Please Pass the Pie

Christmas Shopping for a Cook

2011-12-06T22:47:00.000-05:00

Are you making your list and checking it twice? If there's a cook on your Christmas list, I have a few tried-and-true recommendations for you.

1. The classic Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer
It mixes. It kneads. It makes ice cream. Well, if you have the ice cream attachment. (Come on, people. It's a mixer, not a magician.) My Kitchen Aid stand mixer is a real workhorse and probably the one small appliance I wouldn't want to cook without.

2. Envirosax Reusable Bags
The earth-friendliness is nice, I guess, but I just think these bags are super cute. If you're going to carry a lot of groceries, you should do it in style.

3. Vintage dishware (photo via Pinterest)
Sure, it's nice to get brand-shiny-new dishes, but there's a certain charm to vintage kitchen goods, especially bowls, plates and cups -- the kind of stuff that seems to stand the test of time. I think old Pyrex can't be beat. Same goes for Fire King. Etsy and eBay are great places to start searching.

4. A sassy apron
Because when you look good, you cook good. True story.

Speaking of gifts, we have a winner for the new Cook's Illustrated cookbook! Congrats, Patricia! Check your email for information on claiming your prize.

Merry Christmas and happy cooking!

Classic Mac and Cheese -- and a Giveaway!

2011-11-28T07:24:00.001-05:00

Hey friends. Did the soothing effect of your Thanksgiving tryptophan wear off too soon? Are you still feeling the Black Friday frazzle? Are you weeping in your Maxwell House this morning because you have to return to work after four glorious days of non-work activities? Sounds like you could use some comfort food. And your old pal Abbie has just the thing.

Mac and cheese, people. I'm talking about mac and cheese. Warm. Gooey. Good for the soul.

You're sold, right? But wait! Put down that blue box! The best comfort foods do not require powdered cheese product. This is one you can make from scratch, and it's easy. I promise.

This recipe comes to us from Cook's Illustrated, which just published a new cookbook. It's called, as you might guess, The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook, and it's packed with 2,000 tested-to-work recipes. That's a lot of quality kitchen time, my friends.

If you'd like to add The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook to your collection, you can win one here. You could also give it as a gift -- to you mom, your gourmet uncle, or as an "I'm sorry" present to that little old lady you knocked down on your dash to score the last Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 at Walmart before dawn the day after Thanksgiving. I'm sure all would be forgiven. Little old ladies love to cook.

So, back to the book. If you want to win, details follow the recipe.

Classic Mac and Cheese (from Cook's Illustrated)

6 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into quarters
8 tablespoons unsalted butter,3 tablespoons cut into 6 pieces and chilled
1 pound elbow macaroni
Salt
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
5 cups milk
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (2 cups)
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)

Pulse bread and chilled butter in food processor to coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses; set aside.

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat broiler. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until tender; drain pasta.

Melt remaining 5 tablespoons butter in now-empty pot over medium-high heat. Add flour, mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, and cayenne, if using, and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture becomes fragrant and deepens in color, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk; bring mixture to boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Off heat, slowly whisk in cheeses until completely melted. Add pasta to sauce and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is steaming and heated through, about 6 minutes.

Transfer mixture to 13 by 9‑inch broiler-safe baking dish and sprinkle with bread-crumb mixture. Broil until topping is deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Cool casserole for 5 minutes before serving.

It's as easy as that, friends. Get something gooey going right now. (What, it's breakfast time? That's okay. You can make mac and cheese for breakfast. No one will judge.)

AND NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY!

To get the recipe for classic mac and cheese and 1,999 other tasty dishes, leave a comment here telling me your favorite food to make this season and how you follow this blog. You can comment until Sunday, Dec. 4, until 11:59 p.m. EST. Winner will be drawn at random the next day.

Good luck and good cheese.

Pumpkin Muffins: Energy Food for Runners (and Other People)

2011-11-08T21:15:00.002-05:00

So, here are some things I like to do: I like to cook. I like to eat. I like to run. Occasionally, all three come together for me. A trifecta of happiness, if you will. Like when I make (and consume) recipes created with runners in mind.

This past weekend, I did a race in Raleigh that I'd been looking forward to for weeks. Because of the running, sure, but mostly because of the carbo-loading the day before. Bagels, pizza, animal crackers, Starbursts. The foods of champions, my friends. But my favorite carb of the weekend? Pumpkin muffins.

I adapted my recipe from one by Mark Bittman, published in Runner's World a few months back. Mark is super-smart and knows good food, so you can totally trust the original, which uses sweet potato. But if you're looking to cut out a little fat, my version uses applesauce instead of oil. (I've tried this recipe with both, and they tasted the same to me.)

I'll warn you: these aren't Starbucksy muffins. They aren't cakey. Or all that sweet. But they are incredibly fluffy, especially for a baked good made with whole grains. And the pumpkin keeps them super moist. (I really hate the word "moist" but I love these muffins so much I'm willing to use icky words to deliver an accurate description.)

And if you're a runner who likes to track carbs and calories and all that stuff, I've done the nutrition figuring for you.

Check that vitamin A. Yowzah!

Pumpkin muffins for runners and other humans

2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour (about 300 grams)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 c wheat germ
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
1/4 cup applesauce
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Heat oven to 375° F. Grease 12 muffin cups.

Combine flour, sugar, wheat germ, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together butter, applesauce, pumpkin egg and buttermilk. Fold the butter mixture into the flour mixture until just combined. The batter will be very thick.

Fill muffin cups about three-quarters full and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes.

The food: Pumpkin muffins
The verdict: Gourds never tasted so good

Hey, Sugar: Classic Cookies

2011-10-23T18:20:00.000-04:00

Bridget Lancaster knows her way around the kitchen. This summer, she posted a recipe for chewy sugar cookies. Normally, sugar cookies seem kind of ho-hummy, but if Bridget gave them the thumbs up, I was game.

Here's what I love about recipes from America's Test Kitchen: they're incredibly detailed. Baking is a science, so good instructions are a must. And you always get them from ATK. The secret to the chewiness? Mixed fats. (Mmm, fats.) The butter gives the cookies a rich flavor, the oil keeps them soft even after they cool.

So, the verdict? These are excellent sugar cookies. I'm not sure I'd ever make them my desert-island dessert (yes, I think about these kinds of things), but if you're in the mood for a classic, this is a great choice.

Want the recipe? Hop on over to the ATK Feed.

The food: Chewy sugar cookies
The verdict: A classic treat, if you like that kind of thing

Okay, so what's your dessert-island dessert?

Authentic, no. Awesome, yes. Kung Pao Chicken

2011-05-06T16:48:00.000-04:00

So let me say first that I like authentic ethnic food. Let me say next that I also like the food that you get in American Chinese restaurants, which, by all accounts, isn't very Chinese. Food is food, and I figure it's always authentic to somewhere, so I don't get too wound up about what kind of cooking it is as long as it's tasty.

Which brings me to this take on Kung Pao chicken. I'd say it's a tamed-down version of the authentic Chinese version, which promises to set your mouth on fire. (You can find an adventurous recipe in this story from NPR's All Things Considered.) Not feeling so adventurous? You can try my recipe, from Cooking Light. (Bonus! It's healthy!) I'm including the recipe as originally published, although you'll notice from my photo that I also included carrots. Yum.

Kung Pao Chicken

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon bottled minced ginger
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper (about 1 large pepper)
1 cup snow peas, trimmed
2 tablespoons chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts

Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until softened. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add chicken; sauté 3 minutes or until chicken begins to brown.

Combine 3/4 cup water and the next 5 ingredients (through crushed red pepper), stirring with a whisk until sugar dissolves. Add water mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Add bell pepper and snow peas to pan; cook for 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and sauce thickens. Sprinkle with nuts.

So what's your opinion on ethnic food? How important is authenticity?

My Big Secret: Make-Ahead Coconut Rice

2011-03-31T21:11:00.000-04:00

Food friends, I have a secret to tell you.

I never miss an episode of America's Next Top Model.

Okay, that secret just kind of snuck out. The secret I really meant to share is this: I don't cook that much during the week. I love being in the kitchen, but by the time I get home from work, my stomach is rumbling to the tune of "Born to Be Wild" and I just can't wait another minute to eat.

My options, then, are either to eat whatever's hanging around (pickles, cereal boxes) or to have pre-made meals that are ready to go.

Pre-made meals it is.

And here's one of my favorite make-aheads: coconut jasmine rice.

We eat a lot of rice. It's great with beans, with stir-fry, with a little salt and lotsa rooster sauce. But it takes a bit of time to cook. That's lame fact number one. Lame fact number two? Leftover rice is usually dry and crusty.

But not rice made with coconut milk. Which is why I love coconut jasmine rice. You don't get any fruity or tropical flavors from the milk -- just moisture and richness. So you can make your rice days ahead, and it's just as tasty on Thursday as it was on Monday. Not crusty. Not even a little.

There's no perfect formula, but on my last batch of rice, I mixed:

2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed
14 oz. coconut milk
3 c. water
A little salt

Then I brought it all to a boil, covered it, turned it down and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. And that's that. Really good rice. Whenever you want it. So you don't have to eat cereal boxes.

Okay, I spilled my secret. So tell me:

What's your best tip for make-ahead meals?

What do you think about America's Next Top Model, the term "fierce" or noted fashion photographer Nigel Barker? Be honest, friends.

Grapefruit: Sunshine in a rind

2011-03-27T15:08:00.000-04:00

Weather-wise, it's a pretty lousy day here. The good news? I've got a bowl of the sunshiniest citrus in the world: pink grapefruit. Does anything taste like warm weather the way a grapefruit does? I think not.

I've got a few for eating, a few for making cupcakes with, and I think I could spare one or two for Joy the Baker's grapefruit honey yogurt scones.

What about you -- what kind of foods do you think taste like sunshine?

We have a winner!

2011-03-24T09:25:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who entered the America's Test Kitchen cookbook giveaway!

And the winner is:

Whitney!

Whitney, I left a comment on your blog. Contact me with you address to get your copy of Blue Ribbon Desserts.

Mini Carrot Cakes: Tiny Treats, Big Taste

2011-03-21T22:25:00.000-04:00

Win the cookbook this recipe came from! There's still time to enter my giveaway. Contest closes March 23.

* * *

In addition to being a fan of food, I also like to run. The two, actually, are related. Because the more I run, the more I can eat.

I'm starting to train for a race in May, and as part of that, I'm thinking more carefully about what I'm eating and I'm trying to sneak more veggies in wherever I can.

Which was all the justification I needed to bake carrot cake this weekend. This recipe comes from Blue Ribbon Desserts (from Cook's Country and America's Test Kitchen) and through March 23, you can win a copy of it through my giveaway.

Making carrot cake also makes me thankful for my food processor -- it's the way to go when it comes to shredding. And while the original recipe makes 12 full-size cupcakes, I've found that's about the right amount of batter to make 36 minis. They're the perfect size for popping in your mouth. On the run or otherwise. And they're easy to make. Really.

Mini Carrot Cupcakes

8 T. butter, melted and cooled
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 c. flour
3/4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
8 oz. grated carrots
Your favorite cream cheese frosting
(mix a little cream cheese, butter, powered sugar, and vanilla -- what could go wrong?)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 12-cup mini muffin pans.

Whisk together the melted butter, sugars and eggs. Mix in the dry ingredients until combined. Fill the muffin pans and bake 12-15 minutes (or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean). Cool on a rack, then frost.

Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies and a Giveaway from America's Test Kitchen

2011-03-16T13:05:00.003-04:00

UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed. Thanks to everyone who entered! Subscribe to the blog for future giveaways, contests and all-around food goodness.

Hi friends! Want to win a new cookbook from some of my favorite food experts? Keep reading!

So here's what I like best about Cook's Country magazine: it's not fussy food. I don't have to go to specialty stores for the ingredients, I don't have to learn fancy-pants cooking techniques. This is what real people eat.

But it's also really good. So I'm excited that the folks at America's Test Kitchen sent me one of Cook's Country's latest books: Blue Ribbon Desserts. And I'm extra excited that one of you lovely readers will be getting one, too!

If you love classic desserts (and if you don't, let's talk), this is the cookbook for you. Vintage, heirloom, whatever you want to call them -- these recipes stand the test of time.

Think of this as part cookbook, part science lesson. For every recipe, you get a little bit of back story about the development of the recipe. I love learning about what worked and what didn't for a particular food formula. I think it makes me a better cook (and baker) overall.

You also get clear step-by-step instructions. And, perhaps the best feature: the book is spiral bound (inside a hardback outer cover) so it opens perfectly flat. No need to use clothes pins to keep the pages open. Not that I do that.

So I've got two things for you today: a recipe and a chance to win Blue Ribbon Desserts (or one of the two other books from ATK that I posted about on Sunday).

First, the winning. To enter:

If you don't already follow Please Pass the Pie, start.
Leave a comment letting me know how you follow (via RSS, etc.) and which of the three books you'd like to win (Blue Ribbon Desserts, Light & Healthy 2011 or The Best One-Dish Suppers).
Include a way for me to contact you. If I can't reach you through your own blog or blogger profile, you can leave an email address or a Twitter handle.

That's it! Easy. Also, this giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Sorry, foreign friends. And entries close at 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 23. I'll pick a winner at random the next day.

UPDATE: Our winner was Whitney! Congratulations!

And now for the recipe. This one comes from the Bake Sale Cookies, Brownies and Bars chapter of Blue Ribbon Desserts.

Raspberry-Cream Cheese Brownies

For the filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. sugar
1 large egg yolk
3/4 t. vanilla extract

For the brownies:

2/3 c. flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
8 T unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 c. raspberry jam
1 1/4 c. sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch pan. Blend all of the filling ingredients together in a food processor.

For the brownies, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Microwave the butter and chocolate together in short intervals, stirring frequently, until melted. Whisk in 1/4 c. of the jam and let cool slightly. Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla to the chocolate mixture. Whisk in the flour mixture until no white streaks are left.

Microwave the remaining jam until just warm; stir until smooth. Scrape half of the brownie batter into the pan. Dollop the cheese filling over the batter and spread evenly. Dollop the jam on the cheese mixture and use the tip of a knife to swirl. Spread the remainder of the brownie batter over the top.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few dry crumbs -- about 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool, then cut. Refrigerate.

Thai-Style Chicken and Rice and a Cookbook Review

2011-03-13T22:37:00.001-04:00

I spend a lot of time reading recipes, and while I have a few trusted sources, the ones I like best often come from America's Test Kitchen. Why? Because they are incredibly reliable, thanks to diligent testing (as the name implies) by the recipe developer and the ATK team. (And because Christopher Kimball, fearless leader of the Kitchen, always wears a bowtie. But I digress.)

Which is why I'm pleased to be reviewing three America's Test Kitchen cookbooks (provided by ATK). And why I'm happy to offer all you fine readers a chance to win one later this week. (More about that later in the post.)

Light & Healthy 2011 is a well-rounded collection of (you guessed it) better-for-you recipes. It gives nutrition information for each recipe (something you don't normally get with ATK) and the instructions are easy to follow. It's broken up into 12 main sections, including appetizers, soups and stews, pizza and pasta, meat, breakfast, and even desserts (although when it comes to desserts, my personal philosophy is "Light, shmight -- go for the gusto").

The Best One-Dish Suppers is acompendium of, yes, one-dish suppers. I like the word "supper" because it feels cozy and comforting -- which is the kind of food this book focuses on. Dutch oven dinners, casseroles, one-pot pasta: how could you go wrong? Plus, for those of you who don't have a dish fairy like I do (his name is Ben and he is VERY good at what he does), one-dish suppers make cleaning up from the meal very easy. Maybe not as easy as eating the meal, but easy enough. The book gives great step-by-step details and even has sidebars on equipment recommendations and essential kitchen skills.

So what's not to like about these books? If I have one complaint, its the lack of color photos. I love to see what something SHOULD look like when I'm done (I think of it as aspirational cooking), so a few more pictures would have been most welcome. But there are plenty of illustrations and black-and-white inset photos to guide you, so fear not.

The recipe I made, Thai-style chicken and rice, comes from Light & Healthy 2011 (but it's also a one-dish meal, so it's really the best of both worlds). Please don't tell Mr. Kimball, but I made a few modifications -- not because I don't trust him but because I just didn't have all of the ingredients I needed on hand.

Thai-Style Chicken and Rice
Modified from a recipe from America's Test Kitchen

8 garlic cloves, minced
2 T fresh ginger, minced
4 T fish sauce
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 onion, minced
2 t. canola oil
1 c. brown rice, rinsed
1 1/4 c. chicken broth
4 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
2 cups edamame
2 t. lime juice

Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Combine half the garlic, 1 T ginger and fish sauce in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Set aside.

