A dining room converted to a kitchen fit for an emporer!

The new owners of this charming 'bama home had the challenge of converting the formal dining room to its new kitchen.  Although a bit too formal for me (enter, the Napoleon III silver-leaf mirror above the Five-Star stove), it nonetheless has an inviting warmth and friendliness.

I love the arched built-in shelves!

Notice how the owners kept the feel of the formal dining room by building the marble sink to resemble a buffet, and the 9' long oval island, a dining table.

I think this kitchen probably looks great at night, with dim lighting.

Beautiful light from the large bay window and double-doors opening to the patio. This is my kind of kitchen view!

Happy Sun day!

Delicious Cosmopolitan Cranberry Sauce

Delicious Cosmopolitan Cranberry Sauce

 

I had never given cranberries a second thought, including the cranberries served at Thanksgiving.  I always thought of them like parsley... they're on the plate to look pretty, but they're nothing special.  And for most of my first forty-something Thanksgiving dinners, the cranberries were either my grandmother's standard homemade tart cranberries with orange (and my grandmother was the "Queen of Garnish", so sitting center and proudly among the cranberries would be a rose that Gramma made out of the orange rind, and then she would dip the tips in food coloring), or the gelled cranberries that you slide out of a can.  And then about 10 years ago a friend told me her cranberry chutney is a hit, and oh so easy.  I found the chutney to be interesting, filled with a variety of dried fruits, ginger, pepper and balsamic.  I must say it appeared to be a hit wherever i brought them, or so i thought.  Last year i showed up with my cranberry chutney only to find those round, jiggly slices from the can on the table.  Nobody would admit to not liking my chutney, but this year someone suggested i might want to do something simpler.   

I decided to search for a special cranberry recipe, otherwise i knew the cans would make a reappearance.  These cosmo cranberries (named after the famous and delicious drink) were a hit when i tried them at my office.  However, I would think twice before making these if there are small children or recovered alcoholics at our dinner.  Or people driving!  Yes, they're made with vodka, and a lot of it, and the liquor does not get cooked out.  In fact, the original recipe called for 1/3 cup of vodka but i reduced it to 1/4 cup.  My sister thought it could be reduced even further.  I say live wild and see who winds up dancing on the table!  Perhaps these cranberries will create some everlasting Thanksgiving memories.

Ingredients --
1, 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. Vodka
3 T of Grand Marnier (or another orange-flavored liqueur)

• Wash the cranberries well.
• In a heavy mediums saucepan over moderate heat, combine the cranberries, sugar and water.
• Bring to a boil, stirring often to dissolve the sugar.
• Then, reduce heat to moderately low and simmer, stirring often, until thickened and reduced to about 3 cups -- about 15 minutes.
• Transfer to a medium bowl and cool, stirring often, until tepid, about 30 minutes.
• Stir in the vodka and liqueur.
• Refrigerate until chilled and set – at least 2 hours.

This should be served either chilled or at room temperature.
Yields about 3 cups cooked.

Buon appetito, and happy Thanksgiving!

Jardiniere, or Pickled Veggies

Last Saturday my mother and i went to Nordy's for some serious shopping, which we know can make one work up a good appetite.  So we popped into their new cafe which i was really impressed with.  The only thing it lacked for a department store restaurant would be the handful of models showing off the latest fashions.  (Perhaps that's dating me.  Besides, they called that a "tea room", not a cafe.) The waiter brought us a small plate with pickled veggies -- a couple pickle wedges, carrots (my very favorite pickled food) and cauliflower.  It was delicious... very mild, and surprisingly no dill.  In fact, the waiter was so nice he brought us a second plate.

Nordstrom's Pickled Veggies

We asked the waiter what the secret is, and he said the chef boils the veggies and then throws them into the jar of brine that the pickles came in.  Who woulda thought it could be that easy.  Well, since nobody knew what kind of pickles they served, and that's probably key to flavoring the veggies, i concocted my own recipe using rice vinegar, which i think is one of the mildest vinegars.  The other thing i decided to do is use Splenda instead of sugar.  I know... i probably should have stuck with the real thing, especially when you think about how little of the sugar you're actually absorbing.  Ok... next time.  But for now...

