Like Change? Fight the Pumpkin Pie Status Quo this Thanksgiving

Sure, it’s a safe choice to serve the same old pumpkin pie every Thanksgiving.

But now that we’re a nation devoted to change, you should look at these exciting new options for serving your family delicious pumpkin desserts this Thanksgiving.

*Recipes from Something to Talk About: Occasions We Celebrate in South Louisiana, a community cookbook from the Junior League of Lafayette, LA.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust
Ingredients
GINERSNAP CRUST
- 1 ½ cups gingersnap cookies, crushed
- 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted

FILLING
- 24 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups canned pumpkin
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 4 eggs

Directions
GINGERSNAP CRUST
- Combine the gingersnap crumbs, brown sugar and butter in a bowl and mix well. Press onto the bottom and 2 inches up the side of a greased and floured 9-inch springform pan.

FILLING
- Beat the cream cheese and brown sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
- Stir in the pumpkin. Add the cream, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and allspice and mix well.
- Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Pour the filling into the prepared crust.
- Bake for 1 ½ hours or until the center is set.
- Cool in the pan for 30 minutes.
- Chill for 8 to 10 hours before serving.


Easy Pumpkin Swirl
Ingredients
CAKE
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup canned pumpkin
- ¾ cup buttermilk baking mix
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1 cup chopped nuts
- confectioners’ sugar
FILLING
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
CAKE
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the eggs and granulated sugar in a bowl and beat until fluffy. Stir in the pumpkin. Combine the baking mix, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and nutmeg in a bowl and mix well.
- Add to the egg mixture and stir just until mixed. Stir in the nuts. Pour into a 10x15-inch baking pan lined with waxed paper or parchment paper. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until the cake tests done.
- Dust a clean kitchen towel with confectioners’ sugar. Invert the cake onto the towel. Remove the waxed paper. Roll the warm cake in the towel as for a jelly roll from the short side and place on a wire rack to cool.
FILLING
- Cream the confectioners’ sugar, cream cheese, butter and vanilla in a bowl.
- To assemble, unroll the cooled cake carefully and remove the towel. Spread the filling over the cake and reroll. Chill until serving time.



Spiced Pumpkin Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 4 eggs
- 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup wheat bran cereal
- 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger in a large mixing bowl and mix well.
- Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl until foamy. Add the pumpkin, oil and cereal and mix well. Add to the flour mixture and stir just until mixed.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan.
- Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate. Cool completely. Sift the confectioners’ sugar over the cake.

Cheap, healthy, delicious PORK!

In the spirit of crazy politics and a faltering economy, I'm on a big pork kick lately.
I figure since D.C. politics are into spending on pork projects, and I have so little money to spend, pork is the perfect protein to purchase at the grocery.

Toast to Tidewater, a beautiful community cookbook from the Junior League of Norfolk-Virginia, has some really fab pork recipes. I'll share these two. They both highlight fall produce and would make wonderful meals on a rainy fall night or special weekend meal.

So here's to pork! Pig out!

Dijon-Maple Pork Tenderloin with Apples – pair with Rockbridge Vineyard Riesling
Ingredients
1 package of pork tenderloin (2 per package)
¼ cup Dijon-style mustard
6 tablespoons maple syrup, divided
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into wedges

Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Mix Dijon-style mustard, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, rosemary, salt, and pepper to make a sauce.
- Cover tenderloin with sauce.
- Cook in roasting pan in preheated 325 degree oven for approximately 25-35 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
- Cook Granny Smith apples in large skillet on high heat until brown.
- Stir in remaining 4 tablespoons maple syrup.
- Serve with pork.


Autumn Pork Tenderloin – Pair with King Family Vineyards Michael Shaps Viognier
Ingredients
1 ½ pounds pork tenderloin
½ teaspoon salt or more as needed
2 cups apple juice (or enough to cover the tenderloin in the baking dish)
1 cup apple butter
½ cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves

Directions
- Prick pork tenderloin all over with a small knife.
- Sprinkle pork with salt; place in a 13 x 9 x 2” baking dish.
- Pour apple juice, to cover, over pork and let stand for at least 30 minutes at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to several hours.
- Mix apple butter, brown sugar, water, cinnamon, and cloves in a separate bowl; set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Drain apple juice from baking dish.
- Bake pork in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove pork from oven; brush with apple butter mixture.
- Return to oven; bake for additional 10 minutes.
- The internal temperature of the pork when done should be between 160-165 degrees; do not overcook.
- Let pork sit for 10 minutes before carving and serving.

Nostalgic for Pot Roast

It was a ritual at our house to have pot roast on Sundays.

My wonderful family was like the many other American families that have always minded its grocery bill, recession or no.

Pot roast is delicious, feeds a whole family, and even leaves leftovers, all costing maybe $30 at the most.

So on Sundays, Mom would throw a mean chuck roast, lots of red potatoes, carrots, celery, any other vegetable that needed to be used, a lot of spices and tons of garlic into the crock pot and turn it on "low."

We'd roll off to Sunday School and church for a couple of hours. The house would smell and feel amazing when we'd get home and change out of our Sunday clothes. Mom and Dad would go about working on the house or in the yard. I'd help them, do homework, whatever - but we'd all busy ourselves until dinnertime - like we had to stay occupied because we couldn't wait to eat. The roast would slow-cook all day, the smell only getting better and richer throughout the house.

