My new (purple) baby...

Like I said in my last post, my trip to NYC was a little different this time around. Normally, we spend our time walking the city, neighborhood by neighborhood, when we're not at a show that is. And we usually try to see several shows, so a goodly amount of our time is also spent in the TKTS line, as is our money! Because of the gawd-awful weather over spring break, we saw much of the Big Apple by car, and we actually only took in one show...if you don't count our fabulous evening of campy piano bar with friends, Tony and Larry, at Marie's Crisis in the Village, which is my new favorite place in the world! But we only hit Broadway once this trip, as I had other plans for a big chunk of my travel budget.

As I shared before, my darling friends, Phil and Rob, gave me my first piece of Le Creuset for a very special housewarming gift--the handy and versatile 3 1/2-quart braiser. But I had made a promise to myself years ago, that if I ever was so blessed to own my own home, I would purchase for myself a genuine Le Creuset dutch oven. And when Sur La Table introduced a ravishing and exclusive new color called cassis--a deep, greyish purple, my very FAVORITE color!--I knew what I had to do. As it happens, there are but two Sur la Table stores in the entire state of New York (and the other is way out on Long Island). So to save myself shipping on heavy cast iron*, and while I had my car in the city, I decided a trip to Soho to fulfill my cookware destiny was in order.


BEHOLD my gorgeous new baby--a 7 1/4 quart (#28) Le Creuset round French oven in the heart-fluttering cassis color! I know, I know. It's among the most expensive things I've ever purchased after my home, education, various automobiles, and a couple of no-account purebred hounds. But I just ADORE it! And it is just marvelous to cook with! We got home from NYC just before St. Patrick's Day, and I was determined to inaugurate the sacred cooking vessel with some tasty corned beef and cabbage. The beauty of the Dutch oven is, with just a cup or two or liquid, you can braise the meat and vegetables until they are melt-in-your-mouth tender, rather than boiling them and diluting their flavors. In fact, I daresay that my stunning new pot did its job a little TOO well.


Toward the end of a very low and slow session in the oven for the corned beef, I threw in some typical vegetables: potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and onions. When I checked them less than a half hour later, the potatoes had already become so tender that they just fell apart! What to do, what to do? I decided the only thing that made sense was to mash them, but the potatoes were too hard to distinguish from the parsnips at that point. So I just mashed all the veggies together along with a big knob of butter, a splash of apple cider vinegar, some evaporated milk to make it creamy, and a little salt and lots of black pepper. Not only was the root vegetable mash a gorgeous orange color from the carrots, it was simply delicious! That is one delectable mistake I plan to make again in the future!

*If any of you are swooning over the cassis-colored Le Creuset and are helpless to resist the temptation as I was, I have a great tip to save you shipping costs. Apparently, if your purchases at a Sur la Table location total $200 or more, the shipping is FREE! This is NOT the case for items that you buy through their website, so what you should do is call one of their retail stores, have them look up the item to see if they have it in stock, and then make the purchase through that store and have them send it to you. You're welcome.

Spring Break in the Big (Soggy) Apple

I had a week for spring break this year as usual, but with Cyd having only worked at her job for a couple of months, we didn't think it was wise for her to push it by asking for too much time off so that we could go somewhere together. Therefore, we decided on a just few days in the Big City, especially since we hadn't been there since she moved to Minneapolis. It was just our luck, though, that we were there during MONSOON season! I have never seen the like! The streets were lined and the trash cans were filled with busted umbrellas that the crazy winds had blown inside-out. We made the foolhardy decision to drive in to the city for a couple of the days that we were there (couldn't walk far and/or wait for buses in that kind of downpour!), and when we drove back to Secaucus to our hotel at night, the flash floodwaters were up over the tires of my car! Naturally, the sun came out and things dried up the day we had to leave for home! BOO HISS! We want a do-over!

The weather and transportation situation made this a different trip to NYC than usual. Normally, we focus on one neighborhood or borough at a time, and spend a day checking out many attractions in each. But the weather kept us from doing much of that kind of leisurely poking around, so we drove around a lot, and most of our city views were through the car window. In some ways, that was neat, because we saw a lot of places that are typically out of reach of tourists on foot. Also, with the weather so bad, not as many people were out and about, so we often got lucky and found parking very near our destination. If not, we tag-teamed a desired location, with one of us double parking and/or circling the block, while the other ran in and made purchases. In that way, we hit a LOT more places than we would have taking the subway or bus.

One night, we sucked it up and paid the big bucks to park in the Theatre District to have dinner with friends and see a show. (I happened on a website called bestparking.com that really helped, though. We actually found a lot for fifteen dollars to park all evening, and it was only a couple of blocks from the theatre.) We were meeting our friends at Joe Allen, the famous eatery right near to most of the Broadway theatres. The food was boring and horribly overpriced, but I had a great time seeing my old pals, and the most exciting thing was dining one table over from Victor Garber on one side and Scarlett Johansson on the other!

Then we went to see a show called "Next to Normal," which neither Cyd nor I cared for very much, but we sat right behind Billie Joe Armstrong, the lead singer of Green Day. So it was a star-studded evening in Gotham!

Since the weather was so awful, we thought we might do something indoors one day, perhaps a museum. I have never been to the Museum of Natural History, and I tried to convince Cyd to go, but she was none too keen, muttering something cynical about not wanting to spend the day looking at rocks and dirt and old bones and plastic Indians! (Sigh.) So instead, we checked out the Tim Burton exhibit at the MOMA. It was SO great! You got to see his early works (children's books, commercials, t.v. shows, short films), his drawings and paintings, sketches and models, movie props and costumes, and much more. I highly recommend it, especially if you're a Burton fan!

As for food recommendations, here are the highlights from this trip:

Baked: Worth the trip out to the hinterlands of Brooklyn for goodies like Sweet and Salty Cupcakes and Brownies, Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Bars, Brewer's Bars (=blondies), and so much more.

Balthazar Bakery: The best bread in the world! Try the brioche loaf, the walnut bread, the baguettes, and especially the Valrhona chocolate loaf!

Dean and Deluca: The source of all good (and expensive) things. One special find this time was a beautiful and delicious cheese called Cahill's Irish Porter Cheddar.













Doughnut Plant: This is, HANDS DOWN, the best thing we ate in NYC! In fact, we made two trips down to the Lower East Side for these doughnuts while we were in the city, and we are still obsessing about them, trying to figure out how to get some friends down there to overnight us some more!

They are just SO amazing--light and tender and made with real fruit glazes and fillings and fresh nuts roasted in house. I loved the yeast doughnut with sunflower seeds and one with a fresh, organic orange glaze. Cyd loved the coconut cream and the peanut butter and jelly-filled square doughnut. But we agreed that the best doughnut by far was, surprisingly, a cake doughnut called Tres Leches (the unassuming little one in the top left corner). It had a light, sweet glaze on the outside, and buttery cake on the inside that was oozing with a luscious, creamy filling. SO GOOD! Totally worth the ridiculous two-dollar price.

Five Napkin Burger: This place had a nice, bistro-like atmosphere, and we got there early enough to get a booth by the window, which was fun for people-watching. Their signature burger (ground chuck, caramelized onions, Gruyere and rosemary aioli on a soft, white roll) was good, but smallish and way overpriced at $15. The Tuscan Fries (with parmesan and rosemary) were particularly yummy. I also ordered a side of their fresh pickles made in house, but they were too sweet for me (I prefer dills).

