EnJoy! (for All is Well!)

Sour Cream Ebelskiver Doughnuts

2011-11-27T21:04:00.006-05:00

What's an ebelskiver, you may ask? Good question. We'll get there.

But first, an alternative title to this blog post:

No One Got Me a Babycakes Doughnut Maker For My Birthday.

(isn't it CUTE???)

But that actually turned out to be good news... because, COME ON!! ME with a doughnut maker in the house? Yes, they are better for you than store-bought doughnuts because you're making them with your own fantastic ingredients and they are not deep fried, but COME ON!! It would be as bad as unlimited potato chips in my house. There are some things I just Can't Stop Eating.

ANYhoo... where was I??

Oh, yeah... my birthday. I do have to tell you now that I received THE most phenomenal presents EV-ER!! Really and TRULY!! And it was the Best Birthday Ever!! So don't cry for me because I didn't get a doughnut maker. I didn't (cry, that is...).

Instead, I Got Creative.

I found the doughnut recipe which I had I printed out back when I thought someone was getting me a doughnut maker for my birthday (hmmm... I DO keep bringing it up, don't I?! ;)... and, as I was when I first saw the ads for the gadget, I was CRAVING THEM from looking at the photo.

And then I realized: I can make pseudo-doughnut HOLES with my ebelskiver pan.

NOW you can ask: What is an ebelskiver? It's this pan:

I got mine from Williams-Sonoma and, like many of my foodie gadgets, they get put away after the excitement dies down, not to be brought out again into the light of day for many many moons (yes, this WOULD have happened to my doughnut maker... you know, the one I didn't get for my birthday...).

In fact, I bet if YOU have an ebelskiver pan, you're feeling a little bit guilty about making that investment and then ignoring it for so long. I Hear You. I, personally, was tired of the pancake batter ebelskivers... and yet OH SO EXCITED when I thought of DOUGHNUT EBELSKIVERS!!

And so, I took the print-out of the Babycakes Doughnut Maker Recipe and I proceeded to make these DELICIOUS DOUGHNUTS.

{[(erf ~ I have made a commitment to not spell doughnuts as donuts, but I must say, my fingers do NOT want to put that g before the h for some reason and I have to keep correcting it and it would have been easier if I had just given in and called them DONUTS from the very beginning... BUT NOW I'VE COME TOO FAR TO TURN BACK!!)]}.

Oh, are you still waiting for the recipe? Well, if you have stuck with me for this long, here it is:

Babycakes Sour Cream Doughnut Recipe,

Adapted for Ebelskiver Use

Ingredients:

1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup sour cream
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
(I used less vanilla and added a large-ish dash of nutmeg to the ingredients and IT IS SO YUMMY!!)

Directions:

Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

In separate bowl whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Whisk vigorously until smooth.

Fill each ebelskiver reservoir with enough batter to fill it up. Proceed as you would with the pancake-batter ebelskivers, but continually turn them around and around, as the filling of this batter is much thicker and takes longer to cook through thoroughly (I turned the heat down and let them cook, rotating them to get all the sides covered).

Coat with powdered sugar or cinnamon-sugar, as desired (or better yet, dredge them in that melted butter that you're using to butter the ebelskiver reservoirs and THEN coat them with cinnamon sugar!!).

Note added 11/29/2011: I just made these and forgot the sugar AND the oil. The no-sugar doughnuts were still edible and delicious, as I just dipped them in a little more cinnamon sugar ~ then I added sugar to the rest of the batter. But I honestly do not notice the absence of the oil at ALL ~ in fact, they seem to hold together better without any oil in them. So, yeah ~ mine will be made sans oil from now on!

Yes. Please. More. Please.

And yes, this is when I put them in a margarita glass and took them out on our deck for their photo shoot. They cooperated so nicely.

As always, EnJOY!
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Noodles. Momofuku Noodles. Momofuku Noodle Bar.

2011-09-14T10:17:00.001-04:00

I can not begin writing about Momofuku Noodle Bar without first stating how much I love this life of walking the path of my sons' passions with them. MY world has been expanded exponentially BECAUSE of being a partner in my children's unschooling lives, and working with them joyfully to fulfill their needs/desires.

Going to David Chang's Momofuku Noodle Bar was TRULY one of the highlights of Sam's culinary-rich and food-passionate life (right up there with the time we ate at Martin Picard's Au Pied de Cochon in Montréal). Along with Anthony Bourdain, these are the chefs that inspire Sam and influence his cooking (and for whom he has great respect).

And our time there was nothing less than divinely-blessed! Every time we hear something about Momofuku, it goes along with comments about how difficult it is to get a table, how long the lines are to get into the place, and how crowded it is. These are not things we desire to bring into our lives, and so we AVOIDED going for a very long time. But one day, because I was going to the city to pick up Jake from F.I.T. anyway, Sam joined me and we decided to just DO THIS. Yes ~ the excitement was palpable because finally ~ we were going to experience Momofuku Noodle Bar.

It was Pouring Rain. Yes, this is the summer of Pouring Rain. And this was even BEFORE Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee and all of the devastation and flooding that they brought to our area. And so our plan of parking at F.I.T. and taking the subway to Momofuku didn't feel very fun in the Pouring Rain. We decided to park and take a cab... but as I took a left off of the West End Highway, I Just Kept Driving East. I didn't stop at F.I.T. I said to Sam, "Looks like we're driving to Momofuku!"

Drive we did and that's where we encountered Divine Intervention #1: a parking spot. A parking spot ON the STREET!! A parking spot on the street just around the corner from Momofuku. A parking spot on the street just around the corner from Momofuku that cost me TWO DOLLARS!!! A parking spot on the street just around the corner from Momofuku that cost me TWO DOLLARS in NEW YORK CITY!!

Divine Intervention #2: no line out the door. At prime lunch time.

Divine Intervention #3: LOADS of available tables inside!!

Divine Intervention #4: We were seated at the counter in front of the cooking stations. Yes, aspiring Chef Sam was at his Dream-Come-True restaurant and he had a front row seat to the culinary ACTION. This was better than either of us had imagined.

UNTIL...until we tasted the food. Oh.My. Oh my my my. Yes. Yes. That pork bun IS as fantastic as we imagined. It is 1,000X BETTER than we imagined. Un-Be-Lievable!!

One word of caution: as excited as you may be about taking that first bite, LET IT COOL!! Sam and I burned the roofs of our mouths BADLY. (worth it, though)

The heat of the pork, the luscious richness of the pork fat, the coolness of the cucumbers, the *Feels-Like-I-Am-Loved* nurturing of those steamed buns. This is something that needs to be experienced, especially if you are a pork fan, as Sam and I are.

And THEN. Well, yes, we ordered way more food than we really needed. But we had been waiting for this experience for a LONG time! And THEN came the ramen.