The marinade, or brine:
Ingredients:

• 3 cups of plain rice vinegar
• 3 cups of water
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 5 Tablespoons of kosher salt
• spices (use as much as you want; because i wanted my marinade to be mild, i used about 1T of each of the following):
• mustard seed
• peppercorns
• garlic
• crushed red pepper

Bring to a boil, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Set aside to cool.

Vegetables:
Obviously you can use whatever you want.  It's important not to cook them too long; you want them snappy.  I blanched them in boiling water, as follows:    Carrots for 4 minutes; broccoli and celery for 2 minutes; persian cucumbers and pearl onions just "took a dip" and immediately took them out of the boiling water as quick as they went in.

Other veggies to try are:  cauliflower, string beans, and hearts of palm. 

Immediately after you take the veggies out of the boiling water, put them into an ice bath so that they keep their vibrant color.  After the ice bath (as little as a few minutes, otherwise you can keep them in until finished with the entire cooking process), lay them on clean towels to drain.  I found the broccoli was like a sponge, so i gently pressed out the water the florets held. 

Put the veggies in jars... mixed up... individually... whatever way you want. 
Then, pour the marinade directly on top. 

Then you have the fun of figuring out what kind of hats to put on your jars.

Carrots taking an ice bath... quite relaxing.

I enjoyed these, although they were a little sweeter than i wanted.  Next time i'll definitely use real sugar, just not as much.

Don't forget to make your veggies an adorable hat.

Buon appetito!

A Quaint English Kitchen

Is this not a great white kitchen?  Although natural wood beams would have been my preference.

Fregola with Fresh Corn and Scallions

About a year ago i discovered an interesting pasta called fregola.    I generally stay clear of pasta, but these were so small and interesting... like tiny beads, similar to Israeli couscous.  Originally i had it in a salad which i enjoyed, but outta sight - outta mind.  Until i came across this little delight at Bay Cities.  I bought a package and then looked online to see what others have made with it.  It looks like the most popular additions are corn or peas... i guess anything small so that you don't lose the little fregolas in a dish with large ingredients.  I decided fresh corn right off the cob, and a lot of scallions would do the trick, but then a little truffle oil never hurt anything, so...

Ingredients --

• 1 pound of Fregola
• 4 ears of corn
• 2 cups of freshly chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup of grated reggiano parmesan
• extra virgin olive oil
• a tad of truffle oil
• salt
• pepper

Boil the fregola in water with a lot of salt, or as the package instructs.
Meantime, shave the corn off the cobs, and chop the green onions.
Add all 3 ingredients to a large pan with enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan, and a dash of truffle oil. Unfortunately, this is all done by "eye" so i can't say how much to use.
Add the parmesan stirring frequently.  After about 10-15 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste and stir until the aroma tells you "finito!  Time to eat".  This dish can be served either hot or cold.

Buon appetito!

A friendly kitchen

Kitchen with a warm heart.

I'm usually drawn to more contemporary kitchens, but i just love the warmth of this kitchen.
I think it looks very "friendly".  I'd love to plan a brunch here.

Prince William's Yummy Chocolate Crunch Bars

I couldn't help but read about this dessert since i adore just about anything having to do with Prince William and his bride.  These seem to be the Brits' version of our rice krispy treats.  Maybe that's why i insisted on adding marshmallow fluff!

I made and tested them at the office, figuring if they're a hit i would bring them to Beth & Richard's on the 4th.  Elliot, Rosa and Karen loved them (even with the raisins).  I never heard from Laurence and Jessica, so i'm thinking that it was too sweet for them, or Debbie forgot to bring them home and they're still in her car.  (Oh no!)

