Delicious Scones

Undoubtedly delicious, scones can now be found in coffee shop displays everywhere, snuggled next to muffins and cinnamon rolls. However, I firmly believe not all scones are created equal. The best aren’t too dense or sweet or cake-y. The best are buttery, light, a bit flakey, and usually bear some kind of dried fruit. Though I’m not opposed to shaking things up on occasion and using, for example, dried cherries and dark chocolate, good ole currants are my favorite.

Pictured here are a few great scones. Even after a trip to Dublin, where many scones were eaten as research, I stand by this recipe. One wonderful addition to scone eating is Tiptree Black Currant Preserves, also pictured and delicious on just about anything. Scones included.

TBCP was a childhood companion at breakfast due to Detroit’s proximity to Canada. Though much harder to find out east, we were reunited recently thanks to info passed along by a very kind woman named Lisa who works for Tiptree. I’m very envious of Lisa, as she “rings down” for tea and up to her desk comes a tray of scones, preserves, and clotted cream. A resume will be sent tomorrow.

Currant Scones

A marriage of recipes from the Boston Globe and the Detroit Institute of Arts Cookbook

Set oven to 400 degrees

1 cup buttermilk*

3 cups white flour & 1 cup whole wheat flour

1 table spoon baking powder

1 tea spoon baking soda

½ tea spoon salt

2/3 cups sugar

2 sticks butter, cubed

2 eggs

1 cup currants

*I never have buttermilk, so I sour the milk. Add about 1 table spoon. white vinegar to a measuring cup and then fill with milk to reach 1 cup level. Place on top of stove to warm while you are getting rest of recipe together. This helps the cultures form.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients and then “cut in” butter using pastry blender until the butter is the size of small peas. Gently toss in currants.

In smaller bowl, whisk the two eggs, and then whisk in the buttermilk.

Add milk & egg mixture to dry ingredients and stir (or use hands) until just combined. Try to handle as little as possible. If too sticky, sprinkle with some white flour.

Once you have a large ball, cut it in half.

Use two parchment paper covered cookie sheets. Place a ball of dough on each, pressing dough down until you have a flattened circle about an inch high. Cut each dough circle into 8 equal-ish pieces (like a pizza). Separate the pieces so they have plenty of space to bake without touching.

Put one baking sheet in oven and bake for 12-16 minutes. Place the other tray in freezer or fridge while it waits for its turn.

Once cool, these scones freeze very well and a brief stint in the microwave will have them ready to eat!

Winter Soups

If there isn't an old saying that you can never have too much soup during a long winter, then there should be. This seems like a basic truth and we happily honor it as one in our house. In fact, this recipe is really a soup template, moving in many directions based on your tastes and the contents of your kitchen. We love every variation we've tried, because soup always brightens a bleak winter day. And, after tremendous over-indulgence during the recent holidays, this recipe is simple and healthy.

Perhaps the secret to this recipe's success is pureeing roasted sweet potatoes or butternut squash into chicken broth to create  the soup's thick base. No heavy cream or buttery roux needed. This recipe makes much soup, but you can cut it down easily. Even better, freeze a pint or two to re-heat on another dreary day. There is always more than one of those each winter.

Ingredients
Oven Roasting
2 large sweet potatoes or 1 whole butternut squash ( If using the easier-to-handle, pre-peeled squash, buy two halves)
olive oil
kosher salt

Aromatics
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1 red bell pepper
1 teaspoon oregano or cumin or thyme
2 cloves garlic

6 cups chicken broth (canned is fine) - may need a bit more or less, so have about 4 cans on hand
roasted chicken (rotisserie chicken  or 2 baked chicken breast)
Thai rice stick noodles

Pulling It All Together
Oven Roasting
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and roughly chop your sweet potatoes or butternut squash into 1 inch cubes. Place on baking sheets covered with tin foil and sprayed with PAM. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch or two of kosher salt. Toss gently to cover all pieces with olive oil and salt. Roast for about 30 minutes. Take a peek every 10 minutes or so, using spatula to move & flip pieces a bit to brown evenly. When the sweet potatoes/squash are nicely carmelized, remove from oven and set aside.

Aromatics
While roasting is taking place, dice the peeled carrots, celery, and red pepper. Place all in large soup pot with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Set heat to medium, cover with lid, and start "sweating" veggies to release their flavors (this is where the term aromatics comes from). Also add your seasoning. Recently, we used 1 teaspoon of dried oregano and about 1/2 teaspoon cumin, but be creative and add whatever you like. After about 7 or 8 minutes of sweating veggies, add 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic, re-cover pot, and sweat for an additional minute or two.