In David Chang's new magazine, Lucky Peach, he has an egg chart that shows how long to cook an egg and what it looks like when cooked that long. On the chart at the 60°mark, he says, "This is my favorite egg here. Almost raw. Perfect in soup - it's what we put in our ramen..." It also says, "It breaks as soon as it's touched."

I tested that and yes. Yes it does.

We love ramen for the fantastic separate components of it, and how they come together to make one delectable taste sensation. Sam STILL craves David Chang's ramen, weeks later.

One of the specials they were having on the day we were there was pork and kimchi tamales. Sam was intrigued and outraged and impressed ~ combining Chang's Asian influence with a Mexican tamale!! The audacity!! The brilliance!! Oh yeah. This was going to be good.

When they arrived looking so darn cute, I said, "Look, Sam! Little presents for us from David Chang!"

And oh yeah ~ They.Were.Good.

It will not be too soon when we are able to venture back to Momofuku Noodle Bar... Even though the amount of food we ordered was enough for an entire family of six, Sam did a good job of finishing it all up...

Not only his ramen, but mine as well.

Thank you, David Chang, for your deliciousness AND for feeding the flames of my boy's culinary passion.

EnJoy.
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(Photo at top and recipe for Momofuku pork buns found here.)
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Baked Tortilla Stack with Grilled Tomato and 3-Colored Pepper Salsa

2011-09-14T07:34:00.001-04:00

A funny thing happened on Sam's way to finding some MEAT for dinner...

He did not find any.

Instead, he tapped into his passion for cooking and creating and took a look at what we DID have and came up with a FABULOUS dinner.

He started out asking, "If I grill some tomatoes and peppers for salsa, would you want to have some nachos with me?"

Umm...yes, please.

And then, while he was grilling, I saw that we had LOADS of corn and flour tortillas. I knew that I wanted whatever he was making for dinner, not just an appetizer... and so I asked him if he was interested in trying out a baked tortilla stack... a nacho pie of sorts...

He was! And so we began creating.

It's quite simple, and perhaps you've even made one before. But we had not, as Chef Sam usually leans toward the more gourmet end of the cooking spectrum. But lately, his culinary preferences have been shifting toward loving simplicity.

So we layered the bottom of a casserole dish with corn tortillas (tore them up to make them fit). Spread some refried beans on those. The next layer was flour tortillas. On top of those went Sam's AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL salsa!!

And we also added some shredded cheese. Another layer of corn tortillas, topped with more refried beans. And then flour tortillas topped with more shredded cheese was the final layer.

Into the 400 degree oven for 1/2 hour, then under the broiler to give that top layer of cheese a nice finish, and we were eating this deliciousness.

We saved Sam's salsa to top off the finished product, and also found some guacamole! If we had sour cream, that would have been a lovely addition, as well.

After Sam grilled the tomatoes and mashed them for the salsa, he noted that it was too watery. So we strained them. And we were left with some BEAUTIFUL and DEEEELICIOUS tomato juice...to which I added some sea salt, hot sauce and a splash of tequila. It was truly delicious and refreshing and oh so pretty.

EnJoy.

Aruuuuugula Pesto. Yummmmm.

2011-08-19T08:32:00.002-04:00

It's quite simple. Even though its name is not. Arugula. Eruca sativa. Also known as rocket, roquette, rugula and rucola.

And yet it is simply and utterly delicious. I do believe I love arugula pesto better than basil pesto.

And it all started with a dive diner.

We pass by the Circle E Diner in Hancock, NY every weekend on our way to our river cabin on the Pennsylvania side of the beautiful Upper Delaware River. That diner is ALWAYS packed. There are ALWAYS people parking and walking in. And every time, I am scratching my head and wondering WHY. I went there once. And it was horrible. It gave me a very uncomfortable feeling inside and the food was bad diner food.

And so when our friends chose to vacation in the country near us and they chose to dine at the Circle E Diner one evening, they told me about their pleasant surprise with the menu! They informed me that the diner has *gourmet nights* from Wednesday to Saturday!! They described their entree, and I was SHOCKED and yet drooling. It sounded fantastic.

My friend ordered the butternut squash ravioli with arugula pesto.

I can't say that I have been to the Circle E Diner since that conversation a few weeks ago (I still haven't been able to go in after my last experience there), but the thought of arugula pesto would not leave my brain or my intrigued palate. One day, I just happened to have all the ingredients in my home, and I just HAPPENED to stumble upon some GORGEOUS all-natural butternut squash ravioli in our local Hannaford supermarket. And after our CSA pick-up of heirloom tomatoes (yes, I had fresh mozzarella and basil in the fridge already!), dinner was served.

This is my artistic interpretation of the ingredients that make up the arugula pesto:

Recipe ~

About 6 ounces of arugula.
Cloves of garlic to taste...I used 2 large ones (fresh garlic, too!!...yum!!)
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup grated Parmegiano-Reggiano (I only had a block of Parmesan in the fridge, and that was fantastic enough...)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Season w/salt and pepper to taste.

OH.MY.GOODNESS.DEEEEELICIOUS.

EnJoy.

Peanut Butter - Black Sesame Seed Cookies

2011-01-21T15:05:00.009-05:00

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...also known as: "HELP! I CAN'T STOP EATING THESE!!"

And of course there's a story...

Dave and I are going down to NYC tomorrow and Jake and Sam have chosen to stay home (to play WoW, to keep the woodstove stoked and the house warm, to care for the doggies...). I was going to go out today and get them some groceries, but I really just was *stuck*. And I know when I'm not feeling *right* about something ~ even something as seemingly simple as going out to the grocery store, I know to just Not Do Anything.

So that's what I did. Or didn't do.

Sam got up at about 10:30 and I discussed it with him...and the snow just kept snowing and the wind just kept blowing and my *feeling* to Not Do Anything felt confirmed. Plus, with leaving my boys tomorrow, I was not feeling good about leaving them today. I wanted to be WITH them today.

So I asked if they could get by ~ happily ~ on the food we have here in the house. It seems like the larder is low, yet the cupboards are not empty and the pantry is even well-stocked. So I began rummaging around to see what I could find for them. Sam, being the meat-man, approved of the skinless chicken thighs I took out of the freezer for him.

I noticed the bread was low, and so I started to get things around to make a loaf. My boys have been loving rye and pumpernickel lately, and I remembered I had rye flour in the cupboard. So I checked my book *Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day* and yes, they had an awesome recipe for rye bread. And then on the back of the bag of organic rye flour, I noticed a recipe for pumpernickel bread! And I had all of *those* ingredients, too! So, I mixed up a batch of *that*, too.

While the doughs were rising, I knew I wanted to make some sort of cookie for Jake and Sam for tomorrow. I, personally, had a peanut butter cookie craving. However, I couldn't find a lot of peanut butter in the cupboard. So down to the pantry I went. While I was down there, I rummaged around to see what else I could bring up for them. I found some Paula Deen Vidalia Onion Peach Grilling Sauce that I thought Sam could use on his chicken thighs. I found some black sesame seeds that I had bought a long time ago. I remembered I had once made sesame seed shortbread and thought I could make *black* sesame seed shortbread if I couldn't find more peanut butter. And alas ~ no...I could *not* find more peanut butter.

