cookbrooke

Nutter Butters

2012-01-14T16:02:00.002-05:00

I should start off by saying that I did not grow up with Nutter Butters, so I don't really know how close this is to the original Nabisco cookie. Nor have I ever had them from Bouchon Bakery (from which this recipe is adapted). But whatever, they're good! Chewy, buttery, not overly peanutty. It does make for a substantial cookie though. I often cut one in half so as to not feel gluttonous...but then end up eating the other half anyway! In any case, it's also a perfectly good cookie without the filling.

A note on peanut butter: the original recipe recommends using creamy Skippy and then adding in chopped peanuts separately. I always have crunchy peanut butter on hand and see no point in adding chopped peanuts separately. (Caveat: using creamy peanut butter might make the filling easier to spread.) Bottom line: use what ever you like...creamy, creamy with separately added peanuts, crunchy or hell, crunchy with even more peanuts added in!

cookies:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

(coarsely chopped peanuts)

1 + 1/4 cups rolled oats (orig. recipe calls for "quick cooking"but I only ever have "old-fashioned" on hand)

Heat over to 350 degrees. Beat together butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg & vanilla until smooth and creamy, about 4 minutes. Stir in dry ingredients. Drop rounded teaspoons (or larger if you want) on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for about 10 minutes, until cookies have spread and turned very light golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes, then cool completely on a rack.

filling:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1/4 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Beat all ingredients together until smooth. Spread a thin layer of filling (about 1/8 inch) on the underside of a cookie and sandwich with another.

Deana's (soon to be famous) Cream of Broccoli

2012-01-03T12:23:00.002-05:00

This is from my friend Deana (whom I love!) who is always after me to post more. So here is her contribution to my recipe box, circa the early '90s. I hadn't made this in a while and was pleasantly surprised at just how satisfying it is, though quite simple. As you can see, the broccoli was bright green but when I added the carrots back in and pureed everything, the soup ended up having a slight orange tinge.

Vegetable stock:

1 tablespoon butter

2-3 carrots, chopped

2 small onions (1 medium?), chopped

(1-2 stalks of celery, chopped--my addition)

5 cups water

Melt butter in a large pot. Add carrots, onion & celery; cover pot and sweat vegetables for 10 minutes. Add water and simmer for 40 minutes. Strain broth, saving veggies.

Broccoli soup:

1 pound broccoli

stock/vegetables

3/4 cup milk

salt & pepper, to taste

Boil broccoli in vegetable stock until tender, but still green. Let cool. Throw broccoli, stock, and previously cooked vegetables (from stock) into a blender and puree. Serve as puree, or reheat with milk for cream of broccoli. As Deana says, "It's awesome!"

Egg & Bologna

2011-12-04T00:51:00.007-05:00

I'm not sure how this story ended up here...I was writing up an announcement for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary and had also been thinking about recipes I grew up with and...voila!

So these are the facts: My parents were married 50 years ago on December 22nd, 1961, in Hudson, MI. Isn't the picture above cute?! Some time later I was born, and then my brother, and my mother hunkered down to make 7 dinners a week, 52 weeks a year. We didn't go out all that often because we lived in a very rural area and there weren't a lot of restaurants. I now feel somewhat sorry for my mother, having to sling out all those dinners, though I think she's gotten her revenge since my father now cooks at least as much, if not more often, than she does. In any case, I was raised on a handful of recipes, circa 1950s-'70s, and this one is sort of infamous. It was popular after Easter when we had an abundance of hard-boiled eggs. My dad called it SOS (shit on a shingle) and refused to eat it. But I have to say...I think it is a comfort food I would still eat today!

Basically you make a cream sauce:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

salt, pepper, paprika to taste

You know how to make a cream sauce right?! When the sauce has reached a creamy consistency, stir in the ground up egg & bologna...

2 hard-boiled eggs

3 oz. bologna

I do not have a food grinder, so I would just finely dice these things. Then serve the slop over saltine crackers. I kid you not, I used to love this SOS!

Here are my parents, 50 years later. Aren't they cute?! Maybe I will make some Egg & Bologna for them and my Dad will roll his eyes...

Masaledar Ublay Unday

2011-10-28T23:46:00.001-04:00

I thought the Hindi name for this dish sounded better than "Hard-Boiled Eggs Masala." This is adapted from Quick and Easy Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey, a cookbook I had been wanting to get ever since I made another recipe, Stir-Fried Cabbage, which I loved immediately. When I finally got the cookbook about a year ago I decided to try EVERY RECIPE... well, except for the ones with chicken liver and cauliflower. There's only about 70 recipes, so the undertaking didn't sound that daunting. But after about 8 recipes, I had a bit of Indian overload. So I'm taking a break, but the mission will resume shortly!

The one recipe I kept thinking about in the meantime though, was this humble sounding entree. I don't usually think of hard-boiled eggs as part of an entree, but it works! I recently served this over some boiled potatoes and spinach and it made for quite a robust meal. The sauce is really astounding, in my opinion.

One unfortunate thing about this cookbook, however, is that even though it was recently re-issued with a spiffy new design, I don't thing the original 1996 text was updated. So they always put in parentheses after cilantro "Chinese parsley, fresh green coriander;" who the hell doesn't know what cilantro is in this day and age?! One of the recipes is called "The Most Delicious Meat Cubes," which is just wrong. And the amount of onion in this recipe is listed as "5 tablespoons (2.5 ounces)." Who measures an onion that way? I'm just going with one small onion!

OK, enough making fun of the text and on to this most delicious recipe...

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper

Combine all of the above with 1 tablespoon of water and set aside.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 - 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 small onion, finely diced

1/2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated or finely chopped

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into halves or quarters

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds. Cook for 10 seconds, then add the onion and ginger. Cook and stir for a few minutes until onions start to brown, then add spice paste. Cook for 15 seconds, then add tomatoes and sugar. Turn down the heat, cover, and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover the pan and add the cilantro, then gently drop in the eggs and spoon some sauce over them. Simmer for 2-3 more minutes, then serve.

I suppose a typical accompaniment would be rice, though, like I said before, I like it with potatoes and spinach--as if I was having a bit of samosa as well.

Chewy Molasses Cookies

2011-10-22T18:33:00.006-04:00

No, this is not the same cookie I previously posted (see below), though they look very similar! I like the slight spiciness of these cookies--just a hint of black pepper on the back of your tongue--and they improve with age as the spices come out more. Adapted from the More-with-Less Cookbook, via the Kitchn.com website.

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup dark molasses

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg

2-inch knob of ginger, peeled and grated

2 + 1/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon powdered ginger

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

granulated sugar

Mix the butter, olive oil, molasses and brown sugar until fluffy. Add egg and ginger and mix until smooth. Add all remaining ingredients except granulated sugar and mix (or stir) until thoroughly combined. Dough will be soft; refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour and up to 3 days.

When you're ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment. Take a tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball, then roll in granulated sugar. When sheets are full, bake for 12 minutes, rotating cookie sheets halfway through. Remove from the oven and let cool on the sheets for a few minutes, then finish cooling on wire racks.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

2011-08-05T11:36:00.002-04:00

The original recipe for this is actually a little too chocolaty for me--I am not of the "death by chocolate" persuasion--but I just love the texture. Feel free to increase the amount of chopped chocolate to your liking! This recipe is from Cook's Illustrated. I ran out of dark corn syrup and ended up using some molasses, which I thought provided a slightly more complex flavor, though CI does not approve of the molasses-chocolate combination.

1+1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup cocoa (orig. recipe calls for Dutch-processed)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons butter, softened

1/3 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup for coating

1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

1 large egg white

1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

2 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (orig. recipe calls for 4 ounces)

Whisk dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugars (only 1/3 cup of white sugar) until light and fluffy. Add corn syrup, egg white and vanilla, and beat until fully incorporated, about 20 seconds. Stir in dry ingredients and chopped chocolate, dough will be quite soft. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Grab enough dough to make a ball about 1.5 inches in diameter, and roll in remaining white sugar. Place on parchment-lined cookie sheet. Dough will spread so place about 2 inches apart, probably not more than 8 or 9 per sheet. Bake for 10-11 minutes, rotating sheets mid-way, until cookies have cracked, but still look wet in between the cracks. Cool cookies on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Chicken & White Bean Salad

2011-07-16T10:40:00.002-04:00

When I started posting recipes I had no idea I'd end up with so many salad recipes. And really, until the past couple years, I was mainly just your basic potato salad-type of person; can't recall many others that I ate. But for whatever reason, I now seem to eat a lot of them! This one's from Cooking Light. I add the tomatoes in very gently at the end so they don't disintegrate.

Whisk together the following for the vinaigrette:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves, minced

salt & pepper

Drizzle vinaigrette over the following and gently combine:

2 cups coarsely chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken

1 cup chopped tomato

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1/3 cup slivered fresh basil

2 16-oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

Chinese Chicken Salad

2011-06-23T11:32:00.003-04:00

Is this really Chinese? I mean besides the soy sauce & sesame oil? Whatever...I fall for almost anything with sesame oil. Generously adapted from a Food & Wine recipe. The original recipe calls for the meat from a 2.5 pound rotisserie chicken, which would certainly be good. But I often buy several chicken breasts at once and then just quickly roast them. As long as you're careful to take them out just when they're cooked through--and not cooked to death--they are still quite juicy.

