Key Lime Pie

I recently got back from a fabulous trip to Key West, FL. I ate a ton of great seafood, as you can imagine. This trip also allowed me to devour key lime pie...every day. This is a picture of the key lime pie from Blue Heaven...mile-high meringue!!I was a fan of key lime pie way before I actually made it to Key West, but it was a joy to try the real deal. Here's my version that I've served a several dinner parties and always is a hit. I love how easy it is to put together. The most time consuming part of this recipe is juicing the limes. I've posted this recipe before, but here's a refresher!
Lime Tart with Gingersnap Crust
(recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated, The Best Recipe)

1 1/2 cups gingersnap crumbs, ground in a food processor from gingersnap cookies
2 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp butter, melted
dash of cinnamon

Pulse the gingersnaps in a food processor until uniformly ground. Add the sugar and cinnamon. Pulse a few more times to incorporate. Remove the gingersnap crumbs to a mixing bowl. Stir in the melted butter until well combined. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of a buttered tart pan. Using plastic wrap helps prevents the crumbs sticking to your fingers.

Bake the crust at 325 degrees F for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15-20 minutes. You don't want to pour the filling into a piping hot crust.

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lime juice, strained
4 egg yolks
2 Tbsp grated lime zest

Whisk together the egg yolks and lime zest in a medium bowl for several minutes. (Cook's Illustrated says this turns the yolks a pale green, but I didn't find this to be true.) Whisk in the condensed milk and then the lime juice. Let this mixture rest just a few minutes to thicken.

Once the crust has mostly cooled, pour the filling into the crust. Bake at 325 degrees F for 15-17 minutes or until the filling is almost set, but still wobbly in the center. Cool again until the tart is at room temperature, then refrigerate for about 3 hours until well chilled.

Whipped Cream:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 Tbsp confectioner's sugar

Beat the heavy cream on medium speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar until smooth and stiffer peaks form. Using a pastry bag with a small star tip, pipe the whipped cream over the tart in whatever way your technique allows! OR when I don't have much time to put it together, I skip the pastry bag and decorate the top with fruit.

Shepherd's Pie or Cottage Pie...

I was searching through my digital photos this morning and realized almost everything I make, or at least take pictures of, is comfort food. I’m really good at making comforting, rich dishes. I’m really NOT good at making salads. I’m OK at preparing vegetables. I think as the New Year begins, it’s natural to sort of take stock of the kitchen and your cooking personality. I haven’t really said it out-loud until now, but I might as well face facts. I’m mashed potatoes and gravy. My husband is a salad with blue cheese and pears. Hopefully, together we make a great dinner. And because we're all making resolutions, I hope to become a little more salad and less gravy this year.

All this brings us to this post, which is about how I make a really great Shepherd’s Pie. I’ve actually learned from Gordon Ramsey’s F Word TV Show that what I make is actually called “Cottage Pie” since I use ground beef. In the past, I have used all ground lamb, half ground lamb and ground beef, and all beef. No reason you can’t use whichever you prefer in this recipe. I don’t eat very much lamb, so its rich taste is a little much for me in this dish, but its up to you.

As you could probably guess, I think it is essential that there be gravy to bind the meat and vegetables together. I’ve seen and tried recipes that just call for a bit of broth, but then you have the ground beef swimming in bland liquid. Imagine tuna noodle casserole with just broth and not cream-of-whatever soup?! Ghastly!

A few tips I’ve learned over my many attempts at Shepherd’s/Cottage Pie:

1. Basically formed of 4 components (mashed potato, ground meat, vegetables, sauce), season each one well!
2. Make stiff mashed potatoes. Add a bit of milk and butter, but just a little milk at a time. These should be stiffer potatoes than you might want to eat alone. Loose mashed potatoes turn into soup in the oven…this one I learned the hard way.
3. Cook the vegetables to their desired doneness before you assemble the casserole and bake.
4. Lots of fresh herbs are key – don’t skip these. It brightens up the flavor.