So back upstairs I went, looking one last time in our cupboard for more p.b. THERE IT WAS!! The WHOLE TIME!! I sat down to the computer and googled *black sesame seed cookie recipe* and guess what came up... GUESS!!! YES!!! This one for PEANUT BUTTER-Black Sesame Seed Cookies! Both of my wishes came true in one recipe. And if I had found the peanut butter on the first look-through, I wouldn't have brought up the black sesame seeds.

These cookies have no flour. They are magic. And they are SO delicious. And gorgeous. And delicious. And cute.

So...as always... EnJoy...

p.s. ~ when my honey came home at noon-time, bringing Jake home after going to a meeting and taking my Jeep into the shop quick and picking up our trash to take to the landfill and then going back to another meeting and then to the office to do more work, he said to me, "I'm so glad you didn't go out. Don't do it ~ it's just so windy and cold out. I can pick up any groceries we may need before I come home tonight." He's My Love.

p.p.s. ~ Chef Sam discovered we had all of the ingredients necessary for jambalaya with chicken thighs. Genius. He made it tonight and just finished washing all the dishes (8:40 p.m.) and he's SO looking forward to being *off* tomorrow and just eating his delicious creation.

p.p.s. ~ the rye bread is THE BEST RYE BREAD we have ever eaten.

OK...time for the cookie recipe...

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Peanut Butter - Black Sesame Seed Cookies (I made a double batch today)

* 1 cup creamy peanut butter (not natural)
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1 large egg
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 5 tablespoons black sesame seeds (why measure, really?...just lots and lots of black sesame seeds!)

Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.

Beat together peanut butter and sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until combined well, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg and baking soda until combined well.

Place sesame seeds in a shallow bowl. Roll packed, level teaspoons of dough into balls, then roll in seeds to coat. Arrange balls about 1 inch apart on 2 ungreased baking sheets.

Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through, until puffed and cracked, about 10 minutes.

Cool on baking sheets 2 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool.

EnJOY.
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Beer-Braised Pork & Apples w/Quick "Kraut"

2011-01-13T08:27:00.007-05:00

Chef Cutie Patootie.

Once again, I'd like to share a small portion of the beautiful view I have from my seat at our dining table (the other side of my beautiful view ~ my honey ~ didn't fit in the shot with the FOOD!, and when it's light out, I can see out the window across our 20-mile view of mountains and valleys and forests and farmlands!!).

This dinner is SOOOOO delicious. Sam ordered something along these lines at The Autumn Cafe from their special Oktoberfest menu. I came home and googled exactly what he had (because *this* is the kind of olde world food he loves to make) and found a recipe with the same ingredients. Sam's tasted as good and even BETTER than what he had at the restaurant. And he didn't want any help along the way...he made it ALL himself...every single step.

Recipe is below the gorgeous photos...

I love the way the blue night sky is making the snow out the window look all blue...

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This is the OHMYGODSODELICIOUS Quick "Kraut". We plan to make this regularly. SO easy and SO delicious and not as *sour* as sauerkraut.

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The beer-braise liquid and the apples (and bacon!)...

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Here's how I built this meal:

Start with Sam's yummy mashed potatoes...

...added the quick "kraut" on top...

...then a slice of the gorgeous pork...

...and finally, the braising liquid and the apples...

Just too too delicious...

Need I say more??...

EnJoy!!

Beer-Braised Pork & Apples with Quick "Kraut"

1 - 1 1/4 lbs pork tenderloin (we used loin, not tenderloin)
2 strips bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 cup lager beer
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard

For the cabbage ~
1 small head of cabbage, finely shredded (about 6 cups)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablepoon butter
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Fry the bacon until crisp in a large pan over med-high heat. Remove and drain on paper towels, leaving a bit of fat in the pan.

Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the apples, salt, pepper and brown sugar and combine well. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until the apples develop a little golden color.

Combine the beer w/the dijon-style mustard and add to the pan along with the cooked bacon. Clear some space in the center and add the pork. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and braise for 12 - 15 minutes, turning every 4 - 5 minutes. Note: since we used a 2.5# loin, not a tenderloin, we braised ours for about an hour and did not turn it ever 4 - 5 minutes. NOT turning it created a rich, gorgeous brown crust on the pork, and we just cooked the pork until it reached an internal temperature of 145 F.

While the pork cooks, combine the apple cider vinegar, sugar and butter in another pan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then add the cabbage. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender and golden about 10 minutes.

Allow the pork to rest 5 minutes before carving once it reaches an internal temp of 145 F. Serve with the cabbage and the beer/apple braising liquid on the side. Mashed potatoes are PERFECT for this dish.

EnJOY.

Yes, I said bacon. Spicy CANDIED bacon.

2011-01-05T07:04:00.006-05:00

You may now die. Heaven is here.

But first, a message to you from us, the Ohman family.

These are sky lanterns, inspired by the movie *Tangled*.

Jake and I launched our first ones near midnight on Christmas, not wanting the perfection and magic and glory of the day to end...

Since then, we've been watching for the perfect *still* nights that are needed in order to launch them. Sometimes even when it's PERFECTLY still out, we are unsuccessful at a launch, because a wind comes up and it doesn't burn right (as was the case with our New Years lantern).

It's really really cool, watching them go up up UP and seeing their lights drift farther and farther away...watching them every single second until the lantern burns out and we can no longer follow its path.

Also cool to think of where it will go (and whom it will find!) once it comes down...

We always send lots of Love and Joy along on their journeys...

Now, back to the bacon.

EASY EASY...and UH.MUH.GUH. SOOOOO delicious. This recipe includes a serious warning: you could EASILY consume an entire pound of bacon by yourself if you don't *mindfully* eat this deliciousness.

Spicy Candied Bacon.

1 pound thick-slicked bacon (we prefer applewood smoked)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
pinch of freshly ground black pepper

(adjust spices according to your preference)

Preheat broiler. Place as much bacon as you can get on a rack on top of a broiler pan.

Mix the brown sugar and spices. Lightly top each strip of bacon with about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of the mixture, patting it down to make sure it adheres well.

Broil for about 3 - 4 minutes, or until crisp and brown, but not burnt. Keep a close eye on it!! It can go from not done to burnt VERY quickly!! (Our photos are of a batch that was a little *less* done than we really like...I would cook it and crisp it up more next time...)

Gently turn each slice over and sprinkle each piece with more of the sugar mixture. Broil for another 3 - 4 minutes, or until cooked to your liking.

YUUUUUMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!

Yes, EnJOY.

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Hearty and Yummy Breakfast Strata

2010-12-19T11:40:00.007-05:00

We have been re-inventing, re-defining, re-creating our Christmas traditions this year... We are not forcing anything, not feeling like we *have* to do anything or get anything *done* for some deadline. We are simply living joyfully (as always) and following our hearts and doing what feels right in the moment.

