Hide the cheese

Simple Creamy Tomato Soup

Can you stop after just one potato chip? Or two for that matter? Or, if your neighbors left some home made chocolate chip cookies on your doorstep and you bite into one and it is delicious, could you have just one? Or two?

Last weekend our contractors surprised me by hooking up our stove. I didn't know it was coming, but before they left on Friday they said we could use the stove over the weekend. Whoopee!

I cooked just two things before the tarps went back on for the next round of drywall-skimming-painting. First we made a galette des rois to mark the end of the Christmas season. I had planned to bake it at my sister's house but instead we baked it at home! And I broke that oven in very well, oozing butter all over the pristine bottom. (Note to self: next year, seal the edges of the galette completely and -- just in case -- use a cookie sheet with edges for baking it).

I also made a simple butternut squash soup. I just used what I had on hand, but it tasted like the best soup ever. Not because it was, but because we made it, at home, in our soon-to-be new kitchen. Never mind that I had to run up the stairs from our temporary basement kitchen about 30 times to get all that I needed. I cooked soup! On our new stove!

But I can't stop at that. Cooking those things just whet my appetite. Now I have the urge to cook more.

This weekend I whipped up a batch of another of our favorite soups, a simple creamy tomato soup. I love this recipe because the soup is very tasty, and we can make it even when we are running low on supplies or don't have the energy to make something more complicated.  As long as there are canned tomatoes in the pantry, we can make this soup, even with our limited supplies.

The soup can be topped with a wide variety of toppings, such as fresh herbs, toasted nuts, croutons, or a dollop of creme frâiche.

Best of all, we could make it on a hot plate.

Simple Creamy Tomato Soup
Adapted from Epicuious

Serves 6
10 minutes preparation time
30 minutes cooking time

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 small onions, diced
3 tablespoons flour
3 1/2 cups milk
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzanos
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons chopped herbs

In a large pot, heat the olive oil.  Add the onions and cook until they are soft, about 7 minutes.  Sprinkle in the flour and stir until it is incorporated into the onions and no longer visible. Add the thyme and stir again.

Chop the tomatoes or use my favorite method and squish them through your fingers as you take them out of the can. Add them to the pot and sprinkle the baking soda on top of them. Stir to combine fully. Add the remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to a simmer.  Gently simmer for a few minutes to give the flavors a chance to mix and mellow. Remove the bay leaf. Purée with an immersion blender. 

Stir in the herbs, if you are using them. Serve immediately.

Print Recipe

Mom's Apple Butter

Going into this kitchen project, I thought I had prepared myself mentally to be without a kitchen for a few months. I envisioned whipping up one-pot soups and stews on the hot plate, and I figured we'd use the grill nearly everyday. I even thought that I would do a series of recipes for this blog about cooking without a kitchen to build up a cache of recipes for others going through the same process.

The reality has been so very different, and I have learned a thing or two along the way.

For example, I now realize that a dishwasher not only washes the dishes for you, but it is a place to store those dirty dishes until you have time to clean them.

I have been thrown by how much I missed our modern conveniences. We had lived for years without a microwave, I love camping cooking, and I actually prefer hand washing dishes to unloading the dishwasher. Besides, I love old fashioned things, like toys without lights and buzzers, hand-made gifts, food made from the basics.

But washing dishes in the laundry room utility sink has been a drag. If there are any dirty dishes in the sink we can't do laundry without getting our dishes full of gray laundry rinse water. If we pile them up on top of the washer and dryer -- conveniently the nearest flat surfaces to the sink -- we can't do laundry. Instead, we have been piling our dirty dishes wherever we can find a space until we are ready to wash them, destroying any partition between dirty and clean.

More times than I'd like to admit, I have picked up a glass, squinted at it to try to assess whether it was dirty or clean, and used it anyway. (Maybe that explains the colds I seem to be getting repeatedly this winter!)

I have also learned that cooking for me is, at least in part, about the enjoyment of the process and the beauty of the food. I have lifted myself out of a grumpy mood many times in my life by heading into the kitchen and chopping onions and garlic, or whipping up a cake.

But trying to cook when the knife and food are a room apart on surfaces littered with our day-to-day life in our temporary kitchen-dining room-living room-office-laundry-room? Not inspiring. Which explains why I can count on one finger the number of complete meals that I have whipped up during this period. And it only takes one other finger to count the number of blog recipes that I have created during that same period.

I also have gotten really good at accepting food and dinner invitations. Maybe too good, leaping at offers made in that casual, "we should have you over sometime" kind of way. Do you think whipping out my calendar to lock them into a date and time when a friend throws out that kind of offer is too pushy? "How about Monday? Oh, that doesn't work? Well, we're free Tuesday. This Tuesday is bad? Wednesday is good for us..."

In all seriousness, though, the extra time that we have spent with friends and family has been the best unexpected perk of this process.

I have also learned that dust knows no limits. I thought that there would be lots of dust on the first floor, but that we would still be able to retreat to the sanctuary of our bedrooms to escape all of that chaos. Ha!

I have been flossing dust out of my teeth at night. It is upstairs on our dressers, under our beds, on the plants, on the toys and clothes that we had piled up to give away. Now I've gotten to the point where I see that fine layer of dust on my desk or on the printer and I just look the other way. Why clean it off now when it will be back tomorrow? Soon, though, dust, when this is over, I'll be coming for you with my microfiber dust cloth and a vacuum. You have been warned.

Nothing breeds chaos like chaos. Having our house turned upside down and construction stuff everywhere brings out the tendency we already have to leave our own stuff everywhere. And the stuff expands in close quarters. I have a new respect for people who live in one room with family. On the one hand, it was fun to be in one room during our waking hours. That evening time for homework and dinner prep (such as it was) felt like social time. But if we ever need to downsize into a studio apartment, we are going to do some serious de-cluttering first.

But there have been times when I found a chair that wasn't piled with stuff, sat down, and cracked open a jar of my mother's familiar apple butter. I smear it on a piece of toast or a peanut butter sandwich, bite into it and savor its perfect combination of spice, apple, and lemony tang, and realize: this is still home.

Second Helping: Spiced Roasted Pears
Thirds: Pear and Almond Cake

Mom's Apple Butter

20 to 30 minutes preparation time
approximately 1 hour cooking time (more if canning)
Makes 7-8 pints apple butter

8 pounds tart apples, quartered and cored
5 cups granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon all spice
zest and juice of 2 lemons

Put a couple of plates in the refrigerator to chill.

Put the apples in a large stockpot and cover them with 2 cups of water. Bring them to a simmer and cook until the apples are very soft, about 20 minutes.

While the apples are still hot, carefully scoop them into the bowl of a food processor and purée until smooth (the skins will purée more finely when they are hot).

Return the apples to the stockpot and add the remaining ingredients. Cover the pot and heat the mixture over low heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Remove the cover and continue stirring and cooking until the mixture thickens.

To test to see if the mixture is sufficiently thick, put a teaspoon of the apple butter on one of the chilled plates and return it to the refrigerator.  After a minute, remove it and tilt the plate.  Most of the apple butter should remain in the center of the plate, while some of it -- especially the more liquid portion -- will slowly spread out towards the edge of the plate.  When the preserves have firmed up to this extent, pour them into storage jars.

Print Recipe

New Year 2012

Happy New Year to all of you!

I always envy those of you that don't make resolutions. It speaks to me of a confidence and comfort with your life just as it is. I wish I had that certainty. Instead, turning the corner into a new year fills me with ideas about what I might do differently or better. Right now my head is swirling with ideas about what I should change, everything from baking more bread, to walking every day, to drinking more bubbly wine (borrowed from my sister). All excellent ideas.

But one idea, based on this Chronicles of Momnia post, keeps coming back to me. I'd really like to slow down and be still enough to take in what is happening around me while it is happening. I am by nature a multi-tasker (I was so glad when they coined that term with its positive connotation), always thinking what I can do at the table next to my children while they do their homework or on the sidelines of baseball practice. Too often, I don't really absorb the events until afterwards, when I stop to fully appreciate my children's experiences.

I know it will be difficult for me to change that, but I want to soak in this time in my children's lives. With Olivia in her tweens, I am watching those teenage years emerge and realizing how fleeting the childhood years are. Now that I've committed here, in this public space, I am hoping that I will work harder to make it happen.

As far as food-related resolutions, in 2010, we had our family meal project and, last year, we started doing Sunday suppers. I thought I'd be able to continue the Sunday suppers throughout the kitchen construction, whipping up delicious soups and stews on our hot plate. But that has been far from our reality. This year's food resolution, then, will be to get those suppers back on track. And I think I should be able to mix in some more homemade bread and glasses of bubbly.

What about you? Any resolutions you're willing to share, or are you not a resolution maker?

I wish you all a healthy, peaceful, and delectable 2012.

Happy Christmas 2011

Boom. Suddenly it's Christmas. All the thinking and planning is done and the day is here.

With the construction still going on in our house, I feel a bit off kilter. There has been no baking and only minimal decorating. We won't have our taditional Christmas morning brioche or our traditional torta rustica for dinner.

And yet, I have everything I need for a lovely Christmas. We are all healthy, and we are together. We have tidied up a corner of our living room, and dusted it thoroughly so that we have a serene place to start our day, although it is unlikely to stay serene for long.

The children have taken the gift giving to a new level this year. For the first time, they have bought gifts with their own money or made them themselves and there has been much planning and colluding. Like the rest of us, they now wait with anticipation and a bit of apprehension to see whether their gifts hit the mark.

We again will celebrate our Christmas over 12 days. We will open the gifts from Santa on the first day and then parcel out the remaining gifts over the subsequent days. Some days we won't open any gifts at all, but will enjoy a special activity together. I am looking forward to every minute of it.

I wish you all a happy, happy Christmas, and delightful days ahead with your loved ones.

Kitchen Renovation Update: Coming Together

Since Thanksgiving, there has been great progress on the kitchen project. First, the drywall went up on the walls and ceiling, then the wood floors went in. I realized after a few people asked me what kind of floor we had chosen that it never occurred to us to put in anything but hardwood. The kitchen floors had been wood before and it is what we have in the rest of the house. It gave me a twinge of doubt thinking that we should have explored other options, but I have talked myself out of it. We love the wood floors elsewhere in the house; why would this room be any different?

After the walls and the floor went in, the cabinets were installed. As I perused books and magazines before this project started, I realized that the kitchens I loved the best were ones with an eclectic mix of colors and materials. Somehow they seemed more organic and homey to me. We have tried to replicate that feel. Most of the cabinets are cherry, but on the wall above the sink we opted for white cabinets. The hood for our range will be built from drywall and we thought it would look odd to have the cabinets on either side be cherry. Instead, we hoped that if the surrounding cabinets were also white, they would recede visually and the hood and range would become the focus.



The island cabinets are also wood, but we had them stained with a dark finish to set them off and to make the island appear more like furniture. The kitchen is narrow and we didn't want anything too heavy looking. I have been nervous about the decision to go with so many colors since we ordered the cabinets. But now that they're in, I think it's going to work. Phew!

The next steps will be the installation of the counter tops, painting, installation of the appliances, and finishing the floors. Unfortunately, we won't be done by Christmas, so we won't be having that dust-free Christmas that I had requested from Santa.

Although on one level I would love the project to be done, the time has allowed me to get used to the changes and to savor the process. It is not often that we will have an opportunity to completely overhaul a room, and I am glad that we have time to see the transformation take place and to noodle over details like light fixtures and hardware. The anticipation and planning are part of the fun.

Besides, if they had finished just before Christmas I would have felt pressure to clean like mad and to get the house in order. Instead, I will take a deep breath, try to look beyond the dust and chaos, and focus on being with my family. And head to my parents' house for a calm, clean Christmas dinner.

For those of you celebrating Hannukah beginning today, I hope that you have a joyous 8 days!

Chocolate Bark Three Ways

Normally at this time of year we are baking furiously, making cookies to package up and give away. Along with a bottle of Black Ankle wine, these are our favorite gifts to take along to a party or to give to the wonderful teachers that work so hard throughout the year.

Without an oven, we knew that there wouldn't be any baking this year, but I still wanted to come up with something that we could make and give away, something conjured up by us.

Chocolate bark popped to mind. We have a hot plate, which is all we would need to melt the chocolate. Then we would just need cookie sheets to spread the chocolate and a refrigerator (or freezer) for cooling. It seemed like something that we could manage, even with our rudimentary kitchen.

The great thing about bark, too, is that once the chocolate is melted, it can be flavored in an infinite number of ways. After some discussion, we came up with three flavors to try: dark chocolate with dried cherries and pine nuts, peppermint bark, and dark chocolate with coconut and curry. We fired up the hotplate and in a couple of hours we had a beautiful assortment of chocolate bark. It felt so good to be cooking together again, making something fun and delicious.