We rarely ate dinners together at the table. But on those Pot Roast Sundays, Mom would make garlic toast as the rest of us would fix our plates, and we'd all sit down together at the table to enjoy what we'd been waiting all day to eat.

It was a really simple thing - a pretty simple meal really - but a time we spent together, enjoyed together, and were thankful for. It's a little nostalgic memory that means a lot to me.

I found this recipe for "Slow-Cooker Pot Roast" in Recipes Worth Sharing, a new compilation cookbook that honors community cookbooks and is loaded with simple, delicious recipes that don't cost much to create.

For old-times sake, I enjoyed this recipe last Sunday and have actually been digging on the leftovers all week. It's a fabulously easy, inexpensive recipe that yields tender meat and tons of flavor. Start your own tradition.

Slow-Cooker Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 1 (3-pound) boneless beef chuck roast - 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 large garlic cloves, sliced - 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour - 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
- 1/2 teaspoon salt - 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper - 1 bay leaf
- 1/3 cup olive oil - 8 small read potatoes, peeled (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1 1/2 cups red wine - 8 carrots, peeled and quartered
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce - 3 ribs celery, chopped

Directions
- Cut the roast into halves and make small slits in the top of each half. Insert a garlic slice into each slit. Coat the roast with a mixture of the flour, salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and brown the roast on all sides in the hot oil. Place the roast in a 6-quart slow coooker and add the wine and onion. Mix the tomato sauce, brown sugar, oregano, prepared horseradish, prepared mustard and bay leaf in a bowl and pour over the roast. Add the potatoes, carrots, and celery and cook, covered, on Low for 8 hours. Discard the bay leaf before serving.

Serves 6+++

Leftovers make great sandwiches or are delicious mixed as a sort of goulash with jasmine rice.

Mint Pesto & 3rd Quarter Comebacks

How fitting that the pesto I mentioned in my last post turned out so green!

Perfect to snack on while cheering for the Celtics in Game 4.

And what a game it was! Celts overcame a 24-point deficit to beat the Lakers....in L.A.!!!

Was inSANE and exciting. That is, until last night when the Lakers came back to make the series 3-2. No worries, the final two games will be in Boston.

This recipe made a decent amount of pesto, so we might still have some to snack on for Game 5. The golden raisins and cream cheese made this pesto really sweet - definitely interesting. We decided it would make a wonderful spread on a whole wheat cracker, topped by a little smoked salmon to off-set the sweetness. Also would be great to use as a spread or mayo substitute on a grilled chicken sandwich. Again, I think any sort of smoky meat would be intensely complimentary to the sweet spread.

Yum.

Oh, and I did use fat-free cream cheese, and the consistency was just fine, indeed!

Thursdays

My mom always liked Thursdays.

I think Thursdays were commemorative of the hard-earned work week, sort of the point of near-completion, right before the sweet freedom that Friday afternoon brought, and then the busy activities of the weekend.

Naturally, Thursdays have always been my favorite day of the week too.

My grandmother always liked teams from Boston.

A die-hard sports fans, she rooted for the Red Sox and the Celtics as if she'd grown up in Southie.

I inherited these obsessions as well. Having grown up idolizing Larry Bird and rooting against Magic Johnson or pretty much any California team (we were in Oregon, after all, so any Cali team was an instant rival worth ardently rooting against), it's a dead given that I'm loving the NBA Finals this year, and pulling for the Celtics.

So it's a beautiful day, being Thursday, and tonight being Game 4 of a Celtics vs. Lakers Finals Tournament. I've poured over the cookbook we did with the JL of Boston, Boston Uncommon, searching for a nice treat to enjoy during the game tonight.

This cookbook epitomizes why community cookbooks are really special. It's a well-researched guide to the city's history, geographical layout, neighborhoods and districts, and offers up great factoids, like that the navy bean is the official vegetable of Massachusetts and the original bean of Boston Baked Beans, and that Fenway Park has one of the last hand-operated scoreboard in MLB.

There are quite a few recipes I need to try too, although I couldn't find any from Larry Bird himself. Regardless, I think this Mint Pesto sounds amazing and a perfect treat to snack on during tonight's game!

Go Celts!!!!

Mint Pesto - A tasty recipe that's a great way to use extra mint from your herb garden.

ingredients

- 1/2 cup golden raisins

- 2 small shallots

- 2 cups firmly packed fresh mint leaves

- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

- 6 tablespoons whipped cream cheese (I'm sooo using fat-free here...)

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- pita bread wedges

directions

- Combine the raisins and shallots in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. Add the mint and walnuts and pulse until the mint is coarsely chopped.

- Add the cream cheese and olive oil and pulse until well mixed.

- Serve with plain or lightly toasted pita bread wedges.

Serves 6 to 8.

Lovin' Some Community Cookbooks

There's another blog called "The World on a Plate: My Journey through Community Cookbooks".
This blogger does book reports, of sorts, on community cookbooks that she encounters and reviews.
She has cited several FRP books and recipes from them as well.
Her latest post, however, says she's 'relocating', to "A Recipe a Day," where she'll review one recipe at a time - sort of what I sporadically do....except her kitchen is a little shinier than mine, and I'd say she clearly has more experience up her oven mitt!
Either way - check her out too!