Combine the oil, onion and pinch of salt in a dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium heat about 8 minutes, until onions soften. Stir in remaining garlic and ginger and the rice and cook about 30 seconds. Add the broth.

Place the chicken over the rice mixture. Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for about 40 minutes, then add carrots and edamame. Cover and continue to cook until most of the broth is absorbed -- 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven.

Transfer the chicken to a place. Cover the rice and allow to steam for about 10 minutes. Shred the chicken and stir into the rice. Plate and squeeze lime juice over each serving.

About 390 calories per 1 1/2 c. serving.

Now, about winning a cookbook of your own.

Later this week, I'll be reviewing a third cookbook from America's Test Kitchen. Check back in -- you'll have a chance to win your choice of any of the three books mentioned on this blog. Hold on to your bowties, folks.

Pour some (maple) sugar on me: Ben & Jerry's maple walnut ice cream

2011-03-06T20:50:00.000-05:00

In Maine, where I grew up, March is the season for maple sugaring--a process I first witnessed during a fourth-grade field trip to a working historic homestead. We got a chance to check the taps and look in on the sugaring shack (after we did a little 1800s-era housework, like sweeping while wearing ruffled bonnets and emptying a few too-realistic-for-comfort chamberpots).

I don't currently have access to maple taps (or, thankfully, chamberpots) but I do keep plenty of syrup on hand. We are not an Aunt Jemima kind of household.

And I firmly believe that syrup is for more than just pancakes. That's why I was happy to test out a maple walnut ice cream recipe from two fellow New Englanders I call Ben and Jerry. Which is what everyone else calls them, too.

They recommend using Grade C syrup for this, which has a sharper maple flavor and is for cooking and baking, not table use. I used Grade A and lived to tell the story. I have a feeling Grade C is a little tougher to find than the lighter Grade A. If you've found it and used it, I'd love to hear what you think.

Most of Ben and Jerry's ice cream recipes start with a sweet cream base (and they suggest three ways to make it). I used a base made with raw eggs. If that weirds you out, you can also make a base by blending 2 cups of light cream with 1 cup of cold sweetened condensed milk.

Maple Walnut Ice Cream
Source: Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book

2 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
2 c. heavy cream
1 c. milk
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/2. chopped walnuts

Whisk the eggs until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Gradually whisk in the sugar until completely blended, then mix in the cream and milk. Gradually add the maple syrup until blended.

Transfer the mixture to your ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

Just before the ice cream finishes freezing, add walnuts. Transfer to a plastic container and put in the freezer until firm.

The recipe makes a little more than a quart (or about 50 spoonfuls straight from the freezer, which is my preferred method of serving and consuming).

The food: Maple walnut ice cream
The verdict: Worth doing 1800s-era housework for

A life-changing burger. No, really.

2011-02-03T21:45:00.001-05:00

Here's a confession: I don't really like burgers that much. I mean, they're okay. Better than lima beans, for instance. But I wouldn't put them on my list of must-haves.

Unless they were this burger.

On Sundays, Ben and I have a little routine. I agree to watch (meaning sleep through) football if he'll watch America's Test Kitchen with me. Which works out fine for him, too, because he usually likes the kind of stuff they're making and it gives us good ideas for recipes.

This "Best Old-Fashioned Burger" is our best discovery yet. You grind your own meat (not difficult, I promise), loosely pat it together, melt a little cheese over it. And then your life changes as your tastebuds nearly explode with happiness.

At the ATK website, you can get a detailed recipe and a step-by-step video for the life-changing meal. (You have to give them your email address, but it's worth it.) One of the things I appreciate most about Christopher Kimball and company is that their recipes are incredibly well researched and communicated, so you know that you'll be able to follow the instructions--and your finished product will be good good good.

If you're looking for a side, I can recommend the Easier French Fries, from the same show. They are also delicious. (And, as you might expect, easy.) But be warned: Whatever you serve with these burgers is going to pale in the bright light of these mega-burger masterpieces.

Sausage Raisin Stuffing

2010-12-20T21:30:00.001-05:00

Sausage. Raisins. Bread. And other good stuff.

I realize that stuffing feels like a Thanksgiving food, but if you like to throw a more formal Christmas celebration, consider this newish take on the usual stuffing. (Or dressing, I guess, if you're not stuffing a bird -- and I don't.)

This recipe from Real Simple is a little bit vegetabley, a little bit buttery, a lot bit good. The recipe calls for golden raisins, I went with the regular old ones. The world kept on turning.

Sausage Raisin Stuffing

4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick), plus more for the dish and foil
1 small loaf country bread, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 12 cups)
3/4 pound pound Italian sausage, casings removed
4 leeks (white and light green parts), chopped
4 carrots, cut into small matchsticks
Salt and black pepper
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 large eggs, beaten

Heat oven to 375° F. Butter a 3-quart baking dish. Place the bread on a large rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing once, until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it up, until browned, 7 minutes. Add to the bread.

Wipe out the skillet and melt the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks, carrots, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the broth and raisins; bring to a boil. Add to the bread.

Add the parsley and eggs to the bread mixture and toss to combine. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Cover loosely with buttered foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

The food: Sausage raisin stuffing

The verdict: Destined to become a Christmas classic

Hot from the oven: Baked donuts

2010-11-27T07:30:00.002-05:00

Plain baked donuts, ready for glaze. Or a glass of milk.

I've got a small kitchen, so I try to stick to the basics and must-haves when it comes to kitchen gadgets. And a donut pan is not a must-have. But it is fun. So when Cookwear.com offered to send me something from the store to try out, I made an exception to my basics-and-must-haves rule.

The Fox Run non-stick donut pan is a pretty decent piece of bakewear. It's got a good weight (not so flimsy you'd bend it while you're scrubbing out donut crumbs, not so heavy it's annoying to hold while you fill it) and I haven't had any sticking issues, so it lives up to the non-stick name. My one complaint would be that the wells are a tad small. My recipe for a half-dozen donuts produced more batter than could be baked. And keep in mind that if you want to feed a crowd (or just a few very enthusiastic donut eaters), you'll need a couple of these.

If you're a real Krispy Kreme fanatic, I know baked donuts sound like heresy. I'll be honest; you're never going to mistake them for their fried brethren. But if you want hot donuts in a flash with a little bit healthier twist, this is a nice pan to have hanging around.

As far as recipes go, I recommend checking out King Arthur Flour. Between their tasty mixes and the recipes on their blog, you're sure to find the perfect batter for your donut pan. (And there's no shame in using a mix!) For the donuts pictured at the top of this post, I used this recipe (mixing a little whole-wheat pastry flour with plain old all-purpose). I didn't frost mine because I thought they were pretty good as is, but a little melted chocolate or a citrusy glaze would be great, I bet.

The pan: Fox Run non-stick donut pan
The verdict: A nice little pan for the donut-lover in everyone

When speed baking doesn't pay: Pumpkin cranberry scones

2010-11-07T18:21:00.001-05:00

As they say on Arrested Development, I've made a huge tiny mistake.

Check out these pumpkin cranberry scones. They're from a recipe from the good folks at King Arthur Flour. And they would have turned out great had I not been speed baking and used baking soda instead of baking powder.

See what I mean? Huge tiny mistake. Tiny because they both look the same. They both kind of do the same thing. They both have "baking" in the name. But huge because a tablespoon of one in your scones makes them puffy. And a tablespoon of the other makes them taste like soap.

I'm happy to report I've made them since and with the right ingredients, they're mighty tasty. Find the recipe over at King Arthur. (I used cranberries in my version--their recipe calls for crystallized ginger or chocolate chips, both of which sound excellent.)

Fall food: Cranberry oatmeal bars

2010-10-05T23:25:00.000-04:00

Fall has finally found its way to North Carolina and I'm baking accordingly. I see some pumpkin- and apple-based foods in my future.

My first fall treat: oatmeal cranberry bars. They contain--wait for it--both oatmeal and cranberry, as you may have guessed, and they've got a subtle orange flavor, too, thanks to a little zest and fresh juice.

This is a recipe from Cooking Light, which means it's not as bad for you as, say, caramel hot fudge peanut sundaes, but I've found that Cooking Light keeps the calorie counts down by recommending tiny portions. For instance, recipe is made in an 11x7-inch pan and is supposed to make 24 servings. You'd better just give me four right now.

Oatmeal Cranberry Bars

Crust:

4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons orange juice
Cooking spray

Filling:

1 1/3 cups dried cranberries (about 6 ounces)
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 325°. To prepare crust, spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle butter and juice over flour mixture, stirring until moistened (mixture will be crumbly). Reserve 1/2 cup oat mixture. Press remaining oat mixture into the bottom of an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

To prepare filling, combine cranberries, sour cream, granulated sugar, and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well. Spread cranberry mixture over prepared crust; sprinkle reserved oat mixture evenly over filling. Bake at 325° for 40 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

The food: Oatmeal Cranberry Bars
The verdict: Wilford Brimley says you should eat them

Stretching Summer: Strawberry Tart

2010-09-27T21:44:00.000-04:00

It might be fall, but I'm still getting summer recipes out of my system. Including this swell strawberry tart, adapted from Gourmet Magazine. (Yes, I know, Gourmet has been out of print for a year. I'm a recipe hoarder.)

If you've got a few summer strawberries left in your neck of the woods, I suggest you put them to work in this gem, which also features a creamy mascarpone cheese layer.

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart

For tart shell

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Rounded 1/4 tsp salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons cold water

For filling

1 1/2 lb strawberries (about 1 1/2 qt), trimmed and halved lengthwise
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 lb mascarpone (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pulse together in a food processor the flour, sugar, salt and butter until the mixture looks like coarse meal. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, vanilla, lemon juice and water, then drizzle over the flour mixture and pulse.

With floured hands, knead the dough a few times, then shape into a 5-inch disk. Place it in the center of a 10-inch tart pan. Cover with plastic wrap and push the dough to evenly cover bottom and side of pan. Prick with a fork all over and place in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line tart shell with foil and fill with rice or pie weights. Bake until the side is set, about 20 minutes (the edge will be pale golden). Remove foil and rice and continue to bake until shell is deep golden all over, about 20 minutes more. Cool in pan, about 45 minutes.

While the tart shell bakes and cools, mix the strawberries and sugar and let stand about 30 minutes. Strain the berry juice into a small sauce pan and cook until thickened and reduced. Allow to cool.

Whisk together mascarpone, confectioners sugar, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until stiff.

When tart shell is cool, spread mascarpone mixture evenly in cooled tart shell, then top with strawberries. Drizzle with strawberry glaze.

Okay, that's my last summer recipe for a while. I promise next time I'll have some fall-appropriate eats. I'll also have in the near future a kitchen equipment review, with a to-be-determined gadget courtesy of CSN Stores. They've got a wide selection of kitchen essentials, from dining tables to souffle dishes. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to testing out a new toy.

The food: Cheesy strawberry tart
The verdict: Worth postponing fall for

Tango with Mango: Fresh Salsa

2010-06-23T22:43:00.000-04:00

This Monday marked the first official day of summer, so I'm celebrating with summer's official food: salsa.

I love salsa like some people love their immediate families. My absolute favorite salsa is Newman's Own mango. Paul Newman knew what he was doing for sure. A few months ago, I wrote to the good people at Newman's Own and informed them that if I wasn't already married to Ben, I would probably propose to their salsa. A customer service representative emailed me back and said she hoped Ben wasn't the jealous type because she was sending me the coupons. Ben managed not to be too threatened.

And while salsa in the jar is good, fresh salsa is better. Here's my version. I went light on the tomato because I didn't want to overwhelm the other fruits, but experiment and see what tickles the old taste buds.

Fresh Mango Salsa

1 medium mango, peeled and diced
1 to 2 cups fresh pineapple, diced
1/2 cup onion, diced
4 T. scallions, thinly sliced
1 to 2 T. fresh ginger, grated
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
2 to 3 T. rice vinegar
1 T. honey
1 c. black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tomatoes, chopped

Mix it all together. Give it an hour in the fridge. Procure some chips. And that's it.

The food: Fresh mango salsa
The verdict: Makes Paul proud. Does not make Ben jealous.

What Did You Put in This? The Black-and-White Brownie

2010-05-14T07:43:00.001-04:00

When our small group Bible study got together for a cookout earlier this month, I needed some non-fussy desserts. I ended up making Karly's eclair cake (easy! tasty!) and a batch of black-and-white brownies. They're basically blondies with melted and cooled white chocolate creamed into the butter and sugar mixture.

It was an interesting idea, but I can't say I've become a fan. The white chocolate taste was kind of faint -- just enough to make you say, "Huh, what's that?" But not really in a good way.

If you'd like to experience the "what is going on here?" brownie, you can find the recipe, courtesy of King Arthur Flour, here.

Daffodil Cake (no, there aren't real flowers in the recipe)

2010-05-08T07:34:00.002-04:00

For those of you who live in regions where early May is still spring and not blazing-hot summer (sorry, Raleigh readers), you might want to celebrate the season with a daffodil cake. It's angel food cake with a denser bottom layer (you add in egg yolks) and an orange glaze. (Which is always my favorite part. I've been known to lick the serving platter after the cake is gone. But I do it very demurely.)

If you're not up to making your own angel food cake batter or if you're pressed for time, you could cheat and use a box mix. Angel food isn't tough to make from scratch, though, so you might want to give it a try.

Daffodil Cake

Your favorite angel food batter
6 egg yolks, beaten
1 t. orange extract
3 T. cream cheese, softened
1/3. c. orange juice concentrated, thawed
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Make the angel food batter. Set aside about 3 cups; pour the rest into an ungreased tube pan.

Add egg yolks and orange extract to reserved batter and fold together. Spoon into tube pan over plain batter. Bake until toothpick in center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool and unmold.

To make the glaze, mix together the cream cheese and orange juice concentrate. Whisk in the sugar. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Hopping on the Food Blogger Bandwagon: Macarons

2010-04-14T06:36:00.004-04:00

If you read food blogs regularly, you're no doubt aware of the macaron craze. Could you respect me as a blogger if I didn't make my own attempt at these little confections? No? I didn't think so.

In that case, here they are: raspberry and cheese-filled macarons. I used a great recipe from Tartelette, skipping the pink food coloring and substituting cream cheese for the mascarpone. (Sorry, Tartelette. I know cream cheese isn't very French, but I've got a lot of it.)

And if the macaron trend has somehow caught you unawares, here are the quick facts: Puffy little meringue cookies made with ground almonds and aged egg whites. Tasty fillings, often chocolate. Piped batter, often messy. Fun to make, fun to eat. They kind of fall apart in your mouth.

If you're serious about macarons, you might want to invest in a scale -- flour and such can be kind of persnickety, so you'll get a much more consistent end-result if you weigh, rather than measure, your ingredients for baked goods. Food scales are cheap, and I'm sure you'll find all sorts of other uses for one, like figuring out whether that letter needs extra postage or if you really got your full 13.5 ounces of creamed corn like the Jolly Green Giant says you did.

The food: Macarons
The verdict: Ooh la la!

The Genius of the Mini Cheesecake

2010-03-21T07:38:00.001-04:00

The best present I got for Christmas last year was a membership to Sam's Club. Yes, I know -- Sam Walton was kind of a bully. Yes, I've seen Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price. Yes, it's weird that they make you flash your i.d. card at the door. Flaws and all, I like shopping at Sam's Club.

Thanks to my new love of bulk buying, I'm now in possession of a three-pound (count 'em, three) block of cream cheese. Philadelphia brand, of course. Which explains why I've been on a cheesecake kick as of late.

The first cheesecake project: raspberry mini cheesecakes from Cook's Country. These little delights are genius. Why? Because they're tasty. And because they're fast and easy. And tasty. Did I mention that?

I could eat cheesecake every day, but I'm not much on lining pans and setting up water baths and crushing graham crackers and baking forever and then waiting for the thing to cool in the oven. The trick with the mini cheesecakes is that they use whole butter cookies in place of crumb crusts (I told you, genius!) and they bake quick because they're small.

I also like the individual portions (no cutting) and the cupcake liners (no mess).

Raspberry Mini Cheesecakes (adapted from Cook's Country)

18 round shortbread cookies (like Keebler Sandies)
2/3 c. seedless raspberry jam
12 oz. cream cheese, softened
2/3 c. sweetened condensed milk
3 large eggs

Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Line 18 muffin cups with cupcake liners, then put a cookie into the bottom of each. Put a dollop of jam on each cookie. (There will be jam left over.)

Using an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and condensed milk, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until smooth.

Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until set, about 20 minutes. Cool tins on wire racks. Once cupcakes have reached room temperature, refrigerate about 1 hour.

