Turkey and Three Bean Chili

Well it's been several months since I last posted on this blog - I apologize for my absence. I haven't been posting here for the last few months because I have completely changed the way I eat. Starting in early October I began eating more healthful than ever before, the result was 20 pounds of weight loss in October and November combined. I spent the holidays in weight maintenance mode and am proud to report that I didn't gain a single pound. But it's January now, and I'm back in weight loss mode - eating 1500 healthy calories a day. On a 1500 calorie meal plan I allow myself approximately 500 calories for dinner. This recipe is one of many healthy recipes I have been refining since October and is the first ready for prime time. 

The timing is also fitting because as I sit here writing this post it is -4F/-20C outside...very, very cold. This dish is the perfect thing to warm you up on a day as cold as this one. The recipe that follows is not meant to be very spicy - I would say the spice is mild (it's designed to be crowd pleasing), but if you like things spicier (like I do), I recommend adding a minced Serrano pepper or two. 

Lemon-Basil Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Stacy and I recently experimented with a number of new recipes, most of which we (mostly Stacy actually) found online. This recipe, found at simplyscratch.com, was by far our favorite. I think what makes this recipe so special is the sauce - a classic bechamel made special with the addition of champagne. Simply delicious! The other thing I love about this recipe is the balance between rich and fresh flavors - making it the perfect baked pasta for summer. We paired this with a fresh spinach salad with a homemade champagne vinaigrette and crusty bread - so good.

Nigel Slater's Carrot Cake

Those who know me, know that I do not have a big sweet tooth, and that of all the sweet foods out there cake tends to be my least favorite. But, I've always been a fan of carrot cake and this version by Nigel Slater is amazing. I've adapted the recipe slightly for an American kitchen. If you are a carrot cake purist, this recipe may not be for you, but if you are feeling a little adventurous this recipe provides an interesting twist on traditional carrot cake (hint: think orange and mascarpone). For the cookbook lovers out there, if you haven't picked up a copy of Slater's cookbook Tender you are seriously missing out.

Fresh Tomato Soup

Soup isn't the first thing that comes to mind when deciding what to eat in the summer. But if you are like me, and you like to eat fresh tomatoes in as many ways as possible, this soup is for you. This soup is light and fresh and goes perfect with a sandwich or salad to make a lovely light dinner or lunch. It's also super easy to make!

Apricot Tea Cake

Last Sunday, after having morning coffee with a good friend at our neighborhood coffee shop, I made my way to the co-op. And much to my surprise there they were - the first batch of apricots this season! I was so excited I couldn't contain myself, I instantly bagged up three pounds and decided I'd figure out what to do with them later. I love apricots - they are my favorite fruit. My excitement was slightly tempered when I realized they were from California, I'd prefer they be a bit more local than that, but I was so excited all I could do was start brainstorming about what I wanted to do with them. I knew pretty quickly that I'd look to one of my favorite cookbooks, Rustic Fruit Desserts, for inspiration. The recipe that follows is adapted from a recipe I found there, called Stone-Fruit Tea Cake. As the original recipe's name implies any stone fruit or a mix of a few will do. Because almonds compliment apricots particularly well, I substituted almond extract for part of the vanilla extract and sprinkled sliced almonds on top.

Your Grandma's Chocolate Cake

This chocolate layer cake is absolutely divine! Super moist and chocolatey and so easy to make. It really is quite simple and it'll make anyone in your life feel special. 

Herb Garden - Spring planting

This weekend I decided it was time to plant an indoor herb garden. This is the first time I've had a real herb garden - in years past I've just planted a few things, always basil, and sometimes thyme and/or oregano. But this year I wanted to go big and plant a bunch of herbs, most I already know how I'll use, but others I'll have to experiment with (e.g., pineapple sage). Wandering around the garden center yesterday, I couldn't help but wish that I lived in a house with my own yard, so that I could plant vegetables too. When I have a yard, I will have a garden with at least four varieties of tomato, maybe more, and lots of peppers too. But for now, the herb garden will suffice. The list that follows is what I planted this weekend (except the basil, which I planted several weeks ago). I may add one or two more plants in the coming weeks.

