Welcome to Fall

I am feeling especially wonderful about the change of seasons. Blame it on all the changes that have taken place in my life as of late, but I am loving this fall thus far! Gone are the days of dreading the start of the cold weather and getting back into a routine.

What else am I loving about the returning of fall? Excellent question! 

1. It is now socially acceptable to flavor everything with pumpkin, like I do the rest of the year.

2. I can layer! My favorite piece of clothing is the cardigan (more evidence to prove that I am really a grandma at heart) and I have an extensive collection.

3. I can open up the windows at night and snuggle under the covers.

4. Quick bread is now my breakfast of choice, accompanied by a cup of tea and eaten on the porch (when I have time.)

5. Orchards will be in full bloom and brimming with fresh crispy apples.

6. I can throw fall themed house warming parties, like the one I have planned for next weekend!

7. The holiday season is right around the corner, which I am also incredibly excited for this year.

I could go on and on, but the overarching idea is that I am loving fall this year. What better way to celebrate the coming of fall but with a feast to celebrate?!

Here is what was on the menu:

Roasted Beet and Granny Apple Salad with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

Italian Pot Roast served over Creamy Parmesan Polenta

And for dessert, Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Vanilla Buttermilk Sauce

Sound scrumptious right?! Oh, trust me. It was. I am so completely thrilled to have leftovers in my refrigerator right now for later on this week... or later on tonight. The beets on the salad was my absolute favorite element of the meal though. Admittedly, this was the first time I had ever worked with beets personally, but I found some really gorgeous ones at the grocery this week and I couldn't resist. A low and slow roast in the oven with a sprinkling of salt and olive oil and I was in beet heaven.

Roasted Beet and Granny Smith Apple Salad with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

assorted salad greens (spinach, frisse, ridiccio, rocket, etc.)

sliced Granny Smith apples

diced roasted beets (recipe to follow)

toasted chopped pecans

crumbled feta cheese

maple balsamic vinaigrette (recipe to follow)

salt and pepper

Dress you salad greens as desired, and season with salt and pepper to taste (yes, this is how you do it.) Arrange the rest of the ingredients on top of your greens and toss lightly.

Roasted Beets

2-4 beets, of assorted colors and varieties

salt

olive oil

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Wash beets and then pat dry with a paper towel. make a pocket for the beets with aluminum foil, leaving a window in the top to season. Pour enough oil into the pocket to come up the side of the beets one third of the way. Sprinkle generously with salt. Close the foil pocket to fully encompass the beets and roast until tender, about one hour, depending on how large your beets are. Remove beets and allow to cool to room temperature. Peel and reserve the roasting oil.

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

oil from roasting the beets (about 3/4 of a cup)
maple balsamic vinegar*
salt and pepper

Whisk vinegar into the oil to create a temporary emulsion. Season with salt and pepper to taste and dress greens immediately.
* feel free to substitute maple syrup and balsamic vinegar for the maple flavored balsamic vinegar. Just warm the syrup in the microwave first, to help the emulsion process.

My First Sunday Supper Party

It's official - I have hosted my first dinner party!

I'm not sure I can really call it a dinner party, as it was just my parents and I, but there was dinner. And laughing. And fun. So what the hey.

Yesterday marked the two week anniversary of me being in my new home, and home it is certainly becoming. I know I have been gone from the interwebs for quite some time now, but I really did start all over this past month. I have a new home, a new hometown, a new job, and have started new classes at a new college. I even cut all my hair off not to long ago too, so a new hair style to boot! (Check out this blog if you missed all my updates.) I seems like the only thing that hasn't changed is my love of all things food - cooking it, eating it, reading about it, shopping for it, and planning for it.

Speaking of reading, I have read a lot about gnocchi recently. Talk about a hot topic food right now. This can probably be explained by the movement to return to the basic, classic comfort foods in times of change and the unknown. Regardless of the reason, I decided to give it a whirl (and the fact that I went all helter skelter on a five pound bag of potatoes whilst practicing my knife cuts and I needed a way to use them all up may have had something to do with it as well.)