2 chicken breasts

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar (or more, to taste)

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon sriracha, or other hot sauce (again, to taste)

1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced (I used Savoy--use whatever you like)

3 scallions, thinly sliced

2-3 carrots, julienned (or shredded, I suppose)

3/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup (or more) roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Sprinkle chicken breasts liberally with salt & pepper. Bake at 400 degrees until just done, 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Mix next 7 ingredients for dressing. Adjust seasonings--it will need to be strong to cover all the salad! Dice or shred chicken and add to the vegetables and peanuts. Pour over half the dressing and toss. Add more dressing until salad is coated to your liking. Serve on lettuce or as is. I often end up just eating it right out of the bowl!

Italian-ish Orzo Salad

2011-05-19T00:08:00.003-04:00

I saw some orzo sitting in my cupboard and it got me thinking as to what else I had around that I could mix with it. There are probably a hundred million variations on this recipe, but this is what I ended up with and I CAN'T STOP EATING IT! So put in whatever ingredients you like and make your own.

3/4 cup orzo

1 can cannellini beans

1 can (petite) diced tomatoes

1/4 cup capers

2 shallots, thinly sliced

handful chopped herbs (I had cilantro & parsley on hand)

shaved Parmesan

olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt & freshly ground pepper

Cook the orzo according to directions; drain. Rinse and drain beans. Drain tomatoes but reserve juice. (Note that some canned tomatoes have added sugar or HFCS. I mistakenly bought one of these once and found the juice too sweet to add back in.) Combine all ingredients except the last four. Drizzle over a glug of oil & vinegar. Mix and season to taste with salt & pepper. Add in reserved tomato juice to moisten.

Super thin shallot slices courtesy of my ceramic slicer, similar to a mandoline.

And the ceramic slicer properly used with the guard. Really, if you don't use this you're just asking to cut yourself. (Yes, I cut myself).

Fluffy Biscuits

2011-05-01T13:05:00.002-04:00

Page 381... Cook's Illustrated's The Best Recipe...I've now made this recipe so many times that the book just falls open to this page. You can also go there if you want the original recipe--this is my adapted version. For one thing, the original makes twice as many, but I find that biscuits are best fresh and so for just me I really don't want to keep that many on hand. These are very quick--20-25 minutes total--and come together easily in the food processor. I often make a little breakfast sandwich with with one of these sausages:

1/3 cup milk

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon corn starch

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1/4" cubes

1 more tablespoon of butter, melted

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix milk and vinegar and let stand a minute or two until slightly coagulated (yes, a little gross). Combine all dry ingredients in a food processor and wiz for a second to combine. Add butter and pulse a few times until combined. Add the milk & vinegar, and pulse a few more times until it just begins to form a ball in the bowl. Scrape out onto a lightly floured surface. Working the dough as little as possible, form into a ball and then flatten to about 3/4". Cut into 6 rounds; you will have to combine scraps to get the last one or two. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush with the melted butter. Bake for 8-10 minutes--be careful, the bottoms can brown quickly.

Best breakfast!

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T17:49:00.003-04:00

My third annual, highly anticipated (!) Easter post. Pretty self-explanatory...potato salad recipe here. Disappointingly soupy deviled eggs--the orangy ones with sriracha.

Rice & Potato Soup

2011-04-01T16:30:00.001-04:00

First, I thought you might enjoy a shot of this hitchhiking carrot which met its demise in this soup.

What to say about this soup...excellent carb-y comfort food! The tomato paste & cheese rinds add a lovely savoriness, without being overly tomatoey or cheesy. Please keep in mind that if you leave the cooked rice in all that liquid, it starts to disintegrate after a day or so. So if you're not eating all the soup at once, cook the rice separately and add in small quantities to each portion just before serving. Adapted from Lidia's Italian Table (Lydia Bastianich, of course).

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/3 inch cubes (approximately--don't worry about these sizes too much)

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes

2 celery stalks, diced

2 teaspoons tomato paste

10 cups hot chicken broth

2 two-inch square (or whatever size) Parmesan rinds

2 bay leaves

3/4 cup long-grain rice

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

salt & pepper

In a deep, heavy 4-5 quart pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. (Potatoes might stick a bit, turn down heat if the bits are getting too dark.) Stir in carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots soften, about 2-3 minutes. Season lightly with salt. Add tomato paste and stir to coat vegetables.

Add broth, cheese rinds, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, scraping up any bits of potato on the bottom, then lower heat to a simmer. Cover pot and coot until potatoes begin to fall apart, about 40 minutes. Stir in rice and cook until rice is tender but still firm, about 12 minutes. Remove bay leaves and cheese rinds. Stir in parsley and season with salt & pepper to taste. Lydia suggests you chop the cheese rinds into bitty pieces and add them back to the soup. I kinda like it...though not all rinds age so well. Taste a bit before you decide if you want to add it back into the soup or toss.

My bag of Parmesan rinds I keep in the freezer.

Beef Summer Sausage

2011-03-23T16:14:00.002-04:00

I like meat. I wouldn't say I eat a lot, but every once in a while you need some spicy, garlicky summer sausage, right? And unlike many other cured meats, this comes together in just one day! One ingredient you do have to go out of your way for, however, is this Morton's Tender Quick. I had to order it online because I couldn't find it in stores. Once I tried what I thought was an adequate substitute (probably the tenderizer) and it was a disaster! The smallest bag is like 5 pounds or something and if you only use a tablespoon at a time it will last forever--but it's worth it! This is adapted from a recipe I found online several years ago (here is the original).

2 pounds ground sirloin

1/2 cup water

1 + 1/2 teaspoons Liquid Smoke

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon (or more) finely minced garlic

1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon Morton Tender Quick (NOT tenderizer)

2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Mix all ingredients together. Divide into 2-3 parts and roll each into a firm cylinder. Place each on a sheet of aluminum foil with the shiny side against the meat. Wrap so the seam side is up and refrigerate for 24 hours. Punch holes with a fork into the bottom of the rolls. Place on a rack set into a rimmed pan and bake at 325 degrees for 90 minutes.

Spaghetti (I think)

2011-03-21T16:26:00.006-04:00

This recipe card is on par with "Tunafish Samwich"...a real hot mess! We had spaghetti about once a week growing up, usually with a piece of American cheese on top, and I no longer eat pasta this particular way. (In other words, I got my fill of it as a child!) But I still can't throw out the recipe...

FYI, the first line specifies "Chef Boyardee" sauce. Important!

Damn Good (Tomato Kidney Bean) Soup

2011-02-05T23:44:00.006-05:00

It strikes me that this recipe isn't that different than the chili I posted previously, except blended and without the meat. Oh well, I'm pretty boring that way. This is just so tasty--and spicy, depending on how much heat you want to add--and so simple that I can't help but post it. It's also excellent reheated. Originally from Best Ever Soups (which I should probably get), but I saw it via http://www.macheesmo.com/2010/02/kidney-bean-soup/.

olive oil

2 onions, diced

2+ cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, diced (optional)

1 tablespoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon (or more) cayenne

1 tablespoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes

2 14-oz. cans kidney beans, drained

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

salt & pepper to taste

lemon juice or vinegar to taste

Saute the onions in a soup pot with the olive oil until soft, 8-10 minutes over medium heat. Add garlic and jalapeno and cook for another minute. Stir in spices and roast for a minute or so then add tomato paste. When this is combined, add all the other ingredients except the lemon juice or vingar. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool slightly and blend (it's handy to have an immersion blender here, but you could use a regular blender as well.) Add a dash of lemon juice or vinegar (or some sort of acid) just before serving.

The original recipe also has a guacamole garnish, which is nice but not essential. Click on the Macheesmo site above if you want that recipe.

Basic Fall Chili

2010-10-24T12:57:00.001-04:00

One time I made this recipe for someone and they were surprised to learn that you didn't need 27.5 ingredients and 3.5 hours of simmering to make chili. The flavors may not be quite as complex, but this is the recipe I grew up with and, most of the time, its simplicity suits me just fine!

As I look closely at the recipe card, I see "parley"--which I assume is "parsley." This is very odd as I don't recall ever using parsley! We often served this over rice and then sprinkled grated cheese and saltines on top. I know, very authentic!

1 onion, diced (and maybe some garlic if you're so inclined)
1 pound ground beef or turkey
28-ounce can whole tomatoes, with juice
14-ounce can kidney beans
1 tablespoon chili powder
salt, pepper, cayenne, additional cumin to taste

Saute onion (and garlic) in olive or vegetable oil over medium heat. When soft, add meat and break up somewhat. Cook until browned, then dump in everything else. Break up the tomatoes with a spoon, and simmer 10-15 minutes--or longer to reach desired consistency.

Cheesy Tomato & Bread Soup

2010-08-22T09:17:00.001-04:00

This is kind of like when you dunk a grilled cheese sandwich into your tomato soup. But the tomatoes are fresh (a must, thus a very summery recipe!), the bread is sourdough, and the cheese is Parmesan (I shudder to think what would happen to American cheese in this). A very thick soup results. Besides the wonderful taste, I also like the fact that this recipe uses Parmesan rinds. I usually have a bunch of these in my freezer, and they add richness to many soup recipes. Recipe adapted from Tom Valenti's Soups, Stews, and One-Pot Meals.

