Category Archives: vegetarian

Squash Salad

We’re not talking roasted and we’re not talking about zucchini.

We are talking about raw butternut squash.

Yep – raw.

And no, I have not converted to an all raw, vegan diet. Thanks to Lydia I was inspired to just simply try something new. And I like to make new and interesting things for my mom, who does happen to enjoy eating very healthy.

I decided to make a salad rather than a “slaw” as Lydia did based on the fact that the spinach in the store looked really good. I added walnuts because they were already in the house. I kept my salad simple for mom but the addition of your favorite crumbly cheese would put it over the top I think. The real star here was the dressing which I modified a bit from Lydia’s.

Don’t knock the raw squash until you try it. Even my red-meat loving, Irish-American guy appeared to eat some. I served it as part of a Mother’s day brunch with french toast and watermelon at the world’s most beautiful dining room.

Caution: use a machine to slice the raw squash thin, as I did for salad or shred it for slaw.

Caution: use a machine to slice the raw squash thin, as I did for salad or shred it for slaw.


Production Notes:

The dressing is adapted from Lydia’s recipe because my mom likes things a little sweeter.

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp Apple Cider vinegar
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Kosher salt and fresh black pepper, to taste

Move Over Blueberries….

…You don’t have to rule the pancake world! Other berries can play too!!

Inspired the other day by Trisha’s blueberry pancakes but not having any blueberries (or sour cream) on hand, I had to make a few changes to the original recipe.

I almost always have fresh strawberries in the fridge and so I thought “why let blueberries have all the fun?”

Strawberries and lemon posing for their "beauty shot"I just cut the strawberries into smaller chunks so they would distribute evenly in the pancake batter and have a chance to “cook” a bit in the brief time that a pancake stays on the griddle.

I also went a little heavier on the lemon zest than the recipe advised, because really, “who doesn’t love a little lemon?!”

With the substitution of some low-fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, these pancakes turn out so light and yummy. You don’t feel weighted down after eating 3 or maybe like 6. (they were small!)

Make sure to use real maple syrup and for a little something extra, warm the syrup and add just a tiny dash of cinnamon to it.

Also a good trick is to cool all the extra pancakes on a rack and then package them for the freezer in singles or enough to make a serving. They can be pulled out and heated up in your toaster – just like those ones that “pop” out of your toaster only with out all the artificial flavors/colors.

pancakes 2

It’s All About The Frosting

Obviously right?

When it comes to cupcakes, it is definitely about frosting. Wedding cake – definitely the frosting (and the many layers of it in between). What about the glaze on the coffee cake: usually the best part. I consider finding a cake (or cupcake) that is actually moist and delicious, along with its wonderful frosting, something along the lines of hitting the lottery. When I have a sweet tooth, the high standards come out to play!

That is why I generally don’t bake. I like to leave it to the pros. (Quick shout out to my neighbor Meaghan who leaves those cupcake chains in the dust with her skills!)

But every once in a while I get my “Betty” on and whip up a baked good. This time I combined a craving for orange juice and walnuts.  I was shooting for “orange-walnut sour cream coffee cake” and ended up with “not really what want I wanted but totally awesome cream cheese frosting.”

I basically checked out a few versions of the cream cheese frosting online and saw that most involved cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar. I threw in some chopped walnuts for crunch. YUM!

As for the cake… I am not  even going to bother finding the scrap piece of paper around this house somewhere with the cake recipe written on it, because it just wasn’t that good.

But the frosting…..

Enough frosting can save any cake!

Enough frosting can save any cake!

The Sunflower Surprise

Lately I have been experimenting with oils other than olive. There is quite a lot out there when you really look.

I had been using walnut oil for my salad dressings but I found it to be fairly neutral in taste and kinda “oily.” I know that is weird because it IS oil but it was just not the same as olive oil.

Pumpkin seed oil is nice but very expensive.

So the other day I noticed “sunflower oil” on the shelf. Organic and “first cold pressed” no less. And a fairly reasonable price. So I bought it and tried it. To my surprise it was quite good. It has a distinct nutty flavor (obviously of sunflower seeds) and a great thick texture to it. It is like warm and cozy version of extra virgin olive oil. It doesn’t have the sometimes bitter, green taste that is prized in olive oils.

Although the label suggests to only use it for salad dressings and drizzles (which I will definitely do) I decided to use for roasting my veggies. Kinda like when people use EVOO for roasting and cooking even though it is meant to be used in dressings and drizzles.

So what veggie would I try this on?

Well, there has been a lot of conversation flying around the blogs about cauliflower lately – apparently some folks love it and some don’t. You know who you are ;-)

Well I love it and when I found this fresh beauty at the store recently, I knew I had to have it.

beautiful cauliflower

So I cut it up and tossed it with my new sunflower oil, salt, pepper and a little dried rosemary. And some carrots.

add a little oil and seasoning

Into a hot 400 degree oven until they were toasty and delicious!

roasted veggie goodness

Enjoyed on its own or as a tasty side dish to something else – these veggies were delicious wrapped in a subtle perfume of toasted sunflower seeds and rosemary.

Too Much Quinoa!

“Wait! There can never be too much quinoa!”  That was just what you were thinking, right?

Well I love this new darling of the culinary world as much as the next person, but sometimes you just get tired of eating the same leftovers again and again – even if it is a super food!

It started out innocently enough with plans for a quinoa salad that I could munch on for a couple of days this week. I got my rice cooker out because that is how I cook my quinoa – it’s perfect every time.

I also had some leftover carrot and celery sticks, and some extra fresh herbs and cherry tomatoes in the fridge.

So I started a mirepoix:

mire poix

When the veggies were softened, off  the heat, I added: a pint of split cherry tomatoes, 2-3 tablespoons of chopped basil, 1  jar of capers, (3.5oz -drained) 1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley, the juice and zest of 1 large lemon and 1 tablespoon of Herb de Provence seasoning.

Looks good just as it is right?

delicious on it's own!