Shepherd’s Pie or Cottage Pie

1.5 lb ground beef; or ½ lb ground lamb + 1 lb ground beef
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 cup frozen green peas
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups beef broth
¼ cup Dry Sherry, or white wine
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
½ tsp dried marjoram
½ tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
salt/pepper

2 lbs potatoes, Russet or Yukon Gold, diced into 2-inch cubes
splash of milk
2 Tbsp butter
salt/pepper

Mashed Potatoes:
Place the diced potatoes into a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, cooking 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain and put potatoes back into the hot saucepan. With the heat off, let the dry out in the pan a few minutes. Add the butter and a splash of milk and mash. Add a little more milk as needed, but keep them stiff.

Shepherd’s Pie filling:
Heat a Tbsp of olive oil in a large stainless steal sauté pan, preferably with sides, over medium heat. Add the diced onion and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and carrots are tender but not falling apart. Add salt and pepper halfway through cooking. Remove vegetables to a plate.

In the same pan, add the ground meat. Cook over medium high heat, breaking apart the meat with a wooden spoon into small chunks. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper. When cooked through, remove to a plate.

In the same pan, make the gravy. All those meat and vegetable browned bits are on the bottom of the pan and will help enrich the sauce. Add 2 Tbsp of butter to the pan over medium-low heat. Once melted, sprinkle in 2 Tbsp of flour. Cook the flour until lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes. Add the Sherry or white wine, stirring to deglaze the pan. Slowly add the beef broth and whisk vigorously to incorporate the flour. Bring to a boil and stir until thickened. Add the fresh and dried herbs to the gravy.

Add the cooked ground meat and vegetables back into this pan with the gravy. Stir in the frozen peas.Pour this mixture into the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish. Top with large spoonfuls of the mashed potato. Smooth out evenly to cover the entire dish. Bake at 400 degrees F for 30-40 minutes until bubbling hot and potatoes have slightly browned on top.

Chipotle Chicken Tacos

Obviously, I don't get around to writing about food these days as much as I'd like. My only promise is that when you do come by, you'll find completely satisfying and reliably delicious food. Enough on that.

This recipe was mentioned in this previous post, so I figured I better come through. We've become absolutely obsessed with one cookbook. What is this manifestation of latin food-heaven on earth? Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday. I can't remember the last time I bought a cookbook and actually made more than say, one recipe (if that!) out of it. Can you? I have many beautiful, inspired and ambitious cookbooks that I dream of tackling, yet never really have the time. However, I dove into these recipes and they really rewarded me. The recipes are perfectly balanced - both utterly delicious and very homemade, yet easy enough to tackle on a weekday and completely unpretentious. The tag lines under the title of the cookbook really say it all: Easy. Full-Flavored. Tradition-packed.

Some of the bounty we've sampled (recipes that will hopefully make it to this blog eventually) are: roasted chipotle salsa; roasted tomatillo green chile salsa; adobo marinade; spinach and mushroom green chile enchiladas; Crusty chorizo and black bean subs; a glorious skillet-pineapple upside down cake.

These tacos are a spin-off of ideas from this cookbook. We marinate the chicken in chipotle chiles (yes, this is SPICY), charcoal-grill them and place them with caramalized onions, cilantro and avocado within corn tortillas. Not just any corn tortillas, though. A corn tortilla quesadilla-of-sorts, where we sandwich cheddar cheese between the tortillas and grill until the cheese melts and the tortillas are a bit crispy, but can still be folded. This may lead you to ask - is this taking things too far? Rather indulgent, isn't it? Well...yes. And if you don't like it, you're free to warm up a boring ol' plain corn tortilla for your taco. Or, fry your own tortillas to make homemade crispy taco shells.

So, this is more of a method than a recipe, but here you go!

Chipotle Chicken Tacos

1 can chipotle chiles in adobo
2 Tbsp water
2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 yellow onion
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1-2 avocados, chopped
black or refried beans, optional

For EACH taco:
2 Tbsp cheese, shredded
(cheddar, monterey jack, queso fresco or goat cheese)
2 corn tortillas

1. Puree the chipotle chiles with their adobo sauce, plus the 1-2 Tbsp water in a food processor until smooth. Place the chicken in a ziploc bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken and toss to coat evenly. Refrigerate for 6-8 hours or overnight. I've kept this in the fridge for over 24 hours and it was fine.

2. Grill the chicken until just cooked through and still juicy. Let the chicken cool to room temperature. Thinly slice or chop for use in the tacos. Warning! Chicken is spicy =) Can be made a few days ahead.

3. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a saute pan. Add the sliced onions and cook over medium-low heat until the onions sweat, turn translucent and just begin to brown. Season with salt and pepper and turn the heat up to medium. Stir fairly often to prevent scorching and to brown all the onions evenly. This will take around 15 minutes.

4. Chop the avocado, prepare some salsa if you have time, wash the cilantro - get all of your toppings/accompaniments ready.

5. Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a wide, nonstick skillet. Turn 2 corn tortillas in the oil and let saute for a few seconds to heat that side. Flip the tortillas over and sprinkle with cheese. Place another tortilla on top of each one, pressing down on the top of each one. Once the bottom side is slightly browned and crisped, flip the tortillas over to brown the other side. Once the cheese melts and the tortillas are golden, remove from the pan. Repeat for each taco.

6. Assemble your tacos. One each tortilla, pile some of the ultra-spicy chicken, onions, avocado, cilantro and a dollop of salsa or sour cream. YUM!

Fast Pizza Dough...revised!

I wanted to revise the previous pizza dough recipe to include the following options in case you do not have a food processor. Maybe using a standing mixer or just doing it by hand will be your preferred method. Either way, don't let it stop you from making this for dinner - TONIGHT!

Pizza Dough - the fast way!

(2 baking-sheet sized pizzas, each serving 3-4)
from The Best Recipe, by the editors of Cook's Illustrated

1 1/2 cups warm water (105-110 degrees F)
1 packet Rapid Rise yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cups bread (or all-purpose) flour
1 1/2 Tbsp salt

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F and then TURN OFF.

1. Food Processor Method:
Pulse water, yeast and sugar in a food processor, 2 times is sufficient. Add oil, flour and salt. Pulse until dough forms a fairly smooth ball, or basically comes together. It will be a bit tacky, but shouldn't be so sticky that it pulls apart, getting stuck on your fingers. Add more flour (or water, if too thick) by the Tbsp and pulse until desired consistency is achieved.

2. Stand Mixer Method:
Measure the water into a small bowl. Add the yeast and sugar and mix to combine. Next, add the oil to the yeast mixture. In the bowl of a standing mixer, place the flour and salt. Using the paddle hook, turn on low speed for a short time, just to combine. Add the liquid ingredients slowly to incorporate. Once a mass of dough forms, remove the paddle hook and replace with the dough hook. Knead with the dough hook on medium speed just briefly until a smooth ball forms.

3. Bowl Method – no appliances!
Measure the water into a small bowl. Add the yeast and sugar and mix to combine. Next, add the oil to the yeast mixture. Combine the salt and about ¾ of the flour in a large mixing bowl. Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour and mix until combined with a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula. Stir in the rest of the flour until a mass of dough forms. Place dough out on a floured cutting board and knead until smooth, about 5-7 minutes. Don’t knead in too much extra flour, just enough to keep it from sticking.

Next:
Place dough in a well-oiled bowl (I mean really well-oiled!), cover with plastic wrap and place in the oven for 40 minutes. Make sure the oven is turned off.

Remove and divide dough in half. Usually the dough is pretty soft and pliable; easy to spread out. (If it's too sticky, dip your fingers in olive oil and pat the dough out that way. Don't add too much extra flour to a sticky dough as this makes it tough, in my experience).

To Bake:
1. In a 450 degree oven, Bake crust, topped only with sauce, for 10 minutes
2. Remove crust and add toppings, including cheese on top
3. Bake another 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted

This method results in a crisp crust and cheese that is just melted, but not overly browned. If you pile all the toppings on the dough at the beginning, the crust never cooks through and is soggy in the middle.

Back from Vacation

Just spent a week in Canada at the family's lakehouse. This idyllic setting provides R&R like no where else I know. You leave your car at the landing, take a boat for 20 minutes to the island, take all your groceries for the week, and most importantly, bring 3 good books and leave your cell phone behind. It's heaven. No TV, no email, no distractions.

Since we vacationed with Paul's family, we split cooking responsibilities between couples and each made 2 meals during the week. Meal one was marinated flank steak, garlic bread and salad. Meal two was homemade pizza. Other highlights throughout the week were spicy Kung Pao Chicken, Chipotle Chicken Tacos (w/Paul's righteous guacamole, of course!) and this Chicken Curry with Cashews, which remains one of my favorite meals.