4 lbs. very rip beefsteak or Jersey tomatoes, peeled & cut into 1-inch chunks

kosher salt, fresh pepper, sugar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced

1-2 stalks celery, finely diced

3-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste

2 quarts vegetable or chicken broth

1-2 Parmesan rinds

1 large or 2 small loaves of day-old sourdough bread

4-8 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated

fresh lemon juice

basil oil or pesto (optional)

Thirty minutes before you want to start cooking, mix tomatoes with salt, pepper & a pinch of sugar; set aside.

Warm the olive oil in a a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion & celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic towards the end. Stir in the tomato paste and another pinch of sugar, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the stock and cheese rind(s), raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes, season with salt & pepper, and bring to a boil again. Lower the heat and simmer until the tomatoes break down completely, about 40 minutes.

Remove and discard the cheese rind. Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes [the original recipes calls for the crust to be cut off, but I usually leave most of it on since I like the texture it adds]. Add them to the tomatoes and stir to break down, cooking for about 15 minutes. Stir in the grated cheese, starting with a little and adding more until you get the consistency you like--too much and it can get a little gloppy, in my opinion. Douse with a squeeze or two of lemon juice.

I happen to have just made fresh pesto last night, but I'm conflicted about whether or not to use it--the tomatoey goodness is pretty spectacular all on its own! Your call...

Lots of tomatoes!

Lots of bread!

Lots of cheese!

Salted Crispy Oatmeal Cookies

2010-06-08T11:43:00.003-04:00

A word about photographing cookies...it's hard! For the most part, they are not that colorful or otherwise interesting looking. But what's more important is that they taste yummy! These cookies are a good example. So sorry about the stock "stacked cookie" photo (really, the most common pose you'll find on TasteSpotting!), but at least this definitely is a Top 10 recipe! From Cook's Illustrated (which also includes an Orange-Almond variation I really must try.)

1 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon table salt

14 tablespoons butter, slightly softened

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2+1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk dry ingredients (through salt) together. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in egg & vanilla, then stir in dry ingredients and oats. Divide dough into 24 equal portions (about 2 tablespoons each) and roll into balls. Place on three parchment-lined baking sheets, and flatten dough slightly to about 3/4" thickness. [These do spread quite a bit, so don't put more on a sheet unless you're making smaller cookies.] Lightly sprinkle sea salt over all the cookies. Bake one sheet at a time for 13-16 minutes, rotating pan halfway through, until edges look crisp. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and cool on sheets.

**Update** The Orange-Almond variation is quite good too, although I think I still prefer the plain salted recipe. To make the Orange-Almond, add 2 teaspoons of orange zest to the butter & sugars when you cream them. Then, decrease the oatmeal to 2 cups and add 1 cup chopped, toasted almonds. Do not sprinkle with sea salt.

Carrots

2010-06-06T12:46:00.003-04:00

I love carrots. But I do not like shredded carrot, for reasons unbeknownst to me. A few years ago I bought this implement under the assumption it was a zester.

I'm not sure if it technically is, but I do know that when I want to get some sort of citrus zest I use this implement:

So basically, this first "zester" has been a dud...until I found a new use for it--probably it's proper use--which is julienning!!! It's been a revelation... julienned carrots are so much better (and prettier) than shredded!
Without further ado, here is a recipe using julienned carrots: Sesame-Broccoli Salad. I haven't been making it that long, but every time I have it's been a big hit. (Adapted from an Eating Out Loud recipe here.)

2 heads broccoli, chopped (throw in sliced stems as well)

1 cup lightly packed cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup julienned carrot

2 green onions, chopped

3/4 cup toasted, slivered almonds

1/2 cup dried cherries (or cranberries, or raisins)

for dressing:

1/2 cup canola oil (I've been using peanut oil since that's what I had on hand)

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 - 2 teaspoons sugar

2 - 3 teaspoons soy sauce

Whisk dressing ingredients together, then pour over salad. Toss to combine and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let flavors meld.

Kitchen musings

2010-05-26T12:30:00.003-04:00

You know how most pictures of kitchens showcase the spacious layout and fancy appliances? You won't see that here. My kitchen is ridiculously small: 8' x 14'--and it's supposedly "eat-in." Needless to say, I do not eat in it, although I do have a small table in which I deposit the day's detritus. It doesn't have a dishwasher, which made me realize what dishwashers are actually for: hiding dirty dishes. I do not mind washing dishes, I just wish I didn't have to do it so often in order to get rid of the spectacle of dirty dishes.

Nonetheless, it is just me and it's not like I'm catering large dinner parties. Working with limitations (space, as well as--gasp--an electric stove) is not always a bad thing. One adapts. The ability to adapt is a good thing, right?

This is not my kitchen; it's a restaurant in Prague. But I loved their utensil sign, and it made me appreciate my little utensil rack more...

And lest you think there is no color...

Seven Layer Bars

2010-05-12T13:00:00.002-04:00

This recipe has been around forever. I have also seen these called Magic Cookie Bars and Hello Dollies. I loved the recipe as a kid: both the fact that you could make it all in the pan, and then of course how good it was, especially if you like super sweet things!

You can see from the recipe card (why oh why, was margarine--or in this case "olio"--in all my recipes from the '70s??) how we used to make it. Today I'd use peanut butter chips instead of butterscotch...though the recipe is obviously open to a myriad of variations!

1/2 cup (one stick) butter - can be melted right in a 9" x 13" pan!
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup coconut
12 oz. (one package) chocolate chips
12 oz. (one package) peanut butter chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1+1/2 cup chopped (not "shopped") nuts

Bake in a 350° oven for 30 minutes.

A corridor of chips (I made this in my zig-zag pan) before adding the sweetened condensed milk.

Hummus

2010-05-10T11:21:00.003-04:00

For many years I didn't really care for hummus and finally I figured out why: tahini sauce does nothing for me. Lots of people use it, and they can continue to do so. But when I first made my own hummus I didn't have any on hand and didn't feel like driving to the grocery store to get some...and I liked the hummus so much more! Another difference with this version is preserved lemon. I realize preserved lemons are not the most common ingredient, but they are very easy to make (though it does take about two months curing time)--just google them and you'll come up with dozens of recipes. Anyway, I almost always have preserved lemon on hand ever since I came across this incredible roast chicken recipe. I can't say that I make it that often, but it is--truly--so wonderful that it is worth having preserved lemon on hand for that recipe alone!

But back to hummus, I think the salty lemony-ness of preserved lemon works perfectly here. The other key ingredients are garlic and cayenne. I happen to like a fair amount of these, but you can add to your taste. (Turns out the lemon-garlic-red pepper triumvirate is also significant in my favorite pasta recipe!) Last but not least, I once read on someone else's blog that processing olive oil makes it turn bitter. I have no idea if this is true--I need some scientist out there to do some testing & analysis! In any case, I usually use a glug or two of peanut oil when I'm processing, then stir in a bit more olive oil at the end.

15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained but liquid reserved

2-4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons preserved lemon, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons peanut oil

pinch or two of cayenne pepper

olive oil

Process the first four ingredients, adding a few tablespoons of the chickpea liquid back in to moisten. You may also need to add more peanut oil to get the consistency you want. Empty to a bowl or storage container and stir in the cayenne and a drizzle of olive oil.

Snickerdoodles

2010-04-29T22:42:00.001-04:00

Everybody knows the snickerdoodle, but I post it for two reasons...

1. To add it to my Top 10 Cookies set.

2. To make the point that a sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar is not necessarily a snickerdoodle. You must have cream of tartar as well, which adds a little tanginess. I feel strongly abut this. Do not be fooled by impostors!

Another Cooky Book recipe....

2+3/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter

1+1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk together dry ingredients (through salt). Cream the butter, sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Stir in the dry ingredients. Shape dough into 1" balls and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place 2" apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes--cookies will be puffed up, but flatten at they cool. Cool on wire racks.

Just add oil, already!

2010-04-26T23:22:00.008-04:00

I've held off posting about the now-famous "No-Knead Bread" recipe because everyone must know about and make this by now, right? I think the original recipe was printed in the New York Times around 2006 and it pretty much swept the nation. I have--truly--made this at least once a month ever since (once a month may not sound like a lot, but it's just me here and I don't even eat that much bread, so actually, for me, it's a lot!). Besides being no-knead, it's also super-easy because it only has three ingredients, plus water.

But now, I am ready to go on the record and announce that adding a fourth ingredient makes a HUGE DIFFERENCE! I'm sure this has been noted many times before, and probably even by Jim Lahey, who came up with the recipe in the first place. But for me, this fourth ingredient is new and revolutionary. Truth be told, the original recipe was getting a little boring.

So this is the difference, people: just add some oil! Suddenly you get a noticeably flakier crumb and crust, and if you use butter, well, it's buttery-tasting-er. I kind of want to eat it all the time.