Battonet cuts: 1/4 inch x 1/4 inch x 2 inches, exactly

So I dutifully mashed, mixed, and measured as prayed that my gnocchi would at least resemble their pillowy, soft, luscious cousins being produced by little Italian grandmothers everywhere. No manner of praying seemed to help me out though, as I watched in vain as my first, farce batch of gnocchi broke up in their boiling cooking cauldron. I mixed some more, measured some more, boiled some more, and finally, after attempted number three and being threatened with the frightening sight of an almost-empty flour canister, made something that at least could be traced back to the gnocchi family tree and ended up tasting quite yummy after being sauteed with shallot, garlic, parsley, and chive.

Chicken parmesan, with homemade gnocchi and tomato sauce

All of this happened while my wonderfully understanding and gracious parents... party guests... put together my new espresso finished bar, which is adorable and now houses all of my stem and bar wear. Fabulous!

All I can say is it turned out to be a lovely evening and I can't wait to do it again. (And thank goodness my mom had the foresight to bring everything else for dinner - she knows me too well.)

A pear, apple, and cranbery crisp with vanilla bean ice cream - hello fall!

What to Make When you Have Nothing to Cook With

I haven't been to the store in two weeks. Shameful I know. Especially when I really love grocery shopping. I'm not joking. Absolute truth. I get so excited by the prospects of what will be when I get all those fresh ingredient home from the grocery, I almost can't contain myself and usually end up spending too much money. Reasons why being a personal chef and caterer is perfect - I am guaranteed LOTS of grocery shopping in my future. (Stifles excited giggles.)

Conversely, I also get really excited when I have limited items to work with, as was the case this weekend. Being a good cook isn't just about making things taste good, but also about how you utilize your ingredients and make them be the best versions of themselves. Somehow I was able to make cornmeal, canned tomatoes, and chunk tuna into a satisfying and filling Italian-inspired dinner.

Parsley polenta, stewed basil tomatoes, topped with chunk tuna fish.

I was able to use the left overs the next day to make crispy polenta cakes with tomato sauce!

Parsley Polenta

1 cup water or chicken broth

1 cup milk (I used skim)

1/2 cup yellow or white cornmeal (medium or finely ground)

1/3 cup freshly chopped parsley (bonus points if it is Italian flat leaf parsley)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Combine the water and milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in cornmeal with a whisk slowly to prevent lump-age. Continue to cook until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Take polenta off the heat and stir in parsley and cheese (if mixture is too thick, add a splash of scalded milk.) Season with salt and pepper.

April Fools Day Burgers

Call me crazy, but I have never really gotten into April Fools Day. I have an uncle whose birthday is April Fools Day (Happy Birthday Brodie!) and I too this day I think that today is the most appropriate day to have a birthday if you are an uncle, but other than that, I am usually one of those poor, unsuspecting victims onto which terribly hilarious things happen on April 1st. Today, so far so good, I haven't fallen victim yet. But there is still time - my friends and family know how gullible I am and I can't imagine them not taking advantage of this fact.

What does intrigue me about this holiday of shenanigans is the fact that you can trick people with food. Now THAT is a much better use of evil genius if you ask me. For instance...

Decorating macaroons like slider hamburgers 

Serving a bacon and eggs breakfast made out of white chocolate and Tootsie Rolls

Rolling sushi out of various candies 

Building sundaes with mashed potatoes and tinted gravy

Oh so clever!

So for this April Fools Day, I made burgers. I know, not too mysterious, but at least they are chicken burgers, not beef ones. I know there are some of you prank masters our there rolling your eyes at my weak attempt at trickery, but you can consider this a prank on your taste buds.

