Nana's Famous Black Bottom Chocolate Pie

For the holidays, my mom makes this INSANE chocolate pie that is a holiday must have for my kids. They usually asking about it in October. "Mom, are we going to have Nana's chocolate pie for Thanksgiving?"
I don't have a picture right now......stayed tuned.

Black-bottom Chocolate Pie

Filling

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

6 large egg yolks

2 cups low-fat (1%) milk

1/2 cup chilled whipping cream

6 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon dark rum

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Crumb Crust - or purchase a pre-made chocolate cookie crumb crust at supermarket

Preparation

For Filling:
Whisk first 4 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan to blend. Whisk in egg yolks to form thick paste. Gradually whisk in milk, then cream. Whisk over medium-high heat until mixture thickens and boils 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk in rum and vanilla. Cool 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Transfer filling to frozen crust. Chill until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

For Topping:
Beat first 3 ingredients in large bowl until firm peaks form. Spoon whipped cream into pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe rosettes around edge of pie. Garnish with chocolate curls. (Can be made 4 hours ahead; chill.)

I use a premade chocolate crust in a tin pie plate. 

No Knead to Eat Packaged Bread

No Knead Bread

If you want your kitchen to smell truly amazing, I have the perfect recipe for you. I use my Le Creuset 5 quart heavy Dutch oven (click to see what I am talking about) to make this unreasonably delicious and super easy bread. It's perfect for quarantine because although it needs time to develop, it is not messy and made from only a few ingredients. This is one of the very favorite foods of my daughters, who also recommend that you tear into it instead of slicing!

I use my food scale as it is more accurate, but have included the Imperial measurements if you don't have one.

This recipe is from Epicurious, (click to go there), but I have included the recipe below with my additional notes.

INGREDIENTS
400 grams (3 cups)  bread flour
8 grams (1 1/4 teaspoons)  table salt
1 gram (1/4 teaspoon)  instant or other active dry yeast
 300 grams (1 1/3 cups) cool water (55 to 65 degrees F)
Additional flour for dusting

DIRECTIONS
1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and yeast. Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until you have a wet, sticky dough, about 30 seconds. This is going to be super sticky. Keep adding a little water until you get there.  Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let sit at room temperature (about 72 degrees F), out of direct sunlight, until the surface is dotted with bubbles (Note: the bubbles are really small which confused me the first time,) and the dough is more than doubled in size. This will take a minimum of 12 hours and (my preference) up to 18 hours. if you start it at night before you go to bed, you will get the full 18 hour rise and can eat for dinner the next day. This slow rise—fermentation—is the key to flavor.

2. When the first fermentation is complete, generously dust a work surface (a wooden or plastic cutting board is fine) with flour. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough onto the board in one piece. When you begin to pull the dough away from the bowl, it will cling in long, thin strands (this is the developed gluten), and it will be quite loose and sticky—do not add more flour. Use lightly floured hands or a bowl scraper or spatula to lift the edges of the dough in toward the center. Nudge and tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round.

3. Place a cotton or linen tea towel (not terry cloth, which tends to stick and may leave lint in the dough) or a large cloth napkin on your work surface and generously dust the cloth with wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour. Use your hands or a bowl scraper or wooden spatula to gently lift the dough onto the towel, so it is seam side down. If the dough is tacky, dust the top lightly with wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour. Fold the ends of the towel loosely over the dough to cover it and place it in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 1 to 2 hours. The dough is ready when it is almost doubled. If you gently poke it with your finger, making an indentation about 1/4 inch deep, it should hold the impression. If it doesn't, let it rise for another 15 minutes.

4. Half an hour before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F, with a rack in the lower third position, and place a covered 4 1/2–5 1/2 quart heavy pot in the center of the rack.

*Note: keep an eye on it. I don't know if I have an especially hot oven, but my bread never takes this long, and the bread develops a lovely crust when you take off the lid so you don't want to cut out that part. 

5. Using pot holders, carefully remove the preheated pot from the oven and uncover it. Unfold the tea towel, lightly dust the dough with flour or bran, lift up the dough, either on the towel or in your hand, and quickly but gently invert it into the pot, seam side up. (Use caution—the pot will be very hot.) Cover the pot and bake for 30 minutes.

6. Remove the lid and continue baking until the bread is a deep chestnut color but not burnt, 15 to 30 minutes more. Use a heatproof spatula or pot holders to carefully lift the bread out of the pot and place it on a rack to cool thoroughly. Don't slice or tear into it until it has cooled, which usually takes at least an hour.