And thus, I have never been more Mindful and Present and At Peace during this blessed season...a season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of Love! It's been bliss.

One of our past traditions just wasn't feeling right to me ~ our Christmas morning breakfast. And so I was keeping an open space for just the right, new tradition (for this year, anyway) to enter our lives. As always happens, it did. Enter the *free* magazine from my grocery store, Hannaford. They have a recipe for a Country Breakfast Strata, and when I saw the photo of it, I knew immediately that it was just perfection for our Christmas breakfast. It's something that can be made the night before and just put in the oven on Christmas morning. Just perfect.

I did a *test* run of it this weekend, because one of my *new* traditions is also not *saving* everything for THE DAY of Christmas...but to allow it to add Joy to our lives as we flow... And I was DYING to try this new recipe!

Oh My, it is so delicious. It's like a puffed, baked, cheesy french toast stuffing. SO so delicious.

And because I hadn't planned on making it, I hadn't bought the exact ingredients that it called for. But NO PROBLEM!! Substitutions are my specialty!! I substituted quite a few ingredients. I was able to use up the leftover sourdough Italian bread that we had here for Sam's girlfriend's visit...able to use up the leftover spinach...able to use up those mushrooms that I bought too many of for a different recipe...able to use up the rest of the monterey jack cheese and also add a little swiss for zippy flavor, thanks to those last few slices in the fridge that no one was eating...

And so here is the base recipe, but bear in mind that this can be anything you want or need it to be ~ add what you want, what you have (add some meat if you are a family of carnivores)...and yes ~ enJoy.

Breakfast Strata

Serves 8 ~ Prepare night before and soak in fridge overnight.

1 loaf sourdough boule bread
4 tsp olive oil, divided
1 large sweet onion, divided
1 bunch swiss chard or baby spinach, rinsed well
1 Tbsp. finely cohpped fresh rosemary or 1/4 tsp. dried
1 lb. mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cups grated Swiss cheese
8 eggs
2 cups low-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

If bread is very crusty, remove crust. Otherwise, break up bread into about 1/2 inch cubes. You should have about 7 - 8 cups of cubed bread. Set aside.

Heat 2 tsp. oil over med-low heat in a skillet. Cook onion slices until it turns a pale, golden color...maybe 8 minutes or so.

Add the mushrooms and the cleaned and trimmed chard or spinach to the onion and cook for maybe 8 minutes(try to evaporate the juices). (I also added raw spinach to both layers, because that's what I usually do with quiche and we LOVE how it bakes in the oven without pre-cooking it...you can see it in my photo...that's why it looks so *fresh*...)

Spray a baking pan or casserole dish with cooking spray. Line the bottom with half the bread cubes, creating a solid layer. Top with half of the onion/chard/mushroom mixture. Add fresh, uncooked spinach or chard. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Repeat with remaining bread, onion/chard/mushrooms and cheese.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, nutmeg, pepper, and hot sauce. Pour the mixutre over the bread and cover with plastic wrap or foil. Let sit overnight refrigerated.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour or a bit more (depending on how *cold* the casserole is...how big your dish is...).

The strata should be browned so beautifully, puffed gorgeously and NOT runny at all when checked in the center (don't mistake melted cheese for runny eggs!...and the bread will be *moist* with eggs, but not runny...).

Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm or room temperature.

(A special thanks to my neighbors' children...er...I mean CHICKENS...for providing us with the strata eggs... :)

And, as always, EnJoy. And Merry Christmas.

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What's for dinner, Sam?... Why, Fried Ravioli with Rosemary Butter Sauce, Mother...

2010-11-15T07:56:00.010-05:00

We've been so busy, and haven't had much time for planning any elaborate meals for Sam to cook (he gets all antsy when he doesn't cook!).

One evening, Sam asked me what I was thinking of making for dinner. I told him I had some fresh-pasta, whole wheat mushroom raviolis in the fridge, and I was just going to heat up some sauce to put on them.

Yes, he thought that was pretty boring.

So we kept thinking about it.

I took a look in the fridge and saw that we had a good amount of fresh rosemary in there. So I googled. And we found the perfect dinner for us...and Sam proceeded to make it from start to finish on his own.

These fried raviolis and rosemary butter sauce are (need I say it??) FABULOUS!!!

I was being all civilized and using a utensil...

...until Jake stated how drawn he was to eating them with his fingers. Yeah!...

And so I did, too!...

And here is the recipe we used for Fried Ravioli with Rosemary Butter Sauce.

EnJOY!
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Gorgeous, Delicious, Spicy, Healthy Kimchee

2010-11-13T08:16:00.006-05:00

Sam has been drawn to kimchee for a couple of months now... We saw it on a food show and have been looking for it on the grocery store shelves, with no luck. Silly us ~ we didn't even THINK about making it ourselves, until my friend Pat posted loads of links to kimchee recipes on her Heal ThySelf facebook page.

And so... We Did It.

And it is DELICIOUS. And Spicy. And SO healthy for your GUT!! And yes ~ It Is GORGEOUS.

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LOOK at that GORGEOUS NAPA CABBAGE!!...

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GORGEOUS green onions...

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Gorgeous Ginger...

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Gorgeous salted, drained and rinsed chopped cabbage...

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Gorgeous chili paste (and so delicious!!...I add it to many things now, esp. scrambled eggs...)...

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Gorgeous human being (inside and out) Sam, doing his cooking/creating thing...

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Um...yeah...

My Goodness, it's GORGEOUS.

And here's the recipe that we used for our GORGEOUS Kimchee.

EnJOY.

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A Tale of Three Pheasants and Some Cupcakes

2010-11-03T08:27:00.023-04:00

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No...this is neither the pheasant nor the cupcakes...

This is:

And this is:

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So, Dave went pheasant hunting, and while I do not like to hear any of the hunting stories (I am a Nurturer...not a hunter...), I do like to eat that which my D'Artagnan brings home...pheasant being one of the more desired game.

He had three pheasants. We weren't sure how to cook them, so ~ as we know to do when we're unsure about something ~ we let it *sit*, trusting that inspiration would come.

Sure enough, it did.

I had ordered the dvd Spain: On the Road Again from Netflix. This was a PBS special with Mario Batali and Gwyneth Paltrow traveling through Spain on a glorious food-fest. We didn't have to watch it for long before I was inspired. There was a part where Mario and Gwyneth were with a chef who was grilling partridge breasts, and I watched and listened VERY carefully.

While there was no way I was going to serve our pheasant as RARE (read: practially raw...and Mario suffered the consequences of that...) as that chef did, I did pick up on something else. The sauce that was served with the grilled bird. I heard Gwyneth say that it was some sort of stock that had been cooking.

And so, I told Sam and Dave that I would like the pheasants' breasts removed, as well as their thighs and legs. And then I wanted the remaining carcass for a stock.

And they went to work. Sam is always wanting to learn about butchering his own meat, so Dave was showing him how to do these birds...

