Delicious Autumn!

Delicious Autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird, I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns!-George Eliot

The quote above speaks to my core. I am an Autumn individual, through and through.
The decorating, the food, the mild weather. I love the approach of the holidays and the end of the year. So many of our festivals and traditions harken back to when our lives revolved around the cycles of the earth. The planting, reaping and harvesting. And in the fall, as the year starts winding down, so do many of the hardest working hours. The daylight is short so people were gathering inside for longer hours and the family connected around the hearth. The community would gather to share their bounty with the neighbors. This is what we carry with us deep in our souls even as we are more technological than agricultural. We are spread and disconnected from each other in different ways. We reap our harvest at publix instead of at the back of a mule. But deep down we feel the approach of autumn and breath a little deeper. We take just a little more time out side in the evening. We feel the ages and eons of the past in our bones, and we look towards smoky fires and hearty dinners and family, and festivals.

    "Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting, and autumn a mosaic of them all."-                                                                                                                                Stanley Horowitz

        "The morns are meeker than they were,
         The nuts are getting brown.
           The berry's cheek is plumper,
           The rose is out of town.
           The maple wears a gayer scarf,
           The field a scarlet gown.
          Lest I should be old fashioned,
                      I'll put a trinket on!"  -Emily Dickinson

The first inkling of Autumn for me is the arrival of winter squash at the markets. Such beautiful speckled goodness. They are snapshots of fall with their green and gold shells, and orange flesh. I bought some sweet dumpling squash this weekend and spent a leisurely afternoon chopping and dicing and caramilizing and then pulling it all together with a smoked sausage. Perfect sunday afternoon, fall meal.

I began with the squash, I wanted to peel and cube it, but its so hard to do when raw. And yet, you don't want it coooked to where it is falling apart in the skillet. So I pricked it with a fork and microwaved it for about 4 mins. This made it just right for peeling and cutting and it held up so well while cooking with the other veg. 

I had two granny smith apples that I wanted to use. I typically would reach for a sweeter apple for this, but I was afraid that with the sweet squash it might be too much. But I didn't want it too tart either, so I peeled and diced the two grannies, and carmelized them on the stove top in some butter a little. 

Now I had onions and potatoes I wanted to bring to the party. The potatoes I wanted crisper, and on the side, so I made smaller pieces and sprinked some garlic powder and parmesan cheese and roasted them   until crisp.  I cookoed the smoked sausage (Turkey) by itself  and left the fond in the bottom of the skillet after removing it to a plate. I added the onion and pre-cooked squash to the skillet now, with a bit of spray oil and salt and pepper. Let that get soft, then stirred in the cooked apple. Once this had all melded, I scooped it on a plate and spooned some sausage on  top, with a side of the taters. That was for David, for me, this dish isn't complete with Saurkraut!!! So I put some in  the empty skillet and sprinkled some caraway seed in. It got nice and brown and I added it to my plate. I didn't add a lot of seasoning to this besides salt and pepper. I felt that as I cooked and then layered the flavors, each item was able to really stand on its own and just didn't need much else.
OH MY YES! Lovely tasty, september dinner. My inaugural tribute to the coming season.

I will add that I made a pumpkin pie pudding (WW friendly) and we finished off the evening with that while we watched some football. Come on OCTOBER!

Sippin' on Gin and Juice

Well, I wasn't actually sipping on Gin and Juice, but I was cooking with it.
And I did sing that song in my head the whole time I was cooking.
I have always enjoyed the taste of Juniper, the most widely recognized flavor element of gin. Juniper is an evergreen with little blue-ish berries. You can purchase those berries, dried, at health food stores. I have used them in a number of recipes in that natural form, but this is the first time I have cooked with actual gin.
Its also the first time I have cooked Endive. I have used it as a scoop for cheese spread, and in its other form, chicory, have enjoyed it in coffee, but not cooked the pointed heads. Let alone a braise! I would not have thought a seemingly delicate leaf would hold up to a braise. Well, once again, I am shown I don't know it all. What?!?
I came across this recipe and was immediately intrigued. Being a fan of gin, and having some in my kitchen already, made it more appealing. So after putting it off for a month or so, I finally gathered what few ingredients I didn't have. This recipe called for 10 heads of Belgian Endive. NOT to be mistaken for Curly Endive! BIG DIFFERENCE! But 10 heads of the stuff would have run me close to $20, and been a lot of food. Being as its just me and the Husband, and I wasn't even sure if he would try it, much less eat any, 10 was too much. I went with 4 heads and halved the rest of the recipe. This also cut it down to a one pan dish, not two.
It was very tasty. The citrus and juniper were a nice foil to the bitter green. Delectable I would say. I think I would find a better entree to pair it with next time. I made a Mojo Pork Roast in the crock pot. I was thinking the citrus in the Mojo and the Endive would be a good match, but really you have to have balance. Yin and Yang. Chasing the YUM. So I think a better choice would be a roasted or grilled pork tenderloin. Maybe even a sauteed chicken paillard with garlic and salt and pepper.
Many ideas are running through my head now.
The endive was good, and it was a pretty quick fix, about 40 mins. Even if you were preparing an entree at the same time, I don't think this would be too much to do on a weeknight.
I only had enough gin (Farmers and Plymouth) to use in the recipe, so I couldn't sip if I wanted to.
But it was worth it.
I'll add that my trepidatious husband tried it and liked it. So if you are looking for something a bit different and you have some decent gin on hand, give this a try. Let me know what you think.