Broth
Pour about 6 cups of chicken broth over softened veggies. Also add your roasted sweet potatoes or butternut squash. Stir and bring to a boil. Then simmer gently (uncovered) for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and use an immersion blender* to puree. As you puree these larger pieces, the soup will begin to thicken. You will also puree some of the aromatics and that's ok. You can make this soup as thick as you want by pureeing more or less.  We like to leave some veggies whole to add texture to the soup. You can also add more chicken broth to thin or simmer soup uncovered to reduce and thicken.

Finishing
You can stop here & enjoy. However, we usually  throw in some shredded, cooked chicken. A small rotisserie chicken works perfectly or  bake two chicken breasts (skin on and bones-in) in advance. Give soup another few minutes of heat to allow the chicken to warm completely. Another idea is to add some very skinny rice stick noodles (available in Asian food section). Smash them up a bit to shorten and make easier to eat, then cook another 10 minutes so noodles soften.

Taste and add kosher salt and black pepper as needed.


* If you don't have an immersion blender, you can place the oven roasted sweet potato or squash in a blender or food processor with a bit of broth. Then pour pureed mix back into soup pot. 

The Eggplant vs. Aubergine Dilemma

An eggplant is an aubergine, but there's no denying that aubergine is the more elegant word. Aubergine allows this funny-shaped food the je ne sais quoi that it truly deserves. As a child, I disliked eggplant since I associated it with thick breading and heaps of oil, but now I love it as grilling and roasting come to mind. In all honesty though, I always say the word eggplant because if I didn't, no one would know what I was talking about. However, as a small act of defiance, I think aubergine in my head. Just a little crazy I know.

Anyway, this recipe also comes from the much-loved cookbook Plenty, with a few minor tweaks. We've been eating this salad a lot, with good toasted bread. This salad heaped on chewy, buttered Tuscan Panne is is a amazing summer-y mouthful. I don't think you need fish/chicken/meat to accompany it, but it certainly won't hurt if you do.



2 or 3 eggplants (depending on size)
olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
1 yellow bell pepper, diced small
15 grape tomatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 1/2 tablespoon capers, plus 1 teaspoon of the brine
1 ball fresh buffalo mozzarella
several leaves of fresh basil

First, place the diced yellow pepper and quartered tomatoes together in medium-sized bowl. Add capers, red wine vinegar, and a pinch of salt & pepper. Stir and allow to sit together at room temperature for 30 minutes so flavors can meld.

As for the eggplant, you can grill or oven-roast it. Either way, cut the eggplants into 3/4 inch circles. Take a baking sheet lined with foil & coated with PAM and place the eggplant slices on it. Pour about 1/4 cup olive oil into a small bowl and brush each eggplant slice with oil. Then sprinkle the slices with kosher salt. When complete, flip the slices over to oil & salt the other sides.

If using oven, place sheet in pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until soft and golden. If using grill, place sheet on grill brought to similar 375-400 degree temperature and grill until soft and golden. Remove from heat and allow to eggplant to cool. Be patient and allow at least some cooling to occur or your mozzarella cheese will melt.

To serve, place the eggplant slices on a platter. Cut the mozzarella into bite-sized pieces and toss over eggplant. Spoon the yellow pepper mixture over both. Take the basil leaves and stack leaves neatly, one on top of the other. Roll length-wise into a little log and slice through the basil log horizontally so you have nice ribbons of basil. Toss the basil over the salad, finish with a bit of kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper.

Don't forget the toasted & buttered panne.

London Calling: Tomato Couscous Salad

In all of London, the place I most want to visit is not Buckingham Palace or Westminster or Piccadilly. My first stop will be Ottolenghi.


Ottolenghi is an amazing food empire and its owner, Yotem, also writes a column for a London newspaper. Yotem has a way with vegetables and grains that reveals a love of the entire Mediterranean as well as his Middle Eastern roots. I have fallen hard for so many of his ideas, including this Tomato Couscous salad, which appears in his cookbook, Plenty. (He calls it Tomato Party) I modified it a bit because we have a few who don't care for mint in savory dishes. Served warm or at room temperature, it pairs happily with anything off the grill. In fact, this was fantastic eaten with grilled Asian chicken in the company of five wonderful friends as we toasted our promotion to a "certain age" in the lovely town of Fairfield. London will just have to wait.

PS This salad stands on its own, especially if you toss in feta, goat cheese, or mozzarella - and add a lavishly buttered bread.

