Challah Recipe

I am definitely putting this recipe in the keeper file! ESPECIALLY since Robyn showed me her recipe for Creme Brulee French Toast using challah. Thank you!! I will make this over Thanksgiving for sure! Follow that link and you'll also find her challah recipe, which makes 4 whole loaves! I used Martha Stewart's recipe, which makes one.

A few notes on ingredients and equipment for making this challah. I'd never bought or used fresh yeast before, so in case you haven't either, I found it in the refrigerated section of the grocery store near the butter, and this is what it looks like:It comes in 0.6 oz packages, so to get 0.75 oz I used my handy digital scale. I couldn't cook without this thing, I use it very often. It makes me so happy when baking recipes use weight measurements of ingredients because it's very precise. I've been known to weigh each and every single cookie in a batch to make them all the same exact size! I'm really a nerd about my kitchen equipment, but I love it!This recipe calls for using a digital thermometer to test for doneness, and while not essential for this, I wanted to mention it because if you're thinking of buying one and are unsure how often you'll use it, once you have it you will find yourself using it all the time. Same with the little scale; you'll wonder how you ever got along without it!

Challah
recipe from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

1 1/2 lbs bread flour (about 4 1/2 cups), plus more for dusting
3/4 oz. fresh yeast
1/4 cup sugar
3 T. honey
1 T. coarse salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for bowl, plastic wrap, and baking sheet
8 large egg yolks
1 large whole egg

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, honey, salt, vegetable, oil, egg yolks, and 1 cup water. Mix on low speed until the dough is smooth and stiff with a slight sheen, 8 to 10 minutes.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, and knead to make sure any loose bits are incorporated.

The dough was very sticky and kind of rubbery.
Fold in the following manner: Fold the bottom third of the dough up, the top third down, and the right and left sides over, tapping the dough after each fold to release excess flour, and pressing down to seal. Gently gather the dough and flip it over, seam side down. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about an hour. Brush an unrimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil or line with parchment paper. Set aside.

Return the dough to a lightly floured work surface, and divide into three equal pieces.

I used my little scale for this, too! I'm such a nerd. Roll each piece into an 18 inch log, and place the logs parallel to one another.

In Martha's pictures, her dough logs at this point were perfectly smooth and magically not floury even though they are to be rolled on a floured surface.... Most cookbooks with pictures are intimidating and you can't trust them - they cause everyone to have those self-doubting moments.

Pinch the ends together at the top, and weave the three strands into a tight braid, tugging gently as you go. Press the ends together to seal. Place loaf on the prepared sheet. Loosely cover with oiled plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Before rising: After rising and brushed with egg:
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375. Lightly beat the remaining whole egg and brush gently but thoroughly over loaf, making sure to cover any seams and crevices. Bake until the crust is dark brown, 50-60 minutes. The bread should reach an internal temperature of 190 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, and should have a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom. Transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Bread can be wrapped in plastic and kept at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Challah Bread: A Success!

These are the pictures in Martha's book with her recipe for challah:

And this is my challah:Not too bad, right! Despite problems with my sneaky oven, I was happy with how my bread came out. It was heavy, dense, eggy, and had a nice soft texture inside and a really nice crust that was as dark as a soft pretzel.

My oven has a mind of it's own and often cranks its self way the heck up to 500+ degrees. I think it gets out of whack and doesn't shut off the heat to regulate the temperature. This is one reason why I sometimes use the AirBake baking sheets, which buys me a little time before the burning happens, and one reason why I despise non-stick bakeware which always burns my food in my oven! Also, I am a fan of baby birds, so that's another reason I don't like that stuff. Non-stick baking sheets, loaf pans, muffin tins, etc, are a waste of time, unhealthy for you and the environment, and I recommend never using them. To avoid sticking I use a Silpat (if you don't have one, ask for one for Christmas!), or parchment paper on standard-sized good quality sheet pans, and properly oil, butter and flour the bakeware when necessary. I use nonstick pans on the stove only when really necessary and never heat them while empty, never broil with them, and try to avoid using them on a high flame.

I will post Martha's recipe here, and my pictures of my challah baking adventure, when I have time soon so check back! I have so much to catch up on!!

Thanks for breakfast!

I just had to interject with this random post because how cool is this - my friend Pepsi just dropped off for me a homemade personal sized 7-Layer (minus one layer) Dip! And 100% chance I'm totally having it for breakfast right now. Well it's almost 10:00 so we can call it brunch! I'm not that into breakfast foods during the week, so most of the time I just wait for lunch or eat it really early anyway so this is right up my alley.

Thank you Pepsi!

My kitchen will be messy again later today - I'm going to roast a chicken and try making challah bread. I wanted to mention that so I don't chicken out posting about the challah if it doesn't turn out well; I'll let you know either way! There is a Chinese chicken and vegetable dish that I still need to post, and I am working on a simple chocolate cream pie recipe. Not ready to post that one yet, it still needs some work (and believe me I don't mind practicing eating chocolate pies so who knows how long this project will take!).

Cream Cheese & Scallion Stuffed Chicken, and Beige Food

I'll start with my discussion on beige food. It's usually delicious, and not necessarily unhealthy. The end.
I love cooking chicken. Lots of foodies think boneless and skinless chicken breasts are worthless pieces of poultry, but I beg to differ! You can do anything with chicken; the sky's the limit when it comes to seasoning and flavor, type of cuisine, kind of dish, and method of cooking.

Every time I make chicken it's always Erol's "FAVORITE!!" This time he said he takes back all the other times he's ever said that because this is truly number one. I think he really believes it each time he says that, but I know he'll say it next time too.

Doesn't the name of this recipe just make your mouth water! I insist you make this if you like cream cheese, and of course you do because everyone does! Make it for guests and they will be so impressed simply because it's rolled and seems kinda fancy. Let them think you slaved over it, but it is so easy and most importantly when you have company: it can be completely assembled ahead of time and clean up is as easy as tossing a piece of foil in the trash!