Garlic Butter Chicken Tenders

Well, many years have passed! During those years, my kids got really big and we moved to Austin, TX......which I will write about later, but for now, fast forward to the 2020 Covid-19 stay at home order. While at home, I thought I would update the blog with many of the recipes I have discovered and use frequently in the past few years. I might not have many photos, so I will try to come back and update the posts with some appetizing pictures. Until then, we play pretend.

Here is one of my very favorite, quickest and easiest recipes EVER. Probably 20 minutes for real. Not like on the Food Network 20 mins. 20 minutes from the stuff being in the fridge to hot on a plate.  Just steam some veggies, rice etc, and you have a great meal.

Since we are all focused these days on limiting trips to the store, I am including a brief discussion of ingredients. You probably have a lemon, butter and some garlic on hand. You may not have Lawry's seasoning salt, which I learned about from Ree Drummond, have found it to really lend some flavor in general to the chicken. It's worth getting a container of it. I also have always cooked this in a big cast iron skillet. I really don't know how it would turn out in a regular pan. FYI.

Ingredients

1 lb chicken tenders
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tblsp Lawry's seasoning salt (adjust to taste)
3-4 tbsp of unsalted butter
3-4 cloves of garlic- minced
juice from half a lemon
chopped fresh parsley if desired

Directions

1. Season the chicken tenders with smoked paprika and Lawry's seasoning salt.

2. Heat up a cast iron skillet to med high and add 3 tblsps of butter. When it is sizzling, add the seasoned chicken tenders. Cook for a minute or two minute, then turn over and cook the other  side.

3. This is sort of weird but hang in there with me because I think this is part of the reason the chicken is so juicy.. Push the chicken to one side, and then add more butter and the garlic. Stir it all together.

4. Add the lemon and cook them until they are brown and cooked through. Top off with the chopped parsley.

Holiday Detox- Cauliflower LeekTurmeric Soup

Overindulged a bit? Want to make up for it - but don't want salads or unsatisfying and sugary juices? Try this soup! My cauliflower leek turmeric soup is packed with nutrients and fiber. It is low calorie but satisfying.  It also contains the wonder spice turmeric, which is now being studied as a therapy for everything from depression to Parkinson's disease. And if nothing else- it really is creamy, comforting, and delicious. And the bonus to making it yourself- you can control the sodium content. 

I

Ingredients:
Sea Salt
1 tblsp coconut oil (I use refined as I don't like the taste of unrefined)
2 leeks, sliced thin. Use only white and light green parts, unless you don't mind the color being neon yellow green at the end.)
1.5 lbs (or a large head) of cauliflower chopped into pieces. Should be about 4 cups of 1 inch pieces.
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 cups chicken broth (Or use miso or vegetable broth)

Optional:
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley for garnish
Microgreens for garnish

Saute leeks and garlic in the coconut oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. The idea is to soften them a bit. Stir in the cauliflower and thyme and saute for another minute.

Now add the broth, turmeric and cayenne. Turn the heat to high and boil. Once it comes to a boil,  cover and reduce heat to medium low. Leave it simmering for about 20 minutes.

Now, here comes the part that can be tricky. It needs to go into the blender. My blender can't do the whole recipe at once. I've found the easiest way is to do this in batches. You want to blend it on the pureee setting until it is completely smooth. Once it is is blended, you can return it to the pot to keep warm.

Serve in bowls, with parsley and microgreens sprinkled on top.

I also freeze this in individual portions, and grab for quick work lunches. It's surprisingly comforting and filling.

Pink Pickles

Pickled Red Onions

I spotted these absolutely gorgeous red onions at the farm stand a few weeks ago. I just couldn't resist their shining, glorious color. I got them home and then didn't really know what to do with them- it was a LOT of onion. My sister suggested pickled onions, which I love at restaurants, but never thought of making myself. She assured me it was quite easy. I began experimenting with them. It is fun on so many levels- you can use beautiful mason jasons to store them in! Their lovely pink color and unique flavor adds beauty and zest to salads, sandwiches, or my favorite- tacos! And, best of all, they are so easy! The whole thing takes maybe 10  minutes and it lasts a few weeks in the fridge. Here's the recipe I ended up with. 

1 Medium Red Onion

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Sugar

3/4 Cups white or apple cider vinegar (use good quality)

1 clove of garlic, halved

4-6 black peppercorns

Kettle of water for blanching

A container for storing them in- I recommend a glass mason jar, or other non-reactive container such as ceramic. Avoid plastic and metal.

Note: You can also add some herbs like thyme- or if you want to make it spicy, put a small red chili pepper in there! Yum!

Directions

Put the kettle of water on to boil. 

Peel off the outer skin of the onion

Thinly slice the onion into 1/4 inch rounds.

Place the onions into a sieve and put it in the sink. Pour the boiling water slowly over the sliced onions- this will blanch them. 