Ingredients
3/4 cup plain couscous
salt
olive oil
2/3 cup boiling water
3 - 4 medium tomatoes quartered then cut each quarter in half (use a mix of red and yellow if possible)
3/4 teaspoon brown sugar
black pepper
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 cups grape tomatoes
fresh basil - chopped, about 2 tablespoons
fresh chive - chopped, about 1 tablespoon

Preparation
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Put couscous in bowl and pour boiling water over. Stir and add a good tablespoon of olive oil and pinch of salt. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (you can use a small sauce pan with a well-fitted lid if easier), set aside for 12 minutes, and then fluff the grains with a fork.

Take your cut sections of the larger tomatoes and place gently in a large bowl. Add balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, brown sugar, pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Combine gently with your hands to make sure each section is covered. Use a slotted spoon to place tomatoes sections on a foiled-covered baking sheet. Leave left-over balsamic & juices in the mixing bowl for later use. Roast the tomatoes sections in the oven for 10 minutes.

Once 10 minutes are up, turn oven to 400 degrees and remove the baking sheet. On the empty side of the sheet, place 1 cup of halved grape tomatoes. Season with a bit of salt, pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Return baking sheet to oven and roast for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

Add the couscous, roasted tomatoes (and any juices from cooking), and the remaining 1 cup of halved, uncooked grape tomatoes to the mixing bowl with the balsamic-y liquid. Gently combine all the tomatoes and couscous, adding more olive oil and salt & pepper as needed. Another splash of balsamic is not out of the question either. If you plan to serve right away, add your chopped basil and chives. If serving later in the day, wait an hour or so before your meal to add your fresh herbs.

Midsummer Mustikkapiiras - or - Blueberry Yogurt Pie

When I returned to work after Molly was born, Malin, our first nanny, gave me the cookbook Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant as a Christmas gift. The recipes are inspired by cuisine from around the world and Mustikkapiiras is Finnish. Besides loving the look of Finnish words (they are so beautifully balanced with all the double vowels and consonants), I loved this recipe. Especially since baby Molly, who was a bit of a picky eater, was thrilled to eat the blueberries and lemony yogurt filling. I was happy she was eating anything, but this seemed very healthy considering the huge number of items she firmly vetoed. We all still love this dessert and on a warm summer evening, it can't be beat

Note: Fresh blueberries are essential here. We've tried frozen, but they just don't do this recipe justice.

Crust

1/3 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Filling
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 eggs
1 cup plain yogurt - we love Chobani Greek Yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
2 cups fresh blueberries

PAM a 9- or 10- inch pie pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Using an electric mixer, or a good deal of muscle, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and blend well. Combine the flour and baking powder in a small mixing bowl and then pour dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix well until dough starts to collect together as a ball. With a spatula, scrap the side and collect the dough as a single, sticky ball. With flour-dusted fingers, pat the sticky dough into the bottom of the pan and up the sides. This is less exacting than rolling out pie dough, so you patch up spots where things look a bit too thin. You will probably need to repeat the flour-dusting as you work with the dough. Refrigerate the pie crust while you are making the filling.

Mix all filling ingredients, except the blueberries, in a clean bowl, until smooth. You can just use a whisk, but be sure to blend all the tiny yogurt lumps. Remove the pie pan from the fridge and place the blueberries as evenly as possible in the pie shell. Slowly pour the filling over the blueberries, turning pie plate to be sure the custard covers evenly.

Bake for 50 - 60 minutes, until the crust is browned and the custard has set. There may be a few cracks in the surface which just adds to its charm. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about an hour than place in refrigerator with a very loose draping of wax paper or clean towel. Allow to chill completely.

Avocado: Sandwich Star

Growing up in 1970's Michigan, I didn't have too much contact with avocados. Maybe the color, but not the fruit. However, in September of 2000 we traveled to Santa Barbara, California for my brother Joe's wedding to the wonderful Rebecca. The celebration was glorious and it was there that I fell for avocados, devouring some form with gusto at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Now the avocado plays a starring role in a great sandwich inspired, yet again, by Mary McCartney's interview in FT Weekend. This is the perfect sandwich when you want bright, sunny flavors.  Also a great meal when it's just too hot to cook. Feel free to add other veggies. Thinly sliced red bell pepper, for example, would be a nice, crunchy addition. However, one thing shouldn't change: experience has proven that lemon juice on the avocado is a must. It makes a world of difference. Trust me.

