Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

INGREDIENTS:

For the crumbs:
5 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I omitted this)

For the cake:
1 pint (2 cups) blueberries (preferably fresh, or frozen, not thawed)
2 cups plus 2 tsp all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2/3 cup sugar
grated zest of 1/2 lemon or 1/4 orange
3/4 stick (6 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 and place the rack at the middle position in the oven. Butter an 8-inch square pan and put it on a baking sheet.
To make the crumbs: Put all the ingredients except the nuts in a food processor and pulse just until the mixture forms clumps and curds and holds together when pressed. Scrape the topping into a bowl, stir in the nuts and press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface. Refrigerate until needed. (Covered well the crumb mix can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

To make the cake: Using your fingertips, toss the blueberries and 2 tsp of the flour together in a small bowl just to coat the berries; set aside. Whisk together the remaining 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Working in the bowl of a stand mixer or in another large bowl, rub the sugar and zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Add the butter and, with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar with the butter at medium speed until light, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, beating for about 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla extract. Don’t be concerned if the batter looks curdled — it will soon smooth out. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately, the flour in 3 parts and the buttermilk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients.) You will have a thick, creamy batter. With a rubber spatula, gently stir in the berries.

Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and smooth the top gently with the spatula. Pull the crumb mix from the fridge and, with your fingertips, break it into pieces. There’s no need to try to get even pieces — these are crumbs, they’re supposed to be lumpy and bumpy and every shape and size. Scatter the crumbs over the batter, pressing them down ever so slightly.

Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool just until it is warm or until it reaches room temperature.

I love breakfast. My day has to start with a great breakfast; not a good breakfast but a great one. God forbid I don't have breakfast. And it has to be substantial. Eggs are my favorite, fried, scrambled or poached. But on the weekend, I love to make pancakes. I get up early while everyone else is sleeping and start making the batter and preheating the griddle. I enjoy the quiet. In the past few years, I have had two helpers; one wants to mix and one wants to flip. I am not allowed to make pancakes until they assume their positions which is great unless I am famished and can't wait until they get up.

Today, I felt like making pancakes. No one was up and it was peaceful. I have been on a quest to find the perfect pancake recipe. Something that reminds me of the pancakes I had as a kid, sweet (not too sweet), fluffy and tangy (from the buttermilk) but I can't find them. So I keep trying tweaks on pancake recipes. This recipe comes from Alton Brown and it is very good. Light & fluffy. He calls them "Instant Pancakes" because he premixes the dry ingredients in a large tub and then when you are ready to make pancakes you just have to add the wet ingredients (buttermilk, eggs and melted butter). It does make it easier in the morning. My daughter had a sleepover last Friday night, so I mixed up a batch of the dry ingredients so I was ready to go in the morning. I still have a good amount left so I whipped up pancakes again this morning. So good!

*I did not use a whole stick of butter to grease the pan!

Recipe by Alton Brown

This is a favorite standby in our house. Great flavors and quick to make, it has a nice balance of salty and sweet. After I had settled on making this, I realized that I didn't have any orange juice so I substituted lime juice and zest and increased the hoisin sauce to balance the tartness of the limes. It was even better with the lime juice! I served this with white rice and corn.

Asian 5 Spice Barbecued Pork Tenderloin

Rachael Ray

• 2 to 2 1/2 pounds pork tenderloins, trimmed of fat
• Steak seasoning blend or salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese 5 spice powder (found in spice section or Asian foods section)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup Hoisin prepared Chinese barbecue sauce
• 1 navel orange, zested and juiced
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or chives, for garnish

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Coat tenderloins in steak seasoning or season with salt and pepper. Combine brown sugar and 5 spice powder. Rub sugar and spice over pork. Brush baking dish or broiler pan with oil. Place pork in oven and bake 10 minutes. Combine barbecue sauce with orange zest and juice and sesame oil. Baste meat liberally with sauce and roast meat 15 minutes longer. Remove meat from oven and transfer to a serving platter. Coat meat with sesame and cilantro or chives for color.

I was making boneless chicken breasts for dinner last night. I cannot get excited about boneless breasts. I know they are a blank canvas and take well to all sorts of flavors but I frequently find them to be dry no matter how carefully I cook them. I prefer dark meat but my husband prefers white meat so we have a battle which I usually win because I'm the cook. I was thinking of a twist on a recipe from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook: A Compendium of Recipes and Cooking Lessons from San Francisco's Beloved Restaurant with arugula and sourdough bread salad but at the last minute I changed course and went with chicken milanese. Chicken Milanese is simply breaded chicken cutlets served with an arugula salad. It was light, crispy and delicious. I love arugula and having it simply dressed with lemon juice and olive oil, it was special. I paired this with cauliflower puree.

I made extra to have for sandwiches later in the week.

Chicken Milanese

• 8 boneless chicken breasts
• 3 cups water
• 2 tbs kosher salt
• 2 tbs sugar
• 8 peppercorns
• 1 cup flour
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups breadcrumbs (use whichever ones you have on hand; I used seasoned breadcrumbs that my local market makes in their bakery section. Panko would be excellent)
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 cups arugula
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 lemon
• extra virgin olive oil to taste

Combine water, salt and sugar. Stir to combine. Place chicken in a ziptop bag and pour over the salt water. Seal and place in the refrigerator for two hours.

Remove chicken from brine and dry with paper towels. Pound each breast until uniform in size. Place the flour on a plate, the eggs in a bowl and the breadcrumbs on another plate. Dredge the chicken first in the flour, then in the egg and finally in the breadcrumbs. Set aside on a baking sheet.

Heat canola oil in a nonstick pan over medium high heat. Cook chicken breasts until golden brown and cooked all the way through. Drain on paper towels.

Toss arugula and tomato with the lemon juice and olive oil. Serve chicken breast with salad.

Basic comfort food. I love it. Nothing epitomizes comfort food like mashed potatoes but they can't be just any mashed potatoes. What makes mashed potatoes great. Well, they should be light, fluffy and full of flavor. To get that though, mashed potatoes are usually full of fat. Since I love them, I swapped out ingredients to make them lower in fat and calories. I can't call them low fat, but these mashed potatoes are better for you and delicious. Don't be shy with the salt and white pepper.

This recipe makes a lot of mashed potatoes. I like to save the leftovers for breakfast with eggs. Another great use for the leftovers is to make them into cakes with chicken or fish. Look for that recipe later in the week.

• 3 lbs. russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled & cut into uniform chunks
• 2 tbs unsalted butter
• 1 cup low fat buttermilk
• 1-2 cups 1% milk
• 1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
• salt
• white pepper

Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, add salt to the water and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot and place over the burner used to cook the potatoes. The warmth from the burner will help dry out the potatoes. Add the butter and mash using a potato masher until fluffy. Add buttermilk and milk and continue mashing until smooth. Stir in sour cream and season to taste with salt and white pepper.