Junior's Cheesecake: Best cheesecake in NYC...or anywhere! We shared the chocolate mousse cheesecake, which was OUTRAGEOUS, but I really think it's all about the "plain" cheesecake. No need to gild the lily here!


Levain Bakery: Finally sampled what is reported to be the world's greatest chocolate chip cookie. Um...it's certainly the world's BIGGEST and RICHEST cookie, but I honestly think the knock-off I've made at home was better. Levain's secrets to success seem to be make them big, overload them with chocolate chips, underbake them, and serve them warm. Still, I found the flavor a little lacking. Maybe it's missing the vanilla that the bakers find unnecessary? Maybe a pinch more salt?

Momofuku's Milk Bar: Tried another of NYC's most famous cookies--the Compost Cookie at Momofuku's bakery called Milk Bar. Again, a HUGE specimen that underwhelmed me. I loved the texture and all the crunchy mix-ins, but the pastry chef, Christina Tosi, adds a pinch of coffee grounds to the dough (you heard me), and though I love coffee-flavored anything, the resulting cookie tasted bitter and had an aroma not unlike a kitchen garbage can. When I got home, I made my own version (from the recipe Chef Tosi shared on Regis and Kelly), and I LOVED them!

Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches: I first saw this place featured on "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" from the Food Network. I think it was a favorite haunt of Anne Burrell. And she was dead on with this one! The pork chop bánh mì sandwich--grilled pork chop pieces, pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro and mayo on a toasted baguette with hot sauce and sliced, fresh jalapenos on the side--was a revelation! And a cheap one, too, at $5.50 apiece!

Tom's Restaurant: Our destination on the first day was Brooklyn, and we tried to have brunch at a place getting a lot of buzz called Buttermilk Channel, but we got there too late. So we headed over to the Brooklyn landmark, Tom's. Even on a blustery, torrential day, we had to wait in line outside for a table (though they brought us hot coffee and cookies). Their huevos rancheros didn't do much for me, but their heavenly, ethereal lemon ricotta pancakes with a choice of three flavored butters (cinnamon/spice, strawberry, and the last one was my favorite, but I'm not sure what it was--it had walnuts and maybe pineapple?) were completely worth the wait! I'm not sure that they weren't the best pancakes I've EVER had!

WHEW! This post is getting Biblical in length! I better wrap this one up and maybe do a "part two" later. But we must end with a recipe inspired by my spring break adventure in the Big Apple. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, the Milk Bar Compost Cookie (or my take on it, anyway)!

To begin with, I made my cookies a bit smaller. And mine were an even thickness throughout, whereas Milk Bar's were thin on the edges with a doughy mound in the middle. I actually liked the flavor of mine better (Cyd said there was no contest!), and I think the texture improved after chilling the dough overnight. Of course, I omitted the coffee grounds. Using a little espresso powder might be a better choice, though I didn't add any this time. I think Milk Bar adds more chocolate chips than I did, then pretzels, potato chips, and some kind of nuts (pecans?). I added extra crunchy stuff to mine, including Rice Krispies, Cocoa Pebbles, potato chips, macadamia pieces, and the piece de resistance, peanut butter pretzels!

I used the following recipe, tweaked by my pal, Anna, on her blog (credit goes to her for the peanut butter pretzel idea!). Because I added a couple of extra cups of crunchy bits, I got a yield of 18 ginormous cookies, using a regular ice cream scoop.

Milk Bar's Compost Cookies
(adapted from Cookie Madness)

8 oz (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, chopped up
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups flour (fluff up the flour and scoop up one heaping cup, sweep top flat, repeat)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups* semi-sweet chocolate chips – wouldn’t recommend chopped chocolate because it might cause more spreading
1 1/2 cups* snack foods (potato chips, corn chips, pretzels, nuts, etc.), broken up

*I only used a cup of chocolate chips and three cups of crunchy/salty things

In a stand mixer with the paddle attached, cream the cold butter, both sugars and corn syrup on medium high for 2-3 minutes until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add eggs and vanilla and stir to incorporate. Increase mixing speed to medium-high and run mixer for 10 full minutes. During this time the sugar granules will dissolve, the mixture will become an almost pale white color and mixture will double in size.

Meanwhile, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. By hand or using lowest speed of mixer, stir in the flour mixture – don’t beat it in or the cookies won’t be as tender. Stir in chocolate chips and salty things. Using a heaping 1/3 cup measure or a traditional ice cream scoop, form rounds. Put the shaped rounds on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and chill for a few hours or until ready to bake. DO NOT bake your cookies from room temperature or they will not hold their shape. I recommend baking them off six at a time, and leaving the other balls of dough in the fridge until the first batch has been consumed. You can even freeze the unbaked cookies and bake them off at a future date.

When the dough has sufficiently chilled, heat oven to 400F. Arrange chilled cookie dough balls on a parchment, Silpat or nonstick foil-lined cookie sheet. If your cookie sheets are thin, you might want to stack two and bake the cookies on the stacked cookies sheets or use an insulated sheet. Bake 9-11 min (I baked mine for 12-14). While in the oven, the cookies will puff, crackle and spread. According to the original recipe, at nine minutes, the cookies should be browned on the edges and just beginning to brown towards the center. But at nine minutes, mine were pale and doughy. All ovens are different so you’ll need to watch the cookies, specifically the edges.

Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pan before transferring to a plate or an airtight container or tin for storage.

Breaking in a new stock pot with a spicy quick fix...

Instead of singing with the community choir this semester, I decided to audition for my college's very first musical revue (where the cast includes students and staff). Although I added another rehearsal each week, the upside is that I have Monday nights free. In fact, I can sometimes be home as early at 3pm! WOOT! So Monday evenings, I actually have time to make a proper dinner. Still, it is a work/school night, so one doesn't wish for anything TOO involved...

On a recent Monday, I was craving a hearty soup of some sort, and I decided to prepare a white chicken chili, which surprisingly, I have never made before. Moreover, this gave me the opportunity to try out one of my new Tramontina stock pots (the five quart). So I did a quick internet search, and found a recipe that looked good. (As a bonus, I happened upon another neat blog with lots of great, user-friendly recipes!) One of the things that makes this white chili so delicious is that a generous amount of sour cream is stirred in after it finishes cooking and gives the soup a wonderful tang. The soup is plenty yummy on its own, but you can take it over the top with any number and combination of garnishes--a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and/or chunks of avocado tossed with a little lime juice.

Creamy White Chicken Chili
(Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe')

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained*
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies (if you like less kick, add just one can)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and other seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is especially good served with tortilla chips.

Makes about 6 servings (the amount fit perfectly in my new five-quart stock pot!)

*After we had the chili for dinner (two large portions), the Great Northern beans had cooked down quite a bit, and the soup seemed like it was all chicken. So I threw in a can of cannelini beans to give it more texture and to stretch the leftovers, and I would definitely do that again. In fact, I might opt to use two cans of Great Northern and two of cannelini from the beginning.

