Tuesday, December 30, 2008

OK, so here’s another best-kept secret. This time, my friend Heidi’s, but apparently, my sister Regina has claimed it for her own:
“Hi, do you have ‘my’ champagne punch recipe? I want to make it tomorrow, forgot my recipe in PA.”
Lucky for Regina, Heidi’s recipe is actually epicurious.com’s recipe, and luckier for Regina, Heidi actually shared that fact with me and didn’t claim it for her own, otherwise I would’ve had trouble putting my fingers on it tonight.

Reg, enjoy your punch tomorrow, and more, enjoy your friends at “home”. You deserve a very fun night with them, for sure!

Champagne Punch
1 c Triple Sec
1 c brandy
½ c Chambord
2 c unsweetened pineapple juice
1 qt chilled ginger ale
2 chilled 750-ml bottles dry champagne
In a bowl combine Triple Sec, brandy, Chambord, and pineapple juice, and chill the mixture, covered, for at least 4 hours or overnight. In a large punch bowl combine the Triple Sec mixture, ginger ale, champagne, and ice cubes.

Happy New Year!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008


I know Brendan will be mad at me for divulging this long-held family secret (and probably this picture), but I can’t find my copy of the recipe, and I’d like you all to tell me if my memory is correct.

Irish cream

4 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 c heavy cream
2 T chocolate syrup
2 t instant coffee
1 t pure vanilla extract
¼ t pure almond extract
¾ c Irish whiskey (I think the original recipe called for 1½ cups, but I usually use less)
Combine in blender. Chill. Serve in a pretty bottle. Makes great gifts!

Sunday, December 21, 2008


File under: You gotta try this! It's the simplest, nicest, chocolate treat ever!

Now, if you ask my kids what my favorite candy is, they'll tell y0u it's Junior Mints or maybe Mounds or Almond Joy. And I do love those, don’ get me wrong. But my favorite candy is Chunky. I’m just generally unwilling to pay $1 for a 1½" square of chocolate with raisins and nuts. Enter: Chocolate, Fruit, and Nut Clusters that arrived in my e-mailbox this week, as if from Santa, but really from Health.com Healthy Holiday Postcard ... Healthy Holiday?! This just got better! The sidebar on the recipe says it’s healthy because dark chocolate offers stress-busting (really?! no wonder I like it so much!) antioxidants, while cranberries may help fend off winter colds and fight stomach bugs.

The other thing I love about it is it’s a half-cup of everything. That, I can remember when I’m walking through the store with no idea where I left my shopping list (usually on the passenger seat of the car).

I tried it as written, but I’d like a little more dark chocolate and a little less sweet, so I might substitute darker bittersweet or more semisweet chocolate for the milk chocolate next time.

Chocolate, Fruit, and Nut Clusters
½ c (3 oz) semisweet chocolate chips or chopped baking bar, such as Ghirardelli
½ c (3 oz) milk chocolate chips or chopped milk chocolate bar
½ c dried cranberries
½ c coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
Place the semisweet chocolate and milk chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water; make sure the water is not actually touching the inner pan. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

Stir in the cranberries and pecans. Immediately drop by level teaspoonfuls onto a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 30 minutes. Clusters will keep in the refrigerator up to 5 days.

Saturday, December 20, 2008


There are certain things that are meant to be simple, pure, fresh ingredients, in other words, don’t mess with perfection: Mashed potatoes, onion soup, chocolate chip cookies, fudge. My husband’s cousin, Michael, makes the best, most simple, fudge in the world. He’s adapted the recipe to make all kinds: Chocolate-walnut, chocolate-mint, chocolate-raspberry, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, peanut butter, you name it, he makes it. I am a purest. I like his basic recipe best. Enjoy it with your loved ones this holiday.
Michael’s Fudge

4 c sugar
¼ lb butter
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
12 oz semisweet chocolate
16 oz milk chocolate
64 mini marshmallow (or 16 large marshmallows)
1 t vanilla
Line a 9"x13" pan with foil. Butter bottom and sides. Bring sugar, butter, and milk to a rolling boil. Lower heat to medium continue to stir about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add chocolate and marshmallows. Stir until smooth, add vanilla. Pour into pan. Let mold overnight. Cut into 1-inch squares. (Michael uses a ruler to measure perfect 1-inch squares, really. And yes, I do make fun of him for that. But after tasting this fudge, you can’t help but forgive that character flaw.) Experiment with other fudge flavors once you've mastered this recipe.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Brandini Toffee

This Toffee recipe from Martha Stewart makes me think of Aunt Margo's toffee. It is pretty easy to make and really comes out great.

Ingredients
Makes about 2 pounds1/4 pound whole almonds3 cups (6 sticks) salted butter3 cups sugar1 pound Guittard French vanilla dark chocolate


DirectionsPreheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds evenly on a baking sheet and transfer to oven. Roast until almonds are dark and fragrant, but not burned, about 15 minutes. Remove nuts from oven and let cool completely. Transfer cooled nuts to a large resealable plastic bag. Using a mallet or other heavy object, pound nuts until coarsely ground.
Melt butter in an 8-quart pot over medium-low heat; stir in sugar. Continue stirring until toffee reaches 305 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 30 minutes.
Pour toffee onto an 18-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet, spreading evenly to cover. Let cool until toffee is slightly hardened, but still tacky. Run a knife along the edges of the baking sheet to make toffee easier to remove.
Meanwhile, in a bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water, melt chocolate. Remove chocolate from heat and let cool slightly until it reaches about 95 degrees on a candy thermometer. Immediately pour melted chocolate over toffee, spreading evenly to cover. Sprinkle over coarsely ground almonds, pressing down with offset spatula. Transfer to refrigerator until toffee is set, about 1 hour.
To remove toffee from pan, run a sharp knife along the edges and lift toffee from the bottom. Using your hands, break toffee into large pieces; keep refrigerated until ready to serve.