Ingredients --

• 1 box of graham crackers
• 1/4 cup of golden raisins
• 1/4 cup of chopped nuts (i used peanuts)
• 1 jar of marshmallow fluff (optional; this was not in the original recipe)
• 5 ounces of milk chocolate
• 5 ounces of dark chocolate
• 1 stick of butter (at room temperature)
• 1 14oz can of condensed milk

      For the topping --

• 9 ounces of dark chocolate 

In a large bowl, mash all of the graham crackers.  I found it easiest to use the bottom of a small metal bowl.
Add marshmallow fluff, raisins and nuts.
Melt both chocolates, butter and condensed milk.  (I suggest doing this slowly so that the chocolate doesn't burn.)
Add it to the graham cracker mixture and stir.
Pour into a parchment-lined, 11x7" baking dish.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

The original recipe calls for melting 5 ounces of dark chocolate and pouring over the refrigerated mixture.  But i wanted to temper the chocolate so that it didn't melt in your hands.  Tempering is actually easy, but takes patience.  You'll see i have a cheat sheet i keep in my baking drawer.  You need to slowly heat the chocolate to 115° and then take it off the stove and let it cool to 84°.  It can take a while to cool down, so one trick is to add more finely chopped chocolate -- about 1/3 as much as you melted.  Once it cools to 84°, put it back on the stove and heat to 90°.  You can then remove and pour on top of the chilled pan of chocolate crunch cake.  You'll see the chocolate start to harden.

My cheat sheet

Buon appetito!

One happy kitchen!

 

I find this to be one happy kitchen.

 

 

I'm guessing the pots and pans are this organized.

Summer Berry Crumble

This is based on the apple crumble i made in the past, but since berries are so sweet and delicious (and i forgot to buy apples) i doubled up on the berries and used all strawberries and blueberries.  I also used whole wheat flour instead of regular white flour, and demerara instead of brown sugar... my attempt to make it a bit healthier in a natural way.  And then i decided to get creative and made an individual serving in a small dish.  This might be fun to do with a small dinner party.  Now the question... is this crumble as good as the last? 
 

Ingredients -

• 1 cup of demerara or brown sugar
• 1 cup of rolled oats
• 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 6 fuji apples, peeled and sliced
• 1 large basket of blueberries
• 1 2 large baskets of strawberries
• 1/2 cup of white sugar
• 2 teaspoons of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, oats, flour and melted butter and mix until crumbly. 

Place half the mixture in a baking dish.

Spread apples and berries over mixture.
Sprinkle with white sugar and cinnamon.
Top with remaining crumb mixture.
Bake 40-45 Minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with vanilla schlag (whipped cream) or vanilla ice cream.  In fact, a little of both is great!

Berry crumble for one... or be nice and share it with someone for a smile.

By the way, this posting is after i served the berry crumble, and this was a hit!  It was completely devoured as was the schlag.  I'm a happy blogger.  :)

Buon appetito!

The best chocolate banana bread!

Delicious chocolate chip banana bread.  Yummm.

My lovely sous chefs... Miz Em (L) and Miz Jess (R)

It's been a rough road since my fall last June, but with the help of my two sous chefs (Miz Jess and Mizz Em), i've finally cooked something and am blogging about it.  Yay, and thank you both for your help.  You came over to swim, and I put you to work.  But seriously, I wouldn't have done this without your help!

So a couple weeks ago i had a delicious banana bread and Colleen said it's really easy and the reason she thinks it's so good is it's made with buttermilk.  I found this recipe online and thought it sounds like Colleen's, so i'll give it a try.  The only thing i did different, is i used whole wheat pastry flour instead of regular baking flour, and then my sous chefs convinced me a little dark chocolate couldn't hurt.  Yes, we could have opted for nuts, but why use nuts when you have good dark chocolate?  One other thing... next time i see no reason to use the stand mixer.  It would have been just fine to use a large bowl and fork to mix it.  I think it came out delicious!  Dense, but not too dense; Nice banana aroma but not too much banana; and a hint of chocolate, without over doing it!