Combine the sugar, salt, vinegar, garlic and anything else you are putting in there. 

Add the drained onions to the jar, stir and put them in the fridge. 

Wait a few hours before serving so the flavor sinks in.
DELICIOUS! 

Lamb Basque Stew

Hi all- Quick post. Since it is completely freezing out, I decided to give you a warm stew to make for dinner Sunday. I am just going to tell you flat out this is not my recipe. For once in my life, I did not feel any need to tinker. The recipe is from a site called simplyrecipes.com. The stew has a very unusual set of flavors, and is a wonderful improvement on old fashioned beef stew. I make it in a crock pot instead of on the stove, just for practical reasons. All you have to do is brown the meat first, then throw it in the crock pot on low for 4 hours or so. Try it!

Here's the link:
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/basque_lamb_stew/#ixzz3QzsLIhP5

3 1/2 lbs. lamb shoulder, cut into 2 inch pieces
6 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
1 sprig fresh rosemary, about 1 tablespoon chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
Salt
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 10-ounce can roasted red bell peppers, cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 large ripe tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 bay leaf
1 cup dry, full-bodied red wine
1 cup chicken stock*
Freshly ground black pepper

Method
1 Combine the lamb, half of the garlic cloves, rosemary, and white wine in a medium bowl. Let marinate for 2 to 3 hours. Drain the meat, discard the marinade, and pat dry with paper towels. Mince the remaining garlic cloves and set aside.
2 Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan with lid, over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the meat on all sides, about 10 minutes per batch. Salt the meat as it browns.

3 Remove the meat from the pan and add the onions to the pan. Cook, scraping browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute.

4 Return the meat to the pan with the onions and garlic. Stir in paprika, roasted peppers, tomatoes, parsley, bay leaf, and red wine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, allowing the liquids to reduce a bit. Then add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until meat is very tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Add freshly ground black pepper and more salt to taste.

Skip the coffee, go straight to coffee cake

Here's the thing about coffee cake. All that stuff you find in grocery stores and even most bakeries has nothing to do with real coffee cake.  Real coffee cake is rich and the texture is out of this world.  You find yourself thinking about it for the rest of the day- what the heck was in that? And how can I get some more? I really hope you try this recipe. It might just change your life. Or at least impress your mother-in-law.

The recipe is not difficult, but it takes a few steps, and you really do need buttermilk- the lactic acid in buttermilk is what turns the cake from ho-hum into holy moly. I think this recipe is a bit easier than others because it combines the making of the crumb topping with the making of the cake. Another item to note- I use both a Kitchen Aid mixer and a Cuisinart food processor. These tools are not necessary, but they sure make it a snap.

The other great thing about coffee cake is that it is incredibly flexible. Once you see how easy the basic recipe is, you can start adding your own variations- add blueberries! Mini chocolate chips sprinkled over the top! Crumb topping in the middle! The sky is the limit here. 

Ingredients

To prepare the pan:
Butter or cooking spray
1 tblsp flour for dusting

Cake:
2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1 cup + 2 tblsp sugar
1 tsp salt
10 tblsp unsalted butter, cold
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temp
1 large egg, at room temp
2 tsps vanilla extract
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon


My mother asked me how I get the topping so crumbly. I process it in the food processor. That's all.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Prepare the pan. I use a 9 inch spring form pan. If you don't have one, or have no idea what I'm talking about, use a 9x9 square baking dish. It's just a bit easier to get out with the spring form pan. Spray or grease the sides and bottom of the pan, then lightly dust all over with the 1 tblsp flour.
3. Now, mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in your mixer or by hand until combined.
4. Cut the cold butter into small pieces.
5.Put the flour/sugar/salt/soda/powder mixture in the Cuisinart. Toss in the butter. Process for 15 seconds or until it is a coarse meal. Set aside 1 cup of this butter/flour mixture for your crumb topping.
6. Put the rest of the mixture back in the Kitchen Aid mixing bowl. Add the room temperature buttermilk, egg and the 2 tsps vanilla. Mix everything until it is smooth, and it will resemble frosting, (as my daughter pointed out). The batter will be super thick and smell so good!
7. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
8. Make the crumb topping by adding the brown sugar and the cinnamon to the reserved flour/sugar mixture. Mix with a fork until blended will but still a little crumbly. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the cake batter.
9. Bake the cake at 350 until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, and/or the middle is firm to the touch. Takes approximately 55 minutes, depending on your oven.

Be sure to cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then take it out! Don't leave in the pan too long, or try to take it out immediately. It takes about 2 hours to cool completely, although we can never wait that long. And it's even better after a day or so! Enjoy.