3 cups flour

1+1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon yeast

1/4 - 1/2 cup oil (butter, olive oil, what have you)

warm water, as needed (about 1+1/2 - 2 cups)

Mix everything up until you get a smooth, if somewhat wet dough. (I manage this just fine with a wooden spoon.) Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 12 - 18 hours. Dump out on a floured surface and let rest for 20 minutes or so. Take a (clean!) dish towel and sprinkle with corn meal. Shape the dough into a ball and place on the dish towel. Let rise for another 1+1/2 - 2 hours. Towards the end of the rising time, place a heavy lidded pot (cast iron or dutch oven) in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. When the dough is done rising, lift up the corners of the dish towel and pour the dough into the pot. Put the lid on. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and let cook for another 15 minutes. Remove the bread from the pot and let cool on a wire rack. Try not to hack into it too soon!

Easter 2010

2010-04-07T11:20:00.003-04:00

This year's was about as exciting as Easter 2009--that is to say, not very--but I still seem unable to resist making an Easter dessert every year, even if I have no other meal plans. Often I make a Grasshopper Pie, but this year I did a variation of something my mom started years ago which is decorating cake with green-tinted coconut and candy eggs. This year I chose chocolate cupcakes with malted milk eggs (usually I use Cadbury chocolate pastel eggs, but couldn't find them in my grocery store this go 'round). The cupcakes were the same base as Martha Stewart's Hi-Hat cupcakes. It was a fun, if dorky, experience. Then I gave most of them away...

Spicy Guinness Mustard

2010-03-19T23:32:00.000-04:00

To drink or to cook? In this case I got to do both, since I only made a half recipe (1+1/2 cups of mustard seeds is a lot!) and had half a can of leftover Guinness to drink. Only after buying a jar of yellow mustard seeds did I notice that this recipe called for brown mustard seeds. So I rummaged through my cupboard and actually found some brown ones. But even combining all the yellow and brown seeds, I still came up with only 3/4 of a cup. I don't know how much the final taste was affected by using half yellow seeds, but it certainly came out quite hot! Apparently the flavor will mellow as it ages, however. Like the ketchup I made a few weeks ago, this is from Saveur. Between the two I now I have a lot of condiments on hand. I guess I'll just have to step up my accompanying meats consumption for the next couple months!

12 ounces Guinness Extra Stout

1+1/2 cups brown mustard seeds

1 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1-2 days so that the mustard seeds soften and flavors meld. Transfer mixture to a food processor and process until seeds are coarsely ground and mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a jar and cover. Refrigerate for up to 6 months.

pre-processing

post-processing

Curried Chicken Turnovers

2010-03-16T10:26:00.000-04:00

For some reason I think of this as a spring recipe--though it's hard to believe spring is really here! Don't skip the dipping sauce; it goes perfectly with the savory filling. Adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe.

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled & minced

4+1/2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon flour, plus more for dusting

1+1/2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup plain yogurt

4+1/2 teaspoons tomato paste

1/4 cup applesauce

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup heavy cream

salt, lemon juice

4 sheets puff pastry, thawed

1 egg, lightly beaten

Cucumber Dipping Sauce (see below)

Rub chicken breasts with salt & pepper and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until cooked through. (The original recipe calls for simmering the breasts in salted water for approximately 12 minutes. I thought baking would be better than poaching, though actually I have no idea!) Let chicken cool, then shred with a fork into 2-inch pieces or smaller.

Heat oil in a large skillet and cook onion, garlic & ginger over medium to medium-high heat until golden, about 8 minutes. Stir in curry powder, cumin and flower; cook one minute. Whisk in stock and bring to a boil. Stir in yogurt, tomato paste and applesauce. Boil one minute, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Stir in peas and chicken and let thicken a bit, about 3 minutes. Stir in cream and season with salt & lemon juice (I'd start with about a teaspoon each). Let mixture cool.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay a pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface and cut into 4 squares. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto each square, leaving a 1-inch border. Brush edges with egg wash and fold over edges to a make a triangle. Press edges to seal. Bake until golden, about 20-25 minutes. Serve with dipping sauce. (Unbaked turnovers can be frozen, wrapped in plastic and foil for one month; thaw before baking.)

Cucumber Dipping Sauce (this is very similar to a Tzatziki sauce, but without dill or mint)

8 ounces English cucumber, peeled

1 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Finely dice cucumber (which I prefer), or grate. Press between paper towels or a dish towel to remove as much water as possible. Combine with remaining ingredients. Refrigerate any leftover sauce.

Ketchup

2010-03-06T01:29:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to try this Saveur recipe for a while, but when I opened the fridge and discovered that my ketchup had expired last year (!), I decided NOW was the time. This is spicier and hotter than commercial ketchup, which I like. I would definitely make this again, although what to do with all this ketchup? (I'm actually more of a mustard person!)

4 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
1 stick cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon dried pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon whole allspice
2 pounds tomatoes, rough chopped (I used a combination of whole canned tomatoes and large cherry tomatoes, since big tomatoes are not in season)
1+1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar (orig. recipe called for 5 tablespoons)
1 onion, chopped
1 anaheim chile, chopped (I could only find a poblano)
3 cloves garlic, crushed (orig. recipe called for 1 clove)

Wrap cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon, celery seeds, pepper flakes and allspice in a layer of cheesecloth; tie into a bundle and put in a 4-quart saucepan. [FYI, a lot of my celery seeds fell out of the cheesecloth so I just added them to the pot as is.] Add remaining ingredients and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until onions and chiles are very soft, about 4 minutes. You may need to turn down the heat and/or stir more often if it looks like it's starting to scorch.

Remove spice bundle and puree sauce in a blender until smooth. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer back into saucepan. [This takes forever, and I ended up adding about 1/3 of the solids back in because there's quite a lot left over and I couldn't bear to throw it all out. So mine is not super smooth, but I'm fine with that.] Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 30 minutes. Add more salt, sugar or vinegar, if you like. Transfer to a glass jar and let cool. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

Bubbling away... (sorry about the flash!)

Vegetable Lasagne

2010-02-28T13:28:00.001-05:00

I don't remember the last time I made a traditional meat & tomato sauce lasagne. Not that I don't like it, but I love this variation with spinach & carrots even more. I usually make this in a 9" x 9" casserole (more on that below), which means you have to trim the noodles to fit the pan and the layers are quite thick. Alternately you could use a 9" x 13" pan, which would result in thinner layers. Depending on how much crunch you like, you may want to parboil the carrots for a minute or two. I often add them to the spinach towards the end of it's cooking time, and then you can just drain all the veggies together before adding them to the rest of the filling.

Miscellaneous question: why do lasagne noodles always shred when you boil them??

9 cooked lasagne noodles

filling

2+1/2 cups ricotta

1 cup shredded mozzarella and/or fontina cheese (I used an Italian cheese blend this time)

1 cup diced carrot

1 package frozen spinach, cooked & well-drained

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 large onion, finely diced (use 1/2 for filling, 1/2 for sauce)

Mix all ingredients and season with salt & pepper. Spread one layer of noodles in a 9" x 9" or 9" x 13" pan and top with half the filling. Top with layer of noodles, other half of filling, and final layer of noodles. Go to sauce directions...

