Food

The Great Dinner Dilemma

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Aretha Franklin was once asked what her greatest creative challenge was and her answer was surprising. “Trying to figure out what to cook for dinner… nightly.” The interviewer Larry London paused and laughed. Her honesty was refreshing and at the same time so endearing because it made you realize that even the queen of soul had to think about dinner. 

That’s the problem with dinner; it’s so nightly. Even if you love to cook it’s easy to hit a creative challenge when planning so many meals. We all have a those five to ten recipes that we tend to make again and again. That’s why I’m always looking for new dinner inspiration. Sometimes I find it in a new cook book, newspaper article or food blog.

However, the inspiration for this steak and rice noodle stir-fry came from an Instagram story from Sally Potts. Sally has one of my favorite British home accounts. When I saw a quick video of a beef and green bean stir-fry, she had made for dinner one day I knew I had to make something like it. What I particularly loved about her dish was the idea of using green beans instead of the usual beef and broccoli.

Although I love broccoli, I have certain members of my family, who will remain nameless, whose taste buds can’t stand the thought of it. So, with that picture of garlic beef and green beans in mind I began to work on crafting a stir-fry recipe that everyone in my family would love. I worked to create a sauce that was flavorful, but not as spicy as some Thai dishes so my kids would be able to enjoy it too.

Then one night after serving it over rice a couple of times I decided to try rice noodles. I was running short on time and as they say sometimes “necessity is the mother of invention.”  In this case my short cut really ended up putting the dish over the top. My whole family was raving how much they loved these noodles with the sauce. So now I’ve been making it with rice noodles because I had to agree the noodles were so delicious. How had I not thought of that before?

So, if you too have found yourself wondering what should I make for dinner tonight? Then I have a recipe that hits all the right notes for a delicious weeknight dinner- my garlic steak and green bean stir-fry.

Garlic Steak and Green Bean Stir-fry – Serves 4 to 5

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
  • 1¼ lbs tip steak or stir-fry beef, thinly sliced against the grain
  • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 small yellow onion, sliced into thin strips
  • 1½ cups green beans, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 teaspoon, sesame oil
  • 4 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup beef stock
  • 1 (8 oz) package of instant rice noodles (I like the MAMA brand)

First, prepare the ingredients. If slicing the steak yourself, place it in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes. Freezing the beef makes creating thin slices much easier. Then peel the garlic and create thin slices from the whole clove. Slice the onions in half and then into thin strips and cut the green beans in bite sized pieces.

Next, blanch the green beans and boil water for the noodles. Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Place the green beans the boiling water for a 1½ to 2 minutes. Remove the beans from the water with a slotted spoon and set aside. Then place more water on to boil for cooking the rice noodles.

Then make the stir-fry. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high heat then add the beef and cook until browned. Set the beef aside on a plate while cooking the vegetables.

Add the last tablespoon of vegetable oil and a teaspoon of the sesame oil and add the garlic, onions and green beans until the onions begin to turn translucent and the green beans are tender.

I used a large electric wok but you could use a large skillet if you don’t have a wok.

Finally, create the sauce and serve. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and beef stock and stir. Return the beef to the pan to heat through. Then prepare the rice noodles according to the package instructions.  Place the noodles on the plates or bowls. Spoon the sauce on top of the noodles and top with the steak stir fry.

 

These garlic steak noodles are a fast and fun meal. They’re sure to get you out of any what’s for dinner dilemma.

Food

Happiness is Beef Empanadas

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January brought snow and crazy double digit negative temperatures to Chicago. So, I’m happy to see February has come with sunshine and rising temperatures. Hopefully the worst of winter has passed. However, the upside to all that cold and multiple zoom school days is the time we got together. While it was far too cold to venture out, I was busy at home working on a new recipe for beef empanadas. Nothing brightens a cold gray day quite like Tex-Mex empanadas and a margarita.

