I just found this link on 30 Fall menus on myrecipes.com today. It’s really a recipe a day for the month of September, but since September hasn’t really felt much like Fall anyway here in Newburyport (I love Indian Summer!), maybe you can use these ideas to get you through the month of October.

The last Saturday in September is Family Health & Fitness Day. Get out there with your family and ride a bike or take a walk or play some soccer of football. When choosing your meals, choose healthy, fit options. Who knows? One day could be the beginning of a whole new routine.

Cream Puff Pie?

Can you post Del's recipe for the Cream Puff Pie? Manny loved it and requested it for his Confirmation!

Fun & Easy Meals for Kids

My husband will be traveling next week, and I will still have to be shuttling the kids back and forth from events, so I need thing that can be ready when we walk in the door, ie. crockpot meals, or shortly after we arrive home, or in-between runs.

Any fun, tried-and-true meal ideas? I usually try to make fun meals when George is away, but I'm not sure I can keep that up for a week...

Risotto -- Traditional Method

A couple of people have commented that they’d love to try the Butternut Squash Risotto, but they don’t have a pressure cooker. It can still be done.

The traditional method for making risotto is to:

1. Bring broth to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and maintain at a simmer.
2. In a large heavy skillet, cook onion in oil over medium heat until tender (for the butternut squash recipe, you'd want to add the pancetta here too). Add rice and stir to coat well; cook 3 minutes longer. Add wine and stir until absorbed.
3. Stir in 1 cup simmering broth and butternut squash. Cook until broth is almost completely absorbed, stirring frequently, then add another cup of simmering broth. Repeat until only about ¼ cup of broth remains; the process should take about 45 minutes and you'll have a sore arm (and if it’s a day like the first time I made it this way, hot!, you’ll be sweltering). Rice should be slightly firm in center and look creamy.
4. Remove from the heat; add the butter, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper (for butternut squash recipe: add sage). Serve immediately.

A quick search on allrecipes.com turned up a recipe for microwave risotto that boasts minimal stirring. I can’t vouch for it, but if it works, it would save you a lot time and effort:

1. Combine the chicken broth, salt, and pepper in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Keep warm over low heat.
2. In a square baking dish, or glass pie plate, heat the butter and olive oil (and pancetta) in the microwave for 2 minutes. Add the onion to the dish, and stir to coat. Cook in the microwave for 4 more minutes. Add the uncooked rice, and stir to coat with oil. Cook for another 4 minutes.
3. Pour the simmering chicken broth and wine (and butternut squash) into the rice, and stir. Cook in the microwave for 9 minutes. Stir, then microwave for another 9 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, butter, salt, and pepper (and sage) as soon as it comes out of the microwave. Serve immediately.

SOUP-er Easy!

My kids always love to order Miso Soup when we get Chinese or Japanese food, mostly for the tofu. They have been asking me to make tofu at home, but anytime I have, it hasn't come out right -- mostly apparently because I do "stuff" to it. So tonight, mostly because I didn't have much food in the house and partly because I had 2 running out to soccer practice, I threw together a super easy soup:

I heated up some chicken broth, threw in some veggies from the fridge, added a can of cubed chicken breast and some diced tofu. Really easy and the kids loved it!

All Things Pumpkin

So, I admit it, I’m in Fall Mode. I am going to start wearing sweaters and browns and oranges and pick apples and pumpkins and make crisps and pies and pumpkin scones. You may have made one variation of my cousin Mary Fran’s scone recipe: traditional, cinnamon, cranberry-orange, blueberry, double chocolate, but now I want to make pumpkin scones from that standard recipe. (You may know I love a standard recipe that is versatile enough to become several different recipes. Fewer things to remember, but you still get to experience variety.)


Pumpkin scones
makes 12 large or 18 medium scones

2 sticks butter
1 t salt
4 t baking powder
4 c flour
1 c brown sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground nutmeg
1 t ground cloves
1 t ground ginger
1 c canned pumpkin
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 pumpkin, eggs, and milk. Make an indentation in the dry ingredients and add wet ingredients. Stir together with a fork to moisten. The less stirring the better, stirring makes for tougher scones. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Fall flavors