The prep, however, will turn your kitchen into a very messy one, but no one has to see that.

I get lots of compliments when I make chicken, and besides the fact that I've had a lot of practice at knowing when it's done, I don't mess around and almost always use a digital cooking thermometer. It is easy to overcook chicken, and I still do sometimes, and no recipe can help that by providing a cooking time because the size and shape of each piece is unique. A digital thermometer is a must and there's no way around it. I have mine set to beep at 165 degrees, the lowest acceptable internal temperature for cooked poultry. I let it get to 168 degrees most of the time before removing the pan from the oven or the stovetop. The very very very worst way to check a piece of meat to see if it's done is to cut into it. If you are on a desert island cooking chicken without a digital thermometer and you absolutely must cut into it, do it only to the piece you will eat yourself and don't let on that it's dry, which is what will happen. (Sorry for getting a little fired up there, I've got the presidential debates on and I guess I'm feeling the tension!)

So back to this recipe - one day last week my shopping list included 1 lb of chicken for another recipe, and my frugal husband scored a 4 lb pack for only $3 more than the cost for only 1 lb. Yesterday I had three huge chicken breasts and not much else by way of other ingredients to make a recipe, so being unable to get to the store, I perused my fridge and found four scallions and a package of cream cheese. It made me think of the flavor of a dip or something, I can't remember exactly how I've had chicken and cream cheese together, but it just seemed like it would work.

I rolled and breaded this like chicken Kiev, but this is easier because Kiev is filled with butter and the chicken must be sealed tight or it will all leak out before it hits the plate. As you can see in my pictures, the cream cheese can leak out and puff up and it's still perfect and actually made it more appealing to me since it gave a little preview of what's waiting inside!

It took a lot of hand washing, but I took pictures of each step of assembling this recipe to make it more helpful because I really want everyone to try this! I will write the recipe for 3 large chicken breasts because that's what I had to use, but you can follow the same technique for any number of them. If your chicken breasts are this large, one will feed two people (or if you're Erol, one and a half will feed you. Just kidding, honey!) To make ahead of time, completely assemble them and place on the oiled baking sheet and refrigerate. They can go straight from the fridge to the preheated oven, just drizzle the olive oil on the top before placing in the oven.

Cream Cheese & Scallion Stuffed Chicken
Chicken and filling:
3 large boneless and skinless chicken breasts
8oz cream cheese
4 scallions, chopped
olive oil
9 toothpicks

Breading:
1 cup flour
2 eggs beaten with a splash of water
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prep breading ingredients in three separate bowls and season each bowl with salt and pepper. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly oil it.

Mix together the cream cheese and chopped scallions. Inside the bowl make a little mound for each chicken breast so it's easy to pick up with your hands.

Using a sharp knife, cut each chicken breast in half and spread open to create a larger, flatter piece. One at a time, place the pieces in a large freezer Zip Lock bag and pound out to make it even larger and flatter.

Lay out the pieces one at a time, cut side up and tapered end closest to you. Pick up a mound of the cream cheese and spread it on the lower 3/4 of the chicken.

Roll up the piece of chicken from the tapered end up, tucking in the edges as best you can. It's perfectly fine if there are some holes! Secure shut each piece with three toothpicks.

Once all the pieces are rolled up, bread them by dipping into the flour bowl, then egg bowl, then roll in the panko breadcrumbs. Place them on the oiled baking sheet, and drizzle olive oil on the top.

Bake for about 30 minutes and then insert a digital cooking thermometer into the center of the largest piece. It's done when it reaches 165 to 170 degrees, which may take up to an hour.

Don't forget to remove the toothpicks before serving.

Turkey Meatballs

Alright, moving on from Fakesgiving, I have 3 dinner recipes I'm ready to post. I can't find the magazine with the recipe for the sweet potato biscuits we made anyway, but when I find it I'll post it.

My family eats dinner very early in the evening; actually you could prob call it late afternoon. Erol gets home from work by 4:00 usually, and is always starving. We had been having a lot of take out, and one day wanted a home cooked meal, so when he got home I ran to the grocery store with no idea about what to buy. I first stopped by the magazine aisle to find inspiration in the food magazines, but didn't find them helpful. So I wandered over to the meat section, and ground turkey was on sale, so I thought: Meatballs!

Meatballs are quick, healthy, satisfying, and I didn't need to buy too many ingredients. Erol's a rice man, so I knew I'd be serving them over rice for dinner, but what kind of sauce to use? I searched around in the condiment and bottled marinade section and a sesame and ginger flavored one caught my eye. There were many brands to choose from of this, and tons of other flavors, but I got Paul Newman's because it was cheap. Picked up an onion and red pepper to add moisture and flavor to the ground turkey, and I was all set to make dinner!

Erol noted that these could be made a little smaller and they'd be a great appetizer with toothpicks.

Taste the marinade before you use it, I have a feeling that different brands will taste very different. It will have a very strong, vinegary flavor. You may want to adjust the amounts of marinade and honey to balance the flavors for your taste.
Turkey Meatballs
1 lb. ground turkey (or chicken - do not substitute beef)
half an onion, diced
half a red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/2 t. salt
pepper
2 T. olive oil
1/2 cup sesame and ginger flavored marinade, such as Paul Newmans' brand
2 T. honey

In a large bowl combine the ground turkey, diced onion and red bell pepper, breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper; do not over mix. Roll into balls and place them on a separate plate. (I wear latex-type gloves to mix and roll meatballs because it feels yucky.)

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium-high, then add the meatballs. Don't push them around or turn them until they are nicely dark browned on the bottom; when they are ready to turn they will release easily from the pan. Let brown on all sides.