Cold Quinoa Salad with Pumpkin Seeds and Sugar Snap Peas

You are most likely sick of hearing about quinoa. In an article about the politics of food companies, a grouchy journalist took this swipe at the grain; "For some consumers, that would spoil the taste. Or would, if it were possible to make quinoa taste worse"*.  But really, quinoa is a good deal, food-wise. I like the crunchy mouth feel and the taste is bland enough to be a bit of a canvas for other flavors. It is quite nutritious, cheap and versatile....it is a good grain to have in rotation. I especially like it for to-go lunches. You can make this recipe in advance and then bring it with you to work for a healthy, hearty, and relatively low calorie meal.

Full disclosure on this recipe. My kids tried it, and decided they didn't like it. However, I consider it a victory, as they didn't make a face, or gag. Which means that if I make another 10 times they will probably eventually forget that they don't like it.

Also, I apologize for posting this recipe as sugar snap peas are more of a spring vegetable. I love them though, and my kids actually like them as well, so I included them. You could use bell peppers for a nice crunch instead. I'm hoping that the oh-so-seasonal pumpkin seeds make up for this transgression.

Ingredients
1/2 lb sugar snap peas
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained**
1/4 cup olive oil, extra virgin
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, roasted and salted
1/2 cup minced chives
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a small saucepan full of salted water to a boil. Add the sugar snap peas and simmer for about a minute. (If you want to really bring out the green color, drain and dump into an ice bath for a few minutes. This is one of my mother's best tips.) Drain and cool. It's probably best to cut into bite size pieces, but I sometimes leave them whole because they are just so pretty.

Bring the quinoa and two cups of water to a boil. Turn heat to low and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Put the quinoa in a large bowl, fluff it with a fork and leave it to cool to room temperature.

While the quinoa is cooking, combine the oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper. Add the pumpkin seeds, cooled peas, pumpkin seeds, chives and dressing to the quinoa- stir and add more salt and pepper to taste.

Refrigerate after making.



*"Voting with your wallet." The Economist, September 13th, 2014. Page 38.
** You may ask yourself, how the hell do I rinse these teeny little suckers? They get everywhere! I lay them in a clean dishcloth, make a little open bag out of it, and run water over them. Then I scrape them off the dishcloth into the pot with a knife. If anyone knows a better way, let me know.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

My daughters love making cookies with me. I like to think it is because we are spending time together and learning math through application. But perhaps they are more results oriented than I care to admit.  Regardless, we do enjoy it and are always looking for excuses to bake.  A few months ago, my preschooler and I decided to make cookies for her class picnic.  She loves oatmeal for breakfast, and often requests it as an after school snack.  I was surprised when she objected to my suggestion of oatmeal raisin cookies. Evidently she has become anti-raisin because "they stick in my teeth". However, she suggested using chocolate chips instead. I tinkered with the recipe on the Quaker Oats canister and the result was quite a hit with the entire class.  

You will need:

1/2 cup plus 6 tblsps unsalted butter (almost 2 sticks)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 and 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups of old fashioned oats (I never use quick, I prefer the texture of the old fashioned)

1 and 1/4 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make sure the butter is nice and soft. Put it in a mixer with the sugars, until it is well combined. Add the  eggs and the vanilla. 

Mix together the flour, soda, salt and oats in a separate bowl. Add to the wet mixture. Toss in the chocolate chips. Stir until just nicely blended. Don't stir too much! Over stirring will make them tough. 

Line the cookie sheet with a silpat mat. Trust me on this- they are worth the investment. (See my previous post on the topic.) 

For the next part, I use a small ice cream scoop, the kind that you squeeze.  The scoop really helps keep the size uniform so that the cookies bake evenly. Scoop a ball of dough with the ice cream scooper. This next part is optional, but it makes the cookies look very nice. With clean, wet hands, roll the dough ball in your palms until it is smooth and even. Then put it on the cookie tray lined with the silpat mat and smoosh it a little bit flat with your hand. Bake for 9-15 minutes- this really depends on the size of your cookies and then oven. If it is a teaspoon size ball of dough, it will run closer to 9 minutes. The ice cream scoop ones will be more like 12, and really big cookies are about 15 minutes. 

Once the cookies are lightly browned, remove from the oven. Cool on a cookie rack. 

Lentils?

I discovered my daughter had low iron levels at her last well child visit. I found this totally shocking. Apparently, hemoglobin levels are NOT correlated to willpower. The pediatrician advised me to increase iron-rich foods, and listed in rapid-fire succession foods my daughter would never, ever eat....and lentils. I realized I had never made lentils for my daughter. In fact, I wasn't sure if I had ever made lentils for myself. Inspiration struck! I picked up a box of French Le Puy Lentils at random, and began experimenting. 

