Our Good Food Life

Orlando

2012-02-01T21:27:00.000-05:00

I know, I know. I teased you with the promise of beets and then I disappeared! I have good news and bad news. The good news: beet recipes--good ones--are still coming. The bad news: I was in Orlando.

Okay, that bad news might only be bad news for you if you were suffering in the short blast of winter weather the Midwest experienced last week. Then you are likely jealous that while you were searching the underwear drawer for your thermal underpants, I spent four beautiful, sunny, relaxing, days at a Disney resort, completely paid for by my employer. It wasn't all leisure--I spent two of those days in meetings--but hell if it isn't more fun to work in Orlando than it would have been to work at home.

It was much more fun.

I sat by the pool.

I went to Downtown Disney.

I also went to Epcot.

I ate gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, egg-free food at every single Disney restaurant. They were incredibly accommodating, even sending the chef out to my table to write my order on a special ticket. I felt like a VIP diner. Even better than that, I felt healthy the entire time I was in Orlando. Thank you, Disney. You can't know how much that meant to me.

One of the best parts of the week? Coming home to my darling, who was waiting for me at the airport. Orlando can't beat that.

All pics were taken on my iPhone and edited with Instagram.

The Extent of My Experience

2012-01-20T21:11:00.000-05:00

In elementary school, we had to participate in the science fair as an assignment for class. Science has never really been my strong suit; I was always better equipped to proofread a friend's book report than be someone's lab partner. I'm okay with it, mostly because I am an excellent proofreader, but I remember envying classmates science fair entries.

My best friend project was paper that had flecks of real flower petals in them. She did a demonstration for the class on how she made it. It was amazing. The purpose of her project was to show that our paper waste could be made into something new and special by recycling it. My project felt silly in comparison. I dyed muslin using different ingredients found in nature: tea leaves for yellow, coffee grounds for brown, red cabbage for purple, and beets for red. I had to boil my ingredients to extract the color so I couldn't do a live demonstration of the process. I missed my opportunity to relate it to current events, social issues, environmental concerns, or anything that would make the understanding of dyes important for my classmates to know about. I think my grade for that project was a B and I didn't win any awards in the fair.

Between the science fair project and finding them pickled on the salad bar at a local restaurant, that was the extent of my experience with beets until adulthood. Then they seemed to be everywhere--either finally it became chic to eat beets or I had only just starting noticing them. I had a beautifully composed beet salad at the Brown Dog Cafe with my friend Sharon, and I was reminded that I do like their flavor. They remind me of a savory carrot, with a deeper, earthier flavor that fills the mouth with each bite.

I wanted to make a few different dishes using the small bunch I picked up at the market. Roasting and pureeing the beets seemed the easiest route to do this, and it was incredibly easy. I trimmed the root and stem ends from the beets and gave them a good scrub. I then placed them in a baking dish with about a 1/4 cup of water and covered the dish with foil. I put them in a preheated 425 degree F oven for about an hour. Then I took the baking dish out of the oven, discarded the foil, and let the beets cool for about 20 minutes. With gloved hands--because I knew from my science fair days that beets will stain anything they touch--I peeled off their skins, roughly chopped the flesh, and placed them in a food processor. I pulsed the food processor until the beets were broken down into very small pieces but not quite down as far as, say, a sauce. I had about a cup and a half of puree from three medium sized beets. I let the mixture cool all the way down to room temperature and then stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator until I was ready to use it.

If you make this in advance as I did, you can keep the beet puree for up to a week in the refrigerator in a sealed container or freeze it for later use. I'll be back in a few days to show you what I did with it!

Past Their Prime

2012-01-12T17:44:00.000-05:00

Around three o'clock this afternoon I looked out the window and a dreary rain-shower had upgraded to a damp snowfall. Of course, this is only an upgrade for those who have been disappointed by the muddy, mild weather we've had so far this winter. I normally behave like a shut-in come January, but I think the weather has me out of my norm. I'm tackling my new year's goals with gusto, brainstorming new ideas for this website, gearing up to attend local blogging events, and even feeling confident at my day job.

I guess winter has finally settled in but I don't plan on slowing down. I've even been thinking about spring gardening again. One of the perks of living way out here in the suburbs is that we have so much space for things to grow. Some things like leafy greens can be started as soon as April--that's only a few months away!

Our potted herb garden was extremely rewarding this year. Whenever I needed a handful of chives to add to a sauce or to finish a salad, I walked out to the patio with the kitchen shears. That incredibly easy oregano pesto? Trimmed from our backyard plant. There was also parsley for adding to homemade stock, dill for homemade pickles, and, my favorite, thyme bouquets stuffed into whole roast chicken.

Except for the rosemary, though its time will soon be over too, the rest of the herbs are past their prime. Some will come back next year and some won't. Come February, when the ground is frozen and the air visibly holds my breath, I will chop down the thick stems of what's left to allow for new growth this spring. I have a feeling that the time will fly by between now and then, don't you?

Did you grow anything wonderful this year? Any gardening resolutions or goals for 2012?

Monday Links: Cold Nights, Hot Drinks

2012-01-09T10:10:00.000-05:00

The weather held out for our New Year's Eve trip to southeastern Ohio, but the temperature plummeted to 20 degrees on New Year's Day. Mentally, I was ready for the cold, but physically I was chilled to the core. Instead of going into a hibernation this month, I am focusing on ways to warm up.

My solution: steamy beverages. In this week's edition of Monday Links, I've rounded up some hot drinks that I've been eyeing around the web.

Molly and Matthew debate hot chocolate vs. hot cocoa as well as share some recipes for their favorite versions on Episode 54 of their Spilled Milk Podcast.

I'm sure it's not a healthy prescription for stress, but a Hot Toddy sounds like the perfect way to recover from a tough day at the office.

If you are like me and have leftover fresh pumpkin puree from the holidays, this Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe from Our Share of the Harvest is a great way to use it up. (And I don't think eating pumpkin should be limited to November, do you?)

Melissa loves Chai Teas from Starbucks (and so do I) so I think it's high time we learned to make our own. Thanks Tasty Kitchen for these step-by-step instructions on making a chai tea concentrate.

Alright, I know this isn't quite fitting with my theme, but wouldn't it be cute to drink out of these mustache mugs? It makes me giggle just thinking about it. Mustaches never go out of style.

Do you have any hot drink suggestions to add to my list? Share in the comments.

New Year's Resolution: Show My Appreciation

2012-01-05T20:34:00.000-05:00

Have you made any New Year's resolutions? If not, that's okay. But this year I've been pretty focused on what I need to do now to get where I want to be in the future, and goal setting (or resolution making, whatever you call it) has been a big part of it.

Tim humored me by sitting down to a formal dinner on December 27 and creating a list of joint goals for our family. Truthfully, most of them are things I thought of in advance, but some of them are things that Tim contributed. One of his resolutions for our family is to create an emergency kit; it would give him peace of mind and help us tremendously should their ever be a natural disaster or terrorist attack. One of my goals for our family was to learn to cut Tim's hair. He needs it done every few weeks and it's a regular expense that we could cut back on. I've already started fulfilling this goal: I gave him a hair cut last night (and did a pretty good job for a first timer).

My personal goals are focused on work, relationships, and health, but I was careful to make them attainable. An important one on my list--and something we all should constantly be working on--is to not take my family for granted. This means sending thank you cards, phoning relatives to tell them I've been thinking of them, and making time to show my family that I appreciate them.

