Simple Breakfast

 

Crusty, toasted multi-grain bread spread generously with sweet cream butter.  A drizzle of golden honey gives just a hint of natural sweetness.  Warm, filling and satisfying.  What more needs to be said?

Crusty and nutty multi-grain bread.

Fresh, softened spreadable butter.  

Locally produced orange blossom honey.

Toast + butter + honey = good morning.

Dinner at Dad's

Occasionally, I like to challenge myself by creating a meal solely from ingredients already in the house.  I see it as a way of boosting my culinary creativity but, more so, as a way to clean out my ever-cluttered pantry.  While making dinner at my Dad's house over the weekend,  most of the components we used were already found in his surprisingly well-stocked kitchen.  What could have been a very simple dinner, ended up being quite a flavorful and exciting one.  The only items I purchased from the store were fresh pork tenderloin and buffalo mozzarella.  The rest was found in the pantry, garden or refrigerator.  We all chipped in and helped with the preparations. It felt good knowing that such a delicious meal could be made off-the-cuff and from items right there in the kitchen.

Dad started the charcoal grill.

I rubbed tender pork tenderloins with some basic pantry staples:  chipotle pepper, dijon mustard and coarse salt.

Reduce some apple juice to baste the pork with during grilling.  Warmed fruit preserves would be equally delicious.

A few snacks while we prepare dinner.  Crackers from the pantry.  Salami and cheese from the refrigerator.

A beautifully stacked tomato and mozzarella  salad ready to be sprinkled with some basil from the garden and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette.

Red potatoes from the pantry got roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper.  A few snips of fresh, flat-leaf parsley from the garden and they're ready for the table.

Let's eat.

Proof is in the Pudding

As a personal rule, I try to cook with natural, local, pure and organic ingredients whenever possible.  I find that the better the ingredient I use, the better my food tastes.  Of course, there are exceptions to any rule.  This recipe is one of those exceptions.  Almost every ingredient in this dish is found in the dry-goods aisle of your local grocery store.  Old school, shelf-stable items. But this dessert is so good.  It is dreamily fluffy, sweet and crunchy, yet custardy and creamy. The flavor is complex, yet simple.  Comforting and remembered. It happens to be one of my Dad's favorite desserts which makes it one of my favorites. Scoop some of this cloud-like layered pudding into a bowl, curl up on the couch, close your eyes and enjoy.  Some rules were made to be broken.

Banana Cream Pudding
adapted from More from Magnolia, by Allysa Torey

Serves 8-10

1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups cold water
3 cups heavy whipping cream
one box vanilla wafer cookies (preferably Nabisco Nilla wafers)
4 ripe bananas, sliced into coins

In a medium bowl, blend condensed milk, pudding mix, vanilla extract and water on low speed with a hand mixer.  Once completely blended, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream just until you form soft peaks.  (This can be done with a hand mixer or by hand with a wire whisk).  Gently fold the chilled pudding mixture into the whipped cream until incorporated.

In a clear glass trifle dish or clear glass serving bowl, layer your dessert beginning with the vanilla wafers, then the banana slices and then the pudding mixture.  Continue layering, ending with a layer of pudding mixture. Top the pudding with some reserved vanilla wafers.

Chill dessert for at least 30 minutes and up to a few hours before serving.  (Don't chill finished dessert overnight or the cookies will become soggy).

Cloyingly sweet, sweetened condensed milk and instant vanilla pudding create this simple and satisfying dessert.

Whip your heavy cream just until shiny soft peaks form.  

Fresh bananas give this dessert flavor and texture.

Vanilla wafers, a remembered childhood flavor.  Sweet, rich and a hint of saltiness.  Perfect for this dish.

Delicious layers that add up to one dreamily comforting treat.

Cabin Fever

Our friend Peter is a fantastic cook.  He has been preparing some of the most mouth-watering food as far back as I've known him. In undergrad, Pete always seemed to be able to make the most amazing meals in the smallest and dingiest of college-rental kitchens.  Effortlessly.  I'd always envied him for that. Pete and his lovely wife Erin live in Los Angeles so, unfortunately, we haven't been able to see him, or eat his great cooking, as often as we would like. Luckily, Pete was recently in town and we were invited to a weekend cabin retreat, hosted by his in-laws. As we pulled into the driveway, the smell of grilled salmon and citrus wafted into our car.  As usual, Pete had prepared an incredibly delicious, yet appropriately simple meal. A hearty, green spinach salad with a bittery-sweet vinaigrette, lemony-grilled salmon and some seriously golden and buttery hasselback potatoes. Erin mixed up some of her famously stiff and refreshing margeritas, and we all sat down to a beautiful, cozy cabin dinner. Warm, filling and flavorful, followed by lively discussion and cold beer around the campfire. Thanks Peter, for yet another great meal.