Here's what I learned. These tiny green French lentils are much tastier (in my opinion) than the bigger ones. They have a more pleasing texture. In addition, unlike many legumes, they don't need to be soaked or any sort of big fuss. You just cook them up. They are great warm, with fish for dinner. Then I eat them cold the next day for lunch. The best thing of all, they are low in calories, and high in protein and iron.  Here's my favorite way to make them. 

French Lentil Salad

1.25 cups of French green lentils (I use the Roland brand)

1 bay leaf

a few sprigs of fresh thyme (I'm sure you can sprinkle a pinch of dried instead)

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

2 stalks of celery, diced (if you like fennel, you can also use this, but I find celery more kid friendly)

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

lemon wedges

lots of sea salt and black pepper

Rinse the lentils. This is trickier than it sounds. I wrap them up tight in cheesecloth and run the water through the bundle. These little guys have a way of sneaking all over your kitchen if you don't contain them in the rinsing process! Put the rinsed lentils in a large saucepan and cover with water by 3-4 inches. Add the bay leaf and thyme. Bring the concoction to a boil, and then reduce heat. Now add a dash of salt (in my case, a lot of salt!) and simmer them for about 20 minutes.

While they are simmering, saute carrots, onions and celery (or fennel) in olive oil. Season them with salt and pepper until tender. Drain the lentils- you can use the cheesecloth for this too- and discard the bay leaf and thyme.

Then you combine the veggies and the lentils, stir up a bit, add more salt and pepper to your taste. Add an additional 1 tbsp of olive oil. Serve with lemon wedge, so your little diners can decide if they want the extra zing of lemon.  If you want a real treat, add crumbled goat cheese. Delicious.

Who knew those Belgians can cook chicken, too?

I have been trapped in a cooking funk as of late. A big part of the reason is that my children are on some sort of demented hunger strike, refusing to eat almost anything that isn't chocolate or pasta.While on some levels this is a perfectly rational response to an uncertain world (why roll the dice on something new when you KNOW you love chocolate), it was driving me freaking berserk  With the the amount of advance planning and hands on time required in cooking a decent meal, it just becomes depressing when your diners refuse to eat it. And so maybe, just maybe, I was feeding the kids pasta every night and skipping dinner myself for the most part. Maybe.

However, the online grocery service I use actually has a recipes section, and they do this really cool thing where they link a recipe to the groceries needed. So if you want to try a recipe all you have to do is click on the ingredients you need and it is automatically added to your grocery list! Awesome. One day when I was shopping for say, pasta and chocolate online, I started browsing the recipes. My funk was broken. Inspiration struck in the form of a recipe for braised chicken and tomatoes, from a book called "Everybody Eats Well in Belgium" by Ruth Van Waerebeek . Of course, I had to adapt it. I used my slow cooker instead of an enameled dutch own, and used only fresh ingredients so it doesn't have that tinny, processed taste that many slow cooker recipes have. And unbelievably, my kids loved it.  I had to share.

Braised Chicken with Tomatoes and Mushrooms

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 whole roasting chicken (3 to 4 pounds), cut into 8 serving pieces, rinsed and patted dry, all visible fat removed
1 teaspoon paprika
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
1/2 pound mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and halved or left whole if very small
2 large cloves garlic, finely minced
1 1/4 cups dry white wine
2 ripe large fresh beefsteak tomatoes, peeled, cored, seeded, and chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook the chicken parts until golden brown all over, about 10 minutes. It's important not to crowd the chicken, because then the meat gets steamed instead of seared. Do this in 2 batches if necessary. Remove the browned chicken to a platter and season with salt, pepper, and paprika. This means sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper to taste and the 1 tsp of paprika. Set aside.
2. Pour out all but 1 1/2 tablespoons fat. Add the onions and mushrooms to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, over high heat until softened. This takes 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds. De-glaze by adding the wine and scraping up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken pieces and add the tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, and bay leaf.
3. Cook on the slow setting of your slow cooker for 6 hours.

More inspiration from the 67th St Farmer's Market

Earlier this fall, to my horror and delight, my 5 year old daughter marched confidently into her first day of kindergarten. She attends a New York city public school that has an extremely active and clever PTA. The PTA raises an enormous amount of money every year to pay for all the extras that the Board of Education cannot. One of their fundraisers is the 67th street Farmer's Market. http://east67thstreetmarket.org/

I go there nearly every Saturday to pick up some beautiful, fresh produce from local farmers. There is nothing like digging into an apple barrel to find that the apples are still wet with dew! 

This weekend I saw these little cippolini onions and couldn't resist buying them. These onions are very pungent but small and are heavenly roasted with potatoes. The recipe I used was adapted from Giada De Laurentiis of the Food Network. I prefer thyme to her rosemary, but feel free to use either. This is perfect to throw into the oven with a roast chicken. 