Microwave remaining jam until thinned, about 30 seconds. Glaze the top of each cheesecake with jam and serve.

Makes 18 mini cheesecakes.

The food: Raspberry mini cheesecakes
The verdict: Mini cakes, mucho tastiness

Oh, Honey! Beekeeper's Jezebel Sauce

2010-03-12T08:07:00.002-05:00

I like sauces. Of all kinds. Barbecue. Plum. Butter. Steak. The more sauce the better.

I also like making sauces -- because they're easy and because they can transform the usual stuff you have in the fridge into a taste explosion! Yes, the exclamation point was absolutely necessary there.

My latest sauce: Beekeeper's Jezebel Sauce from Southern Living. I'm not sure why they call it that, but I like it. The name's got zip.

As does the sauce. I used it on biscuits, then on roast chicken, then on egg rolls. It was good everywhere.

And I think you'll agree.

Beekeeper's Jezebel Sauce

1 15-oz. jar apricot preserves (no big fan of apricot, I used peach)
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup honey
3 T. horseradish
1 T. fresh chopped parsley
2 T. Dijon mustard (I used a regular old spicy brown -- sorry French mustard lovers)
1 tsp. fresh chopped thyme
1/4 t. dried crushed red pepper

Mix it all together in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, about three minutes. Use immediately and store leftovers in the fridge for up to one week.

Easy! And yummy! (More necessary exclamation points.)

The food: Beekeeper's Jezebel Sauce
The verdict: Worth exclaiming over

Kitchen-Clean-Out Soup: Chicken Noodle with a Chinese Twist

2010-03-04T21:26:00.000-05:00

Encouraged by The Kitchn and Re-Nest to clean out my fridge and pantry, I made what I'm calling a Chinese chicken noodle soup this week. Chicken stock, the last of the rice vinegar, leftover chicken, chopped ginger, one on-its-way-out carrot, my final green onion, some rice noodles and a dash each of fish sauce and sesame oil made for a tasty supper.

I like soups because you can just throw in whatever you like. And usually it works.

Anyone else have a clean-out-the-kitchen soup recipe to recommend?

Say Cheese: Make the Lee Brothers' Buttermilk Cheese at Home

2010-02-28T15:31:00.000-05:00

A while ago, my buddy Toby told me his wife Jennifer had found a recipe for me to try: buttermilk cheese.

I was totally on board. The recipe was from Matt and Ted Lee, two Southern chefs I wholeheartedly dig, and was published by Martha Stewart, whose standards are nothing if not exacting. Plus, who wouldn't like the idea of making cheese at home?

And whipping up a little batch of cheese was fun. My turned out a little bland, so next time I'd probably add a bit more salt. Martha and the Lee boys also suggest variations, including lemon cheese and herb cheese, that would help perk things up a bit. I will also say that my cheese turned out a little dry, but that could be because I really got into the squeezing-out the-whey step.

Oh, and if you don't have fancy-pants cheesecloth, paper towels will do just fine.

Buttermilk Cheese

1 quart whole milk
1 1/2 cups whole or low-fat buttermilk
2 teaspoons coarse salt

Line a colander or strainer with a few layers of 12-inch squares of cheesecloth or paper towels. Set it in the sink.

Combine milk, buttermilk and salt in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan; heat over medium-high heat until mixture has separated into white curds and translucent whey, about 8 minutes. If using lowfat buttermilk, separation occurs at about 180 degrees and the curds will clump together readily. If using whole buttermilk, separation occurs closer to the boiling point, about 212 degrees, and the curds are finer-grained. When using whole buttermilk, let curds and whey stand off heat for about 3 minutes after separation, so the curds cling together and facilitate the straining step.

Ladle the contents of the saucepan into the prepared colander. Let the whey drain, 1 to 2 minutes. Lift the four corners of the cheesecloth and gather them together. Gently twist the gathered cloth over the cheese and press out any excess whey.

Cheese can be unwrapped immediately and served warm. It can also be cooled to room temperature or refrigerated until cool. Cheese can be refrigerated up to 2 days. Remove from refrigerator and let stand for 10 minutes at room temperature before serving.

The food: Buttermilk cheese
The verdict: The cheese stands alone, in a moderately tasty manner

Sweets for your Sweetie: Salted Chocolate Caramel Bars

2010-02-13T14:15:00.001-05:00

Looking for a sweet treat to make your Valentine's Day sweetheart? May I recommend salted chocolate caramel bars?

Adapted from a recipe on Lisa is Cooking, the bars are like grown-up Twix, with a surprising sprinkle of sea salt. The creamy chocolate ganache, the chewy caramel and the crunchy shortbread layer are an interesting mixture of textures and tastes. I think you'll dig them. And so will your Valentine.

One note: My shortbread fell short of my expectations. Maybe I baked it too long or didn't add quite enough butter. In any case, when I was cutting the bars, the crust crumbled and fell away in quite a few spots. My mom (a genius) called just as I was cutting the bars to take to a party — she suggested I cut them into small squares and serve them in mini-muffin papers to disguise the disfigured underside. It worked. Dessert saved.

Another note: The caramel takes forever to make. I recommend stirring with one hand and holding a good book with the other.

Salted Chocolate Caramel Bars
Shortbread crust:

2 c. all-purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 c. granulated sugar

Caramel:

1 c. (2 sticks) butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 c. light brown sugar
4 T. light corn syrup
2 14-oz. cans sweetened condensed milk

Chocolate ganache:

8 oz. milk chocolate, chopped
4 T. butter, cut into pieces
Sea salt, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

For the shortbread, combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar, then add in flour mixture. Press dough into an even layer in the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool completely.

For the caramel, combine butter, sugar, corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring constantly, until caramel reaches soft-ball stage (about 245 degrees). Remove from heat and pour over cooled shortbread crust. Spread evenly and allow to cool completely.

For the chocolate ganache, combine the butter and chocolate in a large, heat-proof bowl or double boiler. Heat mixture over simmering water until smooth. Pour over cooled caramel and spread evenly. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Once the ganache cools, cut into bars or squares. Sprinkle again with salt, if desired.

The food: Salted chocolate caramel bars
The verdict: Guaranteed to make your Valentine swoon, whatever that means

Marshmallow Fluff: The Cupcake Baker's Best Friend

2010-01-26T09:02:00.001-05:00

I love a good cupcake. But more than a good cupcake, I love a good frosting. I spend a lot of time over at Cupcakes Take the Cake, admiring the professional decorating jobs, wishing I could get my frosting to pile on fluffy and thick like they do. I have a couple of tried-and-true recipes, but while they taste good, they don't have much body to them, so big, puffy piles of piped-on frosting just don't happen for me.

Until now. I think I've discovered a frosting hack.

And it's Marshmallow Fluff.

I had half of a container left over from Christmas fudge making and I needed to use it up, so I combined about 8 oz. of Fluff with about 3/4 c. softened butter and added powdered sugar and vanilla to taste (probably about 1/2 to 3/4 c. sugar and a 1/2 t. of vanilla) and mixed with my faithful KitchenAid stand mixer. It was good! Rich and not too sugary. But more than that, it was really fluffy and I could spread and pipe to my heart's content. I'd say it made enough to frost 18-24 cupcakes, depending on how generous you're feeling.

I think the Marshmallow Fluff brand of marshmallow creme is made in Massachusetts, so maybe it's more of a regional treat, because I had a tough time finding it here in North Carolina. In Maine, I remember flavored Fluff -- raspberry and strawberry, I think. I'd love to get my hands on that for frosting purposes. In the meantime, I think I'll experiment with orange extract.

Let's hear it for Fluff, the baker's best friend.

Souped Up: Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup

2010-01-22T10:14:00.001-05:00

Buying canned soup makes me feel like a tiny, blue-haired lady with a walker and a fist full of coupons. Why, you ask? Because before I put it in my cart, I crook my finger at the soup shelf and say, usually in a very scratchy voice, "Two dollars for one can of soup? Are you kidding me? What is this world coming to? Mwwahhh."

Maybe it's just me, but prepared soup is ridiculously expensive for what it is. And that's why I'm working on my own black bean soup recipe. You hear that, Progresso? I'm done with you.

I like black beans for many reasons. First, they are really healthy. Second, they are really tasty. Third, they are really cheap.

Now, let me preface this recipe by saying it is still a work in progress. And let me also say that it makes about 80 gallons of soup. So if you happen to be the only black bean soup eater in the house, be prepared to freeze. A lot.

Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup

1 lb. dry black beans, soaked overnight and rinsed
6-7 c. chicken or turkey stock
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 t. chile powder
2 t. cumin
2-3 t. hot sauce
1 T. prepared mustard
2 T. Worchestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream, shredded cheese and green onions (optional for garnish)

Combine the beans, stock, onions, garlic and seasonings in a slow cooker. Heat on high for 5-6 hours or low for 8 hours. Allow to cool, then puree about one-third of the mixture. For better flavor, refrigerate overnight and reheat before serving.

I'll be honest: This soup didn't have the zing I was hoping for. But it's a good start. I'll keep working on it.

The food: Black bean soup
The verdict: The blue-haired old lady in me approves

Crab Cakes You'd Run Miles For (But, Thankfully, Don't Have To)

2010-01-06T20:28:00.003-05:00

I like to watch cooking shows while I run on the treadmill. You could look at this one of two ways. First, "What a nice way to keep yourself entertained while you exercise." Or, second, "Maybe if you quit watching cooking shows and making the food from them you wouldn't have to run as much."

But on my last run, I discovered a recipe that is both tasty and good for you. So if you've resolved to start eating a little healthier -- or if you'd like to be able to spend less time on the treadmill -- these crab cakes might be for you.

I will also say that if another one of your resolutions is to scale back your spending a little, these little patties are just fine with krab (a much cheaper look-alike and close-enough taste-alike alternative to crab).

The recipe comes from Ellie Krieger, who, to keep things nutritional, doesn't use a whole lot of binder in the cakes--just a little egg, some breadcrumbs, and no mayo. They're still tasty, but you may find they fall apart on you. Some others who've tried the recipe suggest putting all of the bread crumbs into the mixture (rather than using part of them in the mixture and part as a coating).

Ellie also offers a recipe for "smarter tartar." I'm generally against eating foods with rhyming names, but I made an exception in this case. I gave it two crab claws up, although Ben would have preferred it with sweet pickles (which are traditional in tartar sauce, I think) rather than sour. The sour were just fine by me.

Crab Cakes and Sour-Pickle Tartar Sauce (adapted from Ellie Krieger's recipe)

For the crab cakes:

Non-stick cooking spray
2 eggs, lightly beaten
5 teaspoons brown mustard
3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Juice of one lemon
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
4 scallions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs. lump crab meat (real or imposter)
1 3/4 dry breadcrumbs

For the tartar sauce:

3/4 cup plain yogurt, drained of some liquid
1/4 cup light mayo (we like Duke's -- it's zingy!)
2 scallions, chopped
1/3 cup chopped baby dill pickles
2 tablespoons capers
Pinch of salt

For the crab cakes, mix together the egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, crab boil seasoning, hot sauce, bell pepper and scallion. Gently fold in the crab and about 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs, salt and pepper.

Shape the crab mixture into 16 patties, then coat each patty in the remaining bread crumbs.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and bake patties for 10 minutes. Flip, then cook another 10 minutes. Serve with tartar sauce.

For the tartar sauce, drain some of the liquid from the yogurt by placing in in cheesecloth-lined bowl and refrigerating overnight. Mix the thickened yogurt with the remaining ingredients. Serve.

Makes 16 crab cakes and just over a cup of tartar sauce.

The food: Crab cakes and tartar sauce
The verdict: Grab some crab, it's fab

Get Your Chewy Mall Pretzel Fix at Home

2009-12-28T10:17:00.001-05:00

If you think these are the worst looking pretzels you've ever seen, you're right. How do those high schoolers at the pretzel place in the mall get theirs looking so good? I think I need lessons.

Mangled appearance notwithstanding, these pretzels are great. I got the recipe from Food Network Magazine. They're supposed to be a clone of Auntie Anne's pretzels. I'd say they're pretty close. And while this recipe calls for brown sugar, I've seen some that call for powdered sugar. Might be worth a try.

Chewy Mall Pretzels

1 cup milk
1 package active dry yeast
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/3 cup baking soda
2 tablespoons coarse salt

Warm the milk in a saucepan until it's about 110 degrees; pour into a medium bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let the yeast soften, about 2 minutes; stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup flour with a wooden spoon. Dice 2 tablespoons butter and soften; stir into the mix. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and grease a large baking sheet. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. (If the dough seems tight, cover and let rest until it relaxes.) Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 30-inch rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch. Form each rope into a pretzel shape. Or hire one of those Auntie Anne's kids to come into your home and work their pretzel magic.

Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups warm water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

Melt the remaining 8 tablespoons butter in a shallow dish. Dip the hot pretzels in the butter, turning to coat; place on a wire rack to let excess butter drip off.

Cozy Meals: Beef Stew

2009-12-21T15:33:00.000-05:00

When it's cold, I like things that are cozy: sweaters, blankets, fireplaces. I also like cozy food, and beef stew is the coziest there is. Thick broth, soft potatoes, onions so cooked they nearly disappear. Pair it up with just-from-the-oven bread and it's the best winter-time supper you could make.

While I've never been able to replicate my mom's beef stew recipe (I think the secret is a pressure cooker, and those things scare me), I tried a great recipe from Dixie Caviar last week.

Two tips: If you've got a smaller Dutch oven (like my 4.5 quart model), be prepared for a very full pot. I followed the recipe closely, maybe adding an extra handful of vegetables, and I couldn't have slipped another carrot in if I tried. And if you can be patient, make this stew one day and serve it the next. The broth, in particular, is so much richer after it's had a chance to rest a bit, and the flavors meld really nicely.

I made a pretty simple batch of yeast rolls as a side but a nice country bread would be good, too, and my mom used to serve pumpkin bread with hers — it's like supper and dessert all at once.

It's Back: The Christmas-Time Pumpkin Roll

2009-12-17T10:20:00.001-05:00

I realize I've posted about pumpkin roll before, but if you'll indulge me, I'd like to remind you about how pumpkin roll is the perfect holiday food. A little sponge cake. A little cream cheese goodness. A little fancy. A bit hit all around.

If you'd like to roll out one of your own, you can find the recipe on my previous post.

Pumpkin Fudge: The Best Way to Eat Your Vegetables

2009-12-16T15:17:00.002-05:00

Okay, maybe pumpkin isn't really a vegetable. (It's a berry! Did you know that??) So in that case, pumpkin fudge is a great way to eat your berries.

I found this recipe two years ago in The Progressive Farmer — which, while not my go-to recipe magazine, hit the nail on the head with this one.

Unlike a dense chocolate fudge, pumpkin fudge has a nice, light texture. The pumpkin isn't overwhelming — in fact, next time I might try adding a little more. And I skipped the nuts when I made my batch, but the fine folks at The Progressive Farmer suggest folding in some toasted, chopped pecans.

Also, be warned: there's a lot of stirring involved. I like to keep the mixture moving with one hand and use the other to hold up a good book — usually one about food.

Pumpkin Fudge

3 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter, melted
2/3 c. evaporated milk
1/2 c. pumpkin puree
2 T. light corn syrup
1 t. pumpkin pie spice
12 oz. white chocolate chips
7 oz. marshmallow creme
1 t. vanilla extract

Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil. Grease the foil and set aside.

Stir together the sugar, butter, milk, pumpkin, corn syrup and pie spice in a large, heavy saucepan. Heat on medium-high, stirring constantly. Once the mixture reaches soft-ball stage (there are a few ways to measure this, but I like to use a thermometer, and soft-ball stage is about 234 degrees F), remove from heat. Stir in the chips, creme and extract and mix until well blended.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Let stand 2 hours or until completely cool and hardened. Makes about 3 lbs.

The food: Pumpkin fudge
The verdict: The Progressive Farmer comes up with a winner

Chipotle Peanut Brittle: A Crazy Take on a Traditional Christmas Treat

2009-12-11T09:05:00.003-05:00

I like traditional things. When it came time for school pictures and my classmates were selecting backdrops with neon lasers and other sweet lighting effects, I said, "I'll just sit in front of that gray canvas, please." When I was planning my wedding and several magazines suggested I write my own love-infused vows and perform a complicated-yet-symbolic ritual involving pouring sand from one glass into another, I said, "How about we just stick with the 'til death do you part, I do' stuff." And when I make a classic traditional treat like peanut brittle, I say, "Give me my grandmother's recipe and no funny business, mister."