In my last post, I extolled the benefits of the pressure cooker. Today it’s the crockpot. I’m reinventing the leftovers from last night’s intimate dinner party (roasted pork tenderloin with tomato-pear chutney and sweet and sour butternut squash) to be today’s game day repast for the boys (pulled pork). Nothing says “Fall” like pulled pork, yum. I just pulled out the crockpot out of the cabinet, threw in the little bit of leftover pork tenderloin (which I had roasted only with lemon pepper and garlic last night) and another pork tenderloin, because I’d bought the value pack of tenderloins on sale, along with the leftover chutney (about 2 cups), the leftover squash (about 1 cup), and a cup of my homemade BBQ sauce, put it on low and let it go. When the boys sit down to watch the UMass football game at 3:30, it’ll be falling apart and ready for some crusty bulkie rolls and pineapple-cole slaw. Bear in mind, that you don’t have to have the same leftovers to do what I have done. Whatever flavors you had together as your first meal will meld wonderfully into your new meal. Usually the key to pulled pork is some sweet (fruit or molasses or sugar) and some acid (vinegar), it’s also a good idea to add something spicy (jalapeños). In this case, the fruit from the chutney and the squash will just melt into nothing but flavor when the pork falls apart. You can also use a cheaper cut of pork, but I used what I had on hand because I had bought the value pack. Slow cooking is a great method for tenderizing less expensive cuts of meat, and the crockpot is the best for slow cooking on a day when you have a lot of things going on. As a final note, many of the meals you can cook and leave in the crockpot, you could also cook quickly, at the last minute, in the pressure cooker. Test out your favorites in various methods, or click on these links to try some of mine.

Tomato-Pear Chutney
The first time I made chutney of any kind it was tomato-pear chutney, from the pears from the tree in my yard about 10 years ago. The trees have since stopped producing usable fruit, but I was feeling nostalgic for the chutney.

2 ½ c plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 ½ c pears, peeled and coarsely chopped
½ c raisins
½ c green pepper, diced
½ c onion, diced
1 c brown sugar
½ c white vinegar
1 t salt
1-inch piece fresh ginger
½ t dry mustard
⅛ t cayenne pepper
1 jalapeño, minced

Combine all ingredients in saucepan or crockpot. In saucepan, bring to a boil; boil gently, stirring frequently, until mixture is thickened and reduced about one-half in volume (about 45 minutes), stirring occasionally. In crockpot, simmer on low for 4 hours. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Can be packed in clean, hot jars, and sealed using the pressure cooker, or can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 weeks or in the freezer for 6 months.

Sweet and Sour Squash

3 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium butternut squash (about 2½ lbs), peeled, seeds removed, and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 c balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 350°. Toss squash with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, and place in a single layer in a casserole dish. Bake for about 2o minutes, until squash is golden. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. Experiment with this dish with your other favorite vegetables. I’ve also done this on the stovetop, and with green beans and shallots or broccoli and golden raisins.

I made the most unbelievably easy comfort food for dinner tonight. It was another one of those crazy, busy days when it was unlikely that we’d sit down for a family dinner, so I pulled out the pressure cooker. What a savior for a busy family! With the crisp, Fall weather, butternut squash was a natural, and nothing is more “comfort” than creamy, cheesy risotto.


The trouble with most 30-minute-or-less recipes, and what most people don’t know, is the ingredient lists. If the recipe says that it takes 30 minutes to complete it, but lists 2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed, that means that the squash has to be prepped before you begin the work, the peeling, seeding, and cubing time is not included in the time estimate. So, at 3:08 pm I pulled out the pressure cooker and the ingredients and got started. (I’m a big fan of the chop-and-throw method, that way you don’t have to worry about pre-prepped ingredients, you just chop (or dice or cube) and throw them in the pot as you go.) I poured the olive oil in the pressure cooker, diced and added the pancetta, onion, rice, butternut squash, chicken stock, and white wine (thank God for my neighbor, Ellen basically sharing her pantry with me; I was out of white wine; the payoff is that I sent her some risotto when my son went to babysit for her son), placed the cover on the pressure cooker and brought it to full pressure. I cooked it for 20 minutes, turned it off, and was in the car on my way to my son’s football game by 3:38. Thirty minutes exactly.

Now, the pot just needed to let the pressure come down while I was gone. When I returned from the game I mixed in the butter, parmiggiano-reggiano, and sage (from Ellen’s beautiful pot of herbs), and dinner was ready. If I had been really prepared, I would have had my other son make a salad while I was at the football game, then I wouldn’t have even had to do that before I sat down to eat.

But wait, there’s more, this can be one of those everready go-to recipes for you too. When I buy pancetta, I only need ¼ of the piece, so I cut the rest into individual pieces and store it in the freezer for future batches. I also keep frozen butternut squash on hand so I’m always ready.