Recently, as a part of this personal goal, Tim and I have started planning ahead to spend time together doing something special. Sometimes we go to a movie or out to dinner, but on occasion we plan in advance, like we did for our goal setting night, to have a nice dinner at home. There is the same anticipation and similar planning that would occur if we were going out, but we get to be more relaxed in our own home. Since I love to cook, this is one way I show Tim that I appreciate him.

If you are thinking about instituting more date nights in your household or just want to make a nice dinner for a friend, I'd like to share a menu I made recently that was elegant and easy to pull together on a weeknight. Most of the components can be made in advance, freeing up your time to spend with your date rather than standing in the kitchen. When you're ready to eat, all you will need to do is cook the fish, toss together a quick salad, and re-heat the rest.

Pan-Fried Sea Bass with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and Broccoli Puree
recipe slightly adapted from French Food at Home
serves 2-4, depending on how many filets you purchase

When picking out the fish for this dish, look for a filet that is of even thickness throughout. That way it will cook evenly and you won't have to worry about it being over or under-cooked in sections. If the price of seabass gives you sticker shock, you could substitute mahi mahi or salmon.

I made slight changes to the recipe to make it dairy free, but you could substitute butter for the Earth Balance. I served this with a glass of dry white wine and a simple salad of mixed greens tossed with oil and vinegar. If you need a wine recommendation, I'd suggest a Sauvignon Blanc from California or New Zealand to cut through the richness of the fish and broccoli puree. And just a tip from this wine geek--cook with a wine you like to drink; it will make good food taste even better!

If you have leftover red pepper sauce, mix a few tablespoons into some hummus or stir it in with some mayonnaise for a fancy sandwich.

Ingredients for the Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
2 red bell peppers
2 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot or small onion, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
6 tbsp chicken stock
Lemon juice, to taste
salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast for 35-45 minutes, until the flesh is soft and puckered. Take the peppers out of the oven and place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow the peppers to sweat for 10 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and peel and seed the peppers. Discard skins and seeds. Cut the flesh into pieces and set aside.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a saute pan. Add the shallot and cook for about 5 minutes until slightly soft. Turn heat up to medium-high and deglaze pan with white wine. Cook 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and red pepper. Return heat to medium and cook 5 minutes. Cool slightly, and then puree in a blender or food processor. Pour sauce through a strainer to remove any solids and transfer to a small saucepan to reheat sauce when you need it. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Can be made 1 day in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Reheat in saucepan before serving.

Ingredients for the Broccoli Puree
1 head of broccoli,
1 leek, white and light green parts, trimmed, sliced into rings, and rinsed well
1 tbsp Earth Balance spread, soy-free
Zest of 1 lemon plus juice, to taste
salt & pepper

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Cut the florets off the head of broccoli. Peel the stem and thinly slice. Add the leek, broccoli florets, and broccoli stem to the boiling water. Cook until very tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. Add the Earth balance and puree with an immersion blender or in batches in the food processor. Return to the pot and add lemon zest, salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Can be made 1 day in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or slowly on the stove top (careful not to evaporate too much liquid) before serving.

Ingredients for the Fish
2 filets of sea bass, 4 oz each
salt & pepper
1 tbsp Earth Balance spread, soy-free
1 tbsp olive oil

Season the filets with salt & pepper. Heat the butter and oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the fish about 4 minutes per side, until golden and fish is cooked through.

Serve on a bed of the broccoli puree with red pepper sauce along side.

Scenes from a Weekend Getaway II

2012-01-04T13:08:00.001-05:00

First three photos taken at Shawnee State Park.
Last three photos taken of the Floodwall Murals in Portsmouth, Ohio.

Happy New Year!

Gluten Free Vegan Sugar Cookies

2011-12-28T16:22:00.002-05:00

Christmas has come and gone. Time moves at a quick clip when you're an adult. I could wander down a path of pondering the speed of time but I would lose the point of this post.

And that point is that our Christmas was wonderful. How was yours? I can only hope you had the same love filling up your wine glasses and stockings. I spent the days leading up to Christmas baking sugar cookies (we will come back to these), picking out last minute gifts, and preparing a fancy Christmas Eve dinner. The presents we gave ended up hitting all of the right notes; there were a smattering of thoughtfully handmade pieces from Etsy, a few items I had remembered my family members mentioning in passing, and framed photos of Melissa for our parents and my grandparents.

Oh, and the gifts given to us? Wow. Just wow. You who gave gifts to us--you really love us. Cooking ware, entertaining pieces, new clothes, camera accessories, gift cards, red lipstick (for me) and a brand new turn table (for Tim). As I type this, I'm listening to Tom Waits' album The Heart of Saturday Night. It's one of my favorites and it gives me a feeling that listening to an MP3 just can't deliver.

Our tree may only last a few more days in the living room as I've started to tackle some of our holiday clutter. Putting things back in their rightful place seems the only way to master untidy accumulations and so the tree may go back into its box sooner than later. These Christmas cookies may be the last holiday item to go if I can make them last that long--and that is proving difficult.

I assumed I would be able to make some baked goods to meet my allergists' restrictions, but I didn't think it would be this simple. I happened upon a sugar cookie recipe that had already been adapted gluten free, and I only needed to swap a few additional ingredients to make it dairy free and egg free. I wasn't convinced it would work, but I loved making Christmas cookies last year and didn't want to go without.

Obviously, it worked. Texturally, these cookies were a little chewy with a nice light crumb. I made two batches with different gluten free flour mixes, and I much preferred the King Arthur Gluten Free flour blend though I don't think someone would notice the difference without being able to compare them side by side. Also, if kept in the refrigerator in a sealed container, these cookies can last up to a week, maybe two. I highly recommend making them in advance as they were even better on the second day.

Gluten Free, Vegan Sugar Cookies with Vegan Buttercream Frosting
cookie recipe adapted from Inner Circle Chic
frosting recipe adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World
makes about 36 cookies

If you are not vegan or do not have egg and dairy food intolerances/allergies, you can use the same amounts of butter and egg as a substitute. You could also use Earth Balance's traditional soy-based spread instead of the soy-free spread. You can make similar substitutions in the frosting recipe. I cannot guarantee that the cookies will turn out exactly as well as mine did if you use a different gluten free flour blend as all flour blends are different.

Ingredients for the Cookies
3/4 cup Earth Balance soy-free spread
1 cup sugar
2 Ener-G eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups King Arthur Flour Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp xanthum gum
1 tsp fine salt

In the bowl of a upright mixer, combine Earth Balance, sugar, egg-replacer, and extract. Mix on medium speed until all ingredients are combined and the mixture is slightly fluffy. There may be small lumps of Earth Balance. If they are smaller than a pea, it's okay.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, gum, and salt. Add dry mixture to wet mixtuer and mix on low speed until well incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. If well covered, can be made a day in advance.

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Remove dough from refrigerator. Take a handful of the dough about the size of a baseball and making into a ball. Set the ball of dough on well-floured (with gluten free flour) surface. Return unused dough to the refrigerator. Roll out the dough so that it is between 1/4 inch and 1/8 inch thick. If dough is crumbly when you are rolling it out, just let it rest for a few minutes and then try again.

Cut dough into desired shapes using cookie cutters or biscuit cutters. (The amount of cookies this recipe makes will depend largely on the size of your cutters.) Place cut-out shapes onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 6-8 minutes until cookies are done. For a crisper cookie, bake an additional minute past when the cookies are cooked through. After removing cookies from the oven, allow to sit for at least five minutes on the cookie sheet before removing them to cool on a wire rack.