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The beginning of my stock...pheasant carcasses and celery...

. . . . . .

In the stock: the fleshy bones, celery and leaves, onion, apples, bay leaves, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

I cooked that until the meat was tender. I removed the meat, strained the remaining stock, and put it back on the burner to reduce. And after a long, long time, this big pot of stock was reduced to THE most yummy, delectable, rich sauce I have ever had...

Not much of that sauce will be needed on our meat...just a little swirl of it will add a most delectable, powerful, deep, and lovely flavor...

. . . . . .

Meanwhile...Jake wanted to make CUPCAKES!! YAY!!

(...orange frosting...after all, it WAS Halloween day!!...)

(...and psst!...Jake's secret yummy frosting ingredient is a bit of almond extract...MUY DELICIOSO!!)

(...Monty sure would like to try some...)

. . . . . .

When my butchers were finished, we looked at the pile of meat we had ~ the breasts and the leg/thighs...and we decided to save the leg/thighs for another dinner. The breasts were beautiful and plenty of food for the three of us carnivores.

And so they were simply seasoned and pan-seared in olive oil. Drizzled with a bit more olive oil once they were plated. And then drizzled with a bit of the rich, reduced stock. On top are some exotic mushrooms cooked in butter and garlic.

...And dinner, my friends, is served...

Fan-FREAKIN'-tastic!!!

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Meal Two: Braised Pheasant Legs

Sam and I both knew that braising these legs would be the best way to utilize this beautiful meat. And so while he slept one morning, I checked one of our favorite cookbooks ~ The Culinary Institute of America Cookbook: A Collection of Our Favorite Recipes for the Home Chef ~ for some inspiration.

And I found it. Page 165. Garganelli con Coniglio in Guazetto. OR: Braised Rabbit with Garganelli. I knew this would work with the pheasant legs & thighs. And so...we proceeded...

Seasoning the meat...

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Sam is chopping the veggies...

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Into the olive-oiled, heated pan...

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The browned pheasant legs and thighs...

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Into the pot with the reduced wine, reserved dried-porcini soaking liquid, and chicken stock...
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Getting ready for the oven...bay leaves, whole cloves and rosemary sprig...

.. . . . .

I love the steamy shots...

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After about 45 minutes of cooking in the oven, we have a beautiful pile of braised, shredded pheasant leg meat...

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Back into the pot, after reducing the veggies and liquid a little bit...

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Then onto the noodles...

Oh, Goodness. My new favorite meal.

Three pheasants. Two meals for three people. And dozens of delicious cupcakes.

EnJoy.
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Co.

2010-10-25T08:22:00.015-04:00

Thank you, Anthony Bourdain.

For SO much...but for now, thank you for bringing this restaurant ~ Co. ~ into our awareness.

It was the No Reservations episode about Obsessions. Oh yeah, this family knows about obsessions. However, we call them passions. And it's what we know to follow in our lives ~ that to which our hearts and minds are drawn...

Of COURSE we were drawn to the dude who is obsessed with yeast! That would be Chef Jim Lahey, owner of Co. and Sullivan Street Bakery. The minute I saw those pizzas from Co. on that episode of *No Reservations*, I had to have them.

And so I worked it into our itinerary for our October 20 visit to NYC...the visit whose purpose was to allow Jake and Ava see *Phoenix* at Madison Square Garden...and the visit whose "fringe benefits" kept expanding, since Marji and I also got to see Wicked on Broadway, and since we all got to experience the glory of this restaurant.

It worked out well, since my upcoming November NYC birthday party gathering of 20+ people was not finding the right venue for our lunch. We tried Otto (another favorite pizza place of ours), but they wanted us to do a party menu, which would basically have amounted to about $60/person. Um...no, thank you...lunch should not cost $60/person. For pizza. And then we thought of Eataly, and we hadn't even fully discounted it before we sat down at Co. on that October afternoon, saw the gorgeous communal tables, experienced the ambiance, enJoyed the knowledgeable and very friendly wait-staff, and tasted the phenomenal foods. I looked around and said, "This is it. This is my birthday party lunch place!"

And so, here are the photos of this fantastic place. I am SO excited to return with my Sam and my honey next time, along with a few of my lovely, Shining friends.

EnJoy... (we did!)...

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Bibb lettuce with roasted butternut squash, crushed toasted pumpkin seeds and a delicious lemony dressing...

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The chef's selection of 3 meats and 3 cheeses...

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Stracciatella ~ crushed tomato, black pepper, stracciatella, arugula

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Ham & Cheese ~ pecorino, gruyère, mozzarella, prosciutto, caraway

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Margherita ~ tomato, mozzarella,basil, parmesan

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And now...we pause for a little dramatic eating (not overly dramatic, though...because it IS This Good.)...

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This is a close-up of the mozzarella di bufala with cream, otherwise known to Co. as stracciatella... (otherwise known as a little piece of heaven...) ...

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Me and my wittle boy... happily satiated...

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And just a few more shots of this glorious bread and cheese and sauce before we part...

::sigh:: I miss it so.

As always, EnJOY.
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Creamy Wild Mushroom Pasta Sauce

2010-10-18T07:21:00.009-04:00

Sam had a craving...and I know to ALWAYS follow Sam's cravings (in ALL areas of life and the world!!).

Hmm...actually, now that I think of it, they are not so much *cravings* as they are an *interest*. He knows how to listen to the little tuggings in his heart and follow those *interests* to expand his world. This time he wanted to further explore some exotic mushrooms (he is a forest forager, you know...).

So while grocery shopping one day, we selected some shiitake, porcini and royal trumpet (king oyster) mushrooms. We also bought some baby portobellos...not so exotic, but still tasty.

We weren't sure what to do with them, so we let them sit until inspiration hit us. I told Sam that I thought a pasta dish would highlight the mushrooms perfectly, and he agreed. And so we started our research for recipes because we knew what flavors we wanted to combine, and I eventually found the base recipe that we used, with a few adjustments of our own (as always!!).

Our recipe follows the delicious photos...but first, this is the view from when I took the dogs out at 7 a.m. on the day that we had this fanTAStic mushroom-pasta dish.

And now onto the FOOD!!...

Creamy Wild Mushroom Pasta Sauce

1 pound pasta (we loved using farfalle)
1 tablespoon butter
12 ounces exotic mushroom blend, sliced (we used more...why not MORE??!!?!)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or parmesan)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, shallots, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Cook 12 minutes or until liquid evaporates and mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally. Add wine; cook 2 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Add the cooked pasta, heavy cream, grated cheese, and the chopped sage, tossing gently to coat. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Season more to your own taste. Serve immediately.

And, as always ~ EnJOY!!
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Duck a l'Orange! ~ A Chef Sam O Dream Come True!

2010-10-08T07:20:00.013-04:00

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SO happy that Sam was able to fulfill one of his cooking dreams. We bought some duck breasts yesterday, and came home and made a fanTAStic dinner.