Italian Chicken Burgers

1 pound ground, all white meat chicken

8 saltine crackers, crushed

1/2 cup julienned spinach leaves

1/2 medium white onion, minced

1/3 fresh minced parsley

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place ground chicken in a large bowl and break apart with your hands. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix with hands. Do not over mix or your burgers will be hard and and disk-like. Patty into burgers while heating a few tablespoons of oil in a saute pan. Brown burgers on both sides, them remove to a sheet pan covered with foil and finish cooking in the oven (bake for an additional 8-10 minutes or until cooked through.)

Spaghetti Squash Supper

One of my favorite vegetables of all time is spaghetti squash, followed closely by kale, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. For those of you who haven't worked with it before, go out to the store right now and buy one. Seriously. Grab your keys, grab your wallet, get in your car, and drive to the store and get one of these babies. I'll wait here...

Ok, now that you're back, get ready for a yummy dinner! Spaghetti squash is about the size of a Nerf softball but heavy for their size. They have a smooth, light yellow skin and can be found with the other various squashes, usually being refrigerated. Once baked, the insides can be scooped out to make perfect "spaghetti" strands, and they can even be baked to al dente, for those of you who, like me, like a bite to their pasta. Top off the strands with your favorite sauce (I thawed out some homemade stuff made with spinach, chunky tomatoes, onions, garlic, bell peppers, and lots of basil.) Talk about your veggie servings for the day!

Baked Spaghetti Squash

1 spaghetti squash

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Pierce the squash skin with a paring knife and place in a baking dish, whole. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until, when pierced with a paring knife, the squash is tender.

Allow to cool until you can handle it, then slice in half and scrap out the insides with a fork. Now you have yummy spaghetti that is just as versatile as the wheat-based alternative. Toss with some browned butter and sage, top with sauce (like I did here,) or bake in a torta with some eggs and parmesan cheese, crowned with fresh tomato chutney. 

Feel free to let me know how you like your spaghetti squash that I just made you go out and buy!

Coffee in the PM

Since being home for break, which started on Saturday, I have:

• Attended Cincinnati Ballet's new rendition of The Nutcracker (a yearly tradition in my family and fabulous by anyone's standards)
• Written a plethora of blogs so that I can still post regularly once class is back in session in January
• Had 3 inches cut off my hair so that I can start the new year with a fresh new look
• Finished my parents' and grandparents' Christmas presents (a HUGE 5 month undertaking, let me assure you - more on these after Christmas)
• Wrapped up my holiday wrapping and now all my gifts are snuggled under our tree, adding to the festive decorations
• Completed a lengthy end-of-semester report for the Student Government Executive Branch (of which I am a program director)
• Caught up on all my year end bills/email/general nonsense that was standing in my way of completely enjoying my break from all things work related
• Almost completed my first book of the break and contemplated which one will be my next great read

And just today I have:

• Spent a luxurious amount of time browsing Kroger's specialty foods section
• Planned the next six days of meals in our household (including Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day brunch)
• Made three batches of biscotti (which I am now enjoying with my early evening coffee)
• Assembled a vegetable lasagna for tonight's dinner after my sister's band and orchestra concerts - yes, she does both. 
• Prepped my mise en place for our dinners for the rest of the week so I can frolic about by day and still put a yummy dinner on the table at night
• Planned a trip to Findlay Market downtown and the Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo

Due to all of this productivity, there has been lots of:

• Coffee drinking at odd hours of the day/night (including 5:14pm today)
• 15 minute cat-naps on my living room couch or sprawled out on the floor with my puppies, which I have missed oh so much
• Sleeping in past 8am (though tomorrow I plan on getting up early and going for a hike - there is only so much lazy a gal can take before she goes stir crazy)
• Finding comfy places all around the house in which to curl up with a book, mug of tea, and my laptop to blog, read, peruse my favorite websites blogs, or just sit and enjoy the spirit of the holidays.