Ingredients --

•  2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup mashed bananas (overly ripe work best)
• 1-1/2 cups white sugar
• 1-3//4 cups all purpose flour  whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Optional:  1/2 cup chopped nuts (or chocolate or raisins)

Preheat oven to 3258° F.
Spray or grease one 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Blend together the eggs, buttermilk, oil and bananas.
Sift together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt.  Add to the banana mixture and stir in nuts, chocolate or raisins.  Mix well.
Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

And remember... next time you have bananas that are overly ripe, don't throw them out... make banana bread.

Buon appetito!

Yummy Chocolate Pumpkin Bread-Puddin'

The best dessert, but oops... i forgot to add the schlag for the photo op!

This is it!!!

I think this must be my very favorite dessert to make, because...

• it's so easy;
• chocolate... bread... what more does a person need/want?
• people haven't stopped asking me for the recipe!  

I made some slight modifications to Bobby Flay's Pumpkin Bread Pudding, such as using freshly made dulce de leche (OMG!  you can eat it with a spoon directly from a jar in the fridge!) with fresh whipped cream instead of Bobby's Spicy Caramel Apple Sauce and Vanilla Bean Creme Anglaise.  Also, i did the ultimate... i added small chunks of dark chocolate bits.  Oh... and i substituted brioche rolls instead of his pumpkin bread. The modifications can be endless.  I'd love to know what you're going to do to make it your bread pudding!

NOTE:  As good as this dessert is, and as good as it may look, i continue to forget to add the whipped cream (schlag) and powdered sugar to the one plated for pictures.  Just imagine... 

  
Ingredients -

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 6 large egg yolkls
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrun
• 1 cup pure canned pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• pumpkin bread  I prefer brioche or about 10 brioche rolls
• chopped semi-sweet chocolate chunks
• sprinkling of walnuts
• confectioners sugar (just to sprinkle on top)
• Dulce de leche (recipe to follow)
• Fresh whipped cream, or schlag

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F°. 

Combine the cream, milk, vanilla bean and seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.

Whisk together the yolks, sugar, maple syrup, and pumpkin puree in a large bowl.
Slowly whisk in the hot cream mixture until combined, remove the vanilla pod, and whisk in the bourbon.
Strain the custard into a clean bowl.  (I have no idea what this is for, so i didn't do it.)

Scatter the bread cubes in a buttered 9 by 13-inch baking glass baking dish.
Pour the custard over the bread, pressing down on the bread to totally submerge it in the custard.
Let sit for 15 minutes to allow the bread to soak up some of the custard.

Place the pan in a larger roasting pan and pour hot tap water into the roasting pan until it comes half way up the sides of the glass dish.
Bake until the sides are slightly puffed and the center jiggles slightly, about 1 hour.

Remove from the oven and water bath and cool on a baking rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Spoon some of the bread pudding onto a plate and drizzle with the dulce de leche.
Top with freshly whipped cream.
Bread pudding is best served warm.

Buon appetito!

Get ready for the BEST dessert I've ever made...

Princess Cake - the most delicious combination of sweets.

as delicious as this is, 

     i did not make it,

          and it's not the dessert i've been talking about for over the past week.

Each Thanksgiving i focus on something, and hope to turn it into something special.

Last year it was the butternut squash soup with pancetta, thanks to Laurence's discovery of one of his favorite comfort foods while going to NYU.  (Ok... and thanks to Tom Colicchio's, Wichcraft and its fine selection of reasonably priced food that brings a smile and warms the belly of many looking for good, comfort food while away from home.)

This year i focused on pumpkin bread pudding.  I'd like to say more, but i'll wait until you can read the recipe before i say what's in it and what accompanies it.  