Saturday, December 13, 2008


At lunch yesterday, a woman said, “When I have a cup of coffee at someone else’s house, it always tastes better. When I even have a cup of tea at someone else’s house, it tastes better.” That confirms two of my “food beliefs” ­— food always tastes better when someone else has made it, and it always tastes better when it’s shared with someone else.

I’m always surprised by the number of people who say they can’t cook. I’ve eaten at a lot of tables, and I’ve never sat down to something inedible. When there’s good company, laughter, fun, and love, the food always tastes good.

It doesn’t need to be fancy or pretentious, in fact, it’s better if it’s simple and from the heart. Make brownies or a cake from a box, put on a pot of coffee or a kettle for tea, and invite a friend to sit with you. You’ll both enjoy the company and the food.

When I’m having a friend for tea, I make these scones. The recipe originally came from my cousin, Mary Fran. One of the nicest things about this recipe is its flexibility — it can be changed based on tastes, or what you have on hand. I adapted it to chocolate scones when my son was in 3rd grade because he wanted “something chocolate” for his teacher, and I’ve made them with dried cranberries or dried blueberries or whatever I have. My neighbor Lynne has made it her own cinnamon scones recipe by substituting cinnamon chips (in the baking aisle, with the chocolate chips, but they’re hard to find, if you see them, buy two!) for the raisins. Today, I’m making them with cranberry relish I’d made for Thanksgiving, and it never got eaten, so it went into the freezer. Now that I’m baking for Christmas, I need freezer space — yet another repurposing of leftovers. Also, I'm feeling inspired, so I think the teachers are getting an assortment of scones with a pound of coffee as gifts this year.

Mary Fran’s scones
makes 12 large or 18 medium scones

2 c raisins, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes to plump them (or 2 c dried cranberries or dried blueberries or currants) (Don’t do what one of my sisters did, I won’t name names, and boil the raisins in the water, and leave them on, and ruin your best saucepan ...)
2 sticks butter
1 t salt
4 t baking powder
4 c flour
½ c sugar (or less)
2 eggs
1 c milk (I prefer buttermilk)
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine dry ingredients with butter into a coarse mixture. In a separate bowl, combine eggs and milk. Make an indentation in the dry ingredients and add the eggs and milk. Stir together with a fork to moisten. The less stirring the better, stirring makes for tougher scones. Add raisins and stir just until they’re combined. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Will’s chocolate scones: Replace raisins with 2 c chocolate chips and add 3 T good-quality cocoa powder to the dry ingredients.

Lynne’s cinnamon scones: Replace raisins with 2 c cinnamon chips

Katie’s cranberry-orange scones: Replace raisins with 2 c cranberry-orange relish.

Thursday, December 11, 2008


Another favorite gift for the holidays is nuts, of any kind. These are my own version of semi-homemade. Clearly, I don’t grow the nuts, but boy! Do I add value! Candied pecans, chili-roasted almonds, roasted rosemary cashews (below), sugar & spice walnuts, I love ‘em all!

Nuts take a little more time than yesterday’s amaretto, but they’re well worth it. Wrap them in a pretty, expensive jar or can or—even cheaper!—a festive cellophane bag.

Roasted Rosemary Cashews
(from The Barefoot Contessa)
1 pound unsalted roasted cashews
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350°. Spread cashews out on a sheet pan. Toast until warm, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine rosemary, cayenne, brown sugar, salt and melted butter. Thoroughly toss toasted nuts with spiced butter. Cool and package as gifts.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008


There’s nothing like a homemade gift to say you really care about someone. At the holidays things are always busy, but it’s so nice to make someone feel extra special. When you’re baking your favorite cookie recipe, make an extra batch of dough, freeze it, and bake them for a special gift for someone—tie them in a pretty box, put them on a festive plate (look at yard sales and flea markets year-round for odd plates), or put them in a jar with a nice ribbon.

What could be better than a thoughtful gift that’s also easy? The following Amaretto recipe takes all of half and hour—even if you multiply it, then just pop it in a pretty bottle (pick these up through the year too, or save your wine bottles) with a stopper (also in abundance in kitchen stores) and a ribbon. It stores at room temperature, and you probably have all the ingredients in your house already! It’s perfect for a hostess gift or a special friend.

Amaretto
(from allrecipes.com)

1 c water
1 c white sugar
½ c brown sugar
2 c vodka
2 T almond extract
2 t vanilla extract
Combine water, white sugar and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat until boiling and all sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let mixture cool for about 10 minutes. Pour in vodka, almond extract, and vanilla. Mix well and store in a sealed bottle.
What are your favorite appetizers this season?

Monday, December 8, 2008

Christmas Menu

We are having Christmas with Kate (and fam), Bridge (and fam) and my parents at our house in New Hope. That will be 8 adults and 10 kids, ranging from 16 (that day, Happy Birthday, Will!) - 17 months.  We thought we'd do our menu planning here, so we'd love to hear what everyone else is making and you can weigh in on what we are thinking about. Let the planning begin!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Create a Cookbook


I was with Katie at Book Group last night (neither of us had read the book…), and we got to talking about food – surprise!

We ended up talking about all of our favorite recipes: Katie’s Mom’s Clam Chowder, Lynne’s “Great-Grandmother’s” Italian Peasant Soup, our friend Marilyn’s Delta Shrimp, our friend Lisa’s Crockpot Ground Turkey 3 Bean Soup, etc. I told them all about this cool website that my cousin Betteanne sent to me -- http://www.tastebook.com/.

Check it out – you create a hardcover, spiral-bound cookbook of your favorite recipes that you can then order. You either type in new recipes or import from other websites. It's a great, easy way to organize your recipes.