I mean personally I could stop right there and eat this by the spoonful. Or on toasted bread or mixed with pasta. Or with a can of white beans. Which is exactly what I added because I thought that might really give some “heft” to this salad. Again, at this point with the beans added, you had a complete meal all done. You could just stop there.

But I decided it would be terrific with my cooked and cooled quinoa.

All 6+ cups of it!!!

Why 6 cups??   Because as I was pouring out a dry cup of uncooked quinoa, I thought.. “why don’t I double it because it is great to have in the fridge to throw in stuff. Right?” So two cups of dry quinoa went into the rice cooker with 4 cups of water. Math not really being my strong point, I didn’t think about the fact that this would yield at least 6 cups of cooked quinoa.

So I ended up with a giant party-sized bowl of salad. It needed a little seasoning adjustment, salt, pepper-more lemon at the end because although the initial mix was super flavorful, it got a little diluted in the “sea of quinoa.”

quinoa salad

My advice is next time use half as much quinoa or double the amount of the other stuff and invite 12 people over.

Check out a “winter salad” version here.

“Hakuna Frittata”

Loosely translates to “no worries egg dish”

Although a frittata IS an easy egg dish and a great way to use up whatever is hanging around your kitchen, for us, making one instantly has us singing tunes from “The Lion King.”    As in “Hakuna Frittata” – corny right?

(Kinda of like when I make “empanadas” and we sing the song “Desparado!”)

Anyway this one started out because I had a bag of spinach hanging around needing to be used up and some of the baby gold potatoes.

spinachin the pan

So I sliced up the baby gold potatoes (about a 1/4″ thick) and layered them in a well-sprayed, oven proof 10″ saute pan with some butter on med heat to start softening while I prepped (de-stem the spinach, crack eggs and pour cream) the other stuff. Turn the heat off and add all the goodies in first on top of the potatoes:

1/2 of an 8oz bag of spinach (raw), about 4 oz. crumbled feta, about 8 sundried tomatoes chopped small, plenty of salt and pepper, a shake of garlic powder for a little “warmth.”

And than the liquids get poured carefully over this – I used about a cup of “half and half” ( I was out of milk) and 8 large eggs. Make sure you whisk the eggs and cream (or milk) together first. A little more salt and pepper on top.

ready for the oven

Pop this into a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 mins or until the middle is set and fluffy. Kinda like this….

out of the oven

Now be patient and let it cool a bit – this is best served, and slices cleaner, if you let it cool significantly. This frittata is filling and satisfying, yet deceiving in that it is light. But it is by no means “diet food.” My husband loved it and that is saying a lot since he doesn’t eat anything that might seem at all like “diet food.”

Might I suggest a glass of wine and some crusty warm bread with this?

have a slice

Green Bling

Most girls would consider “bling” something along the lines of diamonds. Maybe even just some really nice costume jewelry.

But for me “bling” comes in the form of food.  “Food bling” is one those items that wasn’t on your grocery list. You weren’t even thinking about it when you walked in. But there from across the aisle, hiding behind some stacked bulk sale items, it catches your eye. Suddenly you have forgotten what you even came in for. Because all you can think about is rationalizing this “bling” purchase that you can’t live without!

My "green bling"

My “green bling”

When I saw this gorgeous asparagus, so fresh and healthy looking, everything else just faded away. I disregarded any seasonality, had no idea if it was organic, I just knew I had to have it. (Okay I admit, it was on sale too – that helped.)

But how would I use it?

With something equally glamorous of course….

"red rice"

“red rice”

My mom discovered this lovely colored, nutritional wonder on a recent trip. Upon returning home she has incorporated it into her diet and was nice enough to give me some extra cooked rice last time I was visiting. I was waiting for just the right partner to use it with.

Behold the red rice salad…

rice and asparagus salad

First I  jazzed things up by sauteing a small diced onion, minced garlic, and a pinch of red chili flakes in some olive oil. Than I added my freshly washed and cut asparagus. ( no pre-blanching for me – just let the water from washing them add a little “steam action” to your pan.) Once those were on their way, I added in my cooked rice – really just to heat it through and marry the flavors. Keep an eye on it – if it seems dry add some more olive oil or just a little water if you want to keep the fat/calories down. Salt and pepper to taste. ( don’t be shy with this – it is a simple dish)  At the end I splashed in a little rice vinegar to perk things up. (That easily could have been lemon juice instead.)  Topped it with a little crumbled feta. (low fat even!) Serve warm, serve room temperature, serve chilled. (but not cold) But whichever way you choose, you will be able to fully justify this “bling” once you taste it.

P.S. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day and Evacuation Day!

Thank You TJ’s

That is “Trader Joe’s” for the uninitiated.  I like this store for certain things – organic frozen items, unusual but healthy snack things, and prepared things like: already cooked beets or in this case already cooked lentils. Yup admitting it right here and now. I purchased precooked lentils. And I can justify the under $3 price for like 10 servings of lentils. (I already threw the box out, but it was a lot, like enough-for-a-party-lot.)

And by the time I truck over to “whole paycheck” and buy in bulk, bring them home and inevitably over cook them, I already have enjoyed a quick nutritious lunch. For several days.

It couldn’t have been simpler: A chopped sweet red pepper, some finely diced red onion, some cubed bits of cucumber, some crumbled feta and a quick dressing of oil, vinegar and Italian seasoning. What could be easier. That is why I thank TJ’s – for making my healthy eating just a little bit more convenient.

lentil salad

P.S. for some fun reading check out the raging debate over these very lentils at chowhound. Jeez these people ought to lighten up!

P.P.S. I did not receive any promotional considerations for this product review but TJ’s if you are listening.. feel free to send free stuff!

Chasing JoJos

Still trying to recreate the mythical JoJos of my youth.

If you haven’t had or heard of JoJos – you can read my last posting about them here or if that is too much clicking here is a short review…

Potatoes, scrubbed but skin on, cut length-wise, quarters and maybe quarters again. Coated in a delicious crispy coating, crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside.

But these are not steak fries. They are JoJos – think “chicken fried potatoes.” Except the real ones are “broasted!”

But on this JoJo day I was inspired to make some crispy coated, oven-baked versions.