Now we just have to find a pretty way to package them up. Any ideas? Presentation is not my strong suit. After we've packaged up our little bundles, we'll make the rounds and hand them out out, my second favorite part of the process.

Second Helping: Homemade Gingerbread Houses
Thirds: Stained Glass Cookies

Dark Chocolate Bark with Pine Nuts and Dried Cherries

Makes 20 to 30 pieces of bark (depending on how small you break the pieces)
15 minutes preparation time
15 minutes cooking time, plus time for chilling

12 ounces dark chocolate (60% cocoa)
1/4 cup chopped dried cherries
1/2 cup pine nuts

Toast the pine nuts by putting them in a skillet over medium heat and tossing them just until they're lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil. Turn the heat down to low. Put the chocolate, broken or chopped into large pieces, in a metal bowl and set it on top of the simmering water. When the chocolate has melted, stir in the chopped cherries and the pine nuts.

Turn a cookie sheet upside down and cover it with a piece of parchment paper. Pour the chocolate out onto the parchment paper and spread it evenly over the paper with a spatula. An offset spatula will result in the smoothest finish, but a rubber spatula works just fine, too.

You should end up with a rectangle that's about 10 x 13 inches in size. Put the tray in the refrigerator or freezer to cool. It only takes about 15 minutes in the freezer. When the chocolate has cooled completely, break it into small pieces. Store in an airtight container, between sheets of wax paper until ready to eat or package to give away.

Print Recipe

Curried Dark Chocolate Bark

Makes 20 to 30 pieces of bark (depending on how small you break the pieces)
5 minutes preparation time
15 minutes cooking time, plus time for chilling

Our original idea was to add coconut milk as well, but it separated and we ended up with a mess. On our second go round, we just used the curry with a sprinkling of sea salt on top, and we loved the combination of flavors.

1 1/2 teaspoons curry
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70 % cocoa)
pinch sea salt

Toast the curry in a small frying pan over medium heat, just until it is fragrant, about a minute.

Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil. Turn the heat down to low. Put the chocolate, broken or chopped into large pieces, in a metal bowl and set it on top of the simmering water. When the chocolate has melted, stir in the curry.

Turn a cookie sheet upside down and cover it with a piece of parchment paper. Pour the chocolate out onto the parchment paper and spread it evenly over the paper with a spatula. An offset spatula will result in the smoothest finish, but a rubber spatula works just fine, too.

You should end up with a rectangle that's about 10 x 13 inches in size. Put the tray in the refrigerator or freezer to cool. It only takes about 15 minutes in the freezer. When the chocolate has cooled completely, break it into small pieces. Store in an airtight container, between sheets of wax paper until ready to eat or package to give away.

Print Recipe

Peppermint Bark

Makes  20 to 30 pieces of bark (depending on how small you break the pieces)
15 minutes preparation time
15 minutes cooking time, plus time for chilling

12 ounces white chocolate
8 candy canes (about 4 ounces)

Take the candy canes out of their wrappers and wrap them in a plastic bag. Wrap the bad in a dish towel and smash the candy canes with a rubber mallet.

Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil. Turn the heat down to low. Put the chocolate, broken or chopped into large pieces, in a metal bowl and set it on top of the simmering water.

Turn a cookie sheet upside down and cover it with a piece of parchment paper. Pour the white chocolate out onto the parchment paper and spread it evenly over the paper with a spatula. An offset spatula will result in the smoothest finish, but a rubber spatula works just fine, too. Sprinkle the peppermint bits evenly over the top of the white chocolate.

You should end up with a rectangle that's about 10 x 13 inches in size. Put the tray in the refrigerator or freezer to cool. It only takes about 15 minutes in the freezer. When the chocolate has cooled completely, break it into small pieces. Store in an airtight container, between sheets of wax paper until ready to eat or package to give away.

Print Recipe

The Flu, Good Books, and Ginger-Baked Apples

We have been felled by the flu. I woke up Wednesday morning, went for my early morning walk, showered, and crawled back into bed. And that is where I stayed for the next three days. Olivia followed a day after me, and Chloe the day after that. Somehow the boys have stayed healthy, and as their reward they have gotten to take care of the rest of us.

I'll spare you the details of the down side; I'm sure you have had the opportunity to experience those for yourselves. Surprisingly, though, there have been some up sides. Usually I'm just sick enough to feel miserable and go to bed early, but I'm still shuffling around trying to work and get things done. Having everything grind to a halt has its benefits.

I have enjoyed my times snuggling in bed with Chloe and Olivia and, even though we haven't been healthy, we have had time to talk and giggle.

Gabe and Oscar have been very sweet, preparing and bringing us food and drink, running errands, keeping the day-to-day chores like dishes and laundry under control, and continually checking on us to see how we are doing.

There has also been a certain snow day-like quality to our sick days, too. Our activity has slowed down considerably and we aren't rushing to go anywhere or to do anything. We're staying close to home, focusing on our basic needs, very much in the present, just being, rather than doing.

Finally, I have done more reading in the last 5 days than I have done in a long time. It has been such a pleasure to get lost again and again in the pull of a good book. I'd love to tell you that it was all very highbrow, but sick bed reading should have its own section in the book store. Here's the recap:

- City of Bones by Cassandra Clare - Continuing my indulgence in teen fiction, er, I mean, my efforts to keep on top of what my 11-year old daughter is reading, this is first of the Mortal Instruments series. There were so many werewolves, fairies, vampires, etc., mixed in among the Shadowhunters that I had a bit of difficulty keeping track, but it was definitely a page turner. Maybe I'll do better when I'm reading without a fever. I'd recommend it to others who enjoyed The Hunger Games, Twilight, or Divergent.

- Two Kinsey Millhone Mysteries by Sue Grafton, "A" is for Alibi and V is for Vengeance. I have read some of the other books in this series, but not nearly all of them. It was fun to read the first and most recent books back to back, written nearly 30 years apart. There were some obvious differences (author's picture, loss of quotes in the title, increasing plot complexity) but both were thoroughly enjoyable and fast moving.

- One Year Off by David Elliot Cohen - The subtitle gives a good summary, "Leaving It All Behind for a Round-the-World Journey with Our Children." I would love to take a year off and travel around the world as a family, but the practical side of preparation and financing are a bit daunting. This book definitely has me thinking.

- The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner - Oscar has been recommending this Newberry winner to me for some time. I'm only about halfway through it, but I'm loving the tale of a smart-alec thief who is pulled out of jail by the king's men to steal a precious stone for him.

- The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick - We read this to the children when the book first came out and, with its compelling story about a boy who winds the clocks in a Paris train station and its beautiful illustrations, it ranks as one of my all-time favorites. The children didn't remember it very well, so I wanted to read it again before we see the movie (and to get a sense of whether the movie will be too sad or scary for our sensitive Chloe).

What have you been reading?

Now we are slowly crawling out from under that flu. Our only excursions over the weekend were to see productions by Lumina Studio Theater (the first Act was an adaptation of Trolius and Cressida; the second, an adaptation of Measure for Measure) and the Washington Revels (the music was from Andalusia and the production was my favorite of the shows we have seen).

And we are tentatively making our way back into the world of food again. So far, it's been mostly soups and bland fare, toast, rice, but I'm almost ready to venture beyond that a bit.

If I had an oven, I'd bake some apples as a perfect little treat, or even as an antidote to the riches of the one-two punch of Halloween and Thanksgiving. The technique for baking these apples came from Gourmet, and the result is a baked apple that is still firm and holds its shape, rather than one that melts after being cooked. There is certainly room in this world for both types, but right now I am loving this firmer, chewier texture.

The first time I made these, I used too much ginger (a tablespoon) and the flavor was too strong, especially for the kiddies. I cut the amount back, and this achieves a better balance. Together, the lemon and ginger add a punch of freshness.

They'd be the perfect to serve alongside a good book.

Second Helping: Airy Apple Cake
Thirds: Caldo Verde (Portugese Potato and Kale Soup)

Ginger-Baked Apples

These apples are a simple, delicious dessert as they are, but if you'd like to fancy them up, a dollop of creme frâiche or ice cream on top would do the trick.

Adapted from Gourmet
Serves 6
30 minutes preparation time
45 minutes cooking time

6 medium-sized medium tart apples, such as Ida Reds, Fuji, or Honeycrisp
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Peel the apples and, leaving the apple intact, remove the core with a sharp knife or apple corer. This is a bit tricky without a corer. I found it easiest to slice the core out from one end, then flip the apple over and do the other end. Any little bits of core that remain in the center can be filed away afterwards with the knife, too.

Cut the apples across (latitudinally) into 1/4-inch slices and reform them into whole apples. Brush them with lemon juice.

In a small bowl, whisk together any remaining lemon juice with the lemon zest, ginger, sugar, and vanilla. Divide the mixture evenly among the apples, pouring a bit into the cavity of each apple.

Bake for 25 minutes, removing the apples to baste them with the pan juices two or three times during the cooking process. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake, continuing to baste frequently, until the apples are tender and the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes more.

Print Recipe

Thanksgiving 2011

I am so behind the ball this year that I haven't yet written about Thanksgiving, my very favorite holiday. A day devoted to family, food, and gratitude is the best.

I felt a bit off balance this year, not being able to cook at home or to host dinner, but the day still was filled with the things that matter most. I have been thinking about them all week and before the holiday completely slips from my grasp, I wanted to take a moment to capture a few of them, in no particular order.

~ My parents, whose patience, thoughtfulness, and kindness inspire me more all the time.

~ My siblings, for being my best friends throughout my life.

~ Pie.

~ Olivia, Oscar and Chloe's infectious enthusiasm, whether it is for a new game (hangman is the latest craze around here), a bike ride, or an afternoon at the movies.

~ Black Ankle Vineyards and the sister and brother-in-law who so graciously share it with me. The wine isn't too shabby either.

~ Gabe, for keeping me sane while the house is literally crumbling into dust around us.

~ The pleasure of pulling off of a busy road to find a huge swath of park that seems like a world away.

~ Buddy, shedding hair, stinky breath, and all.

~ Blog readers who keep coming back!

~ Neighbors and friends who have offered to feed us while our kitchen is under construction. Oh how those offers have buoyed us.

~ Hope and its eternal spring.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and that its spirit lingers with you long into December.

 

 

Garlicky Cuban Yuca (or is it Yucca?)

Apparently we need a new song. Yes, thanks to George and Ira Gershwin, we have "you say potato, I say patahto," but we also need "you spell it yucca, I spell it yuca."

According to Wikipedia, the plant we eat is known as "yuca," whereas the perennial shrub is "yucca." A quick search on epicurious revealed lots of recipes for "yuca" but also one for "yucca." Hmmmm. Even the venerable Versailles Cuban restaurant in Miami has it both ways on the menu, suggesting that in Spanish it is spelled "Yuca," but in English it's "Yucca."

I am thoroughly confused. But I think I have more often seen it in restaurants as "yuca", and, most importantly, my Cuban husband spells it "yuca" and the man is an excellent speller. So I'm going with the Cuban on this one.

To confuse things even more, yuca is also known in South America and Africa as cassava or as manioc. Whatever you call it and however you spell it, yuca is a starchy root vegetable that provides much of the world with those essential carbohydrates.

In this version, commonly seen in Cuban restaurants, the yuca is boiled until it is tender, then smothered in garlic oil and baked. We made it in Corolla as part of a Cuban meal with black beans, tostones, and mojitos. Yum!

Garlicky Cuban Yuca

Serves 6
20 minutes preparation time
20-30 minutes cooking time

2 large yuca roots
6 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
salt to taste

Peel the yuca. This isn't the easiest of tasks because the skin is thick and hairy, but use a sharp knife and cut the skin off of one side first. Then set that side on your cutting board to give some stability while you peel the other sides. Cut the yuca into large chunks. If there is a thick, woody fiber running through the pieces, scape it out with the point of a potato peeler.

Put the yuca in a large, oven-proof stockpot, cover it with water, and add a few dashes of salt. Bring the water to a boil and cook the yucca until it is tender when poked with a sharp knife (it will not be as tender as potato; more like cauliflower). Depending on the size of your chunks, this will take at least 20 minutes, so begin testing it when you hit the 20 minute mark.

While the yuca is cooking, prepare the garlic oil. In a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic until it is reduced to small chunks. Scrape it into a small bowl, add the olive oil, a few sprinkles of salt, and mix.

When the yuca has cooked, drain the water off. Return the yuca to the pot, and add the garlic oil. Serve immediately or keep in a covered dish in the oven until you are ready to serve.

Print Recipe

Vacation Snapshots: Corolla, North Carolina

We snuck off for a vacation last week. It felt very decadent, pulling the kids out of school for a week and taking off of work just to get away. But friends of ours had rented a huge, beautiful house on the Outer Banks and, in addition to the great company and beautiful scenery that the trip offered, we were thrilled to get away from the dust and chaos at home.