I’ve created a cookbook citing Katie, Lynne, Marilyn, Lisa and others as sources and am thinking of creating one with all my mom’s old recipes as a gift for my sisters. Let me know and I can send you the link to my cookbook if you’re interested.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Second (or third or fourth) time around


Bridget asked:
What are you doing/did you do with the leftover turkey? I tried some different recipes, I'll post them later. Thanksgiving Strata for Brunch on Sunday, it was tasty, a good change. Turkey Enchiladas and of course Turkey Divan.
I just made the best—and one of the easiest & quickest!—leftover turkey meals I've ever made! I served it with white rice—to which I added leftover mashed butternut squash & a can of drained, rinsed black beans just before serving. It was adapted from www.cookinglight.com.

(BTW, I still have more turkey & a great stock (for this, I just put the carcass in my crockpot Thanksgiving night, fill with water & let it simmer for 12-24 hours), any ideas for a different soup or stew?)

Turkey Picadillo
Turkey matches well with the flavorful ingredients of this Cuban dish: tomato, chiles, cinnamon, and cumin. Serve with baked tortilla chips.
1 t olive oil
¼ c finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 c chopped tomato
2 T chopped jalapenos
1 T dark brown sugar
½ t ground cinnamon
½ t ground cumin
½ t black pepper
¼ t salt
2 T golden raisins
2 T capers
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T dry sherry
2 c chopped skinned cooked turkey
8 flour tortillas
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chopped tomato and green chiles; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, cumin, black pepper, and salt; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Reduce heat to low. Stir in raisins, capers, vinegar, and sherry; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring often. Add turkey, stirring to combine. Remove from heat.

Warm tortillas wrapped in foil in oven. Spoon about 1/3 cup turkey mixture onto each tortilla; roll up.

Makes 4 servings.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Bake sale

I have to bake for a bake sale on Friday.  I'm thinking of a loaf bread.   Maybe a pumpkin or banana? What do you do for a bake sale?  Katie I know you mentioned Orange bugs the other day, I didn't write down the recipe. If you have a chance  please post it.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Fresh Pasta

Does anyone make their own pasta? Is it worth it? What do you need?

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

What's for Thanksgiving?


What are you cooking for Thanksgiving? Are you sticking with the classics? Does your family have traditions? I'm always interested in hearing new yummy recipes. This is an awesome holiday, one focusing on food, family, what we are thankful for and football:)

Dinner help

As I tend to do, I go through phases where I am very motivated about making up my menus and trying new recipes, and then when I am not so motivated. I am in the down phase, and am having trouble putting ideas together for some new dinners to try. I need to get shopping and would love some great ideas. I did a pork stir-fry last night. I was feeling uninspired and just threw it together. It didn't look great and I wasn't thrilled about it, but it actually tasted really good. 

Anyone have some great, easy, family-friendly ideas?

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Green bean casserole

Ok here it is, I like green bean casserole. A few years ago our news paper ran an article on it and had some updated one. I tried one of them.   Am thinking of another one this year.  Do people make it? Do you like it? Why? or Why not? Which one would you make?


Monday, November 17, 2008

Sour-Cream Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Anyone have the recipe handy? I can't find mine and am having a coffee/playdate tomorrow morning.

Update: Eileen shared the recipe with me, so I am adding here on the front page so it is nice and easy to find. A family favorite!

Chocolate Chip coffee cake
!/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs 
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp Vanilia
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Topping
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 tsp cinnamon

Cream together butter,sugar,eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Combine 2 mixes. 
Spoon 1/2 batter into pan. Top with 1/2 chip mixture. Cover with rest of batter. Top with rest of chip mixture.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Mom always does her in a fluted pan but I have trouble getting it to cook through in that pan so I do a 9x13. So you may need to adjust baking time.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

We had a little dinner party here last night, just a few friends, a few tapas, and some nice wine. We ended the evening with a fabulous bottle of limoncello that my brother-in-law brought back from Positano for my birthday.

One of the best things about the party, was that it was followed by a do-nothing day. We’d had a busy week, and even a busy day leading up to the party last night. I hadn’t left myself enough time to do what I really wanted to do, but it was good friends, and nobody really cared about anything but hanging out and being together and relaxing a little. Everyone had had equally busy weeks.

But, back to our do-nothing day today: It was made even better by the fact that I had made tandoori chicken skewers and had enough leftover to add the chicken to salad tonight for our dinner so I didn’t really have to make dinner tonight.

It was so good, and so well received by the family, that I’ll plan it again in the future. The tandoori chicken is perfect for our Friday Night Appetizers-for-Dinner, and I’ll make enough extra for another Do-Nothing Sunday Dinner.

I adapted the tandoori chicken recipe from the
Purcell sisters’ Tandoori lamb with cumin dipping sauce. I had chicken and I was looking for an interesting way to serve it, so I used this recipe.

Tandoori chicken with cumin dipping sauce

2 c plain yogurt
2 T ground coriander
2 T paprika
2 T fresh lemon juice
1½ T ground cumin
1½ T ground ginger
½ t turmeric
½ t ground cardamom
½ t salt
1 garlic clove, minced
2 lb chicken breast, cubed


¾ c sour cream
¾ c plain yogurt
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 t ground cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
Combine the first 10 ingredients in a bowl and blend thoroughly. Add the chicken, and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

When you’re ready to prepare the skewers, mix together sour cream, yogurt, lemon juice, and cumin. Salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat broiler. Place chicken onto 5-inch skewers on a broiler pan. Broil for about 3 minutes on each side. Remove to serving platter.

Tandoori chicken salad
For my salad today, I heated my chicken and added what salad ingredients I had in the fridge.