Repeat process until all dough is used. Cool cookies completely before icing. (Cookies can be frozen at this point although I personally did not test freezing and defrosting them.)

Ingredients for the Vegan Buttercream
1/2 cup Spectrum Organic Vegetable Shortening (soy-free)
1/2 cup Earth Balance soy-free spread
3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 - 1/2 cup plain almond milk

Beat the shortening and Earth Balance together until fluffy. Add the confectioners sugar and beat for 3 more minutes. Add the vanilla and 1/4 cup almond milk and beat for another 5-7 minutes. If icing seems too thick, add more almond milk. Beware of the icing being too runny for piping onto cookies! If you add too much liquid, you can always add a little more powdered sugar to balance it out.

The frosting will be very light and fluffy. Chill the frosting for 1 hour before using. In a medium bowl, add some icing and desired food coloring and mix. Frosting will begin to slightly soften as you mix the color. Put frosting into a pastry bag or a zip-lock back with a snipped corner and decorating tip. Pipe onto cookies and decorate as you desire. Keep unused frosting in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Icing may seem soft but will firm up when refrigerated. Keep iced cookies in a cool place.

This frosting can also be used on cakes and cupcakes.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T05:00:00.000-05:00

(this is as still as I could get my dogs to sit!)

A Date to Dilly Deli

2011-12-23T23:28:00.002-05:00

Tim and I have been doing a little dating lately--dating each other, of course. I've learned over the past 2.5 years of our marriage (and over 5 years since we met) that relationships take real work. A good marriage does not just happen to us--we create it for ourselves. That's where dating comes in.

During December, we went on all sorts of dates. We went to the movies; I loved My Week with Marilyn (and Tim liked it, too). On another night we got Starbucks and drove through a park decorated with Christmas lights. We also went out to dinner at Dilly Deli and realized that I could eat so many things on the menu that we went back again two weeks later.

We ordered a basket of sweet potato fries as an appetizer (both times) and it was served with creamy, sweet apple butter. This is a perfect starter because it is not too filling and it's light in flavor so as not to leave an after taste. I especially appreciated that because my entree was full of strong flavors.

Tim ordered the crab cakes and I ordered cioppino. The mahi mahi was firm and flaky and the shrimp, crab, and mussels were cooked perfectly. I loved my entree.

After dinner we walked quietly to the car holding hands. This was a really excellent date.

(please forgive the grainy pics--I only had my iPhone with me!)

On Being Well (and Eating Well)

2011-12-20T10:56:00.000-05:00

It's no secret I'm turning 30 next year, and I think I've also made it clear that while I'm doing my best to embrace my age, I can't help feeling introspective. What tangible--and intangible--things do I have to show for these past 30 years? So many good things. So, so, so many good things. Family. Love. A stable household. A job I enjoy. Hobbies (like this blog) that I happily pursue. And many more good things than I could list out on one page.

Lately, though, I've also been thinking about the future. Am I in a good position to get where I want to be? How do I get there? Tim and I even have a date a few days after Christmas to sit down and talk through our joint goals. (Kind of romantic, isn't it?) I know I'm not the only one that looks at their life and sees room for improvement. People decide to be the change that they desire and then execute that change. Maybe they decide to lose weight--and do it. Perhaps they decide to find the reason for their health problems--and they find it. It could even be that they are unhappy in a job--and they seek out a job that fulfills them.

When I see those examples, I recognize that they are all getting well--physically well, emotionally well, financially well, maybe even spiritually well. I'm on a journey to wellness, too. So when my allergy doctor, who I am seeing about my food intolerances, told me this week that in addition to the seven foods that he has already directed me to avoid he would also like me to avoid a few others--including chocolate--I said, "sure."

Just like that. I walked out to my car after the appointment, called Tim, cried a little about how many foods I simply can't eat right now; he soothed me by reminding me that this is all to help me feel well, and I resolved to carry out my doctor's orders.

Before you think that I'm dragging you into a pity party, I'd like to say that I am still finding food to indulge in; it just takes a little more work. Except in the case of this Gluten Free, Vegan Apple Cake. This didn't take much work at all.

I'm generally not one to suggest box mixes, mostly because I take pleasure in cooking from scratch. But after awful experiences making gluten free, vegan cornbread and gluten free, vegan pie, I needed a baking win. This box mix, my friends, is a serious win.

To find out exactly how to make this cake, you have to buy the mix! Part of 123 Gluten Free's very smart marketing is to put the recipe for the eggless version of this cake inside the box! Would you even believe me if I told you that there is a whole can of chickpeas in this cake? (There is.) Do not be dismayed--there is no lingering flavor of chickpeas in the finished product.

It's a sugary, chewy cake that manages to be light at the same time. I gave it my own spin by swapping out the suggested golden raisins for a 1/2 cup of each diced apple and pecan pieces. Also the box recommends either a dusting of powdered sugar or an icing so I whipped up some vegan buttercream. I must say that this cake was excellent the night I baked it, but it was particularly great the next few days. I am already planning on making this for Christmas Day with my family, but you don't have to wait until then--you can go out and buy the box mix tonight.

A quick note: Part of the process that I'm working through with my allergist is to get to a point where I feel good every day. When we get there, I expect that he will allow me to reintroduce certain foods into my diet, one at a time, to see if they cause me to feel sick. Then we will know which specific foods are the problem. It's entirely possible that in six months from now, I may be enjoying chocolate--or any of the other foods on my do-not-eat list-- again. But for now, I'm just following the good doctor's orders.

Monday Links: 2011 Holiday Gift Guides Round-Up

2011-12-02T16:01:00.001-05:00

Instead of creating my own, I decided to to link out to some of the gift guides I've found around the web. I'm nearly done with my holiday shopping--and I've done it almost exclusively online--but I need to pick out a few more items. I hope you get some inspiration to shop for yourself or your loved ones.

Wine Me Dine Me Holiday's Gift List Part 1 and Part 2 (maybe more to come?)

The Proper Man: A Gentleman's Gift Guide (a Homefries blog)

The Kitchn's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide for Good Food Causes

We Are Not Martha's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide for Food Lovers

Simple Bites 2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Top 10 Cookbook Picks (sidenote: I really want Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five!)

The Homesick Texan Gift Guide 2011 (in honor of my Texas family--send me some of that Dr. Pepper, would you?)

A variety of Gift Guides from Serious Eats

Want more ideas? Hit up the treasuries on Etsy for themed collections. (I particularly like this mustache-themed collection!)

Not a gift guide exactly, but you can order Gluten-Free Gift Baskets to send to loved ones from this new website, So Lucky

(tip-hover over the website names for active links to the sites)

Have you finished your shopping? Are there any gift guides that I should add to my list? Please tell me in the comments!

A Short Season

2011-12-02T13:10:00.001-05:00

We've spent some time the past few weeks readying the yard and garden bed for winter. Melissa and I pulled most of the remaining vegetable plants using a combination of hedge trimmers and brute force. Tim opted to wait until most of the leaves dropped from the trees (save a few hangers on) and mow over them rather than rake them in piles. It seems to have been the right decision because when he finished I could hardly believe how all of the leaves were gone. It felt like the end of fall. It's such a short season, isn't it?