Pete's Hasselback Potatoes
Serves 12

12 russet potatoes, scrubbed clean
3-5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsp olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
sour cream (optional)
fresh herbs, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel the top half of the potatoes, lengthwise.  Lay 2 wooden spoons of the same size on a cutting board, parallel to each other.  Using the spoon handles to prevent cutting completely through the potato, place a potato in between the handles and make closely-spaced sliced across the length of the potato (peeled side up).  Insert garlic slices between various slits in each potato.

Place potatoes, slit side up, on a baking sheet. Mix the melted butter with the olive oil in a small bowl and brush the mixture over the tops and sides of the potatoes.   Sprinkle potatoes generously with salt and pepper.

Bake until tops are crispy and the potatoes are cooked through, approximately 1 hour.  Serve warm with sour cream and fresh herbs, if using.

Erin's famous margaritas.  Salty and cold.  

Fresh spinach, thinly sliced red onion and a slightly sweet vinaigrette.   

Smokey and moist with crispy skin.  Salmon hot off the grill.

Miss-matched cabin dishes.  Comforting and kitschy. 

The chef.  

Labor Day Lazy

Sometimes there's nothing better than a lazy holiday spent watching TV, reading magazines and partaking in some truly glutenous, greasy-spoon grub.  After a weekend filled with activity, Labor Day became that lazy holiday for us. Turns out, Dave had a serious craving for chili dogs with deep-fried green bell pepper rings.  Decadent, cheesy, spicy and greasy.  How could I not agree?  Feeling appropriately lazy and quite hungry, we decided to try to find some delicious local ingredients as a quicker alternative than making our own. First, we headed to the famous, local gem Kramarczuk's to purchase some of their deliciously spiced, freshly-made "Chicago-style" hotdogs.  Then we made our way to The Loon Cafe, ordered some of their award winning chili to go, and enjoyed a beer while we waited.  A few more ingredients at our local market and we were all set.  Rib-sticking diner-style fare.  Quick and labor-free.  A lazy Labor Day on the couch never tasted so good.

Smokey-sweet hot dogs, ready for the grill.

Rich, meaty and spicy.  Just how chili should taste.

Buttered and toasted hot dog rolls.  Warm and soft in the middle with a crisp crust.

Freshly grilled dogs, piled high with beefy chili, sharp white cheddar and fresh green jalepenos.  

Hot, crunchy-battered green bell pepper rings with seasoned sour cream for dipping.  One of Dave's childhood favorites.  

Messy, meaty and oh so good.

Roast with Love

                      

One of Dave's Grandma's favorite dinners is pot roast.  With mashed potatoes and gravy.  Lots of gravy.  Grandma was in town over the weekend and to make her feel more comfortable, I decided to try my hand at preparing a pot roast.  I was pleasantly surprised by how easy this one-pot supper was to assemble.  A large, moist beef roast with tender root vegetables and a pan sauce gravy.  Filling, rich and satisfying.  We added a batch of piping hot, whipped mashed potatoes to complete the meal. As a welcome bonus, our house was filled with the most delicious and warming smells all afternoon. On a cool, early-September evening, this seemed to be the perfect comfort food. And comforting Grandma should always be a priority.

Pot Roast with Vegetables and Gravy
(adapted from The New Best Recipe: All-New Edition, from the editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine)

Serves 6-8

1 3 1/2 lb boneless chuck roast (tied by the butcher)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, coarsely chopped + 1 lb carrots peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick on the bias
1 stalk of celery (with leaves), coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp granulated sugar
1 cup chicken stock (low sodium)
1 cup beef broth (low sodium)

Handful of fresh thyme sprigs
1 lb parsnips, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick on the bias
1/2 cup dry red wine
cornstarch
Chopped fresh Italian parsely

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Pat the roast dry with paper towels and season it liberally with the salt and freshly ground pepper. In a large dutch oven, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over high heat.  When the oil is shimmering, sear the roast on all sides until darkly crusty and caramelized.  This may take 10-12 minutes.  Decrease the heat to medium-high heat if the roast begins to smoke.  Once all sides of the roast are seared, remove it to a plate and set it aside.