Once they are fully cooked and dark brown almost all over, turn down the heat to low and add the marinade and honey to the pan, and turn the meatballs to coat in the glaze. Serve over rice.

Peppermint-Chocolate Cake

You know how you find a picture of a recipe and then you make it, and it looks NOTHING like the picture? Kinda like how Big Mac's look so appetizing on the trucks and billboards but you get one and it's, well, disappointing?

This did not happen to us with this cake! We were all very impressed. My mom made it and Jessi added the dark chocolate to the top. It was chocolatey and minty and what can you say about cream cheese icing other than YUM!
Peppermint-Chocolate Cake
Cooking Pleasures magazine, Dec 2006/Jan 2007

Cake:
3/4 cup unsalted butter
5 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 t. peppermint extract
1 t. vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 t. baking soda
3/4 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
1 1/2 cups sour cream

Icing:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened

Glaze:
1 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cake: Heat oven to 325F. Grease bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Line bottom with parchment paper; grease and flour paper.

Microwave 3/4 cup butter and 5 oz. chocolate in medium microwave-safe bowl on medium 3 to 4 minutes or until melted; stir until smooth. Pour into large bowl; cool 10 to 15 minutes.

Beat sugar into chocolate mixture at low speed. Beat in eggs, peppermint extract and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Alternately beat sour cream and flour mixture into chocolate mixture, beginning with sour cream. Pour into pan.

Bake 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack.

For the icing: beat 1/2 cup butter and cream cheese in large bowl at medium speed 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Slowly beat in powdered sugar at low speed until well blended.

Remove sides from springform pan; invert cake onto cardboard round or platter. Remove parchment paper. Frost cake with icing.

For the glaze: Microwave 1 oz. chocolate and 1 tablespoon butter in small microwave-safe bowl on medium 1 minute or until melted; whisk until smooth. Whisk in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; cool until slightly thickened. With small fork or whisk, drizzle glaze over cake. Cover and store in refrigerator.

Glazed Carrots

During college, I was in a car accident and the air bag went off in my face. The hard contact lens in my eye busted and scratched my cornea. My optometrist thought that it would not ever heal completely, but it thankfully did. I know it's ridiculous, but ever since then, carrots have been a little specialer to me.

Hahaha - that IS a true story and I don't think I've ever revealed that to anyone before!

I used to make this recipe about once a week with baby carrots, but it is better with whole big ones. I like it because it's so simple and in addition to carrots all you need probably on your countertop right now. I don't mess with ginger, orange juice, or any of that when I cook my carrots because they have such a good flavor, and cooking them this way brings out the best the carrot has to offer, and we don't want to cover that up.
Glazed Carrots
1 lb regular or baby carrots
2 T. olive oil
2 T. butter
salt & pepper
1 T. sugar

If you get baby carrots, leave them whole; if you get regular carrots, peel them and cut the ends off. Cut the first piece on a diagonal, your knife parallel to the cutting board. Roll the carrot a quarter of the way, and cut the second piece using the same motion. Continue to cut the whole carrot into these funny little chunks. (Please leave a comment if I didn't state this clearly and I can post a video, it's hard to explain.)

Heat a large sautee pan over high heat and add the olive oil and butter. Toss in the carrots and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and reduce the heat to medium. Stir around to coat, and then stir and flip occasionally for a few minutes; you want to give them a chance to get nice and browned on most sides (the picture above is in the beginning/middle stage of cooking). When they are about halfway browned and starting to get soft, add the sugar. You may need to adjust the heat level between medium and high throughout cooking so they cook pretty quickly, but don't burn.

I like them when they're still a bit firm on the inside, but if you like them completely soft, once they are browned add 1/2 cup of water to the pan and cover for 5 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until the water has evaporated.

World's Best Gravy

My mom makes this gravy every Thanksgiving and there is tons for everyone and enough for leftovers, too! You make it ahead of time, unlike traditional Thanksgiving gravies that you can't make until the bird is done. This is one of those family recipes that you kinda feel like you should lock up in a vault somewhere, but something this good just shouldn't be kept from anyone! You will be the QUEEN of Thanksgiving if you bring this to the table (or the King, if you're a dude).

This gravy is made using turkey wings. When you make this you can have a little private pre-Thanksgiving when you have the turkey wings for dinner, like my folks do. You can make this up to one month ahead of time and freeze it; thaw it for two days in the refrigerator. When reheating, whisk it often in the saucepan. When your Thanksgiving turkey is done you can skim the fat from it's pan and add in the fresh pan drippings to the gravy.

This recipe is from a magazine, my mom has the photocopied page in her big recipe binder. That binder, by the way, is one of those things you go back into a burning house for! Lots of gems in there. I took a picture of the recipe so I could type it here for you. I don't know what mag this is from, so next time I'm in Richmond I'll get that info and edit this post to give it credit. World's Best Gravy
Makes 8 cups
Prep: 10 minutes
Roast: 1 1/2 hours
Cook: 1 hour 40 minutes

4 turkey wings (about 3-4 lbs)
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
1 cup water
8 cups chicken broth
2 medium carrots, cut into chunks
2 medium ribs celery (with leaves), cut into chunks
4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 t. dried
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 T. butter
1 t. pepper

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Put wings in a large roasting pan; add onions. Roast 1 1/4 hours or until wings are browned.
3. Put wings and onions in a 5-6 quart pot. Add the 1 cup water to the roasting pand and stir to scrape up any brown bits, then add to the pot. Add 6 cups of the chicken broth (refrigerate remaining 2 cups for later), the carrots, celery, and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered for 1 1/2 hours.
4. Remove wings from pot and eat them for dinner!
5. Pour the rest of the contents of the pot through a strainer into a 3 quart saucepan. Discard vegetables and skim off the fat (to help skim the fat, refrigerate for a while and the fat will solidify on top).
6. Whisk the flour into the remaining 2 cups of chicken broth until blended and smooth.
7. Bring the gravy in the saucepan to a gentle boil. Whisk in flour mixture and boil for 4-5 minutes to thicken. Stir in butter and pepper, and check seasonings to see if you need to add salt. Serve, refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for up to a month.