Easy Pork for the Weekend

There's something wonderful about a handsome man who can cook!

I've been on a pork-kick for quite a while.

I'll never get burnt out on chicken, but it's a good 'other white meat,' and I think it's relatively healthy too.

They have good marketing, regardless.

Which is all that matters, right?

So "we" (I bought the big hunk of meat at Kroger, so I get to say "we") whipped up this delicious little marinade and pork tenderloin, per the Junior League of Tampa's book, Everyday Feasts.

They actually have a whole trio of community cookbooks, the other titles being Savor the Seasons and Life of the Party (my fave!).

mmmm.....meaty!

nice slice.













Grilled Honey-Bourbon Pork Tenderloin
ingredients
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup bourbon
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
- 4 to 5 fresh garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 (12-ounce) pork tenderloins, trimmed (we just bought a big old tenderloin....)
- 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

directions
- Combine onion, lemon juice, bourbon, honey, soy sauce, ginger root, garlic and olive oil in a bowl and mix well.
- Place the pork in a large resealable plastic bag. Add the marinade and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 12 hours. The longer the pork marinates, the more flavorful. Remove the pork, reserving the marinade
- Sprinkle the pork with the salt and pepper. Grill over high heat until a meat thermometer inserted in the middle of the pork registers 150 degrees, turning once and basting occasionally with the reserved marinade.

Makes 8 to 10 servings!

Success!

Over the weekend, I made that corn and cilantro salad I talked about in my last post.


Not only was it super easy, it was super tasty too - and not particularly because of any of my own efforts, but mainly because it's an easy, no-fail recipes. All the better if you're able to use fresh ingredients as I was.









This is the dressing for the salad (see previous post for ingredients). I used fresh-squeezed lime juice and cilantro straight from the garden. This would be a great marinade for chicken, on cous cous or rice, or on a spinach salad. Was pretty too!















The only work that this recipe requires is chopping the peppers and onion. The recipe permits you to use frozen corn - super easy. I recently learned that you can simply bake corn straight in the oven, husks and all, for about 30 minutes, and then cut the corn from the cobs for delicious and easy roasted corn. It's not nearly as messy as hulling the corn and then boiling it (those white hairs come off super easy!)


Of course, the cute boy in my pics showed me that. :) So I 'baked' 4 ears for this recipe - 5 might have been better...

....but it was still pretty tasty!

This Cilantro is Killing Me!

Not really.

I LOVE cilantro - in salads, salsas, tacos, rice, everything.


Our cilantro is going crazy though. It's dominating the poor thyme that it's sharing planter with.

So I wanted to find a recipe that called for a lot of cilantro and sounded tasty and healthy to boot.

This recipe is from Settings: Sunrise to Sunset, the same book I pulled a recipe from on my last post. I try not to cite the same book twice, but I gotta get rid of this cilantro!

This recipe serves 10 and looks really good - should be enough to last all weekend!

Corn Salad with Cilantro Dressing

ingredients

- 2 bunches cilantro, stems removed (2 cups)
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 jalapeno chile, chopped
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 (16 ounce) package whole kernel yellow corn, thawed (or, roast a couple of ears and cut off the kernels with a sharp knife to make about 2 cups worth of corn)
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped

directions
- Process the cilantro, oil, vinegar, lime juice, honey, jalapeno chile, 1/2 onion, the salt and pepper in a blender or food processor until blended.
- Combine the corn, bell peppers and 1 small chopped onion in a large bowl and stir to mix.
- Add the dressing and stir to coat.
- Chill, covered, for 4 to 8 hours.
- Drain before serving.

Taco Salad with a Twist

On the note of being conservative and getting as much as you can out of what you have (re-using, recycling, composting, etc.), I love recipes that call for ingredients you likely have on-hand and are flexible enough for improvisation.

All Holly Clegg's book and recipes follow this principle.

This recipe for Taco Salad with a Twist from the Assistance League of the Bay Area out of Houston, Texas, is the kind of recipe that calls for things that are already in the fridge, garden or cupboard. It's quick and easy to make, make adjustments to, as well as take to an impromptu dinner, BBQ, Quinceañera, whatever.

I really like how this taco salad recipe steps it up a notch and calls for some macaroni noodles too.

Taco Salad with a Twist

ingredients

- 2 cups macaroni

- 1 pound ground round

- 1 envelope taco seasoning

- 1/2 cup spice ranch or Catalina salad dressing
- 1/2 head lettuce
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut into halves (or, just pull any type out of the garden - yum.)

- 1/2 cup chopped green onions

- 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

- 1 small can sliced black olives, drained

- 1 (11 ounce) can Mexicorn, drained

- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

directions

- Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Rinse the macaroni with cold water and drain. Chill for at least 1 hour.

- Brown the ground round in a skillet, stirring until crumbly. Drain the grease.

- Stir in the taco seasoning mix and salad dressing.

- Let stand until cool.

- Combine the macaroni, ground round mixture and remaining ingredients in a large bowl and toss to mix.

- Serve immediately.

- Guacamole, sour cream, and salsa are optional and preferable!

***Photo courtesy of http://www.beloblog.com/ProJo_Blogs/foodblog/2007/10/taco_salad.htm***

Cafeterias Making Compost

Green Daily's Kelly Leahy reports that Yale cafeterias are dedicating their wasted scraps to compost heaps for student gardens. Read the entire article HERE.