Cippolini Onions and Fingerling Potatoes

Serves about 6 people, or 4 people who really love potatoes.

You will need:

2 pounds fingerling or yukon gold potatoes 

1 pound cippolini onions, peeled

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cippolini Onions and Fingerling Potatoes- before cooking
and still need to be spread out more to brown perfectly.

Then I just toss all the ingredients together on a baking sheet, then spread it into a single layer.The single layer keeps the potatoes from steaming, so they brown up beautifully. I baked mine on foil so I didn't have to clean up. This is lazy and environmentally incorrect behavior which I do not condone, unless you are just really having a bad day.

Bake until the potatoes and onions are golden brown and cooked through, usually about 40 minutes. 

Hey Pumpkin

Pumpkin Muffins

I don't have to tell you that the days are getting shorter and the air is getting chillier. It's harder to get out of bed. You definitely need something to look forward to in the morning, and these moist, decadent muffins will do the trick. Normally I avoid recipes that call for things like buttermilk, because I never have it on hand. Ever. But I found this recipe on the Fresh Direct website, and since I was already shopping, I could just order it. I've altered it- of course, I am compulsive like that! But it really had way too much pumpkin pie spice in the original. However, I'd like to note that I was using brand-new pumpkin pie spice. If yours is infrequently used, then you might want to bump it up a bit.

Makes 18 muffins

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (unless it's been sitting around since last Thanksgiving, then 1.5-2 tsps!)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips (I really prefer mini- they add a bit of chocolate to each bite!)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup molasses
2 large eggs
18 baking cup liners! Don't forget these- we had to run out in our aprons to get some.

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Stir together the dry ingredients:  flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. In a separate mixer bowl, beat the brown sugar, pumpkin, buttermilk, vegetable oil, molasses, vanilla extract and eggs. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture, stirring only until moist.Don't over beat them- they get tough.
4. Fill the 18 lined muffin cups about 3/4 of the way up. Bake for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Remove muffins from pans immediately and cool on a wire rack before serving.

Creamy Tomato Soup

Got a few too many of these bad boys? Well, luckily I am back and ready to help. Last week, I could not resist this display (on the left) at the farmer's market. I realized after a few days that I was going to have to make a big move, and fast, if I didn't want a pile of wasted tomatoes on my hands.

I pondered my dilemma. Should I make a mariana sauce? Meat sauce? But for some reason I just wasn't feeling it. Part of my issue is that I want my girls to expand their repertoire of foods, and they already eat those things. Then I figured yes, tomato soup! They already eat chicken soup, and various tomato sauces. And so I made this delicious tomato soup, which was so good I almost fainted. This soup makes about 4 servings.



You will need:
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
3 tablespoons of butter (or a mix of butter and olive oil)
1 carrot, peeled and diced
4 cups of cored, peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes
2 sprigs of thyme
1 cup of chicken stock  (I used low sodium canned)
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsps of sugar
salt and pepper

Take a big soup pot and put it over medium heat.  Throw in the butter and melt it. Then add the carrot and onion. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft.

Add the tomatoes and the sprigs of thyme and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the tomatoes break up.  Add the sugar and stir in. Remove the thyme sprigs.

Add the cup of chicken stock to the soup. Add the cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Please don't eat all the soup during this process. Carefully transfer the soup to a blender and process. Reheat if necessary.

You are done! This only took me about 30 minutes start to finish, including peeling and chopping tomatoes. It also would be a great thing to pack in a thermos for school lunches.

Hearty Corn Pudding

My sister, who is an accomplished cook, made this corn pudding as a side side for Thanksgiving. Yes, I am aware that was a long time ago, but really, I am doing the best I can over here. Now, I may have been dubious about this dish if I had heard of it before seeing and tasting it. What? Hot corn pudding? Sounds bizarre. Let me tell you- it is nothing short of heavenly. Although I am not in the business of making guarantees about what kids will eat, you can tell your kids it is corn mac 'n cheese and they may eat it as well. Mine did.

Makes about 8 servings.

Ingredients
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 5 cups fresh yellow corn kernels cut off the cob (6 to 8 ears), or frozen
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
• 4 extra-large eggs
• 1 cup milk (Low-fat is fine.)
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup ricotta cheese (Low-fat works fine. I would not try fat-free.)
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 6 ounces (3/4 cup) grated extra-sharp cheddar, plus extra to sprinkle on top

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease the inside of a 2 to 2.5 quart baking dish (such as Pyrex or Corning Ware). Now, melt the butter in a very large pan. Add the corn and onion and sauté over medium-high heat for 4 minutes. Let it cool slightly.