Another thing that's wonderful about this soup is that it's a quick fix. I want to say that we had dinner and dessert--both made from scratch--on the table in under an hour! Of course, I had to elicit the assistance of my dear roommate to make the dessert while I was on soup detail. She grumbled about it initially, but once she realized how simple it was to make, she was on board. And it turned out GREAT--another excellent recipe that I ran into on same blog as the white chicken chili. This chocolate chip cake is super-moist and tender, and as easy to throw together as a boxed mix. When I took some to work to share, fights actually broke out amongst my co-workers! I highly recommend that you try this cake...especially if you swap out chocolate CHUNKS for chips and serve it warm. YUM!!

Chocolate Chip Cake
(Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe')

2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups sour cream
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

cinnamon sugar (about 1/4 cup sugar mixed with 1 or 2 teaspoons of cinnamon--to taste)
1 12 oz. bag chocolate chips, divided (or chocolate chunks!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 if using a glass pan). Grease a 9 X 13 pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl combine all of the cake batter ingredients. Mix for 1 minute at low speed; mix 3 minutes at medium speed. Pour 1/2 of batter into greased pan. Generously sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over batter making sure to get the corners and then sprinkle with 1/2 bag of chocolate chips. Pour remaining cake batter on top and spread across bottom layer. Repeat with cinnamon and sugar and chocolate chips. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs (don't overbake or cake will be dry!).

Devils on Horseback

WHEW! What a day! Midterm grades are due, and of course, I should have had them done before we left for spring break, and of course, I didn't do it! So I was in my office until 11pm getting them finished up--such was my penance. :-( When I finally got home, I was rummaging around the fridge for something to munch on in lieu of a proper dinner, and I found a container with a few leftover "Devils on Horseback" waiting just for me. You ate, WHAT, you ask? Well, let me back up a bit...

When I moved into the new house, I had the unenviable chore of cleaning out the refrigerator at the old place. And I discovered that most of the space in that fridge was taken up by little almost-empty jars of homemade jams, jellies, relishes, and chutneys. The new house has a smaller fridge, so I have made a vow to be more faithful in using up the things I make and the jars I open. At the end of January, the first preserve that I made in my new house was a very nice golden mango chutney, and the remainder of that batch was still hanging out in a container in the back of the fridge. I eventually decided what to do with it when I was watching "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on the Food Network, and one of the chefs recommended the devilled eggs and "Devils on Horseback" at The Spotted Pig, a pub in NYC. I was intrigued enough to do a little follow-up, and apparently, Devils on Horseback are a less genteel spin-off of a British hors d'oeuvre called Angels on Horseback (oysters wrapped in bacon), both of which are cousins of the better-known Pigs in a Blanket. (Sidebar: Don't we just love the British, with their propensity for foods with quirky yet charming names like Toad in the Hole?!)

To redirect, Devils on Horseback are dates (or more commonly, prunes), sliced open, filled with mango chutney, wrapped in bacon (half a slice is perfect), and baked until crispy. Alternately, you can stuff the dates with your favorite soft cheese, wrap, bake, and then serve with mango chutney or pepper jelly for dipping. I think I'll try that version next time, as I bought a whole big tub o' dates at Sam's Club and have plenty of the tasty little devils (or are they the horses?) with which to experiment. However you choose to make them, they are an easy and delicious appetizer, they can be made ahead and reheated for a party, and they are a great way to us up some of those chutneys or savory jellies that may be taking up too much space in your fridge.

All alone with a giant box of Bisquick...

I suppose since I referenced a Bisquick biscuit in yesterday's post, I should follow through with an actual recipe. And in fact, I have two quick biscuit recipes for you today, both of which are pretty good.

Way back in early February, in anticipation of Superbowl Sunday, I was searching these interwebs for ideas for making a Creole cole slaw. In my search, I ran across an intriguing copycat recipe for Popeye's biscuits made with, of all things, 7-Up! I liked the idea of a carbonated beverage giving the biscuits a little lightness and lift, plus a little sweetness from the sugary soda. And of course, the sour cream gives them a lusciousness and that characteristic tang. Moreover, they were certainly a snap to make, and my midwestern-born, biscuit-lovin' roomie gave them rave reviews.

"Popeye's" Biscuits
(Source: Star Lynx Secret Recipes)

4 cups Bisquick baking mix
3/4 cup 7-Up or Sprite
1 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons butter

Blend Bisquick mix, sour cream and 7-Up together. Melt butter in a pan. Roll out the biscuits and dip them in the melted butter. Place biscuits in a pan and pour the remaining butter over them. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

Like I said in my last post, when I asked my BFF, Cyd, to pick up some Bisquick for me at the store, I should have specified which size box! She came home with a GINORMOUS package of the stuff, and I rarely use it, except to make a zucchini bake in the summer, or to make quick pancakes once in awhile. But now I have a ton of it to use up, so I am on the hunt for interesting Bisquick-based recipes. In one of my recent web surfs, I happened upon another biscuit recipe from a now defunct midwestern restaurant called Bill Knapps. (My friends from that region tell me that it was similar to a Bob Evans.) I liked this recipe even better than the Popeye's knock-off. The secret ingredient in this Bisquick biscuit is cottage cheese that you whiz up with an egg in the food processor or blender until smooth, yielding a very tender, very moist biscuit. Much like biscuit #1 above, it has a little bit of sweetness from added sugar and also a hint of lemon to balance out the rich flavor and texture. And my Ohio Buckeye roomie LOVED them!

"Bill Knapp's" Biscuits
(Source: Uncle Phaedrus, Finder of Lost Recipes)
Makes 7 medium-sized biscuits

4 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 egg
1 tablespoon lemon juice

In medium bowl stir sweetener with Bisquick just to combine. Set aside.

Put remaining ingredients in a blender. Blend on high speed about 30 seconds or until smooth and completely combined. Pour into Bisquick mixture and stir with a large spoon until every particle is completely moistened and dough comes away from the side of the bowl.

Dust your hands with Bisquick and knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Shape dough into 7 equal patties, each about 1 inch thick. Place one in center of greased 8-inch pie plate and arrange remaining 6 biscuits around it.

Wipe top of each biscuit with dab of soft butter or margarine. Cover with inverted glass bowl or Pyrex lid sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Allow biscuits to "proof" (rise) for about 30 minutes. (Gina's note: This step made no sense to me, as this is not a yeasted dough. But amazingly, they did get a lot "poofier!")

Bake in preheated 450-degree oven 16-18 minutes or until golden brown and doubled in size.

New house. New kitchen. New stuff!

As my regular readers know, I recently bought my first house and moved in right at Christmas (nice timing, I know). Consequently, I'm still living out of boxes to a certain extent, and as we purged SO MUCH during the move, we are still lacking important things like, oh, furniture that is awaiting my big tax refund before purchase. But I have started making some smaller improvements in the most important room in the house--the kitchen!

I began with some new dishes. What I really wanted was Fiestaware in several different fun colors. But I settled for some Tar-ghay knockoffs in funky, retro colors. I started with eight each: dinner plates, salad plates, bowls, and mugs, half in a bluish-teal and half in a green color called guacamole. Later, I added four additional dinner plates in a sunny yellow, and all 36 pieces were less than $75! Ok, I also had to buy matching neoprene oven mitts and a kitchen clock (that's how they getcha!), so that probably takes me to a little over 100 bucks. Still, that would only get you two Fiestaware place settings, and I have more than eight sets of these super-cute dishes!