Everyone could pseudo-adopt this practice in their own lives and homes, and enhance their own gardens.

Now if only everyone would recycle....suppose that takes a little more effort and infrastructure. Regardless, composting at home is a personal choice and not hard to do (although, neither is recycling - most people just choose to view it as an inconvenience...)

If you do want to compost at home, the good people of Marion County, Oregon (represent!) present great tips for composting at home, creating your own compost bin, etc. Check it out HERE!

Veggie Cafe in East Nashville

Glad to see East Nashville's Veggie Cafe got a little press in the Tennessean this morning. Sounds like the cafe serves up vegetarian dishes with a homestyle twist.
Check out this new privately-owned culinary experience for yourself!

go to the garden....

"Go grab me some rosemary out of the garden."

While I should have added "please," that was the request I made last night while I was throwing together my impromptu version of Garlic Rosemary Chicken.

This quick poultry dish was one of my first attempts to throw something together to share with someone else. While I've always been content with my quick cooking attempts, I also admit I usually just add lots of ketchup and Tabasco to whatever it is I'm eating. The result: simply delicious...according to my taste buds anyway.

So I felt a little boost of confidence that adding fresh herbs and plenty of garlic would be a surefire way to make quick chicken taste good.

Also, there was something very pleasing to be able to step right outside (or send a cute man outside) to the garden to get those fresh herbs.

The chicken didn't taste too bad (I didn't even need any ketchup). Although the following recipe for Chicken Rosemary from the Junior League of Roanoke Valley's cookbook, Oh My Stars!, appears to be a much more flavorful version of what I attempted last night.

It requires a little planning ahead for the marinating, but you're likely to have the ingredients on-hand. And if you don't have the fresh rosemary planted in the backyard, get your herb garden in this afternoon! Trust me - there's something wonderful about going to your own garden...

Chicken Rosemary

ingredients

- 1 (16-ounce) bottle Italian salad dressing (use low-fat to cut unnecessary calories)

- 1/2 cup white wine

- 1/4 cup soy sauce

- 1/4 cup (heaping) brown sugar

- 2 to 4 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

- 8 boneless skinless chicken breasts

directions

- Combine the salad dressing with the wine, soy sauce, brown sugar, rosemary and pepper in a sealable plastic bag. Add the chicken, shake it [like a Polaroid picture], coating well.

- Marinate in the refrigerator for 8 to 48 hours, mixing occasionally.

- Remove from the marinade and grill the chicken until done, to taste.

Serves eight.

Nominate Your Favorites!

Mark Bittman of the NY Times is creating a list of the all-time best cookbooks and looking for public suggestions for help.
So go here to name your own favorites!

Tortilla and Mimosas

No one could make a tortilla like my Spanish mother, Pepa.

I've thought of this delectable treat often since I left Spain years ago.

When I found what looked like a pretty standard recipe for tortilla de papas y cebollas in the cookbook Sunny Days, Balmy Nights, from the Young Patronesses of the Opera in Miami, Fla., I wanted see if I've retained any of Pepa's cooking lessons.

In Spain, a tortilla is actually a mix of potatoes, onions, eggs, and copious amounts of olive oil. The only ways it compares to the flour tortillas we buy at the grocery is that both are flat, tasty and relatively cheap.

My potatoes were a little aged, but with some mad knife skills I pared the bad spots right out.

From what I remember and proved true in this cooking endeavor, the potatoes should be sliced rather small - close to the size of pineapple pieces when they are served on pizza. You have to saute/fry them in olive oil for quite a while, along with the onion, to soften them up, before putting them in the eggs and making the actual tortilla.

Cooking is always twice as nice with a little sweetness too. And, this man sooooo knows his way around a kitchen - his guidance and skills might as well be on my ingredient list (for all my endeavors, really).

This was the amazing sauce, or salsa, that I had nothing to do with. I had, however, planted the basil in the garden a month or two ago. We used it in this sauce and it was so reFRESHing.

A tricky part of making this tortilla is sliding it out of the pan and inverting it.

Note: I wasn't the one to do this maneuver.

This is what the finished product looks like....

...and this is how it's served: sliced, covered in the salsa, and preferably with a mimosa.


This whole experience was by far one of my favorite parts of the weekend!








Tortilla de Papas y Cebollas (Spanish Omelet)

ingredients
SAUCE
- 6 tomatoes (I cheated and used canned whole tomatoes - turned out great)
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 garlic clove, pressed
- 3 yellow bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch wide strips
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh basil
- Salt and pepper, freshly ground, to taste

OMELET
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch half-moon shapes (just cut 'em into small little wedges that will turn soft in 20 minutes or so upon frying...)
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced into half-moon shapes
- 6 eggs
- Salt and pepper to taste


directions
SAUCE
- To prepare sauce using canned tomatoes (NOTE: the book explains how to boil and then peel tomatoes...I am lame and took an easier route,). Slice the tomatoes to make wedges.
- Saute the onion, garlic and bell peppers in the olive oil in a saucepan until the onion is golden brown.
- Stir in the tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper.
***To make sauce ahead, prepare as directed but do not stir in the basil until just before serving.)