Sam started by slicing some orange zest and blanching it in boiling water for one minute...

. . .

Then, he juiced the orange, and in a saucepan over high heat, reduced it down to two tablespoons...

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...added balsamic vinegar...

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The scored duck breasts...

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...adding sugar to the orange/stock/balsamic/Grand Mariner mixture...

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...seasoning the duck...

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Realizing we needed another dish for our dinner, Sam chose to chop up some sweet potatoes to roast. He covered them w/olive oil, sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and some red pepper flakes...roasted them in a single layer on a baking sheet at 450.

. . .

The duck breasts in the pan, skin side down, over med-low heat. No extra *fat* is needed in the pan, as the duck skin is loaded with fat. The fat must be poured out of the pan a few times during this *skin-side-down* cooking time...

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They're looking good...

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FINITO!!! ...

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They look like they're perfectly done!!...

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Deglazing the pan w/the orange mixture: the blanched orange skins, the juice of 1 orange, reduced down to 2 tablespoons, 1/2 cup duck broth (we used chicken), reduced down to 2 tablespoons, 1 tablespoon Grand Mariner, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1/8 teaspoon sugar...

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Adding 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter...

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Look at that GORGEOUS duck breast. Well DONE, Chef Sam!!...

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Sam, adding the a l'orange part! :) ...

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Mm-hmm... my my... simply GORGEOUS...

We served it with: my awesome homemade stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce, and Sam's sweet potato chunks.

I have never had a piece of meat that was this tender, this delicious. Thank you, Sam!

If you are interested, here is the exact recipe we used: Duck a l'Orange.

EnJOY!! . . .

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Sam O & Anne O's Fresh Pumpkin, Brown Butter & Sage Pasta Sauce

2010-10-07T08:00:00.010-04:00

Yes...let the drooling commence...

Here's the story (ALWAYS A STORY!!!)...

Jake and I were caring for our neighbor's lovely dogs, cats, chickens and guinea hens for a few days. They had told us to take some of their long island cheese pumpkins (they have a beautiful abundance of them!!). So we did.

Yesterday morning, I was roasting, puréeing and freezing the beautiful meat from one of their REALLY big long island cheese pumpkins (and by the way, my friend, Jessica, calls them Sunset Fairy Tale Pumpkins, which I think I will do, also, because...well, isn't it obvious??...long island CHEEEEESE pumpkins or Sunset Fairy Tale Pumpkins??... yeah...I knew you'd see it, too...).

And I got to the point where I said, "I have to MAKE something with this now! I can't put all of this beauty into the freezer!!" And so I set off to making pumpkin pies ~ one for us, and one for my neighbors. And after that, I had a little bag of pumpkin left in the fridge.

Sam has been busy and then sick and he hasn't cooked in a few days. When he came out of his room yesterday late afternoon, he was DETERMINED to COOK!! I told him that I was planning on making a brown butter-sage pasta sauce for dinner, and asked him if he wanted to help. He did. And then he opened the fridge and said, "We should use that pumpkin that's in there, too." I did remember seeing several pumpkin-sage pasta sauce recipes when I was searching for something else, so I let go of MY dinner idea, and welcomed Sam's new inspired idea. I searched some recipes, and as always, we ended up taking what we liked from about six different recipes and we created our own version (there is nothing better than Creativity-In-ACTION!!).

Sam did not want a sweet pumpkin pasta sauce. He wanted it to be completely savory. So no pumpkin pie spices would be allowed (after all, we already had a pumpkin pie to eat, too!).

And so it began...

Sam started by grating some fresh parmesan cheese...

Oh, goodness...grated fresh parmesan cheese is a thing of beauty...

. . .

Then Sam went on to chopping the onions...

. . .

Really...aren't sage leaves one of the most GORGEOUS and FRAGRANT things in the world??...

We took about 3 tablespoons of butter, and threw in loads of sage leaves. Cooked them over medium heat until the butter was brown and the sage leaves were crispified (ha! I just made that word up and I love it!...you have to say it with a little bit of sassiness ~ CRISP-I-FIED!!)....

. . .

Sure, Sam...there's time for an espresso and pistachio biscotti while you're cooking those sage leaves...

. . .

Ahh...yup. This is what they're supposed to look like. Now you could VERY well use just *this* as a pasta topping (maybe with some toasted walnuts or pine nuts as well)...but Sam wanted to creAte MORE!!...

We sauteed some onions...then added the fresh pumpkin purée (yes, you could use canned pumpkin, if you were so inclined...)...

We then added the butter/sage combo, the parmesan cheese, some milk, some vegetarian chicken broth, some white wine, kosher salt & freshly ground pepper... Cooked that over med-low heat just to incorporate the flavors...
. . .

Ohmygoodness...this is so gorgeous (pictures do not do it justice!!)... The sage leaves were crisp (crispified!) and they broke up nicely as I was stirring the sauce...

And the flavor??...oh, goodness ~ I almost passed out, it was so so so so delicious. Could NOT wait to eat DINNER!!

Sam and I discussed what to serve this gorgeous sauce on. I voted for bowtie pasta. Sam said it needed something more *meaty* and substantial. So we chose to have it on the fresh, whole wheat portobello/cheese raviolis we had in the fridge...

Oh yeah...he was right. Fan-freakin'-tastic...

. . .

::sigh:: ~ I think I have the best dinner-table view in the whole entire Universe...(and that doesn't even include the 20-mile view of mountains and valleys that I have out our front windows!!...I'm just talking about these three phenomenal, lovely people!)!...

. . . .

And for even MORE freshly roasted pumpkin, we have the pumpkin pie that was a total experiment (I didn't have half and half, so I used some sour cream and some cream cheese) and was totally delicious.

Earlier in the day ~

Sam: "Mom, did you make a pie?"

"Yup."

"I can tell by your pants."

::looks down::

-->pants are covered in flour handprints <-- ... .
EnJOY. (and many many thanks to our neighbors for this glorious inspiration!)
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Tastes like autumn ~ pork chops w/sauerkraut and our own apple chutney...

2010-09-30T09:06:00.004-04:00

OR...Sam's "What can I cut with my new paring knife?" Apple Chutney.

And Oh.My.Goodness...you can't BELIEVE how delicious that chutney is with pork and sauerkraut.

I have never made chutney before, and am so thankful for Sam's cooking passion and desire to be a chef because not only is he following HIS heart, but he is keeping me moving forward and taking me to culinary places I wouldn't normally go to.

Steamy...

y.u.m. YUM.

And I will include the recipe for the chutney in this post...