Then there was the issue of my old pots and pans. About twelve years ago, I bought my first set of higher-end cookware, a $400 collection of Calphalon Professional Nonstick acquired from (and financed through!) Dillard's department store. It had served me well over the years, and with their lifetime warranty, whenever the nonstick coating started to wear off (which was far too often!), I could ship a pan back, and they would replace it, free of charge. But I have since become concerned about the dangers of nonstick coatings (the noxious fumes that are emitted at higher temps and the possible carcinogenic properties of the inevitable Teflon bits that flake off). So after doing a LOT of research for a LONG time, I came to the conclusion that my new pots and pans had to be triple-clad stainless steel for durability and the most even cooking, and that the ideal brand, of course, would be All-Clad. But you have to be a neurosurgeon to afford just one of those pans! (Same with Sitram, Paderno, Demeyere, and so on.)

Then last summer, Cooks Illustrated had an article comparing All-Clad to several other lines, and shockingly, an inexpensive brand called Tramontina sold at---wait for it---WAL-MART(!!!) performed just as well, and an 8-piece starter set sells $149 at present, less than the cost of ONE AC pan! The main downside was that the starter set came with some undesirably small pans. But Wal-Mart also sells a 10-piece set with larger, more conveniently-sized pieces for $249 (this JUST dropped from $279, though apparently, it was available on "Black Friday" for $199, but I am trying not to think about that). You can only find this set online, but they will deliver it to your local store for free! I may want to add one or two more open stock pieces eventually (looking at the 12-inch jumbo cooker and the 8-quart stock pot with steamer insert). But I am going to get a feel for the pots and pans that came in the set first and then decide if I am lacking anything.

I confess that I took the pots and pans out of the packaging and just left them on the counter to admire for a couple of days. But finally, I was ready to christen the 12-inch skillet with some lemon ricotta pancakes for a weekend brunch. Now they say that you only need to cook or low or medium at most with these fully-clad pans. So I started out on level 4 on an electric stove (out of 10...ours don't go to 11!). And I put a ton of oil and butter in the pan, for fear that the very soft batter would stick. But I ended up pouring off all but a thin slick of the fat, and turning the pan down to 3! It just cooked so well and so evenly, and the clean up was a cinch (a simple soaking usually does the trick, or you might use a little Barkeeper's Friend and a nylon scrubbie). In sum, I am in love with high-quality cookware (even more so when it's at a discount price)! Why in the world did I wait so long??

Oh, and the pancakes were pretty good, too. This is embarrassing, but it was a Bisquick-based item. You see, I wanted to make this biscuit recipe from a now-defunct restaurant in the Midwest called Bill Knapps (never heard of it myself, but the recipe sounded good). I asked my roomie to pick up some Bisquick at the store, but I did not specify what size, so she brought home this GINORMOUS box of the stuff! Now I'm looking for creative ways to use it up. Here's what I did (to make six big pancakes):

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

1 large egg
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup Bisquick
1/2 cup (to 3/4 cup) whole milk
finely-grated zest of half a lemon
2 teaspoons sugar
pinch of salt

*If you have them, adding a cup of fresh blueberries would be wonderful, too!

Whisk the egg and ricotta cheese together until fully combined and very smooth. Then add the Bisquick, milk, lemon zest, sugar and salt and whisk just until combined (if the batter looks a little thick, add a little extra milk).

Preheat your skillet, and add a little oil or butter (or I do a bit of both). Using a 1/4-cup measure, form round cakes in the pan, and cook approximately three minutes per side, or until browned (wait until the surface is dry and bubbly before flipping).

Serve with a drizzle of melted butter and a good dusting of powdered sugar and/or your favorite berry jam!

Catching some culinary waves...

As a food blogger, I spend a lot of time perusing other blogs for inspiration. And it's always amusing to me when a recipe seems to catch on and spread like wildfire--the NYT no-knead bread, for one infamous example. Who among us didn't run out and buy a new pot for that one? (Well, I did.) Recently, I tried another recipe that's been burning up the blogs for at least five years (no one ever said I was quick on the uptake!), a ridiculously simple tomato sauce that people are just GA-GA over. I was inspired to try it after reading 545 mostly fawning reviews over at Smitten Kitchen. Now I hate to be in the very tiny minority of dissenting voices, but I'm just not sure what the fuss is all about. Yes, the sauce is very simple and easy to make, but it pretty much ends up tasting like, well, tomatoes. I found the texture luscious (because of the butter), but the flavor was a little flat. Maybe I'm just used to jazzier sauces, but it needed some spice, some kick, and most definitely, some GARLIC! However, in reading all 545 comments, I came across a poster who was bragging about her incredible homemade meatballs, so I popped by her site, and used her recipe as a guide to make some truly terrific meatballs of my own! And they were SO flavorful, that they went perfectly with the low-key tomato sauce. So on its own, I do not recommend the tomato sauce, but with some zesty meatballs thrown in, it becomes a must-make!

Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onions
(Source: Smitten Kitchen, adapted from Marcela Hazan’s Essentials of Italian Cooking)

Serves 4 as a main course; makes enough sauce to lightly coat most of a pound of spaghetti (Gina's note: I doubled this recipe then made meatball sandwiches the next day with the leftovers!)

28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes from a can (real San Marzanos, if you can find them)
5 tablespoons butter
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
salt to taste

Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan (it fit just right in a 3-quart) over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free of the tomatoes. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste and keep warm while you prepare your pasta.

Serve with spaghetti, with or without grated parmesan cheese.

Mara's Meatballs
(Source: adapted from Kleio's Belly)
Makes about 48 meatballs

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning (fresh herbs would be even better!)
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
1 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 cup bread or cracker crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
2 eggs, beaten

In a very large skillet, saute onions in the olive oil until they are translucent. Add the minced garlic and Italian seasoning and cook for another minute or two.

In a large bowl, gently mix the meats together by hand (don't overwork or your meatballs will be tough!). Add the cheese, bread or cracker crumbs, salt, pepper, eggs, and onion-garlic mixture. Mix again very gently until everything is combined.

Using a cookie scoop if you have one, fashion 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized meatballs, then fry them in the skillet over medium heat until browned all over and firm to the touch (or you can bake them in the oven at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes).

The other very popular recipe that I tried my hand at lately was from my old friend, King Arthur--their take on homemade Oreos. Along with the killer carrot cake cookies, I seem to be on a bit of a sandwich cookie bender. I usually abhor making such fussy things, preferring instead to purchase my Oreos or Vienna Fingers as the need arises. But the idea of homemade Oreos was intriguing and worth a try, and these turned out great! I took a bunch of them into work, and people raved about the "Oreos on steroids." LOL! I did make a few adjustments to the recipe, though. First of all, I used 1/2 cup black cocoa and 1/4 cup natural cocoa (Scharffenberger), and it was still a little too dark/bitter for my tastes. Next time, I will pull back on the black cocoa a wee bit and use half of each (3/8 + 3/8), or maybe even 1/2 cup regular cocoa to 1/4 cup black. Also, I added 1/4 teaspoon baker's ammonia (available through KAF) to the dough, and it made gave the cookies a great crispiness and snap, more like the store-bought ones. And after pressing a tray's worth of cookies, I chilled them for up to 30 minutes. Finally, I made the filling with half shortening and half butter. That was a very good decision! The texture was still slightly waxy like a real Oreo, but smoother and with better flavor. Very fun recipe!