"That moment"

I'm about to tell you a secret. Whenever I cook a dish, there is always one moment when I think I've ruined it. Here are some examples:

I made meatballs tonight, and I thought I'd chopped the onion and bell pepper to big and that the meatballs would fall apart.

When my mom and I made a cake one day, it totally overflowed in the oven and we thought we might have lost it. (Fire was involved, so the "moment" was warranted that time.)

Needless to say if you've read the first posts, the gremolata had a moment.

Every time I make Erol's very runny sunny side up eggs, I think I've overcooked or undercooked them. Same with steaks and hamburgers.

Whenever I bake and am unable to taste before the guests do, I totally have a moment when it goes into the oven, and another when I see the first bite being taken.

When the recipe uses a strange combination of ingredients, like the sausage stuffing, there's a moment.

If I've spent a lot of money on ingredients, there's usually an extra moment.

I find these moments thrilling, and cooking wouldn't be so much fun without them. Maybe this is why I don't have too many ol' standby recipes; I like the excitement of making something new. Some people may be scared, or want to give up, or feel like it's not worth it when moments creep into their kitchens. I guess this is where passion for cooking helps. The point is, push through, keep cooking, and when that moment happens think about your end product, your finished dish or meal. Look at your food, look around your kitchen to get your bearings, and double check your recipe. Read the recipe from beginning to end again. Decide if need to follow the recipe or divert from it. Then just keep going!

And when the cooking's over, here's the most important thing, the thing that will set you apart from most everyone else: NEVER APOLOGIZE, NEVER EXPLAIN. This is the best thing I learned from the Food Network, from Sara Moulton. Her shows are not on anymore, but I think she still is the executive chef for Gourmet magazine. Anyway, this is excellent advice but very hard to follow. It means that whatever happens in the kitchen is what you meant to have happen; however the dish turns out, it is exactly what you planned. At least that's what you want your eaters to think. If you look confident, they will think it's as good as you are presenting it to be. If you question yourself out loud, they will also scrutinize your food and find flaws that they would not notice otherwise.

So, bottom line - to have fun in the kitchen, allow those moments to happen and then let them move on out of your kitchen the way they came in!

Buttermilk Biscuits

There are still more Fakesgiving recipes to come, but I had to throw this in!

Buttermilk biscuits are the most important component of Erol's favorite breakfast.

I make biscuits (or pancakes when I have my way) almost every weekend, and I have tried tons of different recipes. Of course Martha makes the best! Biscuits made from Bisquick or self-rising flour are the easiest, but these are easy too, and worth the few extra steps. I like them because the inside is fluffy and the outside is crispy, and they don't have a doughy flavor like Bisquick biscuits.Buttermilk Biscuits
Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

(Makes about 14 biscuits; recipe easily halved)
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 T. plus 1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 t. sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
1 3/4 cup buttermilk, plus more for brushing

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Using a pastry blender (or a fork or your fingers), cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few larger clumps remaining.

Pour in the buttermilk; using a rubber spatula, fold buttermilk into the dough until it just comes together. The dough will be slightly sticky; do not overmix.

Transfer to lightly floured work surface; use floured fingers to pat dough to 1-inch thickness. Use a 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter or cookie cutter to cut biscuits as close together as possible to minimize scraps. Gather scraps together once, pat together and flatten, and cut out.

Transfer biscuits to a baking sheet and brush with buttermilk. Bake until lightly browned, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven; cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temp.

Cheddar biscuits: Add 3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese just before the buttermilk.

You can't really tell in this pic, but you should see pieces of butter in the dough before baking.

Cranberry Sauce with Blueberries and Candied Orange

This recipe is original by mistake, and was kind of an experiment, but it turned out so great! I endeavored to make a recipe called Cranberry, Tangerine and Blueberry Sauce from Bon Appetite, but encountered two major problems: cranberries and tangerines are not in season yet. The store didn't even have frozen cranberries. So I bought 2 cans of whole berry cranberry sauce, and since I thought the combination of flavors in the original recipe sounded interesting, so I got a navel orange and half a pint of blueberries. I candied small slices of the orange, heated up the cranberry sauce to melt it, and added the blueberries to cook them a little. Then combined the oranges in to the sauce and refrigerated it. I thought it was good cold, and extra good warmed up. The orig recipe also called for some minced fresh ginger, which I forgot to add LUCKILY. I stirred in some ginger to a small amount of the sauce and thought it threw off the balance of flavors, but my mom did enjoy it that way too.

Cranberry Sauce with Blueberries and Candied Orange
2 cans of whole bean cranberry sauce
1/2 pint blueberries
candied orange slices from one navel orange (recipe below)

In a sauce pan over medium-low heat, melt the cranberry sauce, then add the blueberries and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat to cool slightly, then stir in the candied orange slices. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold.

Candied Orange Slices
1 navel orange
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar

Cut the oranges into halves or wedges, and make very thin slices (see pic). Boil the water and sugar together in a heavy saucepan, then add the orange slices. Continue to boil for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to medium and cook for another 30 minutes. Lay out the slices onto a sheet pan lined with non-stick foil (or wax or parchment paper) and let cool. (For the cranberry recipe, you can use while still warm.)

Note: Multiply the recipe to make extra. Navel oranges are a must, or other thick-skinned orange; the white part of thinner skinned oranges is too bitter. These would be great to add to the tops of cupcakes or other desserts, and I can't wait to try this with grapefruit!