Mary was my husband’s uncle’s mother-in-law (better take a minute on that one) and she apparently made the best potatoes. One time last summer I actually had the pleasure of meeting her and of course I managed to work the topic into conversation and although no real recipe was given – I gleaned enough to get the idea that she was basically making an Italian oven-baked JoJo.

From what I could gather there was butter and lots of it. Some breadcrumbs. The seasoning – Italian blend in her case. And don’t “fahget the Paaaarmm Ma.” (That is Massachusetts vernacular for “don’t leave out the Parmesan cheese mom.”) And plenty of tossing and turning in the pan during cooking time.

So I blended up a mix of seasoned bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, some seasonings (mostly Italian in nature) that I annoyingly and uncharacteristically forgot to write down and tossed the raw potato wedges in hot melted butter before coating them in the breadcrumb mix and baking in a hot (400-425 degrees) oven. I tossed them carefully, several times, during cooking to ensure even crispy-ness and to make sure no butter got left behind in the pan. About a total of 30 mins +/- Basically until the thickest wedge is fork tender.

They were delicious!

Crispy and delicious, but definitely not "broasted!"

Crispy and delicious, but definitely not “broasted!”

Impossibly GOOD Coconut Pie

And impossibly EASY.

In fact that is the name of the recipe: Impossibly Easy Coconut Pie. Which I got here.

Thank you Betty!

Think "cheesecake consistency with out all the heaviness, tanginess and the guilt!"

Think “cheesecake consistency” without all the heaviness, tanginess and the guilt!

 

This mixes up in about 4 minutes and bakes up perfectly in a glass pie dish. You can just serve warm slices from that.

However, I made it a day ahead and let it cool completely and was able to flip it out and onto a nice plate/platter for presentation, garnish and refrigerate until serving time. If you make ahead and platter it like I did, I would bring it out of the fridge about 20-30 mins before serving so it will be cool but not cold. Cover with plastic wrap while hanging in the fridge so it stays moist.

Although delicious plain, just as is, I added extra shredded coconut on top for garnish and heated some frozen mixed berries with a little honey to serve warm on top. But this would also be very delicious with chocolate sauce. Or maybe pineapple sauce. The combinations are endless.

Just try it. You will love this EASY dessert!

(Betty – you can feel free to contact me via email to “thank me” for endorsing your recipe/product! ;-) )

Rutabaga or Turnip? You Decide

I thought I knew the difference. I went to the store in search of turnips. I found them and thought “this might be big for a turnip”  but the store sign in the produce section said “turnips.”  I did think turnips were smaller and whiter and had purple tops. But then again this looked a lot like that too – just bigger.

But the scanner at checkout called it Rutabaga. Even the professionals don’t know!

Oh well… both are delicious.

But for the record, and after doing a little research, I now know I purchased a Rutabaga.

See “Exhibit A” below – unpeeled and peeled

turnip or rutabaga peeled

A Short History

Turnips are smaller, white and have purple tops and have been around “cultivar-ly” speaking for much longer. As in… the Romans were eating it.

Rutabagas are apparently a cross between cabbage and turnip and were really discovered in the early 1600′s. They are also much larger and have a yellow flesh which turns a full shade of orange with cooking.

Generally you would prepare them about the same. Peel them and steam or roast. Salt and pepper to taste with a little butter is really all you need. Since mine was huge and I wanted to cook it with ease. I peeled and cubed mine into large chunks, which I tossed with salt and pepper and a couple of tablespoons of butter and maybe a 1/4 cup of water and put in a covered dish to ‘bake-steam’ in the oven alongside my main event.

See “Exhibit B” below – uncooked and cooked

cubed and ready tocookcooked

To Mash or Not To Mash?

Now I thought they were delicious as is, but my traditional Irish-American husband who was reliving the turnips of his youth needed them mashed. Also very good. And if you bought a huge one like I did, you can freeze the extra cooked amount and heat up another time or use it for an interesting alternative to the mashed potato topping on Cottage or Shepard’s Pie!

mashed

Holiday Snacking

I never met a cheese I didn’t like and of course we all know my obsession with Robusto. So it seems shocking that I would consider any other cheese. However, just before Christmas, when I was perusing the Whole Foods cheese department (okay you got me…I was actually eating them out of all their samples)- I was inspired to set up a little cheese board.

Anybody who has shopped there and spent any time in the cheese department may have seen a little basket tucked away by the olive bar full of cheese odds and ends. I love it because it is a great way to sample some pretty fancy cheeses without committing to a big expensive piece. On this day I struck gold with some fairly decent size pieces. I saw a plan for a forming.

I got a little fancy on the cheese board and offered the fig spread that is so good with cheese and crackers. And when I was over in produce they had the most beautiful little Satsuma Mandarins, so I peeled a few of those into a pretty dish and used some whole ones with their wonderful greens.

I didn’t worry about “pairing” my cheeses or complimenting flavors, I just went with what was in the basket of odds and ends. Oh, but I must confess, after eating an embarrassing amount of samples I did buy a full size wedge of the Parrano Gouda. It was the least I could do.  But no need to worry Robusto – you remain my first and true love!

Since I was only hosting a couple of folks – this and some homemade cheese straws were all that was needed to kick off dinner!

holiday snacks

Sadie Sprague

I have never met Sadie but she gave me something special once a long time ago…

…Her banana nut bread recipe via my 1982 edition of  “Just For You…A Cookbook” published by the First Baptist Church of Weston, Massachusetts.

I can’t even remember how I acquired this cookbook. Perhaps we randomly stopped in at the church fund-raiser/rummage sale as we were passing through? More likely I picked it up at a yard sale in New Hampshire where one of the former church members must have relocated. No matter how I got it – I love it. From Janet Yurkus’ spinach dip to Sylvia Akers’ sweet-n-sour pork to Mary D’s lemon squares.

And of course the banana nut bread. Sadie’s recipe.