I'm sure you'll agree with me that everything tastes better on vacation, even a simple ham & cheese sandwich, ketchup chips, an apple and a beer, which was mostly what my lunch consisted of each day! Funny how the prospect of eating this at the office (minus the beer, of course) is a rather depressing thought. Kind of a boring lunch, really, but sitting on a rock in the sun, looking out at the shimmering, calm water, knowing all you've got to do that day is swim, lay in the hot sun and drink a Gin & Tonic as soon as the clock strikes 5, is pretty damn satisfying.

Sigh...but back to the task at hand. Paul and I make this pizza more often than I'd like to admit because it's so easy and delicious. The dough recipe comes from The Best Recipe cookbook, by Cooks Illustrated. They provide many different crust options and this is their "fastest" pizza dough. You can have homemade pizza ready to eat in 1 hour. Fastest Pizza Dough
(makes 2 baking-sheet sized pizzas)

1 1/2 cups warm water (105-110 degrees F)
1 packet Rapid Rise yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cups bread (or all-purpose) flour
1 1/2 Tbsp salt

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F and then TURN OFF.

Pulse water, yeast and sugar in a food processor, 2 times is sufficient. Add oil, flour and salt. Pulse until dough forms a fairly smooth ball, or basically comes together. It will be a bit tacky, but shouldn't be so sticky that it pulls apart, getting stuck on your fingers. Add more flour (or water, if too thick) by the Tbsp and pulse until desired consistency is achieved.

Place in a well-oiled bowl (I mean really well-oiled!), cover with plastic wrap and place in the oven for 40 minutes. Make sure the oven is turned off.

Remove and divide dough in half. Usually the dough is pretty soft and pliable; easy to spread out.

-If it's too sticky, dip your fingers in olive oil and pat the dough out that way.
-Don't add too much extra flour to a sticky dough as this makes it tough, in my experience.

Here's where we've mastered our technique:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Top your crust with pizza sauce (or bottled marinara sauce works well) and bake, without other toppings, for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven, add your toppings and cheese, and bake another 9-10 minutes until the cheese is melted. This method results in a crisp crust and cheese that is just melted, but not overly browned. If you pile all the toppings on the dough at the beginning, the crust never cooks through and is a little soggy.

Hope you enjoy our favorite pizza as much as we do!

The standard:
quality hot italian (or chorizo) turkey sausage
thinly sliced yellow onions (placed on the pizza raw, they get cooked just enough)
thinly sliced red peppers (sauteed for a few minutes to soften)
1 ball fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced. (It's a mess to try and grate it). There is no substitute here for fresh.
grated parmeggiano-reggiano
dried oregano, sprinkled on with the other toppings.

Extras we swap in or out:
sliced and sauteed cremini mushrooms
black olives

I'm drooling already.

Summer (Salad) Lovin'

Although my job leaves me generally “helping” with dinner instead of shopping, planning or instigating, I still have the same passion for good food as when I was able to spend hours relishing its preparation. Life has changed a lot in that respect this past year or so, but I’m still able to get cookin’ on the weekends.

Summer is in full swing here in DC, with highs in the upper 90’s this past week. We both leapt onto the grill this season – chile rubbed steaks, grilled plantains, burgers, corn on the cob, and the usual bbq fare. I dare to say it all tastes better enjoyed on our new deck, too. We are reveling in home ownership – perhaps a bit too much.

Summer also brings in the season of salads at our house. Throughout the year, I frown on salad. I can’t help but sigh at the thought of preparing or eating it. It’s a flaw, I know. How un-girl-like of me? I either leave most of the salad on my plate or devour it first so I can eat the good food afterward.

Maybe I’m a little harsh on myself. There are salads out there that I do really like, yet somehow it’s ingrained in me that salads do not equal satisfying. Well, I’ve finally found one that meets all my comfort food needs: Bread Salad. It has at least 2 things going for it. It has bread. It has cheese.

What I love about this salad (in addition to the 2 above highlights of life!) is that it’s so well balanced between strong flavors and summer freshness. This and a glass of wine is all I need for dinner. Please let me know if there’s another salad I could say that about? I may be a salad-hater, but I’m willing to be converted.