My potted oregano plant had an unexpected growth spurt during the month of November. I took my kitchen shears to it and ended up with a huge bowl of clippings. After washing and drying them, I wrapped two small handfuls in paper towels and put them into the refrigerator. I'm hoping for some oregano inspiration this week to use those up. I considered drying the rest but settled on making a batch of oregano pesto; Heidi's post last week about making some had been stuck in my head since I read it.

It was easy enough to throw together; picking the leaves from the woody stems was the most tedious part of the process. The sun had long gone down by the time I got around to tossing all of the ingredients into the food processor so I didn't get a picture of the pre-frozen product. But this pesto, when freshly made, is the color of a Christmas tree. It was deep green and studded with little bits of garlic and pine nuts. The flavor is fresh and bright from the parsley but the hints of oregano gave it a warm, wintry flavor. It could possibly be my favorite pesto ever.

I froze the pesto in an empty ice cube tray and then combined the frozen cubes in a labeled zip lock bag. It made about 12 ice cubes which really is quite a bit when you think about how much flavor just a tablespoon of pesto can pack. What will I do with all of this pesto? When thawed, I figure I can spread it on bread as a condiment for sandwiches. I can drizzle it over a pasta with bright tomato sauce for extra herby flavor. I can spoon it over grilled meats or vegetables. I think it might even be good on a baked potato.

Oregano Pesto
adapted from 101 cookbooks
makes about 1 cup of pesto

1.5 cups of loosely packed fresh oregano
1.5 cups of loosely packed fresh parsley
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup of toasted pine nuts, cooled
3/4 to 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt to taste

Add the oregano, parsley, garlic, and pine nuts to a food processor. Pulse a few times to slightly chop. Then pour in the olive oil, starting with just 3/4 cup, and process, adding more olive oil if needed to reach your desired consistency. There should be some texture, but the pesto should be a fine sauce. Add salt, starting with 1/2 teaspoon, and adjust to taste.

Pesto can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container for 3-4 days or frozen for several months.

Very Thankful

2011-11-27T18:55:00.001-05:00

There was lots of turkey this weekend. We ate turkey dinner three times: Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. As if that wasn't enough, we stopped by Whole Foods for lunch on Friday and Tim got turkey and gravy from their hot bar. Turkey four days in a row for him. He loves Thanksgiving.

We did sneak in some non-turkey-eating activities. There was a family dinner outside of Columbus, a quick unpacking of our Christmas decorations, and an impromptu visit to the Englewood dam for family pictures.

While waiting for the sunset to hit the perfect moment for a few last pictures, we did a little goofing around, balancing on fallen branches, and chatting about what our dogs secretly think about us. (We have very deep conversations in times like these.) I caught a moment of Tim and Melissa on the bench, side by side, and thought about how I hit the jackpot marrying into this family.

After I snapped a few pictures of Melissa in front of the setting sun, we headed to the car. The sky was beautiful, full of blues and pinks, but it didn't seem like the sunset was going to offer the golden reds and royal puples I was hoping for. As we were driving away from the park, we could see out the windows that we left a few minutes too early.

Tim knew I had been waiting for that shot and asked, "Do you want me to pull over?" It was thoughtful of him, but I said we could just keep on heading home.

If I'm lucky, I will get to see thousands of more sunsets with this family. For that, I am very thankful.

(Just thoughts today, but more food posts later this week.)

Bread, My Love

2011-11-21T11:41:00.001-05:00

I was all set to do a post about preparing the home for Thanksgiving where I was going to tell you how Tim and I got serious on our clutter this weekend, but then bread happened. Yes, bread.

As I told you we would, we spent Saturday morning acting like tourists around downtown Cincinnati, snapping pictures of Findlay Market and then of the incredible gardens at Krohn Conservatory. Tim teased me a little bit, calling me the paparazzi, but once I handed the camera over to him at the Conservatory to take photos of the Orchid House, he started to really get into taking pictures. I think he took a picture of every single orchid in the installation. Every. Single. One.

When we got home, Tim settled in to watch college football and I took up my post in the kitchen, experimentally baking, as I told you I would. My lofty dream of re-creating a family favorite dessert went south--quickly--as just about everything went wrong. Then I mixed up the dough for gluten-free, egg-free baguettes and that seemed to flop as well. My pre-ground flax, when mixed with water, wasn't gelling the way it was supposed to do and the dough was off. It wasn't until I baked up some gluten-free, vegan, soy-free chocolate chip blondies that I felt like I was getting my baking mojo back. I was ready for round two of bread-making.

I followed the directions on the Artisan Bread in 5 Blog exactly as written, even grinding my own whole flax seed to fine powder for an egg-replacer, and said a small prayer over the mixing bowl. As we waited for it to rise, we tackled some clutter (all inspired by Tracy's post on the Homefries blog) by decluttering the living room bookshelf and then emptying out our cabinet with the lazy-susan and ridding ourselves of half full bags of dried cranberries. It felt great to tame our overflowing cabinet, and as a reward for our efforts, the universe cooperated, allowing the stars to align, and our dough rose perfectly.

After we chilled it, formed the baguette shapes (a delicate procedure when working with somewhat goopy, squishy gluten-free dough), and let them rest for another 40 minutes, I finally popped them into a hot oven to bake.

The house smelled like warm, yeasty bread. A smell so missed that I think I had hidden my longing for it deep inside so that even I couldn't recognize it until the smell of a bread I could actually eat awoke it. I could only think, Oh bread, my love, this is our reunion!

It's been over 5 weeks since I've eaten bread that even remotely reminded me of bread. This bread was divine. Even Tim said that it was so similar to traditional bread that he was pleasantly surprised. The outside was firm and crisp, the inside was slightly fluffy with a little bit of the trademark bready chew.

Should you decide to make this bread for yourself or a gluten-free loved one, I do have a few tips. Wait until the bread has cooled completely before eating it. If you break it open too soon, the inside might be a little squishy. It tastes perfectly wonderful at room temperature and has more traditional bread-like structure. Also, I didn't top it with the seeds as shown in the original recipe, but I think seeds would be an excellent addition to the bread. Lastly--and this is the most important--you can't swap out any of the ingredients and expect the same result. For the best gluten-free bread, use the King Arthur Flour mixes exactly as listed. I can purchase KAF Gluten Free Multi-Purpose Flour at Whole Foods and possibly my local supermarket, but I had to order the KAF Ancient Grains Flour from the KAF website.

Happy baking!

(And if you missed it, you can find the recipe with step-by-step photos for Gluten-free, Egg-free Baguettes here.)

Meta-Photography

2011-11-18T19:19:00.001-05:00

See that up there? My early Christmas gift from Tim. I couldn't figure out how to tell you about it without taking a picture of it, and then thought about the slight absurdity of photographing a camera (might I call it meta-photography?). He purchased it from someone on Craigslist; it's practically unused and came with the original box. I have had just one afternoon since he gave it to me (before our 5:30pm sunset) to snap a few pictures of the dogs playing in the backyard. I am just getting the hang of it, and I suppose once I get started taking pictures I may never stop learning.

I like to imagine Tim and I traipsing around the globe with this camera hanging from our necks, snapping pictures of one another posing awkwardly in front of "The World's Largest (Blank)." In fact, we are going to start doing that this weekend.

Well, there is no impromptu cross-country road trip planned, but Tim called me this afternoon to inform me that we have nothing planned this weekend. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Two whole days. So we are going to spend Saturday morning visiting Findlay Market, slurping Pho for lunch, and then finding spots in the city to take pictures. Think sunny thoughts for me, would you please?