Faux-Reos
(Source: King Arthur Flour)

Cookies
1 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional but good
1 large egg
1 tablespoon cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup black cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa (I recommend half and half)

Filling
about 6 standard-size candy canes or 3 ounces peppermint hard candies*, optional
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (or 1/4 cup shortening and 1/4 cup butter)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (omit if you're making the peppermint version)
2 teaspoons cold water*
*If you're adding the peppermint candy, increase the water to 2 tablespoons

1) Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets, or more if you have them.
2) To make the cookies: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the sugar, butter, salt, and espresso powder. That's right; there's no leavening in this recipe, so don't worry that something's been left out.
3) Beat in the egg, water, and vanilla, then the flour and cocoa. The dough will be very stiff.
4) Roll the dough into balls about the size of a chestnut (about 2 level teaspoons). A teaspoon cookie scoop works fabulously here, as well as for the filling. If you don't have one, consider a purchase; you won't regret it. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets (I baked mine on Silpats), leaving about 1 1/2" to 2" between them.
5) Use the flat bottom of a glass, dipped in cocoa as necessary to prevent sticking, to flatten the cookies to about 1/8" to 3/16" thick. The end of a food processor's pusher tool works well here, too (this is what I used, and no extra cocoa). Take a ruler and measure the cookies' thickness; you want to get pretty close to this measurement, for the best-textured cookies.
6) Bake the cookies for 18 to 20 minutes. It's important to bake them just the right amount of time; too little, and they won't be crisp; too much, and they'll scorch. Watch them closely at the end of the baking time, and if you start to smell scorching chocolate before the time is up, take them out. When they're done, remove the cookies from the oven, and allow them to cool completely, on a rack or on the pan.
7) While the cookies are cooling, make the filling. If you're making the peppermint version, break the candy canes into pieces, and process them with the confectioners' sugar in a food processor till they're pretty finely ground.
8) Beat together the sugar, shortening, and vanilla. It'll seem very dry at first, but will eventually begin to clump together.
9) Add the water, beating till smooth and spreadable. The filing should be stiff, but not so stiff that you can't flatten it when you sandwich it between the cookies.
10) Place one level tablespoon filling in the center of one cookie; again, a teaspoon cookie scoop, slightly heaped, is perfect for this task. Place another cookie atop the filling, and squeeze to distribute the filling evenly. Repeat with the remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container.

This is NOT a post about Indian food.

A few weekends ago, my friends and I decided to gather for a potluck and some board games on a cold winter's night...at least, it began as a potluck that evolved into a fabulous Indian meal when my friend, Vicky, declared that she would be bringing a chicken curry with rice and raita and naan bread. Following her lead, I decided to bring two Indian appetizers--a spicy lentil dip with pita chips and some potato-and-pea-filled samosas. Then, far too late on the day of the party, I came to the conclusion that the perfect thing to go with the samosas would be a homemade mango chutney that I spied on Simply Recipes.

That's where all my grand plans broke down. Oh, the golden chutney came out beautifully, but after all the cut and chop and cooking down, I had lost a lot of valuable time to tend to the other items. There was an awful lot of cutting and chopping and different stages of cooking for the samosa filling, too--so much so, that I ran out of time to form and bake the samosas themselves, even though I was going to use puff pastry as a shortcut. But the filling was delicious enough on its own, so I figured that we could just eat it as a side dish (which would, in point of fact, be aloo matar). However, that meant I went to all that trouble to make the gorgeous mango chutney, but now we'd have nothing to put it on! Furthermore, the spicy lentil dip turned out WAY too spicy (I went against my better judgment and added the whole 3/4 teaspoon of cayenne that the recipe called for!), and the texture was also too soft for a lentil dip, in my estimation. So I decided to soften it further and take the heat down by adding a pint of half and half and turning the dip into a soup! I garnished each bowl with crushed pita chips and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro, and it became a much improved dish.

Golden Mango Chutney
(Source: C&H Sugar website)

2 cups C&H Pure Cane Granulated Sugar
1 cup distilled white vinegar
6 cups mangoes (4 to 5), peeled and cut in 3/4-inch pieces
1 onion, chopped (medium)
1/2 cup raisins, golden
1/4 cup ginger, crystallized and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. mustard seeds, whole
1/4 tsp. red chili pepper flakes (hot)

Combine sugar and vinegar in a pot; bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, uncovered, until syrupy and slightly thickened, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir occasionally during cooking. Pour into clean, hot jars leaving 1/2-inch headspace; close jars. Process in a water bath 15 minutes.

Makes 6 (1/2-pint) jars

Despite how my preparations went awry, we ended up with an elegant and delicious Indian feast, but none of the above has anything to do with what I REALLY want to share with you--and that's what we had for DESSERT! My friend, June, hosted this affair, so we let her off easy with making a salad for dinner and some cookies for dessert. But these were no ordinary cookies, friends. These may be my new favorite thing in the world! By way of back story, I should tell you that June's son lives out west, in my homeland of Oregon. Every year for his birthday, when they are together, he requests that she make him a carrot cake. But as a full-on carrot cake doesn't travel well, so in the last few years, June has taken to making him carrot cake cookies instead. She has tried a few different recipes, but the one she made this year (from that now most sadly defunct Gourmet Magazine) was truly sublime! After making them for her son, June made a second batch for our party, and they were so good that I had to rush right home and make some more for myself!

Of course, I read all 172 comments on epicurious.com first and made a few adjustments to the original recipe. As per many reviewers' advice, I made them a little smaller, about one tablespoon of dough per cookie. I got 33, so that made 16 sandwich cookies, plus one "taster." Also, I omitted the raisins (yuck!) and replaced the amount with extra walnuts, upped the cinnamon in the batter to two teaspoons, and chilled the dough ahead of time to prevent too much spreading. (However, contrary to some posters' advice, I neither increased the flour nor squeeze-dried my carrots, and the texture of the cookies was PERFECTLY moist!) Oh, and they only needed ten minutes to bake (NOT 12- 14!), baking only one tray at a time on Silpat-lined sheets. Finally, I made my favorite cream cheese frosting instead of the (honeyed) one from the recipe: one 8 oz. package softened cream cheese, 4 tablespoons softened butter, one pound of powdered sugar (3 1/2 to 4 cups), 1 teaspoon vanilla, and a good pinch of salt. In sum, I cannot imagine why anyone would want to make a proper carrot cake when you can have these flavorful, cakey cookies with delightfully crispy edges! And SO much less work, too! Also, for anyone far away that loves carrot cake, these cookies freeze, pack, and travel well. An absolute MUST-make!

Inside-Out Carrot Cake Cookies
(Source: Gourmet, April 2004)
Yield: Makes about 13 cookies

1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or two!)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coarsely grated carrots (2 medium)
1 scant cup walnuts (3 ounces), chopped (1 1/2 cups, if omitting the dreaded raisins)
1/2 cup raisins (2 1/2 ounces), optional

8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup honey

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 2 baking sheets (or line with Silpats or parchment).

Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Beat together butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in carrots, nuts, and raisins at low speed, then add flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Drop 1 1/2 tablespoons batter per cookie 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are lightly browned and springy to the touch, 12 to 16 minutes total. Cool cookies on sheets on racks 1 minute, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

While cookies are baking, blend cream cheese and honey in a food processor until smooth. Sandwich flat sides of cookies together with a generous tablespoon of cream cheese filling in between.

Braise, my people, BRAISE!