OMELET
- To prepare the omelet, heat the olive oil in a 9-inch omelet pan. Add the garlic and saute until golden brown. Remove the garlic and discard (or use in garlic butter for other purposes - YUM).
- Add the potatoes to the pan and cook over medium heat for 5+ minutes. Add the onion and cook until tender, stirring constantly.
- Beat the eggs with a fork in a large bowl until slightly foamy. Add salt and pepper.
- Spoon the potato mixture with a slotted spoon into the eggs and mix well, leaving the drippings in the pan (***Make sure the potatoes have softened and aren't crunchy before you do this --- cook them as long as it takes, until they're soft.)
- Pour the egg mixture into the drippings in the omelet pan, adding additional oil if needed to prevent the eggs from sticking. (Didn't need extra oil....)
- Spread the egg mixture evenly in the pan and cook over medium heat, shaking the pan.
- Gently run a spatula around the edge of the omelet to loosen as the eggs begin to cook. Continue to cook until the eggs leave the side of the pan.
- Invert a plate over the pan and flip the omelet onto the plate.
- Slide the omelet back into the pan to brown the other side.
- Serve hot or at room temperature with the sauce.



***Pepa would always serve this tortilla cold, on white bread, as a sort of sandwich...also delicious!

Wanna Save Money? Buy a Cookbook

An article in the Chicago Tribune today cited "10 ways to save at the supermarket."

Suggested methods for saving pennies include the following (I'm paraphrasing) :

1.) Shop for foods in their natural state -- i.e. don't buy a bunch of packaged foods; buy produce
2.) Use what's in the pantry -- i.e. dried foods (noodles, rice, and herbs). This suggestion even states USE A COOKBOOK!
3.) Make your own salad dressings, marinades, sauces, etc.
4.) Buy meats in bulk and freeze them (Holly Clegg has a great new "Freezer-Friendly Cookbook along these lines that's loaded with awesome recipes you can make now and freeze for later....or eat now, which usually gets my vote!!!!)

The MAIN POINT I think we can get from all this: you'll save money if you cook your own meals at home!

This isn't really a huge revelation. We could never get the fancy packaged junk when we were kids because a.) our Mom didn't want us eating a bunch of processed elements and b.) it was cheaper for her to make wholesome, delicious meals from scratch.

So the moral of my story is that you can invest $25-30 dollars in a cookbook, which has probably 200-400 recipes for great meals, and start saving $$$$ by giving up the prepackaged foods (oh-so-often junk foods) and cooking at home.

P.S. Another $5 says your health/waistline might improve a little too, if you're careful to use lighter versions of things like mayonnaise, butter, and olive oils. You'll see: eating well and doing it at home will yield so many great benefits!

Pancetta/Prosciutto = HAM

P.S.

The recipe I just lined out for you calls for "pancetta" or "prosciutto."

Both are hams - pancetta is dry-cured ham, prosciutto is apparently an Italian dry-cured ham.

Don't laugh at me - those who already knew this.

As I stated from the beginning, this is all a learning process....albeit rather extensive.

A Taste for Lentejas

I practically lived off lentils, or lentejas as they're called in Spanish, when I lived in Spain.

My 'mother,' Pepa, was an extraordinary cook. She even made a pot of lentils something I craved daily.

Of course, anything tasted amazing with a huge chunk of the daily loaf (it was my job to run downstairs to the bakery that was two doors down, past the bar that we lived above, to pick up two loaves of the most delicious, light and fluffy white bread I'd ever tasted).

I've tried to cook up my own pots of lentils from time to time, but sadly nothing ever compares. I doubt it ever will. But I still crave lentils often, and keep my eyes out for appealing lentil recipes to try.

The Junior League of Seattle has what looks to be a great recipe for "Lentil and Roasted Tomato Soup," in Celebrate the Rain. The book suggests that "for a classic combination, try a hefeweizen unfiltered wheat beer with hints of barley and hops."

OHHH if only I had access to a six pack of Henry Weinhard's down here in Tennessee - my evening would be all the more complete!

Regardless, here's the recipe - I'll let you know how my stab at it turns out!

Lentil and Roasted Tomato Soup

ingredients

- 4-5 large, ripe tomatoes (stemmed and halved crosswise)

- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

- 3 ounces pancetta or prosciutto, chopped

- 1 1/2 cups chopped onion

- 1 1/2 cups finely diced carrots

- 1 1/2 cups finely diced celery

- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (probably, the more, the better...)

- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

- 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

- 5 cans (14 ounces each) vegetable or chicken broth

- 2 cups French green lentils

- salt and pepper, freshly ground

directions

1.) Preheat the broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the top element. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet and arrange the tomatoes in a single layer, cut side down.

2.) Use 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to lightly brush each tomato. Broil them until they darken, soften, and begin to blister, 4 to 6 minutes.

3.) Take the baking sheet from the oven, cover the tomatoes with a towel, and set aside on a wire rack to cool. When cool, gently peel away as much of the skin as you can with a small, sharp knife. Cut the tomato halves into 1/2-inch dices.

4.) Cook the pancetta in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until crisp, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Scoop out the pancetta onto paper towels to drain and pour off the grease.

5.) Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the same pan, add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and saute until tender, aromatic, and richly browned, about 7 to 8 minutes (take care not to scorch the veggies; reduce the heat a bit if needed).

6.) Stir in the balsamic vinegar, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the thyme, marjoram, and pancetta and cook for 1 minute longer.