1 lb tandoori chicken skewers, leftover from Appetizers-for-Dinner
10 oz salad greens
1 pt grape tomatoes
1 cucumber, peeled, quartered, sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3-4 new red potatoes, boiled, chilled, quartered (these were leftover from Thursday’s mashed potatoes)
cumin dipping sauce, leftover from Appetizers-for-Dinner
Combine salad greens, tomatoes, cucumber, celery, and red pepper. Top with potatoes and chicken skewers.

You can dress with whatever salad dressing you like, but it was delicious with a batch of the cumin dipping sauce.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Cool-weather Soups

I always love to have soups during this time of year. It makes me feel warm and toasty, add salad and a bread, and I am in heaven!

Last night, I made a butternut squash soup. I roasted the squash with a little olive oil, s&p at 400 for about 45 minutes, until it was tender. Then, sauteed a little onion and garlic, added the squash pulp and some chicken stock, nutmeg and sage. Brought the soup to a boil and let it simmer. Then, pureed in the blender until smooth. Drizzled a little molasses on top before serving. It is good, but I would be more than welcome to trying other butternut squash soup recipes, as well as other soup recipes in general. 

I will come back shortly and post a few of our favorites.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Who remembers being able to bring in cupcakes or brownies to be able to celebrate your birthday in school? (OK, I didn’t because I had a summer birthday, and in “the olden days” teachers weren’t concerned about “fair and equitable” celebrations in honor of each child.)

But still, Halloween parties, Christmas parties, and Valentines parties and birthday cupcakes were the stuff that made going to school the other 160-170 days a year bearable.

My kids’ school district just came out with a Wellness Policy, and while there is other good stuff in there, it was lost in this simple sentence,
“Practices addressed shall include parties and celebrations, individual student snacks, fund-raisers, vending, sale of food on campus during school hours (hot dog stands, special event vendors, etc.), field trips, and any food brought into school outside of the school lunch program ... [chief among them is:] Soda and candy shall not be allowed in school.”
Part of the problem is, that along with this, they finally took the vending machines out of the 4th-8th grade school. Why are there vending machines in a 4th-8th grade school anyway? So, they over-corrected for years of overlooking, and now our kids can’t have parties in school. Well, I guess they can have parties, they just can’t have “party food.”

Now, my life revolves around food. I cook for a living. I love to cook. I love to eat. When I’m not cooking or eating, I’m usually thinking about what I’m going to cook or eat. But, here are some important points to note:
  1. My kids who are in school are in 5th, 8th, and 10th grade. Hardly planning to bring in cupcakes for their birthdays. And by the time my almost-3-year-old is in school, there will be a whole new set of rules, I’m sure, so I don’t lose sleep over her school experience yet.
  2. I’m not a nutritionist, but I try to eat healthy and help my family and clients eat healthy.
  3. I believe in moderation. And, I believe in healthy foods first, then your treat.
So, I think the schools are missing a vast teaching opportunity here. If they’re so concerned that kids are trending toward obesity (and if you believe the American Academy of Pediatrics, they are: 1 in 3 kids is overweight or obese), and that kids aren’t getting proper nutrition education and guidance at home, do they really think prohibition is the way to go? That concerns me. I think it would make more sense, if it’s lacking at home, to teach the children proper nutrition at school. (What makes a healthy snack? What makes a special-occasion snack? How often can I have a special-occasion snack? How much is too much? Aren’t these questions we all struggle with from time-to-time anyway?)

And teaching moderation has benefits well beyond the nutritional world. It will set them up for success at managing their lifestyle choices for years to come. I think our new Wellness Policy misses the boat.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Food for a family at a difficult time

We have a family that the Mom just had open heart surgery. I am signed up to bring dinner one night next week.   Any suggestions?  I tend to resort to Lasagna when bringing food for others.  What are some other good options? 

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Necessity is the mother of invention,
or discovery. My kids were clamoring for some cocoa, but we were out. It hadn’t really been cold enough, but today has become rainy and raw. So, I found this lovely alternative on the Family Fun web site. It
’s easy, easy, easy, and my husband, who doesn’t love chocolate, really liked it.

Hot vanilla
1 cup of milk
2 teaspoons of sugar
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
whipped cream, optional
chocolate syrup, optional
cinnamon, optional
For each hot vanilla, microwave 1 cup of milk and 2 teaspoons of sugar in a mug for 90 seconds. Stir in ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Top with a dollop of whipped cream, a drizzle of chocolate syrup, and a dash of cinnamon, if using.

And, welcome to the neighborhood baby Kate Alexandra Mellet! We’re so happy you’re here.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Yes, great company recipes


This is a really versatile idea. You can make it with beef tenderloin, chicken breast, or salmon or other firm-fleshed fish. Basically, you pair the protein with cheese and something else sweet or savory, and wrap it in puff pastry. They can be made ahead and frozen, then just baked off when you need them. Perfect for a dinner party or house guests.

Last week or the week before, Rachael Ray did chicken breasts with fontina cheese and fig preserves, seasoned with rosemary. I used to have a client that loved chicken breasts with goat cheese, spinach, toasted pine nuts, and sundried tomatoes, seasoned with basil and garlic.

The very first meal I ever cooked for my husband was chicken cordon bleu (with gruyérè and black forest ham). I’ve changed it up over the years to make it with fontina and prosciutto or imported provolone and prosciutto for an Italian flavor or manchego and parma for a Spanish flair. These little rolls are also great en croute (enclosed in puff pastry).

You can also do individual beef wellingtons this way. Use individual servings of beef tenderloin and top with sautéed mushrooms or pate (or both, if you prefer).