Cherry Almond Muffins

I"m a sucker for cherry almond muffins and I've been working to perfect this recipe for a while. Getting the flavor right was easy, the problem was the texture. I learned that it is critical to not overwork the batter once you combine the wet and dry ingredients - the muffins will be tough. These are delicious, perfect with coffee on a Sunday morning.   

Penne, Spicy Sausage, and Broccolini

I love this recipe! The combination of flavors is absolutely delicious and it's super easy to make - perfect for a weeknight meal. The broccolini are tender and sweet and compliment the spicy sausage very well. Broccolini are often misidentified as baby broccoli, but actually they are a cross between broccoli and kai-lan, also known as, Chinese broccoli. Any small pasta will do, farfalle would be a good substitute. 

Greek Panzanella

Panzanella is salad of toasted bread soaked in olive oil with tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers - popular throughout central Italy. This Greek version includes feta cheese and kalamata olives.  While this recipe appears on many food sites and blogs, it seems credit belongs to Ina Garten. This version is almost identical to hers with a minor variation - hers includes a red bell pepper and fewer tomatoes. If you like red peppers, replace half a pint of the tomatoes with a large red bell pepper. Either way this is delicious and perfect in the summer!

Blueberry Bread Pudding with Blueberry Sauce - Dishing Up Vermont

Let me start by saying that this recipe is not mine. I came across it in Dishing Up Vermont who credits the Nutmeg Country Inn & Bakery in Wilmington, VT. I normally prefer to share recipes that I have developed, or at least adapted in some significant way. But this recipe is so good just the way it is there is no need to alter a thing. And if you like blueberries you'll love this. I once had a friend take a bite and declare it "orgasmic." I've made this recipe with fresh and frozen blueberries and there is a pretty significant difference, I truly recommend waiting for blueberry season to make this dessert with fresh, ripe, local blueberries.

Gezelligheid in Amsterdam

It's no secret that I love Amsterdam. But when people ask me what it is that I love so much, I find it difficult to articulate. I mean, I could tell them how charming the canals and narrow winding streets are, how there are times when you literally feel like you've stepped back in time, how warm and welcoming the Dutch people are, how diverse and international the city feels (145 ethnicities according to my guide book), or how good the chocolate really is - they are considered the best chocolatiers in the world for a reason. But none of this truly captures what it is that I love so much (although I do love all those things).

Well it just so happens that the Dutch have a word, gezelligheid (pronounced "khuh ZEL ikh hide"), that sums if up perfectly, in fact some say that it sums up the heart of Dutch culture perfectly. Unfortunately for us English speakers, there is no translation for gezelligheid in English. According to Wikipedia "depending on context, [gezelligheid] can be translated as convivial, cosy, fun, quaint, or nice atmosphere, but can also connote belonging, time spent with loved ones, the fact of seeing a friend after a long absence, or general togetherness." It's the second definition that resonates with me the most. When I think of Amsterdam I think of belonging and general togetherness. Somehow, despite it's size and incredible diversity, when you walk around Amsterdam you feel like you are part of a small community, bound by a love for, and appreciation of, the small things in life.

So that's what this post is about, the small things in life, Amsterdam-style.

Tikka Masala

It's been so long I couldn't return with a single recipe, that just wouldn't be fair. So instead I am going to share with you my first attempt at cooking Eastern food (Indian to be exact). For the past year I've been working with a professor from India (Chennai) who shares my passion for food, and a few months ago she invited me and several other colleagues to her home for an authentic Indian lunch. Tikka masala was among the many dishes served and her homemade version (the first non-restaurant tikka I'd had) captivated me. I had to get the recipe and try it for myself, and lucky for me this is one of the few recipes she has written down. I've adapted the recipe just a bit.

Monkey Bubble Bread

It's been months since I posted on this blog, but no fear, I have found my food writing mojo, again. I have lots of recipes and some food travel experiences to share, and I can't wait to get to them all. Since it's been so long, I feel I must start with something simply irresistible, Monkey Bubble Bread. Monkey Bubble Bread, also known as sticky bread, African coffee cake, and pinch-me cake (among others) is a sticky, sweet, cinnamony, yeast bread - think of cinnamon buns turned inside out. Yum!

