The Foo Fighters are going to be on Top Chef! The Foo Fighters are going to be on Top Chef! The Foo Fighters are going to be on Top Chef! Celebrating Thanksgiving, no less!
It's the convergence of my entertainment universe!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Ready for Thanksgiving yet?
I was too late to order the fresh turkey this year from Lee's Turkey Farm, so I had to go with the frozen. (I couldn't get there early enough today to try my luck at sizes for the remaining fresh birds.) I did get my menu planned and my grocery shopping done, and the bird is defrosting in the downstairs fridge. I'll make the pie crust tomorrow; bake the bread and the pie off on Wednesday while getting the cranberry sauce done.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday as a foodie. It's an annual feast held to commemerate a feast held to give thanks for having enough food.
It's all about the food.
I love food.
How 'bout you? Are you ready?
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday as a foodie. It's an annual feast held to commemerate a feast held to give thanks for having enough food.
It's all about the food.
I love food.
How 'bout you? Are you ready?
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Best Granola So Far
The Recipe
6 cups rolled oats (old-fashioned, not instant!)
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup wheat germ (in the back of the fridge, behind the milk)
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg (optional)
1/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 300. Mix together all ingredients except dried fruit. Spread out onto 2 cookie sheets. Bake for 35 minutes (total), stirring and turning twice during baking for even browning. Remove from oven and stir in cranberries. Let cool on the sheets, then pack into large jars ( you do save large jars, right? If not, a plastic bin will do.) Makes more than you think and less than you need.
The Story
The kids like granola so occasionally I buy it. Pre-made granola is tricky, however- for all its health-food connotations, it's often high in both fat and sugar. I bought a box a few weeks ago, and youngest complained that it was too sweet.
I'll let that sink in for a moment. A child complained that a breakfast cereal was too sweet. Way, way over the top.
Time to act! I'd made granola before but didn't like the specific recipes I'd found, so time to make my own. I started with the basic one in Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and went from there. My recipe here is the best ratio of ingredients I've come up with so far.
You may be tempted to make a half recipe because this makes so much, but don't bother. First, you'll lose a bunch while it's cooling on the stovetop, because it smells so good with all that cinnamon- everyone walking through the kitchen will sneak a handful. Second, it's a great snack for after school. Third, it's a nice before bed nibble in lieu of dessert. The list goes on.
A word to the wise- granola (and this granola in particular) is pretty dense, so the first time you have a bowl for breakfast, pour half of what you normally take. Also, give the jar a shake before pouring. The loose flaxseed and wheat germ tend to sink to the bottom.
6 cups rolled oats (old-fashioned, not instant!)
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup wheat germ (in the back of the fridge, behind the milk)
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg (optional)
1/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 300. Mix together all ingredients except dried fruit. Spread out onto 2 cookie sheets. Bake for 35 minutes (total), stirring and turning twice during baking for even browning. Remove from oven and stir in cranberries. Let cool on the sheets, then pack into large jars ( you do save large jars, right? If not, a plastic bin will do.) Makes more than you think and less than you need.
The Story
The kids like granola so occasionally I buy it. Pre-made granola is tricky, however- for all its health-food connotations, it's often high in both fat and sugar. I bought a box a few weeks ago, and youngest complained that it was too sweet.
I'll let that sink in for a moment. A child complained that a breakfast cereal was too sweet. Way, way over the top.
Time to act! I'd made granola before but didn't like the specific recipes I'd found, so time to make my own. I started with the basic one in Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and went from there. My recipe here is the best ratio of ingredients I've come up with so far.
You may be tempted to make a half recipe because this makes so much, but don't bother. First, you'll lose a bunch while it's cooling on the stovetop, because it smells so good with all that cinnamon- everyone walking through the kitchen will sneak a handful. Second, it's a great snack for after school. Third, it's a nice before bed nibble in lieu of dessert. The list goes on.
A word to the wise- granola (and this granola in particular) is pretty dense, so the first time you have a bowl for breakfast, pour half of what you normally take. Also, give the jar a shake before pouring. The loose flaxseed and wheat germ tend to sink to the bottom.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Two new loves in the vegetarian cookbook world
My family isn't vegetarian, but we're pretty darn close. I have bunches of meat-based recipes that we make, most of them long time favorites, but finding new vegetarian fare that we love is sometimes hard to do. Luckily, the local library has many choices. Here are two that I've checked out so many times that I've decided I should just buy:
Mediterranian Harvest, by Martha Rose Shulman: I have another of her books, The Vegetarian Feast, which has several recipes in it that are now favorites 'round here. The new book is a winner, too; try the Baba Ganouj and the Greens and Sweet Onion pie.
Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, by Deborah Madison: James Beard Award winner. Julia Child Cookbook of the Year. IACP Best General Cookbook. Get it and you'll find out why. If you need a basic vegetarian all-around cookbook, a Fannie Farmer for the veg set, this is it.
Mediterranian Harvest, by Martha Rose Shulman: I have another of her books, The Vegetarian Feast, which has several recipes in it that are now favorites 'round here. The new book is a winner, too; try the Baba Ganouj and the Greens and Sweet Onion pie.
Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, by Deborah Madison: James Beard Award winner. Julia Child Cookbook of the Year. IACP Best General Cookbook. Get it and you'll find out why. If you need a basic vegetarian all-around cookbook, a Fannie Farmer for the veg set, this is it.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Peach and Almond Coffee Cake
The Recipe
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 cups AP flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed
2 peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced thinly
1/3 cup whole almonds (see notes)
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 Tbsp. milk
a few more drips of almond extract
(Need to know how to peel and pit peaches?)
Spray a Bundt pan with oil; preheat oven to 350.
Cream butter in mixer until light, at least one minute. Add sugar and continue to beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, thoroughly incorporating each egg and scraping down sides as needed. Mix in 1/2 tsp almond extract and cinnamon.
In separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Alternate beating dry ingredients and buttermilk into butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour (1/3 flour mix, 1/2 buttermilk, 1/3 flour mix, rest of buttermilk, rest of flour mix.) Batter will be smooth. Make sure the sides have been scraped and all is nicely mixed.
Pour 1/2 of batter into pan; smooth top. Top with 1 Tbsp. of brown sugar, then layer on the peach slices evenly. Top with remaining brown sugar, then pour on remaining batter; smooth top. Bake cake until tester comes out dry, about 35 minutes.
-When the cake comes out of the oven, maintain oven temp. Roast almonds in small pan for about 15 minutes, shaking pan every 5 min or so so they cook evenly. Let cool then chop coarsely.-
Let cake cool in pan about 15 minutes, then turn out onto serving plate. Must let cool for at least 10 more minutes before adding glaze. Yes, I know how good it smells, you really should wait or the glaze will melt down the sides into puddles. As AB says, your patience will be rewarded.
Mix powdered sugar, milk and a few drops of almond extract in small bowl. Drizzle decoratively over cooled cake and top with chopped almonds.
The Story
If you have slivered almonds or sliced almonds in the fridge, go ahead and use them instead, but shorten the roasting time severly or they'll burn. (Remember, if you can smell the nuts while roasting, it's too late- they've burned.)
The glaze might be a little thin; I like it this way, but if you don't, use 2 tsp of milk instead.
If the cake is put under a cake dome to keep it fresh (if you serve it later or you don't finish it), the glaze will become soft and puddle down the sides. It doesn't look all that great but it tastes just fine.
I love peach season in New Jersey, I do.
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 cups AP flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed
2 peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced thinly
1/3 cup whole almonds (see notes)
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 Tbsp. milk
a few more drips of almond extract
(Need to know how to peel and pit peaches?)
Spray a Bundt pan with oil; preheat oven to 350.
Cream butter in mixer until light, at least one minute. Add sugar and continue to beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, thoroughly incorporating each egg and scraping down sides as needed. Mix in 1/2 tsp almond extract and cinnamon.
In separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Alternate beating dry ingredients and buttermilk into butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour (1/3 flour mix, 1/2 buttermilk, 1/3 flour mix, rest of buttermilk, rest of flour mix.) Batter will be smooth. Make sure the sides have been scraped and all is nicely mixed.
Pour 1/2 of batter into pan; smooth top. Top with 1 Tbsp. of brown sugar, then layer on the peach slices evenly. Top with remaining brown sugar, then pour on remaining batter; smooth top. Bake cake until tester comes out dry, about 35 minutes.
-When the cake comes out of the oven, maintain oven temp. Roast almonds in small pan for about 15 minutes, shaking pan every 5 min or so so they cook evenly. Let cool then chop coarsely.-
Let cake cool in pan about 15 minutes, then turn out onto serving plate. Must let cool for at least 10 more minutes before adding glaze. Yes, I know how good it smells, you really should wait or the glaze will melt down the sides into puddles. As AB says, your patience will be rewarded.
Mix powdered sugar, milk and a few drops of almond extract in small bowl. Drizzle decoratively over cooled cake and top with chopped almonds.