This salad stands up to many changes – swap ingredients as you see fit. Keep the bread, cheese and tomatoes but change up the greens, add artichoke hearts, grilled corn, or other vegetables. Olives are a must for me. Add grilled or roasted chicken (check the Zuni Café Cookbook!). Go wild.

We found these great heirloom grape tomatoes at a farmer's market.

Our Summer Staple: Bread Salad, or Panzanella
Serves 3-4

½ baguette, cut into cubes
Drizzle olive oil
Drizzle balsamic vinegar
2 large handfuls salad greens, baby spinach or arugula
½ pint grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half if too large
1 8-oz ball fresh mozzarella, diced
¼ cup sliced kalamata olives, or other briny black olives
¼ cup thinly sliced red onion, or scallions

Dressing:
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lay the bread cubes out on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (go lightly on the vinegar), and toss gently. Make the sure the bread is in one layer and place in the oven for approximately 6-8 minutes or until lightly toasted. This is to your preference, but we prefer them just toasted on the outside, not hard throughout like croutons.

In a large salad bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Add the tomatoes, mozzarella, olives and red onion. Toss to combine. Add the salad greens and cooled bread cubes and toss again. Serve immediately.

New Year's Eve!

We had a very fun New Year's Eve soiree last week complete with massive quantities of food and drink. Which no one ate. Oh, everyone drank, though. I know this much because of the dance party that ensued until 3:30 am.

Anyway, I am quite confident that the food was not the problem because everything was delicious. We started the party at 9 pm, which is a little late for eating a huge plate of hors d'oeuvres. I didn't even eat as much as I thought I would. Anyway, we gave away some leftovers and have been feasting on the rest ourselves. I'm actually quite proud of all the homemade goodness I put out and I would replicate this spread in the future whenever possible. I never get tired of looking for appetizer recipes, so if you have favorites of your own, please pass them my way!!

The Menu... Mediterranean Layer Dip served w/pita

Mushroom Croustades

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip w/crudite

Various Cheeses w/baguettes, crackers, etc.

Spiral Sliced Glazed Ham, served w/dijon mustard and cornichons

Sliced Fresh Pineapple

Peppermint White Chocolate Chip Brownies

Store-bought supplements:
Cashews
Chex Mix
Sweet Potato Chips

So, yeah, I guess that's a lot. Well, we live and we learn. Abundance should be our middle name. I don't feel at all bashful admitting that I loved everything I made. It may seem an odd assortment, but I love that feeling of not knowing where to start!

I added the pineapple last minute and it was devoured. The cheeses were brought by our good friends who scored some amazing finds from the Cowgirl Creamery that just opened downtown. We had an incredible aged cheddar that was really flavorful, salty, dry and almost crumbly, a great blue and a triple creme brie named fleur de lis. My personal favorite hors d'oeuvre were the Mushroom Croustades. Another amazing Junior League cookbook recipe! These were seriously good. You'll feel like a professional caterer when you pull these out. I'll save the recipe for another day since I also have to get this yummy dip on the page. Mediterranean Layer Dip
Essentially hummus topped with olive tapenade and a fresh tomato/cucumber/mint salad. Refreshing and light but deep in flavor and easy to prepare. Of course, buying the hummus is a time-saver.

Hummus, recipe to follow
Olive Tapenade, recipe to follow
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 seedless cucumber, diced
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil
2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
4-5 green onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup diced feta cheese, or chevre
pita bread

Prepare hummus and olive tapenade up to 3 days in advance. Refrigerate until needed.

Combine tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, lemon juice, and olive oil in a mixing bowl with salt and pepper to taste. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature. Drain off the excess liquid.

Begin assembly by choosing a beautiful platter. I think a cake stand would look elegant or just a large white plate would work. Spread all of the hummus down on the platter. Top this with the olive tapenade, leaving about an inch border of hummus showing. Next, spoon the tomato salad mixture evenly over the tapenade. Sprinkle with feta, green onions and additional black olives, if desired. Sprinkle extra parsley over the top and around the platter. Serve with pita bread. Soften bread by wrapping in foil and placing in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Hummus:
2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup tahini
6-8 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 Tbsp olive oil
salt pepper
couple dashes hot sauce

This recipe is to taste. I don't have a large food processor, so I did this in 2 batches. Start by chopping the garlic alone in the processor. Add the chickpeas and other ingredients and puree until smooth. Add more lemon juice and/or spices, if desired. I added a few tbsps of water to help the consistency, but you can add oil instead. Taste and season...taste and season... Makes about 3 cups.