I have absolutely wonderful and generous friends. I am fully aware of this fact, and I like to take the opportunity, whenever possible, to voice my gratitude for all of my blessings. One such blessing is my dear friend, Phil, who I met a thousand years ago when I was a new young professor, and he was, I believe, a junior at the college where I started teaching. We have been friends for nigh unto two decades now, and though he has a thousand great qualities, the best thing about Phillip is that he never fails to make me giggle. One of my greatest joys was seeing him marry his longtime partner, Rob, in a commitment ceremony in June of 2008, and I was very honored to give one of the toasts at their reception. They are such a neat couple, and they are so kind and thoughtful to others, plus, they have immaculate taste.

Recently, I was the very lucky recipient of a simply stunning housewarming gift from Phil and Rob, MY VERY FIRST PIECE OF GENUINE LE CREUSET! I have always admired the LC Dutch ovens, and I dreamed of owning one someday, but my boys have helped me jump-start my collection with a 3 1/2-quart buffet casserole/braiser that should prove to be extremely versatile. It's big enough to make pasta sauces and risotto and such, but small enough to double as a skillet. And with the lid on top, it is just perfect for braising.

A piece of heirloom-quality cookware like this deserves to be inaugurated with a truly amazing pot roast, which is surprisingly simple to make, requiring but a handful of ingredients and some patience to create something ridiculously sublime. The secret, of course, is cooking it low and slow for a good long while until the connective fibers melt away, and you're left with meat that yields to the gentle pull of a fork. The long cooking time also lets the flavors develop and concentrate as the roast and veggies cook down. Really, what could be better? 'Tis a truly soul-satisfying meal while our winter is still hanging in there!

Gina's Perfect Pot Roast

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 to 4 lb. boneless chuck roast
salt, pepper, and seasoning blend of choice (to taste)
one large onion, sliced into rings
6 or 8 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
1 cup vegetable stock (red wine is delicious, too)
1 or 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 pound of carrots, peeled and chunked
1 pound of fingerling potatoes, scrubbed and halved if large

In a heavy-bottomed braiser or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sprinkle the chuck roast liberally with seasonings (I used salt and pepper and a steak rub, but Italian seasoning would be perfect if using red wine for the liquid), then brown on all sides in the oil.

When fully browned, remove the roast from the pan and set aside momentarily. Add the separated rings of onion and the smashed garlic cloves to the bottom of the pan, the set the roast on top of that. Pour in the vegetable (or beef) stock or red wine, shake in a couple of teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, and cover the pot tightly. (If your pan doesn't have a lid, use heavy duty aluminum foil.)

Place in a 275 degree oven for about three hours, then add the carrots and potatoes and continue cooking for about another half hour. Remove the lid or foil for the last fifteen minutes or so, or until the veggies brown up a bit, and the meat is falling apart (a total of 3 1/2 to 4 hours).

Special Note: Aren't these veggies GORGEOUS?! I was thrilled to discover that one of our local farms, Rehoboth Farmstead, was piloting a winter CSA-type program. Instead of getting an assortment of produce as determined weekly by the farmer, you can place an order online as frequently as you like, and then pick up your stuff at your convenience from a individual cooler on their front porch! For the past month, we have been enjoying fresh jumbo eggs, spinach, salad mix, Napa and Savoy cabbages, carrots, and lots of potatoes--these fingerlings, some small red salt potatoes, sweet potatoes, and the most amazing yellow-fleshed bakers that I've ever eaten! If you live in the greater Plattsburgh area, I recommend checking out this delicious service. It's just so wonderful to get some fresh organic veggies into your winter diet!

USA! USA! USA!

Ah...it's that time again. The Winter Olympics are upon us! I do so love to watch the Games, especially figure skating, but so many of the other events, too. In fact, I enjoy the Winter Olympics SO much more than the Summer Games, with the only exception being women's gymnastics. And these Olympics are particularly exciting because they have come back to North America, just across the border to our friends in the Great White North, specifically to the Pacific Northwest where I grew up (not Vancouver per se, but Washington and Oregon). The last time I visited Vancouver was circa 1999, and I long to return. I was there for a communication conference at that time, so I didn't have much opportunity to explore the majestic beauty of the region; I only saw downtown and all of those buildings that seemed to have been designed by Mike Brady. (Sidebar: Honolulu is like that, too--lots of swinging 60's structures that resemble radiators. Tee hee.)

I did, however, get to sample some of the tasty cuisine that Vancouver has to offer. It's a very diverse place ethnically, with lots of Asian influences. So in honor of the Vancouver Winter Olympics, and with fresh spring greens starting to become available, I have constructed an Asian-themed dish with a decidedly American flair (while the Chinese may have invented everything else, I think the lettuce wrap hails from modern Asian bistros in this country, perhaps to entice the lo-carb and gluten-free crowds to dine out?). In any case, these turned out mighty tasty, and were great to munch on while we watched the ice dancing finals last night. Though let me warn you, it made TWICE as much filling as necessary, so you might want to halve the recipe. But then again, the leftover noodles will be nice to take to work for lunches this week or to snack on while watching the last week of the Vancouver Games.


Gina's Olympic Lettuce Wraps

1/4 cup vegetable or peanut oil
12 oz. mushrooms, wiped and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb. ground chicken
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and minced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 - 8 oz. can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
3 scallions, sliced thinly
2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce (or gluten-free tamari)
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons stir fry sauce (your favorite kind--mine was from Trader Joe's)
2 teaspoons garlic-chili paste or sriracha (to taste)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 6.75 oz. package rice sticks, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, drained and cut into short lengths

1 head Boston/bibb lettuce, stem removed and leaves separated

Heat the oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped mushrooms and onion and cook until onions are translucent and soft. Add the ground chicken, ginger and garlic and cook until the chicken is no longer pink. Add the water chestnuts, scallions and carrots, and cook another minute or two. Stir in all of the sauces, oil, vinegar and seasonings and mix well. Heat another minute or two until bubbly. Mix in the noodles and once well-combined, taste to correct seasonings (also, mine seemed to want another tablespoon of vegetable oil at this point).

Serve a big pile of lettuce on one dinner plate, and a heaping mountain of the noodles on another, and let everyone make their own little lettuce wraps, each sprinkled with a little more soy sauce or tamari (and more hot sauce for the daring!).

Valentine's Day: The Chocoholic's Holiday

I hope everyone had a sweet Valentine's Day! Mine was lovely and lazy after a frustrating day yesterday. The roommate and I decided to take ourselves to Montreal, as is so often our way. We had grand plans of hitting the IKEA west of the city, followed by an Oscar-worthy movie, a wonderful dinner somewhere, and maybe even some Krispy Kremes for dessert. However, you know what they say about the best-laid plans...

I'm sad to report that the whole day was pretty much a BUST! We got a late start, and foolishly chose to go through the big (Champlain) border, where the long lines and slow pace of the border attendants made us even later. When finally got to IKEA, we had to park far, far away, and walk to the entrance in the terrible, arctic winds. I was already a little sick to my stomach for some reason, so an hour and a half among the overwhelming crowds and the screeching children only exacerbated my nausea. Plus, I only ended up with about ten bucks worth of pointless doo-dads that I had to wait in line for 25 minutes to pay for! And I didn't even get to have Swedish meatballs at the cafe located about halfway through the trek through the humungous store because my tummy was still out of sorts. But I did buy a big bag of the frozen meatballs, two packets of sauce mix, and lingonberry jam to make at home, along with a box of rosti (potato fritters). We had this Swedish feast for lunch today, and despite the fact that it was insta-food from a furniture manufacturer, it was darn good! I have also become addicted to these little cookies that they call Kex biscuits, which are like a wheatier version of McDonaldland cookies, one of my perennial favorites.