And, even my anti-vegetable son had seconds ... it’s amazing how a little cheese and rice can change the character of a vegetable.

Butternut squash risotto with pancetta and sage

2 T olive oil
4 ozs pancetta
1 medium onion
2 c arborio rice
1 small butternut squash
6 c canned low-salt chicken broth
1 c dry white wine
2 T butter
½ c parmiggiano-reggiano cheese
6 fresh sage leaves

Place the pressure cooker on the stove over medium heat. Add olive oil. Coarsely chop and add pancetta, sauté until it’s a little crispy. Finely dice and add the onion until it’s a little soft. Add the rice and stir to coat. Chop the butternut squash into large pieces and add them (when the risotto is done, you will have some larger pieces of squash in there, if you like a smoother risotto, cut your squash into smaller pieces).

Add chicken stock and white wine, place the cover on the pressure cooker, and bring it to full pressure. Cook for 20 minutes, turn it off, and let the pressure come down. (If you’re in a hurry, you can run it under cool water to bring down the pressure more quickly.)

While the pressure comes down, grate your parmiggiano-reggiano and chop your sage leaves finely. Once pressure is down, mix in the butter, parmiggiano-reggiano, and sage. Serve immediately, with freshly ground pepper and more parmiggiano-reggiano for the top.

Back to School...

and back to after-school activities. What is everybody making to get through busy nights?

So, I bought my first Princess Lunchbox last week. (Well, not mine, but my daughter’s off to preschool, she needs lunch and snack, so a Princess Lunchbox it is.) The very next day, she was so excited to use the lunchbox that we packed her lunch along with her brothers’ and took it with us on our day of errands and such. She proceeded to eat the cheese stick, the Oreos, the juice box, and the grapes. The sandwich (which she had selected) was still sitting pretty with Cinderella, Snow White, and Belle when we returned home.

So, how can you be sure your kids aren’t throwing their lunches in the trash? You can’t go sit with them and make sure they eat. You can’t be a fly on the wall, though we all wish we could!

So, what’s the next best alternative? Give them they like! Make it fun! Sounds logical, right? But it may be easier said than done without sending Lunchables everyday.

First, let’s hope we’ve helped them develop some reasonable healthy eating habits. Of course, they won’t eat every healthy thing you ask of them, but maybe the kid who turns his nose up at a traditional sandwich will embrace a sandwich deconstructed (some cheese, a slice of turkey or two rolled up (maybe around a pickle), and some crackers or cocktail bread), or some mixed nuts and yogurt or cheese sticks and cut-up veggies (check out the produce section for baby carrots and dip individually packaged for convenience). Now my daughter’s in a nut-free school, and alot of schools have gone that route, so that’ll be my last mention of nuts or peanut butter in a lunchbox. But if it's OK at your school and PB is your child’s first love, substitute peanut butter where I suggest cream cheese or other cheese spreads.

For snacks, I love a couple of real retro ideas from my own school days, for example, Ants on a Log — celery with cream cheese or Wispride, also topped with raisins or granola.

Remember to think outside the box — or the bread — when it comes to offering your kids lunches they will love. That can mean replacing sliced bread with pita, wraps or bagels, or even adding crackers or pita chips or tortilla chips into your childs’ lunchbox. You can also skip the sandwiches all together by sending in leftovers: a few chicken nuggets or some sliced grilled chicken breast with a little yogurt or ranch dressing as a dip, perhaps. Two of my favorite finds this Fall have been Chicken Summer Rolls and Cheddar-Carrot Spread (not that I'll be sending Chicken Summer Rolls to school with my kids (note that they have peanut butter) — I’ll reserve them for my husband and myself.

Chicken Summer Rolls
These crunchy Vietnamese-style rolls are healthy and light, and the addition of rice makes them filling. They're gluten-free, but anyone — even adults — will love them.

1/4 c rice vinegar, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons
1 T sugar, divided
2 c shredded, cooked chicken (from a rotisserie or other leftover chicken)
1 medium-large carrot, shredded (about 1 cup)
12 (8 1/2-inch) rice paper wrappers (sold in Asian food aisle in supermarkets or Asian markets)
1/3 English cucumber or 1 kirby cucumber, peeled, julienned, about 1 cup
4 scallions (white and green parts) finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 c fresh mint leaves, basil or cilantro
About 12 Boston lettuce leaves
1/2 c cooked brown or white rice
1/2 c chunky peanut butter
2 T soy sauce
3 T water

Whisk 1/4 cup rice vinegar with 2 teaspoons sugar in a medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Add chicken and carrot, season with salt to taste, set aside.