There isn’t any crazy ingredients or techniques – just a simple, reliable recipe. Sometimes I add the nuts and sometimes I don’t. When I want it to stand in as the dessert I add a dash of vanilla and a generous shake of cinnamon. Other times I cut back on the sugar just a tad and let the natural sweetness of the fruit do the talking. That is the thing about recipes – they are personal.

As for Sadie, a quick check on the internet, indicated she might still be alive at the ripe old age of 99 years old, right there in her same hometown. Probably still cooking banana nut bread for the church fund-raisers every year.

Thanks Sadie!

Banana Bread as dessert this year at the Thanksgiving day table. I got a little fancy on top with a split banana and some brown sugar!
 

The Recipe

(Adapted from Sadie.)
 

1/2 cup Salted butter, fully softened

1 cup Regular white sugar

2 Eggs beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1-2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 cups AP flour, sifted

1/4 tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Baking Powder

2 Large Ripe Bananas, mashed

1 Large Banana, split length-wise

Tablespoon of brown sugar to sprinkle on top

Nuts optional – 1/2 cup chopped walnuts is always nice.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and mix 30 secs more. Sift together the flour, soda, powder and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and stir well. Add 2 mashed bananas and nuts if using. Turn into a greased loaf pan. Place the split banana on top and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. (Keep an eye, depending on whether you are using glass or metal pans you may want to pull out at 50 mins.) I like to turn mine out to cool a bit and then you can return to the baking dish for storage or wrap tightly for transport and gift giving. Best served slightly warm, slathered with butter.

 

A “Soup-er” Thanksgiving!

This year I decided to try my hand at soup. Not just any soup but “pumpkin bisque.”

Now I would love to tell you that I used a pumpkin grown right in my yard. All organic and local and freshly roasted in my oven the day before.

But the truth of the matter is that even though I did actually grow a little sugar pumpkin this year in my front yard. (This picture is really from my front yard!!) It was just too cute (and too small!) to really be cooked. Plus I really liked admiring my handiwork once I picked it and put it on the front steps for fall!

So I did what anybody in their right mind would do. I bought organic, 100% pure pumpkin in a can. And you know what…it was delicious!
In fact it was “Soup-er!”

After doing a little research on soups, I settled on a simple approach. Apples for sweetness and whole milk for creaminess. A little roasted garlic goes a long way towards giving a warm “undertone.” I also decided to get fancy and make my own little brown-butter croutons and some fried sage. (Which by the way was harvested from my back yard herb garden!) I served it with wedges of Parmesan-sage cornbread.

The Recipe

2 cans (15oz) 100% pumpkin puree

1 box (32oz) low-sodium vegetable broth

1 apple peeled, cored and finely chopped

2 tb butter

2 cups +/-whole milk (depends on how creamy you want it)

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1 tb fresh sage, finely minced

1 or 2 small cloves of roasted garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Saute the apple, sage and ginger in the butter until the apples are soft and slightly caramelized. Maybe 4-5 mins. Add the pumpkin and kinda ‘toast” it for another minute or two. De-glaze the pan with the broth. Puree the soup in the pan with one of those immersible stick blenders. ( If you don’t have one – get one – they are worth it! or I suppose you could use a blender and transfer it back to the pot.) At this point I taste for seasoning adding salt/pepper and if you want it sweeter, add some apple sauce or apple cider. I also judge at this point if I want to serve this quantity. Since I was serving a small crowd, I actually removed half of this from the pan, cooled and froze it as a “soup starter” for another day. THEN I added the whole milk (1 to 2 cups) to the remainder of the soup to create a creamy bisque. I just added and stirred until it got to the consistency that was right for me. Now I let this simmer on very low, covered until time to serve. The soup starter in the freezer can just be defrosted another day, heated up and have the milk added at that time.

Crostata

The other night I had a little sweet tooth and only one of the pre-made rolled pie doughs that come two-to-a-red box. (you know the ones right?) I made a Crostata. Watch out we’re getting fancy ’round here.

A Crostata is a rustic yet elegant fruit dessert – kinda like a tart but more free form. Italian in origin, it can also sometimes have pastry cream on the bottom with fruit on top. I didn’t feel the need to bust out a pastry cream.

Basically when you add sugar and a few spices to practically any fruit and throw that into any form of pastry – pie, puff or whatever – it is gonna be good and it is going to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Since I had some of these delicious little gems: Pineapple Tomatillos on hand, I decided to use these as my filling.  If you ever run across these in your farmers market – buy them immediately. They are very delicious, tiny, unusual bite size fruit!

So as I husked my pint of these and I decided I had better add some other fruit to give the Crostata enough filling. An apple seemed like a good idea and I had a few fresh, early fall ones already in the fridge.

I was feeling fancy so I arrange it all pretty in the crust.

       

Add in a  dash of ground ginger, a dash of nutmeg, some brown sugar, butter cubes and a little cornstarch to hold it altogether. I also decided to use up this random orange I had in the fridge by squeezing the juice and pulp on top.  Even though the tomatillos taste like little pineapples, they don’t have that actual citrus bite. So I thought the orange would just brighten everything up.

Now it was ready for the oven. You know what they say… make’em cold, bake’em hot!  I decided I better safely bake mine inside a dish with sides – like my pie dish – because baking on a sheet pan, even on parchment, just seemed like a risk of losing all that sweet fruity filling.

Once it comes out of the oven – resist the urge to cut into it right away. Instead let it cool quite a bit. Just like pie (and lasagna) it has to cool a bit so the filling can stay together for the slices.

Buon Appetito!

Special thanks to Steve at The Depot farm stand for supplying these little jewels!

Dad’s Pear Tree

There is a pear tree in my parent’s yard. It has been there forever. I don’t know if my dad planted it or if it was there when they bought the property and built the house over 40 years ago. It’s just always been there.

It has seen some history: I wiped out on my bicycle on the driveway below it and I am sure I had some near misses with it as a new car driver. I know my dad bit into a pear every year only to be disappointed in its impossibly tough and sometimes wormy interior. He would complain and ponder why such a promising fruit tree never amounted too much.

Then my dad passed away in early spring 2011 and that very year and this year too it made the most wonderful pears. Large and unblemished. He would have loved them.