So off we went. We did some walking, running, kite flying, hot tubbing, even a bit of swimming, cocktail sipping, card playing, shell gathering, treasure hunting, and lots and lots of lounging. On top of all of that, one of our friends is a marine biologist and she answered all of our questions about the treasures that washed up on the shore. Just one example: after years of thinking these black pouches were some type of sea vegetation, I learned that they are shark egg pods!









Looking at these pictures it almost looks like it was summer down there. We did have a few warm days sprinkled in between wind storms, but even on the cold days nothing stopped the kids from getting into that water and swimming and swimming. We adults each braved the water at least once, but most of the time, we looked like this:

Tamari-Roasted Almonds

As I mentioned before, I had a burst of cooking energy before the wrecking ball left us without a kitchen. These tamari almonds were one of the things that I made to squirrel away for our time without a kitchen.

Nuts are such a healthy and tasty snack, but our kids have not been consistent fans. A handful of nuts with a piece of fruit makes a quick (and portable) snack for the kids and I'm always looking for something with a bit of protein to keep their energy levels and moods from spiking.

Lately Chloe has been willing to eat the tamari almonds from Whole Foods which is a huge step, but they're quite pricey and it seemed that it would be very easy to make them at home. Indeed they were. A toss in some tamari and a quick bake were all it took, and Chloe has been making her way through the jar.

Tamari-Roasted Almonds

5 minutes preparation time
30 minutes cooking time

3 cups whole, raw almonds
1/3 cup tamari
pinch of sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roast the raw almonds in the oven for 10 minutes. In a mediumsized bowl, mix the tamari and sugar together. Remove the almonds from the oven and toss them with the tamari mixture.

Return the almonds to the oven and bake until they are slightly darker, about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool completely. The nutw will keep for to a month in an airtight container.

Kitchen Renovation Update: Wrecking Ball

Our kitchen project is now in full swing. The wall between the old kitchen and dining room is down and we can see the space that the new kitchen will inhabit. The floor is gone down to the subfloor.

Of course, in a 70 year old house, there are bound to be some surprises and our biggest so far (unfortunately, the mice weren't actually a surprise) is that there was no insulation at all in our walls. I thought that maybe it was just because it was thought that the kitchen would always be warm, but there was no insulation in the dining room wall at all either.

The contractor thought that the best approach would be to take down the old walls and add insulation before building them back up. So that's what we're doing. We realize now that it is likely that none of the walls in our house have insulation. Brick and concrete are themselves fairly good insulators, but we may want to add some more insulation. But not now. That will definitely be a project for another day. Right now, it's all about the kitchen.

Autumn Granola

Before we started our construction, I went through a flurry of cooking. I was freaked out by the idea of not being able to cook for so long and I wanted to make sure that we had a stash of some of our staples. We were completely out of granola, so a new batch was high on my list. We still are fans of that almond granola, but now that the weather has cooled and leaves are crunching under our feet, I wanted something that felt more like the season.

The spices that resonate most with me this time of year are those that seem to carry heat in their flavors--cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves. They are the same spices that infuse a chai latte or pumpkin pie. Pecans seemed like the nut most appropriate to the season, maybe because I had pecan pie somewhere in the back of my mind, and, of course, I had to throw in some pumpkin seeds. The result is not wildly different from our old favorite, but it has satisfied that urge for something more autumnal.

I made a double batch so we have a nice, big stash. I don't think it will quite get us to the end of the construction process, but it sure is nice to have some homemade treats along the way.

Second Helping: Brown Sugar Cookies
Thirds: Lavender-Cheddar Muffins

Autumn Granola

Makes about 6 cups
15 minutes preparation time
1 hour baking time

3/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup water
3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups whole pecans
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raisins or other dried fruit

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

In a small pot, mix together the brown sugar, maple syrup, spices, salt, vanilla, olive oil, and water.  Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and set the mixture aside.

In a large bowl, mix the oats, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds.  Pour the maple syrup mixture into the bowl and mix thoroughly so that the oats and nuts are completely coated.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Pour the granola onto the sheets and spread it out evenly into a single layer.  Bake for about 50 minutes, watching to make sure that the pecans do not get too dark.  About half way through, remove each tray and gently push the granola around the tray to break up any clumps.

Remove the granola from the oven and let it come to room temperature on the baking sheets, then add the raisins. The granola will keep for several weeks in an airtight container.

Print Recipe

Happy November

I hope you had a boo-tiful weekend and that the week ahead is good to you.

Caramel Apples

We have spent a lot of time these last few weeks getting ready for the kitchen project. We've cleaned, packed, organized, sorted, boxed, and schlepped loads of stuff, way more than I thought could fit in that kitchen and dining room. And we tried to prepare ourselves emotionally, taking a bit of time out to reminisce and honor all of the good times that we had in those rooms.

But still I wanted us to have one last family cooking project before that kitchen went into the history books. We had been apple picking at Larriland Farms and talked about making caramel apples, so one day before the walls came tumbling down, we pushed aside the debris and dusted off a swath of counter top. We stirred and stirred and stirred and twirled and had ourselves a good old time making these delicious apples.

We thought about using the finished apples as Halloween treats for "ghosting" our neighbors, but they were so good that we ended up hoarding them for ourselves.

I will confess that there was one point when I was waiting and waiting for that caramel to get hot enough that I thought I had lost my mind. Why was it that I thought we could squeeze this in to our already extremely busy day? But once I saw how happy the kids were biting into those sweet crunchy apples, I had no regrets. I hope that we will all hold the memory of that evening together for years to come. Even if the apples are long gone.

I found a recipe for caramel apples on 101 Cookbooks that I loved for its simplicity, essentially cream and honey. The honey was excellent with the apples. I tweaked the recipe just a bit, but it would be very easy to do more to it, such as increasing the salt content in this recipe or adding a sprinkling of salt after the apples are removed from the pan and making these Salted Caramel Apples. I'm going to have to give that a try. You could also roll the cooled apples in other toppings such as chopped nuts, coconut, or chocolate chips. We loved them just as caramel apples, simple and pure.

Second Helping: Dinner in a Pumpkin (perfect for Halloween!)
Thirds: Pumpkin Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Caramel Apples

If you'd like to deviate from the classic caramel apple, after the apples have cooled in the refrigerator for a few minutes, add a sprinkling of sea salt or roll the apples in a topping such as coconut, chopped nuts, or mini chocolate chips.

Makes 8 caramel apples
15 minutes preparation time
approximately 1 hour cooking time, plus time for chilling

8 small, tart apples
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

other equipment: 8 chopsticks or short, thick skewers

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Make room in the refrigerator for the cookie sheet and make sure that the refigerator shelf is positioned so that there is enough room above to accommodate the apples with their chopsticks/skewers. Wash the apples and place a chopstick or skewer into the stem end of each one. Line them up on the cookie sheet.

Place a small sauce pan over medium low heat and add the cream. When small bubbles appear at the edge of the pan, add the honey, vanilla and salt and stir with a wooden spoon to fully incorporate the ingredients.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat, keeping the mixture at a low simmer. It may take a while to get the temperature of the caramel right so that it simmers and continues to get hotter, but doesn't foam up too high. Continue to heat the caramel, stirring frequently, until it reaches 248 to 250 degrees. This will take a long time, maybe about 40 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool for a few minutes. When the temperature of the caramel has cooled to 190 degrees, dip an apple. The caramel should be liquid enough that it is easy to dip the apple, but thick enough that the caramel doesn't immediately run off. If it is too thin, let it cool a bit more. If it is too thick, place the pan again over low heat and stir for a few seconds.

Carefully dip each apple into the caramel until it is almost completely submerged. Lift it out of the caramel and let it any excess caramel drip off. Turn the apple upright and hold it there for about 30 seconds to give the caramel a chance to set. Roll the apple from side to side, evening out the caramel coating and allowing it to firm up. Place the apple onto the parchment paper to cool. Repeat with the remaining apples.

If the caramel stops sticking to the apples or gets very thick, return it to the heat and just bring it to a simmer. Removethe pan from the heat and begin dipping apples again.

Put the tray of apples in the refrigerator to cool for about 15 minutes. Remove them and, if you like, press any caramel that has pooled onto the tray back onto the apples (we thought it was fine to have a bit of pooling. It leaves the apple with a nice ridge of caramel right on the top when you flip it over to eat it).

Return the apples to the refrigerator to finish cooling. When they have cooled completely, wrap them in plastic wrap or wax paper to store.

Print Recipe

Renovation Update: Let the Games Begin

It's official. The work has begun.

The weekend before they started, I had a bout of nostalgia. I started thinking of all the events that took place in that kitchen and dining room. Baptism parties, birthday parties, big family dinners, holiday dinners, and dinner together, just the five of us. That dining room has been the hub of our day-to-day lives, too, the place where we have done homework, work, projects, arts and crafts. Many a blog post has been written there, too.

Some of those that we loved and shared those times with are no longer with us. And the babies are no longer babies.

I needed something to help us through the transition. For the children, I thought some drawing on the wall would help. We had cousins and friends help us and the expressions on that wall ranged from the sentimental to silly. All kinds of stuff got worked out there. Olivia expressed her sadness that the wall was coming down, Chloe sketched the rain cycle that they were discussing at school, and Oscar drew "creepy teenagers," which seem to have entered his consciousness these days.

Me, I found a quote from the Scottish poet, John McLeod from his poem Sandcastles that helped me, "Sweet memories enhance the backwards glance." Sweet memories indeed.

Soft Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes, Herbs, and Sour Cream

Over time, we've developed a yen for soft scrambled eggs, eggs that are cooked just until the yolks and whites are fully cooked, but no longer. Perfectly done, they are tender and moist and not the least bit dry. Our trip to Paris, during which we had the most excellent scrambled eggs, sealed the deal for us.

Even though eggs are the most basic of foods, I find cooking them perfectly to be a challenge. When Olivia and ate brunch at Prune on our trip to New York, the eggs were perfect. My omelet was cooked completely and the outside was firm but not at all dry while the inside was still a bit runny. And Olivia's scrambled eggs were perfectly soft. I was impressed and renewed my determination to master the art of the perfect egg. First up, the soft scramble.

The key, Gabe read in Julia Child's My Life in France, is not to heat the pan too hot. Also, keep stirring them while they cook and remove them from the heat before they are completely cooked because they will continue to cook even after the pan is off the heat.

We often eat our scrambled eggs plain, but from time to time we also throw in extras like a bit of cheese, scallions, pesto, whatever is on hand. One of my favorite combinations is herbs and sour cream. A perfect little breakfast, right at home.

Soft Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes, Herbs, and Sour Cream

Serves 6
15-20 minutes preparation and cooking time

2 tablespoons butter
1 dozen eggs
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, basil, tarragon, and/or thyme, chopped
1/4 cup sour cream

Heat a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the butter and swirl it around until it melts and completely coats the sides and bottom of the pan.

Add the eggs all at once. If the pan is the right temperature, there won't be any sizzle when the eggs hit the pan. Stir immediately with a wooden spoon. Continue to cook the eggs over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until they are almost completely cooked but are still shiny and moist. Remove them from the heat before they are completely cooked, because they will continue to cook in the hot pan. Add the herbs and tomatoes and stir again.

Serve immediately onto warmed plates and top each serving with a dollop of sour cream.

 Print Recipe

Weekend Snapshots: Camping at Black Ankle Vineyards

This fall's camping excursion was to Sarah and Ed's vineyard. We camped there years ago when we were a much smaller family and the vineyard wasn't yet a vineyard. Sarah and Ed had just bought the property and we spent a very rainy camping night there with a two-year old Olivia and a baby Oscar. I remember Gabe trekking back to our car in the rain to get the Pac-n-Play because Oscar was too excited to go to sleep in the sleeping bag with us. Somehow we still had a great time. I think it was the company.

Nine years later, things were a lot easier. Mother Nature cooperated by giving us a picture perfect autumn weekend with warm days and crisp, cool nights. During the day, the children ran around the farm, looked for eggs, fed the pigs, got to know the cows, measured anything and everything, rode in the truck, and just ran around for the sake of running around. One of our friends, Gregg, brought a rocket and helped the kids assemble it and blast it sky high.

During the evenings, we sat around the camp fire, drank wine (some of us, anyway), made s'mores, and took turns building a story together about Hector, who traveled from Antartica to Mars, married a parrot, and lived at least two lives.

It was very generous of Sarah and Ed to suggest camping and to host all of us, but they may be sorry. It was such a great experience that we are likely to want to make it a regular thing.