Grand Marnier Crêpes with Cranberry Compote

I'm back! It's been a while since my last blog post. I could tell you I've been busy, but who isn't busy these days, the truth is I just didn't have the motivation to work on new recipes. Instead I spent the last two months working my way through my cookbooks, putting together one dinner party after another - four Saturdays in a row - with new dishes every time! But with no dinner party on the calendar this weekend I decided it was time to do some experimental cooking. I made a homemade barbeque sauce and slathered it over ribs cooked low and slow - good but not blog ready yet - the sauce was too sweet and not tangy enough. I tried yet another rendition of duck fat fries - they too are still not ready for prime time.

And then amongst that I had grabbed a bag of fresh cranberries at the co-op, having no idea what I would do with them at the time. I thought about cooking them in a pie or crumble with apples, but I really wanted to make something that highlighted the cranberries more. It wasn't long before crêpes came to mind - and I knew the Grand Marnier I had in my freezer was the perfect way to pull it all together. I'm calling these my "Christmas crêpes" - but they are perfect if you are looking for a light dessert to go with any fall or winter meal. It's also a very easy dessert - once you learn how to make crêpes that is, it took me about four tries to get it right, practice makes perfect, and never expect the first one to be presentable.

Garlic Scape Pesto

Garlic scapes are the stem (non-flowering shoot) of hardneck varieties of garlic and are only available for a short time in the summer - lucky for us garlic farmers must harvest them for the garlic bulbs to grow "properly," or so I've been told. They of course taste like garlic but without the intensity and heat of the blub itself. You can use them as a substitute for garlic in any recipe or they can be eaten on their own. They are quite good sauteed until soft or fresh in pesto. The pesto recipe that follows was just thrown together with ingredients I had on hand so feel free to substitute as you like, likewise I kept adjusting quantities until I had the flavor where I wanted it so feel free to adjust to your taste as well. This also means I'm not exactly sure about the quantities that went in my pesto, but what is listed below is pretty close. This is not the kind of thing that requires precision anyway. I froze some of the pesto so I can have a taste of summer come winter - if you make enough I recommend you do the same.

Jim Lahey's No-Knead Pizza Dough

Ever since the NYTimes published Jim Lahey's (owner of Sullivan Street Bakery located in Hell's Kitchen) no-knead bread recipe almost five years ago, there has been a quiet revolution in the dough making world. And then over two years ago, after opening Co. (pronounced Company and located in Chelsea), Lahey shared his recipe for no-knead pizza dough with the good people at TastingTable.com. The beauty of Lahey's no-knead recipes is their ease - time does all the work. For those interested, the bakers at King Arthur Flour have created a high fiber version of Lahey's pizza dough recipe. I won't repeat the recipe here because it isn't mine - just follow any of the links provided above.

Meringue Bites

 

Like most home cooks I always have egg whites in my refrigerator. This weekend I decided it was time to use them up and I immediately knew I wanted to make meringue cookies. At first I wasn't sure what flavor I wanted to make but I quickly settled on chocolate and espresso. For those of you who have never had a meringue cookie they are incredibly light and airy, crispy on the outside and soft like marshmallow on the inside. I decided to make them bite-size but there is no reason why you can't make them bigger, in fact most people do.

Cognac Bread Pudding

I've never been a big fan of bread pudding. So when Kaia requested it for dessert at her celebratory "I passed my Master's defense" party I wasn't very excited. But this party was in her honor so I had to make the bread pudding. The problem was compounded by the fact that Kaia is a finicky eater and wasn't thrilled with any of the variations I suggested (fruits, nuts, chocolate, etc). Luckily the idea of a cognac bread pudding appealed to her - the result was absolutely delicious. I decided to bake and serve the bread pudding in individual soufflé cups but a 9 by 13 inch baking dish would work just as well.

Pappardelle and Mushrooms with Truffle Butter Cream Sauce

The inspiration for this dish came from Ina Garten's dish Tagliarelle with Truffle Butter, and while I've tested three different versions at this point, I've settled on a combination of ingredients that is remarkably similar to Ina's original recipe. Perhaps that's not surprising, she is the Barefoot Contessa. I've added lots of sauteed mushrooms and chosen black truffle butter instead of white (I prefer the less pungent, more refined flavor of black truffles). I also recommend using a cheese like Tifulin (a goat's milk cheese with black truffles) instead of Parmigiano Regiano. This dish is incredibly rich and is paired best with a simple salad of arugula (rocket) with a light vinaigrette and a hearty red wine.