But when I found this recipe for peanut brittle with chipotle, I admit it: I was curious. So I made a batch for Ben to take to a football viewing party. And I'm proud to report that in this case, I'm willing to part with tradition. At least once in a while.

Peppery peanut brittle is pretty interesting. At first, you don't really taste anything different about it. But as you're chewing, the smoky spiciness sneaks up on you and your mouth gets zinged. It's quite a feeling.

If you're heading off to a holiday party soon and need a treat to take (or a hostess gift), this peanut brittle would be a fun, unexpected choice. And it beats fruit cake.

Chipotle chile powder probably isn't available everywhere, but I was able to find a McCormick-brand jar of it at Harris Teeter. I'd avoid regular old chile powder, since the real beauty of this recipe is the smokiness. I guess you could substitute regular chile powder and liquid smoke if you wanted. Let me know how that goes.

If you don't already have a candy thermometer, you'll need one for this recipe. (The recipe developer suggests cooking times, but it took me less time to reach the specified temperatures than suggested.) And when you add in the peanuts toward the end, don't be afraid when the mixture seizes up on you. Keep heating and stirring. It will soften and liquefy again.

Non-Traditional, Smoky Spicy Chipotle Peanut Brittle (from the estimable Cooking Light)

1 cup sugar
1 cup light-colored corn syrup
1 tablespoon butter
11.5 ounces of salted, dry-roasted peanuts
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper; coat with cooking spray and set aside.

Combine sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cook 18 minutes or until a candy thermometer registers 275°, stirring frequently. Add peanuts; cook 3 minutes or until a candy thermometer registers 295°, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda and chile powder. (The baking soda will cause the mixture to bubble and become opaque. This is cool.)

Quickly pour mixture onto prepared pan. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and use a rolling pin to roll mixture to an even thickness. Discard top parchment sheet. Cool mixture completely; break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

The food: Chipotle peanut brittle
The verdict: A good blend of spicy, smoky and sweet

Hush Puppies: The Deen Boys' Half-Baked Idea

2009-12-07T08:08:00.002-05:00

Here in the South, barbecue (a noun, not a verb) is a very serious thing. And the perfect barbecue accompaniment? The hush puppy -- a dollop of cornmeal batter fried and served hot and crunchy.

I love hush puppies, but I don't love frying (the mess! the smell!) so I'd never made them. Then I found this recipe from the Deen brothers, sons of Paula Deen the Butter Queen. And the Deen boys suggested baking, not frying, these Southern delecasies.

Easier, yes. Healthier, yes. Real hush puppies? No.

Which is not to say that these little bites weren't tasty, because they were. Kind of like a butterier, onionier version of corn bread. But if you were hoping for the crunchy outer shell of a hush puppy (and I was) you were out of luck.

When you're eating, texture counts just as much as flavor, and these were hush puppies perhaps in taste but not in texture. They're good in a pinch, and I'll make them again, but for the real thing, I'd recommend a trip to one of the fine barbecue joints that dot the North Carolina landscape. (And if you're in Raleigh, I'd suggest you start at The Pit.)

Baked Hush Puppies (Courtesy of those wacky Deen brothers)

2/3 c. cornmeal
1/3 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
Pinch black pepper
1/2 c. onion, finely diced
1/3 c. milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 T. butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan.

Combine all of the dry ingredients. Separately, combine the onion, milk, eggs and butter. Fold the milk mixture into the flour mixture until just blended.

Spoon 1 T of batter into each cup, then bake for 10 minutes or until the hush puppies are set and golden around the edges.

The food: Baked hush puppies

The verdict: Healthy, easy, but not a real hush puppy

Snack Attack: The Olive-Cream Cheese-Triscuit Combo

2009-12-03T14:35:00.000-05:00

One of the joys of working from home is that I can make my lunch as it suits me -- no more brown bag specials. (As you can imagine, this is also one of the dangers of working from home.) Lately, I've been taking a snacks-as-meals approach to lunch, having a little of this and a little of that.

My current favorite treat: a roasted garlic Triscuit with a schmear of chive cream cheese topped with a single salty Kalamata olive. I could eat them by the plateful.

Honey-Glazed Carrots: A Little Sweet, A Little Sour

2009-12-01T10:02:00.002-05:00

Like Bugs Bunny and Mr. Ed, I appreciate a good carrot. I like them raw and cooked. I like them in dip. And in butter. And I like them glazed.

My favorite glazed carrot recipe is a little sweet and a little sour. And the carrots, while cooked, retain a lot of their crunch, so they're fun to eat. This is a pretty basic recipe, but if you wanted to get all crazy, you could add a little ginger or rosemary.

Sweet and Sour Glazed Carrots

1 T. butter
2 lbs. carrots, peeled and sliced into fairly thin disks
1 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. honey
3 T. white wine or apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large skillet and add carrots. Cook over medium-high heat for about three minutes. Add broth, honey and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes. Uncover and cook over medium-high heat until liquid is reduced and syrupy, about 8 minutes. Season again, if needed, and serve warm.

The food: Sweet and sour glazed carrots
The verdict: A swell way to serve carrots -- and keep them crunchy

Chutney: Much Prettier than Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce

2009-11-28T08:40:00.005-05:00

Let me begin this post by explaining that I have nothing against cranberry sauce in a can. (Hear that? It's the collective gasp of serious cooks the world over.) And I'm not even talking about the fancy, whole-berry stuff. I like the plain old jellied cranberry, with the can ridges imprinted on it and all.

Here's the only problem with that stuff. It doesn't look good on the table. Even if you mash it up, which I did once. You can ask my mom. She was pretty annoyed.

So this year, I made cranberry-orange chutney — just as tasty as my beloved Ocean Spray canned cranberry sauce, but much lovelier. And it's easy. Put everything in a pot. Stir. And that's about it.

Cranberry-Orange Chutney (adapted from a recipe in Our State)

12 oz. cranberries
1 large orange, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1 c. currants
3/4 c. light brown sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. ginger
1/2 t. ground cloves
3/4 t. salt
1 c. apple cider
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar

Mix all ingredients in a heavy pot and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool; serve chilled. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

There are lots of great ways to eat chutney. At Thanksgiving, consider it another side and scoop it up with forkfuls of stuffing. Last night, I spread some on my turkey-mayo-potato bread sandwich. And today, I'm planning on using it as a dip for some leftover-turkey samosas.

The food: Cranberry-orange chutney
The verdict: A great alternative to canned cranberry sauce when you're looking to really class it up

The Grateful Table

2009-11-25T09:08:00.000-05:00

What plans do you have for your Thanksgiving meal this year? I've been squirreling away recipes for a month — and I'm about to make a final trip to the grocery store, so it's time to finalize the menu.

The Pre-Meal Snack: Bacon-wrapped apricots and Greek olives. (I'm not sure Greek olives are all that Thanksgivingy, but I like them and I'm the cook, so I'm going with it.)

The Main Event: Orange-rosemary roasted turkey (all 14 lbs. of it, which, now that I think about it, does seem like a lot for two people).

The Gravy: The usual recipe: pan juices and a little flour, stock and water.

The Other Stuff on the Table: Unfussy Fare's cranberry chutney, Closet Cooking's glazed carrots, sausage stuffing (at Ben's request), something green (can you tell this isn't my favorite part?), my mom's mashed potatoes (no lumps, lots of butter) and maybe a loaf of bread baked in the Dutch oven.

The Best Part: A take on Smitten Kitchen's take on the Lee Brothers' take on sweet potato buttermilk pie. Confession: I don't like pie crust that much. So I'm thinking of baking the filling, which sounds lovely, in small ramekins and calling it crustless pie. Or something like that.

The Next Day: I love a good turkey sandwich, but I'm also thinking about Monday Morning Potato Bread (made with leftover mashed potatoes), turkey samosas and maybe a little turkey soup (made with stock made from the carcass — uh, and the turkey neck). Yes, I've decided I'm using that darn turkey neck this year. I'm feeling a little weird about it, but I'm determined.

And for Breakfast: Apple cider donuts. My first donut making attempt. It seems like overkill to make donuts on Thanksgiving, but I'm throwing caution to the wind.

Here's my only concern. Christopher Kimball insists that I need a V-rack for roasting my turkey, and I usually trust what C.K. says. However, I don't have a V-rack. Since I only make a turkey once a year, it seems a little silly to buy one. And if I did buy one, there's not an inch of space to store it in the kitchen. We'd be putting it under the bed or in the water heater closet. I was planning on just plopping the turkey down on some onions and carrots. Think that's okay? Don't tell Christopher.

Buttermilk Cornbread: Not that Zingy

2009-11-24T11:44:00.000-05:00

I'm a big fan of cornbread, but I haven't yet found the perfect recipe. My latest batch was buttermilk cornbread. Buttermilk is usually a nice addition to quickbreads and muffins — it has a little zing. But I didn't taste any difference between this batch of cornbread and my non-buttermilk-recipes.

My main problem is that, no matter what I do, the cornbread turns out a little dry. Part of this is just the style of the bread, but I've had some genuine, Southern-made cornbread here in Raleigh that is full of cornmeal goodness and not at all dry. So I know it's possible.

The cornbread quest continues. And in the meantime, this will be a fine start to a little cornbread dressing for Thanksgiving.

Buttermilk Cornbread

1/4 c. butter, melted
1 c. cornmeal
1 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 c. buttermilk
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease an 9x9 pan. Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk, butter and eggs. Ad buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

The food: Buttermilk cornbread

The verdict: I'd butter keep looking for the perfect cornbread recipe

Thanksgiving Breakfast: Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

2009-11-23T08:16:00.003-05:00

Think muffins can't be frosted? My friend, you'd be wrong. These pumpkin muffins demand a little cream cheese topping. If buttering muffins is acceptable, I figure frosting them is okay, too.

I found this recipe at The Pioneer Woman Cooks, via a new fan site for Ree Drummond (who is the aforementioned Pioneer Woman). Foodie Fans of the Pioneer Woman will issue a new Pioneer-themed challenge every week. I answered the first challenge — making something from Ree's Thanksgiving recipe collection — with these little fellas.

There were a lot of options to choose from, and they all looked good. I could have gone with roasted carrots, pear crisp or dinner rolls, but I've been in a pumpkin frenzy lately and I was really on a roll. Plus, I had leftover pumpkin puree waiting for me in the fridge.

Well, I had some pumpkin puree waiting for me in the fridge, but not as much as the recipe called for. I substituted a little applesauce for what I lacked, and everything seemed to turn out just fine.

If you're feeling like some comfort food, or some Thanksgiving inspiration, Ree's site is a great place to start.

Mini Corn Cakes: So Corny, They Just Might Work

2009-11-19T20:39:00.002-05:00

One week until Thanksgiving -- and the countdown begins. This is like the Superbowl of all holidays, food-wise. I'm, as they might say on a sports-related show, totally pumped. I've got big plans for an orange-and-herb turkey this year. Mmm, turkey.

In the meantime, here's a little appetizer you might consider adding to your T-Day menu (especially if, like me, you think appetizers can be the best part of the eating experience). And they're theme food! I'm quite sure the pilgrims enjoyed corn at the original Thanksgiving feast.

The first time I made these little cakes, I served them as a side to soup, but they'll be just swell on their own. And they don't just taste good, they look good, too. (I'm a sucker for a scallion garnish.) Plus, they're easy to make. Mix, spoon, bake, done.

Mini Corn Cakes with Scallions (from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
10 ounces corn kernels, thawed if frozen
1/3 cup milk
1 large egg
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 scallions, whites minced and greens thinly sliced, divided
Sour cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease two 12-cup mini muffin pans.

Combine all ingredients through scallion whites, reserving the scallion greens and sour cream for garnish. Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls into muffin cups. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Garnish and serve immediately.

I thought this was a pretty new recipe, but I was wrong -- I discovered that Joe over at Culinary in the Country blogged about these treats all the way back in 2005. Sorry, Martha. I should have made this years ago. Better late than never.

The food: Mini corn cakes

The verdict: A great choice for a pre-turkey appetizer -- the pilgrims would approve

Merry Christmas, Have Some Pumpkin Ice Cream

2009-11-10T06:42:00.002-05:00

I've never been one to make Christmas lists, but I've been wanting an ice cream-making attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer for about a year, so I did recently suggest that if Ben was running low on gift ideas, an ice cream maker under the tree would be most welcome.

Two weeks ago, while perusing CraigsList, I happened to find someone offering the attachment, brand new, for pretty cheap. I couldn't resist the deal, so Christmas came early this year.

To celebrate the season, we made a batch of pumpkin ice cream from
Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book. All of the recipes begin with the sweet cream base (Vermont's finest ice cream makers offer three versions), then suggest ways to customize. For this recipe, we added pureed pumpkin and a little bit of pumpkin pie spice. It was really good. Not as sweet as pumpkin pie, and not as rich as Goodberry's pumpkin custard (which is made with more eggs than ice cream), but very good and fun to make.

Next on our list to try is coffee. Or a nice eggnog ice cream for the holidays. Because frozen desserts aren't just for summertime.

Ben & Jerry's Pumpkin Ice Cream
Makes 1 Quart

Whisk two eggs until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Gradually whisk in 3/4 c. of granulated sugar until completely blended. Add in 2 c. cream (heavy or whipping) and 1 c. milk.

Put about 1 c. of the milk mixture in a separate bowl and add 1 c. pureed pumpkin and 2 t. pumpkin pie spice. Mix until blended, then whisk together pumpkin mixture and remaining milk mixture. Transfer to ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

The food: Pumpkin ice cream
The verdict: It's the great pumpkin ice cream, Charlie Brown

Getting Fresh: Apple Cake

2009-11-05T07:01:00.000-05:00

Raleigh is a lovely place, but it's not known for its apple orchards, so they truck them in from other places, like Michigan and Pennsylvania. You know those Pace commercials where the cowboys have near-coronaries after they discover their salsa is made in New York City? That's how I feel about the apples I get here. I'm sure they're swell and all, but I like Maine apples and that's that. Mom, if you're reading this, send me a peck or two, would you?

Maybe my apple bias is why I wasn't all that thrilled with my latest attempt in the kitchen, Fresh Apple Cake.

I can't blame the recipe source: the King Arthur blog. Those bakers know what they are doing for sure. I think it was probably me. I used too small a pan. I overbaked. My apples weren't cut uniformly. I substituted apple juice concentrate for the boiled cider. And there just wasn't all the apple goodness I was hoping for.

That being said, I think I should give it another try. Everyone seemed to have great success with it except for me. Any suggestions on perking it up a little?

A Backup to Bakewells

2009-11-01T19:24:00.000-05:00

While Bakewell biscuits will always be number one in my heart, there may come a day when a baker like me finds herself out of Bakewell Cream. Or whipping up a batch of biscuits in the non-Bakewell-equipped kitchen of a friend or relative. And in such a case, said baker should have a biscuit backup recipe.

My backup recipe of choice: angel biscuits.

As the name implies, angel biscuits are light and fluffy, and they get that way with yeast. Be warned, the yeast needs a little time to work, so plan ahead.

I made these to go along with a soup we had last week, but they also make a swell breakfast. I recommend a little peach butter. Or regular butter. That's good, too.

This recipe comes from an old issue of Cooking Light, submitted by reader Linda Turner in Springfield, Mo. Linda, I salute you. But I'm also sending you a tin of Bakewell Cream. Watch your mailbox.

Angel Biscuits

1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/2 cup warm water (105° to 115°)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups low-fat buttermilk
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon melted butter

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes.

Combine the dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a large bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yeast mixture and buttermilk; stir just until moist. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface; knead lightly 5 times. Roll dough to a 1/2-inch thickness; cut with a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush melted margarine over biscuit tops. Bake at 450° for 12 minutes or until golden.

The food: Angel biscuits
The verdict: Tell me, tell me the words to define the way I feel about something so fine

Roasted Potatoes with Garlic. And More Garlic. And Some Other Things.

2009-10-16T07:30:00.005-04:00

I've posted about these potatoes before, but let me sing their praises one more time. Easy. Healthy. Garlicky. They are everything you've every wanted in a potato. And then some. These potatoes complete you.

If you're thinking about your Thanksgiving menu already (and I am) these might be a nice replacement for the mashed potatoes. Thanksgiving purists, no hate mail, please.

(Also, see those chives in the picture? I grew them! Oh, and my peppers say hello.)

New Potatoes with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
From Cooking Light

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
7 garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 pounds small red potatoes, quartered
3 tablespoons minced chives
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, garlic, and potatoes in a roasting pan or jelly-roll pan; toss well to coat. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until tender, stirring after 35 minutes.

When cool enough to handle (10 to 15 minutes) squeeze the pulp from the garlic cloves into a large bowl. (Toss the garlic skins.) Combine pulp, remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, chives, vinegar and mustard in a large bowl. Whisk, then add potatoes and toss to coat.

