Lighter and Local

Cheddar Peasant Boule

2012-01-31T10:49:00.001-05:00

I heard it again this weekend. It was at a gathering of amazing, creative, talented, and fearless women. In this case, however, there was a touch of fear. You could see it in their eyes, the way their voices cracked with a sudden lack of confidence.

The topic was baking with yeast.

You'll hear it all of the time in cooking circles, "Oh, you know, I just can't make anything with yeast in it, it never turns out". I know, I used to be one of those cooks.

Now, I can't get enough. Are my baked goods perfect? Not at all. Do they taste fantastic? Why yes, they do. Oh, and apparently Gordie the Pug loves it as well.

Truth be told, my first loaf of bread came only last year during #Charcutepalooza. I wanted a pumpernickel or rye to go alongside my Cider-Braised Corned Beef. So, I took a deep breath, read the instructions, and low and behold, later that day, I had amazing bread. I was emboldened by such a move, so then I tackled Italian Bread. That recipe has become my go-to for a nice side to any pasta dish, the key is the olive oil, I swear it.

Now, I'll be honest here. Do I make my own bread every week? No. Should I? Yes. This could be that bread. It's simple, with little work or clean-up involved. This could be that perfect bread. It's easily adaptable to whatever you want. It's brought to us by the talented Abby Dodge and a little group we call #baketogether (yes, people, the hashtag is connected to Twitter, and yes, you should try it out, my feed is full of amazing food and people).

"Bake Together" is a group of bloggers, cooks, people, that simply love the art of the baked good. Abby puts a recipe out there every month, and we all re-create it and post our creations. Anyone can join, and after Charcutepalooza, I needed some group baking or cooking love. This is perfect, and frankly, even more up my alley than the meat adventures. Confession here, I actually eat little meat, maybe once or twice a week.

You can throw this bread together in a few hours on a weekend, or in a morning. I'm in love with it, so please go and make it. Oh, and I promise you'll fall in love once you start baking bread. The smell of your kitchen will be irresistible, and you'll come back to it all, again and again.

Cheddar Peasant Boule
(printable recipe)
Yield: 8-10 slices
Source: Abby Dodge

I have added the cheddar to the recipe, but feel free to omit, or add whatever you what. That's what's great about this recipe, it's so adaptable!

Ingredients:

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (15 ounces)
1 packet instant yeast (1/4 ounce)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
1 1/3 cups warm water (125 degrees)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used Cabot's 50% reduced cheddar this time around)

Instructions:

In the bowl of a standing mixer, whisk together flour, yeast, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Connect bowl to mixer fitted with a dough hook, and take your water (making sure it's 120-125 degrees) and slowly add to the dry mixture with your mixer set at medium-low speed.
Once the water is well-incorporated, push speed up to medium, and allow the machine to knead the dough until it is smooth, pulls away from the sides and the bottom. According to Abby, this takes about 6 minutes or so.
Now, take your melted butter and grease up a mixing bowl. Gather the kneaded dough into a ball and place in greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap tightly and place in a draft-free, warm area, and allow to rise about 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
While the dough is rising, butter a 8-inch cake pan (I realized I had only 9-inch, so I improvised), and set aside.
Once dough has doubled in size, turn out onto a clean work surface. Deflate the dough with your hand, and at this point, shape into a little, fat rectangle, sprinkle cheese across the surface, roll up, and then shape into a 7-inch little rounded loaf.
Place the dough into your prepared cake pan and place in a warm spot to again double. This time it should only take about 25 minutes.
While the dough is rising again, make sure your oven baking rack is in the middle, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Once the dough has doubled (filled up the pan), place the pan into the oven.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the loaf has risen about 2 inches above the pan and when you knock on the middle, it sounds hollow.
Tip the bread out onto a baking rack and place right side up to cool. Slice, enjoy!

And just one more picture of Gordie the Pug, because he's so cute.

Spicy Asian Chicken and Noodle Soup

2012-01-25T10:32:00.002-05:00

OK, I'll fess up. Detox, well, I made it to day 6, before saying, enough is enough. I felt great, lost a few pounds, had energy, but when friends came bearing wine and Chinese food after shoveling on Saturday, I said, "this isn't for me". That being said, I'm being mindful. It was a good reminder that clean eating does wonders, and I needed more balance. However, it doesn't fit into my whole mantra of moderation, at least for very long.

So folks, I'm back. We won't mention that I'm back after I sampled one too many dips at a little AFC Championship party on Sunday (go Pats!), because that doesn't go well with the whole "moderation" theme either.

I will, however, begin with a soup that, while not my own, is an absolute favorite in this house. This is one of those, down and dirty, simple, "I have no time to really cook", soups. It tastes, however, like you slaved over it. It's a husband favorite, which I know for many of you is very important. It's also got a kick, but one you can adjust on your own. Hey, there's a bonus here as well, it's good for you!

Before I share this weeknight staple with you, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the talented Alex Marciello from the Newburyport Daily News here in town. She dropped by my kitchen, and chatted with me about my cooking, the blog, and my love for everything local. If you want to check out her work, do so in this article that came out in today's Daily News. I have to thank her, and the Daily News, for talking with me. You all know I love my little New England town, and there's something really heart-warming and fun about being in the paper where you grew up!

Spicy Asian Chicken and Noodle Soup
Source: adapted from Cooking Light
Serves: 4

I love this because it takes no time to put together, and I can adjust the vegetables involved with whatever is seasonal. In this case, all vegetables, minus the snow peas, were from local sources. They were either picked up at market, or they had a home in my freezer.

Ingredients:

3 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken breast
1/2 cup grated carrot (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup thinly sliced snow peas
2 teaspoons Sriracha (I add more, and have extra for serving)
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons thai red curry paste (I have also omitted once or twice)
1 (2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger
3 ounces cooked wide rice sticks (prepare according to directions)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (I have omitted before as well)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Preparation:

Take chicken broth, water, chicken breast, carrot, snow peas, Sriracha, soy sauce, red curry paste, and fresh ginger, place in a large saucepan, or dutch oven and bring to a simmer.
Prepare your rice noodles according to package directions.
Remove ginger piece from simmering soup, and add your rice noodles, lime juice, and green onions to the soup.
Serve warm with extra Sriracha for a bit of an extra kick if you'd like.

The Mind-Body Challenge 2012

2012-01-17T11:09:00.000-05:00

Avocado with Bell Peppers and Tomatoes

Back to my roots, or at least back to the challenge that really started me blogging much more seriously.

In May of last year, feeling sluggish, I decided to look for some kind of cleanse. You all know me if you read this blog with any regularity, I'm not really into extremes. I wasn't looking for something all liquid, or meals that consisted of cayenne pepper and water. I wanted substance, I wanted to be healthy.

I ended up stumbling upon Whole Living's 28-Day Mind and Body Challenge. It's a cleanse they rework every year in January that focuses on clean, healthy eating. I want to say in advance, that these posts are in no way affiliated with the magazine, I just like to give credit where credit is due.

The detox omits alcohol (uh-oh), caffeine (how will I survive?), dairy (not too bad), processed foods (try to avoid those anyway), added sugars (oh I just might miss you), and gluten (this one is always the most difficult for me).

Last year, I ended up energized and held on to changes I made in the couple of weeks I stuck to it, long term. I'm hoping to hang onto them longer this year.

Roasted Peppers, Cauliflower, and Almonds

So how did this propel me into blogging? Well, I noticed when I started blogging about this challenge, that more people started reading and commenting. It also really pushed me in the direction of trying to eat local as often as possible. It was just simply better for me.

As you know, my commitment to local is always tempered with moderation. In looking at this cleanse, there are a lot of recipes that I can't keep entirely local, but I'm trying to at least keep one local ingredient in the mix. A lot of this stuff is out of season as well, but again, moderation tends to be key.

I'm going extreme for a few weeks, while again, against my moderate mantra, I need a shock to the system every once in a while. You want something a little less shocking? I love what Winnie over at Healthy Green Kitchen is doing with her "One Simple Change" Fridays.

I have to add that when I started this yesterday I also did something for my mind. I started my day off slow, chopping, blending. I reveled in the sun of my kitchen, turned on music, and began my day in a more positive frame of mind. I mean, this is for the mind as well, right?

So my produce bins are packed, I have some shred of motivation. Want to see what I'm eating? Here are the links for yesterday, since these recipes are not my own, but they're definitely worth sharing!

Breakfast:
Antioxidant Smoothie
-made with frozen Cider Hill Farm blueberries and raspberries I froze last summer.
-Green Jasmine Tea from White Heron Tea in NH. (Yes, this is cheating, but one cup of green tea a day is helpful and healthy.

Lunch:
Avocado with Bell Pepper and Tomatoes
-Sadly, the only thing local in this one is the garlic from Tendercrop Farm.

Dinner:
Roasted Peppers, Cauliflower, and Almonds
-Again, all purchased from Tendercrop Farm in Newbury, MA, but none is their own produce. They work with quality providers in the winter to provide other options they can't grow here in January, and I'd rather support them with dollars since I believe in their local meat/produce options at other points of the year. Local folks, here's a secret, many times their produce (theirs or otherwise) is cheaper (and MUCH higher quality) than what you can pick up at the local grocery store.

Snacks:
Various things - almonds, fresh fruit, and veggies with natural nut butters.

So wish me luck. I predict some crankiness from the lack of coffee and bread. I also predict a little burst in energy and much more awareness of what I'm eating than I have had in several months. I also predict that by the end I will have not sworn off bread, pasta, or wine for all time. That's just not going to happen.

Banana Bread Muffins

2012-01-02T12:20:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to all of you!

I hope you capped off an amazing 2011 and are welcoming 2012 with open arms.

I know I am.

I've been silent as things in my life got reorganized with my day job. I've said before, I've been promoted, it takes more of my time, but one of my 2012 resolutions is to re-establish a better work/life balance.

I resolve to be more organized.

I resolve to take better care of myself and my family.

I resolve to get back to writing, baking, cooking, because it truly is my therapy.

I resolve to be more positive and happier.

I resolve to have tea and read a bit (of something) as many nights a week as my tired eyes allow.

This recipe is neither lighter nor local, I promise to get back there. These, however, are homemade, which is again all part of my focus, to make as much from scratch as possible, but also to not go overboard. I like to embrace moderation in all life, and I know that sometimes, convenience trumps all.