Warm and Cozy Broccoli and Red Pepper Soup

What the heck happened to fall? I'm a fan of those crisp blue-skied days and cool nights, when you need a sweater or jacket in the morning but the layers peel off by lunch time. No such luck this year. Bam. Without any warning or time to get used to the idea, it feels like November. Suddenly we're in soup season.

Fortunately, we love soup.

It can be quite cozy to come inside out of the damp, gray weather to a warm house and tuck into a bowl of soup. Unfortunately for us, the first time we tried to crank up the heat, we got only a sputter. Our thermostat inside has been hovering around 60 degrees, which is a good bit chillier than my normal comfort level. Those few degrees don't seem like such a big difference numerically, but we've been feeling them in our bones. I've been walking around the house in a scarf, an extra sweater and handwarmers (very helpful keeping my hands warm while I type), and I'm acclimating. Maybe we'll be able to keep the thermostat a bit lower this winter.

The repair man came yesterday, tinkered with our 20-year old boiler, and said that there wasn't anything he could do for it. The end. Ugh.

Fortunately, we love soup.

Last weekend, Gabe bought broccoli to make a soup. For some reason, our kids all like broccoli soup, even though they won't always eat it as a side. This time around, we added red bell peppers because they are still available at the farmers' market and I thought they would add a bit of sweetness to the broccoli. The cumin and mustard add warmth to the flavor so that even our taste buds warmed up. In fact, just the smell of the soup simmering on the stove helped cut the chill.

Bring on the cold weather. I'm ready. And the nutrients from the soup will give us the strength to get through the boiler-buying process.

Second Helping: Corn and Green Bean Chowder
Thirds: Acorn Squash Stuffed with Curried Lentils

Warm and Cozy Broccoli and Red Pepper Soup

Serves 6
20 minutes preparation time
45 minutes cooking time

1 large head of broccoli (about 8 cups of florets)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon cumin
2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Rinse the broccoli and cut off the stems as high up on the stalk as possible. Slice the stems across and dice them.

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is soft, about 7 minutes. Add the potato, red pepper, and broccoli stems and saute for a minute or two. Add the mustard, cumin, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cover the vegetables generously with water and bring to a simmer. Cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Puree the soup briefly with an immersion blender, just enough to thicken the soup. It should still be chunky. Add the broccoli florets and simmer until they are tender, but still bright green, 5 to 10 minutes depending on their size.

Serve immediately.

Print Recipe

Cooking with Mother Goose: Classic Apple Pie

Cooking with Mother Goose: A series of occasional posts inspired by children's stories and rhymes.


Simple Simon   

Simple Simon met a pieman,
Going to the fair;
Said Simple Simon to the pieman,
Let me taste your ware.

Said the pieman to Simple Simon,
Show me first your penny;
Said Simple Simon to the pieman,
Indeed I have not any.

Simple Simon went a-fishing,
For to catch a whale;
All the water he had got,
Was in his mother's pail.

Simple Simon went to look
If plums grew on a thistle;
He pricked his fingers very much,
Which made poor Simon whistle

I only remember the first verse of Simple Simon, but I think of it whenever I make a pie. It also reminds me of our friend Simon, although it is not the most favorable portrayal of a Simon, is it? Maybe someday we can write a new version in which Simon has a bit more fun. (Here's the Three Stooges' riff on it).

When I realized that I had never posted an apple pie recipe on this site, I knew I had to remedy that immediately. I use this site myself as an electronic database of our favorite recipes, and now that it's apple season, I know I will need an apple pie recipe again and again.

This recipe is just a simple pie recipe, but I tried to achieve the right balance of flavors, adding a bit of lemon and cardamom to go along with the more traditional spices. The lemony twist in the filling brightens up the apple flavor. The cardamom adds a bit of tang, too, although it also has an earthiness that complements the cinnamon and nutmeg. The filling was so good that I had to stop myself from eating it before I baked it into the pie.

So here's a pie for simple apple recipe for Simple Simon, or anyone else who loves apple pie.

Second Helping: Triple Ginger Zucchini Bread
Thirds: Chunky Apple Muffins

Classic Apple Pie

 

1 recipe basic pie crust
6 large apples (about 3 1/2 pounds), preferably a mix of varieties such as Honeycrisp, Granny
    Smith, and Jonagold, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Make the dough according to the recipe and put it in the refrigerator to chill.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Toss the apples in a bowl with the cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, 1/2 cup sugar, and flour. Add the lemon zest and juice and mix thoroughly.

After the dough has chilled, roll out the larger piece of dough and transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate. Scoop the apples into the crust, leaving behind any liquid.

Roll out the second piece of dough until it is about 10 inches in diameter and transfer it onto the top of the apple filling.  Trim the edge of the crust to even it out, if necessary.  Fold the edges under and crimp the top and bottom crust together.  Cut a few slits into the top crust.  Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of sugar over the top of the pie. 

Bake the pie on the bottom rack of the oven for 10 minutes, then turn the oven temperature to 350 degrees and cook for about 50 minutes longer, until the crust is lightly browned and the filling is bubbling.  If the crust begins to brown too quickly, tent a piece of foil over the top.

Let the pie cool for at least an hour to let it set.

Print Recipe

Weekend Snapshots: New York City

I truly treasure my times with just one of my children. It's a time to peel away all the busyness of our everyday lives and just focus on being together. Before the children started elementary school, I took each on a weekend trip away, just the two of us.

With Olivia starting middle school this year, we're keeping the tradition going. A couple of weekends ago, she and I set off for New York for some mother-daughter time. I treasured being with her, talking or not talking as much as we wanted, walking around the city, and entertaining ourselves with Olivia-focused activities. We even practiced our eye rolling, to be sure we have that mastered for the tween and teen years (although neither of us really needs much practice).

Our first stop was the Discovery Harry Potter exhibit (now closed). It was filled with lots of props, costumes, and information about the making of the movies, which might have been a bit much for the casual fan, but was great for my Potter-obsessed daughter.

We also went to see War Horse at Lincoln Center Theater. Olivia and I had both read the book, written for children, in preparation for the play. The movement of the horses was amazing; the puppeteers faded away after a while and the horses became real. Set during World War I, the story is a bleak one threaded with moments of redemption. Now Steven Spielberg is turning it into a movie, which should be interesting, although it may be too much of a war movie for Olivia to enjoy.

Other highlights included strolling through Central Park, dinner at Red Rooster Harlem, where Olivia asked for and received the recipe for the crust of our blueberry cobbler, a perfectly prepared brunch at Prune, and shopping in the East Village.

Mostly, though, just being together was the highlight. It is an interesting age, this middle school time. Olivia still has one foot in childhood, but is definitely carving out her own place in the world.

Mostly it is wonderful to see my sweet daughter become her own person, but it's also hard to let go of the little girl that I still see in her. I realize that she has the same mixed emotions about her own steps out of childhood. Maybe we'll get through it together.

Herbed Ricotta-Feta Spread

We had a brief memorial for my aunt Midge over Labor Day weekend. It is stunning to me to think that 9 months have passed without her on this earth. In some ways I am getting used to the idea of her absence, but in other ways, the loss gets greater as day after day and event after event pass without her.

Her niece Maureen captured my feelings so beautifully at the service. I can't do her words justice, but the idea was: just because we go on with life, laugh, have fun, does not mean that we miss you any less. There is still a huge hole that we cannot fill and those moments of joy are bittersweet because you are not here to share them.

There are so many times when I want to call or visit to check in, to get advice, or just to chat. Although I may be learning to live with it, that feeling of absence does not go away.

The memorial did have a silver lining. I spent time getting to know family and friends of Midge's, some of whom I had met briefly over the years, but most of whom I barely knew. Each time I see them, I understand more and more why Midge loved them so much. Being all together in the house that she and my uncle shared for so many years made me feel that she was still very much a part of our lives. As my uncle said at the service, one of the beautiful things that she left behind was the love for each of us and the community that it created.

Midge's niece Linda wanted to make sure that anyone who wanted a tangible remembrance of Midge could have one. She set out all of Midge's jewelry, and we all chose something to wear or just to cherish. Linda also found Midge's recipes and set them out for us. I loved that! Most of the recipes were for party dishes, dips, spreads or pot luck dishes that could turn an ordinary evening into a celebration. Very appropriate since Midge made the party wherever she went.

For some reason, this simple recipe jumped out at me. It's a simple cheese spread. The ricotta and herbs have a fresh bright flavor and the feta adds just the perfect touch of flavor. I've modified the ratio of ingredients a bit, but left Midge's original directions which are perfect in their simplicity.

Our children loved the spread as a dip or spread, but when I made sandwiches with it for school, two out of three came back uneaten. I guess dips are just more fun.

Midge would have known that.

Second Helping: Grilled New Potatoes
Thirds: Harvest Vegetable Tart with Parmesan Crust

Herbed Ricotta-Feta Spread

The dip can easily be made ahead, and may be even better made ahead because some sitting time gives the flavors a chance to develop. It will keep in the refrigerator for a few days.

Makes about 2 cups
15 minutes preparation time, plus time for chilling

1 cup ricotta
3/4 cup crumbled feta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped herbs such as parsley, thyme, and/or dill
1 tablespoon chopped chives or scallions

Mash all of the ingredients together with a fork. Chill for 30 minutes. Great on dark rye with tomato slices and sprouts.

Print Recipe

Creamy Hummus Salad Dressing

My favorite lunch these days is a bed of lettuce topped with whatever veggies we have in the refrigerator. Lately this has included cucumbers, peppers, green beans, and of course those excellent tomatoes. I often throw on a few crumbles of feta, some olives, and some toasted nuts and I have myself a delicious little (or not so little) lunch.

The only dilemma has been the salad dressing. I wanted something light and fresh that wouldn't overwhelm all of those great seasonal vegetables but I still wanted something tasty. And preferably creamy. Usually creamy dressings are so heavy, though, and with out new fall routine, we have been trying to eat healthier with more emphasis on fruits and vegetables.

Hummus already has a smooth and creamy texture, and thinned with a oil, vinegar and lemon juice and just a splash of water it made a salad dressing that fit the bill. The first time I made it, I added too much water to thin it, so I cut that back a bit and added more olive oil instead. I tossed in a handful of fresh herbs for some added flavor.

Think of the dressing as a base for whatever other flavors you'd like to add. Minced garlic or shallot, a pinch of hot pepper flakes, a dash of Sriracha sauce, a splash of soy sauce... the possibilities are endless. If only this produce season were too.

Second helping: Pea Shoot, Feta, and Olive Sandwich
Thirds: Classic Basil Pesto (much on my mind because I need to make a few batches to freeze.)

Creamy Hummus Salad Dressing

Makes approximately 1 cup
15 minutes preparation time

1/2 cup hummus
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon lemon juice or red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh herbs such as chives, parsley, basil, thyme, or oregano
any other seasonings you'd like to add, such as minced garlic or shallot, a pinch of hot pepper
    flakes, a dash of Sriracha sauce, a splash of soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all the ingredients together in a measuring cup or small bowl. Just before serving, drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss. The amount of dressing that you need will depend on the size of your salad. I like to make sure that each lettuce leaf is coated.

Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.

Print Recipe

Fresh Figs with Ricotta, Honey, and Pistachios

Some days it all comes tumbling down, that balance that I have so carefully tried to maintain in my life as a working mother.

Some days I can see all my mistakes but feel powerless to stop them. Children are so good at reflecting those flaws back onto us, aren't they?

Some days I feel like everything I am doing is falling short and I am failing as a parent, wife, friend, employee, and most certainly as a housekeeper and laundress.

Yesterday was like that. The children took turns acting up and I could see my mistakes and bad habits in their behavior. Instead of keeping cool and doing some quality parenting, I got mad and lost it. And then I got mad at myself for losing it.

Not a good day.

But today is a new day and it will be different. I hope it will be better, too, but at least it will be different. I will try to learn from yesterday's mistakes and to take a deep breath (or three) before I react.

If all else fails, I will cook my way through my mood. I will make something delicious and beautiful. And I will be prepared with a smile and an understanding shrug if the children won't even touch it.

Secong Helping: Peach Macarons
Thirds: Fig and Port Jam

Fresh Figs with Ricotta, Honey and Pistachio

These figs are equally good as an appetizer or as a light dessert.

Serves 6
15 minutes preparation time

9 fresh figs
1/4 to 1/2 cup ricotta (if you're local, I love Blue Ridge Dairy's)
a few drizzles of honey
2 tablespoons pistachios, toasted and chopped

Slice the figs in half from top to bottom. Arrange them on a serving plate with their cut sides facing up.

Add about a teaspoon of ricotta to each fig. Drizzle generously with honey. Sprinkle with the toasted pistachios.