Serves eight. Approximately 170 calories per serving.

The food: Mustardy, garlicky potatoes
The verdict: Garlic breath is a small price to pay for such deliciousness

Welcome Fall with Root Veggie Soup

2009-10-12T19:21:00.007-04:00

I once knew someone who liked to use the word "rutabaga" as an insult. Like: "Shut the door, you rutabaga, you're letting in all the cold air." Or, "Smooth move, rutabaga."

Never having eaten a rutabaga, what I took from all of these exchanges was that rutabagas must be really bad.

But then Lynne Rossetto Kasper sent me a recipe (she sends me one at least once a week — we're like this) for root vegetable soup, featuring the lowly, lowly rutabaga.

I couldn't let Lynne down, so I made a batch. If you'd like the recipe, you can read it below, along with Lynne's description. No one talks food like Lynne.

Overall, I'd say this was a pretty satisfying soup.

Fall Roots Soup
From The Splendid Table's Weeknight Kitchen e-newsletter

A trio of fall root vegetables — carrots, leeks, and a rutabaga — forms the savory foundation of this soup. Puréed and enriched with crème fraîche, this potage, with its velvety, smooth texture and glorious orange hue, is always a hit — whether it's a first course or the main attraction.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2-1/2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only (3 to 4 medium leeks)
1-1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and diced
1 medium rutabaga (1 to 1-1/2 pounds), peeled and diced
8 cups chicken stock
Kosher salt
1-1/4 cups crème fraîche
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat butter in a large, heavy pot (with a lid) over medium-high heat. When melted and hot, add leeks, carrots, and rutabaga. Sauté vegetables until softened, for 10 minutes or longer. Add stock and bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables are very tender, for about 30 minutes.

Purée the soup in batches in a food processor, blender, or food mill, and return soup to the pot. (Or use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot.) Whisk in 3/4 cup of the crème fraîche. Taste soup and season with salt, as needed. (The soup can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cool, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat over medium heat.)

To serve, ladle soup into shallow soup bowls. Garnish each serving with a generous dollop of the remaining 1/2 cup crème fraîche and a sprinkling of parsley.

Lynne also suggested including a yam or roasting the veggies before sautéing and pureeing. And I used sour cream in place of the crème fraîche and topped with chives and ground pepper.

The food: Fall root veggie soup
The verdict:Rutabaga, thou has redeemed thyself

Hammy Sammies. On Biscuits.

2009-10-11T16:16:00.002-04:00

Sue and Peter came to visit us from Maine this weekend. In addition to a little Old North State down-home cooking at Raleigh's The Pit, we wanted to treat them to some North Carolina-inspired fare at our place. Given the popularity of pork here, I decided on deviled ham sandwiches (made in Maine favorite Bakewell biscuits for a reminder of home as they're on the road).

The deviled ham recipe is from a recent issue of Gourmet magazine (RIP). One-and-a-half cups of cooked, chopped ham, one-third of a cup of mayo, a tablespoon or so of grainy mustard, a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce and a little bit of Tabasco. Mix and serve.

The biscuits were good, but overpowered the ham a little. Next time, I think good old white bread will be in order.

The food: Deviled ham biscuit sandwiches
The verdict: The ham stole the show

French Donuts: Ooh la Yum!

2009-09-27T20:49:00.002-04:00

When Ben and I went camping recently, I was concerned about the following things:

Avoiding a sunburn.
Whether or not I could get a warm shower.
The eats.

Needless to say, food is an important part of the camping experience. That being the case, I made a batch of French donuts for us to enjoy for breakfast at dawn. Or 9:30 a.m., which was a more likely rise-and-shine time for us.

I've seen lots of variations on this recipe and it's been called lots of things. "Donuts" might be a little misleading, since these are really little cakes that are baked (not fried) then rolled in butter and cinnamon sugar. So you don't have to call them donuts if you feel like that's dishonest or misleading. You can just call them "yum."

French donuts

For "donuts":

1/3 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 c. flour
2 1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/2 c. milk

For sugary-goodness coating:

1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. sugar
2 t. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-muffin tin. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add egg and mix well. Sift together dry ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with milk.

Fill muffin cups half full and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Allow muffins to cool. Meanwhile, mix 1 c. sugar and 2 t. cinnamon. Dip cooled muffins in melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar.

The food: French donuts
The verdict: Not really donuts, probably not really French, but exceptionally tasty

Garden Detective Needed

2009-09-21T18:18:00.000-04:00

When I started my porch garden, I had a great little map made up so I knew where everything was. Lettuce here, chives here, this one's basil, and so on and so on. Then we went on vacation for a bit and I put all of my pots in shallow bins of water to keep them from dying of thirst. This was a good plan for the plants, but not a good plan for me or my map.

I've got everything figured out except for one pot in which I appear to be lovingly growing a weed, and for my parsley and cilantro. I can't figure out which is which. They aren't ready to cut, so I can't taste them, and neither of them have a smell yet. I think this one is cilantro, but it could be parsley. What do you think?

Remember that episode of Full House when Uncle Jesse can't tell his twins apart? I know how you feel, Uncle J.

Five Little Peppers and How They Grew

2009-09-20T13:30:00.005-04:00

For this year's urban garden, in addition to the standards (basil and chives), I've started growing lettuce and bell peppers. The lettuce is swell and all, but what I'm really excited about is the peppers. I like to assess their growth every day. Yesterday I spent about 30 minutes photographing them. I'm about this far away from starting them a baby book.

Which could make it tough to eat them when the time comes. I'm getting so attached.

Pork Marinade Saves the Meal

2009-09-15T07:30:00.001-04:00

A week ago or so, I made a recipe for chili and lime pork noodles. The chili and lime dressing was less than stellar. But the pork marinade was tasty -- so tasty, in fact, that we pretty much just picked the pork out of the noodles. This recipe makes enough marinade for about 1 lb. of pork, thinly sliced. Marinate at least 20 minutes, but I let mine sit for a few hours. I might throw a little lime juice in there next time, too.

Asian pork marinade

4 T. chopped shallots
2 t. chopped garlic
5 t. fish sauce
5 t. soy sauce
3 t. sugar
5 T. sesame oil
Salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients. Add 1 lb. of thinly sliced pork; refrigerate for at least 20 minutes or overnight.

The food: Asian pork marinade
The verdict: Soy, soy good

Coffee Cans Make Good Bread Pans

2009-09-04T16:57:00.003-04:00

This being Labor Day weekend, I'm bidding adieu to another summer -- a little sad, since I'm so fond of the season.

When I was a kid, summer was pretty much awesome overload. My birthday is in the summer. School's out. The days are long and warm. And then there was our annual Fourth of July trip to Madawaska Lake to see my aunt Sandy and cousin Kate.

My family really loves tradition, so the routine was pretty much the same every time we came: float around the lake in inner tubes, stage a patriotic play (I penned it myself -- let me know if you'd like to purchase the performance rights), make a daily candy trip to Stan's, attempt to spot Susan Collins, whose family lived next door. We also spent a lot of time eating, because we love food and because Sandy is a great cook.

There were two foods we could always count on: Mrs. Dunster's Donuts (Canada's finest export) and oatmeal spoon bread, which is mixed in large batches and baked in coffee cans, then toasted and buttered.

I like most types of oatmeal bread that I've tried, but there is something extra good about this one. The molasses are the secret ingredient.

You can also bake this in regular old bread pans (especially since metal coffee cans are tough to come by these days -- I know, because I got tricked into buying several plastic impostors), but the cans make one awesome round loaf of bread.

I generally think of this bread as a breakfast food, but I made a BLT with it the other day and Ben dips his in corn chowder, so we can attest that its deliciousness knows no meal-specific bounds. Eat it 'round the clock, if you like. And I think you will like.

Oatmeal Spoon Bread (from my aunt Sandy, who got it from my grandmother)

2 c. quick-cook oatmeal
3 c. boiling water
2 T. butter
2 T. salt
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. molasses
1 c. whole milk
2 pkgs. yeast
1/2 c. water, warm
10 c. flour

Combine first seven ingredients (through the milk). Meanwhile, proof the yeast in the 1/2 c. of warm water. Allow the oatmeal mixture to cool (enough so it doesn't kill the yeast), then add the proofed yeast.

In a stand mixer with a bread hook, mix in the flour, five cups at a time. Cover and let rise until doubled. Once it has doubled, punch down and divide into seven equal lumps. Put dough into seven well-greased coffee cans. (Metal, not plastic, but I'm sure you assumed that.) The dough will be pretty wet (and I'm guessing that's why they call it spoon bread).

Cover the cans and allow to rise until the dough reaches close to the top of the can -- 30 to 45 minutes. Bake on the lower rack of the oven at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes. Place foil over the tops of the cans if the bread crust begins to look too dark. Cool on racks, shake out of the cans and serve.

The food: Oatmeal Spoon Bread
The verdict: I'd rather eat this than donuts (no offense, Mrs. Dunster)

You're a Peach

2009-08-30T20:15:00.002-04:00

The other day, someone from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture knocked on my door and said, "You have to learn to make a peach cobbler or get out. It's a requirement for residency." So I did and I gave him a bowlful. He's letting me stay.

Okay, that's not really what happened. But, as a relative newcomer, I am learning that North Carolinians take their cobblers pretty seriously. Especially peach. Especially when served with barbecue.

Here's the real story about my cobbler. Last weekend, I went to the farmer's market for corn. That was it. But then, once I got there, I got all farmer's markety. Ooh, peppers! Yes, please! And peaches! (Here's a secret -- don't tell that guy from the Department of Agriculture. I don't even like peaches! They're furry! Fruit has no right being furry.) The lady selling them was so wholesome looking, and the little girl on her hip was calling me ma'am and the balsa wood baskets the peaches sat in were so square. So I bought a few, fur and all. Unfortunately, I did not get to take the basket home with me. I just put my purchases in my Liberty Graphics canvas market tote bag (made with organic cotton -- a farmer's market must).

When I returned home and fell out of my farmer's market fog, I was left with a question: what am I going to do with these peaches.

As it often does, Cook's Illustrated provided the answer, this time in the form of a recipe for peach cobbler.

The thing I like best about Cook's Illustrated is that it gives the backstory to recipe creation, so you know what works and what doesn't. For instance, a cookie-like crust for this cobbler was found too sweet, so the author opted for a nice biscuit topping. Heavily sweetened peaches tasted like they came from a can, so the recipe calls for just a quarter-cup of sugar.

In the end, I think my only problem was that the peaches weren't quite ripe. The sweet biscuit topping was tender and just sweet enough, and the peaches cooked without becoming mushy. I'd recommend you give this one a try. With fresh peaches. Farmer's market and organic cotton tote bag are optional.

Peach Cobbler (from Cook's Illustrated)

For the filling:

2 1/2 c. ripe, firm peaches, peeled
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. cornstarch
1 T. fresh lemon juice
Pinch of salt

For the biscuit topping:

1 c. all-purpose flour
3 T. plus 1 t. sugar
3/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
5 T. cold butter, cut into small cubes
1/3 c. plain yogurt (I used sour cream instead)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Half the peeled peaches, scoop the pits and red flesh from the centers and cut each half into four slices. Toss the peaches and 1/4 c. sugar in a large bowl and allow to sit for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After 30 minutes, drain the peaches in a colander set over a bowl. Reserve 1/4 c. of the juice, whisking it with the cornstarch, lemon juice and salt. Toss mixture with peach slices, then pour into an 8x8 baking dish. Bake for about 10 minutes.

While the peaches are baking, whisk together the flour, 3 T. sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry blender, blend in the butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yogurt (or sour cream) and mix until just combined. (Overmixing will lead to tough biscuits.)

Remove peaches from oven. Roughly shape six biscuits and place them over the peaches, leaving at least a half-inch between biscuits (to keep the biscuits from being gluey). Sprinkle biscuits with the remaining sugar. Bake until biscuits are golden brown, about 16 to 18 minutes. Cool slightly; serve warm.

The food: Peach cobbler
The verdict: The N.C. Department of Agriculture says you must make it

Birthday Treat Turns Sour

2009-08-09T22:37:00.004-04:00

When I asked Ben what he wanted for a birthday cake, he suggested lemon bars instead. "Remember those ones you made a long time ago? Those were my favorite thing you've ever made." Which would be a really lovely compliment, had the bars in question not come straight from a Krusteaz box.

Determined to outdo those pesky Krusteaz folks, I set about whipping up my own lemon bars, this batch with a shortbread crust, an extra special cheesecake layer and a fresh-lemon curd.

The crust and the cheesecake were no problem. But I got the numbers mixed up in my head while making the curd, thinking I needed three-quarters of a cup of lemon juice and one-quarter of a cup of water. Three reamed lemons later, I discovered it was the other way around. But not before I'd put all the juice in with the eggs and sugar.

Needless to say, these bars pack a real pucker. The cheesecake layer helps balance that out. I also read somewhere that you can mix whipped cream into fruit curd to make it lighter in texture -- this probably would have helped with my pucker problem, too. And it would have been the yum.

Overall, I think this will be a pretty good curd recipe once I get my math right. Take that, Krusteaz.

Lemon curd

4 egg yolks
1 T. corn starch
3/4 c. water
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
2 t. lemon zest
2 T. butter

Mix egg yolks, corn starch and sugar in a medium sauce pan. Place over low heat and gradually whisk in water and juice. Increase heat to medium and stir constantly until mixture becomes very thick (about five minutes). Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and butter.

In addition to being tasty on lemon bars, curd is great on biscuits or bread. Or on a spoon. Zooming its way to your mouth.

The food: Lemon curd
The verdict: When life gives you lemons, make curd -- but with the proper water-to-juice ratio

The Onion Ring Debate

2009-08-02T22:56:00.001-04:00

Reasons not to make onion rings:

They're bad for you.
It takes forever.
It makes a mess of your kitchen.
Your house smells for days.
You run a strong risk of burning your fingers.

Reasons to make onion rings:

Yum.

The yum wins.

Bread: The Good and The Bad

2009-07-31T23:10:00.002-04:00

The bad news: I forgot to feed my sourdough starter, but I forgot that I forgot, and my dough refused to rise to this or any occasion.

The good news: I baked it anyway and brought it to work. My colleagues were kind enough to overlook the lack of rising.

If you're a sourdough purist you may not approve of the use of commercially produced yeast in this starter, but it makes one fantastic loaf of bread.

And don't forget to feed it.

Sourdough Starter

3 T instant mashed potato flakes
3 T white sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/4 t. active dry yeast

Combine instant potatoes, sugar, water and yeast in a covered container. Let the starter sit on a counter for five days, stirring daily with a wooden spoon. At the start of the fifth day, feed the starter with 3 tablespoons instant potatoes, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 1 cup warm water. In the evening, take out 1 cup of the starter to use in your favorite sourdough recipe. Refrigerate the remaining starter.

Every five days (and this is important), feed the starter 3 tablespoons instant potatoes, 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 cup water. If starter is to be used in a recipe, let it sit at room temperature all day. If starter is not being used in a recipe, keep refrigerated and discard 1 cup of starter after each feeding.

The food: Sourdough starter
The verdict: Starters need to eat, too

Chow(der) Down

2009-07-28T22:29:00.004-04:00

I love a nice corn chowder, but I usually make it with corn from a can with a friendly green giant on it. Don't judge. Martha Stewart (via her Everyday Food magazine) recently encouraged me to make a chowder using fresh corn from the cob and yummy bacon. And who am I to argue with Martha?

Turns out that corn-from-the-can chowder is good, but corn-from-the-cob chowder is much, much better. Sweeter, crunchier, cornier.

Corn Chowder with Chicken and Bacon

6 ears corn, husks and silks removed
4 slices bacon, chopped into small pieces
8 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
2 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk or half-and-half
2 cups water
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 to 2 cups roasted chicken, shredded
Salt and pepper

Cut the corn kernels from each ear, scraping the cobs with a spoon to release pulp. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, the remove with a slotted spoon. Drain and set aside. Add scallion whites and potatoes to pan. Cook two or three minutes, until scallions have softed. Add flour cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Add milk, water, Old Bay and thyme.

Bring chowder to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add corn, chicken and scallion greens. Heat through, 2 to 3 minutes. Season chowder with salt and pepper. Serve topped with bacon.

The food: Corn chowder with chicken and bacon
The verdict: Chow(der) down

Another One (Two-) Bites the Dust

2009-07-11T07:07:00.002-04:00

Perhaps you remember me writing about Whole Foods' two-bite, cream cheese-topped brownies last fall. Or perhaps you've had the good fortune to experience them first-hand. They are a little piece of brownie heaven.