I also plan on doing some experimental baking. I've got this (crazy) idea to make a beloved family dessert fit my diet restrictions, and I may spend any other free time I have figuring it out. One thing I have learned about cooking since I started avoiding certain foods is that there is no equal substitute for certain items. If you swap out the regular flour for gluten-free flour, you will not necessarily get an equal result. It does require changes in my expectations, but I'm hopeful that I can come up with something close enough. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving if this dessert wasn't on the buffet table.

Speaking of baking...I'd like to propose a Virtual Cookie Swap on December 12. No stress--just post a favorite holiday cookie recipe on your blog on Monday, December 12, and then come over here and comment on my blog with a link to your post. Then I will do a cookie recipe round-up that will inspire bakers to get in the kitchen and into the holiday spirit! I will post more information on the blog about this virtual event before then, and you can also look for the hashtag #cookieswap on Twitter!

Have a great weekend--and I hope to have some photos and recipes to share with you next week.

On Eating (and Not Eating)

2011-11-14T20:55:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago I stood in a semi-fast food restaurant and couldn't pick out a single thing on the menu to order. I ruled out several items from the get-go and then asked the manager to bring out a binder full of nutrition and ingredient facts. I went over nearly every item on their menu, standing there at the counter for almost ten minutes, realizing that I have never had any idea what was in the food I was eating.

It was shocking, confusing, disheartening. I finally settled on an iced tea and a fruit cup. That would have to be lunch that day.

Then I went out to my car and cried a little. That day, it was just a little. But there have been a few days since I started seeing an allergist to get to the root of my stomach issues that I've cried a lot. I found him through an online doctor-finder program provided by my insurance company. He had positive reviews, was close to my house, and was accepting new patients. When I went to see him, I was taken back to a room relatively quickly and the staff were friendly. I explained my symptoms and concerns to him and emphatically said, "I would do anything to feel better. I would stop eating anything."

And he very seriously looked at me and said, "Do you mean that? Because I will be asking you to give things up."

And he did ask. He asked me to give up a lot--for three straight weeks. And for three straight weeks, I followed every single guideline he gave me. I went without. I felt better. I also had blood drawn and was tested for all sorts of things. Nothing came back irregular. No food allergies. No diseases (like celiac). My body is simply intolerant to certain foods.

I saw him again, just a few days ago. When I told him how strict I'd been with the diet, he praised me. "That's wonderful!" he said, "any issues?"

There was one day where I'd eaten something specific and felt ill soon after. "Ah yes, we'll have you avoid that too. For one month."

Now I'm going on four weeks of food restrictions. I've managed to dine out a few times, but I order plain steamed vegetables or a simple salad with no dressing. Once I even brought my own dressing since I could guarantee it fit my restrictions. I've packed my lunch to take on trips, and I've found a few fairly convenient restaurants that can accommodate my restrictions, though I think Tim is sick of both of them already. In another week I will get one food I've been living without back into my diet, and hopefully that will go well because I surely miss it.

There's also a big holiday coming up--an eating holiday--where I will likely sit around a table watching my family eat foods I love. I felt guilty last week when I spoke to my mom about my restrictions and requested that some foods be prepared without certain ingredients. I even felt badly for offering alternative ingredient suggestions. How could I ask someone to go out and buy an unusual item just to accommodate me? Then I remembered that she loves me. And that gives me a little courage to speak up. To at least ask. My mom was happy to look into some small substitutions, and I also offered to bring a side dish to share. Something that everyone will enjoy and that will guarantee I have something good to eat.

Even though I have had a few moments where I am exhausted with reading labels and researching menus and looking up recipes to the point where I would rather just eat nothing than continue researching safe foods, I know that it's worth it. Eating this way has helped me start to feel better. And that's all I want.

I will tell you all the nitty, gritty details of what I can and can't eat someday, but for now I'm still figuring out what restrictions are temporary and what may be more permanent. You may see me post recipes and talk of dining out from pre- and post-restrictions. When I get answers, I will let you know. I can only say for sure that things--internally speaking--are on the up and up.

Monday Link Love: Inspiration

2011-11-07T21:04:00.000-05:00

I would consider myself a person who thinks a lot--maybe too much. My mind drifts off when I'm waiting at the pharmacy or stirring a pot of risotto. I cry during all Pixar movies and even sometimes watching commercials. I am a dreamer. A believer. I'm sure some would say I just have a wild imagination, but I don't think that's the reason. Life moves me.

So today I'm sharing some of that inspiration with you (food and non-food related).

My beautiful, talented, smart cousin Joy is a truly motivated young woman. She's already completed a young adult novel! And she shares about her goals to be a published writer over on her blog. Check it out--she will make you laugh, make you think, and make you want to chase your dreams, too.

Do you think Thanksgiving can't exist without the turkey? Aimee is proving that wrong with her round-up of vegetarian Thanksgiving dishes. I think she's onto something, here.

We went to a fund-raiser on Saturday night for the Midwest Boston Terrier Rescue. It's the rescue from which we adopted our amazing Boston Terrier mix, Murray. It felt really good to support the rescue's mission and motivated me to be more involved in something that I truly believe in.

Speaking of going after your goals, I loved today's blog post from Joy the Baker. She shares 10 tips on how to build a successful blog--and most of them you might already know but need to hear. My favorite: pretty things are important. I'm going to work on that.

You may be in denial, but Christmas is just around the corner. I'm inspired by the modern-homemaking goddess, Cherry Menlove. She started her series on preparing for Christmas with sharing an extremely useful template to keep track of holiday gifting and budgets. I've already printed three copies!

Has anything around the web inspired you lately? Please share!

See you back here soon. As always, thanks for stopping by.

Culinary Smackdown Round-Up and Winner!

2011-11-02T20:21:00.001-04:00

I just want to say thankyouthankyouthankyou to all of you who participated! What a fun way to pay tribute to fall and to share ideas on food.

And since everyone is so enthusiastic, I decided to make the victory a little sweeter. Before I even looked at the entries, I decided to toss in an extra prize.

The winner of Culinary Smackdown: Battle Winter Squash will receive a $25 Gift Card to Bed, Bath & Beyond. It's one of my favorite stores to waste a little money, and I thought I'd give the winner some incentive to treat themselves.

Now to check out the entries.

La Diva from La Diva Cucina got serious about winter squash with not ONE but TWO entries. First she offered up Pumpkin Pancakes with Fried Chipotle Chicken. This screams sweet and savory comfort food, and it kind of makes me want this for breakfast and dinner...Brinner?

Then just to really show how versatile winter squash can be she created an entirely original and incredible second dish, Seared Lemongrass Scallops on a Thai Coconut Butternut Squash Coulis with Thai Basil Oil and Crispy Fried Eschallots. If you are wondering what any of those fancy words mean, La Diva kindly describes it on her blog. All I can say is that this woman can dream up a dish and make it happen. Impressive.

One of my favorite Cincinnati bloggers, Jeff from A Dork and His Pork, joined the Smackdown this month and got scientific on us! Using molecular gastronomy, he took his stand-by Rosemary Squash Soup and turned some of it into little gelled spheres to garnish his soup. It's kind of amazing, and even though he wasn't fully satisfied with the result, I'm thoroughly impressed with his effort and the soup recipe. (I think the world IS ready, Jeff!)