Adapted from Food & Wine.

1. 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2. 10 medium Belgian endives, halved lengthwise
3. 1/2 cup gin
4. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5. 1 cup fresh orange juice
6. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
7. 2 tablespoons honey
8. 2 scallions, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced
9. 2 tablespoons salted roasted pumpkin seeds
10. Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
11. Remember, this is the whole, 10 head recipe. For just 2 -4 people, half is really adequate.
12. 
    

1. In each of 2 large skillets, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the extra-virgin olive oil. Add the endive halves, cut sides down, and cook over moderate heat until richly browned, about 5 minutes. Slowly pour 1/4 cup of the gin into each skillet and cook until it's reduced by half. Turn the endives over, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and add 1/2 cup of the orange juice to each skillet. Cover and cook over low heat, turning once, until the endives are tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Transfer the braised endives to a warm platter, cut sides up. Pour the liquid from one of the skillets into the other. Add the butter and honey and boil over high heat until syrupy, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Pour the sauce over the endives and garnish with the sliced scallions and roasted pumpkin seeds. Drizzle the endives with the balsamic vinegar and serve.

MAKE AHEAD The endives can be prepared through Step 1 and refrigerated in their liquid overnight. Before serving, reheat gently and proceed.

Last Hurrah for Summer

You hear it all the time. As you get older you say it more and more... Time is flying by!! The summer has simply flown by! While it seems like it in retrospect, I can say I eeked a lot out of my summer. It started in a most unconventional way, for me at least, as I was laid off in May. 

I kept pretty busy those first few weeks preparing for my Gatsby Lawn Party (in a previous Post). 

Then, when June was still in its early days, I told a friend I wasn't enjoying summer, I was too disgruntled about my job being taken out from under me and having to face the oh so daunting task of finding new employment. Well, shortly after the words left my mouth I knew that was silly. Life doesn't wait for things to be going perfectly. Its up to us to take our pleasures and wrest them from the hours as they 'Fly' by. So I took my summer back. 

Don't get me wrong, I was actively job hunting, but in this technological world of 2013, that means trolling the internet and submitting lots of resumes online. I could spend 4 hours a morning doing that, and be done by 11am. After a light lunch, I was off to Honeymoon Island. I finally made it all the way to the north tip of Honeymoon, 5 miles round trip.

Or, some times, I would meet a friend for lunch. 

Some days were spent just planning a more involved recipe to try, now that I had all afternoon. 

I remember growing up, if I stayed home from school, watching my mother start dinner in the middle of the afternoon. I did that this summer. And even for someone who enjoys cooking as much as I do, it was so much more enjoyable to slowly tackle each and every preparation with a relaxed pace. And sure, we ate a little earlier in the evening than we do when I am working full time but with the whole long summer evening a head of us, we would find our way to the local craft breweries to enjoy a pint while the sun was settling. 

We took a few days to enjoy Anna Maria Island, our favorite summer destination. Swimming in the pool, trying new restaurants and even a little boating.

And then I was lucky enough to find gainful employment by the beginning of August. Very lucky and most grateful. 

Yes, the summer flew by. But not before I took my share of its sun kisses, and its joyful spirit that we only get for a few months, if we are smart enough to embrace it. 

And I was determined to try this stuffed zucchini before the season has completely faded. 

Been wanting to for weeks. Its super easy for weeknight cooking, even after a full day at work. :)

Feel free to futz around with the seasoning, and the cheese. Heck, mix it up however you want, but promise me you will enjoy!!