The vegetable lasagna I made today was chock full of all those veggies some people don't like to eat but really should because they are good for you (like spinach and broccoli.) That being said, I stocked up on veggies today and put them all in the Italian treat, layering with whole wheat lasagna noodles, chunky tomato sauce, and fat free ricotta cheese filling. I love taking the guilt out of eating good tasting food, and by sneaking a few servings of veggies in there and cutting out the fat and calories, I think this is a great way to do just that for the holidays.

Mix of zucchini, red bell peppers, broccoli, onion, and carrot, all sauteed with oregano, basil, parsley, and garlic.

Beginning the layering process...

Fresh spinach leaves on top of the cheese mixture

Topped off with some more chunky tomato sauce and a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese.

We have a New Addition to the Family!

And nope, it's not what you are thinking either. No bouncing baby boys or cooing baby girls, but a brand new English Labrador puppy! My grandparents (affectionately names Mommaw and Boppaw and will be referred to as such from here on out) have an affinity with "labies" and make sure that their acreage out in the country is kept company by a couple of them at all times. I personally could not be happier for them! Not only does that mean that they have more puppy love to pass around but I get to live the puppy life vicariously through them!

His name is Del's First Mate, or Mate for short. They live right on the river and it would be inappropriate to name his anything other than a swaggering sea name. I love it! Doesn't he look like a Mate to you?

These pictures are my sister's handiwork too. She really is phenomenal at what she does and you can certainly tell a difference between her photographs and mine. This one is my favorite of hers.

That is Mate with my dad, just chilling and loving the attention. He will be a lovely addition to our family. Fits in already!

Look at that cute little pink puppy belly. And of course he has already been in the mud, in true boy form.

Oh I can't get enough of him. There is nothing like a puppy to make you smile from ear to ear until it hurts... and then rub your cheeks a bit so you can smile some more. But this blog entry isn't just about new puppies. It is about food too! And what better time to make an entry about burgers and salads!? It is that time of the year that I can't wait to get to, savor, cherish, and then cry a bit when it is all over. Grill season. When I was still living at home we would grill almost every night when the weather was warm. We would spend the days at the pool, doing yard work (yes, we all did yard work together, even us girls) at swim meets, but we always seemed to have time to take a moment and grill up a tasty dinner. My dad is the true grill master in our family, and between him and I we have grilled pretty much anything. Veggies, fruits, pizza dough (you HAVE to try this and there will be an entry all about grilled pizza in the very near future,) angel food cake, and of course any manner of protein you can think of.

But of course, some of these "traditional" offerings get monotonous, so if you have hit the proverbial bar-b-q wall already, try this variation. I made a stuffed turkey burger with broccoli salad. It was different, packed with flavor, and of course, grilled up perfectly (though these will do just fine inside on a grill pan or in a skillet as well.)

A few notes about turkey burgers - Usually people choose turkey over beef to cut calories and fight back some fat. But unless you are buying all white meat ground turkey to make your burgers, then there is really no nutritional difference between beef and turkey. And I know there are probably a few of you readers saying "But dark meat has all the flavor and juiciness." That is precisely why I chose to stuff and season my burgers with mozzarella cheese, Italian breadcrumbs (extra credit if you make your own,) sage, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and fresh parsley. All of these elements come together to make one lip-smacking burger, and once you top it off with some juicy tomatoes and crispy lettuce, you might as well banish all those worries of "dry turkey."

And about that salad - No need to get burnt out of the same old potato, macaroni, cole slaw, or green salads. Pick out some of your favorite veggies and make it shine in a salad of it's own. Love carrots? Make a shaved carrot salad with tarragon vinaigrette. Squash more your taste? Saute up some with some garlic and fresh basil and you're good to go. This is a great way to experiment in the kitchen (something I am always trying to encourage people to do) in addition to using some of the plethora of fresh vegetables and fruits ripe for the picking this time of year. I chose broccoli but in order to keep some of the intergrity of the vegetable, served it raw with a plain yogurt and vinegar dressing. With a few raisins, slivered almonds, and diced red onion, it had me coming back for seconds.

Happy grilling all!