Local food blogger Stephanie from Small Girl Adventures introduced me to Pumpkin Butter. And not only did she give a great recipe, but she also gave suggestions on ways to use it up. I don't think Pumpkin Butter would last very long at my house--and I'm kind of dying to make it now that I've got this easy recipe to follow.

I absolutely love the recipe for Butternut Squash Soup from Grumpy Granny. It calls for coconut milk, rather than cream, to thicken the soup, and since I have so many vegan's and dairy-free people in my life, this recipe could be a dinner-party lifesaver! She didn't even know it and she was offering up a recipe with one of my very favorite new ingredients! (And I love the idea of serving it out of a teacup!)

My dear blogging friend Eggy at Eggplant To Go offered up the most unique use of winter squash with her Fresh Butternut Squash Salad. How incredibly creative to use raw squash the way you would use a thick pasta! I'm always so astonished with the passion in which she approaches food and how stylish she is in the kitchen, but she raised the bar on herself with this one!

I can hardly believe that this is the first time Boxer from Anonymous Boxer cooked with squash. These Butternut Squash Cupcakes are divine and beautiful! Boxer is the only person to offer up a dessert and I think the risk paid off! Well done!

I wish I had been at the block party where Buzzkill's Butternut and Acorn Squash Soup was served. That looked like a good party! And the secret ingredient to this soup? Cream cheese! And I can get acorn squash for less than a dollar a piece at the farmer's market these days so this would be a great way to use them up!

Alright, now that I've checked out all of the entries and considered my guidelines for the Smackdown, I've decided on a winner.

Drumroll please...

The winner is BOXER! I loved your use of a normally savory squash in a the sweet cupcakes. Please go to my about page and send me an email with your mailing address and I will send you the gift card!

And thanks to everyone who participated. I'm not sure when the next Smackdown will be held but I'm already looking forward to it!

Host Post for Culinary Smackdown: Battle Winter Squash

2011-10-30T22:49:00.000-04:00

I've been submerging myself into fall. We carved pumpkins (mine was the witch); I've been eating farmer's market apples; I have even been cooking cool-weather inspired foods like Maple Glazed Acorn Squash, Whipped Sweet Potatoes, and Homemade Roast Beef. I think I've just about had my fall fill and am almost ready move onto Thanksgiving planning and Christmas decorating.

(Full disclosure: Melissa and I completed a Christmas craft on Saturday night. We bought some kits at the craft store to build a miniature Penguin Ski Lodge and a miniature Sleigh for Santa. I will show pics when everyone else's holiday excitement catches up with mine.)

(Oh, and one more thing: we listened to Christmas music while assembling them.)

Now, back to fall and the Culinary Smackdown. This months theme--chosen by me--is Battle Winter Squash. I decided to use some butternut squash that we grew in our garden this year to join in on the fun.

I've been holding onto our homegrown squash for several months trying to figure out what to do with it. I wanted it to be something sort of special and it was also important to me to that the squash be the main ingredient.

I decided to go with a Butternut Squash Gratin. The caramelized onions combined with the soft butternut squash created a slightly sweet and creamy filling. The crumb topping (which I made with gluten free bread and fresh rosemary and thyme) was crunchy and aromatic. The original recipe called for adding cheese to the topping but I'm glad I omitted it. Instead, I drizzled a few tablespoons of olive oil over the bread crumbs to help them brown in the oven. Trust me--skip the cheese.

This recipe can be easily adapted to work with whatever is plentiful at the farmer's market this fall. If you think this sounds (and looks!) good, how does squash and parsnips sound with a sage crumb topping? I hope your entries are good--because I think I set the bar high!

(Recipe for Butternut Squash Gratin at the bottom of this post).

A recap of the rules:

1. Prepare a sweet or savory dish that has an edible winter squash as the main flavor ingredient.

2. Share at least 1 photo of your completed dish(es) on your blog and include as much description about this dish as you'd like. You do not need to include an exact recipe--I will trust you on the ingredients--but recipes are always nice in case the readers would like to make it for themselves.

3. Creativity will help you stand out from the other entries!

4. The deadline for sharing your creation is Monday, October 31 at 11:59pm. This is my "host post," so link your submission in the comments section and I will visit your posts on Tuesday, November 1 to choose a winner. Check back here in a few days for the announcement!

Butternut Squash Gratin
adapted from Bon Appetit via epicurious
serves 4-5 as a side dish

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1-1.5 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups thinly sliced yellow onions
1/3 cup chicken broth, canned or homemade
2-3 slices white bread, regular or gluten free
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme
salt & pepper
2-3 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 8 square baking dish or similar size round oven-safe casserole dish and set aside. In a heave skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until light golden, about 8 minutes. Add squash, saute 5 minutes. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper over mixture and stir.

Place bread, rosemary, thyme, and a pinch of each salt & pepper in a food processor. Pulse until bread is in small crumbs. Set aside.

Spread vegetable mixture in baking dish. Pour in chicken broth and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Then remove dish from oven and increase oven heat to 400 degrees F. Remove foil and spread bread crumb mixture over squash. Drizzle bread crumbs with olive oil. Return to oven uncovered and bake for 25-30 minutes, until bread crumbs are light brown and crispy and mixture is slightly bubbling at the edges.

A Good Place (and Perfect Roast Chicken)

2011-10-27T22:17:00.000-04:00

I had my high school reunion this past weekend. It started a bit awkwardly with hugs outside of the high school football stadium. I found myself feeling a little anxious--the same way I used to feel when I was going on a first date. When I hugged a former classmate hello and smelled beer on his breath, I honestly thought to myself, "Maybe I should have had a drink before coming to this."

After a couple of how-ya-beens and what-have-you-done-with-your-lifes, I realized I didn't need that drink. It turns out that ten years isn't that long to go between conversations with old friends. We laughed about trouble we used to get into, and the commiserated that we weren't such bad kids after all. Nearly everyone who attended already had one or two of their own kids (or maybe thinking about having some in the future) so we are starting to understand why we had early curfews, strict parents, and nosy teachers. They, the older and wiser generation, had a better idea of what was ahead of us than we could ever have imagined. I wish I could say thank you to them. If you're out there reading this: thank you.

I also think I had a nice time because I'm in such a good place in my life. Married to a handsome, kind man, working a job I enjoy, helping to raise a daughter, and carrying out the vision for my "victory lap" year. I've lost a little weight. I've made some new friends. I'm focused on improving my overall health. I'm happy. How many people can say that about their lives?

It may sound corny, but I'm certain my happiness has spilled over into the way I cook. I buy healthier foods and prepare them more thoughtfully. I research recipes more thoroughly but still feel follow my instinct in the kitchen.

Take chicken for example. Offensive things are done to what could be a lovely, flavorful meat. Just this afternoon on the Cooking Channel, I witnessed the host of a show making Pizza-fied Chicken. It was a bit ridiculous. She put string cheese on it, for goodness sake. Do we have to trick ourselves into thinking chicken is pizza in order to enjoy it? Can't we just leave pizza and chicken in different categories altogether? Perhaps I'm alone on this one, but is it so hard to just season it, roast it, and eat it. Is that so difficult? (That kind of common sense would probably put some cooking shows out of business!)

I don't say this often, but I've recently come upon the most perfect roast chicken recipe. So simple and delicious that a novice could master it with only a handful of ingredients and a hot oven. The chicken is juicy with incredible flavor and reheats in the oven for wonderful leftovers the next day.

And if I had to recommend a must-have kitchen item for a home-cook, I would most emphatically say a meat thermometer. There is absolutely no way to tell if a bird or roast is cooked to the desired doneness without it. So go get one at once if you haven't got one already.