Navel orange, sliced and ready for the pot:

Green Bean Casserole

On real Thanksgiving my mom always makes Broccoli Bake, the kind using the Campbell's soup, and it's nearly everyone's favorite. Simply to be different for Fakesgiving, we made green bean casserole from scratch. This recipe is a keeper too, but by no means will it be a replacement! It can be easily halved.
Green Bean Casserole
Cooks Illustrated magazine, Nov & Dec 2006

Topping
4 slices white sandwich bread, each torn into quarters
2 T unsalted butter, softened
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
3 cups (about 6oz) canned French fried onions

Beans and Sauce
Table salt
2lbs green beans, ends trimmed and halved
3 T. unsalted butter
1lb white mushrooms, stems trimmed, wiped clean, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (we used crimini mushrooms, or baby bellas, and it gave the dish a stronger mushroom flavor)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
Pepper
3 T. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

For the topping: Pulse bread, butter, salt, and pepper in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 1-second pulses. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with onions and set aside.

For the beans and sauce: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, then add 2 T. of salt and the beans. Cook 6 minutes, then drain beans in a colander and plunge immediately into the bowl of ice water. Spread the beans out on paper towels to dry off.

In the now empty large pot, add the butter and melt over med-high heat. Add mushrooms, garlic, 3/4 t. salt, and 1/8 t. pepper, and cook 6 minutes. Add flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Add cream, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until sauce is thickened, about 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add green beans to the sauce and stir to coat. Pour into a 3 quart (or 13x9 inch) baking dish. Add the topping, and bake until top is golden brown and sauce is bubbling around the edges, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Make ahead tip: Combine the beans with the cooled sauce in the baking dish, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Store the bread-crumb topping in the fridge and combine with the onions just before cooking. To bake, heat the beans and sauce at 425 for 10 minutes, then add the topping and bake for another 15 minutes.

Brussels Sprouts

Finally, the recipe you've been waiting for!!

OK, I know that's not true... but try these, and if you don't like them you are allowed to say truthfully that you don't like Brussels sprouts, because they are the best you'll ever have. The recipe will serve 8-10 people, but if you can get that many people to eat them, more power to you! Cut the recipe according to your crowd, but don't be surprised if you turn more than one into a Brussels sprout lover, so I do suggest making a few more than you think you need.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

recipe from Ruth Reichl's book Garlic and Sapphires

2lbs small Brussels sprouts, trimmed (peel off the outermost layers, and trim the stem)

3 T. olive oil

salt and pepper

4 slices thickly cut bacon, diced (I just cut it into strips with scissors)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. But the Brussels sprouts on a baking sheet, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and toss so that each sprout is coated. Spread them out in a single layer, and top with the diced bacon. Cook, turning the sprouts once, for about 20 minutes or until they are very dark and crisp. Serve at once.

Gougères, Spiced Nuts, and Poinsettia Cocktails

It's always fun to have cocktails and a little nibble before dinner, especially when the house smells so good and everyone is hungry!

Gougère are cheese puffs made from pâte à choux, or choux paste (choux pronounced shoe). They're typically made with Gruyere cheese, but seeing as that would cost over $20 to make this recipe, I used regular old Swiss. Other cheese could also be substituted.

Gougère
recipe adapted from Ruth Reichl's, in her book Garlic and Sapphires

1 cup water
1 stick butter
1 1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 cups flour
5 eggs, room temp
Pinch of pepper
1 cup diced Swiss cheese
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese

Preheat the oven to 375. Butter 3 (standard sized) baking sheets. Combine the water, butter, and one teaspoon of salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until the butter melts. Remove pan from the heat and let cool slightly. Stir in the flour and mix well. Return the pan to the heat until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan. Turn off the heat and remove the pan. Stir in the eggs, one at a time until well combined. (At this point it looks as if it will never come together, but keep beating it with your spoon and it will!) Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, a pinch of pepper, and the diced cheese, stirring well.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the baking sheets, at least an inch and a half apart. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top and bake for 25 minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve immediately.

Gougères about to hit the oven:

Spiced Nuts
recipe from Bon Appetite, November 1998

Makes 1 1/2 cups

2 T. olive oil
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. curry powder
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
2 T. sugar
1 T. honey
3/4 cup walnut halves
3/4 cup pecan halves

Line a baking sheet with foil. Lightly oil the foil (or use the nonstick foil and no oil will be necessary). Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ginger, curry powder, and cayenne and saute until fragrant, about 5 seconds. Stir in sugar and honey. Add nuts. Stir until honey mixture is amber in color and nuts are well coated, about 6 minutes.

Transfer nut mixture to prepared baking sheet. Working quickly, separate nuts with a spoon. Sprinkle with salt and let cool. (Can be made 3 days ahead; store in airtight containers at room temp.)

Poinsettia Cocktails ,
from Freixenet advertisement in Food & Wine magazine, November 2005

1/2 ounce Triple Sec (optional)
2-3 ounces cranberry juice
4-5 ounces chilled champagne

Fill a tall glass with ice cubes, stir in Triple Sec and cranberry juice, then add champagne.

Sausage Stuffing

I'll start the Fakesgiving recipe posts with this one, because I got it from Food Network and I can just paste it in. This was a really strange sounding combo of ingredients, but it came out very good and colorful, not at all like the bland-brown lump we know and love so much! I also thought it'd be sweet, which somehow it wasn't. I recommend it, but if your family is used to Stove Top - and craves it on Thanksgiving as much as we do - you should make both!

Sausage Stuffing
Recipe courtesy Julie Song, www.foodtv.com

1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

3 cups onion, chopped

2 cups celery, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped

6 cups croutons (I made my own croutons; see below)

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 cups dried cherries (I used dried cranberries instead)

1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

2 cups chicken stock, plus extra as needed

Salt and pepper

Saute sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, crumbling sausage with the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer sausage with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Discard sausage fat in pan. Add butter, onions, and celery to skillet and saute until tender, about 10 to15 minutes. Add to sausage, along with herbs and croutons, mix to combine. In a medium bowl, combine allspice, maple syrup, cherries, pecans, and chicken stock. Add to crouton mixture. The mixture should be moist, but not soggy. Add more chicken stock, if necessary. Transfer stuffing to a baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour. Uncover and bake for another 20 minutes, or until the top is golden.