Print Recipe

Freshened Up Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant parmesan has had me in a quandary. The best eggplants are available at farmers' markets at this time of year, so this should be the best time of year to make it. But it has never seemed like a summer dish to me. The breaded, fried eggplant, loads of sauce and cheesy goodness have their place, but it seems a wintry place to me, best eaten when the weather is cold outside and a good dish of comfort is in order.

We needed a summer version of eggplant parmesan, and this is my crack at it. Instead of breading and frying the eggplant, we sliced it thinly and roasted it. Our sauce was Cherry Tomato Almost Sauce, barely saucy at all, and we used a bit of ricotta as well as the traditional mozzarella to give the whole thing a fresher flavor.






It scratched my eggplant parmesan itch. The children loved it, too, except for Chloe, who separated all her eggplant -- and perhaps anything that had touched the eggplant -- over to the side of her plate.

Now I just have to figure out how to preserve this season's excellent eggplants to make a wintry version a few months from now.

Second Helping: Smoky Eggplant Parmesan
Thirds: Homemade Ricotta

Freshened Up Eggplant Parmesan

Serves 6 to 8
45 minutes preparation time
30 minutes cooking time

4 small globe eggplants
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt to taste
1 quart cherry tomatoes
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella
15 basil leaves
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 pound fresh ricotta
1 cup grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Trim the ends of the eggplant. Slice a small bit of the skin off one of the sides of the eggplant. Rest the eggplant on that side and thinly slice the eggplant vertically (discard the first piece, which will be mostly skin). Arrange the eggplant slices on a baking sheet and lightly brush them with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Roast the eggplant in the oven until it is lightly brown, about 10 minutes. After removing the eggplant from the oven, lower the temperature to 350 degrees.

While the eggplant is cooking, make the sauce. The recipe for the Almost Sauce is here.

Spread a ladleful of the tomatoes in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole pan. Add a layer of eggplant and then add some of the tomato sauce, half of the mozzarella and half of the basil. Drizzle with some of the egg. Add another layer of eggplant, then tomato sauce, then the ricotta, then the remaining basil. Again, drizzle with the egg. Continue layering until you have used all of the ingredients. The last layers should be tomato sauce, the remaining mozzarella, and the parmesan, in that order.

Bake until the tomato sauce is bubbling and the cheese on top has melted, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Print Recipe

Garden Variety: Cherry Tomato Almost Sauce

I haven't been able to work on our farm garden much this year. I hurt my back at the beginning of the summer and I have been afraid that all that bending would trigger a new round of discomfort.

But last week, all the other gardeners were away on vacation so I decided to give it a try. We just made a quick trip, Buddy and I. The garden looked great, and I wasn't sure what most needed to be done. I ended up focusing on the tomatoes, pruning the leaves back and tying them up so that the fruit could soak up more sun and the air could circulate freely. Here's the before and after:



I also harvested everything that was ripe. There were lots of cherry tomatoes and a few big ones, as well as Swiss chard and a couple of red peppers. The pumpkin and watermelon were perfectly round and beautiful, but not ready to be harvested.





Best of all, though, was just standing out there in the open air under the big sky. I had forgotten how quiet it is. The only noises were the breeze and the quiet noises of the chickens, cows, and the latest addition, a pair of adorable pigs. I tied Buddy onto a tether so that he wouldn't go after the chickens, but just look at his longing.





We have been eating the cherry tomatoes just as they are, dipped in hummus, or thrown into a salad, but Gabe also turned them into what I can only call almost sauce. The tomatoes were still mostly whole, but cooked enough to soften them. It was quick to make and tasted so fresh that I thought it was worth sharing.

The best news for me was that my back felt fine after a couple of hours of gardening. I'm hoping I can go back soon for more.

Second Helping: Blackberry-Ginger Jam
Thirds: Peach, Tomato, and Mozzarella Salad

Cherry Tomato Almost-Sauce

Makes 1 quart
15 minutes preparation and cooking time

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 quart cherry tomatoes, whole or sliced in half if they are large
basil or other fresh herbs

Add the olive oil to a medium-sized sauce pan over medium heat. Add the whole cherry tomatoes and a dash or two of salt and turn the heat to high. Cook until the tomatoes begin to crack and blister but still retain most of their shape. This will take 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the tomatoes.

Remove from the heat. Stir in the fresh herbs.

Print Recipe

Kitchen Renovation: Packing Up

I don't want to jinx us, but I think we're in the home stretch as far as the planning phase of this renovation goes. We have selected a contractor, finalized a plan, and developed a budget.

We still have lots more decisions to make about the cabinets, applicances, fixtures, etc. There are just so many choices to make. And as we get closer to actually reaching this goal of expanding and updating our kitchen, I feel the pressure. All these years of waiting. Now it better be really good.

On a more practical note, we now need to pack up our kitchen. We will set up a temporary kitchen in the basement with a hot plate, refrigerator, and microwave, and we plan to grill a lot. But our cooking will be minimal. We need to pack up everything we won't use during this process. As we go through our things, we're hoping to cull a lot of unnecessary items out of the kitchen, but there will still be lots left and we need to decide what to pack up and what to keep out.

I think we'll want all of the things in the photo above, but there will be lots more. A saute pan, a couple of sauce pans, a few bowls, and obviously some plates, glasses, and utensils.

What else? I'd love to hear your suggestions as to what utensils, pots, etc. you think would be most useful during this streamlined period? You all are always most helpful.

Happy weekend!

 

Down by the Lake

We were back at the lake in the Adirondacks this summer, and for the first time in years all of my siblings and their children were there for a week, along with my parents and my uncle. It is so fun to watch the cousins pick up right where they left off, almost in mid-sentence. There's just a certain ease among cousins that is like no other friendship.

The kids all pitched in together to free the lake in front of our cabin of weeds, a huge task that has taken years to complete. We paid them 2 cents a weed for the trouble which ended up costing us way more than I imagined it would, but the pride that they had in their accomplishment was worth the price.

But it was not all work. In fact, for me, there was very little of that. Much more fun was swimming, canoeing, rowing, tubing, building sandcastles, catching frogs, fishing, diving for golf balls, reading, napping, playing bridge, and getting up the next day to do it all again.  It is great for the children  -- and one very happy, dirty dog -- to be able to roam and run without worrying about traffic or getting too far from home. We even had a couple of quiet, rainy days, just enough to allow us to relax, take a break from the sun, and finish a good book.

I hope your summer has brought you some fun and relaxation, too!

Fresh Peach Iced Tea

I have been so jealous of our children these last few weeks. They are back at summer camp at Calleva, where they get to hike, canoe, kayak, ride horses, swim, rock climb, ride mountain bikes, and camp. And who knows what else. Meanwhile, I head off to the office or to my home computer to work . . . indoors. Sigh. 

I am thrilled that they are out there having a blast and that they are learning all kinds of skills . I just wish I could do it too. I'll just have to lbe satisfied with having them take me out to show me what they have learned.

On the down side, though, they come home hot, tired, and hungry. I'm always a bit tentative when I show up to pick them up, wondering what kind of mood I'll find them in, or more accurately, how many of them will be hostile and cranky.

Gabe and I have decided that the best way to combat the cranks is to have something refreshing and cold for them when they get home. Often this has just been a popsicle, but somehow I got it in my head to make them some fresh peach iced tea. Of course, I only had nectarines the day I decided to make it so they substituted for the peaches.

I made a syrup with the nectarines and have kept it in the refrigerator. It's been there for almost two weeks and it is still delicious. I just add a few tablespoonfuls of the syrup to the iced tea when I serve it.

It was quite a hit among the parched campers, and even quite tasty for those of us who had spent the day in air conditioned comfort.

Second Helping: Strawberry Soda
Thirds: Perfect Peach Pie

Fresh Peach (or Nectarine) Iced Tea

Once you have created the syrup, the choice is yours as to what you want to do with the fruit. I recommend leaving the fruit in the syrup in the refrigerator when you store it for a more intensely flavored syrup. It will keep for at least a week. When you add the syrup to the tea, you can add only the syrup for a smoother drink, although our children love the big chunks of peach mixed into the tea. We just serve it with a spoon.

Makes 2 cups of syrup

5 peaches or nectarines
1 cup sugar
strong black tea, cooled

Add 1 cup of water to the sugar and bring it to a simmer in a small stockpot. Let the mixture simmer until the sugar completely dissolves and is clear.

While the syrup is cooking, wash the peaches and coarsely chop them. When the syrup is finished, add the peaches or nectarines and mash them gently with a potato masher. Set the mixture aside to cool.

Fill an 8-ounce glass with ice. Add the tea and 3-4 tablespoons of syrup. Taste and add more syrup if you like. 

The syrup can be stored in the refrigerator two weeks.  Store the syrup with the peaches still in it to intensify the flavor, or strain them out. The peaches will be quite sweet and can be eaten as they are or served over pancakes, on plain yogurt, or over ice cream.

Print Recipe

Saffron-Laced Ratatouille

This is the time of year when I go crazy at the farmers' market. I'm like a kid at the proverbial candy store, filling my bags with as much gorgeous produce as I can. I should go with one hand tied behind my back so that I am limited to what I can carry (Gabe, don't get any ideas). Instead, I prefer if someone else comes to keep me company and to help carry. After all, the leaves will be falling off the trees before we know it, so we have to make the most of it.

Ratatouille is the perfect dish to make using all of that produce. It uses eggplant, tomato, zucchini, and peppers, and the flavors are excellent together. The saffron adds warmth to the dish, while the basil and parsley, added at the end, keep the flavors fresh. It can be eaten either warm or cold, depending on your mood and the thermometer outside.

I got the idea to throw in a pinch of saffron after reading Lunch in Paris, which was a fun summer read. Instead of Eat, Pray, Love in three countries, it's Eat, Love in Paris.

I made this while we were on vacation along with some quinoa with the thought that I would just keep it on hand in the refrigerator to have for lunch. It didn't last more than a couple of days, though. I don't think the children even tried it. I'll have to make another batch while the veggies are at the height of their season. The only question is whether I'll share.

Second helping: Red Wine Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Crostini
Thirds: Pasta with Ricotta and Summer Herbs

Saffron-Laced Ratatouille

This recipe is infinitely variable. Use whatever vegetables you have in the quantities you like, and it will be delicious. I like the technique of cooking the vegetables separately to bring out their individual flavors, but if you're in a hurry, you can cook them together.

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if needed
2 medium onions
4 garlic cloves
salt
2 medium eggplants, skin still on, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 medium zucchini, diced
4 fresh medium-sized tomatoes, diced
pinch of saffron
1/3 cup torn basil
1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
cooked quinoa or couscous for serving (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a large pan (I used my Creuset stock pot). Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes and then add the garlic and cook for about 2 more minutes. Remove from the pan. If the pan is dry, add another splash of olive oil. Add the eggplant and a pinch of salt and cook until the eggplant has softened, about 8 minutes. Remove from the pan. Again, if the pan is dry, add more olive oil. Add the zucchini and a pinch of salt and cook until it is tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the onions, garlic, and eggplant back to the pan, along with the tomatoes and the saffron. Cook until the vegetables are meltingly soft, about an hour. Just before serving, add the basil and parsley and stir.

Serve hot or cold, over couscous or quinoa, if you like.

Print Recipe

Cantaloupe Agua Fresca

When Oscar and I were in Los Angeles, we discovered agua fresca. Sure, millions of Mexicans and Angelinos have been drinking these drinks for years, but they were new to us.

Agua fresca is essentially fruit juice, but it is made with more water. Although that might sound like it would dilute the juice, the result is actually a much more refreshing fruit drink than a glass of straight up juice would be.




Loteria in the Farmers' Market in West Hollywood offered several varieties, including guava, watermelon, and lemon. But our favorite was cantaloupe, which Oscar ordered the first day we were there. It was a delightful accompaniment to our spicy lunch, and rejuvenated us after our flight. Oscar put it best, "It tastes just like a cantaloupe, but in a glass."

With blisteringly hot weather and cantaloupes now available in our farmers' markets out east, this is the perfect time to whip up a batch of these. We drank some recently on our porch and they were perfect for a summer night.

Second Helping: Grilled Peaches with Mint Whipped Cream
Thirds: Yellow Indian Woman Beans with Lemon and Dill

Cantaloupe Agua Fresca

This recipe makes enough for 2 because it really should be shared with at least one other person. Straining the mixture will give you a smoother drink. Oscar and I started this at first, but then got too impatient and decided to skip it. After sitting in the refrigerator for a while to chill, the pulp rose to the top of the pitcher, but we just stirred it back in before pouring it into glasses.

Makes 2 servings
10 minutes preparation time, plus time for chilling

2 cups cubed cantaloupe
1 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lime juice

Blend all of the ingredients in a blender on high speed. If you're short on time, add several ice cubes to the water before blending it. If you'd like a smooth drink, pour the mix through a strainer. Chill for an hour or two. Serve over ice.