It's all part of the resolution to be more balanced overall.

I hope 2012 is already treating you well, and I wish everyone the happiest of New Year's!

Banana Bread Muffins
Yield: 1 dozen

These are perfect for a weekend morning treat. They're easy to throw together and you'll have almost everything on hand to make them in a pinch!

Ingredients:

Muffins:

1 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
3 ripe bananas
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Topping:

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease/butter your muffin tins and set aside.

In one bowl (or a stand mixer bowl) cream the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.

In another large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk to combine further.

In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork, add milk and cinnamon and stir.

Finally, add the banana mixture to the sugar/butter mixture and stir to combine. Slowly add flour mixture to the bowl stirring as you go until flour just disappears.

Spoon batter into your muffin tins, and set aside.

Now, for the topping - combine brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives (or in a food processor) until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle topping evenly over batter.

Pop into your oven for 30 minutes and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out cleanly.

Allow to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before popping out to serve or cool completely on a wire rack.

Apple Snack Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-11-29T10:09:00.001-05:00

Friends are like frosting.

Life is so much more enjoyable with them.

You could bake this cake, leaving it unfrosted and naked.

It would be lovely with a cup of coffee, but not as lovely as if you had decided to mound luscious layers of sugared clouds on top of it.

Friends in your life are the frosting on the cake. You can get by without it, but you miss it when it's not there.

I've been a busy lady as of late. My "real" job has taken a rewarding and amazing turn. However, usually when something is so rewarding and so amazing, it takes a lot of effort to cultivate. I'm in the middle of that as we speak (read? type?) here.

I had the opportunity this weekend to catch up with an old friend, to hash out tales of yore over bloody marys and brew.

It's amazing how good it is for the soul to sit and simply talk, not be judged, and then listen with the same regard. It's something I don't make time for enough when life is rushing by at 75 miles an hour.

The opportunity will present itself again in a week when I hop a train, heading for New York City, to catch up with more friends. It's difficult to carve time out when you have so little wood to work with. It's important, however, and I'll even say intelligent. It makes you who you are.

So, pray tell, what does this have to do with cake? This place, this blog, has long been a cultivator of friends for me. I've met people with a passion for food, and life. I've drifted away, and they welcome me back with open arms. I miss the discussion, the understanding. I miss the outlet.

And you know what? It's only up to me to make it happen.

The moral of this story? In the middle of decking the halls, stringing the lights, trying to decide what grandmother's house to go to, make time for your friends, it's good for your heat.

They put way more booze in the eggnog than grandma, anyway.

Apple Snack Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Source: Cake recipe from Cooking Light
Yield: 1 9x13 cake

Still have apples where you are? They make their way into many a farms winter storage. This is a perfect way to use local apples a touch past their prime.

Ingredients:

Cake

2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups chopped and peeled apple
cooking spray

Frosting

8 ounces (1 block) block-style fat-free cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups powdered sugar.

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Whisk until well combined.
Now, add water, butter, olive oil, vanilla, and eggs to the dry mixture and stir until it all just comes together.
Finally, fold in your apple.
Pour your batter into a 9x13 baking pan coated with cooking spray.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake.
Set aside to cool completely on a baking rack.
While the cake is cooling, make your frosting by combining cream cheese, butter, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in the bowl of your standing mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer).
Beat on medium speed until the ingredients are just combined.
Now, turning the speed to low, slowly start adding your powdered sugar.
Once all the sugar is added and incorporated into the frosting, turn the mixer quickly to high for a minute to whip some air into the frosting.
Frost your cooled cake, slice, and serve!

Sausage and Turnip Gratin Pasta

2011-11-12T15:21:00.001-05:00

I love turnips. Sue me.

I know it's not something most people would say they have an affinity for, but their spicy kick gives me reason to swoon.

Our love affair is rather new. I came across lovely cool weather hakurei turnips in my Winter CSA from Heron Pond Farm in South Hampton, NH, last year. I made a gratin out of them, my husband fell in love, and this torrid relationship has continued ever since. While I'm not taking part in a winter CSA this year, I'm glad I've done it once. I found so many vegetables that I simply would have passed by a year or so ago. You receive amazingly fresh foods, and they can spark your creativity in the process.

We're fans of comfort food in this house, especially once the cold weather seeps in. We're busy people. I help run a major market newsroom and my husband is in school and working at the same time. Even the pugs are busy.... sleeping 16 hours a day. On the weekends, we all like to curl up at night with a good movie, a good hockey game, a good bottle of wine, and a meal that will keep us warm all night long.

This pasta falls into the comfort food category. It's decadent and creamy without being too heavy. So the other night, when I had little else in the house other than turnips, again from Heron Pond Farm, and some hot Italian turkey sausage (yes, I use it in everything, I love it), this pasta was born out of necessity.

Sausage and Turnip Gratin Pasta
Serves: 4
Inspired by: GF-Zing adapted from Gourmet/2007

Ingredients:

2 bunches hakurei turnips, cleaned well, greens removed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese.
1/2 pound hot Italian turkey sausage (or regular Italian sausage)
1 pound dried penne

Instructions:

Cut off the top and tail of the turnips, slice into 1/4 inch slices.
Melt butter in a non-stick 12-inch skillet (choose one with a lid) and layer turnip slices in pan. Sprinkle the turnips with thyme, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.
Cook in butter over medium heat for 3 minutes.
Cover turnips with the heavy cream and chicken stock, put lid on and cook over medium heat (making sure not to scald the cream) for 20 minutes.
While the turnips are cooking, boil the water for your pasta, cook until al dente, and drain, reserving some of the pasta water.
At the same time you're cooking the pasta, remove turkey sausage from their casings, and brown in a skillet. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate and set aside.
After 20 minutes, the turnips will be softened. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top of cooked turnips and put lit back on for 3-4 minutes until cheese is melted over the turnips.
At this point, remove the lid, add your sausage and your pasta, and 1/4 of a cup reserved water from the pasta and toss until well-combined.
Serve with plenty of extra parmesan and romano cheese.

Apple Cider Cream Pie

2011-11-06T09:14:00.000-05:00

I'm only human. I'll start off with that. My life has been a roller coaster of ups, downs, and absolute craziness for the past few months. Sadly, the things and people in which I find sanity have fallen by the wayside.

Connection to my craziness? I believe so.

Time in my kitchen is precious. The newsroom can be crazy, home life can be off the tracks, and my body can be tired and sick, but the kitchen is where it all comes together. The issue, I find, is that pulling out of the pure fatigue and exhaustion to get myself in there, isn't the easiest task to tackle. Once I'm in there, measuring, dicing, stirring, tasting, I'm well on my way to getting back to my little corner of calm.

I've just got to get there.

I've neglected myself and sanity for the past 14 or so weeks. It's time to make a change. I've gotten back into the kitchen, although not as often as I'd like. This Sunday night, I'll start yoga again. Those classes are one of the few times I can recharge, shut down, and really concentrate on myself. I'm also making plans to see friends and family. They're the key to feeling more like "me".

I share this because, frankly, I'm pretty sure most people go through periods like this. This blog is part of my sanity, and getting back on track. What better to get back on track with than a pie that screams fall, made with local cider and cream, and that's a tad different from your normal autumn desserts. This pie is rich, but worth every bite you'll take, I promise.

Apple Cider Cream Pie
Yield: 1 pie
Source: Food & Wine

Ingredients:

1 pie crust (homemade, store-bought, however you would like it)

Filling and Topping

2 cups apple cider
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup whipping or heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. You're going to pre-bake your crust. Roll your dough out to the size you want. Lay it in a prepared pie dish and put it in the fridge for about 15 minutes to chill. Now, take it out of the fridge, prick center and sides with a fork (to avoid shrinking of the crust) line it with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights. Bake in the lower-third of your oven for 15 minutes, then take the pie out, line the crust with foil, then bake for another 15 minutes until crust is set, but not browned. Allow to cool on a wire baking rack.
In the meantime, make the filling. In a medium saucepan, boil the cider until it reduces down to 1/2 a cup. This will take you about 10-15 minutes. Once it's reduced, set it aside to cool.
Once the reduced cider is cooled, whisk in 3/4 cup of the sugar, sour cream, and salt. Finally, whisk in your eggs.
Pour your custard mixture into the cooled pie shell (don't remove the foil strips) and bake the pie for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custard is set around the edges, but jiggly in the middle. Let the pie cool completely.
While the pie is cooling, take a bowl (metal is best, especially a stand mixer bowl) and place it and your beaters in the freezer to chill. Once chilled, using an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream with the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and the cinnamon until it's fully whipped.
Top the pie with the whipped cream, and serve.

Fresh Tomato Soup

2011-10-13T17:57:00.000-04:00

Certain dishes are like going home. They're the ones that wrap you up in a big, warm hug after a long day. They're the ones that take you back to cooking alongside your grandmother, or whoever did the cooking in your house. They can be pick-me-ups, cool-me-downs, and maybe even take-me-backs. They're pure comfort masquerading as food.

I've been waiting on this post for several days now. I've been far removed from cooking, writing, and, in general, communing with the food world I so often refer to as my therapy. Two months ago, I started a fantastic and exciting journey. I took the reigns of a morning newscast, learned how to get up every morning at 1:15 a.m., and I learned a lot about myself in the process.

I discovered I had resolve. I uncovered a creativity I had forgotten I had. I learned that old dogs can learn new tricks, and more importantly, they definitely should. Change, for better or worse, in the end, makes us all a little more open to the world. I made new friends, learned from new colleagues, and encountered challenges I had not yet stumbled across. And yes, I learned I could live, and be happy on (a lot) less sleep.

I learned home is where you make it.

So, now I embark on another journey, back to where I started, but with new challenges. You see, I've been charged (promoted) with taking the reigns of my old friend, the night news. Instead of hearing the alarm at 1:15am, instead, that's when I'll be crawling into bed alongside a loving husband, and two snoring pugs once more.

It's a bit like going home, but missing the new and exciting adventure you've been living thus far. I'm excited to again be with old friends, but certainly will miss the new ones. This however, is a new adventure in an old place. I've learned an immense amount to bring back to the table at which I once sat. It also brings me back to food and my writing, something I hadn't quite been able to figure in as of late.

But again, home is where you make it, and no one said it has to be in only one place. If you miss it, make one of those dishes I was talking about, like this tomato soup, and you'll be right back there.