I love Mexican empanadas and so does my family but making the homemade masa dough is a lot of work which has kept us from enjoying them as often as I would like. So, after trying a puff pastry version at Stephanie Izard’s Peruvian restaurant Cabra, I decided that I would give it a try. Using ready made Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry was a game changer because it made it much easier to make them on a week night.

My family has loved the recipe and it has become a new dinner favorite. I like to serve my beef empanadas with a side of guacamole and black beans. I could also see making these empanadas as a party or Superbowl dish. Served them on a platter with a couple of small bowls of guacamole and sour cream. They are so delicious that its hard not to feel happy when you are eating one. So add a little Tex-Mex sunshine to any week night dinner or fiesta no matter the forecast!

Beef Empanadas – Serves 4 to 6

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1¼ pound ground beef
  • 1/3 cup yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 teaspoons seasoning
  • 1 box puff pastry, defrosted
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon of water

Tex-Mex Seasoning Mix

  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika

Simple Guacamole

  • 2 large or 4 small avocados, peeled and pitted
  • 1 teaspoon Tex-Mex seasoning mix
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place skillet over medium heat add 2 tablespoons oil. Once the oil is heated, add the diced onions and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the ground beef and stir and brown. Once it’s almost cooked through carefully drain the fat from the pan. Return the pan to the stovetop and season the meat to taste with about 3 teaspoons of the seasoning mix and finish cooking. Put meat to the side to cool a bit while working on rolling out the puff pastry.

On a lightly floured silicon baking mat or counter roll one of the pastry sheets out to a larger rectangle approximately 20 x 14. Then cut six 5-to-6-inch circles out. I like to use a small 6-inch bread plate that I have and cut around it with a table knife. Don’t worry if for some reason you run short cutting them out, you can just take the scraps and reroll them to make it. Then repeat with the second pastry sheet so you have 12 circles.

Make the egg wash in a small mixing bowl whisk together the egg and 1 teaspoon of water. Next assemble the empanadas. Using a pastry brush paint the outside edges of the dough disc with the egg wash which will help them seal well.

Then put about 2 tablespoons of ground beef filling in the center. Fold the dough over in half.

Then fold the outside edge over and crimp with the tines of a fork. Repeat the empanada assembly until all 12 are finished.

Finally prick the top of each empanada with a fork two times to allow steam to escape while baking and brush the tops with the egg wash. Place on two baking sheets or baking stones.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown.

While the empanadas are baking make a quick guacamole. In a medium sized bowl mash together the avocados and lime juice. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the Tex-Mex seasoning and stir. Season to taste with kosher salt.

Serve the beef empanadas with the guacamole and sour cream. If I am serving these for dinner, I serve them with a side of black beans.

So bake something happy for dinner this weekend!

Baking

The Case of the Disappearing Candy Cane Cookies

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Candy Cane Cookie Recipe

My husband was on a work trip when I first created this new candy cane sugar cookie recipe. So, after hearing all about them on the phone the night before he was astonished to discover they were gone when he got home. “How could all of those cookies be gone in a day?” he wondered. “How many cookies did you girls eat?” No one said anything for a moment or two. Because it felt like they sort of disappeared from the kitchen cake stand.

It was early November so it would have been a stretch to say it was Santa. Perhaps an elf checking in? The truth is none of us really understood how they were all gone in less than twenty-four hours. Finally, my oldest daughter broke the silence “They were just too good.”

Consequently, the next time I was testing a batch of these cookies I made sure my husband was home and I made more. But once again those candy cane cookies began to disappear. As we were sitting at the dinner table eating the last of the cookies my husband was musing about what made these cookies vanish so quickly. “They’re crispy, sweet, but not too sweet and easy to eat in a bite or two.” So, as we discovered these little cookies make the perfect snack anytime you walk through the kitchen. After all who’s going to miss one little cookie.

Candy Cane Sugar Cookies -Makes 50 cookies

  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
  • 2 oz full fat cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 tablespoons milk
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3 cups flour
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp red gel food coloring
  • 1 tablespoon flour

Cookie Glaze

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 5 TBSP water
  • ½ tsp vanilla or peppermint extract
  • Sparkling sugar sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the large bowl of a stand mixer using a paddle attachment cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar together at medium speed for about 3 minutes. Then add in the egg and vanilla and mix in on low speed until incorporated.