Reduce the heat a bit and add the coarsely chopped onion, single coarsely chopped carrot and celery stalk to the pot.  Stir occasionally for about 8 minutes or until the vegetables just begin to brown.  Add the garlic and sugar and stir for about 1 minute or until the garlic is fragrant.  Add the chicken stock, beef broth and thyme sprigs.  With a wooden spoon, scrape all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pot (added flavor).  Return the roast to the pot, along with any juices left on the plate. If the liquid in the pot does not come halfway up the sides of the roast, add water until it does. Bring the dish to a simmer.  Once simmering, cover and put the pot in the oven. Cook for 4 hours, flipping the roast over once halfway through cooking.

After 4 hours, when the meat is fork tender, remove the pot from the oven.  Transfer roast to a plate. Pour the remaining liquid through a sieve and discard the vegetable and herb solids. Return liquid to the pot and after allowing it to rest for a few minutes, skim off any fat that accumulates on the surface (optional). Return roast to the pot with the liquid and add the bias-cut carrots and parsnips, ensuring that the vegetables are submerged in the liquid. Return the pot to the oven and cook for 25 minutes or until the vegetables are close to tender.

Remove pot from the oven and place it on the stove. Remove roast from the pot and place it on your serving platter. Remove string and tent the roast with foil. Add the red wine to the sauce and vegetables and season with salt and pepper to taste. (The sauce may be sufficiently salty from the seasoning of the meat earlier in the process). Boil the sauce over high heat until the vegetables are sufficiently tender, approximately 10 minutes. Transfer vegetables to the platter with the meat, also covering them with the foil.

Bring remaining sauce to a simmer.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk about a tablespoon of cornstarch with a few tablespoons of warm water until smooth. Whisk this mixture into the pan sauce. Bring sauce up to a boil and whisk until thickened and smooth.

Remove foil from the platter and sprinkle chopped parsley over the meat and vegetables. Serve gravy on the side.

Searing the roast gives this dish incredible flavor and ensures that the beef keeps a caramelized, browned crust through the cooking process.  

Saute vegetables in the rendered beef fat to absorb the rich, crusted flavor at the bottom of the pot.

Ready to go to into the oven.  Mouth-watering smells to follow.

Sweet, earthy carrots and parsnips serve as the vegetable component and give the pot roast added flavor and texture. 

Mashed potatoes prepared with cream, butter and sour cream.  The perfect way to soak up that delicious gravy and to make this one-pot wonder a complete meal.  {These delicious and creamy potatoes were made by Jane, my lovely Mother-in-law}

Red wine and a set table.  Time for a warm, comforting dinner

Slice of Love

Mastering the art of homemade pizza is definitely a labor of love.  Sure, if you have a fancy, outdoor wood-burning pizza oven, it's easy to make that perfectly blistered, charred, crispy-chewy crust every time.  But for those of us mortals who can't cook their pizza at 1000 degrees, it's inevitably a work in progress.   In our house, we use a pizza stone to get that crisp-bottomed loveliness we all strive for.  On the grill in the summer or in a hot oven in the winter, that round preheated stone does the trick.  Pizza dough is a virtual blank canvas for toppings and such an easy way to experiment with flavors.  Just throw a flattened piece of dough on a cornmeal dusted pizza peel, top with your favorite stuff, and sling that beauty into the screaming hot contraption of your choosing. Pizza at home, easy as pie.

Risen dough, spread on a cornmeal-dusted peel and covered in a base of fruity olive oil.   A tasty blank canvas.
{Try this pizza dough recipe, we love it}

Be sure to have plenty of Italian-inspired munchies to snack on while your pizzas cook.

A white pizza gets smothered in burrata,  fontina and goat cheese.  After cooking, it is topped with a lemony-dressed arugula salad for a cool bite of fresh, green flavor.

A potato, bacon, shallot and white cheddar pizza.  Finished with a drizzle of truffle oil, of course.

A classic margherita pizza topped with a simple roma tomato sauce, torn basil and milky burrata.  After cooking, finish with a light swirl of olive oil and some freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.  Simple flavors that combine to create an utterly delectible pizza.