Necessity is the mother of invention. Use whatever you have on hand or want to use up. Or make it seasonal: Cranberries or apple butter and blue cheese in the fall, spinach and goat cheese in the spring. Keep some of the staples for your favorites in the pantry and freezer and you’ve always got a company-ready meal on hand. You can make it as fancy or as mundane as you like.

I roll the flattened chicken breast around the fillings, Rachael Ray layers them on the pastry; I might try her way next time, it seems easier. Rachael Ray browns the chicken breasts before layering and wrapping, I don’t; who needs an extra step?

Chicken (or beef or salmon) en croute
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (if you’re having a large dinner party/buffet, cut the breasts in half, people don’t eat as large servings at a larger party)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
spice
1 sheet puff pastry (11 by 17-inch)
8 slices cheese
something sweet or savory
1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Preheat oven to 475°. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and spice. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut pastry into 4 pieces (8 for dinner-party-sized pieces). Place a piece of cheese on each pastry square and top with spoonfuls of sweet or savory and chicken breast. Pinch and seal the dough up and over the meat and cheese, seal with egg wash, flip the pastry packets over and brush the tops with remaining egg wash. You can roll the puff pastry scraps and use cookie cutters to decorate the bundles with seasonal shapes or simple decorations. (Bundles can be frozen at this point: Freeze on baking sheet without wrapping to set the egg wash and puff pastry. Wrap bundles individually in foil and store in a zipper freezer bag until you’re ready to use them. May be frozen up to three months.)

(If frozen, defrost in refrigerator the day before you plan to eat. Preheat oven to 475°. Unwrap the thawed bundles and place on parchment-lined baking sheet.) Put the pastries in oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 400°. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and the juices run clear.
Chicken with fontina and fig preserves variation: Season chicken with ½ t rosemary along with salt and pepper. Use 8 slices of fontina and ½ c fig preserves.
Chicken cordon bleu variation: Season chicken with ½ thyme along with salt and pepper. Use 8 slices of gruyérè and 8 slices black forest ham. Serve with mornay sauce.
Chicken marsala variation: Season chicken with ½ t sage along with salt and pepper. Use 4 oz sautéed mushrooms, 8 slices of provolone, and 8 slices of prosciutto.
Chicken fontina variation: Season chicken with ½ t Italian seasoning along with salt and pepper. Use 8 slices of fontina and 8 slices of prosciutto.
Chicken manchego variation: Season chicken with ½ oregano along with salt and pepper. Use 8 slices manchego and 8 slices of parma ham.
Chicken with goat cheese and spinach variation: Season chicken with ½ t basil along with salt and pepper. Use 4 oz goat cheese and 10 oz frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed), mixed with 2 T toasted pine nuts, 2 T chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and ¼ t minced garlic.
Chicken with blue cheese and caramelized onion variation: Season chicken with ½ t thyme along with salt and pepper. Use 4 oz blue cheese and ½ c caramelized onions.
Individual beef wellington variation: Substitute 4 6-oz beef tenderloins for the chicken breasts. Season with ½ t rosemary along with salt and pepper. Use 8 oz sautéed mushrooms (or 4 oz mushrooms and 4 oz paté of your choice). Sear the tenderloins before you layer and wrap them.
Individual beef wellington with spinach and blue cheese variation: Substitute 4 6-oz beef tenderloins for the chicken breasts. Season with ½ t rosemary along with salt and pepper. Use 4 oz blue cheese and 10 oz frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed). Sear the tenderloins before you layer and wrap them.
Salmon en croute variation: Substitute 4 6-oz salmon fillets (skin removed) for the chicken breasts. Season with 1 T dill weed along with salt and pepper. Use 4 oz neufchatel cheese (light cream cheese) combined with 2 T dijon mustard and & 4 oz sautéed mushrooms.
Salmon with lemon-spinach variation: Substitute 4 6-oz salmon fillets (skin removed) for the chicken breasts. Season with lemon pepper and salt. Use 10 oz frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed).
Chicken or salmon and asparagus variation: Use chicken breasts or substitute 4 6-oz salmon fillets (skin removed) for the chicken breasts. Season with garlic salt and pepper. Use 4 oz havarti and 8 asparagus stalks.

By popular request ... On Friday night, we had friends over to visit while the kids were trick-or-treating. I thought I’d augment the candy “take” with some appetizers. No one’s going to eat a real meal with all that candy going on.



So, I prepared my favorite Friday night meal: Appetizers. This easy, easy appetizer from my friend, Marilyn, was the hands-down favorite. (Forgot to take a picture of it though. I am trying to be better about adding “visual interest” to my blog; I recently read a comment from someone who doesn’t even try a recipe if there isn’t a picture: “If it wasn’t good enough to photograph, it probably wasn’t good enough to eat.” Mind you, I don’t necessarily subscribe to that theory, if there’s not a photo with one of my blogs, I probably had some number of my four kids vying for my attention while I was trying to get whatever I cooked on the table, or whatever I wrote posted to this blog. Or they ate it before I could find the camera. Anyway, from here on out, I’ll be making the effort to include pictures, hopefully of the food.)

And so, back to the food, these Bacon-wrapped breadsticks are so easy, and so different, and so good. They’re always a hit! And you can easily keep these four simple ingredients on hand. My sister, Regina, often substitutes prosciutto where bacon is called for. She read it’s lower in sodium and my parents and her husband both need to watch their sodium intake (I think it’s lower in sodium mostly for the fact that you use a thinner piece, but the substitution would probably work here). It’d also be interesting to play with other spices and sweeteners (a pinch of cayenne pepper with brown sugar will make is more fiery, maple syrup and crushed pecans for crunch, brown sugar and dried mustard for bite). I haven’t yet, because I don’t make them often enough that I’m looking for a change just yet, and my family definitely subscribes to the “If it’s not broke, don’t mess with it” theory. If you do try other combinations, please let me know.