And then make this roast chicken.

A quick note before you get to the recipe: don't forget that Monday, October 31 is the day to submit your Culinary Smackdown: Battle Winter Squash entry. I will put up a "host post" here on my blog on Sunday with my own winter squash creations and you can link to your entry from there.

Spatchcocked Roast Chicken
recipe slightly adapted from food52
serves 4 to 6

In a pinch, I've found that a quick zap in the microwave at 10 second intervals will soften butter up. If you go too far in softening it, toss it in the freezer for a minute or two and it will quickly solidify. Also, an organic or natural, hormone-free chicken will always taste better than a conventional supermarket chicken. It's worth the extra investment.

Ingredients
4 tbsp butter, softened
Zest of one small lemon
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 3-4 lb whole chicken
salt & pepper

In a small bowl, combine softened butter, lemon zest, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, and a pinch of each salt & pepper. Set aside.

Discard any neck or gizzards from the chicken. Pat dry with a paper towel. Set the chicken, breast down, on a cutting board. Using kitchen shears, start at the tail end of the bird cut along each side of the backbone to remove it. This should expose the inside of the chicken. Press it open slightly and sprinkle the cavity of the bird with salt and pepper.

Flip the bird over so that it is breast side up. Press down between the breasts with your hands so that the bird lies flat. Trim away any excess fat and skin from around the cavity of the bird. Then gently slide your fingers under the skin of the breast and legs to loosen it from the meat. Smear 2/3 of the compound butter under the skin of the bird. Spread the leftover compound butter over the outside of the skin and then sprinkle the bird with salt & pepper.

Lay the chicken in shallow roasting pan, such as a 9 x 13 casserole dish, and put it in the refrigerator uncovered for 1 to 2 hours. When you're ready to roast the bird, heat the oven to 425 degrees F and remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Roast the chicken at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes, then baste with the accumulated juices in the pan, and reduce heat to 375 degrees F. Roast for another 15 to 30 minutes, basting at least once more during the cooking time, until the thermometer when inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 165 degrees F. Remove from oven and allow to rest, tented with foil, for at least 10 minutes before carving.

Monday Link Love: Warm & Fuzzy

2011-10-17T20:11:00.000-04:00

Tonight I'm sitting next to the one I love, sipping a glass of wine; there is chicken roasting in the oven and radishes braising on the stovetop. You might say I'm having the best night ever.

That's why I think it is a good night to bring you some of my favorite links from around the web. Since I am feeling so happy and loved, I think that all of these posts will make you feel a little warm and fuzzy, too. Think of like a Cheers! from me to you.

I ordered some beautiful prints last week from etsy seller, Graphic Anthology. Trust me, you'll want to order everything she offers.

Did you see the two little girls on the Ellen show who sing Nicki Minaj's Super Bass? If you missed it, I've got the link over here on my Pinterest board.

There's a guy named Charlie Puth who videotapes himself singing and performing on YouTube. This video of him singing a duet of Adele's Someone Like You will tug at your heart strings.

I know my list is a little heavy on the video links, but you can not miss this video of Simone Cowell on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Let's just say they do a little skit called Other Voices. We laughed hysterically.

I want to send you over to my friend Sharon's blog. She recently wrote a post about her love for all things French that just made me want to have dinner with her again really soon! Oh, and if you want to be in-the-know about the Cincinnati food scene, she's a great person to follow.

Monica Bhide is one of my favorite food writers, and I loved her recent story for Gilt Taste about fasting--or not fasting--to show her love for her husband. It made me want to cook a feast for my husband.

See you back here in a few days--I've got some jack-o-lanterns I want to show off and some pumpkin recipes to share.

The Basics: Homemade Chicken Stock

2011-10-14T18:29:00.004-04:00

Have you ever watched a cold front blow in? The back of our house faces west and I can see the dark clouds creeping closer, dragged by chilly winds, from the window over the kitchen sink. It's an incredible view when the front is bringing with it a thunderstorm; lightening lights up our entire kitchen and west-facing bedrooms. I equally enjoyed watching today's gray, blustery cold front work its way our direction, pulling leaves off trees in the back yard with big mighty gusts. It just feels like fall around here. I kind of like it.

I'm sure you're tired of reading about *pumpkin recipes, so I have something else in mind for today's post: chicken stock. It's the backbone for so many wonderful recipes. Shouldn't it get some attention, too?

I don't necessarily think that making your own stock is a requirement for great cooking, but there are many reasons why it is important to me. First, and honestly foremost, is that commercially produced stock is often hard on my stomach. I'm sure it has to do with the preservatives required to make the stock shelf stable, whether it be in a can, box, or even a powder base. I just don't feel good after I eat it, and that's reason enough for me to make my own.

There's also flavor to consider. If you're not convinced that homemade stock tastes better, I suggest a little (un)scientific study. One of my favorite podcasts, Spilled Milk, hosted their own chicken stock taste test. You can listen to the podcast straight from their website or by downloading it for free from I-tunes. Spoiler alert: Molly and Matthew concluded that while there are some decent store-bought options, homemade chicken stock was the winner.

Now, I know there is some confusion about stock vs. broth. What's the difference? Are they interchangeable? How do I know what to make? The answer to all of these questions is the same--there does not appear to be a single source with an end-all-be-all answer to this question. The general consensus seems to be: when in doubt, choose stock over broth. Stock is generally made from the bones of chicken which gives the liquid a thick, juicy quality that you cannot get from only the chicken flesh. Also, a well-made stock that is allowed to cool to room temperature may have a slightly gelled quality. While this may be off-putting at first (it was for me), the gelling means that your stock is packed full of nutrients that are holding the liquid in this form. It means it's good for you.

And the most fundamental reason for making my own stock is because I believe it's the omnivore's duty to consumer the entire animal. While this is a much bigger discussion than I'm going to enter in today, I think the best way to thank that animal for feeding you is to purchase poultry that is humanely raised and make excellent, high quality foods with every part of it. We generally buy whole chickens, and if we buy pieces it is always on the bone, and after we cook the meat I save the bones in a zip lock bag in the freezer, labeled with the contents and the date. You could make stock with whole, raw chickens, but I have never found that my stock is lacking from not being simmered with meat.

It may take a little trial and error. Before you start, you'll want to decide if you to keep it simple or add additional ingredients. You can go either way--bones+water only or bones+water+vegetables+herbs+seasonings. I prefer the latter; I've never found that adding more flavor to my stock detracted from using the stock in future dishes. In fact, it likely saves me from having to adjust the seasoning when I use it in recipes.

You'll thank me when a cold front blows your direction that you have this stock ready to go. It makes chicken noodle soup a cinch to throw together and it's a great base for any other soup or sauce you crave to warm you up this fall.

So here is where I try to tell you a great method for making stock. I'll do my best, but feel free to consult other sources for great ideas in stock-making as well.

Making Homemade Chicken Stock

Start with a large pot. When it comes to choosing a great stock pot, depth is more important than width, so use one that is 16 inches or so deep.

To the pot, add enough bones (previously cooked or raw/uncooked) to equal as about as many bones as you would have from two 4 lb chickens. This may be a variety of bones from an entire roasted chicken carcass, the unused backbone from a spatchcocked bird, or leftover cut up chicken pieces (like wings, which are often unused in recipes). Also add to the pot two unpeeled, halved yellow onions, two or three celery stalks, torn in half to fit in the pot, two or three whole carrots, scrubbed well and either peeled or unpeeled, a whole head of unpeeled garlic sliced in half horizontally, a halved lemon, a small palmful of peppercorns, a few sprigs of fresh thyme, and a small bunch of fresh parsley.