Prepackaged croutons are more expensive than they're worth by far, and they have too many varieties, too many chemical sounding ingredients...... And fresh homemade ones couldn't be easier to make. Make these for salads and soups at home, and experiment cutting them into different shapes (cubed or flat) and sizes. You can add herbs, spices, and/or cheese, too, such as granulated garlic or onion, cayenne pepper, rosemary, and Parmesan, just make double sure they don't burn, or even add them after the croutons are cooked but while they are still warm.

Croutons

Bakery bread such as French or Italian bread, baguette, or sourdough

Extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and pepper

Preheat broiler, or oven to 450. Cut the bread into medium-sized cubes. Toss them onto a baking sheet in an even layer and drizzle generously with olive oil, add salt and pepper, and toss to coat evenly. Broil or bake them just until nicely browned and crunchy.

Alternately, these can be made on the stove top in a large skillet. (Handy if your oven is full!) Heat the largest skillet you have on high. Add the olive oil, then the bread cubes, salt, and pepper. Stir around to coat, and cook them until browned and crunchy.

Don't walk away while making croutons - they cook, and burn, fast!

Fakesgiving!

Today some of our family held the first annual Fakesgiving at my folks house in Richmond! We all love Thanksgiving food so much that we decided to add a second one to the year.

Our feast was excellent, but is no comparison to all the festivities, atmosphere, and the rest of the friends and family around during the real Turkey Day, at least in my book! My mom, sister, and I spent hours and hours in the kitchen and that's my idea of a good time. My sis Jessi is not a natural cook ("How do I cut the ends off the green beans? Is this right? Do you feel like you're cooking with an 8-year old?" "Yes."), but she's a natural at doing things like refinishing old tables, decorating, and gardening. My mom is great at pretty much all things, so I got the cooking and nurturing stuff and Jessi got the other stuff and common sense and logic stuff (sometimes I lack there, too).

I will post all of our recipes, so there is a LOT to come! Here was our menu:

Poinsettia Cocktails (champagne punch)
Gougeres (cheese puffs)
Spiced Pecans and Walnuts
Turkey and Gravy
Green Bean Casserole
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Glazed Carrots
Sausage Stuffing
Cranberry Sauce with Blueberries and Candied Orange
Peppermint Chocolate Cake

Aunt Carroll brought the Cheddar Mashed Potatoes and it was a complete Thanksgiving meal! Most of our recipes came from my collection of holiday issues of Bon Appetite, Gourmet, and other cooking magazines. So I have a lot of typing to do! The star recipe is my mom's gravy, which she's been using for years and it's always incredible.

A happy oven:

P.S. A messy kitchen, and it's not MINE! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was from dinner the night before: sloppy joes, fried fish (that my dad and Jessi caught that morning), salad with croutons and ranch dressing, and apple cream cheese tart (I'll post these recipes if I ever finish posting the Fakesgiving recipes!).

Manicotti and Roasted Vegetables, and shortcuts

I had a cooking marathon last night, and one of the dishes I made was manicotti. I split the recipe between two dishes so we had some for dinner tonight and the second half is nestled in the freezer for another day. Later I'll post pics and recipes for the other things I made: a huge pot of soup and a pear and apple crisp. Those recipes make a ton of food, and we shared them with a family with a brand new baby.

On shortcuts: I am not 100% comfortable with taking shortcuts, but I'm trying to get used to it. What I'm talking about is that I want to make everything possible from scratch, and I don't like using a lot of store-bought products. It's not how my momma raised me, and now especially that I have a boy I'm reading labels and thinking Andy doesn't need to eat highfructosemonoglucosisreddye#12andwhoknowswhat!! But, it's life and there's really no avoiding it. Sometimes I struggle with just getting dinner on the table each night of the week because I make such a huge production of cooking, and it's not possible to do that every day. So I need to take help from the store sometimes and rely on shortcuts. I still try to get products that are closest to nature, or at least with less salt and sugar. And I do NOT EVER buy diet or non-fat versions of products that should have fat in them (like cheese - what is in non-fat cheese? I do not want to know!), or have the fat replaced by a huge amount of sugar, or the sugar replaced by some unnatural ingredient.

Wow that was really a rant, sorry! See I have some strong feelings about food! I could go on.......

But about my manicotti shortcut: I didn't make the sauce. It is very simple to make, but compare A) shopping for and heaving around, along with your one-year-old, a heavy bag of cans, produce, herbs, and spices (after looking to see what you already have in the cupboard), getting out the big pot, chopping the onions, etc, etc, etc, until you have sauce, OR B) buying one jar and opening the jar. Whenever I can help it, A does win, but B is pretty hard to resist sometimes when just cooking for the family!

I also took a shortcut, rather a convenience-cut, with the garlic bread - it's frozen. Tons of bad, unpronounceable ingredients, I know, but we didn't give the boy any! OK, finally, the recipes!
Manicotti
based on an America's Test Kitchen recipe (which, of course, does not use jarred sauce!)

3 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 cups), divided
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 cups)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry, and chopped fine (optional)
Table salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
16 no-boil lasagna noodles
1 1/2 jars spaghetti sauce

Combine ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, mozzarella, eggs, spinach, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and basil in medium bowl; set aside.

Pour 1 inch boiling water into 13 by 9-inch broiler safe baking dish, then add noodles one at a time. Let noodles soak until pliable, about 5 minutes, separating noodles with tip of sharp knife to prevent sticking (don't skip this part!). Remove noodles from water and place in single layer on clean kitchen towels; discard water in baking dish and dry baking dish.