So when my mother brought down a whole bag full on recent visit to my house, I decided to bake with them.

There is nothing easier than pulling open the freezer and grabbing a package of pre-made dough rounds, otherwise know as “discos.” So I mixed up the diced pears with a little brown sugar, ground ginger, dash of ground nutmeg, dash of salt , bit of cornstarch and a pat of butter for each little pear turnover.

Brush them with a little melted butter and sprinkle a little sugar on, bake them at 400 degrees until done. Don’t burn your mouth on the hot filling!

He would have loved these!

Labor of Love

It seemed very fitting to spend my labor day making “sauce” for the freezer out of the abundance of tomatoes from the garden this year. Although my plants caught a tomato blight and leaves started turning yellow and spotty in August; I still managed to reap pounds of tomatoes from my 12 plants.

Mostly heirloom varieties (Brandywine, Mortgage Lifters) but a couple common varieties too. (Early Girl, Best Boy)

A lot of folks might swear by the more popular “Roma” variety for their sauce-making. They are prized for the large amount of flesh versus juice, resulting in a thick, rich sauce. But I personally think any tomato is a great tomato. And you can read about my “tomato problem” here. It is all about how much love you put into it.

My recipe is different every time and I don’t measure, but it always includes some basics….

Tomatoes, onion, garlic, a grated carrot or two for extra sweetness and this time I included some mini sweet bell peppers that I happened to have on hand. Also always included but not seen here is: red chili flakes, a small can of tomato paste, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, a parm rind and herbs: oregano, basil and marjoram. Fresh is best but dried works great too! (No the bags of apples and pears were not included – they just made a good backdrop for the photo!)

First the labor…

Some folks blanch/peel the tomatoes first – ummm… too much work for me. Some strain out the seeds – do it if you want. I don’t mind all that extra fiber and I “whiz” it all up at the end anyway. TIP: Drain the scraps as you cut and use the extra “tomato water” in the sauce – no waste!)

Next comes the love….

This is the onions, garlic and finely grated carrots slowly softening in a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Go low and slow; careful not to put too much color on the garlic.  Add in your finely diced sweet bell pepper and saute some more. (This gives it a little undertone of “cacciatore.”) Add in the chili flakes and the tomato paste and let that toast a bit too.  Than add a few generous dashes of Worcestershire sauce (my secret weapon) and a little water to de-glaze the pan. Than you are ready for all those tomatoes!

Cook it slowly for several hours, with a leftover Parmesan cheese rind to add richness.  Tasting and adjusting seasoning along the way. If  using fresh herbs, I like to add in the last hour of simmer AFTER I have used my immersion blender to blend all but the parm rind up. That way the sauce and herbs keeps its “fresh” flavor. If I am using dried herbs I add them way back when I add the tomato paste and chili flakes to sort of “toast” them too.

Now the reward… ( A couple of gallon bags of sauce for the freezer!)

Birthday à la Julia

When I was little the fanciest things always came from France.

That meant when your parents took you out to dinner on your birthday, of course you ordered the “chocolate mousse” right? Because it was fancy and from France! Now that I am all grown up I realize that fancy can be from anywhere and French food doesn’t have to be complicated!

August 15th was the 100th birthday of Julia Child. A person who demystified all that fancy, french food for home cooks everywhere. And through the magic of reruns, YouTube and food blogs – she’s still doing it!

I thought I would join in with other food bloggers (read more about her and this at PBS Food) and make something from my 1961 edition of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Who doesn’t like chocolate on their birthday? It had to be “mousseline au chocolat!”

I put some chocolate on to melt and got started! Not being much a dessert-maker, never mind a direction-follower, I really had to focus on this! But I followed the directions exactly and made only one minor alteration… I left out the orange liquor because I am not a big fan of that combination. I did splurge and made real whipped cream!

Bon Appétit & Bon Anniversaire!

If you are in Boston today you can join in a few local celebrations. If you visit Cambridge you can stop in and read all about her at the Schlesinger Library.

Breakfast With A View

For those of you who read about my “dinner in the most beautiful dining room in New Hampshire” in the past, you will most likely recognize this venue. It is the same wonderful screened in porch. Why would anybody go out to a restaurant brunch when you can gaze upon acres of lush, flowering gardens, woods and a pond complete with waterfall and “Monet” bridge! Oh and the food is pretty good too!

Sunday Brunch on the porch

Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, cheddar and chives, served with sun-dried tomato focaccia bread.

This lovely spot happens to be at my mother’s house and when we visit we always eat on the porch whenever possible and I usually try give her a break by doing any and all cooking/clean-up.

The sliced tomatoes  and the bread were leftover from last night’s “corn and tomatoes on the porch” dinner. The chives grow wild in her garden. I simply went out and plucked a handful. The cheddar is kept in the freezer for when I visit. (Mom doesn’t eat much cheese, but she stocks it for my visit because I am such a cheese addict! Thanks mom!) And she always has fresh eggs ready for our visits.

Simple, delicious and beautiful! Try it sometime!

We Interupt Our Reguarly Scheduled Programming…

…to announce the arrival of the “annual peach!”

(Cue heavenly angel music)

You can read about this annual event here.

In the meantime I will be taking a few minutes out to savor my peaches.

(Shhh I took two this year because it is my last year!)

Cobbled Fruit

While I wait around for this year’s annual peach, I thought I would make something with the nectarines that were on sale at the store recently.

Pie always has a lot pressure to be perfect and a Crisp is only about apples for me. So cobbler just seemed like the perfect thing to make with 2lbs of nectarines.

As usual I decided to just make the recipe up as I went along. After all, just reading the cookbooks is kinda like cooking from them right? I figured I have read enough cobbler recipes to handle it without actually following one.

I started by spraying the baking dish with non-stick spray and then layering in about 3/4 cup of light brown sugar that I mixed with a couple teaspoons of ground cinnamon and a pinch of salt first.

With sliced butter pats at the ready (don’t panic -it was a big pan of cobbler – 16 pieces of butter for 16 halves of fruit) I started to lay the nectarine halves face down with the butter nestled in the hollow of the fruit. I was thinking “upside down fruit dessert” at this point.