sauce

1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup ricotta

Sauté remaining onions in the oil until soft. Add flour and cook for a minute, then whisk in broth and remaining ricotta. Bring to a boil and simmer until it thickens slightly (shouldn't take long). Season with salt & pepper, if necessary. Pour sauce over the lasagne layers. Sprinkle with additional mozzarella if desired. Cook at 375° for 30-45 minutes, until bubbly around the edges and top is lightly browned.

~~~~~

Below is a favorite casserole that my mother made. Unfortunately, after years of service it has developed this scary crack down the middle. Every time I use it I'm afraid it may be the last. But it held up this time!

Wild Rice Chowder

2010-02-17T20:35:00.001-05:00

This is a great comfort food for a snowy day like today. It's not as dense as some chowders--it doesn't have any flour or potatoes to bulk it up--but it thickens somewhat when when you blend up part of the soup. Though the wild rice should be tender by the time the soup is done, it still provides a nice, chewy texture. This is adapted from Bon Appetit (I think, not positive).

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, chopped

4 ounces smoked ham, diced

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1+1/3 cups wild rice (I only had about a cup on hand and supplemented with a wild rice/long grain mix)

7 cups chicken stock

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup whipping cream

frozen corn (optional)

parsley, minced (optional--mainly for color)

salt & pepper, to taste

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat . Add onion, ham, celery and carrot, and saute until vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat. Add the stock and bay leaf, and simmer until rice is very tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Mix in cream. Pur ee 2 cups of the soup with a blender (or immersion blender). Return puree to the rest of the soup and season with salt and pepper. Add corn , if using, and bring to a simmer. Garnish with parsley, if using, and serve.

Hi-Hat Cupcakes

2010-02-13T10:00:00.002-05:00

In case you can't tell from the photos, these are chocolate cupcakes with a mound of meringue on top, covered with a thin chocolate shell. I'm not going to write out the (long) instructions because Martha Stewart's website recipe is perfectly adequate--and it would take forever to re-type! I will say the following...

1. I love these cupcakes!

2. The chocolate cake base is awesome and perfect for any occasion whether you do the meringue part or not.

3. The meringue is a bitch--but worth it. One time I was using a smallish bowl while beating the egg whites. I stopped holding it for a second, the bowl started spinning like a crazy dervish, and meringue flew everywhere! I was picking it off bits of meringue from around the kitchen for days. So use a big bowl!

Tuscan Beans & Pasta

2010-02-08T10:08:00.002-05:00

Something to know about this up front: you will have to sweep your floor after making this dish. Things get a little hairy for about 5 minutes because it turns out brittle spaghetti does not like to be stirred. But ultimately, it's worth it. This pasta is cooked like risotto, in that you add liquid to the starch and wait for it to be absorbed before adding more liquid. This is a--gulp--Rachel Ray recipe (adapted), though how she made it in 30 minutes I have no idea. Plan on closer to an hour.

5 - 6 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 pound chunk pancetta or bacon, cut into small dice

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 - 10 ounces spaghetti, broken in half

1 medium onion, chopped

1 carrots, cut into small dice

1 bay leaf

5 - 6 sprigs fresh thyme (dried is fine too)

1 15-ounce can Roman beans or small white beans

1 cup dry white wine or vermouth

1 cup grated Parmesan

salt & pepper

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

lemon wedges (optional)

Bring the stock to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and brown slightly. Add the garlic and spaghetti and toast the pasta slightly, 3 - 4 minutes. [This is when everything starts flying. Be patient!] Add onions, carrots, bay leaf and thyme. Soften veggies a bit, about 5 minutes. Add wine or vermouth and allow it to be completely absorbed. Add beans, then a few ladles of stock and stir the pasta. Keep adding stock a few ladles at a time, allowing liquid to be mostly absorbed before adding more. When the spaghetti is cooked to al dente turn off the heat, add a little more liquid and stir in the cheese. Adjust seasoning. Remove the bay leaf and thyme stems. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.

Cook's Illustrated

2010-02-04T14:45:00.014-05:00

After 10 years, I have finally decided not to continue my subscription to Cook's Illustrated. It's kind of sad because I've always been a big fan and have given gift subscriptions to several friends and family members. I've never had a subscription with one particular magazine for such a long time, and I've kept all my issues (60+). One of the reasons I'm not renewing is that I just don't cook from it very often anymore, so I've decided to go through and index all the recipes (or most, not every single variation and occasionally there's one I just can't stomach) in the hopes that I will reference these more when I'm looking for a particular type of recipe. This project, too, has been traumatic...realizing how my life has changed over the past 10 years, seeing some of my favorite recipes again, coming across the Sept. '01 issue (more for the date than the content--though I still use the Spaghetti alla Carbonara recipe!), realizing how many recipes I haven't made or even given a second glance...

Some of the things I will not miss:

Charlie Kimball's folksy, Vermont-laden introductions. I live 5 miles from Vermont now and just find it over the top. Enough already!
Chicken recipes. Holy crap! While doing the index I realized just how many chicken recipes they have published (approximately 10% of the almost 700 recipes). In fact, it's standard for every issue to have a beef and pork recipe, and at least one chicken dish.
Brussels sprouts recipes...because they haven't done any in the past 10 years!
all their self-promotion ads--usually one or two wrap-around covers, and two sets of inserts

Some of the things I will miss:

the funky and often funny "quick tips" readers send in (even if some seemed ridiculous), and also a lot of the technique and taste test features (best ever product recommendation: The Unicorn Magnum Peppermill which can be ordered from Unicorn Mills. Quite ugly, but otherwise magnificent!)
the pretty ingredient drawings on the back cover

So, I still hope to consult these issues often--perhaps more than I have recently. And I also use their "Best Recipes" book on a regular basis. But I think I've accumulated enough now. To commemorate this occasion, I'm printing my ALL-TIME FAVORITE RECIPE that first came out in the March/April 2001 issue and that I still make at least once a month. (FYI, this is my second favorite.) Most people who know me well know how attached to this recipe I am. Some may argue that I'm a little too attached to it, and especially the amount of garlic I use! Without further ado, Pasta with Garlic & Oil:

1 pound linguine (the original recipe calls for spaghetti)

kosher salt

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup (or more!) minced garlic

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons (or more) fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

grated Parmesan

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and salt liberally. Cook to al dente, reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain the rest. While water is heating, add the olive oil, all BUT 1-2 teaspoons of the garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt to a large skillet. Cook over low heat. Once it starts to sizzle a bit, stir constantly until garlic foams and is sticky & straw-colored, 10-12 minutes. [It's very important to cook the garlic slowly, you don't want to rush and burn it.] Remove from heat and add remaining raw garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, parsley and half the pasta cooking water; adjust seasoning as needed (may need more salt or lemon juice). Pour this over the pasta and combine. If it's too dry add more of the pasta cooking water. Dump in a warmed pasta bowl or bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan.

(Apparently this picture is pre-Parmesan!)

Brussels Sprout Salad

2010-02-01T11:00:00.005-05:00

I am not much of a salad person. But this...it's my current addiction! Here's the original recipe/post if you have fancier ingredients. (For the life of me, where to get Marcona almonds?!) Be careful when toasting your walnuts. I've reduced the suggested temperature from 350 to 300 degrees because of a recent over-toasting incident--though I used the walnuts anyway and the salad was still delicious! Here's my guesstimate amounts for one person:

10 - 12 Brussels sprouts, trimmed of any dried leaves and at the root

1 - 2 tablespoons golden raisins

1 - 2 tablespoons walnuts

Parmesan cheese, shaved

olive oil

champagne vinegar (or whatever you like)

sea salt/kosher salt & black pepper

Dice the sprouts into about 1/4" cubes (many of the leaves will fall off in the process--that's fine). Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add some salt and throw in the sprouts. Blanch for a minute or two until bright green (do not overcook!). Drain the sprouts under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Meanwhile, toast walnuts in a 300 degree oven for 5 - 10 minutes until fragrant. Cool and coarsely chop. Mix together the sprouts, raisins, walnuts and cheese. Drizzle over the olive oil and vinegar, then sprinkle w ith salt and pepper. Toss and serve!

See, not diced exactly, often more wedge-y. Doesn't matter!

Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

2010-01-30T11:27:00.002-05:00

I feel slightly ridiculous even typing this recipe up since it's on the package of the peanut butter chips that you have to get to make these cookies in the first place! But when I decided to compile my top 10 favorite cookies/bars, these had to be included. I usually make a half recipe so the amount of butter doesn't seem quite so obscene.

2 cups flour

3/4 cup cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2+1/2 sticks butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 10-oz package of peanut butter chips (Reese's if you must know--are there any other brands?)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Whisk together dry ingredients, except peanut butter chips. Add to the butter and sugar and stir/mix well. Stir in PB chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Bake 8-9 minutes. (Do not overbake; cookies will be soft.) Cool slightly, then slide parchment onto wire racks. Cool completely.

Just pictures I

2010-01-24T21:50:00.005-05:00

Sometimes I don't feel like writing...most of the time, in fact! So here's some plain old pictures...

Pie for National Pie Day (January 23). Graham cracker crust--coconut cream, but half the custard mixed with chocolate instead of coconut--meringue. A bit much. Note lovely pie plate by my mom!

Green mashed potatoes. Just throw some broccoli in towards the end of boiling your potatoes and then mash them all up together. Yummy. But then again, mashed potatoes are next to godliness, really.

(Not-very-authentic) Paella

2010-01-18T10:03:00.002-05:00

First, I cut this out of GQ or Esquire magazine years ago as a "date meal" men could easily make...so not a very authentic source for this traditional Spanish dish! Second, I have liberally adapted it to suit my tastes...really it should have lots of seafood, maybe some peppers and peas. This is a more tomato-y version, the combination of tomatoes, olives and capers almost like an Italian puttanesca sauce. Hard to go wrong with that trinity, in my opinion!

1 cup rice

2 + 1/2 cups chicken broth

8 ounces chorizo, sliced

5 tablespoons butter

2 chicken breasts, cut into 1" chunks