Fresh Tomato Soup
Adapted from: Ina Garten
Serves: 5-6

If you still have the last of your garden tomatoes, or if they're still all over your local market, this is a perfect use of them. I used black, beefsteak, heirloom, and orange tomatoes in this soup. It's forgiving, use whatever you'd like. Pair it with a grilled cheese, and smile from ear to ear. Note: if you don't have a food mill, simply peel and seed all the vegetables below before cooking, and puree in a blender or food processor in batches at the end.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped sweet onions (about 2 onions)
2 carrots, unpeeled, and chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
4 pounds ripe tomatoes, any variety, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
3 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup milk
Parmesan cheese (for serving)

Instructions:

Heat your olive oil in a large pot, I use a dutch oven, over medium-low heat.
Add your onions and carrots to the pot, and cook until tender.
Next, add your garlic and cook for about a minute.
Now, dump in your tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt, and pepper and stir.
Bring the soup to a boil, and then down to a simmer, and simmer, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes until tomatoes are tender.
Finally, add your milk to the soup and process it through a food mill into a bowl, throwing away the pulp left behind.
Reheat the soup in your large pot and serve with plenty of freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Peach and Rhubarb Crisp

2011-10-03T09:37:00.001-04:00

The end of the summer and beginning of fall have brought a lot of changes to my life. I'm still going through a pretty crazy change in my professional life, and it's thrown a lot out of balance in my personal life. One of the biggest issues, as you've guessed, is keeping up with things here at Lighter and Local.

I miss it. I miss the writing, the photography, the cooking, the therapy that this little slice of the web brings me.

So I'm trying for a comeback here. I need this.

This past weekend, my husband and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. Five years ago, on a rainy cold October day, I married a man I knew I could grow with. I knew marriage wasn't magic ponies, rainbows, and forever after. Marriage is work, but the pay off is what makes it worth it.

Our wedding day, Salem, MA.

Dave and I have been through a lot in our five years. We've lost a lot of loved ones. We've had our ups and downs, but we're both fighters. We know what's worth fighting for.

We're simple. We're happiest with a fantastic home-cooked meal, nothing fancy, just soul-warming. We're happy cuddling up on the couch with the pugs, watching a good movie, and enjoying just hanging out together.

This crisp is modified from the one I always make. It's one of my favorites. It's simple, but it lacks the pretense of anything complicated and fancy. It's a lot like marriage in some cases. It's successful if you have good ingredients, a good base, a fantastic heart, and are willing to modify along the way.

Peach and Rhubarb Crisp
Serves: 4-6
Adapted from: Cooks Illustrated

This is perfect for those end-of-summer and early fall peaches. They're still prevalent in New England even in early October. This is a perfect use for them before they're gone.

Ingredients:

Topping:

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Filling:

4 ripe peaches (I don't peel them, you can if you prefer that)
1 cup sliced rhubarb
zest and juice from 1 lemon
1/2 cup granulated sugar.

Instructions:

Topping:

Put the flour, sugars, spices, and salt in a food processor, fitted with a standard blade, and pulse twice to combine the dry ingredients.
Add your butter to the dry ingredients and pulse until the mixture ends up like coarse cornmeal. Do not over mix.
Put topping into the fridge for at least 15 minutes as you make your filling.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Filling:

In a large bowl, combine fruit, lemon zest and juice, and sugar.
Toss until everything is well coated.

Assembling:

Grease a pie dish or baking dish, pour fruit mixture into your baking dish and distribute the chilled topping over the fruit.
Put into the oven and bake 40 minutes, then increase oven temp to 400 degrees for the last 5 minutes until fruit mixture is bubbling and topping is brown.
Remove from the oven, and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving with ice cream or whipped cream.

Ginger Peach Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-09-19T15:46:00.002-04:00

It's that time of year where you add the extra blanket to the bed. You wake up to a chill in the air, but by noon, it can still feel like summer. The warm weather is fading away into a New England fall. I cherish these few weeks. I'm sad to say good-bye to all that the summer has to offer, but there's nothing like fall in this part of the country. There's a magic there that words simply do not do justice.

I'm years out of school at this point. Ten years to be exact, since I left the campus of Syracuse University. I often reminisce about those days. They truly were my formative years. I made the friends that still shape my life today. I learned about life, love, and the heartache both can bring. For some people, the real living happens after they leave the safe confines of a campus. I began the process while in the folds of my education. In my first fall, outside those folds, the world stopped with the 9/11 attacks, and I learned, while living alone in my first apartment, how cruel and scary this world can be.

That aside, fall, still, to me, means a re-birth. Like those first days of classes, of a new school, it's a slate wiped clean. Each autumn represents a new chance to make changes, to savor every second, to tie up loose ends before the new year comes knocking. This year is no different for me. I'm in the middle of a possible transition in my career, a new schedule, filled with new challenges.

I'm a person constantly filled with nostalgia. I mourn good times that have passed by, but in the past years, have tried constantly to focus on the present. Autumn brings back a wave of memories every single year. This year, I'm struggling to look towards the future, finding issues holding on to the present. I will get there, however, I have to.

This cake represents the fleeting transition from summer to fall. Peaches are still everywhere in New England, sharing tables at farmers' markets with early season apples. The peach represents the last gasp of summer, while the spice cake reminds me of fall. So when you're in this early September, bake this cake, and slowly ease yourself into the next season, and the next part of life.

Ginger Peach Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
(printable recipe)
Yield: 1 9x9 square cake

Ingredients:

Cake:
Source: One Perfect Bite

5.5 ounces all-purpose flour (plus extra for dusting the pan)
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg at room temperature
1 1/2 egg yolks at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces granulated sugar (a little under 1 cup of sugar)
1 tablespoon light molasses
1/2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large peaches, pits removed, peeled (if you'd like) and chopped roughly

Frosting:
Source: Smitten Kitchen

1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoons cornstarch (you use this because brown sugar is far more moist than powdered, and powdered sugar already has some in it)
1/8 cup powdered sugar
4-ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Start with the cake. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x9 baking pan.
Melt 2 tablespoons of your butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Melt and cook 1-2 minutes until butter is light brown.
Add your spices (cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, cloves and nutmeg) to the butter and cook for 15 seconds, stirring constantly.
Remove the butter/spice mixture from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
While that's cooling, whisk together your flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
In another small ball, whisk together egg, yolks, and vanilla until well mixed.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the leftover 6 tablespoons of butter, sugar, and molasses together until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add your cooled butter-spice mixture to the sugar mixture and half of egg mixture. Beat on medium speed until the egg is incorporated, about 15 seconds.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and then pour in other half of egg mixture and beat until well-combined.
Now, reduce speed of mixer to low, add 1/3 of the flour mix, followed by half the buttermilk.
Add another third of the flour mix, followed by the rest of the buttermilk, and finally the rest of the flour mix.
Mix at medium speed until flour is completely incorporated into the batter.
Take the bowl off the mixer, and using a rubber spatula, fold the chopped peaches into the batter.
Pour into your prepared 9x9 baking pan, and bake for 32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out cleanly.
Allow cake to cool completely on a wire rack, before frosting.
To prepare the frosting: First off, whisk together your brown sugar, cornstarch and powdered sugar and set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer (or in a regular bowl with a hand mixer), beat together cream cheese and butter until fluffy.
Add your vanilla extract to the cream cheese/butter mixture.
Add your brown sugar mixture to the cream cheese mixture, and beat until well combined.
Frost the cooled cake, slice, and enjoy!

Charcutepalooza September: Packing, English Pork Pie

2011-09-15T17:51:00.002-04:00

Well, I'm back. I fell off the Charcutepalooza wagon last month, having zero interest in terrines and zero time to complete the task. You see, I'll be honest here. I have very little love for random parts of pig, or any other creature. I know, I know, you're all going to tell me how fabulous pig heads, feet, or organs are. You going to tell me that I *need* to fall in love with cow tongue. The list goes on and on.

I've tried it. I've tried it all. There's nothing I won't try at least once in several different ways of preparation. I have an issue with gelatinous dishes. They repulse me. Weirdly, I eat sushi. Go figure.

Granted, I don't hate all of it. I love fois gras. I love a pate in the right setting with the right pieces with it. There are just bits and pieces to things like terrines and headcheese, that turn me the wrong way.

If you love it, go on with your bad self. I'm sure there's things I love that repulse you, that's OK. Each to their own.

Why am I telling you this? I feel like this is my confessional. I don't have the love for all things charcuterie that most of the members of this challenge do. I love sausages, fresh or cured. I love bacon, and smoked just about anything. I hope you all still love me.

On that note, I was thrilled to see English Pork Pie. Pastry doesn't scare me, I love making it, although I'm not talented in shaping it or rolling it out. This meat pie reminds me of a blended Tourtiere, which is one of my favorite things in this world. Alas, my recipe for that Quebec meat pie is one of my husband's family and I'm not allowed to share.

I followed the recipe in Michael Ruhlman's Charcuterie pretty much to the letter. I subbed more butter for lard, because frankly, I didn't want to go and get lard. This pie crust is no light matter. I think about four sticks of butter goes into it. I used some pork shoulder I had frozen from Kellie Brook Farm in Greenland, NH and grinded that on up.

Now my pork pie failed to have that nice high dome that others got. The filling spread out a bit before I got it all into the oven. No fear though, this is a fabulous treat. Perfect for a winter or fall Sunday meal, or a holiday. It's not hard to make, just a touch difficult to assemble and make pretty.

So this is it. I'm back. I'm not in the running any more, but that's OK. It's the community, the camaraderie, the challenge of Charcutepalooza that I love. And I hope I'm still allowed in the "Cool Kids Meat Club", even though headcheese makes me cry. I jest. Really. This pork pie, however, find a recipe and make it. It was lovely slathered in a good mustard, and served warm.

Lindsay Olives Giveaway Winner and Marx Foods Chile Challenge!

2011-09-13T15:48:00.000-04:00

Remember those lovely Lindsay Olives? I put together Jalapeno Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Olive & Corn Salsa with those babies, and I'm whipping up that Olive & Corn Salsa yet again for this weekend. Well, I owe you a giveaway winner announcement, so here it goes:

The winner of the Lindsay Olives Prize Pack is....

Sarah of TheChubbette!