What's needed:
Bread - a sliced, chewy bread that toasts well. Tuscan pane or panini loaves are now sold at most stores. You can use regular sandwich bread in a pinch, but a better bread is best here.
Ripe avocado
Hummus - Molly has made us fantatics about Sabra Classic Hummus
Red chili pepper jelly - find in Asian cooking aisle "Taste of Thai" or Stonewall Kitchen makes a version
Lemon
Lettuce

Assembly:
Toast bread and spread with hummus & red pepper jelly. Cut half of avocado into sections. Spread sections on cutting board and squeeze lemon juice over the slices. Wait a minute and then layer lemony avocado slices over the hummus & pepper jelly. Give a nice grinding of ground pepper to avocados, crown with lettuce, and then close sandwich with remaining slice of toasted bread. Warning: eat with napkin close at hand as things can get messy, but this worth it.

A Vinaigrette Vignette

Is vinaigrette intimidating? Mais non! I think it’s just the French name, for nothing is easier than whisking together a few ingredients with great gusto. Taste. Adjust - if needed. Done. The whole process takes a few minutes at best and the result can be perfectly tailored to what you like in a salad dressing. Plus, you bypass the gaggle of age-old salad dressing bottles, clanking unnecessarily as you open the door of the fridge. 

In our house we prefer a sweeter vinaigrette, but as I mentioned, you can tailor this to your own preference. You can re-adjust the ratio of 1:1:3 as you see fit. Or, add a bit of mustard, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice. Experiment freely!

Only one hard and fast rule: if you use maple syrup, use REAL maple syrup -  no Log Cabin or Aunt Jemina. However, you can substitute other real sweetners, such as sugar, honey or brown sugar.

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon real maple syrup 

3 tablespoons olive oil

ground pepper

pinch salt

Whisk together vigorously. Pour over salad & toss. Also good over roasted veggies - pour over while still warm. Serve hot or at room temp.

Veggie Stir Fry

At  our house, the quest for a good peanut sauce to throw on a veggie stir fry is legendary. We've tested many and liked none - until now. 

Who knew that the daughter of a former Beatle would hold the answer? Life is funny. A few weeks ago, I read an interview with Mary McCartney regarding her new vegetarian cookbook. This was one of her recipes. We tweaked it a bit, but not too much. We also use chicken stock (not at all vegetarian), but that's what we usually have around. 

Peanut Sauce:

(note: I cut  fats & sodium with “reduced” versions of peanut butter, chicken broth, soy sauce, and coconut milk)

4 tablespoons chunky peanut butter

2 tablespoons sweet red chili sauce (found in Asian food section)

1 1/4 chicken broth (or vegetable)

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

3 tablespoons soy sauce

6 tablespoons coconut milk

1 teaspoon sriracha (if a bit of heat is desired)

ground pepper

Place ingredients in small sauce pan and heat until combined & smooth. You can also put all your ingredients in a microwave safe dish and give a good burst of heat until you can incorporate the peanut butter. This sauce is very forgiving and if you want to play up/down any flavor, go right ahead!

Other Ingredients:

Vegetables: Assorted chopped veggies (about 4 cups) : broccoli florets, green beans, onion, peppers, carrots. 

Rice Noodles:  16 oz. package (found in Asian food section)

Fresh Cilantro

Pepper

Saute veggies in a good, large saucepan with 2 tablespoons sesame or canola oil for 5-6 minutes, then pour peanut sauce over veggies and simmer for 7-8 minutes until veggies are softer, but still a bit crisp.

Bring large pan of salted water to boil. Add noodles and cook 1 minutes less than time required. Drain noodles then return to pot and add the sauce with veggies. Toss carefully to cover. Let sit for a few minutes to let some of the excess sauce absorb into noodles. 

Top with a few tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro and lots of ground pepper. Serves 6

Steal This Blueberry Cake

This cake is worthy of a bit o'crime. And, you can easily find an excuse to indulge any time of day. At 7:30, breakfast begs for coffee cake. 3:00 in the afternoon - a snack. Dessert is served at 6:45. I can't remember where the recipe came from, but we embellished it (with lemon juice on the berries) and simplified it (frozen wild blueberries, smaller & perfect).

Set oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup frozen wild blueberries
1/2 lemon
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
pinch salt
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 tablespoon butter, melted

Blueberries: Put frozen blueberries in small bowl and squeeze lemon juice over. Set aside while you prepare batter and topping.

Batter: In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt by tossing about with a fork. In another bowl, whisk together oil, milk, egg. Pour liquid into dry ingredients and stir together until just combined.