Apple Chutney (from The Culinary Institute of America Cookbook)

1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 onion, diced
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 1/2 tablespoons walnuts, toasted and chopped (we used WAY more...we wanted walnuts in EVERY bite!)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon ginger, grated
1 teaspoon jalapeno, minced (we used more...like it SPICY!)
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, grated
1/2 clove garlic (yup...we used more...)
1/8 teaspoon ground mace (didn't have any...)
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 1/2 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, medium dice
1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Combine brown sugar, onion, raisins, walnuts, vinegar, lemon juice, ginger, jalapeno, lemon zest, garlic, mace and clove in a saucepot, cover, and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Add the apples and simmer until the apples are very tender and the juices are reduced and slightly thickened, 10 - 15 minutes. Season w/salt and pepper.

We served it warm over pan-seared pork chops and with warmed sauerkraut.

EnJOY.
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Sam O's Jambalaya (or rather: YUM-balaya!! ...heehee...snort...groan...)

2010-09-30T08:36:00.005-04:00

OK...so it's *really* Emeril's jambalaya...but Chef Sam O made it his own. He used a TON of veggies (instead of the few that Emeril suggests) and also added okra (because he wanted to experience okra!). He chose to not use shrimp and instead of andouille sausage, he chose chorizo.

Also, we used vegetarian non-chicken chicken broth, and didn't add the meat until we had taken some of the cooked rice mixture out for Jake's vegetarian version, to which we added cannellini beans (photo below).

Here is a picture of the mixture before it was cooked (I know...it just looks like some swimming okra...)...

Jake's veggie version...

And Sam's deliciousness:

EnJOY.
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The Best F*cking Sandwich in the WORLD ~ Hot pastrami sammo on a pretzel roll

2010-09-30T07:32:00.010-04:00

. . .

It all started here:

Oh, wait...not exactly True. I think it all started here:

We went to lunch at Empire Brewing Company in Armory Square, downtown Syracuse, NY. Besides having the best, most *chill* waiter ever (PETE!!), I had the best f*cking sandwich ever. Hot pastrami with caramelized onions and melted swiss on a pretzel roll. OH.MY.GAWD!!!

I could *not* stop thinking about that sandwich, and luckily, it seemed it was stuck in Sam's brain, too. He had the jambalaya, and so he was wanting that sandwich.

Sam suggested we go somewhere to buy pretzel rolls to make the sandwich ourselves. Well, the closest place that sells pretzel rolls is an hour away, and they aren't as good as the one at the brewpub. And driving 2 hours round-trip for pretzel rolls makes for a very expensive sandwich.

And then (sound-effect machine, please) DING!! An idea. I remembered I had picked up a pretzel kit from Auntie Annie's the last time we were in Albany. I told Sam it was in the cupboard, and that we could make rolls from it.

And so we did. Or *I* did.

While the rolls cooled, we DID get in the car to go to town and get some pastrami and cheese and onions (yes, we USUALLY have cheese and onions, but our larder was low!...we *did* have some stoneground mustard, and that was uh.muh.guh. fantastic on it...).

And we came home and re-created the best sammo EVER.

We have had them again since then, and plan on having them quite often. I'm drooling again just thinking about it.

EnJOY.
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Sam's What Can I Chop w/My New Knife? Potato Leek Soup

2010-09-30T07:05:00.005-04:00

Because I am SO behind on this blog, I am just going to post photos of what Chef Sam has been making lately, sans recipes, mostly to keep track of it all (for his own culinary records).

Sam bought a PHENOMENAL new knife from Williams Sonoma, and the next day, he made this phenomenal potato leek soup.

Homemade Chinese Dumplings = FUN and DELICIOUS!!!

2010-09-08T16:05:00.036-04:00

This has been one of Sam's *dream-list* things to do...make Chinese dumplings. And we DID IT.

Fun. Yes. Delicious. ohmygod. Yes. And here it is...the photos, the recipes...

But first...a super-sexy pose from Monty...

And now back to the dumplings...

It begins...(photos first...recipes below...)... We made pork dumplings and shrimp dumplings, because Jake doesn't eat meat, but he does eat fish and seafood...

The shrimp filling...

The pork filling...

The won-ton wrappers...(they are SOOOOO *delicious* to work with...so soft...)...

Pork...

Shrimp...

The assemblage...

To differentiate between the two, the pork dumplings are triangles and the shrimp are half-circles...

Sam...disassembling that cabbage to line the steamer...

The first batch of pork dumplings, ready to be steamed (we put the pork on the bottom layer of the steamer, because it's hotter at the bottom, and the pork requires more cooking than the shrimp)...

And the first batch of shrimp dumplings, ready to be steamed...

And the assembling of the dumpling continues...

OH.MY.GOODNESS!! They're *done* and they're BEAUTIFUL!!!...

My view through my wine glass as we wait to eat the deliciousness...

Jake's shrimp dumplings are all done!! (He's being very patient and polite, waiting for our pork dumplings to be done before he dives in!!)...

Finally! The last batch of pork dumplings are done!...

Mm-hmm...time to EAT!!...

We topped them with the dipping sauce and some Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce...

We all laughed when we saw the huge pile of dumplings on Sam's plate!!...

The inside of a pork dumpling...

Yes...they are THAT good that we ate them ALL!!...

But be forewarned!! When you make TWO batches and you eat them ALL, you just may end up like this immediately afterward...

(...unable to MOVE!!...)

(um...remember that photo of Jake sitting next to the shrimp dumplings??...he ate them ALL!!!...YES!!...all by himSELF!!!! That was a pound of shrimp, my friends...)

And now the recipes...

These are our original recipes for the most part, as we took recipes we found on-line, and adjusted them to our likes and preferences. Please do the same for YOUR own family's palate! Perhaps mix it up according to the recipe using the *smallest* amount suggested, and then smell it and see what you think it may need *more* of...for instance, if you love them garlicky, add more garlic! If you love ginger, add more!!

Chinese Dumplings

Ingredients:

1 pound ground pork or 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled & deveined (chop it up SMALL if you are not using a food processor)
1 - 3 scallions, finely chopped, white and light green parts only
2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
drizzle of sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar (we didn't have any, so we used a bit of red wine vinegar)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger (we used more than that...we LOVE what it adds to the mixture!)
salt & freshly ground pepper
2 - 4 tablespoons heavy cream (use your judgment in order to get the consistency that you want)
won-ton wrappers (perhaps 50?)
Napa cabbage leaves to line the bamboo steamer (couldn't get napa cabbage, so we used regular)
Ginger-Garlic Dipping Sauce (recipe below)
Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (optional, of course)

Combine ingredients in a food processor. You can just mix it by hand, but the food processor chops it all small enough so that you're not getting large chunks of any one ingredient in your dumpling.

Place enough filling in the center of 1 wonton wrapper to fill it nicely, but not too much so that it's oozing out the sides. Wet the rim of the wonton wrapper, fold, and press together to seal.

Repeat w/remaining wrappers & filling. Keep finished dumplings that are awaiting the steamer on a surface lightly dusted w/flour.

Line the bottom of the wok steamer with cabbage leaves. Fill wok w/water up to the bottom of the bamboo steamer (do NOT have water touching the bottom layer of the steamer...just the bottom *edge*). You can either steam the cabbage-lining before (which will allow the dumplings to sit more evenly on top of it) or not (which is fine, just work the cabbage out as best as you can so that it lays flat).