Print Recipe

Sushi Rice Salad

This time of year when we often take our meals with us -- to the pool, the park, or even to the back porch -- I'm a big fan of those all-in-one-bowl meals. Sushi is perfect for the summer weather, too, because it is light and refreshing when it is too hot to have a heavy meal.



This salad fits the bill. It is cool, crunchy and refreshing. I made it recently and was shocked to realize that I hadn't posted it here yet. It is definitely worth sharing and has become a family favorite.

The original recipe, from Moosewood Restaurant Lowfat Favorites calls for brown rice, but we often make it with white rice. Sushi rice is available at our Whole Foods, but if you can't find it, another short grain -- even arborio -- would do. The wasabi can be adjusted to make it as hot as you like. I like the salad cold, though, and try to make it in advance so that it has plenty of time to cool off in the refrigerator before we want to serve it.

Second Helping: Brown Buttered Zucchini with Spaghetti
Thirds: Purple Cauliflower Soup

Sushi Rice Salad

Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Lowfat Favorites
Serves 8
20 minutes preparation time
30 minutes cooking time, plus time for chilling

The amount of wasabi in this recipe adds just a touch of flavor without too much heat. It's perfect for children, but if you like a stronger punch, add more. Either way, make some extra to serve on the side with the salad.

2 cups sushi (short grain) rice
3 1/2 cups water
2/3 cup rice vinegar
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
4 small carrots, peeled and diced
2 red (or yellow or orange) bell peppers, seeded and diced
3 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced
3 teaspoons wasabi powder, plus more for serving
1 sheet nori seaweed
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds, toasted
2 ripe avocadoes, peeled and sliced lentghwise

Rinse the rice,  and add it and the water to a medium-sized stockpot,. Bring the water to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer, cover the pot and cook for 20 minutes. 

While the rice is cooking, prepare the sauce. Add the vinegar, sugar, salt, and ginger to a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.

When the rice is done, toss the sauce with the rice. Add the 3 teaspoons of water to the wasabipowder and mix. Stir the wasabi into the rice. Put in the refrigerator to cool.

Fill a medium half full of water and bring it to a boil. Add the carrots and cook for a minute, then add the bell peppers and cook for about another two minutes. The vegetables should have softened, but retain a bit of texture (they shouldn't be mushy). Drain and set the veggies aside to cool.

Toast the sesames by putting them in a saute pan over a medium flame until they are fragrant, about 5 minutes. Pour them out of the pan onto a plate to cool. Toast the sheets of nori in the same saute pan until they darken, about 1 or 2 minutes. When they are cool enough handle, crumble them into small pieces.

When the carrots and peppers have cooled, stir them into the rice. Add the cucumbers. Just before serving, stir in the sesames and nori. Peel and slice the avocadoes and serve them with the salad.

Print Recipe

Cuban Tostones (Fried Plantains)

One of my few regrets about being a vegetarian is that there are few Cuban foods that we can eat anymore. Those delicious Cuban sandwiches all have meat. Of course, we still have our black beans, always a family favorite, and there are these tostones.

There are (at least) two types of plantains commonly available here, the sweet ones (maduros) and the green ones, known to Cubans as platanos verdes. The green plantains are larger and firmer than the sweet ones, although they are often yellow rather than green (the picture above should help). Platanos verdes are Gabe's favorites and it didn't take the rest of us long to be won over by these tasty little fried treats.





McDonald's isn't the only place to figure out that twice frying makes for a tastier end result. These tostones are fried, smashed, and fried again. The crowning touch is a sprinkle of salt and a bit of minced fresh garlic. The garlic is strong. Make sure that everyone eats some so that you all have equally strong breath. As a side bonus, you'll keep the vampires away.

Second Helping: Olivia's Warm Goat Cheese Salad
Thirds: Grilled Corn with Cilantro-Lime Butter

Cuban Tostones (Fried Plantains)

 

If you want to cut the plantains ahead, you can leave them submerged in water so that they do not brown. Remove them and drain them a few minutes before frying. The first round of frying can be done up to 24 hours in advance so that all you have to do just before serving is fry them again one more time and add the topping.

Makes about 25 tostones
15 minutes preparation time
30 minutes cooking time

5 green plantains (see note above)
canola oil for frying
sea salt for sprinkling
2-3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil

Peel the plantains and cut each into approximately 2-inch sections.

Pour enough canola oil into a deep pot so that it will be deep enough to generously cover the plantain sections. Heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. To test to see if the oil is hot enough, break off a small piece of one of the plantain sections and drop it into the oil. If it sizzles immediately, the oil is hot.

Cook the plantain sections in batches, making sure that in each batch, there is some space between the plantains for the oil to circulate. When the plantains are golden, remove them from the oil and drain them on newspapers covered with a paper towel.

One at a time, put the plantain sections into a paper bag and smash them with something heavy, a mallet or a rolling pin works nicely. This is definitley something that children would enjoy doing.

After you have smashed all of the plantains, if you would like to put them aside for later, wait until they have completely cooled, then wrap them in foil and store them for up to a day.

When you are ready to eat them, fry the tostones in batches again until they are a deep golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon from the oil and transfer them to newspapers covered with paper towels to drain. Sprinkle them with salt while they are still warm. Keep the tostones warm in a low oven (200-250 should do it) until you have finished frying all of them.

Prepare the garlic mixture by mashing the garlic and olive oil together with a mortar and pestle until the garlic cloves have broken down and form a lumpy paste. Add a few sprinkles of salt and mix again. Set aside.

Just before serving, top each tostone with a dollop of the garlic mixture. Eat them while they're hot!

Print Recipe

Weekend Snapshots: Los Angeles

Oscar and I went out to Los Angeles to visit my brother and his family a few weekends ago (a bit behind on the write up!). They have a new(ish) baby who we had not yet met. I brought Oscar because each of the girls had already been with me on a trip out there. Given the high drama from my 9-year old boy these days, it also seemed like some one-on-one time would do us both some good.

My brother's baby is adorable, charming us all with his smiles, giggles, and foot gnawing. Seeing a beautiful 6-month old baby boy reminded me of Oscar's early days, and left me wondering how he could possibly be 9 already.

Aside from the adorable cousins (and their still so stylish parents), the highlights were the Petersen Automotive Museum, Legoland, Will Rogers State Beach, and the neighborhood swimming pool.  We also strolled around the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the La Brea Tar Pits. Our favorite food spots were the La Brea Bakery Cafe and the Original Farmers' Market in West Hollywood, especially Loteria for the kind of tacos we just don't get out here.

About that car museum. There was just something so appealing about the lines of those Vespas and old cars. Is it just me, or do they look like this?

The low point was the Warner Brothers Tour. It was fascinating for a little while to see behind the scenes and to get a glimpse of how much effort goes into filming a movie or TV show, but it would have been much more interesting for those who watch much more TV than we do, especially those who follow Warner Brothers' shows (Gilmore Girls, anyone?). There was some interesting Harry Potter paraphernalia in the museum and we got sorted by the sorting hat (Hufflepuff for me; Gryffindor for Oscar), but otherwise if I were to go back, I would prepare by watching lots of WB shows first.

All in all, it was great to see my brother and his sweet family, and to spend some time with Oscar. And now I have lots of pictures to sustain me through those tough 9-year old days.

Sour Cherry Clafouti

When we went berry picking for those raspberries, we also picked sour cherries. Half the fun was moving the giant ladders and scrambling up them to try to get those elusive cherries at the top of the trees. We filled up a nice little bag of cherries, just enough for this clafouti and a pot of jam.

A clafouti falls somewhere between a pudding and a cake. It is very moist, but firm enough to slice. The traditional French way to make cherry clafouti is to leave the pits in and let the eaters remove them as they eat. One theory is that it adds more flavor, but I have felt reluctant to put my guests through the awkwardness of having to spit them out at the table.  Maybe we'll give it a try when it's just the five of us, or when we're outside and can have a pit spitting contest.

Besides, the pit removal is an excuse to sit down for a while. When we made this clafouti most recently, we removed the pits while watching the U.S. women's soccer team play (and defeat!) Brazil, a very pleasant way to spend the time. Those women soccer players are in amazing shape. Maybe in my next life. . .

Second Helping:  Vietnamese Cucumber Salad (excellent picnic food)
Thirds:  Vegetarian Sloppy Joe's (still one of our favorite quick meals)

Sour Cherry Clafouti

If you can't find sour cherries, sweet cherries would also work in this recipe, as would another seasonal fruit like blueberries or raspberries.

Serves 8
45 minutes preparation time
35-45 minutes baking time

1 pound sour cherries (about 3 cups before pitting), pits removed
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
confectioners' sugar for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch pie plate or 2-quart baking pan.

Toss the cherries with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Layer them in the bottom of the baking pan.

Combine the remaining sugar, eggs, salt, extracts, flour,  milk and butter in a blender and blend until the mixture is smooth. Pour the batter over the cherries.

Bake until the clafouti is puffed and golden brown, and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer the clafouti still in the pan to a cooling rack to cool. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Just before serving, add a sprinkle of confectioners' sugar.

Print Recipe

Chloe is 7!

Somehow our youngest daughter turns 7 today. It doesn't seem that long ago that I went into labor during a work meeting at Patti's house. But here we are, 7 years later, and Chloe is her own little person with a big heart, an excellent sense of humor, and a budding style of her own. Just check her out in her favorite summer accessory, those stripey goggles.

Ever the accommodating youngest child, she will spend her birthday evening at the pool, watching her older siblings' swim meet. For dinner, she has requested Greek salad and red, white and blue (strawberry, whipped cream, and blueberry) shortcake for dessert. I'm happy to oblige, and I think we'll have bread, too, because that is her favorite food group. I can't wait to celebrate with her.

Happy birthday, sweet girl!

Purple Raspberry Sauce

We finally had time to go berry picking the other day, our first outing of the season to Larriland, our favorite pick-your-own farm. As usual, the children were very excited, happily picking away and planning what we should make with our haul. At least until the water ran out. (Note to self: Next time pack the 3 gallon water jug!)

We picked blueberries, sour cherries, and raspberries. The red raspberries were slim pickings, but the purple raspberries were prolific. I don't remember ever seeing purple raspberries before, but sure enough, they were darker than the red raspberries and lighter than the black ones. Compared to a red raspberry, their flavor is smoother and more mellow.

Of course by the time we made it home, some of the berries were a bit smashed, and there was a puddle of juice at the bottom of one of the boxes. I immediately scooped those out and turned them into a sauce to serve over our ice cream that night for dessert. I kept the sauce simple, adding only a vanilla bean for a bit of depth to the flavor. It was fantastic.

I've been trying to refrain from having ice cream every night, so my second favorite option for the sauce is to serve it with plain yogurt. It makes the yogurt taste like a fruit flavored yogurt, but so much fresher and tastier for having been picked and made by our own hands.

Second Helping: Apricot-Blueberry Upside down Cake (This cake is exceptionally good!)
Thirds: Mint Limeade (still one of our favorite refreshing drinks)

Purple Raspberry Sauce

 

Makes about 1 quart of sauce
20 minutes preparation and cooking time

Of course, any color raspberry would do. I recommend using those berries that are a bit squishy. They will be delicious in this sauce and that way the perfect berries can be eaten as they are or made into something else. I decided not to strain the sauce because I like the texture of the berries and their seeds, but if you prefer a more refined sauce, pour it through a mesh strainer as you pour it into the jar for storage.

4 cups raspberries
2 cups sugar
1/2 vanilla bean

Add the raspberries and sugar to a small stockpot. Slit the bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and the pod to the stockpot. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the sugar has all dissolved, 10 to 15 minutes.

Set it aside and let it cool to room temperature. Pour it into a glass jar and store it in the refrigerator. It will keep a couple of weeks, if it lasts that long.

Print Recipe

Fresh Pea and Potato Gratins

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I'm not sure about that. I think presence can make the heart pretty darn fond, too. Sitting here next to one of my children, typing away, I have a heart that feels full to bursting.

And yet absence does have its pull. Olivia just finished her last year of elementary school. (I can't even believe that I am writing that!) The end of the fifth grade, six years since she bravely entered that school as a kindergartener. Amazing.



As a celebration, her class took a trip to Canada and, intrepid man that he is, Gabe went along as a chaperone. Love means riding on a bus for 14 hours with 46 11-year olds. And then doing it all again three days later for the return trip.

Chloe and Oscar and I enjoyed our time together. As much as I enjoy our family time, I also enjoy the time that I have with only one or two of the others. It shifts the dynamic, and we get to see different sides of each other.


But we were all looking forward to watching Olivia and Gabe step off that bus. And, of course, I wanted to have a special dinner for them that night. I had gotten fresh peas and new potatoes at the farmers' market on the weekend, and these little gratins seemed just the thing.