Topping: Place brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, and salt in small bowl and toss together. Pour melted butter over these ingredients and stir together until combined and crumbly. Spoon batter into PAM-ed 8" X 8" baking tin. Smooth out as it will be very thick. Place blueberries evenly on top of batter and then sprinkle topping evenly over blueberries.

 Place in oven and bake for 40- 45 minutes.

Lemon Pound Cake: A Tradition

In a world of uncertainty, you can be sure that there will be lemon pound cake waiting when you return to Michigan for a visit. This cake is a Mimi "welcome home" tradition and although Mimi is a bit scornful of cake mixes, she will be the first to tell you that this cake is decidedly from Duncan Hines. The cake itself is light and lemony. The glaze is so incredible that many people in my house eat the cake first and leave the glazed edges to devour last. This cake is simple, delicious, and lends itself to any occasion.

I won't repeat the entire recipe since it is on the box, but here are a few essential tips.

1. You will need Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme cake mix and Jello Lemon Instant Pudding. Follow recipe on side of the cake box. Take note: this recipe calls for 4 eggs.

2. You can use a bundt pan, but I prefer a tube pan. Grease the pan well before baking. After baking, cool for about 5 minutes and then run a knife around the edges to loosen but leave cake in the pan. Get ready to put glaze on the cake while it's still in the pan and warm from oven. This is key!

3. For glaze: in a small bowl, whisk about 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar with a pinch of salt. Then whisk in the juice of 1 or 2 lemon(s). You want the glaze to be free of lumps and to run slowly off the side of spoon. If it is too thin, just add more powdered sugar. If too thick, more lemon juice. Glaze is very forgiving.

4. Take a skewer or tooth pick and gently prick the the top of the cake all over. This lets some glaze find its way into the cake as well. Very subtle and very good.

5. Pour glaze over cake while it's in the pan, smoothing over the top and allowing it to run down inside and cover the cake's edges as well as the top. Glazing the cake while it's in the pan captures all the lovely glaze goodness for the cake.

6. After about 1 hour of cooling, once again gently run a knife around the edges of the pan and carefully remove the cake. Be sure to run your knife around cake pan every so often so your cake doesn't stick to the inside.

7. If you use a bundt pan, your cake will be upside down as the decorative, rounded side will be on the bottom. Though this may look a bit strange, the cake will be so delicious no one will notice. When removing the cake from the bundt pan, You will invert the cake on to a plate. Then place another plate on top and flip again so cake is glazed-side up.

Molly's Potato Leek Soup

Resourcefulness is to cooking as improvisation is to jazz. Both arts are better off because people don't always follow set rules. As a cook, you may not have, or even like, an ingredient, so sometimes you must adapt or you'll drive yourself crazy.

This soup is the perfect example. At home, we make the adapted version of Robert Irvine's Potato Leek Soup provided below. Our version is very close to his, though I cut down on the leeks because leeks are outrageously expensive and use dried thyme because I find dried thyme taste just as wonderful as fresh in this soup.

Molly wanted to make the soup, but had major supermarket challenges and natural student budget constraints. She decided to skip leeks altogether, as well as the thyme and bay leaf. She bumped up the oniony-ness with an extra onion and added 1/ 4 parmesan cheese for more depth of flavor. Then, she packed on the pepper for extra zip. Though I wasn't there, the reviews were VERY, VERY good. A new soup is born!

6 potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces
3 leeks, whites only, thoroughly washed
3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1 bay leaf
2 quarts chicken stock
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 ounces (1 stick) melted butter
1 cup light cream, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper

In a large pot, place potatoes, leeks, celery, onion, bay leaf and chicken stock and bring to a boil, about 15 minutes. Continue to boil until potatoes are soft. Mix flour and butter in small bowl to make a roux for thickening the soup. Add the cream, thyme, and salt and pepper. Remove bay leaf. Using an immersion blender (or in batches in a blender or food processor), blend soup until smooth. Pour into a medium pot and simmer for 20 more minutes until soup has thickened and serve.

If you cook some broccoli until it is just done, chop & add to the soup, you'll love the taste and feel more virtuous. Plus the color is wonderful.

The Rise of Risotto

After many years of cooking, favorites assume their spot in the weekly menu rotation and will not budge. In fact, it can be hard for a fresh-faced new recipe to break into the pack. However, two recipes in John Besh's new cookbook have gained a strong following in this house. The first is the sloppy joe recipe already posted and now, risotto. Clearly, there is nothing startling about this recipe - which is why risotto has become such a favorite for cook and eaters alike. It is basic and delicious. Yes, risotto does take a bit of time in front of the stove, but for anyone living in a cold weather clime, standing in front of a stove in January is not a bad place to be.