Oddly enough, and despite my polite request, Whole Foods has not contacted me with its recipe so I can create these brownies myself. Which wouldn't be such a big deal were it not for the fact that old Whole has quit carrying them! (My pal Katherine looks for them every time she's there. No dice.)

That forced me to attempt my own version, using mini muffin pans, my stand-by cream cheese frosting and a triple-chocolate brownie recipe from Cook's Illustrated.

The brownies, they weren't bad. But they just didn't have that oomph. And I hate to say this, Christopher Kimball, but you let me down. I don't care if you wear a cute little bowtie. I don't care if you are a fellow New Englander. I don't care if you pal around with the exceptional Lynne Rossetto Kasper. Triple chocolate two-bite brownies are a singular disappointment. No offense. And say hi to Lynne for me.

So the search for the perfect brownie recipe continues. Suggestions welcome.

In the Key Lime Light

2009-07-06T23:04:00.000-04:00

While I really love Gourmet magazine (the photography! the descriptions! the Sterns!) I find it intimidating. So in making my first Gourmet recipe, I decided to try something familiar, like a cake.

Key Lime Coconut Cake was the bee's knees. Sure, you've got to juice about 30,000 teeny, tiny limes -- but they're so cute! And they are yummy in cake, which tastes like summer. And also coconut.

Key Lime Coconut Cake (from Gourmet magazine)

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon grated Key lime zest
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups self-rising flour
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup fresh Key lime juice, divided
1 cup confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously butter a 9- by 2-inch round cake pan (I've also made this using an 8- by 8-inch pan) and line bottom with a round of parchment paper. Toast coconut in a small baking pan in oven, stirring once or twice, until golden, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool. Leave oven on.

Beat together butter, granulated sugar, and zest with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Stir together flour and 1/2 cup coconut (reserve remainder for topping). Stir together milk and 2 Tbsp lime juice. At low speed, mix flour and milk mixtures into egg mixture alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour. Spoon batter into pan and smooth top.

Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool to warm, then turn out of pan and discard parchment.

Whisk together confectioners sugar and remaining 2 Tbsp lime juice (I used 3+ Tbsp the second time I made the cake) and pour over cake. Sprinkle with remaining coconut.

The food: Key Lime Coconut Cake
The verdict: Sublime (get it?)

When Cheese and Bread Just Aren't Enough

2009-06-19T21:22:00.002-04:00

Is the usual cheese toast just not doing it for you anymore? Might I recommend a grape garnish?

My good buddy Jackson says grapes on cheese toast are just the ticket. I think he's on to something here. And check out that presentation! The yellow! The green! I love it.

Cheese Toast with Grapes By Jackson

1 slice bread
1 slice American cheese
A handful of grapes

Toast the bread and cheese in a toaster oven (or, in absence of a toaster oven, toast your bread, then add cheese). Top with grapes. Enjoy.

The food: Cheese toast with grapes
The verdict: How has no one ever thought of this??

You Can Call Me Sgt. Pepper

2009-06-12T20:07:00.003-04:00

I would advise anyone within driving distance of the Harris Teeter on Harrison Avenue in Cary to pop in for some giant, sale-priced red and yellow peppers. You might also consider commuting via plane or train. I think it would be worth it.

We're talking ginormous, people. To give you an idea of just how ginormous, I asked Ben to pose with one next to his head.

What did I tell you? Ginormous.

So head on over to the HT. Tell them Sgt. Pepper sent you.

Popovers

2009-06-05T05:22:00.001-04:00

Sue and Peter recently sent me something I've been wanting for a while: a popover pan. Popovers are awesome because they are two things I love: bread and fluffy. I also like them because they give you the chance to invite someone to "pop over for a popover, pip pip!" Well, I guess you wouldn't have to say "pip pip" if you didn't want to.

Popovers are an interesting type of bread because they rise because of all the liquid in the batter, not because of any leavening agent. After they're baked, you'll find they are hollow -- a great place to put butter, jelly, jam, butter, honey or butter. They're also great with butter.

For my first time out, I used the trusty popover recipe from The Joy of Cooking. It's pretty basic -- milk, butter, flour, salt and eggs. Some recipes recommend starting with a cold oven, but this one suggested a preheat, so preheat I did. I've been told either method will work, though, so I guess it's a matter of taste. All ingredients should be at room temperature before you begin making the batter.

For my next batch, I'm going to add cheese and herbs to the batter -- I think savory popovers would be great with soup.

Basic Popovers (from The Joy of Cooking)

1 c. milk
1 T. butter, melted
1 c. flour
1/4 t. salt
2 large eggs, beaten

Mix together the milk, butter, flour and salt until just smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, being careful not to overbeat. Fill six greased popover cups about three-quarters full (don't overfill) and bake immediately in a preheated 450 degree oven. After 15 minutes, lower the temperature to 350 degrees (without opening the oven). Bake about 20 minutes longer or until done. Serve immedately. Or if you're going to keep a few until later, pierce the tops to allow steam to escape. But I'd serve immedately. Cold popovers are kind of weird.

The food: Popovers
The verdict: So good, pip pip!

Brain Food

2009-06-03T19:01:00.000-04:00

Yes, I have tested it scientifically. Peppermint Patties are indeed brain food.

Now That's a Spicy Cucumber!

2009-05-28T07:00:00.002-04:00

When it gets hot and muggy, which is exactly what it's been lately, I like to make foods that require no heat. Enter this spicy Asian cucumber salad. It's delicious. It's pretty. It's healthy. What's not to love?

You thought that was rhetorical, but I have an answer for you: the sogginess is what's not to love. If you don't eat this right after it's finished chilling, you'll find the cucumbers wilted and swimming in watery dressing. So if you're not planning on serving (and finishing) right away, I'd think about salting and squeezing out the cucumbers before you put together the salad.

Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad (from Cook's Country)

1/2 c. rice vinegar
2 T sugar
2 T fresh lime juice
2 T fresh ginger, minced
1 1/2 T red chile, minced (about one large chile)
1 T toasted sesame oil
3 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut crosswise into 1/4-in. pieces
4 scallions, white and light green parts, sliced thin
1/4 c. loosely packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper.

Bring the vinegar and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, then simmer until mixture is reduced by half (the recipe says this takes about 5 or 6 minutes, but I find it takes longer than that). Transfer to a medium box and allow to cool.

Whisk into the mixture the lime juice, ginger, chile and sesame oil. Toss in the cucumbers, scallions and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Chill for 10 minutes or up to 1 hour. Serve.

The food: Spicy Asian cucumber salad
The verdict: Mouth-puckering veggie goodness

Every Cake Needs a Little Cream Cheese

2009-05-08T18:18:00.003-04:00

I've yet to meet a recipe that I don't think could be improved with a little cream cheese. Nature's perfect food. And that's especially true for pound cake. Cream cheese in the batter is a must.

This is my no-fail pound cake go-to recipe. It's great plain, or with fruit or whipped cream. It's also good with extracts other than vanilla (orange, rum and lemon are three favorites). It only calls for three-fourths of a pound of butter, so I've renamed it in case anyone out there in readerland is a real stickler for details.

Three-Fourths of a Pound of Butter Cake

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 1/2 cups butter
3 cups white sugar
6 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 t. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy. Add eggs two at a time, beating well with each addition. Add the flour all at once and mix in. Add vanilla.

Pour into the prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour and 20 minutes, checking for doneness at 1 hour. A toothpick inserted into center of cake will come out clean.

The food: Three-Fourths of a Pound of Butter Cake
The verdict: You don't even miss that extra quarter-pound

Paula Deen is Nutty. So is Her Coffeecake.

2009-05-05T22:18:00.003-04:00

For our anniversary, Ben bought me a copy of Nancy Baggett's Kneadlessly Simple. I can't wait to bake my way through it. And my friend Kim set me up with some of her excellent sweet white bread starter. Between the two, we're looking at some carb-filled weeks ahead. Recipes to come soon.

In the meantime, let me give you another carb-filled delight: Paula Deen 's own nutty, nutty coffeecake (pictured above). I don't make a lot of recipes with purchased dough (mostly because they don't give me a chance to cover my kitchen in flour -- my favorite part of baking, for sure) but refrigerated biscuits make this recipe easy and fast to make, and I've never had a coffeecake I like better.

Nutty Orange Coffeecake (from Paula Deen)

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 t. orange zest
2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10 each)
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
2 T. fresh orange juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, pecans, and zest; set aside. Separate the biscuits. Divide the cream cheese into 20 pieces. Place one piece of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit. Fold each biscuit in half over the cheese, pressing the edges to seal.

Dip the biscuits in melted butter, then dredge in the granulated sugar mixture. Place the biscuits, curved-side down, in a single layer in the hollows of a lightly greased 12-cup bundt pan, spacing them evenly (do not stack). Drizzle any remaining butter over the biscuits, and sprinkle with any remaining sugar mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Immediately invert the cake onto a serving platter.

Combine the confectioners' sugar and orange juice, stirring well; drizzle the glaze over the warm cake. Serve warm.

The food: Nutty orange coffeecake
The verdict: It's cream-cheese-filled genius

Sweet Cream Braid Doesn't Live Up to Name

2009-04-19T15:42:00.006-04:00

So the other day, I decided I'd make a sweet cream braid from a recipe I've been wanting to try for years. Basic bread dough filled with sweetened cream cheese -- mmm. Except that when I cut into it, the cream cheese had totally disappeared. Poof. Like a magic trick gone bad. Well, I guess making something disappear would be a successful magic trick. But I wasn't happy -- I think you get the picture.

I was, however, extremely excited about braiding. I'll probably braid all my food from now on. Broccoli, pasta, chili, you name it. It will be braided.

Takeout Fake-Out

2009-04-10T21:49:00.003-04:00

So whenever anyone suggests a recipe that is supposed to taste just like Chinese takeout, I usually say, "Yum, sounds great. Can you hand me the China Queen menu please?" Meaning that Chinese recipes never taste like Chinese takeout.

Except for this gem I found in Martha Stewart's Everyday Cooking. It tastes exactly like General Tso's Chicken. I think the secret is probably in the egg white-corn starch dip and the panfry. It turns out nice and crispy, and red pepper flakes give the sauce just the right amount of bite.

I know from Jennifer 8. Lee's The Fortune Cookie Chronicles that Chinese food isn't any more Chinese than those horses they stick outside of P.F. Chang's. I don't care. I still like it.

General Tso's Chicken (from Everyday Food)

1 1/4 cups long-grain brown rice
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 pound snow peas, trimmed and halved crosswise
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated and peeled
3 tablespoons light-brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
2 large egg whites
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower

Cook rice according to package instructions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water until smooth. Add snow peas, garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, and red-pepper flakes; toss to combine, and set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together egg whites, remaining 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken, and toss to coat. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Lift half the chicken from egg-white mixture (shaking off excess), and add to skillet. Cook, turning occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining oil and chicken, and set aside (reserve skillet).

Add snow-pea mixture to skillet. Cover; cook until snow peas are tender and sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet (with any juices); toss to coat. Serve with rice.

The food: Make-it-at-home General Tso's Chicken
The verdict: I give this General five stars

Abbie Meets the S-Mart

2009-04-06T21:39:00.001-04:00

Inspired by friends and fellow food fans Dan and Katie, I decided to make some Asian food this weekend: egg drop soup, steamed pork buns (which I'd made a few weeks ago and frozen) and a new potsticker recipe from Cuisine at Home.

In preparation, I took my first ever trip to the S-Mart Asian Supermarket & Café -- a whole new grocery store for me to explore. I was a little weirded out when I grabbed a cart and discovered it contained the now-empty shell of a small, boiled crustacean (wrapped tastefully in a napkin), but the experience really improved from there. Here's why:

Cheap veggies. (I love a good deal.)
Potsticker wrappers. (Normally I like to make everything from scratch, but given how long it takes me to just fill potstickers, I'm glad to accept a little help from the fine folks at the potsticker wrapper company.)
An ENTIRE aisle of sauces. That's right. One whole aisle.

I've loved sauces since I was a child, when I discovered the joy of mashed potatoes topped with A1. (Try it. You'll like it.) So imagine my giddiness at finding shelves and shelves of garlic sauce and sweet chili sauce and plum sauce -- and Heinz ketchup, which didn't seem particularly Asian to me, but who am I to judge?

Needless to say, I brought home an armload full.

The potstickers turned out pretty well, even if they took at least an hour longer to make than I'd anticipated. I filled these with Napa cabbage, ground pork, fresh ginger and little bit of salt and pepper and soy sauce, but there's plenty of room for experimentation, and next time I might mix it up a little.

(These are the potstickers, pre-frying and steaming. Please ignore the inexpert fan folding.)

If you're feeling like trying your own potstickers, I'd recommend checking out Jennifer Yu's excellent food blog, use real butter. You can find her recipe (and step-by-step photos) for potstickers here.

And if you're feeling like you need something to dip your potstickers in, we give the sweet chili sauce two thumbs up. You should head on over to S-Mart. Tell them the girl who was afraid of the crustacean carcass sent you.

Eat More Whipped Cream

2009-03-28T08:28:00.004-04:00

This is a piece of the gingerbread I made recently. I won't bother with the recipe because, really, it wasn't all that good. But that's okay -- the real star here is the whipped cream. Gingerbread is simply a whipped cream delivery device.

Whipped cream: It's rich. It's sweet. You can eat it with your fingers if you want to. It's fun to watch whip up into a white, puffy cloud of pure cream goodness. When you put it on cake like this, it looks like your cake is wearing a little hat. And that, my friends, is awesome.

Salad Gets a Little (But Not Too) Crazy

2009-03-21T17:19:00.005-04:00

There are a lot of things to love about salad. It's healthy. It's quick to make. When you add a little chicken or ham, it becomes a whole meal. But salads can also become a little boring, especially if you're serving them several nights in a row (which, when there are only two of you eating, is often the case).

Ben's solution for salad excitement is to cover it in hot sauce and blue cheese dressing and pretend it's a plate of wings. A novel approach for sure, but not for everyone.

That's why I liked Martha Stewart's Everyday Food ranch chicken salad suggestion. All the usual suspects (lettuce, carrots, cukes, radishes), plus homemade ranch dressing and hand-breaded chicken. Nothing too crazy but enough to make a plate of greens a little more interesting.

To keep the salad healthy, the dressing uses light ingredients: two parts low-fat buttermilk, one part light mayo and one part light sour cream. To that add a little vinegar, minced scallions, a couple pinches of dill and salt and pepper.

For the chicken, trim a few boneless, skinless breasts. In a food processor, create bread crumbs from four or five slices of whole-grain bread and a little olive oil. Pour 1/2 c. of the dressing in a shallow bowl and dip the chicken in the dressing, then the bread crumbs. Transfer to a rack on a baking sheet; bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

Breading chicken using ranch dressing? It's a good thing.

Luck of the Irish

2009-03-16T08:01:00.001-04:00

St. Patrick's Day may not be until Tuesday, but Ben and I started celebrating this weekend. And by celebrating, I mean eating food that I consider to be Irish in nature. Like the corned beef and root veggies I made on Saturday.

I hadn't necessarily planned to make my own St. Patty's Day meal, but when I did my grocery shopping this week, I was feeling particularly Irish, an emotion that may have been induced by a deli case of steeply discounted corned beef.

The corned beef was very good, as were the carrots and onions cooked along with it, but the real stars of the show were the roasted red potatoes, made with a vinegar-mustard dressing. You can find the exact recipe here, but I just eyeballed the measurements. Cut up small red potatoes, toss with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast in a 400-degree oven until tender. Throw a few cloves of garlic (unpeeled) in with the potatoes. While the potatoes are roasting, whisk together a little more oil, a little bit of vinegar and Dijon mustard, some chives and more salt and pepper. When the roasting is through, squeeze the garlic from the skins into the dressing. Whisk. Add potatoes, toss to coat, eat, delight in the potatoey goodness.

This recipe is great for a few reasons. One, it requires no potato peeling. Two, it is filled with garlic. Three, it is filled with garlic. I give it the Kiefer Kitchen Seal of Approval.

On Sunday, Ben and I continued our Irish-tivities with a trip to The Hibernian, Cary's best (and perhaps only) Irish restaurant. It's our favorite cold-weather eatery.

We appreciate The Hibernian not only for the great eats, but for the Irish atmosphere. (And I consider myself something of an expert on this topic -- I've seen "Far and Away" like six times.) A roaring fire, Celtic music, and more pictures of famous Irish people than you can shake a stick at. Also, I've heard at least one authentic Irish accent while we've been in there.