Sarah - shoot me an email so I can pass your information onto the lovely folks at Lindsay Olives!

Now, remember this awesome Chile & Cheddar Pull Apart Bread? It's part of a really cool blogger challenge being sponsored by Marx Foods . They're a fabulous source for various gourmet ingredients. In this case, they challenged a group of food bloggers to see what they could come up with when given their dried chilies. Well, check out the Blogger Chile Recipe Contest for a look at some of the amazing things bloggers came up with. You can feel free to cast a vote for the bread, or any of the other amazing recipes out there. You won't look at a dried chile the same way again. Can you say, Mexican Hot Chocolate Covered Strawberries? Just awesome!

Housekeeping is now out of the way... stay tuned for this month's Charcutepalooza post, it's perfect for the fall!

Chile Cheddar Pull Apart Bread

2011-09-09T18:07:00.000-04:00

In the past year, I've crossed two things off my cooking "to-do" list. I've finally tackled baking with yeast, and I've finally figured out what the heck to do with dried chiles. Yeast always scared me. For some reason, I couldn't figure it out. I was afraid my bread wouldn't rise, it would taste "too yeasty". I never realized how easy it could be. This little trend of "pull-apart" bread, proves it.

Dried chilies, they're a whole other ballgame. I love "heat" in pretty much anything I eat. In general, the spicier the better. I knew dried chilies were a great way to bring this to any dish. These puya chilies bring so much more than a little spice, however. They bring a wonderful depth to this bread. They're not crazy spicy. You can pick your chili, according to your own tastes. I finally tackled them when I made my own chorizo not too long back.

I stumbled upon Marx Foods because of my interest in dried chilies. I heard they were putting together a little blogger contest where they'd send along some samples of their best dried chilies and see what we could do with them. Marx Foods is one of those spots where if you're looking for a specific gourmet ingredient, amazing artisan foods, and great cooking ideas, well, they have it. I honestly never realized there were so many types were available. I received several varieties, from the hot Habenero, to the more chocolatey Mulato chilies. I ended up going with the Puyas, because they carry just enough heat, without being overwhelming. They also have a touch of a fruity taste, perfect to pair with cheddar for this bread.

Ah, this bread. I've seen pull-apart breads all across the blogosphere as of late. They're filled with fruit, cinnamon, but it was a savory variety from one of my favorite Boston-area blogs, A Cambridge Story. That version is filled with sun dried tomatoes and basil, but I knew this was the perfect base for my pepper adventures. This bread falls apart, is amazing right out of the oven, and has just enough of a spark of heat, without it overwhelming this bread.

Chile Cheddar Pull Apart Bread
Yield: One loaf
Inspired and adapted from: A Cambridge Story

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (343.75 grams)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup lowfat milk
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup water
2 eggs, room temperature
4-5 large dried Puya (or really any other) chilies
olive oil for drizzling
3/4 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar (I used Cabot's Extra-Sharp)

Instructions:

In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine 2 cups of the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Set that aside.
In a small saucepan, combine milk and butter over low heat until the butter is just melted. Remove it from the heat, add your water, and cool the mixture until it's about 120 degrees.
Pour the milk and butter mixture over the dry ingredients.
Add your eggs one at a time, until they're well mixed.
Add in your half a cup of remaining flour, mix until smooth and then add the rest two tablespoons at a time.
Mix using the paddle attachment on your mixer until everything is just combined.
Switch to the dough hook to knead for a couple of minutes until the dough is smooth, but sticky.
Put your dough into a large bowl, greased with a little bit of oil, cover with plastic wrap, and a kitchen towel.
Place your dough in a warm, draft-free, spot to rise for an hour.
While the dough is rising, prepare your filling by first re hydrating your chiles.
Place the re hydrated chiles in a small food processor, add a little bit of water and process into a slightly liquid form (you should still have pieces of the chili intact). Set aside.
After your dough has risen for an hour (or doubled in size), punch it down to deflate it, and then place in the fridge for an hour or over night.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9x5 loaf pan and set aside.
Now, lightly flour a flat service, shape the dough into a roughly 1x2 foot rectangle.
Drizzle the dough with a bit of olive oil
Brush on the chili pepper mixture with a kitchen brush.
Sprinkle cheese over the top of the chile mixture.
Cut vertically to make 6 even strips of dough.
Now stack those strips on top of each other and slice a second time, into 6, even stacks.
Place those stacks side-by-side in the greased pan, and allow to rise for another 45 minutes.
Finally, put that dough into the oven and bake on the center rack for 30 minutes.
Take out of the oven, allow to rest for 5 minutes, and then pull apart for bread goodness!

The chiles used in this recipe were provided to me, for free, by Marx Foods in order to create a recipe and enter their blogging contest.

Speaking of contests, if you entered the Lindsay Olive giveaway, I'll be announcing that winner on Monday!! Stay tuned!

Salted Caramel Brownies

2011-09-04T14:33:00.002-04:00

Salted caramel brownies - They're not lighter and they're not local. That's kind of a lie. It's a recipe from Cooking Light, so some of the fat has been stripped of these decadent bars. They're local because they were made from scratch, in my kitchen.

But let's be honest, shall we?

Even though they don't fit the title of this blog, would you blame me for sharing them? Would you stop reading this blog, angry that they don't quite fit the mold?

I doubt it. If so, I am sorry to offend you with these very lovely brownies.

I started this blog years ago. It had a different name, with a different purpose. I simply wanted to share my recipes and my writing with friends and family. I then used it to log a weight loss battle. Finally, in the end, I fell in love with sourcing local and regional food and this little slice of web heaven was born.

Times, they do change, right?

It's very easy to get caught up in the "food blog hamster wheel". You churn out posts, you tweet, you Facebook, you suddenly worry about how many people are coming to your site. You ponder if the food blogging community at-large likes you, are you part of the club? You start thinking about quantity, and not quality.

You forget it's about having a voice, starting a conversation, sharing something you love. You forget it's about community.

It's the community that surrounded fellow blogger, Jennie Perillo, after her husband suddenly passed away. It's a community that came together to help someone, that many have never met, but someone whose story and experience touched at our very hearts. More about the work to help out Jennie's family in just a moment.

If you've gotten this far, great job, I appreciate it. The point of this little speech from my soapbox is that I've been fairly silent the last couple of weeks. I've had a schedule change at work, an increase of responsibilities, and I've been trying to balance that with my family life. In short, I haven't had a lot of time to blog. In the beginning, I felt guilty I wasn't feeding the beast. What would people think?

Then, it changed. I cared less about the guilt, and realize how much I miss the community, how much I miss sharing with those who read this blog (and I thank every single one of you). I missed it being my outlet from my stressful day job.

The break from the blog reminded me why I love it so much. I think it's an excellent lesson for bloggers to learn. Sometimes you have to let go, let the guilt subside, remind yourself why you do this. I can say this because this isn't my full time job, I understand it's much different for those who use this as a way to make a living.

For the rest of us, however, sometimes I truly believe we could all use the permission to cut ourselves a little slack. Even if you don't blog, cut yourself some slack. So what if you missed a playgroup/email/sewing class. So if you need someone to say it, I will. Give yourself a break. You might find yourself much better when you return.

Salted Caramel Brownies
Source: Cooking Light
Yield: 16 small brownies, 12 larger ones (CL says the yield is 20, but frankly, that's too small of a brownie for me.)

I actually doubled this recipe for a 9x13 baking pan and it worked out perfectly. They were a little thicker, but honestly, I like it better that way. Be careful, these things are addicting.

Ingredients:

Brownies:

3.38 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon backing powder
6 tablespoons butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
cooking spray

Topping:

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons evaporated fat-free milk, divided
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/8 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Start preparing your brownies. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, brown sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk until well mixed.
Combine your 6 tablespoons of melted butter, eggs, and the vanilla extract.
Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture and stir until well combined.
Pour batter into a 9x9 square metal baking pan lightly coated in cooking spray.
Bake brownies for 19 minutes or until a toothpick comes out from the center cleanly.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Once brownies are cooled, begin making your topping. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the evaporated milk. Cook the mixture for at least two minutes.
Take the mixture off the heat, add you vanilla, powdered sugar, and stir with a whisk until everything comes together and becomes smooth.
You're now going to pour the mixture over the brownies, and then use an offset spatula or just a regular one to make sure the brownies are well covered.
Allow to set for 20 minutes to set. (I found putting it in the fridge really helped with this step.
Finally, take a microwave-safe bowl, combine your chocolate and 2 tablespoons of the evaporated milk. Microwave for 45 seconds or until melted... make sure you stir it halfway through the cooking time.
Drizzle over the caramel topping on the brownies, sprinkle with your 1/8th of a teaspoon of sea salt.
Allow the chocolate to set, then cut into squares.

How to help Jennie Perillo's Family:

If you read a good amount of food blogs, you've seen the community reaching out to support Jennie, who lost her husband suddenly several weeks ago. Some people are doing auctions with proceeds going towards the family to help with things like health insurance and day-to-day expenses. There is a very simple way you can help out, by just making a donation. Click on the image below, and it will take you to Bloggers Without Borders. It's an amazing organization that brings food bloggers together to help those who need it. Jennie needs it right now, and I'm only too happy to pass along the link. So please, if you can spare just a few dollars, every single one counts. Thank you!

Jalapeno Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Olive and Corn Salsa (Giveaway)

2011-08-22T15:27:00.002-04:00

Our family lives a life that's filled with as many local or regional products, foods, product, meats, that we can find. However, we're also realistic. We know there are foods and products we live that we just can't get here in New England. Life is too short to shun such yummy things. I also know that not every one of you is as lucky as I am to live in a spot that makes mostly local eating, easy. From time to time, I want to share some of the things we buy here in our household, found at your regular grocery store, that I consider to be a great product. Food shopping is about research. You can find quality products that are in line with your eating beliefs, just about anywhere.

Some of those products, I absolutely adore, are those from Lindsay Olives, specifically their line of "Naturals". These aren't your typical canned olives. They're firm and fresh, and can be eaten straight out of the can. I should know, the husband and I basically tackled an entire one between the two of us this past weekend. Why do I love them so much? Let's take a close look at the ingredient label, shall we?