4 teaspoons dried oregano

1 medium onion, minced

2+ cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup black olives, chopped

3 tablespoons capers

2 bay leaves

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 ounce chipotle pepper, sliced

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1/3 cup chopped parsley

lemon wedges

Combine rice and 2 cups chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until rice is almost done. Remove from heat. Saute chorizo in a skillet until edges get a little charred. Remove from pan and drain on some paper towels. If pan has excessive grease, drain--though it's fine to leave a little in the pan for the chicken. Add 1-2 tablespoons butter to the skillet. Sprinkle chicken with oregano, salt & pepper, and saute until just cooked; set aside.

In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in remaining butter over medium heat until soft. Add olives, capers, bay leaves and tomatoes. Mix in chicken, rice, parsley, cilantro and chipotles. Adjust seasonings and add some chicken broth if it seems dry. Remove from heat and let sit for one hour so flavors can combine. Reheat and serve with lemon wedges. (Lemon seems to enhance almost any tomato dish!)

Mom's dishes

2010-01-12T14:07:00.002-05:00

A lot of my photos (see here, or here, or here) have a common trait: they feature pieces of pottery my mom has made. She has been a potter since the early '70s and while she often complains about the tedious, repetitive nature of "functional" pieces (e.g. dishes), I adore them!

platter

the best cereal/soup bowls--really!

oblong casserole/bread pan

This may look like any old plate, but actually it is quite extraordinary! The clay was dug from the river banks near where I grew up--the Sturgeon River, to be exact. The clay is somewhat red and comes through beautifully under this thin white glaze.

And my all time favorite!

This has been glued back together several times, and even when I only have shards left I will still keep those!

Ricotta-Lasagne Swirls

2010-01-09T11:00:00.001-05:00

I think we picked this recipe up from some '60s or '70s vegetarian cookbook when my brother was going through his vegetarian phase. That has long since passed, but it's still an excellent comfort food dish!

Please note that this dish needs to be heavily seasoned. Do not skimp on the salt & pepper unless you prefer bland food. I also added a pinch or two of cayenne to the tomato sauce. Likewise, more sauce is better. I didn't have any tomato sauce on hand and used a 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes instead, blending about half of the mixture so it wasn't quite so chunky. While it tasted fine, it wasn't quite enough sauce.

filling

1 bunch fresh spinach or 1 package frozen spinach

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

1 cup ricotta

pinch of nutmeg

salt & pepper

sauce

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves (or more) chopped garlic

2 cups tomato sauce

1/2 teaspoon basil

salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook 8 lasagne noodles until soft. Drain and let cool. Saute onions in some olive oil. When soft, add garlic and cook for one minute longer. Add tomato sauce and seasonings, and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Coarsely chop the fresh spinach and saute in some olive oil until completely wilted, OR defrost the frozen spinach and drain well. Mix together with the rest of the filling ingredients. Divide into 8 portions--should come out to about 2-3 table spoons each. Coat each lasagne noodle with a portion of the filling, roll up and place in a casserole dish (or in this case, end up in a bread pan-shaped dish). Cover with sauce and bake for 30 minutes.

The Humble Wooden Spoon

2010-01-07T22:56:00.005-05:00

A friend of mine was recently trying to figure out if she should get a food processor or a stand mixer. Having never had big kitchens to work in--or a desire to spend a small fortune--I have always done without these appliances (though I may get my mother's 10-year-old food processor one of these days). I also do not have a microwave.

But this got me thinking about what "appliances" I do have..and treasure. #1 are my wooden spoons. Love them!! From stirring almost everything I cook or bake to the perfect utensil for non-stick pans, I use several every day. Here's to you humble wooden spoon!

Zig Zag Brownies

2010-01-02T13:26:00.007-05:00

Do I make too many brownies? Perhaps...especially considering I live by myself. But I just got this silly "edge brownie" pan as a Christmas present from my brother, so I was kind of obligated to try it out, right?! (That's a special spatula that came with it in the lower right corner.) Now every piece has at least two edges, some have three. I used my standard brownie recipe, using 1 & 1/2 the ingredients, then topped it with a peppermint frosting and drizzled over (rather sloppily) melted chocolate chips.

Verdict? Chewier, but not necessarily better (or worse). Now what do I do with all these brownies?!

Recipe Box Favorites

2009-12-15T18:06:00.002-05:00

A little explanation about this recipe designation... These recipes are basically pure nostalgia from my recipe box! (Though hopefully they have other merits as well!) My first recipe box was this green one on top—it seems very appropriate for the '70s. That filled up a few years ago and I couldn't find any I liked in stores, so I ended up getting the white one on eBay. I didn't realize it when I ordered it, but I'm almost positive my mother's recipe box was this very same design when I was a kid. (Unfortunately it was thrown out years ago and she now has an ugly plastic one.) I like the fact that these are a sort of history, containing artifacts from throughout my life, going back to age 7 or 8. And it includes not just hand-written recipes from friends and relatives, but also many snipped out from newspapers, magazines and, increasingly, the internet.

So the recipes in this subset go way back. I've included the actual index card, often somewhat stained and with dubious spelling and handwriting!

4-H Pledge

2009-12-13T18:20:00.008-05:00

Just in case you've ever wondered what those "H"s stand for! I took numerous 4-H cooking classes as a kid, which explains the presence of this in my recipe box.

Gingerbread

2009-12-09T18:00:00.009-05:00

Generally we make and decorate sugar cookies for Christmas, but last year I tried this recipe because I wanted to hang them on the tree and I thought it would be a little hardier than sugar cookie dough. Man, it was good! Much better than the gingerbread I remember as a kid. So most of the cookies still ended up on the tree, but not all.

This recipe is from Wheatleigh, a fancy schmancy resort here in the Berkshires. I’ve never been, but they printed this recipe in our local paper.

1 cup shortening
1 cup molasses
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Approximately 5 cups all purpose flour

Combine shortening, molasses and sugar in a pot. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat and add cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Gradually stir in up to 5 cups of flour to make a stiff but workable dough. Roll dough 1/4 inch thick. Chill rolled dough for a half hour, then cut into desired shapes. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes, or until firm.

Cool completely, then decorate as you like!

Mashed Potatoes with Browned Onions

2009-11-30T11:56:00.002-05:00

My favorite mashed potato recipe, although really just about any kind will do! The vinegar provides a distinctive tang, and sometimes I even add it to potatoes without doing the onions. This is adapted from a cookbook I've had for years 50 Best Mashed Potatoes. (No, I haven't tried all 50 recipes.)

3 tablespoons butter
1 lb. (Spanish) onions, halved & thinly sliced
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1+1/2 lbs. potatoes, peeled & quartered (I use russet or Yukon Gold, or a combination of both)
1/2 cup hot milk
salt & pepper, to taste

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add onions, stirring to coat with butter. Cover & cook 10 minutes, or until onions soften and exude liquid. Uncover, increase heat to medium and cook 15-20 minutes longer, stirring frequently, until onions are browned and reduced to 3/4 cup. (Sometimes this takes longer--it really depends on how carmelized you want them.) Stir in vinegar and set aside.

Boil potatoes until tender. Drain potatoes, then return to pot & mash. Gradually stir in hot milk until potatoes reach the consistency you like. Stir in browned onions, salt & pepper. (I usually add more butter too!)

Stir-Fried Cabbage with Cumin Seeds

2009-11-12T21:37:00.007-05:00

It's sad to think I wasn't introduced to Indian food until I was 20, in England. Similarly, I didn't get into cabbage and brussels sprouts until the past couple years. But now... I love them all! And this recipe addresses some of those things (though not the sprouts...I'll have to post on that another time). This is adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's Quick and Easy Indian Cooking.

1/2 head Savoy cabbage
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1+1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of cayenne
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 - 1 teaspoon garam masala

Cut out and discard core of the cabbage, then cut into long, thin shreds. Heat the oil in a wide skillet over high heat. When hot, add the cumin and sesame seeds. When seeds begin to pop, add the onions and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook, stirring often, until wilted and lightly browned, about 5 minutes more. Reduce heat to medium, add salt and cayenne. Cook until cabbage is soft and sweet--should only take a few minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and garam masala.

Tunafish Samwich Filling

2009-11-05T12:51:00.008-05:00

This is one of the earliest recipes I ever wrote down. It always makes me chuckle...

Chocolate Sables

2009-09-15T12:35:00.007-04:00

These are officially "Pierre Herme's Chocolate Sables" by way of Paris Sweets by Dorie Greenspan, as excerpted in the NY Times Magazine a few years back. Got all that? In any case, chocolate yumminess! The large grains of salt contrast nicely with the rich chocolate.

1+1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel (salt)
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (that would be 11 tablespoons total), softened
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4-5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chip-size bits

Sift (or whisk) the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together. In a separate bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add the sugars and vanilla and beat another 1-2 minutes. Stir in the dry ingredients, then the chocolate. Work the dough as little as possible.

Divide dough in half and roll each into a cylinder about 1+1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice the logs into 1/2 inch disks. (If the cookies break, squeeze the broken-off bit back onto the cookie. Or eat it!) Place the cookies on the baking sheets, leaving an inch of space between each. Bake only one sheet at a time for 12 minutes. (The cookies will not look firm, but take them out anyway.) Transfer the sheet to a cooling rack and let rest.

(FYI, the cookies don't really expand much, the second photo is just closer.)

My Favorite Brownies

2009-09-01T20:00:00.005-04:00

These are Marion Cunningham's "Parker Brownies." I wrote the recipe down years ago (see below) and had no idea where it came from, but a little web search has settled the mystery. I don't have any of her cookbooks, so it must have been reprinted in another source. Anyway... I have tried many brownie recipes over the years, but always come running back to this one! Chewy, but not quite fudgy, these come out on the thin side--so you just have to eat a larger piece!