Olive Tapenade:
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1/2 cup green olives stuffed w/pimento
1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers, sliced
2 Tbsp fresh basil, torn
1 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped (dried is ok)
1 Tbsp capers, drained
1 Tbsp olive oil
ground black pepper

Pulse the herbs together in the food processor until chopped. Add the other ingredients. Pulse until finely chopped, but not pureed. Makes about 1 cup.


Okay, okay, stop twisting my arm. Here's one more freebie. The easiest dessert that I pulled out of nowhere and everyone complimented me on...the brownies!!! Don't worry, they are very subtly flavored with peppermint...think candy-cane.

I box brownie mix (for 8x8 pan)
1/2 pkg white chocolate chips
1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Stir in white chocolate chips and mint extract. Bake according to directions. Slice, serve and get ready for rave reviews. Note how the mint sprig garnish signals the mint in the brownies...oh la la! =)

Thanksgiving in NYC

We spent this Thanksgiving in NYC and our appetites were more than satisfied during this trip. While most of you were feasting on turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, we were slurping up soup dumplings and folding over large slices of pizza.

We spent a glorious Thanksgiving lunch at Joe Shanghai's in Chinatown, which is known all over the city for their soup dumplings. As a soup dumpling virgin, I had no idea these things were so good. They were truly awesome - warm, incredibly savory and actually fun to eat. They are steamed dumplings with a little pork meatball and savory broth in the center. You have to poke a small hole in the dumpling, pour in a teaspoonful of flavored soy-ginger sauce, slurp out the soup and proceed to eat the rest of the dumpling without burning your mouth. We also had amazing Orange Beef, Homemade Fried Shanghai noodles, and Kung Pao Chicken, all of which were incredibly good.

It was just a few short hours of walking around the city and seeing a movie before we could eat again. After striking out on a few of our favorite places in the West Village, we stumbled across a cute cafe called the Bus Stop. They had homey food that was perfect for the chilly evening and our tired feet. I got my roast turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes and wilted spinach. While not as good as our usual family feast, it hit the spot. Some earthy red wine and a slice of dark syrupy pecan pie rounded out the meal perfectly!

The next day we sought out one of the best coffee bars in NYC. Cafe Grumpy was reviewed in the New York Times and being the coffee lovers that we are, we had to make the trek. I had an amazing cappucino, and my other half said the espresso "changed his life." Their set up was incredible and it's hard to describe the care they took when pulling the shots of espresso and the precision with which they executed each step in the process. Definitely recommended if you're a coffee geek in any stretch of the imagination.

We waited in the cold outside Jon's Pizzeria for what has to be the best pizza in town. Then it was across the street to the Blind Tiger for some cask ale in front of a warm fireplace. Shopping ensued for much of the afternoon and then when more eating was in store, we had a marvelous dinner at Pastis in the meatpacking district.

I actually don't think there is anywhere I'd rather eat than a French bistro or brasserie. Just reading the menu and seeing things like Tripes or Carre d'Agneau melts my heart. I don't even eat tripe or skate or boar pate, but when I see it on a menu, it's like I'm back in France. I know that I will find good inexpensive red wine, good bread, braised meats that melt in your mouth and warm chocolate cakes or creme brulee. I feel nourished, fulfilled and jovial in a way that just going down the local burrito joint will never ever do for me. At Pastis, I had a warm goat cheese salad, braised beef with carrots (in the richest meaty sauce you can imagine) with french fries to soak up that sauce. Between our party of 4, we shared a warm chocolate cake, an Île flottante, and a creme brulee. Does life get any better?!

Well, that was my two days of fabulous eating in NYC this Thanksgiving. Hope your Thanksgiving was just as fulfilling!

It's November already!?!

Hello, hello, hello...
Is anybody out there?

Testing, one...two...three...(clear throat)...Let's try this again, huh? Hmm...what's been going on since mid-September?