Spread bottom of baking dish evenly with 1 1/2 cups sauce. Using soup spoon, spread generous 1/4 cup cheese-spinach mixture evenly onto bottom three-quarters of each noodle (with short side facing you), leaving top quarter of noodle exposed. Roll into tube shape and arrange in baking dish seam side down. Top evenly with remaining sauce, making certain that pasta is completely covered.

Cover manicotti with aluminum foil. Bake until bubbling, about 40 minutes, then remove foil. Remove baking dish, adjust oven rack to uppermost position (about 6 inches from heating element), and heat broiler. Sprinkle manicotti evenly with remaining 1 cup Parmesan. Broil until cheese is spotty brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Cool 15 minutes, then serve.

Roasted Vegetables
This is my all time favorite way to cook most vegetables, and I think they are even more nutritious this way than steaming them because nothing gets lost in the water.

Use (any combo of) broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, onions, squash, zucchini, green beans, Brussels sprouts, cherry tomatoes, corn kernels, asparagus, or whatever you like!

Crank up the oven to the hottest temp, or turn on the broiler. Toss the vegetables on a sheet pan with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and throw them in the oven to roast for a few minutes. Especially if they are under the broiler they will burn fast, so don't walk away! Roasting should only take a few minutes, you'll just have to check to see when they're browned on the edges and tender on the inside (poke them with a knife to check). If you want to add spices, herbs, cheese, or garlic, add it close to the end or after cooking because it will burn.

Not-Cook Books

I have read some great books about food, and while I do read cookbooks like novels, there are other books on food besides cookbooks! Here are the ones that I can remember - I have read more but can't think of the titles... I know there was one on chocolate but I don't recognize it on Amazon.com; sometimes I check out the books at the library.

What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained by Robert L. Wolke
The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry: Love, Laughter, and Tears at the World's Most Famous Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn
My Life in France by Julia Child
Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell
Food in History by Reay Tannahill
Made From Scratch: A Memoir by Sandra Lee
Currently reading: Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl
Reading next: Cooked: From the Streets to the Stove, from Cocaine to Foie Gras by Jeff Henderson

I was going to start a list of books on food that I would like to read, but there are just so many! Ruth Reichl (the current editor of Gourmet Magazine) is an interesting person so I'd like to read her other books. I'd also like to read some from Alice Waters, James Beard, and Anthony Bourdain.

Chocolate Souffle

This was the first time in a very long time that I've attempted a souffle, and I'll definitely be doing it again soon!

So with our steak and potatoes, we had a fantastically simple chocolate souffle. You think they're hard, right? But they're SO not! All you need is chocolate, sugar, butter, and eggs! And whipped cream, but more on that later.......

Chocolate Souffle

recipe from Gourmet Magazine (on foodtv.com)

Souffle can be assembled up to 30 minutes before baking. Keep, covered with an inverted large bowl (do not let bowl touch souffle), at room temperature.

Butter
1/3 cup sugar plus additional for sprinkling
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
3 large egg yolks at room temperature
6 large egg whites

Accompaniment: lightly sweetened whipped cream
Special equipment: a 5 1/2 to 6-cup glass or ceramic souffle dish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Generously butter souffle dish and sprinkle with sugar, knocking out excess.

Melt chocolate in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove bowl from heat and stir in yolks (mixture will stiffen).

Beat whites with a pinch of salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until they just hold soft peaks. Add 1/3 cup sugar, a little at a time, continuing to beat at medium speed, then beat at high speed until whites just hold stiff peaks.

Stir about 1 cup whites into chocolate mixture to lighten, then add mixture to remaining whites, folding gently but thoroughly.

Spoon into souffle dish and run the end of your thumb around inside edge of souffle dish (this will help souffle rise evenly).

Bake in middle of oven until puffed and crusted on top but still jiggly in center, 24 to 26 minutes. Serve immediately.

So if you're anything like me, you will have immedately noticed that I used Reddi Whip; I made a souffle from scratch but sprayed on the whipped cream! I know... but I didn't have any heavy cream, and it was guuuuuuuuuuuud anyway!

Ribeyes and Pommes Anna

Steak and potatoes - what could be better! I don't have a grill, but a good seasoned cast iron skillet can work, once you've had some practice. At least for me, because it's impossible to have an exact recipe to follow when cooking steak and you must learn through practice how a steak looks, sounds, and feels when it's cooking properly, needs to be turned, and is finished to the desired doneness. These are the best guidelines I can provide:

Steak cooked in cast iron

1. great steaks are not cooked, they are bought. Buy the best quality steak you can.
2. remove the steak from the refrigerator well before cooking in order to let it come to room temperature. The time it needs depends on the thickness of the steak.
3. salt and pepper it well (and don't mess around with too many other spices), while it's sitting out. When you think it's been salted enough. salt it some more! Some live by the theory that you do not salt meat until just before cooking because it draws out the moisture - but my theory is that I want it to draw out some moisture from the very outside. Unless you marinade the steak with salt for several hours, the salt will not penetrate very deeply. This means that the steak will get that nice, dark brown, salty, delicious, crust on the outside, because it's not soggy. If the outside of the steak is not salted and the moisture not drawn out from the edges, you run the chance of steaming your steak! And by the time it's browned you've killed it on the inside.
4. set your cast iron skillet on HIGH heat and let it sit there for about ten minutes.
5. put a little vegetable oil in the skillet, then immedately throw in that steak.
6. don't touch it.
7. don't stick anything into it, like a fork. Check and flip it with a spatula or two, or tongs.
8. flip it over one time, and one time only.
9. after several minutes on one side, check the bottom to see if that side looks done. If so, flip it and don't touch it. Keep watching it, but resist the urge to poke it around.
10. when the bottom side is browned and you think it's almost done, take the steak out of the skillet and place in on a platter.
11. don't stick it with a fork or knife or anything yet!
12. put a nice pat of butter on the top, and put a piece of foil loosely over the platter.
13. now if you have a second steak, repeat the process but you don't need to add extra veg oil to the pan.
14. after the steak has rested for ten minutes or so, you may eat it!
15. if it's not well done enough, this is what I do (or if I'm sharing a steak with Erol, who likes it less well than I do): slice the steak and put the slices back into the very hot skillet for a few seconds on each side.