But my fruit was slightly under ripe so I ended up slicing them into wedges. I layered the fruit wedges on top of the sugar bottom, distributed the pats of butter and sprinkled a dusting of cornstarch across the top. Next came the cobbler topping. In this case a standard biscuit mix. I sweetened the mix up by adding a bit of sugar and flavored it with a dash of vanilla. Think “strawberry short-cake biscuits.” If you really wanted to get crazy you could cut in some more brown sugar with biscuit dough topping for more of a sweeter, strudel effect. I didn’t do that because I wanted the fruit to shine.

This turned out to be a delicious, not-too-sweet, dessert…if such a thing exists! However a little ice cream wouldn’t hurt next time!

Perfect Party Salad

Are you looking for a light, refreshing salad to serve at your next summer party? Something different from the standard potato and pasta salad?

Well not to toot my own horn but…”toot toot”….I have got just the thing for you!

Rice salad with veggies and a lemon-basil dressing.

I served this alongside some grilled pork tips that I marinated overnight but those could just as easily be fish, chicken, beef or turkey – whatever floats your boat!

But back to the salad…

Fresh, light and lemony – This can be made the night before (perfect party food!) and than just toss and re-season before serving. It would be nice to garnish with some lemon wedges, a fact I didn’t think about until after I took the picture. A food stylist I am not.

I used some of my favorite veggies – partly for taste and partly for color. (Zucchini and yellow bell pepper respectively)

Of course no dish is complete unless I can find a way to get tomatoes into it!

However can you guess what is missing? And I didn’t even miss it…. CHEESE!  Add some at your own option. Some crumbled feta might be nice.

The recipe

Serves A LOT – like 10-15 servings. Cut in half if you are not having a party.

2 cups raw rice cooked via your favorite method to yield about 6+/- cups cooked rice, cooled

1 medium zucchini, sliced thin (think “mandolin”) lengthwise to create ribbons, but you could just as easily dice.

1 large sweet yellow bell pepper, fine dice

3 small tomatoes, diced

2 cups chiffonade cut basil leaves (loose pack, measure after cutting)

3 lemons, zested and juiced. Will need about 3/4 to 1 cup juice.

1/2 + 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or other oil of choice

1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

Fresh minced garlic to taste, I like a couple teaspoons.

Plenty of salt and pepper

Combine the cooked rice, zucchini, lemon zest, yellow pepper and tomatoes by lightly tossing. Now gently stir in the 1/4 cup of oil to just moisten things.  In a separate bowl whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup of oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic and some salt/pepper. Now pour this dressing over the rice and veggies. Add the basil and gently fold to combine. You don’t want to bruise the basil leaves. Taste for seasoning – add more salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least an hour – longer if your cooked rice was still a little warm.

Production Notes

I used a nice white, long grain, Basmati rice and made sure to cook it carefully so the grains would be separate and fluffy. You could use your favorite rice instead – even brown! But I think a “sticky rice” (like sushi rice) might not make as nice of a fluffy salad.

Pineapple Rice

I have made this several times and yet it never really comes out they way I had it the first time when a co-worker brought some in for an office potluck. Shame on me for not getting the recipe. Shame on me for not researching the recipe from the at least 6 million that reside on the internet and several versions in cookbooks on my own shelves.

I just wing it every time and think that I can make it like the one I fell in love with. The versions I have made are okay, but they lack some certain depth of flavor that I can’t seem to get right.

Sometimes when I sit down to write a blog post (like say for example “pineapple rice”) I do a little internet search. Just seeing what is out there, where I might stand in the ranks. That sorta thing. What I realized is that I should have done that BEFORE I attempted my own version of pineapple rice. Because than I would have realized that the certain something mine always lacked was being FRIED.  As in pineapple FRIED rice!

Next time.

Yummy all alone or served with grilled chicken as shown here.

The recipe I used but…

I made this version entirely in my rice cooker which saved on labor but it would be more delicious if you just cooked the plain rice in the cooker and then “stir-fry” it with the other ingredients. Look at one of the millions of recipes on the internet for directions :-)

2 TB butter (or oil if you like)

1 smallish-mediumish onion diced

2 cups (measure dry) rinsed rice of your choice

2 cups +/- sliced sweet bell peppers – red and green mix

1 can (20oz) pineapple chunks – reserve the liquid separately (about 1 cup)

1 can (8oz) sliced water chestnuts

1 cup water or low-sodium stock of choice

2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 cup soy sauce ( I use a wheat free Tamari)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Non-stick cooking spray

Spray your rice cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Add the butter or oil in. Now layer the onions. Next the rice. Now the peppers. Turn on your rice cooker and give it about 10 mins. (mine only has 2 settings: cook and warm- I used “cook”) After about 10 min, open it up, stir things around. Nothing should be burning or sticking. Add the water chestnuts. Sprinkle the cumin, salt and pepper on. Now add the liquids: soy sauce, stock or water, reserved juice. Reset the rice cooker to “cook” and let it cycle through to “cook” rice as it normally would. When it switches over to “warm” ( that is what mine does when it is done) add the pineapple chunks, stir and serve when you are ready.

Radish Love

Like father like daughter goes the saying. And certainly when it comes to radishes that is very true for me.

My dad would sit down at night and watch TV with a bowl of freshly washed, trimmed radishes and eat them like candy bonbons. Now I love radishes too, but I generally don’t eat that many in one sitting. And frankly given a choice I would choose the bonbons over the radishes!

But I still incorporate radishes whenever I can into recipes. Recently that meant a spicy, salty, slightly sweet, extra crunchy coleslaw! This is delicious all on its own but is nice with BBQ, grilled meats or traditional hamburgers and hot dogs. You can make ahead -it will stay crunchy – but give it a toss before serving as the juices can settle at the bottom.

The Recipe (makes a ton!)