Zucchini 4 or 6

Turkey Sausage crumbles (about 1/2 C)

Parmesan cheese (1/4 C)

Fresh Thyme (1 T)

Sweet onions (1/4 C) Pre cooked or not. Either way. You pick.

Optional:

Bread Crumbs (1/4 C)

Monterey Jack Cheese

Smoked Turkey Sausage (Small Dice)

Cut the Zucchini lengthwise. Scoop it out and dice up the insides. 

Mix with the remaining ingredients of your choice, and Salt & Pepper. 

Cook in 400º oven for 25 mins. (give or take, until its as brown as you like it) 

I then topped mine with some flash cooked tomatoes. Here is a pic of the outcome, along with some pictures of my summer. Happy Fall!!

Grandmothers

I'd like to do a series of posts dedicated to my grandmothers. I'm starting with my Paternal Grandmother, because I have so much of her with me. So, here we have No. 1 in a series, this is my Grandma Fischler. We called her that always. My mom tried to tell us we could just say 'Grandma' because she knew who she was, but its the only way I ever thought of her. It wasn't Granny (as my cousins used) or just Grandma or any number of other names kids come up with. To me, she was Grandma Fischler. Born Rachel Frye in about 1900, in Brooklyn, they all knew her as Ray.  In fact, it was only a month or two ago that I learned her name was actually Rachel. It was on the back of a photo. She had a big family and lots of people around. Married Harry in 1924. Had their first daughter, my Aunt Audrey in 1925. My dad in 1926 and then two more, Joan and Steven in the next ten years. 

Harry, we called him Poppy, decided to move the family to Pensacola in the 30's. He was going to be a mechanic on one of the naval bases and work on planes. 

When I was a kid we would go to Pensacola to visit. She was always so full of delight in seeing us kids. And her Matty, of course. But us kids she would pinch both our cheeks and take our faces in her hands and just kiss us. Pure sweetness. I was talking with my cousin Bruce recently (Audrey's boy). I never felt so jealous as when he was telling me how he would ride his bike to her house after school everyday. It really drove home to me that so many kids have these great, familiar relationships with their grandparents. Not just summer visits. Im sorry I didn't spend more time with her. She played MahJongg, which I came to love on my own. She called her husband Christopher Columbus because he always took a circuitous route when going anywhere. And frequently got lost for a bit. This is a trait that went to my father and directly to me. Every chance I get I will take the path less travelled and try to find new ways to get where I need to go. My Aunt was kind enough to hand down her wedding ring to me. A beautiful eternity ring with diamonds that were smuggled out of Russia by Poppy's uncles.

When David proposed to me, he didn't do it with a ring, he did it with an invitation to our wedding that he had completely arranged. This was perfect in my eyes. He said the only thing he didn't have was the ring. I didn't hesitate to say "I already have one"! And I used Grandma Fischler's ring, until I broke it twice. Now I save it for special occasions.

Here is Grandma Fischler, with her mother Mamie Frye, my Aunt Audrey and my Dad. He is just kicked back enjoying himself.

This is my Dad and Poppy. Dad never did like horses. 

I wanted to change up the art in my dining room. There were a couple of framed posters that the woman we bought our house from had left here. I really wanted to repurpose the frames and make something in tribute to my grandma to hang in there, so, here is what I did...

I distress the gold frame and pulled out a lot of paper and ephemera and spread it out all over the kitchen!!

Then I got my beeswax pan. This is amazing stuff. It melts beautifully at a low temp and I keep it on a very low burner while I work. It give the whole project an antique luster with a waxy dullish surface that is just what I like. 

It's best to have an old iron just for this use, and on a low temp, iron over it and it smooths the wax into a pretty smooth and seamless over all appearance.

 Below is the finished piece with the distressed frame. I will say, I'd like to more layering. I always think its done too soon but I don't know for sure until its framed. And then I don't want to undo it!

But the final piece I do like hanging in the dining room. I also hung a pic of my Aunt Nettie's wedding picture. (she married Harry's brother, Joe)

 Next time: Holly Hall, my maternal grandmother.
Have you hugged or spoken to your grandma today? You should. Ask her tons of questions about her life before its too late.

Continuing a theme...