7.) Add 7 cups of the broth with the tomatoes and lentils and bring to a low boil.

8.) Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 40 minutes.

If the soup is quite thick, add a bit more broth.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 6 servings.

I Need Coffee

A beautiful, sunny Tuesday morning. Regardless, I could so use another pot of coffee about now.

Actually, I don't even need the actual coffee - just the buzz you get from it.

I always hit the gym in the mornings - most days it perks me up and gets me going - I get a little runner's high and then down a couple cups of coffee - then am set for the rest of the day.

There are days like this, though, when I just can't get going - and for no particular reason either! It's not as if I earned it by playing hard last night. Am just tired - aren't we all?

Passion for Coffee is a cookbook that has 204 recipes that all call for coffee. I don't wonder if I maybe infused my breakfast with some java as well, then maybe I'd be a little more perky.

Some of the breakfast recipes, like the Coffee Belgian Waffles with Caramel Coffee Sauce, or the Coffee Whole-Wheat Pancakes with Cranberry Sauce (YUM!) sound like they'd hit the spot on a morning like this.

Of course, I'd still have to drink one more stout Americano to really get me rolling. When will they put a good coffee shop near my office!?!

Here's one of those delectable breakfast recipes from Passion for Coffee. Go to http://www.coffeecooks.com/ to check out more recipes from Passion for Coffee, and to read some excerpts about people who live on Colombian coffee plantations and the history of coffee, as well as learn how to cook with it.

Coffee Whole-Wheat Pancakes with Cranberry Sauce

ingredients

- 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour

- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries

- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

- 1 teaspoon freeze-dried or granulated instant coffee

- 1 teaspoon baking powder

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted

- 1 egg

- 1/2 cup milk

- 1 recipe cranberry sauce

directions

1.) Place the flour, cranberries, brown sugar, coffee, baking powder and salt into a small bowl. Mix with a fork.

2.) Add the butter, egg, and milk and mix gently with a fork until the batter looks smooth.

3.) Place a 6-inch nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Spray with nonstick spray.

4.) Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and cook until golden brown, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Turn and cook for 20 seconds more, until golden on the second side. (The Second side takes less time.)

5. Serve pancakes warm, topped with the cranberry sauce.

Cranberry Sauce

ingredients

- 1/4 cup evaporated milk

- 1/4 cup heavy cream

- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar

- 3 tablespoons chopped, toasted pecans (toasted optional)

- 2 tablespoons cranberries, dried

- 1 tablespoon brewed espresso or basic concentrated coffee

- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions

1.) Combine the evaporated milk, cream, sugar, pecans, and cranberries in a saucepan over medium heat.

2.) Bring to a boil and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, until golden.

3.) Add the coffee and vanilla extract and stir to blend. Serve warm.

Cooking and Sailing (easier for some)

I was told before we left on our little sailing excursion, that the experience would be a lot like camping.

Naturally, I bought Saltines and peanut butter for my three-day sustenance. This is my own special camping fare, and a diet I highly recommend for anyone who is setting off into the wild blue yonder for any amount of time. A photographer who worked throughout Bosnia in the 90s once told me she lived off peanut butter the whole time she was there. As I'm not at war and just camping, I splurge on the Saltines. (Okay, I bought some Corona Lights too. The amount, however, will remain unknown.)

Much to my surprise, my sailing mates had different plans for what they'd eat while 'camping on a boat.'

While we didn't shower the entire time, we certainly ate well, thanks to our personal chef (a man who can make anything taste wonderful if he only has some garlic.)

Some garlic, chicken, frozen veggies, salt and pepper, and some Dale's sauce made for a super tasty and really healthy dinner. The Corona's may have counterbalanced the health value in the meal, but they were Light....

I'll always love Saltines and peanut butter and carry them with me on any outdoorish excursion, but apparently you can camp on a boat and eat what some might call a 'real dinner,' really well too.

Where'd the Culture Go?

You ever drive from one neighborhood to the next in a city/suburb and notice that every shopping center is exactly the SAME.

It's depressing. Mom & Pop stores and restaurants (I.E. PRIVATE BUSINESSES) are apparently long a thing of the past. Does that mean capitalism has passed us by too (I.E. competition, creative thinking and diversity in the marketplace)?

Regardless of the answer to that very complex question, the homogenous options that appear to the masses as "what they want," seem to exist in the cookbook market too - at least on the bestseller list.

Read what Nancy Leson, of the Seattle Times, blogged about, then come back to me....


The thing that genuinely disturbs me about the prevalence of celebrity chefs is that many of them work for TV stations, which are provably owned by one of five great media conglomerates (Disney, Time Warner, NewsCorp, Viacom (used to be CBS), and General Electric (own NBC). There's Bertelsmann in Germany too - but I'm talkin' U.S. here.

So a lot of the celebrity chefs seem to fit in a corporately-defined box, but they still influence our culture.

This 'possibility' disturbs me because it seems yet another identifiable example of how our society becoming homogeneous. The end result, at least for cookbooks, are products that lack individuality and a unique culinary cultural experience.

Which is to unabashedly say that FRP does a great thing by publishing regional/local community cookbooks.

One of our classics is River Road Recipes, from the Junior League of Baton Rouge.

I bought this book for all my family one Christmas when I was at LSU - this was well before I even came to work for FRP.