Yup, that's right. All that's involved in the Lindsay Naturals line are olives, water, and sea salt. That's it. For the Naturals, the olives are picked off the trees when they're green. They're then cured and pitted. They go through a 7-day process. The black olive version gets oxygen introduced during that time, that's what changes their color to the black. However, since the Naturals are only packed in sea salt and water, the color isn't as dark as your normal black olive, they're more of a chocolate-y brown. The green olives don't get any oxygen, and all of the olives have the sea salt and water added after the 7-days, and are sent off to canning, and then off to you.

Olive and Corn Salsa

I like to know the history of the companies I'm dealing with, so I'm going to share it with you. Lindsay Olives is a division of Bell-Carter Foods, a company that's been around in one form or another since 1912. It's been family-owned that entire time, with an excellent commitment to quality. The back-story is simply amazing, I encourage you to check out this short little video to get more of a sense of the history of this family business.

I met some of the lovely reps from Lindsay Olives at Eat, Write, Retreat this past year. They were interested in working with bloggers on developing recipes and getting the word out about their product. It was there I fell in love with the Natural California Green Ripe Olives, and have been using them ever since. I decided to pair their olives, with peppers and herbs from my backyard garden, locally-raised chicken and locally-grown corn to develop a recipe for the Lindsay Olive folks. It's perfect for the end of summer, usually what's available near you right now.

Jalapeno Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Olive and Corn Salsa
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For the marinade/chicken:

1/4 cup tequila
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless-skinless chicken breasts

For the filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1/4 cup sliced green onions
sprinkle of salt

For the salsa:

1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears) (or canned or frozen work too)
1 15 oz. can Lindsay Naturals California Green Ripe Olives, chopped
1 15 oz. can Lindsay Naturals Black Ripe Olives, chopped
dash of cumin
sprinkle of salt
dash of smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

Instructions:

For the marinade/chicken:
Put the chicken breasts in a ziploc bag (or some kind of storage container).
In a bowl, combine all marinade ingredients, whisk until combined and pour over chicken.
Marinate overnight or for at least two hours.

For the filling:
Combine all filling ingredients (cream cheese, jalapeno peppers, green onions, and salt) and stir together until everything comes together.

For the salsa:
In a medium-sized bowl, stir together corn and chopped olives until both are evenly distributed. Add the the cumin, salt, and smoked paprika, and stir until everything is coated. Finally, pour in your rice wine vinegar, and stir to combine.

To assemble:
Once done marinating, take your chicken breasts and cut a slit in the thickest part of the breast (do not cut all the way through). Place two tablespoons of the filling in the opening. Close the chicken breast and tie shut with kitchen twine. Grill for 20 minutes over medium heat, flipping once, until the thickest part of the breast registers 170 degrees. Transfer to dinner plates and top with olive and corn salsa.

Lindsay Olives Giveaway:
The folks over at Lindsay would like to share some olive love with all of you! The winner of this giveaway will get a prize pack of Lindsay Naturals California Green Ripe Olives and their Recloseables line (so perfect to cook and snack with). You simply have to do the following:

1) Comment on this post letting me know your favorite use for olives. (required)

Additional possible entries:
2) "Like" Lindsay Olives on Facebook or follow them on Twitter (if you follow on Twitter, please RT the following: I'd like to win a prize pack of olives from @lindsayolives and @kimmybingham http://bit.ly/nlBHPt )

3) Like "Lighter and Local" on Facebook or follow me @kimmybingham on Twitter and leave a comment here telling me you did so. (If you "like" and "follow" me, please leave two separate comments for two additional entries).

This giveaway is open until August 31st at midnight. The following day I will pick a random number and the corresponding post will win the prize pack.

Disclaimer: Lindsay Olives compensated me for the recipe development and this post, and provided the olives I used in this recipe. I'd also like to note, I only partner with companies and brands I believe in, and want to share with you, the readers.

Spicy and Sweet Pickling Cucumber Salad

2011-08-16T15:50:00.001-04:00

This should have been a Charcutepalooza post. In fact, that post should have been yesterday. My brain is fuzzy, my body tired, I'm completely off my clock.

Literally.

If you follow this blog at all, you may know I work in television news. In fact, you also may know that, in general, I work nights. The start of my work day is three o'clock in the afternoon; I end at eleven-thirty at night.

Not this week, not until after Labor Day again.

I'm filling in on our station's morning news. Five and a half hours, starting at four-thirty in the morning. That means I'm getting to work around 3-4 a.m. and going to bed while you are all sitting down for dinner. My body clock is a mess. It doesn't really know when to sleep, eat, or even speak. I'm confident it will find its way before the end of these three weeks, and by then, I'll be back to working nights. I miss my husband. We are two ships passing in the night right now. It makes me sad.

It's a pretty bizarre shift. So, what does this have to do with this blog?

I meant to make a beautiful seafood mousseline for this month's Charcutepalooza challenge. I couldn't muster the energy. However, to be honest. All month, I struggled with it. Neither making headcheese (I've tried, I hated, no thank you) or the mousseline sounded appetizing. I struggled with buying the ingredients for something that might go to waste. In the end, it was my sleepy brain that did me in. It just wasn't happening.

I resolve to rejoin my Charcutepalooza friends next month. Until then, I give you pickles.

Sweet-End-of-Summer-Pickles. Sadly, the recipe isn't mine to share with all of you. That belongs to my lovely canning mentor, Robin, over at Doves and Figs. No, what I want to share with you today is leftovers.

Aren't I sweet? You get leftovers.

These are good leftovers, though. I was lucky enough to hit up my local farm, Tendercrop Farm in Newbury, Ma., the other weekend at just the right time. They were *giving away* 10 pickling cucumbers for free to every customer. This is perfect. My little cucumber vine didn't give me enough to really do a good batch of pickles, so this was my chance at pickling glory.

Here's the deal though, I didn't want to do big quarts of pickles, so I hauled out my pint jars. They're perfect, except for one thing. The pickle spears are too long. No problem, right, I chop off the tops. Next issue, I have a ton of small pieces of pickling cucumbers. I also have a few random spears that just didn't fit in the jars. I chop those up too. I'm sure you're thinking, oh well, she can just pickle the chopped pieces, right? Next problem, no brine leftover. Sigh.

I don't like to waste things, so I invented this salad. You can always eat pickling cucumbers like a normal salad cucumber, but it's better drenched in vinegar. This is a perfect way to use up whatever you have leftover so there's no waste. It makes a perfect little side dish!

Spicy and Sweet Pickling Cucumber Salad
(printable recipe)
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 cups roughly chopped pickling cucumbers
1/4 sweet onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, toss until everything is well-coated in the vinegar.
Cover and place in the refrigerator for two hours or overnight.
Serve and enjoy!

Oreo Peanut Butter Pie - A Pie for Mikey

2011-08-12T12:04:00.002-04:00

There are no words. It's a phrase I've seen or uttered far too often as of late. First, in my close circle of friends when it came to a tragic accident that took the life of the toddler of one of my dearest friends. I walked around in a fog for weeks with a loss I can't understand. Now, again, in the past week, I've seen it spread throughout the food blogging community. We were talking of indescribable loss. The sudden loss of the husband of fellow blogger, Jennifer Perillo.

Her husband, Mikey, passing away last weekend of a sudden heart attack while out bike riding with one of their two daughters. I don't know how she did, but she put together word after beautifully written word, about her dear husband in a post named, "For Mikey". She also made his favorite pie, Creamy Peanut Butter. Food is love, and in this case, it connects time and space, for the love of one dearest husband loss.

The food blogging community, as always, came together. Today, bloggers across the world making this pie, some variation, or their own #apieformikey . It's our way of supporting a friend, that some of us know so well, some have never met.

I was lucky enough to spend a little bit of time with Jennie at Eat, Write, Retreat. I got to share a quick breakfast with her and my dear friend Ethan Adeland (who by the way, gave his pie to a woman's shelter, and wrote a wonderful post for his friend). She spoke of her husband, her girls, her love for sharing local and from-scratch food. It's a passion we share. Just days ago, we tweeted back and forth about a cherry-infused grappa, and our love for the spirit. I'm not going to pretend to know Jennie like so many of you do. I know her enough to know she's a kindred spirit, full of love and light.

When devastating loss comes to pass, we often share in gifts of food, because it's one way of trying to fill the massive void a loved one leaves behind. Today, I share my version of Jennie's pie for Mikey with you. I share because I think she's a beautiful person, I think her daughters are amazing, I share because I can't imagine the loss she's feeling. I share because my husband loves this pie as much as Mikey did (and I'm sure still does), and I can't imagine losing him, his smile, his love for life.

Oreo Peanut Butter Pie
(printable recipe)
Serves: 10-12
A recipe (with a couple of changes) from the lovely Jennifer Perillo

Ingredients:

8 ounces Oreo Cookies
4 tablespoons butter, melted
4 ounces finely chopped chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped peanuts (I omitted)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup creamy-style peanut butter
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 -14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
more crumbled oreos for garnishing

Instructions:

Pulverize the Oreos in a food processor until they're fine crumbs.
Combine melted butter and cookie crumbs in a small bowl. Stir with a fork to mix well.
Press mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a buttered springform pan.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave. Pour over the bottom of cookie crust. Sprinkle the peanuts over the top, if you're using it. Put the pan in the fridge while you make the filling.
In the bowl of standing mixer (or a regular bowl if using a hand mixer), pour in the heavy cream and beat until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a small bowl and put in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the filling.
Rinse out your standing mixer bowl (or take out another) and place your cream cheese and peanut butter in it, and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Reduce mixer speed to low, and gradually beat in confectioner's sugar.
Add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Increase the speed to medium and beat all the ingredients are combined and the filing is smooth.
Finally, take your whipped cream, and fold in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the filling mixture (it will lighten the mixture, making it easier to fold the rest of the whipped cream in).
Fold in the remaining whipped cream.
Pour the mixture into your springform pan.
Sprinkled the crushed Oreos for garnish on top.
Refrigerate for three hours or overnight before serving.

Bourbon Cherries

2011-08-07T19:59:00.002-04:00

Are you sick of cherries, yet? I hope not, there's at least one or two more recipes in my arsenal at the moment. I want you to remember this moment, when you're so done with cherries and have moved on the blueberries and raspberries in the heart of summer. I want you to remember it, so when it's January, and you'd love to be eating those babies fresh from the trees, you'll forget about ever being sick of them. Luckily, you can continue to enjoy them through the winter, maybe in a spicy, warming, drink, perhaps?