Last night I made Potstickers with my wonton wrappers. Because I had so many wrappers left over, (too be honest I didn't know I had an unopened pack and bought another, so there are loads!) I decided to make cheater ravioli. I say cheater because I didn't make my own pasta. The wrappers are much lighter than standard pasta which I prefer. That way I can eat more of the filling and not feel so weighted down after.
I wanted to try a few different fillings because I like spinach and my husband doesn't. So, I started with a basic filling of ricotta and mixed in minced garlic, basil and parmesan. Certainly I used s&p, but I prefer kosher salt. It seems it should be an unspoken rule that you don't have to write salt and pepper, because it goes in EVERYTHING!!. So, from now on, that's my new rule.
From this basic mix, I created 3 different fillings.
In one bowl I had some fresh cooked, chopped spinach.
In the second bowl I had some ground chicken that I had cooked with garlic and onions.
the third bowl contained some roasted zucchini I had made the night before, and I chopped it up. To each of these I added the ricotta mix. No measurements tonight, sorry, just mix it up to taste.

So I laid out the wontons, added about 1 1/2 teaspoon of filling and folded them and sealed with a bit of water.
I brought a very large pan of water to a boil, then reduced it to a simmer and slid in the little gems. It only takes a few minutes. They started half floating at the top and then I pull them out.
Its good to sprinkle them with a bit of oil or they will stick together.

 I like to make my own marinara. I slow cook about 6 diced tomatoes with garlic in a skillet. When close to done I add a half a handful of chopped onion. I like the onion to be present. Then at the end I stir in about 1/4c of butter. I laid this on a plate and piled the ravioli on top.

I topped it with additional parmesan because I could. 

I don't typically make recipes from the Italian side of the spectrum. My husband doesn't favor it and speaking specifically of pasta, it just seems too heavy. This was a hearty, satisfying meal, that even on a sultry summer evening, was light and fresh. 

My husband is really starting to come around to my way of eating too, he liked it more than I expected!

Its only taken me 18 yrs, patience pays off, my friends. 

Sunday Dim Sum, Monday Potstickers

Yesterday, I had a chance to go to my first Dim Sum experience. The kind of Chinese brunch where they roll up with carts full of little tasty treats. Little metal canisters full of all kinds of dumplings and rolls and steamed buns. There were fresh vegetables and there were sweets and soup. You let the server know what sounds good off each cart, then they pull that container and put it on large lazy susans on the table. Everyone spins the food around and enjoys. It was so good, I was only sorry I forgot to get any pictures! After enjoying all these different dumplings, I had a real taste for potstickers. I just had to find a good potsticker recipe!
Ever since our first trip to San Francisco when we walked through the doors at Brandy Ho's, (http://www.brandyhos.com) we have been obsessed with Potstickers. Little dumplings filled with ground meats and veggies and then pan fried and steamed. Brandy Ho's, which sits right at the edge of China Town and on the verge of the Italian district, has been one of our favorite spots in a town where we have sooo many favorite spots. We make sure to go for dinner at least once each trip out to SF. This is kind of funny when you consider my husband is not a fan of Chinese food. But he will walk miles, literally, to get to Brandy's.
Most of the time the taste of the dumpling itself is only have as important as the dipping sauce. We sure do like them.
I have tried an occasional recipe but until tonight I wasn't satisfied.
Tonight, ohhh tonight! I found a recipe on "Feast on the Cheap" which really cut the mustard!
'FotC' is a blog/website that will price out a recipe and provide delicious budget friendly meals. Well thought out meals, not the kind where you buy a bunch of processed foods and pour them into a casserole. So when I saw the Curried Pork Potstickers, (which includes another one of our go to flavors, curry) I was ready to give it a go. Happily, due to my 'well stocked pantry', I only needed to buy some ground pork and a piece of fresh ginger root.
The bonus was there was also a dipping sauce recipe to accompany the potstickers. This WILL BE my go to dipping sauce. A perfect YUM as chef Jet Tila would say. A balance of salty (soy) and sweet (sugar) with  big garlic and ginger rounding it out.

I followed this recipe pretty close, I wanted to give it the best odds for success. It was really delicious. It was exactly like I want potstickers to taste.
I was also very happy with the texture.
I like to use wonton wrappers and I usually have them on hand. But they are raw dough. The way this recipe instructs you to cook them in a little bit of oil to brown and crisp in the beginning, allows them to hold up nicely to a 3 minute steam. The result is a good firm wrapper and the solid, fully cooked, pork  center. I did get a bit frustrated when a few stuck to the bottom of the pan, but I corrected on the second batch. Be sure though, once you have filled the dumplings, before you put them in the hot pan, try to flatten them as much as you can (without blowing them out) so more of the surface makes contact with the heat. My husband was very happy with the results.
Recipe says it will make about 30 dumplings. We did not need that many. Trust me, we would have eaten every one. Instead I have some extra pork filling and tomorrow I will serve it with lettuce leaves as pork roll ups.