Why did I buy a cookbook that called for ingredients like raccoon, dove and squirrel?
Because the chapter for "Game" alone is a cultural trove.
Who doesn't want an original recipe for "Squirrel Country Style," or "Coon a la Delta."

I sure did, and I wanted my family to have them too.

While my Oregon people may never skin a squirrel for supper, the point is that people used to. They probably often needed to and were not above it. And it's fascinating to see where we've been and actually apply thought to where we're going.

So basically, FRP has been preserving food culture since 1961. I need to monitor the lifespan of some of these celebrity chefs.

They have nothing on a book that's been a bestseller like River Road Recipes: 1959, thank you very much.

What Goes Around....

are hot dogs.

No stinkin' way.

I wrote about this delightful dish yesterday, and look what appears in the Tennessean today!

First a cupcake store, and now a hot dog restaurant in the H.Village - oh how lucky I am.

TENNESSEAN.COM
April 23, 2008

Hot dog restaurant set for Hillsboro Village
By Dana Kopp FranklinStaff Writer

The restaurant-rich Hillsboro Village neighborhood is getting an eatery devoted to hot dogs.
Adam Deal, owner of The Dog of Nashville on Nolensville Road, plans to open a second location this summer on Belcourt Avenue in Hillsboro Village.

The new restaurant is taking over a former house-turned-office-building at 2127 Belcourt Ave.
The menu will be the same as at Deal's first restaurant: hot dogs and Polish sausages, topped a multitude of ways. He plans to serve beer, as well.

Deal is adding a patio in front of the building and expects to open by late summer. The new location will stay open later than the original, which is at 3302-A Nolensville Road (834-8633). Hours there are 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday; 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday.

Hot Dogs at the Ball Park

Hot dogs never taste as good as they do at the ballpark.

Of course, they taste even better with a super cold beverage of choice.

In the spirit of baseball season, spring's arrival, and the excitement of a long summer full of seventh inning stretches and hot dogs and beers for everyone (except the kids, of course,) I'd like to share an interesting factoid about the elements that make for a "Real Chicago-Style Hot Dog."

"A hot dog in this city is a steamed or boiled all-beef, natural-casing hot dog on a poppy seed bun. It may be topped with mustard, onion, sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato slices or wedges, sport peppers, and a dash of celery salt - but no ketchup.

Chicago-style hot dogs with all the toppings are sometimes said to be "dragged through the garden" because of the unique combination of condiments. Chicagoans traditionally shun ketchup because of the belief that ketchup is redundant in the presence of sweet pickle relish."

This tasty bit of information was found in Peeling the Wild Onion, the newest cookbook from the Junior League of Chicago.

(While I dig their commitment to the sweet pickle relish, I sure am glad I have no allegiance to Chicago. As my best friend, Nicole, claims, "one should live life with ketchup!" I couldn't agree more.)

Regardless of whether you eat your dogs with relish, ketchup, mustard, or in the buff, celebrate this great time of year by getting to a ballpark, sitting in the cheap seats, and enjoying a big juicy dog.

Cheers.

Cooking with Coffee

Patricia McCausland-Gallo, author of Passion for Coffee, the cookbook with recipes that all call for coffee in some form, will appear live on Baton Rouge's 2une In, at 5:15 on Tuesday morning.

She'll then round out her time in the Red Stick at the Brew Ha-Ha, a great little specialized coffee shop on Government St., where she'll sign copies of her book and talk about the brewing trend of cooking with coffee!

Turkey Time

It always fascinates me how hunting seasons vary from place to place. I was recently in Georgia, and apparently turkey season had just begun. Myself an Oregon native, I was surprised that there was a hunting season in the spring.

Regardless, thought this recipe for "Thrifty Turkey Soup", from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Cooking, was a good one for getting the most out of that turkey.

ingredients

- Turkey carcass

- 2 onions, finely chopped

- 6 stalks celery, finely chopped

- 6 carrots, finely chopped

- 2 chicken bouillon cubes

- 1 cup rice

- mushrooms and diced potatoes, possibly garlic if you have such an acquired taste (optional and not in original recipe: they just sound like good ad-ins. Tony Chacheres is also ALWAYS a good lagniappe to throw into anything. While that's an opinion, people in the great state of LA would argue it's a fact.)

directions

- Cover carcass with water in large kettle; simmer for 2 hours or until meat falls from bones.

- Remove carcass; pick meat from bones (yummy - maybe ask your dog to help.)

- Strain broth; return meat and broth to kettle.

- Add remaining ingredients; mix well.

- Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes.

Cookbook Industry's Economic Forecast Strong

This article from Kim Severson of the New York Times will hopefully blow your mind and excite you too.

Severson touches on many points that I myself have discussed in casual conversation from time to time - the quality of mass-produced food products; the almost 21 million people in our nation with diabetes and the junk food many of them are eating; lack of subsidies for organic farmers, government subsidies for cheaply-grown commodities and the agricultural industry's reliance on oil and petroleum to harvest and transport massive amounts of grains, sugars and animal products (once known as 'meat') - and all the very complex mutual relationships that exist among those bureaucracies, etc.