The few days before Thanksgiving i make the dish and bring it to work.  That night i work at refining it and, yes, bring another one to the office.  Based on reactions, i was able to tell when it was a hit!  Mom wants the recipe, Colleen wants the recipe, and Jess wants to share it with a teacher.  Audrie said Georg thought it was the best dessert i've ever made.  I love making something that everyone loves to eat.

Now i have to sift through dozens of photos and turn them into pretty viewing for you.  I also feel i owe it to this delicious dessert that i give it the recognition it deserves.  So before this weekend is over, i'll have the pictures and recipes posted.  All three parts of the dessert are easy and delicious.  It's probably going to take me more time to blog it than to make it.

I hope this posting has you looking forward to reading about this yummy dessert!

Pretty Pickled Peppers

You don't want to know how long these have been in my fridge, but i think they get better with time.  Isn't pickling... like a fine wine?  Ok... June 13th.  And i'm sure my mother is asking "of what year?"  I had everything ready to go for this post, then i had my nasty fall and never got around to posting this.  I just re-discovered a jar of these in my refrigerator and was surprised at how tasty they were and i thought i should share with you!

As a kid i thoroughly loved raw green bell peppers.  Then, at 7, i had my tonsils removed and, ever since, you couldn't pay me to eat a bell pepper.  Whether green, orange, yellow, red or purple - i won't get near them with a 10 foot pole.  Then, on the evening of Tuesday, February 22, 2011, the stars must have aligned in a way that amazed me... i watched a little boy eat a baby orange bell pepper, and you could see how much he enjoyed it, while at the same time it emitted an aroma that i thought was so fresh.  I got up and got one of those same orange peppers, and LOVED it!  In fact, i ate two more -- one yellow and one red, and the entire time i kept thinking "i can't wait to call mom and tell her that i now eat bell peppers, albeit, not green"!

So now that i love these little sweeties, i'm finding a lot of goodies to incorporate them in, but the first thing is some pickled sweet peppers...

Ingredients:

• Mixed baby peppers (whatever colors you like)  
• 1-1/2 c. white taragon vinegar
• 2 T. pickling spices
• 1/4 c. sugar
• herbs are optional (dill, taragon, almost anything)

Wash the peppers and stick each one with a fork so that they don't pop or burst when you boil them.Place the uncooked peppers in a pot of boiling water for just a few minutes.  You don't want them too soft; it's nice if they have a little snap when you bite into it.
Remove the peppers from the pot of boiling water and let them cool.
Meantime, boil the vinegar, pickling spice and sugar for about 5 minutes or until the sugar is completely dissolved. 
Stack the peppers in a canning jar any way you like.  I lined mine all vertically and alternated colors.
Pour the cooked vinegar mixture over the peppers to fill the jars.

 Voila! 

Kitchens for an Ivory Tower

I'm hoping to get back to cooking very soon, so i need to share more of my collection of spectacular kitchens.

I'm generally a monochromatic person -- i like a vase of flowers with all the same kind and color.  Or when i wear black, i might accent it with white or ivory, and when i wear white or ivory, i accent it with... yes, you guessed correctly... black!  Ok, i do incorporate brown on occasion.

If this were my kitchen, i would have a vase of magenta colored flowers on the island...

I want to see the rest of this house!

I'd like to wake up to this kitchen on a gorgeous spring morning, or winter or summer or fall would also be fine with me.

I love these exposed beams.

And then, dine al fresco, of course...

No, this isn't my patio.  It's a private patio from the Amanjena Resort in Morocco. 
Think, Sex and The City II.

Stay tuned for more kitchens... soon!

A romantic kitchen (No, that's not an oxymoron!)

In my quest for spectacular kitchens, this one must be tops for romantic.  Look at the gorgeous painted ceiling and the warmth that the wood counter brings.  And don't miss the chandelier in the back corner -- just above the potted plants on the back counter.  Wouldn't you love to know what the yard looks like just beyond those windows.  Stay tuned!

Of course they use brown eggs.  White would disappear with everything else.