Curried Pork Potstickers adapted from Feast on the Cheap. (its nice and short, too.)
Check out this great site: http://feastonthecheap.net

Ingredients for the Potstickers:
12oz ground pork – $3.50
½-cup thinly sliced red cabbage, chopped finely – $0.99
2 green onions, chopped into thin rounds – $1.29
2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger – $0.15
1 teaspoon Mirin – stock
½ teaspoon sesame oil – stock
¼ teaspoon curry powder – stock
½ teaspoon salt – stock
Pinch of black pepper – stock
25-30 wonton or potsticker wrappers (find them in your grocer’s produce section) – $3.29
Canola oil for pan-frying – stock
Water for pressing/crimping the wonton wrappers
Grand total assuming “well-stocked” kitchen: $8.23
Cost per potsticker: $0.27

Ingredients for the Dipping Sauce:
3 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced – stock
1 Tablespoon fresh minced ginger – $0.30
1 Tablespoon sesame oil – stock
1/3-cup low sodium soy sauce – stock
¼-cup rice vinegar – stock
¼-teaspoon black pepper – stock
2 Tablespoons sugar – stock
Grand total assuming “well-stocked” kitchen: $0.30

Directions for the Potstickers:
1. Combine the pork, cabbage, green onions, ginger, mirin, sesame oil, curry, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Mix well incorporating all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. After 30 minutes, assemble the potstickers. Place a heaping teaspoonful of filling on the center of the wonton wrapper. Dip your finger into a small bowl of water and moisten the edges of the wrapper. Press the edges of the dough to seal and crimp with the tines of a fork.

3. Once all potstickers are assembled, heat 1 Tablespoon of canola oil in a large skillet over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high and place as many potstickers in the pan as you can without overcrowding (you’ll have to cook in batches). Brown the potstickers on both sides until golden and crispy – this happens rather quickly. Keep the flame on med-high, then add just enough water to coat the bottom of the skillet and cover with a lid. Steam the potstickers for 3-5 minutes or until the water has evaporated. Place on a cookie sheet and repeat until all potstickers are cooked.

Directions for the Dipping Sauce:
1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over a low flame until sugar has dissolved. Serve with potstickers.

TTFN!

Avocado Delight

You remember when your parents told you  you weren't old enough for some foods? 

It's true, very true. It took me years to fully appreciate Avocados. I have always enjoyed guacamole, but the actual fruit itself, I was not a fan. The flavor didn't seem worth the mushiness and just so slight sliminess.

But now, NOW! The avocado has become a daily treat. I have it with my eggs, with potatoes, with tomatoes in salads. 

I came across a recipe yesterday as I was trying to find a crab dip recipe. It mixes lump crab with guacamole! Perfect!

this is an Emeril recipe, for 'Kicked Up' guacamole. I have adapted it somewhat, because it seems there is never enough seasoning for me. Which is the easiest thing in the world to fix. 

This was really good with tortilla chips. I bake my own from corn tortillas  I buy at the grocery store. I usually get 6 wedges from a small tortilla, and bake them at 350 for 12 mins. 

I feel better about eating them than I do the bags of chips. Mostly because of my Weight Watcher's habits.

So here is the adapted recipe from Emeril on Foodnetwork.com:

3 large, ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/3 cup minced cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup minced red onions
1/2 cup finely chopped seeded tomatoes
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound lump crabmeat, picked over to remove shells and cartilage
Tortilla chips, for dipping

I added: Cholula Hot Sauce, ground coriander, and extra cumin and jalapeño.

The way he directs you to make this, seems a little unnecessary. I don't propose to question Emeril, I just didn't get this particular direction. So, here are my directions:

I simply took a 1 avocado and the crab meat and set it aside. Everything else got mashed up together. Then I took the remaining avocado and chunked it up and stirred in the crab meat.

It was very good and well received by the poolside group I made it for. Even one friend who normally doesn't care for crab was eating and enjoying it and was surprised that it was the crab that added that sweet extra dimension. 

Lump Crabmeat has a sweetness and richness to it, which is why so many recipes call for it. 

If anyone reading this is local to the Palm Harbor/ Oldsmar area, the Lobster Shak on Hillsborough gets 1 lb containers of shelled lump crab about once a week. I used it once before to make crab tacos. Its a great deal and the flavor is wonderful.