Then add the milk, the flour and the salt. Continue to mix at on low until the cookie dough comes together.

Take the dough and form it into a ball and then divide that ball in half. Place one half to the side and add one half back to the mixer. Then add in ½ tsp red gel food coloring and mix on low speed until the dough becomes evenly red. Add 1 tablespoon of flour and mix. The food coloring makes the dough a bit sticky so this extra bit of flour helps to make it easier to work with.

Place the white and red cookie dough balls on a silicon baking mat or lightly flour surface and divide them into four balls two of each color. Dividing the dough into two batches makes it easier to work with.

Now the fun part, making the candy canes. Pinch tablespoon sized pieces off the red and white dough. Each tablespoon of dough will make two 5 to 6 inch long ropes that are about the diameter of a standard pencil.

Take a red and white rope and braid or twist the two pieces back and forth so they come together evenly. Then gently roll each twist a so they come together and bend the top to shape them into a candy cane.

Then place the cookies on baking stone or a baking pan liked with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 5 to 7 minutes until the white part of the dough just barely turns golden. I found that 6 minutes was perfect in my oven but ovens can very so keep a close eye on them as they bake.

While the cookies are cooling make the powered sugar glaze. In a medium sized bowl whisk together 2 cups of powdered sugar, 5 tablespoons of water and ½ tsp vanilla or peppermint extract until smooth.

Decorate the candy canes by dipping the cookie in the glaze and then let then spread a thin and even layer with your finger.

Then give them a bakery style finish by dipping them glaze side down into a small plate of sparkling sugar sprinkles.

This give these little candy canes a sweet confectionery shop finish.

Candy Cane Cookies

I hope you love these Christmas cookies as much as our family does. They are a variation of my traditional frosted sugar cookies. So, if you like those cookies you will love these. They are fun to make and especially great for little hands to help decorate. There’s no piping of icing but they’re still festive and irresistibly good. These cookies would be wonderful to share. As long as you can keep them from disappearing.

Baking

Honeycrisp Apple Pie

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Brown sugar apple Pie recipe

In our house holiday desserts are never an afterthought. They are an event in and of itself. My oldest daughter likes to remind me that her stomach has a special division devoted exclusively to dessert. A girl after my own heart, because I know exactly how she feels.

So, with the holidays right around the corner, I am already thinking about pie. But not just any pie, a crave worthy pie. An apple pie that sings with flavor from its buttery sugared crust to its sweetly spiced apple filling. Because pie in my mind should be filled with thoughtful layers of flavor and texture.

As I set out to create a new recipe, I took time to consider all the details of my ideal apple pie. First, I knew I wanted to make it with honey crisp apples, because I love their juicy and zingy sweetness. Next, I wanted it to have a brown sugar apple filling that could stand up to the juiciness of the apples. Then I needed a crust that was flakey, flavorful and easy to work with. I also love pies that have a crispy sugared crust so I began experimenting with glazes. It was quite the kitchen adventure that took a few tries but, the end result was a pie that made me dance at first forkful.

Honeycrisp Apple Pie

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 8 cups honey crisp apples, peeled and sliced
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon all spice
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Pie Crust (Makes 1 double crust plus extra for decorative cutouts)

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons cold salted butter
  • 6 tablespoons cold Crisco shortening
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water

Sugar Glaze

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Pie Crust

In a large food processor add 3 cups of flour, the salt and sugar. Cut the butter and shortening into small pieces. Place the butter and shortening in the processor and pulse until the butter mixture looks like course breadcrumbs. Then while the processor is running pour the water into the shoot and run it until the dough begins to form a ball.