Bacon-wrapped breadsticks

1 package long, thing breadsticks (I use Pastene, Marilyn uses another brand that escapes me now, Stella D’Oro are too thick)
1 pound bacon
¼ c brown sugar
¼ c chili powder
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine brown sugar and chili on a plate. Place foil on a rimmed cookie sheet.

Wrap each breadstick in bacon, spiraling it about halfway down the stick. Roll bacon in brown sugar-chili mixture. Place on baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, until bacon is cooked and starting to crisp.

Remove from oven and let stand about 5 minutes, until bacon firms up. These are great served in a tall mug or glass for visual interest on the table, just make sure the bacon is no longer flacid or they droop, and that’s not a pretty sight.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Any great entertaining recipes?

My mother-in-law and brother-in-law are coming for a few days, and then after they leave, my parents are coming for a few days. Any great recipes to share.


Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold.
— Judith Olney, author of The Joy of Chocolate

Raise your hands, who has a sugar hangover? So, now that we’ve eaten all the candy we can in the last 24 hours, what do we do with the rest? I’ve always subscribed to the “eat as much as you can the first couple of days, then get it out of site” theory. To get it out of sight, I usually put the hard candy in a baggie under the passenger seat, for something to pull out on long rides. For the chocolates, I freeze them and we pack them when we go skiing or to the beach or on hikes or picnics throughout the year.

A few years ago my friend, Jeanine, and her daughters gave me a brilliant idea! Bake with it!! Where you would ordinarily put chocolate chips or nuts or raisins, put crushed Halloween candy. The crushing is easiest if you freeze it first, then you only need a few whacks with a meat mallet or a rolling pin. You can put M&Ms or crushed Snickers in brownies or crushed Milky Way in oatmeal cookies. Or, try this version of chocolate chip cookies, just use your favorite Halloween candy in lieu of chips.

Halloween candy cookies
Makes about 3 dozen
2¼ c flour
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
¾ c sugar
¾ c brown sugar
1 c butter (2 sticks)
1 t vanilla
2 eggs
3 c crushed Halloween candy
Preheat oven to 375°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in crushed candy. Drop by large, rounded tablespoon onto baking sheets. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Halloween fun food

Growing up, we always had Sloppy Joe's on Halloween night before going out Trick or Treating.

Is anyone doing anything fun for Halloween Dinner?

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Today Regina had asked me for my bread bowl recipe.  I live in Minnesota, we eat lots of soup. I can't serve soup with out bread. 
I used to make bread bowls where I shaped the dough around an upside down bowl and bake. It was good but often unsteady, the dough wouldn't rise evenly.  Last week I found a recipe where you make a roll and cut off the top scoop out the middle and fill it with soup. It sat flat on the plate but mine had holes where the soup dripped out. We ate it in bowls so not too big an issue but I'd love to find a great bread bowl recipe or fixes for my problems with the recipes I have.
Any advice?
  
Today was cold and rainy, so my husband was looking for grilled cheese and tomato soup. Which is fine, and definitely brings me back to my childhood, but I just wasn’t feeling it today. I wanted a little more from my soup. So I took my can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup, added 1 can of skim milk instead of water (my mom often did this, it makes it much creamier, though I can’t quite call it cream of tomato soup), 1 teaspoon of dried basil, and ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground pepper. It was amazing! Just the extra I was looking for.

My 10-year-old had some when he came home from school, and couldn’t stop telling his brothers how good it had been.

I don’t think I’ll ever look at a can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup the same way again.
Who doesn’t love a dinner that makes the whole family happy? Tonight we’re having meatloaf. I have to double the recipe now, for my family of six, and yes, I know that’s not good portion control, but for one evening, everyone is truly happy. And anyone who has teenagers, a tween, and a toddler, or any combination thereof, knows that’s a tall order.

By the way, “fancy” meatloaf doesn’t cut it. It has to be the plain old Lipton’s recipe, with mashed potatoes. My brother-in-law, George, likes his meatloaf with gravy (his comfort-food-of-choice, I believe), but my family goes with ketchup and hot sauce (thank you, PopPop, for that addition to my kids’ culinary repertoire). Except me, I like mine sans condiments.

Also, it has to be served with mashed potatoes. My mom used to make the best browned potatoes with her meatloaf, and I really love those, but for meatloaf, my family really wants mashed potatoes paired with it.

And added bonus: This is quick prep. Just mix and bake. The individual muffin tins or mini loaf pans make great presentation for kids.

To make this recipe healthier, use ground turkey rather than ground beef. Also, substitute wheat germ for ½ of the bread crumbs and/or substitute baby carrots or sweet potatoes or green vegetables for ½ of the ketchup. For Southwestern meatloaf, substitute barbecue sauce for the ketchup. Finally, if you like a glaze, spread ketchup or barbecue sauce on top of the meatloaf before baking.

Souperior meatloaf

1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix
2 lb lean ground beef
1½ c bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/3 c ketchup
¾ c water, if needed
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients in large bowl.

Bake 350° for about one hour in 9x13 pan, or about 40 minutes in muffin tins for individual servings or mini loaf pans for 2 servings each.

Monday, October 27, 2008

What's for dinner tonight?

I am always looking for inspiration in what I want to make for dinner and would love to hear what others are doing. So, what is your family having for dinner tonight?

We're having stuffed shells and salad tonight. If I get motivated, maybe I'll let my little ones help me make some bread dough and we'll have fresh bread and a salad with it.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars

I thought I'd add the first recipe. My husband and I, our girls too, love chocolate and peanut butter treats. My Mom always made a chocolate, peanut butter bar with graham cracker. I was looking for a new recipe. And found this one below on allrecipes.com. The girls and I enjoyed it. Brad said "Why mess with a good thing" and requested the original. I'm saving the recipe for a little bit of a dressed up bar, if I'm bringing them somewhere. I've been meaning to share it with my sister since I tried it last weekend. So here it is. 