** Wooden spoon needed for this recipe**

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion diced
2 cups arborio rice - must be arborio
6 cups chicken broth, heated - heated is important. (I put the first 3 cups in a large pyrex measuring cup, pop it in the microwave to heat thoroughly, and then keep refilling and reheating)
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese - more if you love parmesan like we do
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in large saucepan and add diced onion. Cover with a lid, allowing onion to soften without browning - about 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove lid and add the rice, turning to cover each kernel in oil. Add 3 cups of the heated chicken broth, bringing slowly to a boil and then reducing heat to a steady simmer. (The lid is no longer needed) Stir often, and as the broth is absorbed into the rice, add more heated broth - about 1/2 cup or so at a time. Keep the rice and broth at a good simmer. Cook until most of the broth is absorbed. Rice should be al dente, but I prefer my al dente on the softer side. Risotto should be creamy and a bit porridge-ish, so you don't want all the broth absorbed. From start to finish, this part will take anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes.

Finish the dish by adding the butter, parmesan, salt, pepper and stirring thoroughly. I serve with a veggie, such as corn, just cooked & tossed with a spoonful of red pepper relish until the relish melts fully. Then add a handful of chopped grape tomatoes. This corn salad gives a nice burst of color, crunch, and sweet acidity. An excellent contrast to risotto's creamy richness.

Happiest Birthday Cake

Yesterday, Elisabeth turned eleven and once again our family-favorite cake played the starring role. All credit for this incredible devil's food cake goes to a childhood babysitter, Mrs. Dykstra. I don't remember too much about her, other than her cake becoming Mimi's go-to recipe. Now, it's mine. I've crowned this cake with all sorts of frostings: vanilla, chocolate, mocha, and even whipping cream. All were staggeringly good. The strange, but wonderful, mystery surrounding this cake is that it gets better with each day. Of course, Mrs. Dykstra's cake only last two, may be three days at most, but they are VERY good days.

Set oven to 350 degrees

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa - Hershey's works great
1/2 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons baking soda

Combine the cocoa & baking soda in a small bowl. Pour in boiling water, stir to combine fully, and set aside to cool.

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter at room temperature
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream

Place flour and salt in a bowl, stir to combine, and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well. By now, the hot cocoa mixture will be cool-ish, so add to the butter mixture and beat well. Then, add half the sour cream and mix. Add half the flour mixture and mix again. Repeat with remaining sour cream and flour mixture.

Pour and smooth your batter into a PAMed tube pan. Bake for about 50 - 55 minutes. Keep an eye on the cake once you hit 50 minutes since you don't want to over-cook it. Cake should bounce bake when you gentle press the top or use a skewer to test for "doneness".

Christmas Bars

This is a slightly revised Mimi recipe called toffee bars. The twist is a topping of crushed candy cane rather than the original topping of toasted almonds. Toffee bars are delicious, but the nuts were an issue for a young lady from Port Chester, NY who banned them from the Favorite Dessert Poll at a recent family party. In a shameless attempt to reverse this decision, I thought peppermint candy would do the trick. So far, early results are very positive. I think Christmas Bars have a shot at a spot on the 2012 ballot.

2 sticks softened butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 bag chocolate chips (12 oz)
About 5 regular-sized candy canes, crushed*

Set oven to 350 degrees.

With a mixer, beat together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg yolk and beat until well combined.

To separate the yolk from the egg white, crack the egg firmly on the side of the bowl and pass the yolk back and forth, allowing the white to fall away into a bowl. If this seems daunting, crack the egg firmly on a bowl, place the entire egg into the bowl and with the smooth edge of one half of the shell, scoop out the yolk.

Add the flour and beat until batter holds together and looks crumbly. Place the batter into a PAM-ed 9 X12 baking pan. Pat the batter with your finger to get even coverage over the entire pan.

Place in oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and pour chocolate chips evenly over the surface. Return to oven and bake for another 4 minutes. Remove and with gently spread the chocolate over the baked surface with a knife. Once the chocolate is completely spread, sprinkle the crushed candy cane (or toasted almonds) about and gently press into the chocolate.

Allow to cool fully so chocolate hardens.