Your children can help with this part. Mine are excellent at whisking! Whisk together the eggs, milk, and half-and-half in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal and then the ricotta. Add thyme, sugar, salt, and twist or two of pepper. Add the cooked corn mixture and grated cheddar.  Pour the mixture into the baking dish. Sprinkle the top with more grated cheddar.

Here’s the tricky part. Place the dish in a much larger pan. (Make sure the larger pan is big enough so you can easily pull the hot pudding pan out of the other pan without burning your hand when it is done.) Now fill the larger pan 1/2 way up the sides of the dish with hot tap water. DO NOT fill the larger pan first, like I did one time. This is a bad idea, trust me. Bake the pudding for 40 to 45 minutes until the top begins to brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm, and enjoy.

Happy Eating! (P.S. You can add a little ham and it’s enough for a main course).

Monster Cookie

Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies

I must confess while I do love chocolate, it's not to the exclusion of other desserts. At restaurants I find myself choosing peach crisp with vanilla ice cream, or cheesecake over chocolate cake. My girls, on the other hand, are chocolate fiends. So when we were discussing what to bake for the Valentine's Day bake sale, I was thinking shortbread hearts or lemon bars. I was thinking wrong. My kids very clear that we would be making something very, very chocolately. I thought of those huge double chocolate cookies and knew it would hit the spot. I dressed them up with some cute heart baking decorations I found at Crate and Barrel to give them a little seasonal flair. The coffee's influence is light, but adds a little more flavor.

Please note that while you may think I am horribly bourgeois for using shortening for part of the fat in this recipe, really big cookies hold up better if they aren't all butter. I promise you they taste amazing. Also, I have always cooked them on a silpat mat. This is also very helpful for monster cookies. The mat allows you to cook them through without burning the bottom. You can get them at Williams Sonoma, Amazon, or any cooking shop, and I think they make cookie baking much easier. 

You will need:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1/2 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco) 

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 tablespoons instant coffee, crushed to a powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

12 ounces milk chocolate chips

1 cup raisins (or walnuts. we've got nut allergies in the house)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Put a silpat mat on a cookie sheet. 

Beat the butter, shortening and sugars together well. Add both eggs and the vanilla and beat until all incorporated. In a separate bowl, combines the flour, cocoa, coffee, salt, and baking soda. Stir flour mixture into the butter mixture, and when well blended at the chocolate chips and nuts/raisins and stire. 

Take a 1/4 cup measure, and scoop out the batter. Place on the silpat mat/cookie sheet and flatten the dough a bit. Bake the cookies 12-15 minutes (really depends on your oven, but don't overcook). You'll know they are done when they are puffed up and cracked, but still give a little when you touch them in the middle. Makes about 18 huge cookies. 

Valentines Day Bake Sale Treats

You may be thinking WHAT? right now. After taking almost two months off from blogging, why is she posting two days in a row? I suppose it's because I've gotten most of my apartment unpacked by now from our December move. Regardless, I should really learn to pace myself. This is not the right time for pacing though, because next week is Valentine's Day, and at my kids' preschool that means the Valentines Day Bake Sale! Hooray! I love to bake. Love it. But there is the whole issue of eating the goodies afterward and health of my children and the size of my rear end to be considered, so sadly I don't do it very often. Bake sale day is awesome, because then I just donate the goodies and don't have to worry about giving my children heart disease before they hit elementary school.  Last year I made these little babies for the sale. I even have a picture of them, I was so proud of how I packaged them. There is nothing really special about the recipe. I just used a basic chocolate cookie chip bar recipe and substituted the special red and pink M&M's they sell around Valentine's day for the chocolate chips.

I'll include the recipe here. And I might even post what I decide to make this year as my next entry!


Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for the baking sheet
4 cups flour
2 tsps baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
12 oz of M&Ms (or to your taste)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. A note about this: when you are baking it is really important to preheat the oven. Make sure it is actually 350 degrees when you put in the cookies. Butter a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet. You can also use cooking spray, but the butter works a little better. Put the sheet aside. Combine together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set that aside as well.
Cream butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; mix until well combined. Add flour mixture and beat until they are just combined- you don't want to overbeat or they get a little tough. Stir in most of the M&Ms by hand so you don't break them. Leave some for putting on the top.
Put the raw dough into the baking sheet, and smooth it so it's even. Lick spatula. Add the remaining M&Ms to the top wherever things look sparse. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, depending somewhat on your oven. I recommend taking a peek halfway through and rotating it around so it bakes evenly. Yummmmmm!