I enjoyed cooking that afternoon to the happy sounds of a house full of people again. Unfortunately, Olivia was so tired from the trip that she fell asleep just before dinner, and she missed the welcome home feast. The rest of us enjoyed them and she had hers for lunch the next day. Next time, though, maybe when Oscar returns from his trip (gulp!), I'll have lunch ready instead.

Second Helping: Grilled Zucchini Summer Sandwiches
Thirds: Smoky Deviled Eggs

Fresh Pea and Potato Gratins

Serves 6
30 minutes preparation time
50 minutes cooking time

1 1/2 pounds potatoes
1 pint fresh peas, shelled (about 2/3 cup out of the pods)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated pecorino Romano
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup torn basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Generously butter 6 1-cup ramekins.

Put the potatoes in a medium-sized stockpot and cover them generously with water. Bring them to a boil and cook them until they are tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Depending on the size of the potatoes, this could take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. When they are done, skim them out and transfer them to a colander to cool.

While the potatoes are cooking, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add a dash of salt and the peas and cook until they are tender but still bright green, about 10 minutes. Drain them immdeiately.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them and put them in a large bowl. Mash them. Add the peas, parmesan, pecorino, eggs, basil, salt, and pepper, and mix with a wooden spoon. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins.

Bake the gratins until they are golden brown on top, 30 to 40 minutes. Let them sit for a minute or two after you remove them from the oven. They are so pretty to serve in the ramekins, but if you serve them that way, do so with a warning that the ramekins will be hot. Alternatively, hold the ramekins carefully with an oven mit and slide a knife around the perimeter of each ramekin to loosen the gratin. Slide the gratin out onto a plate and serve immediately.

Print Recipe

Grilled Fava Beans with Pepper and Pecorino

Those who know me well know that I have a terrible memory. I would be embarrassed to tell you how many times I have bought a book that I have already read. But a bad memory can be a blessing as well as a curse. As my clever aunt once said, "The great thing about having a bad memory is that you can have the same great experiences over and over again and always feel like you are discovering something new."   The bad memories fade more quickly for me, too.

When it comes to food, though, it's another story. I can remember what I ate on vacation in Italy 12 years ago, which is before we had kids, and some days I cannot even remember what it feels like not to have kids.

So when I gave in to my farmers' market compulsion and bought fava beans last weekend, something was tickling my memory about grilling them. I love the nutty flavor and substantial texture of fava beans, but unless you have an afternoon to kill (and if you do, it can be quite pleasant), then they take a long time to prepare. I normally prepare them by first removing the beans from the pods, blanching them, and then removing them from their inner skins.

When I finally figured out what was nagging at me, I realized that it was this post on 101 cookbooks about grilling fava beans. Aside from the flavor that grilling adds to the beans, grilled fava beans are served at the table in their pods so that everyone shares in the peeling. And the eating, of course. Plunk a pile of these fava beans down on the table, and you have a communal activity,  an appetizer that is perfect to linger over.

You could toss these fava beans with anything that appeals to you, even just adding sea salt and olive oil would do nicely. We have tried them two ways, with pepper and pecorino,and a bit of parsley thrown in for freshness, and with mint and cumin. They were quite different, but I think the pecorino version was the slight winner. The cheese has such a sharp tang that it was delicious with the mellow flavor of the fava beans.

I wish I could tell you that our children were enthusiastic about trying these and loved them, but only Olivia liked them. The other two wrinkled their noses, and after a small nibble, Oscar even made a few retching noises just so I would know how much he despised them.

Ah, well. More for us.

Second helping: Fresh Pea and Fava Bean Risotto
Thirds: Grilled Grape Leaves Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Pine Nuts, and Rosemary

Grilled Fava Beans with Pepper and Pecorino

Serves 6 as an appetizer
5 minutes preparation time
15 minutes grilling time

1 quart fava beans
a splash of olive oil
a sprinkle of sea salt
a few grinds of black pepper
1/2 cup pecorino Romano
4 tablespoons chopped parsley

Heat a grill to medium heat.

Toss the fava beans with the olive oil and salt. When the grill is hot, add the fava beans and cook  them until they are partially charred on the outside, about 7 or 8 minutes on each side.

While the fava beans are cooking, mix together the pepper, cheese, and parsley in a medium-sized bowl. When the fava beans are done, toss them in the bowl with the cheese mixture and stir to coat the mixture evenly on the pods. Serve immediately.

To eat, remove the beans from the pods. If the beans inside are small, they may be tasty just as they are. Otherwise, remove the thin pale green skin on the outside of the bean. Be sure to lick your fingers as they get coated with the cheese mixture.

Print Recipe

Oscar's Tasty and Juicy Strawberry Pie

Okay, that's Oscar's title, but I was going to call it "Not Quite Perfect Strawberry Pie." Here's the back story.

A couple of years ago, when we went strawberry picking, we were dreaming of all of the things that we would make with them. Oscar was very specific about wanting strawberry pie. I had made cherry pie, blueberry pie, peach pie, lots and lots of other pies. But never strawberry pie.


"Um, Oscar, how about a nice strawberry tart?"

"No, it should be a pie."

"Well, a pie is like a tart, just no top."

"No, it should be a pie, just like a blueberry pie, with a top."


Okay, then, pie. I gave it a go. I have lost track of how many strawberry pies I  have now made. I tried several with two crusts, some with ground nuts, some with ricotta. But I wasn't happy with the color, texture, flavor. There was always something. I finally decided that the top crust just wasn't going to work. The steaming of the strawberries just made them lose their vibrant color and cooked them too much.

So this year when we gave it a try, I decided to leave off the top. I still made it like a pie, deep, in a pie plate, but left off the top. I kept some of the berries uncooked and made others into a syrup. Again, we've given it a few tries. Our last attempt, the pie still didn't set as firmly as I would have liked.

But here's the thing. Oscar loved it. And it was delicious. Just not perfectly set. In fact, I think Oscar loved all of these pies, and we have had a great time making them together. The last pie we made, Oscar helped me every step of the way, and even took over the naming. "I'm going to say 'tasty'. You've got to make it sound good!"

So, even though it's not perfect, I'm going to share this recipe with you. Because sometimes, the planning and the making are more important than the end result. And perfection isn't the point. Getting into the kitchen, spending time with one (or more!) of my children, that's what I love and what I want to remember.

We'll keep at it, though, until strawberry season is over, and I'd love to hear your ideas for tweaking this recipe. I promise I'll come back and update the recipe when I get it perfect. If we ever do.

 

And just in case you were keeping track of the pie versus tart conversation, Oscar was not fooled by this recipe. I thought maybe he'd forget about that conversation we had a couple of years ago about the top of the pie, but when he realized that we weren't going to cook it after we poured in the berries in syrup, he hesitated. "But I wanted a pie, not a tart!"

Then he remembered that there was a bit of dough left from the bottom crust, and pulled it out of the refrigerator. We decided to shape it and place it on the top. Not quite a double crust pie, but enough to make him happy. And, really, that's what I'm after.

Second Helping:  Cherry Galettes
Thirds: Strawberry Shortcake (Mmm- I'm thinking we'll take a break from the pie and make this next)

Oscar's Tasty and Juicy Strawberry Pie

Serves 10
45 minutes preparation time
35 minutes baking time, plus a few hours for chilling

for the crust:
1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
2-4 tablespoons cold water

for the filling:
10 cups whole strawberries, stems removed, divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch

First, make the crust. You can make the dough either by hand or in a food processor.

If you are making the dough by hand, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and lemon zest. Add the butter and mix it into the flour mixture quickly with your fingers until it ranges in size from tiny pebbles to cornmeal.

If you prefer to use a food processor, add all the ingredients except the butter and water into the food processor bowl and pulse a few times. Add the butter and pulse a few more times until the butter is broken into small pieces, ranging in size from cornmeal to tiny pebbles. Turn the flour mixture into a large bowl. 

Add 2 tablespoons of cold water and mix with a fork or your hands.  If the dough does not hold together after you have mixed in the water, add one additional tablespoon of water at a time until it does.  Form the dough into a ball with your hands.  Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. 

Chill the dough for at least 15 minutes and up to a couple of days. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on lightly floured plastic wrap or parchment paper.  Roll the dough until it is about 2 inches larger than the diameter of the pie plate.  Drape the dough over the rolling pin and transfer it to the pie plate.  Push the dough down into the sides of the pie plate until it fits snugly.  Trim any dough that hangs over the edge with scissors. Remove any excess dough. Pop any excess into the refrigerator to make a shape for the top, if you like.

Place a piece of foil over the dough in the tart pan.  Press the foil into the pan so that it sits tightly on top of the dough.  Fill the pie plate with pie weights or dried beans.  Bake the crust for 25 minutes.  Remove the weights and the foil and bake until the crust is lightly brown, about another 7 minutes. 

While the crust is cooking, make the filling. Reserve about two dozen perfect berries for the top.  Halve or quarter the remaining berries, depending on their size. In a small pot, gently mash 2 cups of the berries with the lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch. Simmer over medium heat until the mixture thickens and the cornstarch is clear, about 5 minutes. Set it aside (in the refrigerator or freezer) to cool to room temperature.

With the exception of the two dozen perfect berries, spread the remaining berries into the pie crust. Pour the cooled strawberry mixture over the top. Slice the remaining two dozen berries in half lengthwise and arrange them over the top of the pie in a circular pattern. Chill for at least two hours until firm.

Print Recipe

Asparagus and Cannellini Bean Salad

I haven't been at all creative in the kitchen lately. In fact, I've barely been in the kitchen lately. The end of school year activities, along with overlapping sports seasons (soccer/baseball/softball/swimming) have left my head spinning with very little time to think, let alone to cook. And I find it very difficult to be creative without some time to sit and let my thoughts percolate.

It was just this past weekend, then, when I finally had a chance to go to the farmers' market and get inspired to get going again. I also had a chance to do more than crack the spine of Vegetables from an Italian Garden, which Gabe had given me for Mothers' Day. The book is beautiful with lots of creative recipes organized by season.

I flipped to Spring and found this lovely little recipe that I immediately tried. It was very quick and the result was excellent. Adding the cannellini beans made the salad more hearty, so that it could be eaten as a side salad or as a main course.Olivia suggested that we have ours with a fried egg on top which I thought was fabulous plan. It made for a perfect, quick Spring dinner.

Best of all, I feel much more balanced after having had some time in the kitchen.

Second helping: Lemony Potato Salad
Thirds: Linguine with Garlic Scape and Pea Pesto

Asparagus and Cannellini Bean Salad

Adapted from Vegetables from an Italian Garden

Serves 6 as a side dish
20 minutes preparation and cooking time

2 bunches of asparagus
2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1/2 of a lemon)
3 tablespoons chopped parsley (a small handful before chopping)
1/4 teaspoon salt
 a few grinds of fresh pepper
fried eggs (optional)

Bring a small pot of water to boil. Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus, and rinse them. Salt the boiling water with a few dashes of salt and add the asparagus. Cook until the asparagus is tender and still a vibrant green, about 5 minutes. Drain the asparagus in a colander as soon as it has finished cooking.

While the asparagus is cooking, drain the cannellini beans and rinse them under cold water.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the olive oil, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add the cannellini beans and stir. When the asparagus has finished cooking, toss it into the bowl and stir again. Serve warm or at room temperature. A fried egg on top is optional.

Print Recipe

Kitchen Renovation Update, June 7, 2011

After much considering, debating, and discussing -- all with the help of a paid professional -- we have decided on a plan for our kitchen renovation.

The original main floor of our house included our kitchen, dining room, and living room. A few years ago, we expanded a side porch to make a play room, and we added a porch onto the back of the house. 

Our architect, Patrick Carter from Reve Studio, came up with the idea of combining our current dining room and kitchen into one expanded kitchen. We are big fans of our separate dining room, mostly because after we cook, we love to be able to close the door and leave the mess behind while we relax and enjoy dinner. We don't want to lose that, so we will convert our current living room into a dining room. Our current playroom will become our living room since now that the children are older we don't really need a separate playroom.

We do hope to fix up our basement to make it a nicer space for all of us, with the thought that as the children get into those teenage years, this can become a space for them to hang out with their friends that is a bit removed from their parents.

I am very excited about this plan. I don't really want a bigger footprint to the house; I prefer the idea of making better use of the space that we have. And of course I love, love, love the idea of a bigger kitchen.

We are now waiting to get bids back from a few contractors to see what this will cost us. Then we can decide how much we can afford to do now, whether we can add in any extras, like a fireplace in the new living room, and what our budget for applicances, cabinets, etc. will be.