Take a little over a third of the dough and shape it into a flat disc. Using a rolling pin roll it out on a well-floured surface. I like to use a silicone baking mat. Roll the crust out evenly and then trim the edges to create a 12-inch circle. Prepare a 9-inch metal pie plate by lightly spraying it with cooking spray. Transfer the crust by rolling it part way on the rolling pin. Place the dough evenly over the pie plate. Then fold the sides under and crimp the edges of the pie crust.

In a small bowl mix together 1 teaspoon of flour and 1 teaspoon of sugar to create a crust dust. Sprinkle the crust dust on the bottom of the pie to protect the crust from getting too much moisture from the filling.

Next make the lattice strips. Roll half of the remaining pie dough out into a 10-inch circle and cut it lengthwise into 1-inch-wide strips. Use the remaining dough to roll out and create decorative leaves using pie crust cutters. Alternatively, if lattice work feels like too much just cover the top in decorative cutouts. I have done all leaves on top or stars for 4th of July. Have some fun and make it your own!

Place the pie crust, lattice strips and the leaves in the fridge to chill while making the filling.

Apple Pie Filling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Then prepare the pie filling. Peel, core and cut the apples into even slices.

In a deep sided skillet melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar and ¼ tsp of salt and stir. Continue cook and stir the sugar mixture until the sugar fully melts. Then in a small bowl whisk together the corn starch and water. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the sugar mixture and whisk until fully incorporated. Add the apples, lemon juice, cinnamon and allspice. Lower the heat to medium low. Continue to cook and stir the apples for 10 minutes. Then allow the apple filling to cool for at least 10 minutes before filling the pie crust.

To assemble the pie, spoon the filling into the chilled pie crust base and weave the lattice strips on top and trim off any excess. Decorate the edges of the pie with the pie crust leaves. Then make the sugar glaze.

Sugar Glaze

Finally, make the sugar glaze. In a small skillet over medium heat melt 2 tablespoons of butter and stir in 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Stir and cook until the sugar melts. Then take the glaze off the heat and using a pastry brush, paint the top of the crust with the sugar mixture.

Once the pie is ready to go in the oven, use a pie shield or create one with a long strip of aluminum foil folded in half. Wrap the foil around the pie plate edges and fold it inward to keep the more delicate leaves from browning too quickly.

Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Then lower the temperature to 350 and continue to bake for an additional 45 to 50 minutes. Remove the pie shield when there are 15 minutes left in the bake. You will know that the pie is done when the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling slow and thick.

Allow the apple pie to cool for two hours before slicing so the filling sets and the pie keeps its shape when sliced.

Brown sugar apple pie

Making a homemade pie is an event, but one gloriously sweet and crispy bite makes it instantly worth it.

Food

Festive Holiday Cheese Board

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The first glimmers of the holiday season are here. So let the festivities and planning begin. I love the thought of twinkly lights, celebrations and time with family and friends. But the reality of a season filled with so many splendid things is- I don’t always have time to cook.

A few years ago, when my holiday calendar was over flowing, I had an epiphany.  What if I had a cheese and charcutier night instead of the traditional meal I had planned?

I could make it ahead and it would still feel like a celebration. Afterall, who hasn’t dreamed of having a reason to serve cheese for dinner?

Thus, with visions of brie and berries dancing in my head, I assembled a large board with all of my family’s favorites. I decided to serve it with sliced baguettes. The cheese board was a glorious hit. It’s wonderful to be able to come home, take off your coat, turn on some good music and magically pull dinner out of the refrigerator.

So here are a few of my favorite things and best tips for assembling a gorgeous holiday cheese board.

First, start with a large wooden cutting board or tray. I like finding large boards like this a Home Goods or Target. Then begin with the cheeses so they anchor the board design. I generally have three to five different cheeses depending on the number of people I am serving. Some of my best-loved picks are a good Brie, St. Andre a French triple cream cheese, Sartori Bella Vitano flavored cheeses, a sharp cheddar, and a Maytag blue cheese. I like to make it easy for everyone so I pre-slice my hard cheeses and cut the rind off of the top of my soft cheeses. The other thing I like to add is a Boursin cheese ball.