Fill a large bowl with warm water. Working with 2 sheets of rice paper at a time (keep others covered with a barely damp cloth to prevent curling), immerse papers in the warm water until slightly softened (about 15 seconds). Remove and spread out on a clean surface or cutting board. Pat dry with a towel to remove excess water. Lay 2 pieces of lettuce over the bottom third of the rice paper, leaving about 1/2-inch clear on edges. Place about 1/3 cup chicken and carrot mixture on the lettuce, top with 4 to 5 pieces cucumber, scallion, several mint leaves and about 1 heaping tablespoon of rice. Roll up the paper halfway into a cylinder. Fold both edges in to tuck while continuing to roll the paper to seal. Place the rolls on a plate covered with a damp towel so they stay moist as you prepare the remaining rolls. Cut rolls in half and wrap in plastic wrap or place in an air-tight container.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the peanut butter with the remaining 1 to 2 tablespoon rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons sugar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and water until smooth. Put sauce in sealed containers.

Tuck rolls and sauce into a lunch sack with a cold pack and send off to school.

Time Saving Tip: Use leftover rice to make these quicker. Make them the night before or prep all ingredients including chicken and carrot mixture so in the morning you just need to roll.

Copyright (c) 2008 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

Cheddar-Carrot Butterfly Sandwiches

4 ozs cold cream cheese
2 ozs yellow cheddar cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup loosely packed)
1 carrot, finely grated (about 1/2 cup)
Pepperidge Farm butterfly crackers

In a medium bowl, with a wooden spoon, combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and carrot. With moistened hands, gently form 12 balls, each equal to 1 level tablespoon of mixture. Serve or refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, up to 2 days.

Spread cheddar-carrot mixture on butterfly crackers and top to create sandwiches.

Based on a recipe from Everyday Food

September 8 was proclaimed the International Literacy Day by UNESCO in November 17, 1965. On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally.

Despite many and varied efforts, literacy remains an elusive target: some 776 million adults lack minimum literacy skills which means that one in five adults is still not literate; 75 million children are out-of-school and many more attend irregularly or drop out.

This year, International Literacy Day will put the spotlight on the empowering role of literacy and its importance for participation, citizenship and social development. Literacy and Empowerment is the theme for the 2009-2010 biennium of the United Nations Literacy Decade.

How can you help promote literacy? Many public schools look for “guest readers” in classrooms and in the library, in fact, many employers will let employees take time off from work to ready to students in classrooms. Look into it.

And today, in honor of International Literacy Day, Go Read a Book!

Ecclectic Meal

Getting every last bit out of summer vacation!

I asked my family the other day to give me a few final summer meals, things they haven't had enough of, or are at their peak this time of year. My son asked for Grammy's clam chowder (see January 27, 2009 post), my daughter piped in with no corn chowder. Those are similar enough that they can both be on the menu tonight. I had pizza dough in the fridge and frozen caramelized onions, so I tossed those on a pizza with bacon and brie. (I'll report on that creation after we eat.)

A whole family favorite is grilled portabella mushrooms on chiabetta bread with roasted red peppers and mozzarella drizzled with balsamic vinegar. So tomorrow night everyone will be happy with dinner.

Later this week we'll be having grilled sausage and peppers. For the weekend I'm already planning on a BBQ with friends featuring Ribs and steaks. Hopefully we'll get some good summer tomatoes, because with all the rain, they haven't been that great yet. The yellow and white corn has been yummy though:) I also may have to make one more Peach Crisp before it's apple season! Of course, we'll end the BBQ with S'Mores over the chimenea! Enjoy the end of summer!


Corn Chowder (from 365 Quick & Easy Microwave Recipes)
I also just add everything and simmer it on the stove at times.
1/2 pound bacon, diced
3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups milk (can use some half and half to make it creamier)
17 ounce can cream-style corn
7 ounce can corn kernels, drained (or 2-3 ears cut off)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Hot pepper sauce and salt to taste

1. Place bacon in a 4 cup glass measure. Cover with paper towel. Cook on HIGH 5-6 minutes, until crisp. Remove bacon with slotted spoon and set aside. Save 1 T bacon drippings.

2. Place potatoes, onion and I T bacon drippings in a 2 quart casserole. Cover and cook on HIGH 7 minutes, stirring once.

3. stir in milk, cream style corn and corn. Cover and cook on HIGH 10-12 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Add pepper and season with hot sauce and salt to taste.

Serves 4-6