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup (or more) chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and grease an 8" x 8" pan. Melt the chocolate and butter over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla, then the egg. (It should become kind of glossy.) Finally add the dry ingredients and nuts. Spread in pan and bake for 30 minutes. Isn't that easy?!

Refrigerator Pickles

2009-08-22T22:00:00.004-04:00

This is an awesome pickle recipe that doesn't involve canning, which I've never quite gotten around to figuring out (though I'd like to!). It's from a cookbook called Jim Fobel's Big Flavors, which someone gave me years ago and is probably out of print now. I like pickles to be 1) crisp 2) garlicky and 3) a bit hot. I think this recipe satisfies that, especially if you can use small Kirby cucumbers, so they retain their crunch. Make sure they are fresh and firm--many a time I have not paid enough attention and gotten slightly soft cukes that go downhill quickly when you try to pickle them.

2 pounds small/medium Kirby cucumbers (8 - 12)

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

1/2 - 1 teaspoon dried pepper flakes

1 cup cider vinegar

3 - 5 large garlic cloves, sliced

1/2 cup fresh dill sprigs

1 teaspoon dried dill seeds

Rinse the cucumbers and scrub them a bit to remove any dirt or sand. Combine 5 cups of cold water with 1/2 cup salt, stir to dissolve. Place cucumbers in a large ceramic bowl or crock and pour the brine over them. Place a ceramic plate over them to keep them submerged and let stand at room temperature for for 2 days. Drain and rinse.

Combine 1 cup water with remaining 1 tablespoon salt, bay leaves, coriander seeds, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let cool. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups cold water with vinegar, garlic, dill sprigs, dill seeds and cooled bay leaf mixture. Choose a container (I often use Tupperware, just don't use metal), and combine the brine and the cucumbers. Weight them down, if necessary, to submerge. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours; should keep for at least a week (I think smaller pickles last longer than larger ones).

Tomato Pie

2009-08-19T20:00:00.001-04:00

I think really fresh, ripe tomatoes might be my favorite food. So wait to make this recipe until you can get the best tomatoes. If you must, use decent tomatoes and supplement with some good canned diced tomatoes (I like Muir Glen). This recipe is adapted from the The Tomato Festival Cookbook (Storey pub., here in the Berkshires), and the recipe comes from Chaiwalla restaurant in Salisbury , Connecticut (which is not that far from me, so I really must get down there and try this in person!). The biscuit-y crust is a key component, though it can overwhelm the tomatoes so I like to pile the tomatoes really high. I often skip the chives since the ones you find in the grocery store can be rather insipid; I think thinly-sliced shallots would work well instead.

2 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter, cold & cut into several pieces

2/3 cup milk, more or less

1 pound (or more) ripe tomatoes, skinned and sliced

salt & freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons slivered basil leaves

1 tablespoon snipped chives

1 + 1/2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese (I threw in some Parmesan as well)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter until crumbly. (Some people uses forks, I use a pastry blender.) Stir in enough milk to make a springy dough. Spread some flour on your counter and roll out two-thirds of the dough to a size large enough to fit into a 9" pie plate. Place in pie pan, then put in a layer of tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, basil, chives, and some cheese. Repeat layers until all the tomatoes have been used. On the last layer, spread the mayonnaise over the top (a squirt bottle helps with this) before sprinkling on the remaining cheese.

Roll out the remaining dough and cover the pie. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Serve warm.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

2009-08-01T11:48:00.005-04:00

This is another favorite from Betty Crocker's Cooky Book (slightly adapted). The key is the almond extract, which I think goes wonderfully with chocolate.

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Cream together butter, sugar, egg and extract. Blend in chocolate. Stir in dry ingredients, then oatmeal and nuts. Drop rounded tablespoons on the baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Slide parchment paper off the baking sheet and on to racks to cool cookies.

Meringue Cookies

2009-07-29T20:59:00.006-04:00

I've been wanting to make a recipe for Strawberry Curd I saw on TasteSpotting since I have a ton of recently picked and frozen strawberries taking up nearly my whole freezer. But it called for three egg yolks, so I decided to pair it up with Meringue Cookies which would use up the leftover egg whites. The strawberry curd turned out excellent, but I'm not going to post that recipe since Hungry Cravings has it all ready to go: http://hungrycravings.blogspot.com/2009/07/strawberry-curd.html I defrosted some strawberries and then pulverized them in my mini-processor and strained it to get out most of the seeds. (Mom, I think you would really like this recipe!)

The meringue recipe is from Cook's Illustrated, and has always worked wonderfully--though a little less so this time because of the extremely high humidity (in which case it's more like a taffy when you try to eat it). Still, I'd highly recommend it when there is less humidity!

3/4 cup sugar (5.25 ounces)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 large egg whites
3/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk together the sugar and cornstarch.

Beat egg whites, vanilla, and salt at high speed until soft peaks begin to form, 30 to 45 seconds. Reduce mixer to medium speed and gradually add sugar mixture in a steady stream. Stop mixing and scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula. Return mixer to high speed and and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 30 to 45 seconds.

Place meringue in a large ziplock bag with 1/2 inch of the bottom corner cut off (or a pastry bag). Pipe meringues into little mounds about one inch high. They won't spread, so you can place them quite close together on the pan. Bake for one hour, rotating pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through cooking. Turn off oven and allow meringues to cool in the oven for at least one hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely before eating (they are chewy when warm, but get crunchy when fully cooled).

Variations: Gently fold in 2 ounces of finely chopped bittersweet chocolate or instant espresso flakes into the meringue when you are done whipping.

Tuna & Chickpea Salad

2009-06-28T20:00:00.000-04:00

This is hardly an earthshaking recipe...but it sure is tasty! And simple. And a nice alternative to mayo-based tuna salad (though I like that as well).

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
2 teaspoons finely chopped shallots
2 teaspoons capers, rinsed and chopped
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can tuna, packed in olive oil, drained

Mix the parsley, shallots, capers and garlic in a small bowl. Place the chickpeas in a bowl and lightly mash with the back of a spoon. Break the tuna into chunks and add to chickpeas. Stir in the parsley-caper mixture and combine. Stir in the oil until you reach the consistency you like, season to taste and set aside. Let sit for at least one hour before serving.

Thin-and-Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-06-20T19:14:00.008-04:00

A few years ago Amanda Hesser published three different chocolate chip cookie recipes in the NY Times Magazine food section: Thin & Crispy, Flat & Chewy, and Thick & Gooey. I have never made it past Thin & Crispy! So I'm not going to make the claim that these are the best chocolate chip cookies ever (like many people do), but I will say they seem to be the only kind I make these days. Because they have so much butter, they start to take on toffee-like qualities. The key is to cook them long enough so that they get quite brittle, but not so long that they burn. (I don't have any words of wisdom on exactly how to determine this however. I just bake them on the longish side of the estimated time.)

1+3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon kosher salt
14 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
1 - 1+1/2 cups chopped bittersweet chocolate (that's a lot of chocolate to chop! I usually use part semisweet mini-chips)
1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped (optional)

Cream the butter, sugars, corn syrup until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stir in the vanilla, then milk. Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; mix into butter & sugar just until a dough forms. Fold in the chocolate and walnuts. Chill the dough.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with tin foil. Roll a two-tablespoon lump of dough into a ball, place on baking sheet and flatten to a 1/4 inch disk. Place cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake until the edges are dark golden brown, 14-17 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack. Makes about 20-14 cookies.

Carrot Dill Soup

2009-06-16T18:00:00.001-04:00

This is one of my favorite soup recipes, and has been for about 15 years. It's adapted from The New Basics Cookbook--a book with several great soup recipes in my opinion. I've added the lemon juice, which seems a nice way to accentuate the flavor of almost any savory recipe, and also the grated Parmesan.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large onion, diced

2+1/2 pounds carrots, peeled & sliced
2 ribs celery, with leaves, diced
8 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup chopped dill
salt, freshly ground pepper
generous pinch of cayenne
fresh lemon juice
grated Parmesan

Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the onions and cook over medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, stock, 1/4 cup dill and cayenne. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Let cool slightly. Puree the soup, in batches, in a blender. Return to the pot, stir in remaining dill and season with salt, pepper and a couple squeezes of lemon. Heat through and serve. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan, if desired.

Marinated Broccoli

2009-06-11T20:00:00.001-04:00

As you may know, I like garlic. But last year I actually went a little overboard and made this recipe so many times--and with so much garlic--that I was done for the year. It's a new year, however, and I'm ready to jump on the marinated broccoli horse again. Adapted from the NY Times.

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 lbs. broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
1/3 - 2/3 cup olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons roasted sesame oil
large pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Stir together the vinegar and salt; toss with broccoli. In a large skillet, heat olive oil until hot. Add garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in sesame oil and red pepper flakes; toss mixture with broccoli. Let sit at least 1 hour at room temperature, up to 48 hours (chill if you want to keep it more than 2 hours). Add salt if necessary.

Brown-Butter Toffee Blondies

2009-05-16T23:50:00.001-04:00

OK, this photo is actually from last fall when I made these bars, but I'm out of sweets and making these tomorrow! I cut this recipe out of my local newspaper, but not sure where it originally came from...

10 tablespoons butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1+1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup (or more) chopped walnuts

1/2 cup toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" x 9" pan, then put down a 9" strip of parchment with overhang on either side (so you can lift the bars out later) and grease that as well. Melt butter over medium heat until it turns golden brown; let cool. Combine butter, sugars, egg & vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Stir in dry ingredients, then nuts and toffee bits. Pile into pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan, then lift parchment out. Cut into 16 squares (or 9, or 4, or not at all). Store in an airtight container.