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars  
1½ c all-purpose flour 
2/3 c brown sugar 
½ c melted butter 
2 egg yolks 
2/3 c chocolate chips 
1¼ c confectioners sugar 
1 c peanut butter 
¼ c butter melted 
1 t vanilla 
1/3 c chocolate chips 
1 T butter 
Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium bowl combine flour, brown sugar, ½ cup butter, and the egg yolks. Mix together by hand. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until light gold. As soon as it comes out of the oven sprinkle 2/3 cup of chocolate chips. return to oven for 2-3 minutes. In a large bowl mix together confectioners sugar, peanut butter, ¼ cup of butter and vanilla. Stir in the milk. Crumble the peanut butter mix over the chocolate layer. Press down lightly. Melt 1/3 cup of chocolate chips and 1 tbsp of butter. Drizzle over the peanut butter mixture and refrigerate 2-3 hours. Cut into bars. I ended up using a little extra chocolate chips and spreading it on top. 

Enjoy!

Welcome to the virtual dinner group

I’ve had a dinner group with my neighborhood friends for several years now, and my sisters (far-flung across the U.S.) have often said they wished they could join us.

A few years ago, my sister, Maureen and her friend, Jenner started up an email list of friends and family with whom they’ve often shared recipes, and gone to for the answers to everything from “How do you feed your family at night when you don’t walk in the door until 5:30 and you have a soccer game at 6 and piano lessons at 6:15 ... on opposite ends of town?” to “What’s your Thanksgiving menu this year?"rdquo; to “Remember that punch you made for the kids at Mom & Dad’s anniversary? What was the recipe?” That email list grew as friends and family added more people to the distribution (they told two people and they told two people and they told two people and so on and so on).

From that email list, this blog was born. We want to share our recipes with one another in a more interactive forum, and we want to share them with you. We hope you'll share with us too. So come on in to our virtual dinner group, pour yourself a glass of wine and let’s start cooking together.

Friday, October 17, 2008



Have you ever been “BOO”ed? Here’s how it works:
  1. Copy this poem, these instructions, and this ghost TWICE.

  2. Pass TWO "scare" packages (include Halloween-themed treats, candy, stickers, face paint, you get the idea) on to your neighbors.

  3. Once you've been “BOO”ed, place this ghost in your window for neighbors to see. That’s how they’ll know not to ghost you again.
  4. Watch to see the fun spread around the neighborhood.
The air is cool, the season fall
Soon Halloween will come to all
The spooks are after things to do
In fact, a spook brought this to you
This “BOO” is a shield from witching hour
Just hang it up and watch its power
On your front door where it works
It wards off evil spirits and scary jerks
The treats that came with crypted note
Are yours to keep, enjoy them both
The power comes when friends like you
Will copy this and make it TWO
Then others here among our friends
Will give warm fuzzies that do not end
We’ll all have smiles upon our faces
No one will know who “BOO”ed whose places
Just one short day to work your spell
And don’t forget a nifty treat,
Like something cute or something sweet
Please join fun, let’s really hear it
And spread some “BOO”s and Halloween spirit

Wednesday, October 15, 2008


I was thinking of my friend Karen today, and coincidentally, I made her husband’s favorite meal for our dinner: Baked macaroni & cheese.

Though it was warm yesterday, it’s Fall, and Fall gets you thinking of comfort food. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary:

comfort food n food prepared in a traditional style having a usually nostalgic or sentimental appeal
that reason, when you ask people about their favorite comfort food, you get all kinds of answers. Comfort isn’t one-size-fits-all.

Comfort food is real stick-to-your-ribs food; creamy, saucy, topped with gravy. However, it doesn’t always have to be heavy. In fact, there are numerous resources dedicated to revamping comfort food, making it less Your Mother’s Tuna Noodle Casserole, and giving you opportunities to put your own healthy stamp on it. Food Network is constantly running shows aimed at lightening up your favorites, and Cooking Light often features readers’ favorite recipes lightened.

For me, comfort food is synonymous with macaroni & cheese, and the boxed kind just won’t do the trick. Everyone’s got a favorite macaroni & cheese recipe, and usually your favorite is the one you grew up on. That’s just how it is with comfort foods, they bring you the comfort and security of home, in a dish.

This macaroni & cheese is basic. It is a perfect building block recipe for you to add your favorites. For extra sunshine-in-a-dish, try broccoli for some color, vitamins, and crunch. In the mood for Italian? Add diced tomatoes, Italian cheeses, basil, and oregano. Or try peas and bacon for a Carbonara flair. Mexican? Add Monterey Jack and chili peppers to suit your SQ (spicy quotient).

Baked macaroni & cheese
Serves 5
2 T flour
4 T butter, divided
½ t dry mustard
½ t garlic powder
¼ t white pepper
1/8 t nutmeg
2½ c milk
2 c cheese, shredded, divided (I use a mixture of cheeses, it makes for additional creaminess and better flavor)
8 oz medium shell macaroni, cooked 7 minutes, drained
¼ c bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease casserole dish (choose a pretty one that can go straight from the oven to the table, even if you have guests). Melt 2 T butter, stir in flour to make a white roux. Add dry mustard, garlic powder, pepper, and nutmeg. Add milk slowly, stirring the entire time, to make a white sauce. When thickened, stir in 1¾ c cheese until melted and blended. Add cooked macaroni. Stir together to coat macaroni. Melt remaining butter. Mix together with bread crumbs and remaining cheese. Pour macaroni mixture into prepared casserole. Top with bread crumb mixture. (Can be made ahead to this point and frozen or refrigerated at this point for baking another day. If you do this, bring the dish to room temperature before continuing.) Bake 50 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and top is golden.