* To crush the candy canes, place unwrapped candy in a sturdy zip lock bag, lay a dish towel or newspaper over the bag, and use a good heavy frying pan to whack the contents. Candy cane bits are sharp and will pierce the bag which is why the dish towel or newspaper is a good idea.

Retro Night: Sloppy Joe's

The 1970s: Love American Style, bell bottoms, and Sloppy Joe's for dinner. Ah, the days of yore. Sigh!

This recipe is adapted from a new cookbook I love by John Besh. These Joe's are definitely on the sweet side of the sweet & sour spectrum. So, if you want to tip the balance a bit, you could give them a blast of sriracha heat or swap the ketchup for tomato sauce. The only must here, is that the hamburger buns are toasted. Life is full of compromises, but toasted rolls for Sloppy Joes is not one of them. Always toast!

ps. I think this meal calls for some contrasting crunch to balance the soft Joe-ness. A salad of greens, sliced apple, and shaved parmesan seems just right.

Ingredients
2 lbs ground beef
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 onion diced
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup pepper jelly
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/4 cup chicken broth
pinch of salt & plenty of freshly ground pepper

Brown the ground beef slowly in a large saucepan. Once the meat loses its pinkness, drain the fat, and tip the meat on to a paper towel-lined plate while you make the sauce.

Wipe out your pan and add the canola oil. Turn heat to medium and add onion. Give onion time to brown. Once onion has reached a nice light brown color, add garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Then, add all your remaining ingredients, stirring constantly to allow them to combine and heat through.

Add ground beef to the sauce and cook at low simmer for 10 -15 minutes. If mixture seems too dry, add a bit more chicken broth. If too liquid, just heat until you reach the consistency you prefer. Enjoy!

Serves about 10

The Archives: Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin bread has been around as long as I have. While it's not necessary to talk numbers, let it suffice to say that this is a long-held Mimi recipe which appears around/between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Recently, I attempted to make the bread healthier by substituting unsalted butter for much-maligned Crisco. The resulting breads were good, but the size was a bit smaller and the texture slightly denser. However, a review of the Crisco label revealed that Crisco has half the saturated fat of butter and no evil trans fats. So, I am back to the true original. Though, I will say there are some in the house who prefer the butter version. Either way, I will not pretend that this is a health food. However: It is delicious. It is tradition. It isn't something you eat every day.

P.S. You can bake this batter in muffin tins (will make 12) and top with cream cheese frosting for yummy cupcakes. Repeat the last three sentences from above as you devour.

P.P.S. Glad to have this go digital as my card is in rough shape!

Set oven to 350 degrees

1 2/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Place dry ingredients in small bowl. Toss about with fork to combine.

Use mixer to cream together:
1/2 cup Crisco or same amount softened unsalted butter
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Then, beat in 2 eggs. Stir in 1 cup canned pumpkin. When combined, alternate adding and stirring in the flour mixture with 1/3 cup cold water.

Once complete, pour into greased loaf pans or muffin tins. The mini-loaf pans will require 30 -35 minutes in the oven. Muffins will take about 30 minutes.

A Winter's Tale: Potatoes

Lately, potatoes have become (unfairly I think) the black sheep of the carb world. I am an ardent believer in "everything in moderation" and am also a big fan of sticking to a budget. A weekly potato night is good on both accounts. So enjoy yourself and don't give in to potato bullies.

This recipe is adapted from the wonderful world of British cook and author Nigel Slater. Nigel has such a way with vegetables, and cooking in general, that you want to try everything he mentions, plus grow a beautiful garden while you're at it. This recipe is for cold winter nights and all it needs is some kind of crunchy co-star. We like green bean boiled until just tender and tossed with a bit of jarred pesto. This feeds one very hungry person as a main dish, but can be easily doubled or tripled when there are more mouths to feed.

2 russet potatoes
1 onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic - minced
1 cup "meltable" cheese - fontina is nice & available everywhere now, even at Target. Cheddar works well too.
just a bit of parmesan

Set oven to 350 degrees

Peel potatoes and cut into chunky 1/2 inch thick circles. Place potatoes in a large pan with salted water, turn heat to high, and boil until just tender. (about 10 minutes) If you poke a piece with a fork, it should just start to come out without resistance. You don't want to over-cook them. Drain water and cut into bite-sized pieces. You can take a dinner knife to them while they are still in the pan.

While potatoes are working their way toward tender, cut an onion in half, then slice into thin half circles. Place in a skillet with olive oil and cook at medium heat. You want to soften, not brown the onions. However, if they get a little bronzed, the world will not end. When onions seem softened (about 9 or so minutes), toss in minced garlic, give 30 more seconds of cooking time, stir around, and remove from heat. The brief time in the heat will be enough to release the garlic's wonderful fragrance; you don't want garlic to brown.