Load the bamboo steamer with dumplings in a single layer, and place on the water-filled wok. Heat to high. Steam for 8 minutes, or until dumplings are beautifully translucent. Add more water, if necessary, and repeat for remaining dumplings.

Serve with Ginger-Garlic Dipping Sauce and Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce.

Ginger-Garlic Dipping Sauce:

Ingredients

1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar (we didn't have any, so we used more lemon juice and LOVED it)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Combine ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

EnJOY!!!

(nom nom nom...)

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Grilled Pizza Margherita revisited...

2010-09-02T07:59:00.002-04:00

Just a quite note to say that I added important information on my Grilled Pizza Margherita post!! (Phew!! And just in time for your dinner tonight, too!! ;)

EnJOY.
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Blueberries ~ a poem by Robert Frost and a pound cake by Anne O...

2010-08-06T08:13:00.026-04:00

"You ought to have seen what I saw on my way
To the village, through Mortenson's pasture to-day:
Blueberries as big as the end of your thumb,
Real sky-blue, and heavy, and ready to drum
In the cavernous pail of the first one to come!
And all ripe together, not some of them green
And some of them ripe! You ought to have seen!"
~ Robert Frost

Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake

I've been making this cake for years (it was in Cooking Light magazine in 1995, I believe), and it's the first thing I think of when I have a refrigerator full of in-season blueberries (as big as the end of your thumb!).

Because I was particularly moved by the beauty of assembling this cake on this beautiful, summer, crisp-air, lovely-baking-temperature morning, I took photos every step of the way. So first I will share my photo journey, and then the recipe will follow.

EnJoy.

(I didn't have lemon yogurt, so I added lemon zest to plain yogurt...)

(This looks a bit ridiculous with the pan center sticking out of it!!...but EVERY TIME I have made this cake and I try to remove it completely from this pan, it breaks apart into a thousand pieces. So I left it in this time!...)

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Lemon Blueberry "Pound" Cake

Ingredients

* 2 cups granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup light butter
* 1/2 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
* 3 large eggs
* 1 large egg white
* 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
* 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 (8-ounce) carton lemon low-fat yogurt
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* Cooking spray
* 1/2 cup powdered sugar
* 4 teaspoons lemon juice

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg white, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 2 tablespoons flour and blueberries in a small bowl, and toss well. Combine remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in blueberry mixture and vanilla; pour cake batter into a 10-inch tube pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool cake in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl; drizzle over warm cake. Cool completely. Cut with a serrated knife.

EnJOY!!

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Milk Chocolate Frito-Pretzel Bark

2010-08-05T12:32:00.011-04:00

Are you ready for this mind-blowing, reality-altering recipe?

Just to warn you, this recipe may not be anything that appeals to you, personally. But I post my own definition of deliciousness mostly just to get you thinking...get your own creative juices flowing...

And with today's recipe, if I can get just ONE person thinking, "Hey ~ what can I drizzle chocolate all over??" ...then I have done my job.

My kids do love this, too...if that helps at all.

:)

This was inspired by an episode of Food Network's show Kid In a Candy Store.

So here's what I did.

I poured a bunch of Frito's out of a bag onto a cookie sheet. Then I poured a bunch of pretzels onto the cookie sheet. I melted some Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips (I think two bags, maybe??) and then poured the chocolate over the salty snack foods. I then took some dried cherries and added those to the top of the melted chocolate.

I put the cookie sheet in the freezer to set up the chocolate.

Once it was set, we broke it into chunks, and then we ate that delicious combination of sweet and salty.

Um...yeah. Y-U-M.

What are YOU going to drizzle chocolate all over???

EnJOY.

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Bye-bye, Miss American Apple Pie!...

2010-07-23T10:17:00.009-04:00

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...HellO ROSEMARY!!

So here's the story:

I picked Jake up from work one day and he happily skipped out of the library (which he does most days), opened the car door and reported to me that he'd LOVE to bake a pie...could we stop to buy the ingredients??

He chose to bake an apple pie, and so he ran into the store and bought apples.

When we got home, Chef Sam was doing some cooking in the kitchen that smelled FANTASTIC. He was cooking a little leg of lamb slice that I had gotten for him, and he was doing it in a pan with some fresh rosemary and olive oil. OhMyGod...even Jake, vegetarian for several years, thought it smelled phenomenal.

Jake told Sam about his pie-making plans...mostly because they both had expressed an interest in making a pie earlier in the week. Then Sam had a great idea, since we were all apple-pie-excited AND completely taken by the aroma of his rosemary leg of lamb...he suggested that we add fresh rosemary to the apple pie.

YES!!!

And so we did.

Jake made his first-ever pie crust and it was FABULOUS.

Sam chopped up the rosemary.

Jake & Sam peeled and sliced the apples, and added the other ingredients.

And the result was truly The Best Apple Pie Of My Life (and yes, I have had quite a few in my 47 years here on earth!).

It would be difficult for me to write up a recipe, because I feel that apple pies are a personal/family thing...a matter of *taste* and a personal preference as far as consistency...

But if you take your regular apple pie recipe that you use, substitute some of the white sugar for a little brown, and add maybe 2 teaspoons of chopped, fresh rosemary, then I don't believe you will be disappointed at ALL.

EnJOY.

It Was a Hot Summer Night ~ Whole Foods' Sonoma Chicken Salad

2010-07-13T12:56:00.009-04:00

I made this for dinner last night, but wasn't hungry enough to eat (I blame Cupcake Wars...watching that show ONCE inspired me to make cupcakes, which I now can not stop eating. Yes ~ step AWAY from the cupcakes, Anne.).

Today I had it for lunch and it was so fabulous I had to post about it (I also imagine that it's better today than it was last night). Now I want more, and since I'm doing this blaming thing, I blame Michelle Dunn for giving me this delicious recipe. :)

The KEY to the DELICIOUSNESS, in my opinion, is the roasted pecans. I think roasted pecans are one of the greatest gifts of the universe. The batch I did for this salad kind of got ignored on the stove-top a bit, and so the pecans were a wee bit too roasted, but I think it only made them better...a bit caramelized, in fact.

Also, it was a hot summer day yesterday, and what I love about this salad is that I can just pick up a roaster from the grocery store, which I did yesterday. I got one that had a typical roaster seasoning on it, which melded beautifully with the ingredients in this salad.

(photo before the dressing...)

Whole Foods ~ Sonoma Chicken Salad

Dressing:

- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 5 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
- salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Salad:

- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (or get a roaster from the supermarket!)
- 3/4 cup pecan pieces, toasted (I use more! I love them!)
- 2 cups red seedless grapes, halved
- celery ~ as much as you like, thinly sliced and chopped

Combine dressing ingredients. Pour over salad ingredients. Way more delicious if it gets to be in the refrigerator for several hours before eating.

EnJOY!!