Banh Mi

2009-05-12T11:00:00.002-04:00

The banh mi (pronounced BUN-mee) is a Vietnamese-French sandwich that suddenly seems to be everywhere! There is no definitive recipe, this is just my cobbled together version. I don't even like sandwiches that much--I mean, I don't not like them, I just don't eat them on a regular basis. But this recipe...I seem to be eating every day (hopefully it's just a phase). I had to make my own since there aren't any Vietnamese restaurants in the area. Traditionally this is served with a couple of pork products--ham, barbecued pork, pate, etc.--but in this version I just use the chicken sausage I usually make for breakfast. It isn't an open-faced sandwich like you might guess from the above picture--I just photographed it that way since the insides looked so purty!

bun: you're supposed to use a baguette, but I prefer softer sub rolls you get at the supermarket (lightly toasted)
mayo: I know some people don't like mayonnaise, whatever...so don't use it then
cilantro: ditto the mayo comment
sausage: I end up cutting the patty in half and placing end to end to fit on the roll
cucumber: sliced or planked (am I making up this word? I mean cutting it lengthwise, instead of in rounds)
pickled carrot & radish: I'm debating whether to include the recipe I used for this since I'm not crazy about it.* I think you could just julienne some carrots and throw those on for crunch.
jalapeno slivers
sriracha sauce: I couldn't find this hot sauce in my area, but picked some up in Brooklyn. Love it! Before that, I did try making my own by blending up some Tabasco sauce, minced garlic and jalepeno, red chili oil and a touch of Worcestershire. It looked disgusting, but wasn't that bad--and provided the necessary heat!

*Oh fine, here is the do chua (pickled carrot & radish) recipe I used from the May '09 Saveur. It calls for daikon radish, but of course I couldn't find that and had to use little round red radishes (which may explain why I didn't like it that much).

1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1+1/2 pounds small daikon, peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon + 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons white vinegar (I thought this was too sweet and ended up using more vinegar)

Combine carrots, daikon, salt and 1 teaspoon sugar. Let sit until the vegetables have wilted slightly, about 30 minutes. Drain vegetables, rinse and pat dry. Whisk together the remaining sugar, vinegar and 1/2 warm water, and pour over the vegetables. Stir to combine and let marinate for at least 1 hour, or refrigerate, tightly covered for up to 4 weeks.

Coconut Bread

2009-05-10T14:00:00.000-04:00

This seems like a good thing to make for my mother on Mother's Day. But really, who are we kidding? She lives 1000 miles away...I made this for me! I cut this out of the NY Times a few years ago, but the recipe originates from a Bill's Cafe in Sydney, Australia (sadly, a place I've never visited). I usually eat it toasted, sometimes for breakfast--but plenty of other times of the day as well!

2 eggs
1+1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1+1/2 cup flaked coconut
6 tbsp. melted butter

Heat oven to 350°. Whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Mix in sugar and coconut. Make a well in the center and pour in egg mixture. Mix until just combined, then stir in melted butter and mix until smooth (but don't overmix). Grease & flour an 8+1/2" x 4" loaf pan and pour in batter. Bake for 1 to 1+1/4 hours, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then finish cooling on a rack.

Wonder Chocolate Cake

2009-04-14T11:00:00.002-04:00

I loved making this as a kid for a few reasons: 1) the part about making 3 holes and then trying to keep everything from spilling out, 2) mixing it all up in one pan, and 3) yumminess!

Today I do mix it in a separate bowl with a trusty wooden spoon because it's easier to get at all the dry ingredients (in a square pan they sometimes get left unmixed in the corners, though this isn't a serious problem). It's a relatively quick little cake to whip up, and is very moist.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift or whisk together:

1+1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons cocoa

1 cup sugar

Make 3 holes in the dry ingredients and pour in:

6 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla (almond extract is also good)

1 tablespoon vinegar

Pour 1 cup cold water over everything and mix well, though don't worry about every little lump. In this particular case I also stirred in about 2/3 cup coconut. Pour into an ungreased 9" square or round pan and bake for 35-40 minutes; top may crack a little.

Easter 2009

2009-04-12T17:45:00.009-04:00

I didn't have any Easter plans this year, but I did want to make something egg-y and spring-y. Hence, the following recipes....

Curried Egg Salad:
This comes from Gourmet by way of Epicurious.com. I love the combination of the sweet, tart apple, the bite of the onion and cayenne, and then the curry.

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1+1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, 1/4 inch dice
1/3 cup red onion, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
salt to taste

Whisk together the mayo, lime juice, curry powder, mustard, and cayenne. Add eggs, apple, onion, cilantro, and stir to mix, adding a bit of salt if necessary (shouldn't need much).

Cucumber Avocado Soup:
I am reminded by this, the first batch of the year, that I LOVE THIS SOUP! (And also, I LOVE AVOCADOS!) I have no idea where it came from--I only have an index card with a list of ingredients scribbled down and instructions to puree. It's very simple and quick, but you do need a blender or food processor. Also, you might want to start off with nonfat or low fat yogurt--once you've gone over to the dark side of full fat yogurt it's hard to go back!

1 English cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped (these are the really long ones in plastic wrap)

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 cup cilantro

1/2 - 1 jalepeno, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 cup cold water

1 avocado, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1-2 scallions, chopped

1 cup plain yogurt

salt & pepper

Puree. Eat.

This does need a liberal amount of salt and/or lemon juice to season. Alternate adding them until you get the taste you like.

French Potato Salad

2009-04-09T14:06:00.006-04:00

This is adapted from "Cook's Illustrated" (July/Aug. 2002), although I had been making something very similar to this, SAUCISSON LYONNAISE from Trade Secrets for a Three-Star Chef (Doubleday, 1994; a wonderful little cookbook) for years already. The main difference is that the latter recipe has bits of kielbasa mixed in. I've included those instructions at the end.

2 pounds red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 tablespoons salt
1-3 cloves garlic
1+1/2 tablespoons champagne or white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
1 shallot, peeled & finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
optional add-ins: capers, minced chives, chopped cornichons
salt & pepper

Place potatoes, 6 cups of cold water and salt in a large pot; bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium. If you want to "mellow" the garlic, dunk it in the simmering water for about 45 seconds, then mince. Simmer potatoes until tender but still firm, abut 5 minutes. With a large slotted spoon, spread out potatoes in a rimmed baking dish. Reserve cooking water.

Whisk together mustard, vinegar and garlic. Mix in oil and 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water. Sprinkle potatoes with freshly ground pepper, then cover with dressing. If there doesn't seem like enough liquid for all the potatoes, add in more cooking water and another splash of vinegar. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Toss shallots, parsley and any other add-ins with the potatoes. Transfer to a large serving bowl. Serve warm or store in the refrigerator.

Variation: SAUCISSON LYONNAISE
Take one pound of kielbasa and cut into a few large chunks. Boil them for 10-15 minutes; skins will split. When cool enough to handle, take off the skins completely and cut into "bite-sized rounds." Add into salad with parsley & shallots.

Macarons

2009-04-07T12:44:00.009-04:00

I'm not going to write out this recipe because I don't know if it will ever become a "regular" like the others I have posted are. I wanted to try these just to see if I could--apparently they are very temperamental. It was an interesting exercise to convert grams to ounces, then weigh out (as opposed to measuring) all the ingredients. They seemed to come out OK--nicely chewy and certainly cute!--although some cracked, which is BAD (I guess). I added in a tablespoon of instant espresso, hence the brown specks.

Here's a link to the recipe I used:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/10/how-to-make-macaroons-recipe.html

Oatmeal Coconut Crispies

2009-04-01T23:36:00.004-04:00

I made these recently for my friend Sally's 85th birthday and she liked them so much I thought I would make her some more. When you're 85, you can have as many cookies as you want!

My brother and I have made these since we were kids. They are from a cookbook I practically memorized as a kid, and still enjoy today: Betty Crocker's Cooky Book (still in print, I think). These are on the sweet side--you could probably cut the sugar a bit. And sometimes I use a combination of white and whole-wheat flour to pretend they're healthier.

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 3/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (maybe you could use quick cooking--I've never tried)

1 cup flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream butter, sugars, eggs & vanilla until fluffy. Blend in flour, soda & salt; then rolled oats and coconut. Drop rounded teaspoons on a parchment-lined cookie sheets. They will spread, so make sure there are 1.5"- 2" inches between drops. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

Easy Breakfast Sausage

2009-03-31T23:19:00.008-04:00

I fry up one of these patties for breakfast every other day or so. They are especially tasty on toast! I use ground chicken, though you can certainly try ground pork or turkey. Turkey is very dry however, so the patty doesn't stick together as well. Liberally adapted from a Bobby Flay recipe.

olive/veg. oil

1 shallot or small onion, minced

2-3 cloves (or more!) garlic, minced

2 teaspoons whole fennel seeds

2 tablespoons mustard (I use a mix of Dijon and whole-grain)

2 tablespoons sage, minced (less if using dried)

2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, minced

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 pound ground chicken

salt & pepper

Saute shallot in the oil over medium heat until soft. Add the garlic and fennel seeds and cook one minute longer. Remove from heat and stir in mustard, sage, tomatoes and cayenne; let cool. Mix with ground chicken, season with salt and pepper.

At this point you can form into patties (6-8) and fry up immediately. I usually put patties on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet and freeze. After they are frozen, store in a freezer bag and cook up at your leisure.

Coconut Shortbread

2009-03-30T23:45:00.002-04:00

An extremely simple yet addictive recipe! This is adapted from Food & Wine, though I have no idea when I cut out the recipe.

2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a springform pan or tart pan with removable bottom. Mix all ingredients together until well combined. (I start with a wooden spoon and end up with my hands--as with any shortbread, it's very crumbly!). Pack dough into pan. Bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Remove pan sides and cut into 12-16 wedges. Place wedges on a cookie sheet and bake until crisp, another 5 minutes.