Cilantro Rice, Chipotle Style

I have a confession to make. You may think it's nonstop cooking around here, even that we are whipping up wholesome, local, organic, vegetarian, completely-from-scratch meals day after day. We all have to have our aspirations, but the truth is that as a family we have developed a wee addiction to Chipotle.

As fast food goes, Chipotle is fresh, tasty, and fairly healthy. Added bonuses are that there's one close to home and we all like it. It's hard to beat for a quick dinner when no one feels like cooking or we are behind on our shopping.





The base for all of their dishes is a fresh tasting rice, with just a hint of lime and cilantro. One of the employees who worked there told me that there's no oil in it, but I just don't believe it. It's not at all sticky and the grains are smooth and moist, so I'm guessing that it contains a good bit of oil.

When Chloe suggested that we make burritos at home recently, I told her that we'd recreate our own homemade version of Chipotle's rice. I only used a touch of oil, so our version was a bit stickier but it was still quite tasty. Also, we kept the flavor mild to ensure that it would keep its universal kid appeal, but if just Gabe and I were eating, we would have punched up the flavor by adding more cilantro and lime juice. The beauty is that because you add those flavors at the end, you can taste and adjust to suit yourselves.


The result was a hit, even before we added all the other fixings. We've now added burrito night into our regular repertoire, although I don't think our Chipotle addiction is going anywhere anytime soon. This week, we were away for the weekend so didn't shop, daily swim practice started, and I have been a bit under the weather. In other words, we were there last night.

As my very wise aunt said, "The one good thing about an addiction is that you always know how to satisfy it."

Cilantro Rice, Chipotle Style  

If you chop the cilantro and squeeze the limes while the rice is cooking, this dish is very quick to make.

Makes about 4 cups of cooked rice
15 minutes preparation and cooking time

2 cups Basmati rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 2 limes)

 Pour the rice into a strainer and run it under cold water to rinse it.

Heat the olive oil over low heat in a large stock pot. Add the rice and salt and stir to coat the rice with the oil. Add 3 cups of water and bring the water to a boil. Boil the rice for 1 minute, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork.

Add the lime juice and cilantro and stir.

Print Recipe

Weekend Snapshots: Adirondack Retreat

This past weekend we headed up to our cabin in the Adirondacks. It's a long schlep, but we've done it so many times that now when I start to wonder whether it is worth it the trouble to pack and drive, I remember how much of an escape it is.


We took a lesson from our spring break drive and left early in the morning, at 4:21 to be exact. Except for the actual waking up part, it was great. Even with one stop for food and restrooms and one unanticipated stop to clean up our poor car sick babe, we made it by 11 a.m. That gave us plenty of time to set up the cabin and still have lots of time for some to play and others to nap. I'll let you guess who did what.

The spring has been very wet there, which meant that most of the beach was underwater and the mosquitos were the worst I have ever seen.

But no matter, the kids swam in the (freezing cold) lake, and we canoed, rowed, walked, played games, rested, and ate, all with friends that made it much more fun. It was great to have time to just sit, maybe to read or maybe not. Sometimes I found myself just staring at the lake. It was a rare treat during this hectic time of year.

The children caught a tiny turtle whose first and middle names were Amazile Gracie Ivanovich Pee Wee Herman.

But no one had more fun than our furry friend, who ran free and wild except when we had to restrain him so that he wouldn't retrieve the children when they were swimming.

This Moment: May 29, 2010

Inspired by SouleMama, here is a snapshot of a moment from the week that I want to capture, savor, and remember.  Feel free to leave a link to your moment in the comment section.

Disinfectant Scrub

As promised, here is the recipe for the other homemade cleaning product that we use regularly, a scrub for the bathrooms and the kitchen. Again, it has Dr. Bronners as the base, and baking soda gives it some graininess to make it a good scrub. It also has vinegar in it, which I think is to give it a bit of bubble as well as for its cleaning properties. (If you've never made baking soda and vinegar volcanoes with your kids I highly recommend trying it. . . outside.)

The teatree oil has antibacterial and antifungal properties so it is perfect for the bathroom. If you do not need a disinfectant, though, you can substitute some of that addictive grapefruit oil for the teatree and lavendar oils.

This scrub is also a snap to make, although I have to admit that Gabe has become the regular maker and shaker these days.

Disinfectant Scrub

10 minutes preparation time

I usually buy the oils for this recipe right from Virginia, which you can do too. Just send me an e-mail and I will send you her contact information. They are also available at many grocery stores. We have bought them at Whole Foods and I understand that they are also available at MOM's Organic Market in this area.  When you are looking to buy the oil, note that it need not be food-grade quality, which is usually more expensive.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups of scrub
10 minutes preparation time

1 1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup Dr. Bronner's Unscented Pure Castille Soap
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons tea tree essential oil
2 teaspoons lavender essential oil

Mix all the ingredients together and add about 1 1/2 cups of water. Stir the mixture until the baking soda has dissolved into the water. The mixture will dry out over time. If necessary, add more water and mix again. Use on sinks, tubs, showers, toilets, shower walls, etc. 

Print Recipe

Rhubarb-Apple Turnovers

One of the cookbooks that I have been using frequently of late is Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table. The book is full of fairly simple but delicious recipes that are perfect for either a casual dinner or a fancier dinner party. It has been an excellent source of inspiration, especially for our Sunday Suppers.

It is natural, then, that I turned to Greenspan's book to give me some ideas for rhubarb, my current obsession. I had already made a galette a few times, as well as a variation using filo dough. This weekend I also made rhubarb-thyme compote, throwing in some strawberries for good measure.

We had gotten some apples from the farmers' market along with our rhubarb and I thought the two would be delicious together. Greenspan's book has a recipe for Compote de Pommes, and in the margin, she gave instructions for turning the compote into apple turnovers. A few minor tweaks and I had a lovely variation that uses rhubarb. These sweet little turnovers are just big enough to hold in your hand, the perfect little hand pie.

The puff pastry gives the turnovers a light, crunchy texture which is a nice contrast to the sauce in the filling. Because they are made with prepared puff pastry dough, they don't take too long to put together and are perfect for a snack or a party.

As obsessions go, I'm definitely enjoying this one.

Second Helping: Rhubarb-Mint Popsicles (hmmmm, apparently, I was gorging on rhubarb last year, too)
Thirds: Candied Ginger Scones

Rhubarb-Apple Turnovers

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table
Makes about 18 turnovers
30 minutes preparation time, plus a couple of hours to defrost the puff pastry)
approximately 20 minutes baking time

1 14-ounce sheet puff pastry dough (I used Dufour)
3 large stalks of rhubarb, scrubbed and diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 large apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (about 5 cups)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus extra to sprinkle on top
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 egg, lightly beaten

If your puff pastry comes frozen, put it in the refrigerator to defrost for a couple of hours before you need it.

Put the apples and rhubarb in a small stockpot with a splash of water to keep them from sticking. Add the sugar and stir. Put the pot over medium heat, cover it, and bring it to a simmer. Simmer until the fruit is meltingly soft, about 15 minutes. Mash the fruit slightly with a bean masher or a wooden spoon. Add the vanilla and butter, and stir. Set the mixture aside while you roll out the dough.

Lightly flour a work surface. Unfold the puff pastry dough and lay it out on the work surface. Lightly flour the top of the dough and roll it with a rolling pin until it is very thin. The thinness doesn't matter too much, but the thinner it is, the better the ratio of dough to filling will be, and the more you will be able to make.

Cut the dough into approximately 4-inch circles using the edge of a saucer or whatever other implement you have handy. (I made mine 3-inches, and I think a larger size is better because it will allow more filling per pastry).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Scoop a tablespoon of the rhubarb-apple mixture onto one half of each circle of dough, leaving about a half inch border around the edge. Brush the border of the circle with egg and fold the dough over to make a half circle. Using the tines of a fork, press the dough onto itself to seal it.  (If you don't seal it completely, the sauce will ooze out as it cooks. This happened with lots of ours which actually is not the worst thing in the world.

Sprinkle the top of each turnover with a bit of sugar and poke a couple of holes in the top of each turnover.

Bake the turnovers until they are golden brown and the filling begins to ooze out of the steam holes, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Print Recipe

Ramp Pesto

Ramps are only available for a short time each spring, making them one of those foods that marks the season. They have a mild onion-y flavor, which is fresh and bright, capturing perfectly the taste of spring.

I got the idea to make a pesto out of ramps from this recipe on Food 52, but of course I had to change it up a bit. I added some of the whites of the ramps, which pack a punch. Tasting a sliver raw reminded me of tasting a raw garlic clove. Because traditional basil pesto usually includes garlic, I thought that adding some of them would have the same effect as adding a pungent flavor to the pesto.

I also used pecans instead of walnuts or pine nuts because I made the mistake of looking away while I was holding down the handle on the bulk bin at Whole Foods. $24 later, I began thinking of ways to consume lots of pecans. The combination of the green freshness of the ramps and the sweet nuttiness of the pecans was very tasty. 

This pesto would be excellent on pizza or a sandwich, but being the pasta lovers that we are, we had it with pasta. It can be made in the time it takes the pasta to cook. For us, it was the perfect quick meal before heading out to baseball practice. Spring indeed.

Second Helping: Pea Shoot Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce
Thirds: Pressure Cooker Saffron and Artichoke Risotto

Ramp Pesto

 

Makes approximately 3/4 cup, enough for 1 pound of pasta
20 minutes preparation time 

 2 cups coarsley chopped and loosley packed ramp leaves (about 1 bunch)
2 teaspoons ramp whites, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup pecans
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup grated parmesan

Put all of the ingredients except the olive oil and parmesan in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until the mixture is well-incorporated, but still a bit chunky.  With the food processor running, pour in the olive oil until it is completely incorporated. Add the parmesan and pulse once or twice. Serve with the carb of your choice.

Print Recipe

Grapefruit All-Purpose Cleaning Spray

A few years ago, as our children got old enough to start helping more with household chores, I had a moment of horror as I watched one of them grab a rag and start scrubbing with one of the commercial products that we were using at the time. The thought of bleach and who knows what other chemicals touching my little ones' hands was frightening. I shooed them off, opened the windows for a bit of ventilation and started thinking.

If those cleaning supplies were toxic for the children, they probably weren't too good for adults, either. I was very excited then, when a fellow pre-school mom offered a class at our school's silent auction to learn to make homemade, safe cleaning products. It was quite an eye opener.

Virginia has a business, called Flora and Fauna, giving workshops and selling cleaning supplies. She showed us how to make a variety of cleaning products that day, but she is much more ambitious than I am, so I have winnowed it down to two products. One is a spray for general cleaning such as kitchen counters, walls, etc., and the other is a scrub that we use primarily in the bathrooms and the kitchen.

Both use Dr. Bronner's Pure Castille Soap as a base, and the scrub adds vinegar and baking soda, those classic cleaning supplies, to give it some added scrubbing punch.  My favorite of the two is the spray. I have found it to be the best for cleaning the countertops in the kitchen. It cuts through whatever mess we have left behind without leaving a residue or just smearing the dirt around. (I'll post the recipe for the scrub next week.)

The other thing I love about it is the scent. Virginia recommended adding grapefruit oil for a fresh scent and I don't know if it has ever been studied, but I am fairly certain that it has some addictive property. I'm telling you that one whiff and you will be looking for opportunities to pull out that spray bottle just so you can get another hit. And I'm not the only one.

Happy Spring cleaning!

Grapefruit All-Purpose Cleaning Spray

I bought the oils for this recipe right from Virginia, which you can do too, by contacting her directly. Just e-mail me and I'll send you her contact information. I understand that they are also available at many grocery stores, too, including MOM's Organic Market in this area.  When you are looking to buy the oil, note that it need not be food-grade quality, which is usually more expensive.

Makes about 2 cups
10 minutes preparation time

1 tablespoon Dr. Bronner's Unscented Pure Castille Soap
1 teaspoon grapefruit essential oil

Mix the Castille soap and grapefruit oil together in a spray bottle. Add 2 cups of water. Put the top on and gently shake the bottle to mix the ingredients together. Use on countertops, walls, tile, stove, sink, etc.

Print Recipe

Happy Mother's Day

I have had a number of perfectly awful Mother's Days. I vaguely remember huge tantrums, and I know that I have actually whined to our children, "But it's Mother's Day. Can't you please get along/be nice/get dressed...!"

Fortunately, though, I have a terrible memory and those days are just a fuzzy recollection. I won't think about them any more today. Today I will think about how grateful I am to be a mother. I look at my children -- even as they drive me mad -- and I can't believe they have come into this world. Such a gift.  I have made so many mistakes as a mother, but I think the best gift we can give ourselves and our mothers is to forgive all of the mistakes and flaws. Without our mother's mistakes, we would not be the people we are today and it must be that our children too will learn and grow from our errors. This is what I will think of today. Are you with me?

Happy Mother's Day!