“Mom, I’m starving and there’s nothing to eat.” I hear this almost everyday from my teenagers. But, thank God, they have no idea what it really is to be starving, or even hungry, or really have nothing to eat. More than 12.6 million children in the U.S., that’s one in six, are at risk of hunger.

Today is October 15, 2008, and more than 9,000 bloggers, with an estimated 10,000,000+ collective readers, have committed to writing about poverty within the subject of our individual blogs. By all posting on the same day we aim to change the conversation for one day, to raise awareness, start a global discussion, and add momentum to an important cause.

What does “hunger” really mean? Childhood hunger is an uneasy or painful sensation among children, caused by involuntary lack of food within their households. But also, children can also be hungry nutritionally, without feeling any sensation of pain or discomfort. With limited or uncertain availability of nutritional foods, children in almost 16% of U.S. households suffer from nutritional hunger.

Children who are hungry have greater difficulties learning and performing academically. They are less likely to perform well on tests, and more likely to repeat a grade. They have greater incidents of school absence, tardiness, and school suspensions.

Children who are hungry are more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior, have higher levels of hyperactivity, anxiety, and/or passivity, and have difficulty getting along with other children.

Children who are hungry or do not receive proper nutrition suffer from the significant and long-lasting health effects of hunger. Hunger will stunt their growth and development, not only physically, but also their mentally. Children who do not receive proper nutrition suffer from more illnesses, including stomach- and headaches, colds, ear infections, and fatigue. They are more hospitalization, and at greater risk for obesity and its harmful health consequences.

Obese and hungry? Wouldn’t those two be mutually exclusive? Not so, parents without money to buy enough food often have to rely on cheaper, high-calorie foods to keep kids feeling full longer, but that can meant that they eat more calories than is wise and that they don’t receive proper nutrition.

Share Our Strength is committed to ending childhood hunger in America. Visit their web site to learn more about childhood hunger and Share Our Strength’s efforts.

In addition, freerice.com donates 20 grains of rice to the World Food Bank for every correct answer you submit correctly on their quiz web site. Simply, click on your subject area of interest and answer a few questions. 114,283,760 grains of rice were donated yesterday; more than 46 billion grains have been donated to date. FreeRice has generated enough rice to feed more than two million people since it started in October 2007.

Monday, October 13, 2008

We had a big weekend of football (son, Evan scored 2 touchdowns toward his team's 24-20 win), but also baseball (Red Sox, ugh).

What says Autumn to you? But before you answer, it's also Indian Summer, so it's actually more like Summer tha July was here in Newburyport. Again, the contradiction that October in New England usually is.

SO, to observe the Red Sox despicable loss this evening, we had some friends over and combined Autumn and Summer: Sangria, burgers and dogs on the grill, guacamole, caramelized onions, blue cheese.

Ultimately, I wanted a big burger bar, and I had it. A hamburger with guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, and goat cheese says Summer. One with blue cheese and caramelized onions says Autumn. I had both myself, thank you very much.

But the two biggest hits of the evening were the sangria (Summer) and the caramelized onions (Fall, which also made their way into a fabulous dip for potato chips). The sangria recipe comes from a friend I worked with years ago, and it's been a staple in my house and my sister's since then.

Jenn's sangria
1 lemon
1 orange
¼ c sugar
¼ c brandy
¼ c triple sec
1.5 l red wine
12 oz ginger ale
Slice lemon and orange and place them in the bottom of a pitcher. Add sugar, brandy, triple sec, and let sit in fridge for a few hours, or overnight. About an hour before serving, add red wine, and chill. Add ginger ale just before serving.

Caramelized onions
For this recipe, I use any mixture of onions I have, it makes the flavors more interesting: shallots, Vidalias, Bermudas, whatever you have.
1 lb onions, sliced
¼ c salted butter
¼ c olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ t ground cayenne pepper
1 t kosher salt
½ t freshly ground black pepper
¼ c sugar
Add butter and oil to skillet and heat. As you slice the onions, add them to the skillet and cover them to sweat them. Once all the onions are sliced, add the garlic, salt, and pepper, and continue to sweat. Once all the onions are tender and translucent, add sugar, and remove lid to caramelize them. Once they're a nice caramel brown, remove from heat. Use hot or refrigerate for later use.

My sister, Bridget, makes her caramelized onions in a crockpot while she's working and uses them to make a great pizza with smoked gouda.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Sautéing 101

sauté n from French, from past participle of sauter to jump. In cooking, to cook food quickly in a small amount of oil in a skillet over direct heat.
Quick dinners are a necessity for our busy back-to-school lives. And nothing is quicker than sautéing meat, fish, or veggies ... and sautéing makes great use of the end-of-summer abundance of fresh veggies.

Once you get the hang of sautéing, it couldn’t be simpler. Here are a few dos and don’ts if you’re a novice.

DO:
  • Start with a hot pan and hot oil—your meat should hit the pan with a sizzle
  • Turn on the stovetop fan—sautéing is smoky business
  • Make sure your meat is very dry—if it’s wet, the meat will steam and not develop the crisp, brown crust you’re looking for
DON’T:
  • Move the meat around—leaving the meat put until it’s browned is the best move. If you’re cooking veggies, you can hop them around the pan to cook them thoroughly without burning the delicate outsides
  • Crowd the meat—too much meat in the pan will cause it to steam, rather than brown. You can always sauté another batch
Finally, once the meat is browned, transfer it to a plate to rest for about five minutes. Cover it loosely with foil to keep it warm (don’t create a tight seal, or your nice crisp, brown crust will be soggy when you’re ready to eat).