Ben and I have different approaches to our meals at The Hibernian. He generally opts for a ginormous sandwich while I go for a small cup of soup and leave room for dessert. I do this because the raspberry bread pudding is excellent and worth skipping the corned beef sandwich for. Sunday, I discovered that the orange-chocolate cake is also excellent. For visual proof, please see the "before" and "after" photos.

Before

After

Notice that I did leave the orange slice, the mint leaf and at least half of the powered sugar that was dusted around the rim of the plate.

I was kind enough to share my dessert with Ben, who selected a battered cod sandwich for his meal this time around. (I went with the Irish stew and a slice of Irish bread, which New Englanders know as Boston brown bread.) I let him have his own spoon and everything. I guess I was just all caught up in the St. Patty's Day spirit.

Even though I love the raspberry bread pudding and I'm not usually a big fan of chocolate cake, this little confectionery wonder has made a fan of me. Éirinn go brách and pass the cake, please.

"C" is for Crumbly

2009-03-10T21:54:00.003-04:00

I made some lime sugar cookies the other day. I do not recommend you do the same.

It's not that they weren't tasty, because they were. But there were two major problems that overshadowed their tastiness. First, they were a crumbly mess. I made some on a greased cookie sheet and the spatula I used to lift them up broke them to pieces. Even when baked on parchment paper they fell apart like Tatiana Del Toro.

Here's the other reason I wouldn't make them: the lime zest in them makes them look weird. Maybe it's just my zester, but the green flecks are visible in the light, buttery cookies. Unappetizing. It reminded me of the time that I went to my friend's house for dinner in the fourth grade and her older brother explained the basil in the pasta by saying his mom sneezed in it and then I was so sick to my stomach that I couldn't eat any of it and her parents probably thought I was a rude dinner guest. Sorry about that, Mr. and Mrs. Soule. I'm sure the pasta was great.

The food: Lime sugar cookies
The verdict: Taste good, look bad

Steak Has an Identity Crisis

2009-03-05T20:41:00.004-05:00

I think chicken-fried steak is kind of a funny dish -- beef that thinks it's poultry. Of course, it is also delicious. Which is why I made some for supper.

I got the recipe from Eating Well magazine. It calls for a combination of pan frying and baking, instead of deep frying, so it's a little healthier. Not like eating a bunch of raw broccoli or anything, but better than, say, dunking a big hunk of steak in a vat of lard. So points for that.

I'll also say that this is very easy to make -- good for weeknights. And good for nights when you can't decide between chicken and steak.

The food: Healthified chicken-fried steak
The verdict: Finger-licking good

Potato, Potaahto

2009-03-03T18:14:00.003-05:00

I love eating mashed potatoes. But before they are mashed potatoes, they are regular old potatoes that require peeling. Peeling, I hate.

When you're in the Navy, don't they punish you by sending you to the brig and making you peel potatoes? Note to self: If you join the Navy, avoid being sent to the brig.

For the Love of Food: Part 3

2009-02-22T07:09:00.000-05:00

I feel strongly that no celebration is complete without cheesecake. Cheesecake is a celebration in a springform pan.

I've got plenty of trusty, tasty cheesecake recipes, but I decided to try a new one for Valentine's Day: gingersnap pear cheesecake. If you'd like the recipe, you can find it here, at Real Simple. But let me save you the trouble: This cheesecake was just "eh." Don't get me wrong -- no cheesecake is bad cheesecake. But this one was better in theory than in execution.

The recipe was pretty simple. For the crust, you replace graham cracker crumbs with crushed gingersnaps. After the crust is set, you thinly slice pears, toss them with ginger, and layer them. Then you pour in a pretty basic cheesecake batter and bake. After about 50 minutes, you pull the whole thing out of the oven, top it with a little sour cream sweetened with sugar, and give it another eight minutes or so.

The pears sounded like a great idea, but they just kind of got mushy and didn't really add much flavor. The sour cream was interesting, but would separate from the cream cheese part of the cake when you stuck your fork into a piece, which was a little weird. And the gingersnaps were just too crunchy.

In spite of these flaws, I managed to eat several large slices. I know, I know. I'm a real trouper.

The food: Gingersnap pear cheesecake
The verdict: Not the best cheesecake I've ever had, but I never met a cheesecake I didn't like

For the Love of Food: Part 2

2009-02-21T18:07:00.000-05:00

So, after the Valentine's Day blintzes, I started in on the next meal: orange chicken. I first made this when Allie and I were living together. For Christmas one year, our mom gave her a Top Secret Recipes book and we started cooking our way through it. Some of them were ridiculous (come on, a two-hour process just to make your own Twinkies??) but most of them we liked.

The orange chicken recipe was a clone from Panda Express. I've never been there, so I can't vouch for accuracy, but I can vouch for tastiness.

Let me also say that this recipe takes approximately six years to make, on account of having to hand-bread every little tiny piece of chicken. Perseverance is key.

Orange Chicken
(With thanks to Top Secret Recipe's Todd Wilbur, who thanks the fine folks at Panda Express)

Sauce:

1.5 c water
Juice from one orange
A little orange zest, if you're feeling really wacky
1 c packed brown sugar
1/3 c rice vinegar
3 T soy sauce
1/4 c lemon juice
A few tablespoons minced water chestnuts
1/2 t minced ginger
Two cloves garlic, minced
A handful of chopped green onion
A sprinkle of red pepper flakes
7 t cornstarch

Chicken:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c ice water
2 eggs
1 c self-rising flour (although I've made it with all-purpose flour, too)
1/4 salt

Start by combining all sauce ingredients (except cornstarch) in a medium saucepan over high heat, stirring often. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and allow to cool.

Next, cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Marinate with one cup of the sauce. Refrigerate for a few hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with tinfoil and grease lightly.

In a bowl, beat eggs and add ice water. In another bowl, combine flour and salt. Bread chicken, dipping in flour, egg mixture, and then flour again. Your fingers will become very sticky and disgusting. This is a labor of love. Place pieces on cookie sheet.

Bake the chicken 4-6 minutes. Then broil on high for an additional 2-3 minutes.

While the chicken bakes, add 3 T of water to the 7 t cornstarch. Heat the sauce over high heat, then mix in the cornstarch to thicken.

Serve chicken and sauce over rice.

The food: Orange chicken
The verdict: Yummy, but takeout would be simpler

NEXT POST, tune in for the exciting conclusion to the Valentine's Day meal!

For the Love of Food: Part 1

2009-02-15T16:25:00.005-05:00

Valentine's Day -- it's a day about love. This year, I took Feb. 14 as an opportunity to reaffirm my love of food.

I started off the day with some cheese blintzes. Talk about love. I LOVE cheese blintzes. However, I haven't found a restaurant around here that serves them and Harris Teeter carries them in the freezer section, but frozen just isn't the same and they never go on sale. (I rarely buy "fun food" if it isn't on sale.) So I decided to make my own.

A cheese blintz is a crepe rolled around sweetened cheese filling and served with fruit or sour cream. I've made crepes before but I've never been too good at it. This was not my turning point. I botched the first two completely and by the ninth one, I was able to at least get them off the pan but they were all misshapen -- more abstract than round. Think Jackson Pollock meets breakfast.

My other problem is that the filling turned out a bit runny and spilled out of the crepes when wrapped. To assemble a blintz, you cook the crepe, let it cool, put a dollop of filling on it, then roll it up (kind of like you'd roll a burrito) and fry it.

At this point I must disclose that the problems were likely of my own making: I didn't follow the recipe exactly. There were several points at which things were supposed to chill for minutes our hours and those were the points at which I said, "Eh, whatever." I was hungry for breakfast. Ben was hungry for breakfast. All the chilling seemed unnecessary.

I also used a recipe from the magazine Cooking Light. Had the filling been a full-fat version, it might have stayed put better. I think next time I'll try the recipe from The Joy of Cooking.

Despite the drippy filling and the odd-shaped crepes, the blintzes were, as the French would say, "ooh la yummy!"

The food: Cheese blintzes
The verdict: Tough to make, easy to eat

NEXT POST, tune in for more Valentine's Day food tales.

Feeling Crabby

2009-01-31T16:15:00.005-05:00

Crab dip -- it's one of those foods I really hated as a kid. Like, until I was 26. But then some crab switch flipped in my brain and suddenly: crab dip, crab cakes, crab grass, bring it on! (That last one was a joke.)

My parents used to make crab dip at Christmas, so I've come to associate it with holiday time. I had some when I was home in December, but I decided to make it again this week -- even if it is out of season. What can I say? I like to live life on the edge.

Crab dip is super easy. You can eyeball all the ingredients and it's fun to mix (I like to use my hands). Also, I always use imitation crab meat, but feel free to use the real stuff if you're feeling flush.

Crabby Dip

1 lb. crab meat or imitation crab meat
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
A big scoop or two of mayo (1/4 to 1/2 c.)
1 small onion, diced
A clove or two of garlic, minced
A little ketchup or cocktail sauce (2 or 3 tbsp.)

Roughly chop the crab. Combine everything. Mix it up, baby. Put it in the fridge for a few hours so the flavors blend. Serve with crackers or those cute little pieces of toast.

The food: Crab dip
The verdict: It's not real crab, but it is real good

A New Recipe You Mayo Want to Try

2009-01-20T20:19:00.007-05:00

Today was our first ever North Carolina snow day. Four inches just about shut down the Triangle, so Ben and I worked from home, then celebrated the cold with some cold-weather food.

Right after Thanksgiving, I made a turkey potpie with our leftovers. But I had more filling than I could fit in my pie crust -- leftovers from my leftovers, you could say -- so froze the extra filling, thinking it would be good someday heated and served over biscuits. Today was that day.

Normally in this situation, I'd turn to my trusty Bakewell biscuit recipe, but since I mistakenly bought self-rising flour on my last trip to the grocery store, I tried a new recipe to help use it up.

Are you ready for it? Here it is. Two cups self-rising flour. Six tablespoons mayo. That's right, mayo. A little bit of milk to hold it all together. Mix. Drop. Bake. Eat.

Baked goods made with mayo weird me out, even though I know it's just eggs and oil, but I kept an open mind and was pleasantly surprised. These biscuits were fluffus maximus.

So fluffy, in fact, that they were begging to be turned into strawberry shortcake, which I did with a little berry action and whipped cream. One biscuit recipe takes us from dinner to dessert. How versatile!

So that's self-rising flour, mayo and milk. Think about it, people.

The food: Mayo biscuits (with potpie filling -- and with strawberries and whipped cream)
The verdict: Mayo -- it's not just for deviled eggs anymore

A Noodle Not

2009-01-12T23:20:00.001-05:00

Tonight's supper was courtesy of Rachael Ray: Hummus Sesame Noodles. This one sounded great before I made it. After I made it, not so great.

Basically, the recipe calls for pasta tossed in hummus, soy sauce and sesame seeds and topped with scallions, snow peas and crushed peanuts. I like hummus. I like soy sauce. I like scallions. And I like pasta. Turns out that I do not like them together. It's just a weird -- and kind of bland -- combination.

The only thing that really saved it was some rockin' sweet chili sauce that was a gift from my coworker McGavock. For Ben, what really saved it was the Italian sausage I threw on his noodles. "Sausage?" you ask. Was I trying for some inspired Thai-Chinese-Middle Eastern-Italian fusion? No. Ben just thinks meatless meals are chick food and the sausage happened to be at the front of the freezer.

The food: Hummus sesame noodles
The verdict: Ho-hummus

Egged On

2009-01-10T22:54:00.003-05:00

I've never been much of an egg cracker, but I had plenty of practice last night while making angel food cake, which called for no fewer than 12 egg whites. (I ended up with all 12 whites, zero yokes and just one tiny fraction of shell, in case you were keeping count. The shell was fished out of the egg white bowl -- there's no place to hide a shell in an angel food cake. Not that I would ever try to hide egg shells in my baking.)

This was my first homemade angel food cake. The recipe promised delight beyond measure and a cake that would far surpass any Betty Crocker Fun-Fetti angel food mix I'd tried in the past.

For a simple cake, it was a recipe with a lot of steps. Whipping. Sifting. Sifting again. Unfortunately, I was so focused on whipping and sifting that I forgot to add the vanilla. So the cake, while lovely in texture and appearance, doesn't taste like much and smells slightly eggy. Really, it's kind of weird to eat, even with whipped cream and strawberries (which help to mask the general egginess).

I think this would be worth another try sometime, assuming I can manage to get the vanilla in. I was thinking other extracts might be good, too -- like lemon or vanilla. Maybe almond. Not peppermint. My recipe also gives suggestions for making a chocolate angel food cake -- replace 1/4 c. of flour with 1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder and reduce the vanilla extract by one teaspoon. That sounds like it could be pretty tasty.

But before I make it again, I have to figure out what to do with all my leftover egg yokes.

Angel Food Cake

1 c. cake flour
1/4 t. salt
12 large egg whites (room temperature)
1 t. cream of tartar
1 and 1/4 c. sugar
2 t. vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour and salt together. Set aside.

2. With a mixer, beat egg whites until foamy (about one minute). Add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Continue to beat, adding sugar gradually. Beat about two minutes, until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla. Beat to combine.

3. Transfer egg white mixture into a wide bowl. In four batches, sift flour mixture over egg whites. Gently fold in to egg white mixture, turning bowl as you fold.

4. Spoon batter into an ungreased angel food pan. Smooth top and gently cut through the batter with a knife to remove air bubbles. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until top is golden. Invert pan and cool 1 hour.

The food: Angel food cake
The verdict: Puffy, fluffy -- and eggy

Chili Weather We're Having

2009-01-07T21:09:00.000-05:00

A few things to love about chili:

It's the perfect winter-weather food.
You don't need a recipe to make it. You can put in whatever you like.
It's a great way to use leftovers. My most recent batch included half a jar of salsa we weren't going to finish and corn from the night before.
It also makes great leftovers because it tastes better the second night.
You can make it in the slow cooker.
It freezes well.
It's an entire meal. In a bowl.
Even our President-Elect makes chili. Although he serves his over rice. That's weird. Based on reason number two to love chili, however, I have to accept his serving-over-rice ways.

Bread Head

2009-01-03T08:08:00.003-05:00

Because I am generally cold in the winter (and fall and spring), baking is an excellent way to satisfy my culinary urges while also heating up the apartment. Sneaky, I know.

One of my favorites lately has been a really easy, really tasty bread recipe I first heard on The Splendid Table. (Shout out to Lynne Rossetto Kasper!) Called Five-Minute Artisan Bread, it's a recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery that Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. Basically, you mix up a bunch of flour and yeast and water and salt and put it in your fridge, and then bake it on a pizza stone. No proofing. No kneading. No punching down. And don't be scared of "artisan." That's just a fancy way of saying you made it yourself.

Zoe appeared on The Splendid Table about a year ago to talk about the book and share some tips; the show reaired on Dec. 27. If you're interested in trying her recipe, you can find it here. I'd recommend listening to the show as well. It's worth it to hear Lynne get all misty about a delicious loaf of bread. Lynne, you are my hero.

Oh, and one thing I learned the hard way -- unlike store-bought breads, which have preservatives to keep them fresh, homemade bread goes stale pretty quickly. I think breads with oils or eggs keep longer, but this one is good for 24 hours at most. There are ways to resuscitate it, but my solution is to only make as much bread as we'll eat in one night. Which is lots. We love bread.

The food: Five-Minute Artisan Bread
The verdict: Heat up the oven -- and not just because it's cold

Merry Christmas to Me

2008-12-29T17:53:00.005-05:00

This is me at Christmas, about to enjoy a whole pile of one of my favorite (and Oprah's favorite) desserts: Wicked Whoopies.

Ben and I went straight to the Isamax bakery to pick up a dozen. Unfortunately, they were closed early for Christmas Eve. Fortunately, my sister made it there before they closed and picked up all my favorites: strawberry, raspberry and cream, and peanut butter.

See all that raspberry goodness?

I'd like to take this opportunity to offer a formal word of thanks to my sister for her whoopie pie foresight. Whoopie pies, it would have been a blue Christmas without you.

Hot Potato (Latkes)

2008-12-24T08:52:00.001-05:00

We had our first Christmas on Sunday with Ben's side of the family and, in honor of the first day of Chanukah, Peter lit the menorah and made beef brisket and potato latkes. After Peter mixed the latkes, I volunteered to fry. It was strangely satisfying to drop piles of shredded potato and onion into hot oil.

It was also satisfying to eat them. Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside. Yummy all around. I recommend a little sour cream on the side.

I'm not sure what recipe Peter used, but everyone's favorite home expert and jailbird Martha Stewart offered this take on latkes on her show yesterday, after taking a moment to emphasize that her family is Catholic, not Jewish.