Second, I add two to three charcuteries like salami, sopressata, prosciutto, or Jamón Ibérico in groups. I like to cut longer slices of prosciutto in half and roll them. The salami slices can be folded in half to form a rose. Make a center by rolling a folded slice into a flower bud and then securing the base of the bus with a bit of tooth pick. Then take eight additional folded slices and create a rose by layering them like petals.

Finally, add the accompaniments. I like berries, dried apricots, red or green pears and jam as they add a lightness which pairs well with the cheese. One of my favorite jams is Divina orange fig spread. Other special additions include sweetened dried orange slices which you can find at Trader Joe’s and sugared cranberries. Fill open spots on the board with fresh herbs like, sage, rosemary, thyme and mint.

Boursin Pumpkin Cheese Ball

  • 2 (5oz) boxes of Boursin cheese
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • Sage leaves
  • Butcher’s twine

Place the two cheeses together and roll them into a ball. Then cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap placing the ends on the bottom. Wrap the twine around the ball tightly like wrapping a package. Repeat three more times spacing the twine out to create even pumpkin ribs.

Let the cheese ball chill in the fridge. Then cut the twine and unwrap. Place half a cinnamon stick in the center for a stem and add sage leaves.

Sugared Cranberries

  • 1 cup fresh cranberries, rinsed
  • ½ cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar

In a small mixing bowl add the cranberries and pour in the maple syrup. Stir well to coat the berries. Cover the cranberries and place them in the fridge for a least an hour. Drain the syrup from the cranberries and place the sugar on a small plate. Roll the berries a few at a time in the sugar. Let them dry and then store in the fridge. These cranberries also make beautiful cocktail garnishes.

A cheese board is great way to welcoming guests at Thanksgiving or as a party starter with wine and cocktails. They are fun to assemble in advance and share. So if the hustle and bustle of the holidays leaves you little time for last minute cooking then consider making a delicious holiday cheese board with sliced French bread and your favorite fruits.

Baking/Family

The Great Hinsdalean Bake Off

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Powdered Sugar Angel Food Cake

I usually don’t usually post my newspaper columns on my blog but this one was too fun not to share. So here is the tale of my recent historic recipe challenge.

I love a good cooking challenge. So, I had no reservations when I agreed to write a 150th village anniversary column featuring a historic Hinsdale recipe. That was until I found myself in the basement of the historical society talking about hospital food.

As it turns out, the oldest known cookbook in Hinsdale is a collection of vegetarian recipes from the Hinsdale Hospital called The Sanitarium Cook Book. The book dates back to 1921 and was written by the hospital’s chief dietician and chef, Curtis C. Benedict. As I was examining the pages trying to decide on a recipe, there were more than a few staunchly healthy dishes that had my taste buds cringing like asparagus broth, cream of lettuce soup, and mock salmon salad.

Determined to find something more exciting I kept looking. Eventually, as I was reading the baking chapter, I found a recipe that was both historically significant and delicious – angel food cake. Angel food is a uniquely American cake that originated in in the mid to late 1800’s around the time of Hinsdale’s founding in 1873. There are some origin stories that place the cake’s creation in St. Louis, but the first widely published recipe was in the New York Times in 1880.

Back home in my kitchen with the cake recipe in hand, I was eager to begin. As I studied the recipe, I suddenly felt like I was a contestant on The Great British Bakeoff. Here I was competing in my own technical baking challenge. First, the recipe called for a “slow oven” which had me wondering how low of a temperature is slow? Next, many of the older measurements required mathematical conversions. Then there were cooking questions that I had never pondered before, like exactly how many eggs are in a pint? So, I did some calculations and sketched out a quick plan.

The original cookbook recipe from 1921.

A short time later, I was baking. My stand mixer was on overdrive beating all the egg whites and sugar. Then after folding in the flour, it was time to place the cake in the oven. I found myself doing an oven dance – wondering how the cake was baking but not daring to open the door. Then came more waiting as the cake had to cool upside down.

