Fresh Pasta

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

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?

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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? 

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.

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.

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.