I knew I wanted at least two quarts of bourbon cherries for the winter. They're potent, they warm you up, they're fantastic in a Manhattan. The husband and I, we're in our thirties. We own a home, and it seems once we bought that home, our days of carousing came to an end. I'm sure many of you can relate. One moment, every weekend there's a bash, a bar to go to, a restaurant to try out, and then, there's the couch, a blankie, a perfectly mixed Manhattan, and in our case, a few well-placed pugs on our laps. I don't want us to sound lame, because we still try out restaurants, still see our friends constantly, but the "going out" portion isn't what it used to be, and that's OK.

It's OK because there are few things in life I love better than making something comforting, cracking open a bottle of red, and watching the snow fly outside our 1935 Craftsman bungalow. It's precisely those evenings where I feel alright with the world. The husband and I, we watch movies, we chat, we cook together, we talk to the pugs (yes, we're nuts). I'm a huge advocate for the idea that it is the small things in life that make the biggest impact.

So while your A/C is pumping out cool relief, while you're spending your days at the beach, while the cherry trees still have a few little red pops of joy available for picking, take a few moments to preserve those pieces of summer for those perfect little moments in the dead of winter. Enjoy.

Bourbon Cherries
(printable recipe)

Yield: 6 - 1/2 pint jars or 3 pint jars
Source: Adapted and reduced from WineBookGirl who adapted from The Art of the Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the Classics.

Ingredients:

3 pounds pitted cherries
1 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups bourbon

Instructions:

Sterilize and warm your jars and lids.
Heat water, cinnamon sticks, sugar, and lemon juice over high heat until at a boil.
Simmer 5-10 minutes to let the spices infuse.
Allow mixture to cool just slightly, and add bourbon.
When the mixture is cooling, pack cherries into warm jars.
Ladle bourbon mixture over your cherries, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.
Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
Allow to sit for at least two weeks before consuming.

Pickling cucumbers ready for pickling!

Lighter and Local: The Height of Summer

We are here, the height of the summer in New England. Green tomatoes are filling and weighting down every vine and branch, cucumbers are falling off their plants, and corn by the truckload can be found at every market. I chose to head to one my local farms today instead of my weekly farmers' market. Tendercrop Farm in Newbury, MA. is fantastic. Not only can I pick up all the locally-grown produce I need, they also raise their own cows, chickens, and turkeys. They also bake bread there, and make spreads, and pickle their own vegetables. It's an amazing place.

For $25 at Tendercrop Farm this week I took home:

1.5 pounds specially marinated chicken breast
1.25 pounds of grass-fed ground beef
5 peaches
1 pint blueberries
several bunches of spinach
1/2 dozen ears of corn
1 bunch young onions
and the awesome get, they were giving away up to 10 pickling cucumbers for free! So, of course, I took home 10 to make pickles!

What I'm planning to make this week:

The ground beef became "taco night" for Sunday night
The spinach will go into salads all week for dinners at work
The chicken breast will head on the grill to be served with the corn, and some macaroni salad
The blueberries will combine with yogurt and granola for breakfasts.

What I'm preserving this week:

My 10 small pickling cucumbers yielded about 5 pints of pickle to "put up".
I had some leftover (not enough brine for them) cucumbers that we chopped up, tossed with dill and chives from our garden, red pepper flakes, and doused with rice wine vinegar, tossed and covered and put in the fridge. They'll be slightly pickled and it makes a nice side item for the week.
We'll never eat 6 ears of corn, 3 of them will be stripped, and the kernels frozen for later use.

Boston Brunchers August: Odyssey Brunch Cruise

2011-08-02T11:23:00.000-04:00

Boston Harbor

This is the one in which I have become a bad blogger. I was lucky enough to win a spot (and get to bring the husband) on a brunch cruise on the Odyssey through Boston Harbor this Sunday with the Boston Brunchers group. Lucky enough to win, really horrible on taking you through this experience, photograph-wise.

First fail, not taking a photo of the ship. Major fail here. The Odyssey is impressive, in that large, sleek, yacht-like way. You can check out a ton of photos on their website. She's a beautiful ship, she's also well climate-controlled. We were brought down to the lowest deck, which still has stunning views, for our brunch buffet. The A/C was pumping, which is always good to know depending on who you're bringing along.

The Odyssey is a beautiful experience. The views of Boston Harbor are ones I've never gotten to experience before, even living here nearly all of my life. While our seating was on the lower deck, the upper decks were open to us to enjoy the sun and some cocktails. It truly was a beautiful day out on the water and the Odyssey folks really give you a lovely little tour of the area.

Beginning with some bubbly

The experience on board the Odyssey gets an A+, the food, while good, could use a little bit of work. We started off with a nice, complimentary, glass of bubbly. Always a nice way to start. The brunch cruise is buffet-style, breakfast on one side, lunch on the other.


The husband's plate, full of bacon, of course.

The selection is fantastic, truly something for everyone. The breakfast side was your standard fare, eggs, bacon, sausages, french toast, waffles, various pastries and breads. It was good, but nothing really blew me away.

Here's blogger fail #2, I didn't get a photograph of either of our second plates, full of the lunch fare. I have to say that the Odyssey's lunch entrees, far outshone the breakfast offerings. Lovely seasonal vegetables, a maple-chipolte chicken, a creamy pasta, but it was the roasted sirloin that shone. Hand-carved, served with horseradish sauce or au jus, the sirloin really was the highlight.

Red Velvet Cake and Rice Krispies Treats for dessert

The dessert buffet was fun. Various cakes and treats lining one table on one end, with a chocolate fountain with various dipping options on the other. Dessert was solid and it was fun. However, it was after the meal that the fun aboard the Odyssey really begins.

This is a sight-seeing tour around Boston Harbor. It's a beautiful way to spend a summer morning. The food is decent, but it's the sights that are really the highlights here. The husband and I made our way to the top decks where you could sit, mingle, even order a cocktail (cash bar) from the little bar up above. If you have guests in town, this is a beautiful way to check out the waters off Boston. Heck, I've lived here all my life and have never done a Boston Harbor tour like this.

It's truly a worthwhile endeavor if you've never done something like this. The views are absolutely stunning. The Odyssey also does sunset and dinner cruises and I would love to see the city all lit up from the water. I just might have to put that on our list for next time.

*Disclaimer: Brunch aboard the Odyssey was provided to me free of charge as I won a spot (and my husband's) with Boston Brunchers. I was not required to write about the experience. All opinions are my own.

Bourbon Raspberry Cherry Hand Pies

2011-07-29T13:22:00.000-04:00

In the few times that I have attempted canning, I always end up with too little for one more jar, but too much to ever think of throwing it away. Waste not, want not, right? Not that there's anything wrong with a little extra Bourbon Raspberry Cherry Preserves, there's nothing wrong with that at all. Being the industrial little worker bee that I am, knowing there was pie dough in my fridge, I figured a couple of cute hand pies might just do the trick.

Now I don't profess to be any kind of profession when it comes to pastry of any sort. In fact, while I can make a tasty pie, they usually are the furthest thing from pretty. I don't have the patience to form them correctly, it's something I'm working on. I like to call my pies and things of that sort, "rustic". It's another word for kind of ugly and messy. Either way, these hand pies, they're tasty. You won't mind their "rustic" charm, because they're so yummy.

Bourbon Raspberry Cherry Hand Pies

Makes: 2 large hand pies

(printable recipe)

The jam is fairly runny, so put these on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Some of the filling will seep out, it's OK, once you transfer them to a baking rack to cool, the filling sets nicely.

Ingredients:

pie dough (enough or one crust), you can use homemade or pre-made, whatever you'd like
flour for dusting work surface
1/3 cup Bourbon Raspberry Cherry Preserves
1 egg yolk beaten with 2 tablespoons water (egg wash)
sugar for topping

Instructions:

Flour your work surface, divide your dough into two pieces, then roll each section out until they're about 6-inches around.
Now, divide your 1/3 cup of preserves between both rounds of dough.
Next, take you egg wash and lightly brush the outside edge of the dough. Reserve the rest of the egg wash in the fridge.
Using a bench scraper, gently, but quickly fold the dough over the filling, making a half-moon shape.
Seal the edges with your fingers, folding it up and crimping, or simply pressing the edges with the tines of a fork.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and carefully transfer the pies to the sheet.
Put the baking sheet in the fridge and allow the hand pies to chill for at least 30 minutes.
While they're chilling, preheat your oven 375 degrees.
After 30 minutes, take them out of the fridge, brush the tops lightly with the egg wash, and sprinkle sugar (granulated, raw, sanding, whatever you have) over the tops.
Place in the preheated oven, and bake for 20 minutes or until the pies are golden brown.
Remove them from the oven and put them on a baking rack set over a baking sheet (to catch drips) and allow them to cool.
Serve happily with some ice cream!

Local Raspberries and Cherries

Preserving Berries: Freezing

While the recipe uses a preserve I canned, it could have been frozen as well. Basically, once the mixture was boiled, you could have let it cool, and spooned it into freezer bags or freezer save jars or containers. One of my all-time favorite ways to preserve summer berries for winter smoothies and pies, is to simply freeze them.

It's so simple, you'll laugh.

Wash your berries and dry them. You want them dry, no freezer burn here.
Now, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.
Spread your washed and dried berries over the sheet so they're not touching so much (we don't want them sticking together).
Freeze for about an hour or a little more.
Once they're frozen simply transfer to freezer bags, label with what it is, the amount (I like to freeze in 1 cup/2 cup amounts), and pop them into the freezer.

Now you can just take out what you need all winter long, because they're not frozen in big chunks

Bourbon Raspberry Cherry Preserves

2011-07-26T12:28:00.001-04:00

Berries in bourbon, need I really go on? These preserves are the perfect balance of sweet, but with that adult bourbon kick. Spread on it on bread, pour over ice cream, and for the love of all things yummy, use it as a filling in a little hand-pie or pop tart (I'll share that with you later this week).

Pick-Your-Own cherries at Russell Orchards in Ipswich, MA.

The cherries in this recipe were brought to you today by the letter, "R", as in Russell Orchards in Ipswich, Ma. The farm has been around since 1920, and the Russells are the third family to own the 120 acres and really make it a family experience. Their "pick-your-own" fields are absolutely huge, and every weekend you can find families traversing through them, picking fruit and creating memories.