But as I tipped the cake out of the pan it was fluffy, golden and everything I had hoped for. Now for the real test, the judges. My blue-eyed Paul Hollywood of a husband let me know that angel food is not his favorite type of cake. Alas, a Hollywood handshake seemed unlikely, but there was not a crumb left on his plate.

Next were my two daughters. My youngest, a sweet Mary Berry of a judge gave it two thumbs up and a smile. Finally, the wildcard, my oldest who is more discerning. She definitely has Prue Leith’s “Is it worth the calories?” frame of mind. Surprisingly, she was the one who loved it most and gushed about how good it would be with whipped cream. Inspired, I went on to create a showstopper 150th anniversary edition of this cake with lemon whipped cream and berries. So, bakers I invite you to step into the tent and join me for a delicious slice of Hinsdale history.

Homemade Angel Food Cake

The Great Hinsdalean Angel Food Cake

  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 3 ½ cups powdered sugar, divided
  • 14 egg whites, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, corn starch and 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar. Then in a second bowl sift the remaining 1 ¾ cups of powdered sugar.

Next, in the large bowl of a stand mixer with a balloon whisk beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy about 1 ½ minutes. Add cream of tartar and beat the egg whites on high until they triple in volume about 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the remaining 1 ¾ cup of the powdered sugar and continue to beat egg whites on medium low until the sugar in just mixed in. Turn the mixer to high and beat egg whites and sugar till stiff and glossy about 3 minutes.

Finally, fold half the flour mixture into the egg white using a rubber spatula. Next fold in the remaining flour and lemon zest.

Spoon the batter into a 10-inch angel food pan with a removable bottom. Do not grease the pan. Then run a table knife through the batter to remove air pockets and smooth the top. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes till golden.

Immediately turn the cake pan upside down to cool on the pan’s feet for 1 hour. Then use a long thin knife to release the cake from the pan by running the knife along the sides and center. Flip the cake onto a plate and use the knife to free the bottom of the cake pan.

Lemon Cream

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon curd
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 pints of berries
  • 1 bunch of mint

In a stand mixer mix with a balloon whisk mix add the cream and sugar. Beat on high until it holds a firm peak. Gently mix in lemon curd and vanilla.

If decorating the cake, use a serrated knife to cut the cake in half horizontally. Spread about one cup of lemon cream on the bottom layer. Evenly place berries on top to cover. Carefully place the top layer on the cake and spoon or pipe with swirls of the remaining lemon cream. Place the berries on top in groups. As final touch, add mint sprigs and edible flowers like pansies.

Food

Glimpses of Fall and Waldorf Salad

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Apple and Grape Salad

September brings a new crispness to the air. I can feel fall sneaking in little by little. Those sunny days are growing just a bit shorter and the cool evenings have me looking for my sweater. Although I’m sad to say goodbye to summer, fall certainly has its beauty and charms.

One of my favorite midwestern traditions is apple picking. Each September our family loves to spend a day together at a local orchard. The joy of it all sort of gets me in the mood for fall. Our excitement to try all the different types of apples always leads us to come home with more than we can possibly eat, but that hasn’t stopped us from trying.

My Waldorf salad is a simple side that I love to serve with fried chicken sandwiches or burgers but it would be good with lots of other meals too. It’s lighter than the traditional Waldorf Astoria hotel recipe because it has a champagne vinegar salad dressing instead of a mayonnaise based dressing. This salad dressing provides a nice balance to the sweet apples, grapes and nuts. My Waldorf salad is a wonderful way to enjoy all those delicious fall apples.

Apple Waldorf Salad- Serves 4 to 6

  • 1/2 cup walnut or pecan pieces
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 Honey Crisp Apples or your favorite
  • 3 celery stalk with leaves
  • 1½ cups red seedless grapes

First make the candied nuts. In a small skillet place the sugar and the nuts over medium heat. Keep a close eye on it and stir with a rubber spatula as the sugar melts and coats the nuts. Remove the nuts from the pan immediately and place them on sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper to allow the nuts to cool.