Slaw:

1 head of green cabbage shredded ( I got about 8 cups out of mine that day)

1 lb of radishes, shredded (wash and trim tops, bottom and any blemishes first)

a dozen or so very skinny green onions, wash, trim and slice small

2 cups fresh Cilantro – washed and chopped fairly fine. (loose pack, measure after chopping)

1 cup honey-roasted peanuts chopped (measure whole than chop) – keep a handful of whole ones for garnish

Combine the all the above ingredients and add dressing.

Dressing:

1 cup Mayo or Miracle whip – your choice

1/4 rice vinegar – unseasoned

1/4 cup white wine vinegar (apple cider would be nice too)

plenty of salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup regular white sugar (but you could probably use agave or sugar substitute – just start with less and taste as you go to determine perfect amount)

1 tb Sriracha -more if you like spicy (I use “Huy Fong” brand hot chili sauce)

1 tsp celery seed (a nod to tradition!)

mix vinegars and sugar until mostly dissolved. Add the rest and toss with the slaw. Refrigerate until nice and cold. Serve.

Spana-what?

Spanakopita.

As a child growing up with a very progressive and adventurous mother, I assumed everybody was eating Spanakopita AKA “spinach pie”.  (I also assumed everybody was eating Tabbouleh too but that is another posting, for another day.)

What? You weren’t? Well you were missing out. This is probably where my insane love of Feta cheese started. And my love of  “Phyllo dough” sometimes spelled “Fillo.”  Since I am not Greek, I have no idea what is correct or not correct. But you can check it out here.

So when fate dealt me an excessive amount of spinach in my fridge, and of course I am never without a large supply of Feta, I immediately decided it was time to try my hand at making my own “spinach pie.” I had also recently watched an episode of “The Chew” where Michael Symon made it look so easy.

I have trouble following directions, so I had to tinker with the recipe.

I decided to add a sliced tomato!

And while I was adding tomatoes, why not throw in all the extra fresh basil leaves I still had? ( I can hear the Greek readers gasping right now!)

I didn’t have the fresh dill that most variations of the recipe called for, so I decided to use the dried dill that I had on hand. (more gasps) It worked great. To be honest in all my millions of times consuming Spanakopita, I had no idea dill was in it – but it definitely is. In fact,  I think that’s the “spana” in the “kopita!”

Just kidding.

Anyway, an hour later and more melted butter than I care to admit to, I had a beautiful pan of spinach, basil and tomato pie!

The Recipe

16 sheets of Phyllo dough – there is aprox 20 sheets in one of the two rolls that come in a 16oz box of Athens brand® – you may have mishaps or tear one – so the extra 4 sheets will come in handy – you could put an extra sheet in the middle or on top if you feel strongly about it, but not on the bottom or it will be too thick. Save the 2nd roll for another day. READ the box about storing and handling this delicate dough.

1 small onion finely diced – feel free to substitute garlic here or leave out the onion altogether. (you know who you are)

1 lb +/- fresh spinach leaves, de-stemed, washed and roughly chopped

2 Tb butter + 1 stick melted for brushing the layers of dough

2 cups (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves, no stems

1/4 cup fresh grated Romano cheese

1 Tb dried Dill

10 oz crumbled Feta cheese

1 medium tomato, thinly sliced

juice of half a lemon

Black pepper to taste

Preheat oven 375 degrees. Brush a 9×12 (or some size close) baking dish with some melted butter or cooking spray. Saute the onion in the 2 tb butter until soft. Add the spinach leaves turning to coat and cook. Add the basil leaves, continuing to coat and cook a couple of minutes more. Add dill. Turn off heat and let cool a bit. It is okay if there is “liquid” in the pan from the greens. Add both cheeses, lemon juice and pepper. Stir and taste for seasoning. Set aside.

Assembly: in the bottom of the baking dish – carefully layer 8 (no more – no less) sheets of Phyllo dough, brushing each sheet after it it’s laid down with copious amounts of melted butter. After the 8th sheet is down. Spread half of the filling evenly across. Now layer 4 (3 would be okay here) sheets of Phyllo dough with the melted butter on top of each. Spread the other half of the filling on top. Layer on the sliced tomatoes. Layer 4 more sheets of Phyllo dough with the melted butter treatment on each sheet.

Bake for 30-35 mins until top is golden brown and flaky. It will be REALLY hard to wait for it to cool but I HIGHLY recommend you wait until it is almost room temperature to cut it or it will fall apart. This is great served room temperature or cold from the refrigerator.

Corn & Tomatoes

Corn and tomatoes are a traditional marriage of flavors in New England and probably all over the country. But while I wait for tomato season to start here in Massachusetts, I decided to make a twist on this flavor combination. Sun-dried tomatoes and creamed corn! Before you click to another blog, let me clarify that I used this as a filling for some empanadas. And my husband (who tells it like it is) thought they were delicious.

The filling was simply: 1 and half 8oz blocks of cream cheese (softened at near room temp is best); approximately 20 sun-dried tomatoes, reconstituted and drained; 1 clove of garlic; 1 can (14.4 oz) creamed corn; salt and pepper to taste. Combine all into a food processor until smooth. Remove the mixture. For texture and more corn flavor, add 1 cup (+/-) of frozen corn kernels that are defrosted and have been roasted on a sheet pan with salt,pepper and oil in the oven.

Stuff 20 defrosted “discos“  dough rounds with a couple teaspoons of this mixture and fold over the edges, sealing with a little water and a fork crimp. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven on sheet pans until the empanadas are puffy, golden brown and “polka-dotted.” For the non-dieters out there try frying these little beauties instead of baking.

“polka-dotted” empanadas!

Not Your Mother’s Stuffed Peppers

On Mother’s Day when I told our family friend and dinner guest, Joey, that I had made stuffed peppers for dinner, he immediately smiled and said “I haven’t had those in years, my mom used to make the best ones with filled with hamburger and red sauce!”

While I love a good food memory, I had to break it to him that these were not going to be  his mother’s stuffed pepper. In fact these would be totally vegetarian as I was cooking for my mom! He was a good sport and said he was sure he would like them. As I nervously brought them to the table, with a side of homemade simple tomato and basil sauce- I saw the glimmer of hope when he saw the melted cheese on top. Cheese makes everything better! (The crusty rolls helped too.)