The Story
If you have slivered almonds or sliced almonds in the fridge, go ahead and use them instead, but shorten the roasting time severly or they'll burn. (Remember, if you can smell the nuts while roasting, it's too late- they've burned.)
The glaze might be a little thin; I like it this way, but if you don't, use 2 tsp of milk instead.
If the cake is put under a cake dome to keep it fresh (if you serve it later or you don't finish it), the glaze will become soft and puddle down the sides. It doesn't look all that great but it tastes just fine.
I love peach season in New Jersey, I do.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Best Chicken Salad
The Recipe:
2 Chicken breasts, with bone & skin
4 stalkes of celery, chopped fine
2 tart apples, chopped medium fine
1 bunch scalions, chopped fine
about 3/4 cup mayonaise
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh or 1 Tbsp. dried tarragon
1/2 cup roasted almonds or walnuts, chopped up a little
Poach the chicken: put in a 3 qt. pan with water to cover. Bring up to a boil, drop to a simmer and simmer 30 min. Check the temp- internal temp of the chicken should be 165. If it's not, put back in for 5-10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the broth and let cool until you can handle it. Pull off the skin, then remove the meat from the bone. (Bonus- add the bones & skin back to the pot with the celery trimmings, some broken bay leaves from the bottom of the bottle and any spare carrots or onion you have lying about, and simmer for a couple more hours- simple chicken stock!)
Once chicken is free from its bony prison, dice to about 1/2 inch chunks. Let cool a little (while you chop up all other ingredients) and toss everything EXCEPT THE NUTS with some salt & pepper to taste. Pop in the fridge and let the flavors meld and the salad cool off completely, at least one hour but 2 or 3 would be better.
Just before serving, mix in the chopped nuts and taste for seasoning and moisture. Some folks like their salad more mayonaise-y, so add more if you like. I love tarragon and may add more here.
Great served on croissants, in lettuce cups, or on plain ol' wheat bread. Serves 4 for dinner with leftovers for lunch for a couple days. Keeps in the fridge for 3 days max.
The Story
Y'know, I don't have much of a story here. It's kind of like a Waldorf salad, kind of like a chicken salad, and it's all good. I made it up years ago and it's a favorite summer dish around here. The kids love it.
Tarragon is one of those herbs which is cheaper to buy once in a pot and use fresh forever. I have it on my deck, a plant I put in a larger planter years ago, and it keeps coming back with enough leaves to make this dish several times a summer.
2 Chicken breasts, with bone & skin
4 stalkes of celery, chopped fine
2 tart apples, chopped medium fine
1 bunch scalions, chopped fine
about 3/4 cup mayonaise
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh or 1 Tbsp. dried tarragon
1/2 cup roasted almonds or walnuts, chopped up a little
Poach the chicken: put in a 3 qt. pan with water to cover. Bring up to a boil, drop to a simmer and simmer 30 min. Check the temp- internal temp of the chicken should be 165. If it's not, put back in for 5-10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the broth and let cool until you can handle it. Pull off the skin, then remove the meat from the bone. (Bonus- add the bones & skin back to the pot with the celery trimmings, some broken bay leaves from the bottom of the bottle and any spare carrots or onion you have lying about, and simmer for a couple more hours- simple chicken stock!)
Once chicken is free from its bony prison, dice to about 1/2 inch chunks. Let cool a little (while you chop up all other ingredients) and toss everything EXCEPT THE NUTS with some salt & pepper to taste. Pop in the fridge and let the flavors meld and the salad cool off completely, at least one hour but 2 or 3 would be better.
Just before serving, mix in the chopped nuts and taste for seasoning and moisture. Some folks like their salad more mayonaise-y, so add more if you like. I love tarragon and may add more here.
Great served on croissants, in lettuce cups, or on plain ol' wheat bread. Serves 4 for dinner with leftovers for lunch for a couple days. Keeps in the fridge for 3 days max.
The Story
Y'know, I don't have much of a story here. It's kind of like a Waldorf salad, kind of like a chicken salad, and it's all good. I made it up years ago and it's a favorite summer dish around here. The kids love it.
Tarragon is one of those herbs which is cheaper to buy once in a pot and use fresh forever. I have it on my deck, a plant I put in a larger planter years ago, and it keeps coming back with enough leaves to make this dish several times a summer.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Ready to bake yer blueberries?
Terhune Orchard is having a Blueberry Bash later this month, which includes a bake-off.
Get your blueberry recipes ready!
Get your blueberry recipes ready!
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