Next, core and chop the apples into bitesized pieces. Slice the celery on the diagonal into bite sized slices taking care to keep the leaves too. Slice grapes in half. Place the apples, celery, grapes and nuts into a medium sized bowl. Finally, toss or gently mix in the salad dressing. See recipe below.

Champagne Vinaigrette

  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil

In a small mixing bowl whisk together the Dijon mustard, champagne vinegar, sugar and salt. Then slowly drizzle in the oil while continuing to whisk it until the salad dressing emulsifies and comes together.

Apple Waldorf salad is a sweet and delicious way to enjoy this season’s best!

Baking

Butter Cake

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Buttermilk cake with vanilla drizzle

“I’d like the world to slow down and eat cake together- the slowing down bit is less important.” – Charlie Mackesy

Oh, how I love British illustrator and artist Charlie Mackesy’s book The Boy, the Mole the Fox and the Horse. His book is filled with thoughtful wisdom and the delightful adventures of four unlikely friends. One of the friends is a sweet mole whose enthusiasm for cake seems to match my own. Like mole, I believe that there is power in the immeasurable joy of cake.

It’s been a while but I am back to share the cake of the summer in our house. The story of this butter cake began the first week of summer break my youngest daughter wanted to bake something together. So, I pulled out an old recipe for a buttermilk cake that I hadn’t made in years. The original recipe called for shortening but I wondered what it might be like with butter instead.

The result was an irresistibly buttery cake, but the cake was so soft that it stuck to the bundt pan no matter how well greased the pan was. This led us to try baking it in a parchment paper lined springform pan. The springform pan worked perfectly for this soft cake. It’s a simple cake that shines without elaborate fillings or frostings. It has a poured icing that adds just the right touch. Add a berry or two or a few sprinkles for a festive finish.

Butter Cake

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 cups flours
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together the butter and sugar in a mixer on medium for about 4 minutes. Then beat in the eggs one at a time on low speed. Then in a large measuring cup or small bowl mix together theory ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder and soda. Add half the dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk mix together on low speed. then scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the remaining dry ingredients, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix until well incorporated.

Pour the batter into an 8 inch springform pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray and lined with parchment paper. Cut one circle for the bottom and a strip for the side.

Bake for 1 hour. Cover the top of the cake with aluminum foil 30 minutes into baking to ensure a golden colored top and prevent browning.

Let the cake cool 10 minutes before loosening the sides of cake.

While the cake is still warm make the vanilla drizzle.

Vanilla Drizzle

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla

In a small sauce pan mix together all the ingredients. Heat and whisk the mixture together over medium heat as the sugar melts. Continue to stir until the mixture comes to a boil.

Slowly pour or spoon the drizzle over the cake. Decorate with fresh berries or sprinkles.

This velvety butter cake is just right for an afternoon where you want to bake something simple.

Vanilla Butter Cake

I think mole would agree, there’s no kindness quite like sharing a homemade cake.

Food

Reading and Eating: Stanley Tucci’s Taste and Pasta e Fagioli

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White Pasta Fagioli

Every memorable meal has a story to tell. For those who truly love food, cooking and eating become a lens through which they see the world. It’s this unique perspective that makes Stanley Tucci’s new food memoir Taste a delicious page turning adventure.

Simon and Schuster Books

He shares stories about his mother’s incredible Italian cooking and the year his father took the family on his teaching sabbatical in Italy. There are tales of movie sets and all the meals he has shared around the world as an actor. However, what I loved most were the personal stories about his family and how food has played an important part in all of his relationships. He talks about falling in love with his wife Felicity while cooking together and the English roasted potatoes that nearly burned the house down. All along the way he shares recipes for these amazing dishes.

As a young man he was a bartender in New York City so there are so many wonderful cocktail recipes from the perfect martini to Negronis and Christmas cocktails. I am looking forward to trying a few of them myself. There are also holiday recipes and recipes for weeknight meals like his garlic and white wine lamb chops that sound delicious.

