HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I get very sentimental and irony-free on Thanksgiving. I say uncool things like: I'm so grateful for everything little thing in my life. And I'm thankful for living in a country that is made up of such generous and wonderful people. Not being a natural born American, Thanksgiving was something I came to later than sooner, but I have embraced it with the zeal of a convert.
I don't get those people who harrumph about the Holidays, especially Thanksgiving. What's not to like? It's a uniting national holiday that cuts across religious divisions and political orientation. It celebrates the bounty that is in our lives, and asks us to examine the little (and big) blessings that fill our days and often go unnoticed and unappreciated. And there's some really good eating involved- sounds like a winner to me!

Cranberry Chutney
In a med. saucepan combine 1 c. water and 3/4 c. sugar, bring to a boil. Add 2 c. fresh cranberries, 2 cored, peeled, and diced apples, 3/4 c. apple cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/4 tsp. ground cloves, mix and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

A Final Fond Farewell

So I now have proof that we are indeed in the throes of a nasty recession. Forget the graphs, mindnumbing stats, and the stuffed shirt's frantic proclamations on the evening news- my favorite local cafe is closing! A cafe that has been in this area longer than I have. I loved going to this place- it was where I snatched up a few moments of luxury and indulgence, in the middle of the day, after drop off- before pick-up. Sometimes I'd hide behind a book or a magazine, savoring the solitude and freedom over a sandwich. Often times, I'd play the lady-who-lunches routine with a friend or two. We'd trade news and the inevitable kiddie-tales over a couple of crunchilicious salads.
The food was solidly pleasing, the menu was nothing if not reliable. I knew it by heart, as it never changed. I had the 3-4 dishes that I rotated between: If I was in breakfast mode I'd always get the egg-white omelette #3 (sundried toms, cheese, and fresh basil), I turned to the tuna sandwich when I craved protein. My most frequent request was #5- a hearts of romaine salad made stupendous by crisp apple slices, pungent blue cheese crumbles, balsamic sesame vinaigrette, and the spiced cashews were the salad's piece de resistance. When I was feeling downright extravagant I'd get the melted brie and apple sandwich.
This afternoon as a final farewell I met a couple of friends for lunch at our nearly departed cafe. I had my good ol' #5. We tried to identify an alternate locale- I really hope that Burger King isn't our only option after this economic twister wreaks it's full damage.

#5 Salad- as deconstructed by me
Dressing: pour about 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar, 3-4 tbsp. (to taste) honey, and 1/4 c. toasted sesame oil into a jar or cruet-shake well.
Spiced Nuts: In med. sized bowl mix 2-3 tbsp. maple syrup, 1 tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar, a nice pinch of cayenne, a sprinkling of salt, dash of cinnamon. Add 1 c. pecans or walnuts or cashews, mix until maple syrup concoction coats the nuts/ Place on a baking sheet in one layer. Put in oven at 375F- for about 10-15 mins. Cool.

Divide chopped hearts of romaine leaves onto salad plates, place granny smith slices on top of romaine, scatter a handful of crumbled blue cheese, feta, or goat cheese over salad. Then sprinkle spiced nuts over, douse with the balsamic sesame vinaigrette.

The Answer Is Soup

Does your life ever feel like a maelstrom of activities, chores, responsibilities? Maybe that's the definition of life? A tumultuous, disordered, whirlwind of people, events, and commitments. And at the end of the day, if you're very good and a little bit lucky, you get a delicious bowl of hot soup to savor, and unwind over.
This is my kitchen sink soup, I just throw a bunch of things in it, let it simmer for a while, and then enjoy.

Kitchen Sink Soup

Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a saucepan, add 1 chopped yellow onion, saute until soft and translucent. Add 1 qt. veg. or chicken stock, 1 chopped red pepper, 1 can of cannellini beans, 2 cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes, 1 tsp. oregano, 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, salt and pepper. Raise heat to high, until soup begins to boil. Lower to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 mins. Add a handful or two of small shaped pasta. Cook until pasta is ready.

Cheese 'n Crackers Soup

I'm trying to get the recipes right for this article I'm writing on winter soups that would appeal to the kidfolk. I came up with 2 cutesy-cute ideas: Cheese & Crackers Soup and Spaghetti 'n Meatball Soup. I promised my editor that the recipes would be great- tried, tested, and truly tasty- and that the piece would be print-worthy in about a week. My road to hell is paved not so much in good intentions, but really, a distorted sense of time.
For the past couple of days I tried a few cheddar cheese recipes that were just OK- definitely not great, there was a bitter aftertaste probably due to the copious amount of sharp cheddar. The kiddles are my mini-guineas and they were totally underwhelmed.
This evening experimentation produced a better result- smoother, milder, more kid-friendly. A word of warning: this soup is not for the lactose intolerant and although I used low-fat dairy products it's definitely on the richer end of the spectrum.
Tomorrow night: the Spaghetti 'n Meatball Soup trials begin....