After our IKEA ordeal, we didn't feel like fighting our way back into the city to the AMC Forum where all the Oscar contenders were playing. So we decided instead to go to the suburban cineplex that was right near the IKEA to see Wolfman. Despite a stellar cast that included Emily Blunt (LOVE her!) and Sir Anthony Hopkins, the film was laughably awful, and our fellow moviegoers were incredibly rude and noisy. Our next bad decision was to have dinner at the overpriced, lackluster Chinese buffet in the same shopping center, replete with more insufferable crowds and screaming children. Lastly, we spent an hour driving around, trying to find a Krispy Kreme before giving up and beginning the (now longer since we moved) drive home. It seems our Montreal outing was foiled at every turn yesterday. Then again, the worst day in Montreal is often better than the best day in little old Plattsburgh. And it all became kind of comical at some point. Nevetheless, I decided to stay home, watch the Olympics, and bake cookies or something relaxing today in hopes of recuperating from the Montreal debacle!

My Valentine's Day started in the best possible way, with my awakening obscenely late, having acquired NINE full hours of sleep, which I so desperately needed before the work week starts anew! Cyd got up early and tended to the dogs and the wood stove, and even waited for the firewood delivery while I snoozed the day away. When I finally got my lazy butt up, I was greeted to the following Valentine's "basket" from my incredibly sweet and generous friend. It included a pretty card, not one but TWO volumes of the "Glee" soundtrack (I am obsessed with that show!), the blu-ray of Julie and Julia, a delicious new perfume called "In Bloom" from Reese Witherspoon (yes, Reese Witherspoon!), and one giant Reese's peanut butter heart--a Reese theme, if you will. I was just tickled to death with all my surprises. THANK YOU, Cyd! :-D

My plan for my Sunday was to make belated Valentine's cookies for my co-workers. I even bought some new cookie cutters and a rolling pin, but I just couldn't seem to find the drive. But I did manage to make an incredible dessert to accompany tonight's dinner (i.e. steak and caesar salad made with local, organic greens), something decadently chocolatey in honor of Valentine's Day. I spied the recipe for Chocolate Soufflé Cupcakes with White Chocolate Mint Cream on Smitten Kitchen, and it is truly fantastic, and not very difficult, either. Plus, the cakes are flourless, so they are great for the gluten-free crowd and/or for Jewish folks at Passover. And they are just delectable--ethereal little clouds with a deep chocolate resonance. And the minty cream on top? Oh man, I just want to BATHE in it! And I am not even a big fan of white chocolate, but it makes a silky, lustrous topping that marries perfectly with the mint flavor. Just be sure to buy REAL white chocolate with cocoa butter and not those vile "white chips" or vanilla bark. (Tip: Baker's now produces white chocolate baking squares.) Much of my kitchen is still in boxes (yes, still--don't judge me--which is also why I had to buy another rolling pin), and I couldn't find my peppermint extract. But I did unearth a bottle of Starbuck's peppermint syrup, so I added maybe a teaspoon and a half of that instead, and it made the cupcakes taste like a peppermint mocha! DELISH! Make these for your sweetie and/or your favorite chocoholic immediately!

Chocolate Soufflé Cupcakes with White Chocolate Mint Cream
(Source: Smitten Kitchen)
Makes 9 cupcakes (I got 11, so I made half again as much of the mint cream)

Chocolate Soufflé Cupcakes:
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used some wonderfully dark Merckens chocolate chips that I found at our local co-op)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
heaping 1/4 teaspoon espresso or instant coffee powder
3 large eggs, separated
6 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

White Chocolate Mint Cream:
2 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
3 ounces heavy whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract

Place the white chocolate in a small bowl. Bring the cream to a simmer, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute to melt the chocolate. Whisk well. Add the peppermint extract and whisk again. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the cream. Chill until very cold, about two hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9 standard-size (3-ounce) muffin cups with paper liners. Stir chocolate, butter and espresso powder together in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until mostly melted, then remove from the heat and whisk until it is fully melted and smooth. Cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally.

Using electric mixer (a hand mixer, rather than a stand mixer, actually works best here because the volumes are so small) beat egg yolks and 3 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl until mixture is very thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Briefly beat lukewarm chocolate mixture, then vanilla extract, into yolk mixture. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and all of the salt, beating until medium-firm peaks form. Fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions. Divide batter among prepared cups, filling each three-fourths of the way.

Bake cakes until tops are puffed and dry to the touch (some may crack, embrace it) and a tester inserted into the centers comes out with some moist crumbs attached, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in pan on a cooling rack, where the cupcakes will almost immediately start to fall. It will be all the better to put your mint cream on them.

Beat mint white chocolate cream with electric beaters until soft peaks form. Remove cupcakes from pan, arrange on a platter. Fill each sunken top with a healthy dollop of white chocolate mint cream. Top with shaved dark chocolate, if you’re feeling fancy.

WHO DAT??

Everyone who knows me knows that I hate sports in general and loathe football in particular. However, as I have said many times, I do LOVE a Superbowl PARTY! I enjoy the commercials, the half-time show, the company, and of course, the good eats. The game? Meh. However, this year, I made a special exception and actually watched the game and rooted for New Orleans. Not only was it the Saints' first time at the big show, it did my heart good to see that team represent a city that has had to pull itself up out of some of the worst misery that this country has ever seen. And it was extra-fun to cheer them on from my friends' comfy den, as Tom and June are New Orleans natives. (I am still recovering for the ear-shattering shrieks that came out of June when the Saints got that last interception and touchdown, and it became clear that they would be the Superbowl winners. OUCH! Tee hee.)

In true Lousiana fashion, there was some delicious food at the party...and WAY too much of it! To bring the Cajun/Creole flair, June made jambalaya, and someone else brought red beans and rice and smoked sausage. Of course, no Superbowl party would be compelte without the ubiquitous hot wings, and various snack platters of veggies and dip, crackers and cheese, etc. Then for dessert, there were decadent World Peace cookies with white chocolate chips, some terribly cute sugar cookies cut and decorated to look like footballs (of course, these came from the clever and creative Padula Family!), and the piece de resistance, an authentic fleur-de-lis king cake that one of June's friends had sent from New Orleans!

As for my own contributions, I made a zippy Creole slaw from some of the veggies that I just bought from a winter CSA (more about that another time), and a GINORMOUS muffaletta sandwich on the most adorable marbled football loaf that I happened upon at Price Chopper! For those of you unfamiliar with the muffaletta (and you have my deepest sympathies if that's you!), it is the most delicious of all sandwiches, made on a big, round loaf of Italian bread. The traditional fillings are mortadella, capicola, and Genoa Salami, both mozzarella and provolone cheeses, all dressed with a generous amount of olive salad. Yes, yes, it's enough to make a cardiologist cry, but MAN, is it GOOD!