At first he politely had a small spoonful of red sauce with his stuffed pepper. He is Italian so the sauce had to pass the test. When he asked for more sauce and cleaned his plate – I knew I had won him over!! He even said yes to letting me send leftovers home with him!

Orzo & veggie stuffed sweet, yellow bell peppers with simple tomato-basil sauce and crusty rolls. Serve outside on a beautiful screen porch whenever possible.

The Recipe

6 huge peppers, topped and hollowed out

4-5 sun-dried tomatoes: reconstituted in hot water for 10 mins. drained and diced small. Save the liquid.

1 cup shredded carrots

1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini

4 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth

1 cup orzo pasta (measure uncooked)

2 garlic cloves, mashed

1 cup fresh spinach, chopped small

2-3 springs fresh herbs – I used golden oregano and sage.

salt and pepper to taste

Optional: shredded cheese for topping peppers

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the peppers upright in a baking dish with high sides. Cook orzo in the veggie broth for two mins less than the package says. Drain but reserve cooking liquid. To the cooked orzo add the tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, spinach, garlic, fresh herbs and S/P. Stuff this mixture into each of the peppers. Drizzle the leftover orzo cooking liquid on top of each pepper. It is okay if it spills over,under and around peppers. Pour the reserved tomato water from reconstituting the dried tomatoes into the baking dish around the peppers. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 45 mins. Peppers should be just fork tender, not falling apart. Uncover the dish and top peppers with cheese if using and bake another 15 mins until melted and bubbly.

Serve split open with a simple tomato sauce and crusty rolls.

Berry Coconut Coffee Cake

Like many savory cooks – I am not a baker. So what was I doing baking recently on yet another rainy day?

Well I had a sweet tooth and I am fairly lazy – so going to the store was out of the question. (Did I mention I live in a large, urban area with a giant name-brand grocery store a few blocks away from my house?) I like to think I was doing my part to keep the carbon foot-print down. Or maybe I was just challenging myself with the ingredients I had on hand.

Or maybe I was just trying to clean out the freezer.

Last summer when local raspberries and blackberries were on sale and abundant I cooked down a bunch, added a little cornstarch and froze for another day. I originally had visions of some kind of fruit tart/turnover but really any baked good would do.

So with a little help from Betty I whipped up a coffee cake recipe. Instead of the usual cinnamon streusel topping -I decided to improvise.

After about 20 mins in the oven – I took it out and spread the thickened berry syrup on top. Than just to “gild the lily” I sprinkled on some sweetened coconut flakes I had lurking in my fridge. (I am sorry the day I discovered these little gems at the store – yum!!) I could have swirled it into the batter from the beginning but I was afraid to swirl. Being an inexperienced baker, I wasn’t sure if this would be a success, so I decided not to risk it.

Back into the oven for 10-15 mins,  time to cool a bit and my sweet tooth was satisfied!

Author’s Bragging Rights!

Those white Lilacs in the vase are from my yard!

Holly’s Frittata

Recently I just found out a friend of mine was a vegetarian and when she checked out my blog, she said I should post more vegetarian recipes. I think she is right and I KNOW my mom would agree!

So she inspired this recipe. (Well, admittedly I was planning on making a frittata but without her inspiration it would have contained bacon! YUM. I won’t tell if you add it in!)

AND it seems that she likes a simple recipe that only uses about 5 ingredients. Any more than that and I sensed a little anxiety!

I took lots of step by step pictures on this one…

Here are the 5 ingredients

8 eggs (1 is missing from the pic)

1 cup milk (I used 2%)

about 3/4 of a cup of chopped green onions – reserve some for garnish

4 ozs feta cheese cubed/crumbled

3 small leftover baked potatoes – I always bake extra when I bake.

“free” pantry ingredients:

salt and pepper to taste, cooking spray and 2 oz of butter or margarine for the pan. ( I suppose you could just use cooking spray to keep this lighter…but why?)

Here is how you make it

Spray a 10″ oven-proof skillet and melt the butter or margarine in the bottom. Turn off the heat.

Slice the potatoes thickly and layer on the bottom in the melted butter/margarine. Next add the green onions and cubed feta.

Whisk the eggs and milk together and pour over the layers in the pan. Add some fresh cracked black pepper on top.

A little sea salt too, if you like.

Put into a preheated 350 degree oven for 40-45 mins until the egg is firm and fluffy through the middle. You can peek gently with a knife. The edges will have pulled away from the pan sides and it should look like this…

Cool for 15-20 mins before slicing. Garnish with the reserved green onions and serve with favorite beverage. (Maybe mimosa’s?) You should get about 8 reasonable slices. Made in a square pan and sliced into squares – it could be used as brunch item with some other things, like bagels and fruit salad? Or bacon.

The Crispy Bits

We all know the crispy bits are the best. The crispy bacon. The crispy edges of the brownies. The crispy pizza crust. Shall I go on?

Well I also think the crispy bits of hash are the best – whether a traditional corned beef variety or an all veggie one as I made this time.

Sweet & white potatoes with onion & apples hash served with apple sauce but would be divine with sour cream!

I was inspired to make this one a little spicy by adding my favorite spice, ground cumin, but also a little BBQ seasoning. I happen to have a fresh supply on hand thanks to Aunt Barbara, so I used a little “BBQ 3000″ from Penzey’s.

Also I used a secret ingredient to keep things moist. But speaking of moist…make sure to squeeze out every last bit of water from the veggies after shredding them or you will have to wait a long time to get those crispy bits – if you get them at all.

But back to the secret ingredient…which I am actually afraid to admit to.

Mayonnaise or in my case Miracle Whip since that is what I had in my fridge.

Well you know how some folks spread that on the outside of their grilled cheese to get it extra crispy and brown -I was trying to channel that technique. So I figured why not. I went ahead and just added in a small amount to the whole mix. The raw mix shouldn’t look “mayonnaise-y” or white it should just “moisten things up.”

And yes it did help get lots of crispy bits!