The husband helping pick through the cherries

So our little family of my husband and I (sorry, no pugs in the picking fields), trucked off to Ipswich one Saturday afternoon because my heart was set on cherries. Fruit-picking wasn't something we did much when I was young. I'm finding I absolutely love the quiet and tedious work of foraging through the trees or bushes to find the best morsels available there.

Beautiful sweet cherries

Russell Orchards has some amazing morsels to offer. Beautiful, sweet, cherries dripped from every tree. While the orchards are not certified organic, the folks at Russell Orchards try to use a policy of Integrated Pest Management, meaning they only spray as a last result. Most plants on their property have never seen a chemical, and they're always happy to tell you which ones have been sprayed.

It's important to note this. A lot of local farms can't afford the pricey process to become USDA certified organic. Please don't shun local farms because they can't slap an "organic" label on their bounty. Instead, become educated on what practices your local farms use on their crops, so you can not only support your family's health, but the health of your community as well.

Bourbon Raspberry Cherry Preserves
(Printable Recipe)
Makes: 4-5, 4-ounce jelly jars
Adapted from: Autumn Makes and Does

There is no added pectin in this recipe. I was able to get a reasonable "set" to the preserves without it, however, it's not a "thick" set. Personally, I was OK with that, you could attempt boiling a little bit longer to get a more firm set. This recipe was adapted from Autumn Makes and Does, who combined a recipe from Christine Ferber of "Mes Confitures" and technique from Mrs. Wheelbarrow. Ferber, while she makes a beautiful jam, does not follow USDA processing guidelines, while Cathy from Mrs. Wheelbarrow does. I followed Autumn's procedure below and so far, so good.

Ingredients:

1 2/3 pounds sweet cherries
1 pound raspberries (or as many of each as you have, as long as the fruit equals 2 2/3 pounds)
3 3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 ounce bourbon

Instructions:

Wash and pit your cherries, wash your raspberries and put all finished fruit into a non-reactive pot (I use a Le Creuset dutch oven).
Add your sugar and your lemon juice to the dutch oven, stir until all the fruit is coated. Leave the fruit at room temperature for an hour, allowing the fruit to macerate a bit.
Now, place the dutch oven over medium heat. Stir along the way, you want all the sugar to dissolve. Once dissolved, stir the fruit mixture less, never letting it come above a simmer.
Take the pot off the heat, cool it down to room temperature and put it in the fridge overnight.
The next day, strain the cherries from the juice. Set the cherries aside and boil the juice all by itself.
Boil the juice for 5 minutes, then return the cherries to the juice, bring it all back up to a boil for 5 minutes or so.
Take the mixture off the heat and test for the set in any way you usually do, whether it be by temperature, or as I do, putting a teaspoon of the preserves on a plate that has been in the freezer for a bit. If the mixture stays when you push it with your finger, you have a decent set.
If for some reason you don't like the set, you can return the mixture to the heat for another two minutes and then test again.
Once you're happy with your set, stir in your bourbon (off the heat), and let the jam cool down for five minutes.
I, like Autumn, processed the preserves in a water bath canner for 10 minutes, but I will note, as she did, it is not in the recommendation of the original recipe. You can freeze it, or it keeps well for a couple of weeks in the fridge as well.

The Lighter Side of Local: Late July

Quickly, because this post has already gone on forever. It's late July in New England, that means my rush to preserve summer berries is on, and in some case has already gotten the better of me at this point. I'm canning and freezing like a madwoman. I'll share some of my favorite ways to hang onto berries in our next post this week.

Our backyard patch is already offering up a lot of cherry and grape tomatoes, herbs, green beans, cucumbers and jalapenos. I'll be pickling some of the cucumbers, and the green beans, well my husband like to eat them right off the stalk. However, if you're already feeling the pinch of a lot of tomatoes, I suggest the following two recipes (one of which will use up some of your herbs as well):

Baked Cherry Tomato Pasta
Angel Hair with Grape Tomatoes, Garlic, and Sausage

Since our garden is starting to give us a lot to use, my purchases at the farmers' market tend to go down. I spent only $10 this week on:

Head of lettuce $2
Two green bell peppers $3
1.5 pounds of red potatoes $3.50
4 ears of corn $1.50

What's coming out of your gardens or your farmers' markets this week? Let me know what you're making with it all!

Bacon and Radish Spaghetti

2011-07-21T11:08:00.001-04:00

Sometimes you just look into your fridge, shake your head, and close the door again. If you're like me, queen of often not planning in advance, this happens often. Too often in my case. I sometimes find when I get busy, odds and ends of things start to build up in my produce drawer. Finally, when it comes time where I must make something, I'm completely flummoxed over where to even start.

Luckily, I find that if you have bacon, you have the world at your fingertips. A little bacon, a little vegetable, and a little pasta, or maybe an egg and you're set. I had bacon, I had radishes, and I had a voice in my head saying, "If you never liked radishes, you haven't had them simply cooked in butter, salt, and pepper." OK, so it wasn't a voice. It was the writing of my friend Jane over at Food and Fiction. She, as usual with topics of the culinary variety, was right. I do like radishes in any form, but cook them in that butter and they transform.

A couple of quick housekeeping notes before this lovely recipe (that I'm envisioning making again once the temperature dips below 90 in the house and I want to turn my stove on once more) - You'll notice below I've started to include a printable recipe. Simply click on the link below the name there and you'll be transported (Harry Potter style, yes, I'm a dork) to a printable copy of the recipe. Over time, I'll try to create such links for all of my recipes if you'd like to go back and print them out. I also realize I've been slacking on my commitment to bring you "The Lighter Side of Local" each Sunday or Monday. Life, as I know all of you understand, can be hectic. I promise it will return with a vengeance this week.

Bacon and Radish Spaghetti
(printable recipe)

Serves: 4 smaller portions, or 2 massive bowls of pasta

This is a simple weeknight recipe that is addictive. Read through the entire recipe to start, because for a quick meal, you have to multitask here. The final result, while easy to get to, is impressive.

1/2 pound dried spaghetti
6 slices of your favorite bacon
2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
1 cup sliced and then halved radishes
salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Get your water boiling for the pasta, and cook it according to directions, drain and set aside, keeping it warm. However, while that pasta is cooking, do the following:

In a large skillet, start cooking up your bacon. You want this bacon cooked until it's crispy enough to crumble, so it holds up in the pasta. Once it is that crispy, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, and set aside.

Now, while the bacon and the pasta are cooking (I like to multitask) take a large, deep skillet or saute pan, and melt two tablespoons of your butter in it. Add your sliced radishes to the pan, spreading them out so they touch the butter, and cooking surface.

Once the radishes begin to get a touch translucent, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and your red pepper flakes. Continue cooking them, until tender. (this takes about 8-10 minutes or so).

Finally, crumble your bacon over the radishes and stir to combine. Allow to cook about 2 minutes together, and add your pasta to the deep skillet. Toss everything until well-mixed. Add your final tablespoon of butter and toss with the pasta mixture. Cook together for 2-3 minutes and then serve immediately with lots of freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.

Charcutepalooza July: The Chicago Hot Dog

2011-07-15T11:52:00.000-04:00

I can still vividly remember days at my grandparents' pool. Picking raspberries off the bushes that surrounded it, splashing around with my cousins, trying to see who could come up with the most inventive leap off the diving board. I can also remember lunch. I remember the crinkle of wax paper bags, soaked with grease, out of which would emerge the Chicago Hot Dog.

My grandma and grandpa with my cousins as babies.

You see my grandparents, Norm and Bernice, they lived in a northwest suburb of Chicago. It's where I was born and lived until the ripe, old, age of four, before New England became my home. Even after we moved, we'd spent summers and holidays back in Illinois, surrounded by my aunts, uncles, and cousins. We'd all (both the Kleins and the Virzis) would end up eventually at Ma and Pa Klein's backyard pool in Arlington Heights. Just down the street from the house they lived in for decades was a place called Luke's. That's where the grease soaked bags would come from. They were filled to the brim with fries and a Chicago Dog.

The homemade hot dog

If you know hot dogs, you know what a Chicago Dog is. It's often referred to as being "dragged through the garden". What you see above, it's not a true Chicago hot dog because I grilled it (my preference). More often, they're steamed or boiled, topped with neon green relish, mustard, fresh tomatoes, sport peppers, chopped onions, a pickle, dash of celery salt, all on a poppy seed bun. It's how I remember the hot dog. Even now, when we go back to the Chicagoland area to visit family, a stop must be made at a hot dog joint (most often Portillo's) for a Chicago dog.

I survived stuffing the hot dogs.

So when hot dogs were among are choices for this month's Charcutepalooza challenge, I knew I had to pay homage to the hot dog of my youth. The hot dog is an emulsified sausage basically. It means that the fat and the meat combine in perfect harmony to fill a casing. In other words, unlike sausage, you're not going to see bits of fat or meat when you break the casing.

They behaved well on the grill

The version of Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman that I possess apparently is an earlier version. The recipe for hot dogs is based on using all beef short rib meat. I'm down with that. I love short ribs. Actual, quality hot dogs should be made of all-beef anyway. No mystery meat here, just beef and seasonings. I will say making an emulsified sausage is work. Grind through the meat not once, but twice, and then combine in a food processor to bring it all together at the end. Then you smoke these babies over, in my case, hickory chips. It's messy, it requires a lot of clean-up, but since it's been a few days since I did this, I'm looking back on it fondly. I even elected to make a batch of refrigerator pickles to go on this special dog.

Heck yeah! Emulsification!

I don't know why I was shocked when I loaded up that hot dog and took a bite. It tasted not only like a hot dog, but the best hot dog I have ever eaten. Maybe it was the heart and soul that went into making it, but it was fabulous.

My grandparents, younger, at their daughter's wedding.

It brought me back to my grandparents' pool, the all-beef Vienna hot dogs, and summers as they once were. Grandma Klein has since passed on, I miss her every single day. I talk to her all of the time. Not long after Grandma passed away, my Grandpa started showing the signs of Alzheimer's. He has glimmers of recognition of all of us here and there. If you sit with him long enough, he'll show you a picture of Grandma, talking about her with a love not even death could conquer. He's healthy and he's happy. I love him. Food, even the most simple, can be the ultimate thread that weaves itself through our memories.