We've had a great time with Sue and Peter and Gabe and Melissa, and we've been eating very well and often. Next up is our Nixon Christmas, with more fun and more family.

And more food. Oy vey.

A Chip Off the Old Bar

2008-12-23T10:06:00.001-05:00

When it comes to Christmas baking, I usually stick to the faithful favorites, but this year I branched out a little with these ginger chocolate chip bars. Overall, I would rate them as an "ehh, okay."

Basically, they're a blondie brownie with ginger in the batter. I love ginger, but the flavor wasn't very pronounced, so I pretty much ended up with plain old blondies. No Christmas razzle dazzle there. And with holiday baked goods, I'm going for the razzle dazzle. I might try them again with lots more ginger.

I will say that the batter tasted much better than the final product. So if you like raw cookie dough and you're feeling brave about salmonella, this might be the recipe for you.

The food: Ginger chocolate chip bars
The verdict: Like I said: ehh, okay

How I Roll

2008-12-22T16:47:00.000-05:00

I like rock and roll. I like a good honor roll. But my favorite roll, by far, is pumpkin. Especially at Christmas. This is the perfect Christmas dessert. Pumpkin sponge cake. Walnuts. And more cream cheesy goodness than you can shake a yule log at.

Plus the slices look cool. And it's fun to throw powdered sugar all over your dish towels.

A word to the wise: Let the cake cool nearly completely rolled up in the towel before you attempt to fill. Don't be impatient. And speaking of being patient, let it sit in the fridge overnight if you can.

Pumpkin Roll

3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup pureed pumpkin
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar (for towel and for dusting cake)

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease 15x10-inch jelly-roll pan and line with wax or parchment paper. Grease and flour paper.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and granulated sugar. Add pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture.

Spread in pan and sprinkle with nuts. Bake about 15 minutes.

While cake bakes, sprinkle a thin towel with about 1/3 cup of powdered sugar. (Use plenty – the cake sticks.) When cake is done, invert immediately onto towel. Peel off the paper and roll cake in towel. Cool completely (on a rack) before unrolling.

For the filling, beat cream cheese, 1 cup powered sugar, butter and vanilla. Unroll the cake, spread the filling and re-roll. Refrigerate for two to three hours (but best if refrigerated overnight). Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

The food: Pumpkin roll
The verdict: Santa requested it over cookies this year

Taking 'Cues

2008-12-18T18:00:00.000-05:00

Ben and I have become barbecue enthusiasts. The time-honored Southern tradition of roasting an entire pig over a wood fire has become very dear to the hearts of these two Yankees.

For those of you unfamiliar with barbecue, or for those readers who think of barbecue as an event held on the Fourth of July or similar occasions, let me point you to the wisdom of Rhett and Link, North Carolina's favorite musical comedy duo:

People not from the South think barbecue means cookout.
And that’s something they’re wrong about.
Barbecue’s not a verb.
Barbecue’s not a grill.
Barbecue is meat prepared in a very special way, which varies depending on where you are.

And when you're in Eastern North Carolina barbecue territory, like we are, barbecue is pork prepared with vinegar-based sauce. And that's it.

I'll spare you details on the Eastern-style/Western-style drama, only saying that most folks around here like Eastern-style and Ben and I are with them on that.

Our favorite barbecue spot in Bill's in Wilson. There are a lot of good things about Bill's. First -- and most important -- the food is excellent. Second, there's a lot of it. Third, it's pretty cheap. Fourth, the ambiance and decor are such that you don't feel bad if you drop a little of your barbecue on the table. Or the floor.

I usually go for the barbecue (pork -- but that goes without saying in the Tar Heel State), chicken and dumplings, hush puppies, sweet potatoes and biscuits. And peach cobbler. The photo at the top is my most recent Bill's meal. Notice the half-eaten biscuit. That's where I started.

Ben skips the dessert and does double barbecue and biscuits. He's also a sweet potato fan, likes the fried chicken and hush puppies, and has been known to try fatback but reports it isn't his favorite menu item.

I think this picture of Ben really captures our barbecue experience. See how he's savoring the moment? Or just happened to blink as I took the picture?

If you're in the neighborhood, stop in at Bill's. Tell them we sent you. But I'd recommend skipping the fatback.

A Kale Tale

2008-12-15T19:36:00.003-05:00

See this leafy green stuff? It's kale.

If you've never had it, here's how I'd describe it: a really, really tough version of parsley. It doesn't wilt. It takes a lot of effort to chew. Did I mention it was tough?

I don't have much use for kale. In fact, I have only one recipe I use it in: a sausage and potato soup. (If you're still interested in trying it after you read this -- and really, you should, because it's a good soup -- the recipe is at the end.)

The soup calls for two cups of kale. The thing is, you can't buy kale by the cupful. You buy it by the bunch. And there's a lot more than two cups of kale in a bunch.

Back when my sister Allie and I had our apartment in Farmington, I made this soup one time. I used my two cups of kale. I thought about throwing out the extra. But then I didn't.

This apartment was the first place I'd lived that had a garbage disposal. It was an impressive machine and I was a little fascinated with it. I thought it would be fun to feed it the kale.

And it was -- at least for stalks one through six. They spun and spun while the blades ground away, eventually sucking in leafy tops. Stalk seven, though is what gummed up the works. I was faced with an ugly kale clog.

I tried running the garbage disposal longer. Nothing. I tried four different grades of drain cleaner. No dice. I tried a snake-like gadget that was supposed to clear any blocked pipe. All it did was bring up a few good size chunks of kale, unharmed, except for the color bleaching that occurred as a result of the three gallons of Draino I used.

Ben finally showed up to help and suggested lye. Citing my aversion to corrosive alkalines in the kitchen, I said no. Then he suggested a plunger. I have an aversion to plungers in the kitchen, too, but it was better than lye and I was desperate for an operational sink at this point.

At first, even the plunger was helpless against the kale blockage. Eventually, however, Ben was able to clear the clog. I was giddy. My sink was kale-free. I'm sure my landlord would have been appreciative, too, had he been aware of the situation.

Thanks to this experience, Ben asks me whenever I make this soup not to put the kale down the garbage disposal. Let me caution you in the same way. Toss it, give it to the dog, put it in a vase and pretend it's a bouquet -- but do not try to grind it up in the InSinkErator.

Trust me on this one.

Sausage Kale Soup

1/2 lb. hot Italian sausage
3 to 4 cups chicken broth
3 to 4 cups milk
1 small onion, minced
1/4 cup bacon, crumbled
Dash salt
Dash crushed red pepper flakes
1 large russet potato, scrubbed, with peel
2 cups kale, chopped

Grill or sauté sausage until cooked. Slice into 1/4-inch slices.

Combine broth, milk, onion, bacon, salt and pepper flakes in a large stock pot. Cook at medium high heat for about 10 minutes.

Quarter the potato lengthwise, then slice. Add to pot. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes.

Add sausage to soup. Simmer for an hour.

Add kale. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Makes four servings.

The food: Kale
The verdict: Great in soups. Not great in drains.

Sir, Mix a Lot?

2008-12-02T07:07:00.002-05:00

I don't use mixes that often, but inevitably, whenever I cheat and bake something from a mix, someone wants the recipe. Basic recipe: Go to Harris Teeter. Add eggs and oil.

I've decided there is no need to apologize for using a mix -- some of them are really excellent. Betty Crocker's Double Chocolate Chunk cookie mix, for instance, makes the best cookies I've ever had.

I'm also throwing my official blog endorsement behind Country Gourmet scone mixes. My two favorites are cranberry orange and blueberry oat. Just add water. Not too sweet, not too dry. Very sconey.

The food: Double Chocolate Chunk cookie mix and Country Gourmet scone mixes
The verdict: The best thing that ever happened to an egg and two tablespoons of water

The Good. And the Bad and Ugly.

2008-11-28T21:37:00.006-05:00

Thanksgiving. A day for giving thanks. But mostly for cooking. And eating. And then eating leftovers.

This was our second Thanksgiving in North Carolina and while we briefly entertained the idea of making barbecue for the big meal, we went traditional in the end. In my post-Thanksgiving review and analysis, I give a thumbs-up to the turkey (made in my slow cooker), the cranberry sauce (made in a factory by Ocean Spray) and the biscuits (which were both a Thanksgiving side and breakfast today, served with gravy).

The secret to the biscuits is Maine's own Bakewell Cream. I haven't found it around here, but if you're into making biscuits, it's well worth a mail order. The leavening agent makes biscuits flaky and fluffy (unless you're a compulsive mixer or kneader, which I used to be -- and in that case, even the magic of Bakewell Cream can't save you). The moral of the story: Mix minimally. Knead lightly. Use Bakewell.

The day, however, was not without its disappointments. The biggest disappointment: Rachael Ray's Double-Decker Pumpkin-Caramel Pie.

Check out this link to see what Everyday with Rachael Ray promised me it would look like. Here's what it actually looked like:

I swear, there's a slice of pie under there.

This flop was particularly painful since dessert is the best part of Thanksgiving and pumpkin pie is the best dessert.

There were three main problems. First, I couldn't find the chocolate graham crackers for the crust, so I improvised with Oreos. Sounds good in theory, but they stayed in the pie plate. Second, the pie batter was a little on the bitter side, so I added a little (lot) more sugar. The pie never really set right. Third, the caramel whipped cream was made by melting caramel with cream, then adding the mixture to cream whipped to soft peaks. The caramel deflated the cream and turned the whole thing into a soupy, yucky-sweet mess.

Despite the obvious visual evidence that I had failed, I grabbed a spoon and tried a slice. This, after all, was Thanksgiving, and I needed some pie. It wasn't pretty.

Next year, it's back to regular old pumpkin pie. Hold the caramel.

Table Talk

2008-11-17T21:00:00.006-05:00

This past Saturday was the first ever Bridge Community Church DelecTables event. Hostesses from the Bridge each decorated a table in a holiday theme, made a dessert and invited a few friends to come and enjoy.

Since my good china consists of a quarter of a set of Corelle Livingware, circa 1985, I had to pass on the tablescaping portion of the event. I did, however, volunteer to bring a dessert.

This was the perfect opportunity to try out a recipe I've been holding on to for just such an occasion: chocolate pound cake with Italian meringue buttercream.

I'll skip the play-by-play and just say this: It was good. Thanks in part, I believe, to the six sticks of butter and nine eggs it included.

I won't lie. I was nervous going into the production phase. The cake itself required delicate sifting, measuring and blending, none of which I do too carefully. But the real challenge was the Italian meringue buttercream. It required the whipping of, as they say here in the South, a whole mess of egg whites. Then it required me to heat water and sugar to exactly 245 degrees -- a process during which a kid named Steve came to the door selling magazines. I explained that I'd love to hear more but that if I didn't go stir the syrup my meringue would be ruined and I didn't suppose Steve wanted that on his conscience.

He didn't.

Once I had the syrup, I added it to the egg whites. I blended. I whipped. Then I added a little butter. Like two cups. As in a whole box. But I did it tablespoon by tablespoon. That made it seem a little more reasonable.

In the end, the cake and the frosting both turned out pretty well. I didn't get a photo of the finished cake, but I did photograph the mini version I made for myself (to test for quality). I've decided sifted flour and superfine sugar are the way to go with cakes -- you get a very fine crumb and smooth texture. And if you're feeling like your cholesterol levels can survive the hit, I'd highly recommend the meringue. (I found my recipe in Cuisine at Home, provided by CakeLove in Washington, D.C., but you can see the same recipe here.) It's not too sweet and very smooth. Like butter, you might say.

The food: Chocolate pound cake with Italian meringue buttercream
The verdict: The tastiest heart attack you'll ever have

Election Day: An Excuse to Eat Themed Food

2008-11-12T19:51:00.003-05:00

So, last Tuesday, when everyone else in the U.S. was out exercising his or her right to vote, this early ballot caster was at home, thinking up election-themed eats. I finally settled on mulled cider, in honor of all the undecideds out there, mulling over their choices, and variety-is-the-spice-of-life cake -- a nod to the new incoming president, whoever he would be.

The cider was comforting, the cake was spiced, the electorate was heard.

Books that Make You Want to Stop Eating Food

2008-11-08T19:45:00.000-05:00

If you read my post on books about food, you may remember that I was anxiously awaiting Melanie Dunea's My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals.

I'm disturbed to report the book features a portrait of Anthony Bourdain wearing the main ingredient for his meal. This book is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. People, you've been warned.

When one bite just isn't enough

2008-11-04T19:09:00.003-05:00

Last week at work, we held an office-wide potluck, featuring fried chicken and everyone's favorite sides and desserts from home.

I made apple-cinnamon bundt cake from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine. (That's the bundt in question above.) I used rome apples instead of granny smiths, which I probably wouldn't do again, but it turned out pretty well, except for the broken side piece. In a hurry to un-bundt it, I ripped out a little chunk, which stayed in the pan. I'm sure Martha would have made another for work and fed the mangled cake to the dogs, but I just covered the bad spot with a lot of icing and asked co-workers to avert their eyes.

The real stars of the potluck, however, were brownie bites topped with cream cheese frosting, courtesy of my pal Katherine. She and I each enjoyed one before the potluck began (we were considering them appetizers), I had one with lunch, then I swung by the kitchen in the late afternoon for yet another.

Katherine says she bought them at Whole Foods, but I'm pretty sure God just reached down from heaven and handed her the tray.

Whole Foods, if you're listening, I'd like your recipe.

The food: Whole Foods Market's bite-size brownies with cream cheese frosting
The verdict: I think I'm in love

Cuts Like a Knife

2008-10-31T23:14:00.000-04:00

When it comes to Rachael Ray, you either love her or hate her. But regardless of your feelings on the Rach, I think you could really warm up to her East/West knife.

This little gem from Furi, part of Ray's flaming orange cookware line, has a nice weight, a grippy handle, and looks good sitting in my Kapoosh. What more could a girl ask for? Oh, it's also sharp.

Sure, it's no J.A. Henckels Twin Pro S 7-Inch Santoku Knife with Hollow Edge, but for $20 at T.J. Maxx, how can you go wrong? I recommend it. It's a fun knife to use. Especially on onions. With a wooden cutting board. When you say "Hiyah!" and drop the knife from three feet in the air. Being careful not to cut your fingers, of course. I mean, that's what I've heard.

Books about Food

2008-10-20T08:39:00.001-04:00

Wake County has a fantastic library system. Procuring a library card was one of my first acts as an official Wake County citizen.

Since that day, I've been one of WCPL's most faithful readers. And lately I've been reading books about food.

My most recent read was Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl, former restaurant critic at the New York Times. I spent most of the book wishing I was a professional restaurant patron and wondering if anyone -- even those with palates as sophisticated at Ruth's -- can taste a drop of squid ink in a complicated dish. It kind of sounds like the princess and the pea. Except with squid ink.

Okay, maybe that's a stretch.

In any case, Garlic and Sapphires was a fun read. I'd recommend it. And if you've got an appetite for more food books, here are a few others I've read recently.

Classic 30-Minute Meals by Rachael Ray
She's a little wacky, but Rach comes up with some good food ideas. If you can get past the cover photo (yes, her shirt does say "YUM-O!") I think you'll dig this cookbook.

The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8. Lee
Lee traces the history and rise of American Chinese food through her search for Powerball winners who played the numbers from their fortune cookies. Highly entertaining, except for the three pages in which Chinese food becomes a metaphor for life in the American melting pot. I'd skip those if I were you.

The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones
Continuing on my Chinese food kick, I moved on to this novel, by the author of Lost in Translation. It's the story of a food writer named Maggie who travels to China to settle some legal affairs for her deceased husband. While there, she is assigned a story on the Chinese-American cook Sam Liang, who is preparing for a huge feast for a cultural festival in Beijing. The descriptions of food (and its preparation) are amazing. I loved the book until it turned into a love story, at which point I alternated between salivating (food descriptions) and gagging (love).

Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan
This novella is about the final evening at a Red Lobster restaurant in Connecticut, told from the point of view of the honest, earnest restaurant manager who will be reassigned to an Olive Garden when his restaurant closes. Doesn't make me want to eat at a Red Lobster anytime soon, but it's a good book.

Stand Facing the Stove by Anne Mendelson
The story of Irma Rombauer, author of The Joy of Cooking, and how her classic book came to be. Mendelson covers Joy from its initial self-publication to its current form. Who knew the history of a cookbook could be so interesting? It feels a little like a soap opera -- but in a good way.

Waiting for me right now, courtesy of interlibrary loan, is Melanie Dunea's My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals. Dunea, a photographer, documents the food that famous chefs would request before they, uh, died, I guess. Sounds a little morbid but the photos are supposed to be great. Count me in.