Chicken Chili

Despite living in NY for 10 years now, I can't muster up anything but benign apathy for the Giants. Sorry Giants, but when you grow up in Steeler country you are a Steeler fan for life. So the Superbowl was not as exciting for me as it was for many of my fellow New Yorkers. The bright side is that no matter how indifferent you are to the actual game, Superbowl food is always awesome. One of the main features of Superbowl fare is classic meat chili. I love it, but I make a different version that is a little healthier. I think my version is even tastier with big juicy chunks of veggies and chicken, almost like a stew. I suppose in this way it is doing double duty as chili and stew. It is spicy and filling like chili, and healthy like stew. Almost like if Tom Brady could throw the ball and catch it too. It's easy to make and freezes well.

Ingredients
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 tblsps olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for chicken
1 14.5 oz cans whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
1 14 oz can of chicken broth (I use the reduced sodium kind)
1.5 cups of frozen corn
1 can of kidney beans
12 ounces of chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces (note: you can use raw or leftover chicken)
3/4 cup of salsa
Freshly ground black pepper
For serving:
Chopped onions, corn chips, grated cheddar, sour cream

Directions
Cook the onions in the oil over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne. Cook for 1 minute. Crush the tomatoes by hand or in batches in a food processor fitted with a steel blade (pulse 6 to 8 times). Add to mixture. Add broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the frozen corn, chicken, salsa and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add pepper to taste.
Serve with the toppings, or refrigerate and reheat gently before serving. It's great with crusty bread and salad, or on top of rice

Christmas Activities- Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

Hi everyone! Here is an article I recently wrote for the BoweryBabes newsletter and thought my non-NYC friends might have a little fun with it as well.

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I have fond memories of making chocolate dipped pretzel rods with my mother at Christmastime.  I was always so amazed at how gorgeous and impressive they looked. So when I was asked to share a festive cooking activity, I immediately thought of the rods.   They are easy! They are delicious! They are so incredibly beautiful!  It’s going to look like a real cooking magazine! I was very pleased with myself. 

This morning I tested out the recipe with my girls, age 2 and 4.  They donned their aprons and carefully dipped and sprinkled, all the while licking “Christmas sticks” (aka candy canes).  They had a wonderful time doing it, and the rods tasted really good. Perhaps the visual results were not identical to a real cooking magazine…..but we can pretend, right? Originally I was going to suggest making some extras for your friends, but after witnessing some of the unsanitary production conditions with my small workers (No! You can’t lick it, then dip it!), I think maybe it’s best to keep these all in the family. So here we go:

Ingredients:

½ cup of white chocolate melts, or white chocolate chips (or regular chocolate, although it isn’t as pretty)

10 pretzel rods

Green and red sprinkles

3 candy canes

And for the preparation:

A plastic bag and a rolling pin or other object for crushing the candy canes

A double boiler or a microwave

A plate that is bigger than the rods, but that has a bit of a lip so that the sprinkles and crushed candy canes don’t get everywhere.

A pyrex cup or small container to hold the melted chocolate. You want it to be deep and skinny, so that you don’t have to melt a ton of chocolate.

A mug filled with rice or one of those snack cups for babies with the flaps in the lid. This will be your pretzel cooling station.

A spoon for catching drips, and generally managing the melted chocolate

I find that to make this an activity a true success, its best to have the children help you with the preparations, and also to have everything ready to go before you melt the chocolate. The children can help you open the bag of pretzels, and select which pretzel rods to use. They can help you set up the work area with plates, and pour the sprinkles onto the plates. They can pour the rice into the container (which will be where you cool the pretzels).

Now the real fun begins. Put the candy canes in the plastic bag. Crush the candy canes with the rolling pin. (My 4 year old was drunk with power during this activity, while my 2 year old stared on in a mix of alarm and envy).  Put the crushed candy canes on a plate.

Melt the chocolate. If you are using a microwave, it takes about 2 minutes on high. I suggest that you only microwave it for about 30 seconds at a time and stir. Then do another 30 seconds, and stir, repeating until it is melted.  It turns out the warning on the formula can is right- microwaves do heat a bit unevenly and you can end up with burned parts.  If you are using a double boiler, fill the bottom with water and bring it to a simmer. Put the chocolate in the top part, and stir it while it melts.  Quickly bring the melted chocolate to your working surface. Have the children dip and twirl the rods into the chocolate.  CAUTION: You must watch the children very carefully at this stage, so they don’t lick or touch the hot chocolate!!!! Please be careful. Once some chocolate is adhered to the end of a rod, they can stick the rods into the sprinkles or crushed candy canes.  Place them in the cup filled with rice, making sure they don’t touch, and put in the fridge to harden. Voila!  You are the proud owner of several beautiful chocolate pretzel rods. Don’t eat too many at once.