 

 

 

A pretty day becomes a happy day.

Cuisine du Jour... or Kitchen of the Sea

If you need me, here's where i'm cooking dinner, if i was able to cook, and if i was in France --

Look at the gorgeous ceiling, and how the crystal chandelier adds the right amount of bling to spice up this kitchen.

Oh, if you're wondering, this is the little breakfast nook where i planned my day of strolling through Provence's street market and figuring out where i was going to get lunch.

Bonne journée

Not your mother's kitchen

Since i'm out of commission for 4-6 more weeks with a fractured knee, some pulled ligaments and a sprained ankle, i decided that, even though i can't cook (takes too much standing), I could look for fabulous and unusual kitchens to drool over.

Here is my first... a sunken kitchen in my own backyard... Venice, CA.

I'm assuming the fridge are cold drawers and the oven is beneath the stovetop.

Could cooking get any more serene than this?

A kitchen with "what-a-view"!

On that note... I have to go scrounge up dinner.

Buon appetito!

Turkey Chili with Cranberries

Last week i was in New York for Laurence's NYU graduation.  We had a great time and ate at some great restaurants.  The funny this is, the day of his Tisch graduation we couldn't catch a cab (ok... for much of the trip we couldn't catch a cab) and walked forever just to find a place to eat.  We all were tired of walking in the rain and finally, after what seemed like an eternity, decided to eat at the next available place.  Turned out to be The Counter, a restaurant we have in our very own backyard.  I'm not crazy about their turkey burgers, but Debbie and I decided to try the turkey chili with a green salad.  Wow!  It was fantastic.  I thought about that chili every day.  In fact, i took most of mine back to the hotel and ate it cold the next day for breakfast. 

                Polenta Cakes                           Turkey Chili in the Making     

Here's my recreation...

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of ground turkey (mixed white and dark meat)
• 2 cups of chopped white onion
• 1 cup of fresh or frozen sweet corn kernels
• 1 package of sundried tomatoes
• 1 cup of dried cranberries
• chili seasoning mix
• 1/2 bottle of good red wine
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 1 large can (32 oz) of stewed cherry tomatoes 
• Salt and pepper to taste 

In a large skillet, saute the ground turkey and chopped onions until the turkey is thoroughly cooked.
Transfer the turkey and onions to a large stock pot.
Add salt and pepper, half of the dried cranberries, chili seasoning mix, tomato paste, chopped sundried tomatoes and the stewed cherry tomatoes.
Mix thoroughly.
Add wine and let simmer for an hour or two.

This time i spooned the chili over polenta cakes and topped with a sprinkling of dried cranberries, but it would also be good with an arugula salad and cornbread.

Buon appetito!

Healthy Kale Soup with Brown Rice Medley

My friend Lovey and I have been on a "kale" kick.  Aside from the nutritional values, it's delicious and makes you feel good.  This is my spin on a healthy kale soup --

Ingredients --

• 5 cups of chicken broth
• Juice of 1 meyer lemon
• 1 T of zest from meyer lemon
• 1 T of horseradish

• 1 bunch of kale
• sliced white mushrooms
• handful of snow peas
• 1 large sliced carrot
• 1 bunch of sliced scallions (i use whites only)
• 1 handful of cherry tomatoes

• Trader Joe's Brown Rice Medley (or any kind of brown rice will work well.  But this mix is so interesting.  It's an unusual combination of long-grain brown rice, black barley and daikon radish seeds. )

I put the chicken broth together in a large stock pot and added the lemon juice, zest and horseradish.
Then i added the carrots and let them cook for about 10 minutes. 
Next i added all of the other vegetables other than the cherry tomatoes and let everything simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the brown rice was ready.  Just before you're ready to serve, you can add the tomatoes.

While the veggies were simmering, i made the brown rice medley. 

Spoon some of the rice in a bowl, and ladle over the soup.

This would also be delicious with steamed shellfish.  Oh well... next time!

Buon appetito!