The Chicago Hot Dog

I have to give a nod to Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Me. They raised the cows that gave me the beautiful short ribs. I'm not going to kid you. This process takes time and a lot of patience. It's worth it, I believe. I'd probably tackle it once a year in a large batch.

1 all-beef hot dog (extra points if it's homemade)
1 poppy-seed hot dog bun (I couldn't find those around here, but they're fabulous)
freshly-diced tomatoes
pickle relish
sport peppers
mustard
dash of celery salt
1 dill pickle spear

Domenica Marchetti's Orecchiette with Rapini Saltati

2011-07-10T19:33:00.000-04:00

My shelves are filled with cookbooks of all kinds. There are, however, a few that get taken down again and again to be thumbed through or splattered with food while in use in my kitchen. The sign of a well-loved cookbook is butter stains on the pages, I'm sure of it. In the past month, I have added one cookbook which will no doubt suffer the same fate.

Domenica Marchetti's "The Glorious Pasta of Italy" is everything you would want in an Italian cookbook. It covers the from-scratch pastas your grandmother would make, to meals you can make on a weeknight that taste like you spent hours toiling over your stove (but you didn't). Did I mention it's absolutely beautiful as well? It is seriously like flipping through a work of art that will have you drooling over every page. It also helps that I've had the pleasure of meeting Domenica, and she's sweet as pie (or maybe in this case, as pasta). If the love of pasta is in your bones, please consider picking this cookbook up. It will get your heart racing, promise.

So it was a Sunday evening in our home, a quiet one at that. I wanted an impressive meal, but I couldn't handle too much work. I knew I had some broccoli rabe in the fridge from the farmers' market, I also knew I didn't have much help. Domenica to the rescue. There's a whole section of her cookbook, "Pasta on the Run", that's dedicated for night's like these. I chose the "Orecchiette with Rapini Saltati" and got to work.

Orecchiette with Rapini Saltati
Source: Domenica Marchetti's "The Glorious Pasta of Italy"
Serves 4

Things I also love about this book. Domenica understands that a pounds of pasta, that serves four people. One half of my family is Italian, and growing up like that, you know that a pound of pasta serves four, not 6-8.

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 bunches rapini (broccoli rabe), about 3 pounds total weight, tough stalks tossed, and big leaves torn into pieces, all of it roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic, halved length wise
1 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch (I like a big pinch) of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine (please use one you'd actually drink)
1 pound dried orecchiette

Get a large pot of water to boiling on your stove, give it a good amount of salt.

While your water is boiling, take 1/4 a cup of your olive oil and place it in a deep frying pan (choose one with a cover). Now, take as much of your rapini as will fit, cover with some of the garlic halves, cover the pan, turn the heat to medium and let it wilt away. Once they shrink in size, add more greens and garlic, until all are used up.

Next, you want to sprinkle those greens with salt and red pepper flakes. Now, add the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil and, using tongs, toss until everything is well coated. Continue to cook until all your greens are slightly wilted. Now cover the pan, and cook another 5 minutes.

Take the cover off, and simmer the sauce over medium heat until the liquid evaporates and the greens are nice and tender. Pump the heat up to medium-high, add your wine, and simmer for several minutes until you see most of the wine has evaporated, and the liquid thickens up a bit. Turn the heat down and keep this mixture warm while you make your pasta.

Make your pasta according to the directions, but drain over a bowl so you can reserve at least a cup of the cooking liquid.

Add your pasta to the pan with the greens mixture/sauce and toss until everything is well combined. If you find the sauce too thick, use a little of the cooking water to loosen it up.

Serve immediately with plenty of Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Lighter Side of Local

We are getting into that part of the season where so many things are coming into abundance. That means, we're starting to seriously preserve what summer is giving to us.

What I picked up for $11 at the farmers' market:

1 pint raspberries (a special treat this early in the season here) - $4.50
1 head lettuce - $3
1 pint sugar snap peas - $3

What I picked up at Russell Orchards in Ipswich, MA:

3 pounds sweet cherries

What I preserved last week:

de-shelled (using the pods for soup) 1-pound of shelling peas for 1 cup of peas, simply frozen in a ziploc back, using a straw to get all the air out.
1 cup corn from some early-season corn (enough for a side for us) we got for the 4th of July
canned 10 4-ounce jars of strawberry jam from the pick-your-own strawberries I got at the end of June at Cider Hill Farm in Amesbury, Ma.
freezing about a cup of chopped broccoli (simply spreading out on a parchment paper lined sheet after blanching/drying quickly, and then transferring to a ziploc bag)

What I'm planning on preserving this week:

canning cherry-rhubarb jam
canning cherry-rhubarb-raspberry pie filling
freezing broccolini I picked up sometime last week
pickling some of the green beans and cherry tomatoes from our garden at the house.

So as you see, we're getting busy on putting stuff away for later in this season, early fall, and winter. The frozen veggies should last 3-4 months without any real problem. I'll be chronicling my canning adventures in more detail moving forward.

Let's get some discussion going here, what are you finding at market? Are you preserving anything for the later months of the year? If so, what are you "putting up"?

Lemon & Strawberry-Grand Marnier Ice Cream Sandwiches

2011-07-04T13:05:00.000-04:00

I caved and bought an ice cream maker. This is where this all started. I was dying to make fresh strawberry ice cream. It's been a favorite of mine since I've been a little kid. I argued with myself over the expense, over where the heck I was going to put yet another kitchen appliance. In the end, I blame the strawberries. They won. The lemon won too, and let's not forget about the Grand Marnier.

I promised you these ice cream sandwiches last Sunday, when I took you on a four-course strawberry dinner tour. This was how I capped off the entire dinner. They're fresh, not too sweets, with an adult twist, with a touch of tart. Don't get me wrong, this ice cream is amazing. I should know. I'm the one who probably won't fit into their jeans in about a week because I'm having a bowl of it every night. That being said, these Lemon Sugar Cookies are the stars. I can't take credit. They belong to the amazing couple over at Two Peas & Their Pod.

The cookies, well, they're beautiful. The scent of the dough makes you want to put your face into the bowl and never come back up for air. To me, these are the perfect lemon sugar cookie. These little sugary delights would be perfect wrapped up in a bow with a box of beautiful, but strong, tea. They're the right vessels for these ice cream sandwiches. They hold up to the ice cream well, but are chewy enough to give way with a good bite.

The ice cream can be made with or without Grand Marnier. If you want just the strawberry ice cream, just skip the addition of the liquor at the end. The best part about making your own ice cream? You can make it however the heck you want. You also know exactly what ingredients went into the finished product, and as you know, I'm huge on that. In this case, it's milk and cream from New Hampshire, and strawberries again from Cider Hill Farm in Amesbury, Ma.

Lemon & Strawberry-Grand Marnier Ice Cream Sandwiches
Yield: 18 ice cream sandwiches

Fresh Strawberry- Grand Marnier Ice Cream
Adapted from: Cuisinart

3 cups fresh ripe strawberries, stemmed and sliced
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 1/4 cup whole milk
2 3/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier (optional)

First, remember to put the freezer bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer the day before you do this. I tend to forget such things.

Take a small bowl, throw the strawberries in there and pour in your lemon juice and a half a cup of the sugar. Now stir gently, until all the strawberries are coated. Set that bowl aside to macerate for at least two hours. I left it in the fridge overnight. Now, when it's ready, strain the berries, reserve the juices and set it aside. You can now mash or puree half the berries. Now, let's look at the dairy products.

Take medium mixing bowl, pour your milk and the rest of your sugar in, and use a hand mixer (or you can use your stand mixer here) and mix until the sugar dissolves. Now stir in the heavy cream, that strawberry juice your reserved, the mashed strawberries, and, finally, the vanilla.

Pour the mixture into the freezer bowl of your ice cream machine and continue using the directions of your particular ice cream maker.

When there's about five minutes left of churning to go, add your Grand Marnier. Adding it earlier, could cause the mixture not to freeze. Transfer your ice cream to a freezer-safe and airtight bowl and store in the freezer until you're ready to enjoy.

Lemon Sugar Cookies
Yield: 3 dozen cookies
Recipe from: Two Peas and Their Pod

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
zest of 2 large lemons
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar for rolling cookies

Preheat your oven 350 degrees.

Line two baking sheets with whatever you have on hand to do so - parchment paper (don't use wax, it burns in the oven) or silicone baking mats.

Now, whisk together your flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in some kind of mixing bowl.

After that's done, cream your butter and sugar together. I prefer doing this with my stand mixer, but you can do with a hand-mixer or with a whole lot of arm power. When it's done, it should be smooth and creamy.

Add lemon zest, egg, vanilla extract, and lemon juice to your creamed butter and sugar. Stir until everything is well incorporated. Then, gradually add in the flour mixture. Stir until you have your cookie dough.

Now, take rounded tablespoons-full of your dough, give them a roll so they're pretty little balls, and roll those babies in sugar. Place them on your baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake 8-10 minutes until your cookies are golden around the edges and well set. Let them sit on the baking sheet, out of the oven, for 5 minutes, and then transfer them to a cooling rack.

To assemble Lemon & Strawberry-Grand Marnier Ice Cream Sandwiches

Take your ice cream out of the freezer and allow to sit about 5-8 minutes until it softens just a touch. Now take two cookies, and take a heaping scoop of your ice cream and place on top of one of the cookies. Top with another cookie and press down gently, making sure not to break the cookie, but to get the sandwich to a point where you can actually eat it. You can serve immediately or you can wrap each in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for later enjoyment.

The Lighter Side of Local

Things are starting to come in, in abundance, at local markets. I'm starting to pick up more than I can (almost) handle every week, but good golly, I try.

What I got this week for $12
2 heads of lettuce - $4
1 bunch broccolini - $3
1.25 shelling peas - $5

Preserving: Freezing Strawberries

Your preserving tip of the week is for strawberries. You can can whole berries in syrup or water, but frankly, they freeze better.

Wash and dry your berries. Take a baking sheet that will fit into your freezer, line with wax paper or parchment paper, place individual berries on your sheet so they're not touching each other. Put into the freezer for an hour or two until the berries are firm. Take the berries out, transfer to freezer bags or freezer-safe containers. Now, you can pick out, individually, how many you need for whatever you might make over the next few months. You can bake with these berries, make jam, you can make smoothies with them, it's probably the best way to hang on to them out of season.