Those are all very broad, complicated and multi-faceted issues, but there are, in my opinion, some bottom lines I'd like to discuss:
1.) It's hard to trust in the nutritional value of anything you buy in a grocery store.
2.) Anything that's pre-made and pre-packaged is going to cost more and likely hold less nutritional value than a meal made 'from scratch'...so why would you pay more money for something that's processed, might alter your genetic code, contains unnatural substances like preservatives, and really only tastes decent because it has more sodium in it than a cow's salt block?

Well, one answer is that people in our society buy and eat these processed foods because they're convenient and we've either been programmed or programmed ourselves to identify them as "tasting good."

(Funny side story here: I always use that nasty, calorie-free spray butter. I was eating dinner at a friend's recently, and inquired as to what was done to the rolls to make them taste so good. The answer: "I put real butter on them."
Well holy cow.)

Points are these:
1.) While fast food is kind of fast, cooking your own meals and preparing your own food really doesn't take any more time than a 10 minute wait in the drive-thru. The end result is much healthier and satisfying too.
2.) Consuming real food with as few false ingredients or contaminants - i.e. locally or regionally grown vegetables, meat from local butchers that actually looks and smells like meat, locally harvested organic butter, milk, and cheese, beans, unprocessed rices, etc. - all of these things are healthier, and while some organically grown products may cost more, it can be argued that their sale helps local economies, and their consumption will save you from a heinous doctor bill, sooner or later.

So why doesn't everyone jump on the organically grown bandwagon?
As Severson points out, the cost of food is rising, and the dollar menus may remain appealing to Americans as their pockets get tighter, along with their pants.

I would argue, however, that along with my previous point that cooking at home really isn't that time-consuming, buying real food products to cook at home really isn't that expensive.

Ingredients for red beans and rice won't run more than $15, will yield enough tasty grub for a good number of people, and the dish is filling and pretty basic.

How to make red beans and rice? Well, here's where the cookbook industry comes in.
There are thousands of cookbooks with hundreds of recipes in them. If people do start seeking the value of real nutrition and real foods, and putting forth the effort to cook at home and save their health, then the cookbook industry will be a great resource for millions.

Shameless plug: Cookbook Marketplace is a great place to start one's cookbook collection.
It's my theory that while you might spend $20 on a cookbook, you'll save on grocery and health-related bills in the long run. Plus, you'll enjoy tastier food.

Beautifully Versatile Casseroles

I love great casserole recipes that allow you to whip together a delicious dish for a week's worth of dinners, or create a crowd-pleaser for any sort of function.

Two Thanksgiving ago, I was celebrating the holiday at some friends' in Baton Rouge, LA. Of course, everything I ate that day was amazing. The family was one of those long-established crews with strong Italian heritage, so just imagine how those people could cook.

One dish that has stuck out in my mind and my cravings was a casserole that had asparagus and eggs - surprisingly simple and DELICIOUS.

I've been in search of a similar recipe ever since. I just stumbled across this one from Furniture City Feasts, a collection of recipes from the Junior League of High Point, N.C.

I'm not sure if anyone knows the ways of those Italian Cajun cooks who shared their Thanksgiving with me in 2005, but I sure was excited to find this recipe. Coming from another state full of great cuisine and cooks, it's certainly worth a try!

Asparagus Casserole

ingredients
1 (10 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
3 tablespoons (or more) milk
1 (15-ounce) can asparagus, drained
1 (16-ounce) can English peas, drained
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
Chopped almonds or crushed cheese crackers

directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Combine the soup and milk in a bowl and stir until the mixture is of a thick sauce consistency, adding additional milk if necessary. Add the asparagus and peas and mix well. Spoon the mixture into a baking dish. Top with the eggs and sprinkle with almonds or cheese crackers. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly.

Serves 6

A Little Imagination and a Margarita

The weather is messing with my head.

It will be in the 70s here in Nashville one day, and then the rather cold and dreary 40s the next.

While I shouldn't complain, knowing that in places like my home state of Oregon there are still many months of rain to come before some tolerable weather sets in, I'm still going to wish anxiously for a good tan and some tropical exposure.

While I may not like nature's lack of compliance, I do like the suggestion from the Junior Auxiliary of Jonesboro, Arkansas, in their new book, Rendezvous on the Ridge.

They offer a menu called "Spring Break in the Islands," and instruct readers to "put on a Jimmy Buffet CD and pretend you are in the tropics with this Caribbean meal."

Yes, it is only 10 am on Thursday, but I think a margarita sounds splendid right about now....

MENU

- Frozen Margarita Punch

- Mango Chutney

- Shrimp and Bacon

- Spinach Cheddar Salad with Apples

- Saucy Pork Chops with Orange Slices

- Sweet Jamaican Rice

- Lemon Almond Pound Cake

Sample Recipe - Frozen Margarita Punch (Make this tonight as a sort of trial run for the weekend!)

ingredients

- 4 (12-ounce) cans frozen limeade concentrate, thawed

- 3 quarts H2o (water)

- 3 cups Triple Sec

- 3 cups tequila (get the good stuff - your head and stomach will thank you later)

- 2 (2-liter) bottles lemon-lime soda

directions

Combine the limeade concentrate, water, Triple Sec and tequila in a large container. Freeze for 8 hours or longer, stirring twice. Remove from the freezer 30 minutes before serving. Place in a punch bowl and break into chunks. Add the soda and stir until the mixture is slushy.

makes 2 1/2 gallons. yummy.