The definitive muffaletta, they say, is to be found at Central Grocery in the French Quarter, though the best one I've had to date is at the Camellia Cafe in Slidell. Still, to honor tradition, I was guided by a recipe that was reported to have come from "someone who used to work with someone" whose grandfather created the now famous Central Grocery muffaletta. That provenance doesn't sound too trustworthy, but I played around with the olive salad a bit, anyway, tweaking it to my liking. So this may not be 100% authentic, but it sure was yummy!

Super-Saints Muffaletta
(Source: adapted from Cookery N'Orleans Style)

olive salad (my version):

1 sweet onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 of a 16 oz. jar pepperoncini, drained and tops cut off each pepper
1 16 oz. jar green salad olives (stuffed with pimento), drained
2 16 oz. cans black olives, drained
2 medium carrots, peeled and finely shredded
1 teaspoon celery seed
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar, optional
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons white vinegar

In the bowl of a food processor, add the onion, garlic cloves, and pepperoncini. Pulse until it's still a very rough chop, then add the olives and pulse again until everything is finely chopped. Dump the mixture into another bowl and stir in the shredded carrots, the spices, sugar (if using), olive oil and vinegar. Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours before making the muffaletta.

For each large sandwich (to serve two hungry people), you will need:

a round loaf of Italian bread
1/4 pound mortadella, thinly sliced
1/4 pound capicola (hot ham), thinly sliced
1/4 pound Genoa salami, thinly sliced
1/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
1/4 pound provolone cheese, sliced
1 cup olive salad

Split a muffuletta loaf or a loaf of Italian bread horizontally. Spread each half with equal parts of the olive salad. layer meats and cheeses evenly on bottom half and cover (carefully!) with top half of bread. Cut in quarters. Enjoy!

Creole Cole Slaw
(Source: adapted from Zatarain's)

6 cups coleslaw mix*
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Creole mustard
2 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
few dashes of tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning

*I used mainly Napa cabbage with a few carrots, a couple of stalks of celery, one green pepper, and one jalapeno shredded into the mix, along with three or four sliced scallions.

I salted the shredded vegetables with a couple of good pinches of kosher salt, then let it drain in a colander for a few hours before dressing the salad and letting it all chill and absorb flavor overnight. Salting the coleslaw ahead of time is supposed to leech out a lot of the water that ultimately makes the dressing runny, but mine ended up runny anyway! So next time, I might try chilling the veggies and the dressing separately, then combining them just before serving the slaw.

GEAUX SAINTS! :-D

HAPPY BLOGDAY TO ME!

WOW! How time does fly! It has been four years since I started this little blog during a spate of cabin fever late in the winter of 2006. I remember, the propane monitor in the living room was on the fritz...or perhaps we couldn't afford to run it at a level that actually kept us warm. So myself, my roommate, three dogs, and four cats were all holed up in the back bedroom, the only room that was sufficiently warmed by a faithful old fuel oil furnace. Actually, during a couple of dreadful winters, we moved into that room by January and didn't fully emerge until March or April! And when we did, we still had to rely on a system of strategically-placed space heaters, layered clothing, and sleeping bags draped over us just to stay alive! That is just one of many reasons why I feel so blessed to own my own home now where there is a kerosene monitor (old, but still doing her job well) and a large wood stove that can really crank out the heat. Ok, ok...I must admit that I managed to freeze the kitchen pipes within the first three days of living here (oops), but for the first time in nine years, we are cozy and WARM! PTL!!

Right at the moment, we may have global warming to thank, as it is weirdly, unseasonably warm. Two days ago, we actually had a spring-like flood watch (though spring doesn't truly come to us until April)! Even my friend, June, who is from New Orleans and is always cold admits that "51 degrees is spooky in January" in the North Country. Indeed, it's quite odd to start spring semester and look out my classroom window to see Lake Champlain...unfrozen! But we all know that winter is not yet done with us, and there will be plenty more cold before it's all over. So to keep us toasty on the inside, I offer a couple of hearty soup recipes for your approval.

The first one was a collaborative effort between my roomie and myself. While she was living in frigid Minnesota for more than a year, Cyd claims to have mastered the art of ham and navy bean soup. So I told her she needed to make some for me, but of course, I couldn't help meddling, as is my way. But in this case, too many cooks did NOT spoil the broth, but made an even tastier version!


Cyd's (and Gina's) Bean and Bacon Soup

1 lb. dried navy beans
8 cups vegetable stock
2 ham hocks
1 lb. bacon (I used something I found called "jowl bacon"), cut up
2 medium onions, chopped
4 large stalks celery, diced
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
4 large carrots, sliced
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar, optional (to balance the acidity)
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of cayenne

Place the beans, vegetable broth, and ham hocks in a stock pot. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for about an hour. In the meantime, brown the bacon pieces, onion and celery in a skillet over medium heat. When the bacon is crisp and the onion and celery are soft and translucent, add the minced garlic and cook for another minute or two. Set aside.

When the beans have boiled for an hour, add the bacon, onion, celery and garlic mixture, the carrots, the canned tomatoes with their juice, the sugar (if using) and all of the herbs and spices. Continue to simmer until the beans are tender, probably about an hour. Remove ham hocks and bay leaves, then taste and correct seasoning before serving.

The second soup comes by way of my favorite Montreal bloggers at An Endless Banquet. I was drawn to this recipe because I'm not really fond of clams. This chowder calls for haddock or cod, and I used both, along with some bay scallops. (If I had had shrimp, I would have thrown half a pound of those in there, too!) Delicious stuff, and stick-to-your-ribs hearty! You might as well make a double batch, and then you'll have a homemade hot lunch all week long.

Seafood Chowder
(Source: adapted from An Endless Banquet)
Serves 4

1 lb. haddock or cod fillets (or both!)
1/2 pound bay scallops
1 bay leaf
1/4 lb. bacon ends, or bacon, or salt pork
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small leek, white part only, thoroughly rinsed, cleaned, and finely chopped
2-3 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon parsley, minced (I used 2 tablespoons dried)
2-3 sprigs thyme, leaves only, minced (I used about a teaspoon of dried)
1 1/2 cups milk (I used half-n-half)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning, optional

Bring three cups of lightly salted water to a boil (I used a box of seafood stock for additional flavor). Add the fish and scallops and the bay leaf, lower the heat, and simmer gently for 7-8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the fish to a plate or cutting board, but keep the broth warm on a back burner.

Fry the bacon in a skillet it has rendered its fat and has begun to crisp. (I took my bacon all the way to crispy, then fished it out, cooled and crumbled it, and used it to garnish the chowder.) Add the onion and the leek and sauté until the onion begins to turn translucent and the leek has become tender. Add the onion/leek mixture and the chopped potatoes to the fish broth. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 12-15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the broth has thickened slightly.

Meanwhile, gently flake the fish fillets. When the potatoes are ready, turn the heat down to the lowest setting, add the fish, the parsley, the thyme, and the milk (or half-n-half) to the broth, and let the chowder steep for 5-10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. (Mine didn't have enough zip to suit me, so I added half a tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning, and that did the trick!)

Serve each bowl of chowder topped with crackers that have been broken into chunks, or with oyster crackers.

And I would completely remiss if I forgot to give a shout-out to my little buddy who shares the same birthday as my blog. This happy, tousled fellow is my PBGV, Grady. He is a champion show dog (in two countries!), but more importantly, he's just a sweet lug of a lapdog, and SIX years old today!