Place potatoes in with garlic-y onions and add grated cheese. Toss lightly with a bit of salt & pepper. If you have a skillet with on oven-proof handle the whole thing can get a dusting of parmesan and go directly in the oven If not give an oven-proof dish a quick blast of PAM and tip in the potato mixture. Dust with parmesan. Cook for 35 minutes or until everything looks delicious and golden.

Rice: The Oven Version

This is another essential recipe from the Mimi files. We grew up eating this rice under or next-to all sorts of dishes: stew, curry, roast chicken - the list goes on and on. In fact, the first time I had rice made on the stove top with water I was stunned and not in a good way. Rice baked in chicken broth has a lovely flavor and perfect consistency. Plus, you can toss it in the oven, set the timer, and forget about it until you hear the “ding”.

Set oven to 400 degrees

I can chicken broth
1 cup long-grain white rice - not all rice (brown, arborio, basmati, etc.) cooks or tastes equally; long-grain white is best here.
1 tablespoon butter
A little ground pepper

Place all three items in small, lidded pyrex. I use an 8” x 8” dish. Cover dish and place in oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, stir rice a bit, replace lid for 3 or so minutes, and serve. This makes about 4 to 5 good strong servings.

p.s. warmed leftover rice is wonderful with a fried egg on top. Dust with parmesan cheese & pepper ...

Gingerbread Heaven

I am absolutely sure warm gingerbread with whipped cream is served in heaven and that Laurie Colwin gave St. Peter the recipe. Gingerbread recipes vary wildly with many calling for boiling water or other unreasonable antics. This one is easy and antic-free. It is also a must for anyone residing in a cold weather climate such as, ahem, Chicago or Boston.

p.s. This recipe is adapted for the no-mixer kitchen. If you do have one feel free to put it to work.


Laurie Colwin’s Gingerbread

Ingredients
1/2 cup milk, including 1 tablespoon vinegar mixed in to “buttermilk-ify” it. Do this first and place on top of the warming oven so vinegar has a few minutes to work its magic.
1 stick of butter - very soft, but not melted
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons vanilla

Set oven to 350 degrees

Use a fork to cream butter with brown sugar until all the brown sugar is incorporated and the mixture looks like a sugary butter paste. Then beat in molasses; I find a wooden spoon or not overally flexible spatula works best. Follow by beating/whisking in eggs. I do the eggs one at a time to help make cake as light as possible.

Add all dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Whisk or beat in vanilla extract and milk.
Pour batter into Pam-sprayed tin. I use 9” round pan. Bake for about 30 minutes. You can use an 8” square pan, but you will need to adjust the baking time. Either way, test to see if center bounces back when you press lightly.

Remove from oven and allow to cool just slightly. Gingerbread is best when on the verge of hot. Eaten this way, gingerbread is heavenly. Adding whipped cream or slightly softened vanilla ice cream is heavenly+. You can freeze leftovers, if any remain.

Bread & Chocolate

This is simple and delicious.
This a snack/dessert/breakfast/lunch.
This will help you leap tall stacks of books.
This will soothe tiny, or not so tiny, annoyances.

This is bread & chocolate.

To make:
Take a good hunk of french baguette. I am not a snob about the bread here, but it should be a baguette. Your local supermarket's bakery brand will do. In fact, this may sound strange, but Target's baguette (they make a demi-monde size too) works very well and you can stock a few in your freezer.

Cut your bread in half the long way and toast it in the toaster oven. You can also wrap it in foil and warm in a 325 degree oven for about 7 or 8 minutes. Longer if bread is a bit frozen. I do not recommend the microwave as it tends to turns bread into stone statues in the blink of an eye.

Take the bread out of the oven and carefully place a nice piece of chocolate between the two halves. Press the two halves together gently to slightly melt the chocolate. Exhaustive research has led this household to prefer 60% cacao dark chocolate. Of course, dark chocolate has all those healthy anti-oxidants and iron, so you can feel virtuously indulgent. And if you like the more intense higher percentages of cacao, go for it - that's even better still. AND, if you only like milk chocolate, that's fine too. We all need our calcium.

I have also sprinkled roughly chopped roasted almonds over my chocolate before the "gentle press" of the baguette. I like this version too, however, some purists insist you must stick to two ingredients. I think you should judge for yourself. Bon Appetit!