However, the most heartfelt moment came when he was reflecting on his cancer treatment and the renewed appreciation it gave him for how wonderful it is to taste it all. Food he found “is nothing more than everything. Cook. Smell. Taste. Eat. Drink. Share. Repeat as necessary.”

So for this addition of reading and eating I am sharing my pasta e fagioli that was inspired by Tucci’s. It was the dish that he says sustained him as he healed and is still a favorite today.

Pasta e Fagioli -Serves 4 to 6

  • 4 ounces pancetta, diced
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  • 1 leek (white and light green parts only), chopped
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves diced
  • 3 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 1 cup ditalini pasta, cooked
  • 1 cup reserved pasta water
  • Freshly grated Parmigiano cheese, for serving
  • Fresh oregano leaves or sprigs, for serving

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large stock pot or dutch oven. Add the diced pancetta and cook for about 4 minutes so it begins to release some fat and flavor in the pan. Next add the chopped leeks and onions. Allow them to cook over medium heat until they become tender about 8 to 10 minutes.

Add in the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Pour in the beans and chicken stock and add in the bay leaves.

Allow the bean soup to simmer with the a lid slightly askew for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted water according to the package directions.

When the pasta is cooked drain it, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Pour the cup of pasta water and the pasta into the soup. Then taste and season with kosher salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Serve the soup with a drizzle of olive oil, some fresh oregano leaves and a generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese. I find it also pairs well with a slice of crusty Italian bread.

Note: My recipe differs a bit from Tucci’s. It’s a white pasta e fagioli because it doesn’t have marinara sauce. Tomatoes are something that I love but I have to cook with sparingly for my family.

Tucci’s Taste My Life Through Food is the best book that I have read this year. It’s such a fun read filled with so many wonderful recipes that I know I will be trying soon. So, make a pot of my flavorful pasta e fagioli and curl up with this great book.

Food

Creamy Avocado Dip

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Vegetable Dip

Millions of people watch the Super Bowl each year each year, but some of us aren’t watching for the game alone. There are the commercials, the halftime show and all the social events that surround it. However in my mind the best part is the food. What other event elevates snacking to a whole new gourmet level?

Hands down, my favorite part of the whole snacking celebration is the array of dips that people serve from hummus, guacamole, artichoke, onion, queso…. It’s all so delicious. I know I am not the only one who from time to time would love nothing more than to make a meal out of dip.

This is why I instantly loved Martin Short’s character, in Only Murder’s in the Building. Oliver Putnam is a true crime pod cast obsessed; out of work theater director who proclaims he is on the “dip diet.” Oliver’s love of dips eventually gets him in a bit of trouble when he discovers the owner of his favorite restaurant is suspect in the case he is investigating. It’s a great show and I can’t wait for season three. But until then I like Oliver would love nothing more than to have a good excuse to eat dip for dinner.

Image From IMBd  Only Murders in the Building

Fortunately this creamy avocado dip is on the healthier side. It’s great paired with veggies and sweet potato chips. So if you are looking for a dip to share for the big game or really any night then I have a good recipe for you.

Creamy Avocado Dip

  • 2 small Hass avocados, peeled, pitted and cut into quarters
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon shallot, minced
  • 2 teaspoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • 2 small garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon cracked pepper
  • Serve with a bag of baby carrots, a sliced cucumber, and sweet potato chips or your favorite combination of veggies

In the large bowl of a food processor add in the avocados, the white wine vinegar, buttermilk, shallots, parsley, garlic and oil. Blend the ingredients together on high speed until creamy. Then season the dip to taste with salt and pepper.

Assemble a platter with all of the veggies and chips. Because this dip is made with avocados it is best when made no more than two hours before serving. If making ahead of time cover it tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Creamy avocado dip would make a delicious addition to any party or dinner. The avocado blended with the shallot and garlic has a great zip to it that would pair well with your favorite vegetables and chips.

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