I served the steak with a kind of fake demi glace, which in it's true form is an intensely flavored brown meat glaze that is super complicated to make. I have no idea how I came up with this, I must have read something about this technique somewhere, but what I did was bought a carton of low-sodium beef stock that had the best ingredients list, knowing that I would reduce it and therefore concentrate the flavor. I put a couple of cups of the stock into a saucepan and set it on medium for an hour or so, until it reduced to about half a cup. Then I took about a tablespoon of flour and kneaded it into an equal amount of butter, and then slowly whisked that into the stock to thicken it further. I didn't really know what to expect, but it was SO good! If you try this, a low-sodium stock is a must, and use unsalted butter if possible, because even so it was pretty salty. This is the kind of sauce that you only need a tiny dab of because it's so flavorful and rich tasting.

We also had chopped garlic and parsley on our steak and potatoes. The raw garlic became almost spicy, and it was a nice addition.

Speaking of the potatoes - these are so simple and can be assembled and refrigerated ahead of time, then simply baked.

Pommes Anna
based on a recipe from Gourmet Magazine

1 1/2 pounds potatoes
1/2 stick butter

Preheat oven to 450. Brush the bottom of a 9 inch ovenproof skillet with butter and sprinkle generously with kosher salt (this will add flavor of course but also help the potatoes to come out of the pan after cooking).

Slice the potatoes very thin and put them in a large bowl of cold water. Drain the slices and pat them dry between paper towels.

Arrange the potato slices in the skillet, overlapping them slightly, in layers, brushing each layer with the melted butter and seasoning it with salt and pepper. Cover the layered potato slices with foil, and bake it for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and golden. Invert the potato cake onto a cutting board or large platter and serve.

We ate like kings! Nobody can eat like this all the time, but we really enjoy it when we do. Especially when we had dessert: Chocolate Souffle!!

Pasta with Croutons

This is a great recipe because it uses pantry only ingredients. The recipe calls for rigatoni pasta, but any big noodle will do (not a long noodle like spaghetti or linguini though). Today I used Simply Enjoy garlic & basil straccetti. (Yes, I said today, and it is before 10am. I totally had it for breakfast!) I also added some canned artichokes. I, obviously, like this dish anytime, but it's a great lunch or side dish for something like roast pork tenderloin.

Pasta with Croutons
based on a Giada De Laurentiis recipe

1 pound rigatoni, or other large pasta
3 cups flavored croutons (about 5 ounces)
1/4 cup slivered almonds (about 1 ounce), toasted
1 cup julienned roasted red bell peppers
1 can quartered artichoke hearts
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Place the croutons and the almonds in a food processor. Pulse until it becomes the texture of bread crumbs. Place this mixture in a large bowl with the roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain, and add it to the bowl with the other ingredients. Toss together and add the olive oil.

Plum Tart and Ina Garten

I halved Ina Garten's recipe for plum tart for dessert tonight, and it was really good, not too sweet. We had it with whipped cream and blackberries we picked last weekend.
Plum Tart (recipe halved; makes 4-5 servings)
Barefoot Contessa Parties! Cookbook

1 cup all-purpose flour
6 T. finely chopped walnuts
6 T. light brown sugar, lightly packed
6 T. cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 egg yolk (messy but it can be done!)
1 pound firm, ripe plums, pitted and cut lengthwise into quarters or eighths

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine the flour, walnuts, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and the egg yolk. Mix, either by hand or with an electric mixer, until crumbly.

Press two-thirds of the crumb mixture in an even layer into the bottom of a 8x8 dish or small tart pan. Arrange the plums in the pan, skin side down.

Sprinkle the rest of the crumb mixture evenly over the plums. Bake the tart for 30 to 40 minutes, or until it's lightly browned and the plum juices are bubbling. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I absolutely LOVE Ina Garten. She is my favorite celebrity chef and I have all of her cookbooks and use them regularly, especially Barefoot Contessa Family Style. Her website is great if you have all the cookbooks because there is an index for ALL the recipes by category, plus menu ideas.

Ina's launching a book tour next month for Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, and I fully indend on being at Sur La Table in Arlington on October 29th between 12 and 2pm!

Gremolata Rice

Gremolata is the simplest and tastiest accompaniment for grilled chicken, or, if you accidentally spill rice all over your kitchen (including into your bowl of gremolata - as I did right before taking the picture at the blog heading...), for rice.

Gremolata
Italian parsley
minced garlic
lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients (in amounts according to your taste). Add olive oil if you'd like to create more of a sauce-like consistency.

You can add gremolata to rice before cooking and it will be delicious, accident or not!

The Messy Kitchen

Welcome to my messy kitchen.

I call my kitchen messy because it is well loved and constantly in a state of being used for cooking, baking, cleaning, or all three. It makes me the happiest when it's completely spotless, just begging for me to come mess it up again!

My hobby is cooking, and aside from my little boy, family, and friends, it's pretty much all I think about.

I'm notorious for using pots, pans, bowls, knives, and all other kitchen tools excessively. I have no problem whipping out every single pan, or whatever I think I need, to use for cooking. The only problem with that is that it does create a lot of dishes to wash at the end of the day, and a lot of dishes to put back away later. I'd like to say I'm as good at that as I am at the actual cooking, but I cannot tell a lie.

I will use this blog to share recipes, stories, information, and other thoughts on food. Who knows how it will turn out, but I hope you enjoy reading. Please try the recipes, and please COMMENT if you stop by!

Thanks!