Cheese & Crackers Soup
Melt 3 tbsp. butter over med. heat in a pot, add 1 c. chopped red pepper and stir until pepper softens. Add 1/2 c. flour and mix in until peppers are coated. Pour 2 c. heated milk (I used 2%) and 2 c. heated veg. or chicken stock. Stir until creamy and smooth. Add 1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar and 1 c. shredded mozzarella. Stir until melted in. If necessary thin with stock or milk. To serve: crumble a few saltines (or your favorite type of cracker) on top and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Hashing It Out

Here's another one to add to the breakfast-for-dinner annals. It's a bit involved and hardly zip one-two-three, like the blueberry buttermilk pancakes I made for dinner last night-but I'm on a bit of a kick you see, turning our days upside-down, inside-out- adding a little topsy-turviness to our daily routines. Nowadays the kiddles are half expecting to be greeted at the breakfast table with a steak, a slice of birthday cake in their lunchboxes, and every kind of breakfast dish for dinner. Last night was pancakes, tonight- salmon hash, tomorrow night perhaps I'll go basic with a bowl of homemade granola? This is just another one of my spurious phases- I trot down these random paths every once in a while- when I need to create a diversion, rather tame (and lame), when I think of all the other truly naughty things I can be doing.

This recipe is adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine

Dilled Sour Cream: stir into one c. sour cream 1 tbsp. chopped fresh dill, a dash of salt, a few good grinds of pepper and a squirt or two of lemon juice. Set aside.
Salmon Hash: in skillet heat 2 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. veg oil- once butter melts add 1 lb. potato dice or shred ( I used Simply Potatoes hash browns for ease). Coat in butter mixture and cook until potatoes start to turn tender and brown around the edges. Continue to turn over cook for about 5 mins until uniformly soft. Then stir in 1 c. of diced red onion- and pat mixture down with spatula. Cook until onion is soft and translucent. In a small bowl mix 1 tbsp dijon mustard with 3 tbsp. half and half and generous grinds of pepper. Scrape up the hash mixture and stir in the mustard mixture. Continue cooking and scraping up the hash, tamping it down with the spatula every so often. Then mix in 1 lb. flaked cooked salmon fillet, 2-3 tbsp. of snipped chives and 1 tbsp. dill and a few dashed of tobasco sauce- cook until heated through. Serve hot, topped with a nice dollop of dilled sour cream and a sprinking of capers.

Chicken Fantastico

At last, the chicken recipe I've been looking for since getting hitched. Everyone knows that each good home cook worth his/her kosher salt, has a good roasted chicken recipe in their repertoire. I finally found mine. And I've definitely been getting my dollars worth out of it- as well as a few rounds of praise.

Chicken Fantastico
Mix 1 tbsp. onion powder, 1 tbsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1 1/2 tsp. oregano, 1 tsp. paprika with 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil. Brush chicken pullet pieces evenly with olive oil mixture. Place uncovered in 375F oven on rack 6-8" from top for about 1 hr., cover with foil and leave in for another hour.

Party Hearty

Chez nous has been party central over the past few days. Kiddlette's birthday party on Sunday kicked it all off. It was a convivial scene, between the uproarious antics of Rogow the amazing clown/magician, the Tinkerbelle themed decorations, and the menu dictated by all of Kiddlette's favorite things: freshly made grilled cheese sandwiches, a pound cake topped with whipped cream frosting, and cups of yummy hot chocolate. Kiddlette was thrilled by the mound of presents she recieved, not so thrilled by my decree that she may only open one a day...
By the party's end the house looked like a trashed Disney float- sagging streamers, deflated balloons, shredded Tinkerbelle tableware. A sure sign of a rollicking good party among the Pre-K set.
As soon as the last goody bag was dispensed, I headed straight back into the kitchen and began preparations for last night's Italian themed dinner. My friend C. was on the guest list, and the inspiration behind the menu. A few weeks ago we were to meet for dinner, I suggested Italian, she dismissed the idea saying that "there's no good Italian around here". I stuck my nose in Lidia Bastianich's fine Italian cookbook, and didn't resurface until I devised an appropriate menu. I started with a rich and flavorful tomato bread soup, moved on to a simple chicken cacciatore that comprised of just 4 ingredients: san marzano plum tomatoes, chicken cut in 8ths, olive oil, and fresh fragrant rosemary- simply good. I also made a meat ragu sauce that was just fantastico! It utilized 2 cups of red wine, and reconstituted porcini mushrooms, it percolated on the stove for hours and filled the house with a hearty and robust aroma. Served with hefty rigatoni pasta- I half expected the table to burst into a round O Sole Mio. Dessert was where I departed from the theme and probably shouldn't have. I baked a chocolate chip cookie pie that just wouldn't set, not sure why... I wasn't going to serve it, but was cajoled into bringing it out- it was like eating warm cookie dough, which I'm not bananas about, but our guests seemed to enjoy.
Today I made a chocolate cake that almost made me cry. Not because it was beautiful to behold, although it certainly wasn't an eyesore. It was chocolate cake that you could wrap your soul around. Deep, dark, chocolate flavor, moist texture, there's nowhere to go but Happy when you're savoring this cake. And the ease of this recipe takes you from Happy to Relieved.

CHOCOLATE BLISS CAKE:
Beat together chocolate cake mix, 1 package chocolate instant pudding mix, 4 eggs, 1 8oz. conainer sour cream, 1/2 c. vegetable oil, 1/2 c. water, and 1 tbsp. vanilla extract. Stir in 1 package of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Pour into greased bundt pan. Bake in 350F oven for about an hour, or until it passes the toothpick test.
Chocolate Glaze: mix 1/2 c. sugar, 1/4 c. milk, and 3 tbsp. butter in saucepan on med. heat. Stirring constantly, bring to boil and boil for a minute. Take off stove. Stir in 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 tsp. vanilla extract until chips are melted and glaze is smooth and glossy. Pour glaze over cooled cake.