Fill the pot with enough tap water to cover the ingredients by three or four inches. Set on the stove over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, only checking every half hour or so to skim off any gray or cloudy foam that may rise to the surface of the water. Let your stock simmer on low heat until it reduces by 1/3. This may take 4-6 hours. Occasionally taste your stock, checking for richness and flavor--you are looking for a distinctly chicken-y flavor--and near the end of cooking I stir in 2 or 3 tablespoons of kosher salt. You can omit the salt if you'd rather add salt when you use the stock later.

Remove from heat, let cool for 20 or 30 minutes. Pour stock through a mesh strainer into a large bowl or pitcher. Allow to cool down to room temperature. Stock can be stored in a variety of ways. Store large quantities of stock (which I prefer) by dividing into pint-size or quart-size freezeable plastic containers or sturdy zip-lock bags. Freeze. Or pour stock into ice cube trays for smaller portions. When frozen solid, put all stock-cubes into quart-size ziplock bags.

Always label your stock and include the date. Get into the habit of using the oldest stock first. It is not true that once frozen, food is good forever. While it breaks down much more slowly than if it were just in the refrigerator or at room temperature, even frozen food will start to lose its flavor and nutrients if left uneaten too long.

*Don't forget--Battle Winter Squash will be hosted here on October 31! Please join us!

End of the Season

2011-10-13T11:57:00.001-04:00

It seems that vegetable gardening has come mostly to a close for me. We got so much cold rain during the month of September that most of our heirloom tomatoes split open on the vine, suddenly more vulnerable to bacteria and insects. An odd thing happened simultaneously--a surge of new growth on the broccoli, red cabbage, and grape tomatoes has resulted in a last ditch effort to make something happen.

I don't want to scare them off--because I'm thankful for everything they've given me this summer--but someone needs to tell them when to call it quits. There isn't enough time for the delicate little tomatoes to grow and ripen. Frost seems to always be hiding just behind the next weather front so I'm not counting on anything to harvest. Fortunately the broccoli and cabbage are better suited for the weather and might keep growing for a while.

In a moment where I was looking the other direction, the central stalk of our broccoli plant shot up and flowered--just like that. From the window, I noticed the beautiful yellow blossoms. Immediately I put down whatever I was doing and wandered outside to look. Never would I have known that a broccoli was such a beautiful plant. These are things you just can't learn from shopping at the grocery.

It's kind of amazing, isn't it? Things living and changing in your own back yard? That's gardening, for ya.

Brown Dog Cafe and a New Friend

2011-10-04T18:13:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I got an email from a blogging acquaintance, Sharon from Eggplant To Go, asking me if I'd like to join her for dinner. Cincinnati's Restaurant Week was coming up, and she had reservations that she had made with a friend who was no longer able to go. Not wanting to miss out on a chance to try a new restaurant, Sharon wondered if I'd like to join her.

Let me just say that I am so thankful that Sharon reached out to me. I have always considered Sharon to be such an interesting writer on her blog, always uncovering new food trends in Cincinnati, and she shares my love for Top Chef. And as an adult, it's harder than I ever expected to make new friends. I'm not from Cincinnati so I don't have a built in group of friends here. I love my husband dearly, but he understands that I like to be busy and social. I was involved in a Ladies Wine group, but most of the members moved away so it sort of fizzled out.

Sharon reached out to me on the perfect day with the perfect invitation--dinner at Brown Dog Cafe.

I had never eaten here before so I arrived a little early. I was surprised that the restaurant is located in a small strip mall type location at the Pfeiffer Road exit off Interstate 71. The inside of the restaurant has a sort of upscale lounge feel with a nice wooden bar where I could see myself coming back and sitting on a stool for a glass of wine. There was a mix of booths and tables, and we were seated just around the corner in a little section of tables. It was cozy and comfortable; I found the atmosphere appropriate for a date, dinner with the in-laws, and even a business dinner.

When Sharon arrived I immediately stood up to give her a hug. I instantly knew it was going to be a very nice dinner. She allowed me to choose the wine for dinner, and I found that the wine list was well rounded with a nice selection of glass pours and bottles at varying prices and types.

Our server brought us the restaurant week menu, which included the option of choosing an appetizer, salad, and entree. All of the choices were interesting and sounded delicious.

I started out with a Sea Dog for my appetizer. It was a seafood sausage served on a bun with a spicy sauce, sort of a play on a lobster roll. It was incredibly good, and I inquired of our server where the sea dog was sourced from. She confirmed Sharon's suspicion that it was from Lobsta Bakes of Maine. I know my husband would love this, and I want to buy some of these directly from Lobsta Bakes sometime soon.

My second course was a pickled beet salad with goat cheese. The beets were sweet and vinegary and a perfect pairing with the creamy goat cheese. Beets are such an under-appreciated root vegetable, aren't they?

For my entree I had a duo of incredible lamb chops that had a crispy, salty crust. They were served over cripsy potato wedges and asparagus. The chops weren't heavy or game-y but light and juicy. And seriously awesome. I would order this again and again.

Overall dinner was fantastic. We polished off a bottle of wine and talked about everything under the sun. Sharon is one of those people that I think I could always find something to talk about with, and I really appreciate that in a dining partner. I hope to see you again soon, Sharon!

Culinary Smackdown: Battle Winter Squash

2011-10-03T19:21:00.000-04:00

Oh yes, you are now reading the blog of the reigning Culinary Smackdown champion! I won Battle Oktoberfest with my Warm German Potato Salad (thanks Mom!) and that means I not only get glory but I get to host and judge the Culinary Smackdown for October!

Over the weekend I mulled over a few ideas for the theme for October's competition. I considered Battle Scary Food, but that seemed too broad and subjective. I also considered Battle Pumpkin, but a friend pointed out there may or may not be a canned pumpkin shortage this year, making that theme challenging.

So I finally settled on a pumpkin-related theme with a slightly broader, more accessible theme.

Battle Winter Squash!

Here are the rules:

1. Prepare a sweet or savory dish that has an edible winter squash as the main flavor ingredient.

2. Share at least 1 photo of your completed dish(es) on your blog and include as much description about this dish as you'd like. You do not need to include an exact recipe--I will trust you on the ingredients--but recipes are always nice in case the readers would like to make it for themselves.

3. Creativity will help you stand out from the other entries!

4. The deadline for sharing your creation is Monday, October 31 at 11:59pm. I will put up a "host post" here on my blog and on October 31, you will need to come and comment on that blog post with a link to your blog post that contains your Battle Winter Squash entry. I will choose a winner on Tuesday, November 1!

Want to make something with pumpkin from scratch? Follow this link to a tutorial on homemade pumpkin puree from Annie's Eats.

Need some ideas? Here are a few blog posts that may inspire you:

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte's from Our Share of the Harvest
Butternut Squash and Apple Soup from Simple Bites
Stuff Acorn Squash from The First Mess
Curried Squash and Red Lentil Soup from Shutterbean
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting from Smitten Kitchen

and a few from my own archives:
The Easiest Pumpkin Pie Ever
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Butternut Squash Risotto

Good luck! I'll be posting some of my own winter squash recipes here and am looking forward to judging the entries at the end of the month!