New Job - check
In process of buying first home - check
Cooking more frequently - check
trying many new restaurants - check
feelin' good - check

I'm also giddy that it's my favorite-ist month - November! The season of pigging out on Turkey and all the fixin's is upon us. I'm an unabashed Thanksgiving food lover. Surprisingly, I've met quite a few people who are ambivalent or even (gasp!) reviled by Thanksgiving dinner. This I do not understand.

Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and green beans all drowning in gravy with just a dollop of cranberry sauce (you know, to completely offset all that fat) pretty much makes my eyes light up. Every component delicious and completely necessary. Add red wine and pumpkin pie and it's any wonder we don't all weep onto our plates in gratitude of our great heaping piles of bounty. It's the holiday for hedonists and strikes a deep personal divide between those that will completely let go, devour more than they ought and those that will not budge for one meal from their deep conviction that fat is evil. If they feel they must portray that we are what we eat, please do not do so for my benefit. We are what we eat, there's no doubt. I'm perfectly comfortable knowing that I am Gravy.

As I write this, I'm of course at once sure of myself and confused. I do not wish to vilify healthy eaters, because we all must be most of the time, but at the same time I am disturbed by the lack of passion when it comes to this one day in November when we can shed our reservations, become passionate food whores, drink too much and laugh at/with our family members.

All this being said, I'm going to NYC for Thanksgiving to eat Chinese food. I'm starting to feel a little bit of pain (my taste buds) when thinking about this. But, the good news is, I'm quite confident that I can create a beautiful Thanksgiving spread any day of the year so don't worry, I'll get mine!

This week, I'll be making these tasty Pumpkin Bars for my employer's Thanksgiving potluck.
Happy Turkey month!

Sunday Dinners 2

Wow - summer is coming to an end. Labor day weekend has come and gone, and August has flown by. I feel the urge to get this grilling triumph down on the page before the summer comes to a close. We had some friends over for another Sunday dinner and made an amazing smoked brisket on the grill, twice-baked potatoes, a green salad with apples, candied pecans and shaved parmesan, and a small gratin of spinach artichoke dip for an appetizer.

You'll have to wait for the brisket since it requires much consultation with the grill-master for the exact recipe, but the rest of the meal was just as worthy. You can see our humble dining room above, just waiting for the onslaught of food and wine.

First, the appetizer...
The recipe for this Spinach-Artichoke dip can be found here. I make this often and it never disappoints. This is a picture before it bakes in the oven until bubbly. I think it tastes best on warmed pita bread or baguette slices. This can be made well in advance.

Next, the sides...
Twice Baked Potatoes

4 Russet baking potatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup sour cream
milk, maybe 1/2 cup
1 stick butter
fresh ground black pepper
kosher salt
2/3 cup grated white cheddar cheese

I found this combo to be really, really good. Of course, you can use whatever kind of cheese or cream cheese, etc, that you think makes a great mashed potato. I think the more herbs the better. Throw some blanched broccoli in with the mashed potatoes before baking, add a salad and this could be a hearty vegetarian meal.

Wash the potatoes and poke a few holes all over them with a knife. Bake at 375 degrees F for 1 hour or until potatoes are cooked through. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes.

Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides to a large bowl, leaving a small amount behind to keep a nice shell to hold the mashed potatoes. Add the butter, milk, sour cream, herbs and seasoning to the cooked potato and mash thoroughly. Stir in the shredded cheese; taste and re-season.

Scoop some of the mashed potatoes into each potato skin and sprinkle with additional shredded cheese. These can be made up to this point well in advance, just bring to room temperature before continuing. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and the potatoes are hot. Mixed Greens with Candied Pecans, Apples and Shaved Parmesan

3 cups washed lettuces (spring mix or baby lettuces)
1/2 cup whole pecan halves
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp butter
1 apple, fuji or something similar
large shavings of Parmeggiano Reggiano (or blue cheese if you prefer)

Dressing:
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp shallots, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced
fresh ground black pepper

First, toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the butter and brown sugar and cook another 1-2 minutes until the sugar is dissolved and the pecans are evenly coated. Stir often for another minute and then remove to a piece of waxed paper or greased piece of foil, spreading them out so they cool separately.

Mix the dressing ingredients (amounts are approx.) in the bottom of a large salad bowl. Season to taste. Add the chopped apple to the dressing, place the lettuces on top of this, then the cooled pecans and finally the shavings of parmesan. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Do not make more than 1 hour in advance. Toss gently before serving.