A Raspberry Morning

An ode to summer before I head full on to fall! We saw some awesome looking raspberries at Sam's Club, and I just had to pick them up (yeah, no way they were local... oh well!). While I've become more adventurous cooking, I'm still leary in the baking department, a few substitutions here or there, but I really like to have a recipe in front of me. We loved the incorporation of fresh fruit in this Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake. I made a few substitutions with what we had, so I'll post what I did below. I'm sure it could be lightened a bit more, but it wasn't too sweet as is. A lovely way to start the day, or brighten the morning, or afternoon... or way to put yourself to sleep... :)


Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake
Modified ever so slightly from herlittleblackdress

• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/3 cup white sugar (I can't remember if I used Splenda Blend for Baking here... I was doing too many things and was slightly schizophrenic last night!!)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup nonfat greek yogurt
  
• scant 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray an 8 inch round cake pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine raspberries and brown sugar in a bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Combine sour cream, butter or margarine, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and egg, and add to flour mixture. Stir just until moist. **mine was very dry, so I added ~1T milk at this point. The batter was very thick, but it all worked out in the end!** Spoon 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Spread raspberry mixture evenly over the batter. Spoon remaining batter over raspberry mixture. Top with almonds.
4. Bake for 40 minutes **mine was done at 30min**, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.
5. Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Stir well. Drizzle glaze over cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cross-section with lovely whole berries!

Delicata Risotto

Happy First Day of Fall! I've been watching the progression of this tree down the street and finally remembered to take a picture. Figured it was pretty appropriate to post today, too. I'm really torn... fall is my favorite season, but I feel like I've got a death grip on summer and don't want that to end, either! Picking up as many plums as I can, and setting them amidst squashes and apples, hopefully I won't develop a split personality. Can't we all just get along?

Delicata Squash

Anywho, I really have to share this dish I made the other night for dinner, it was so good. Definately topped my last variation with eggplant and tomatoes. I used this recipe from The Domestic Goddess as inspiration, but I've become more comfortable with this dish as I've made it a handfull of times now, so I'll include my version below. I'd never tried delicata squash before, but when the woman at the farmers market described it as a cross between acorn squash and sweet potato I knew I had to try it! I'll be honest though, it tastes more like squash than a sweet potato... not complaining though I love both!!

Delicata Risotto

Delicata Risotto
Serves 4


~3/4T EVOO
1/2 medium onion, diced
1c Arborio rice
~1/4c white wine
2-3c stock (I think I ended up using ~2 1/2c chicken stock, but that's just what we had in the fridge)
1T chopped chives
1T chopped parsley (some fresh chopped sage or thyme would also be good I think if that's what you have!)
1-2T finely grated Parmesan
1/2 delicata squash, cut into 1/2" cubes (any other squash or sweet potato would work)
~2oz ricotta salata or goat cheese

Ahead of time: I roasted the squash at 425 for ~25min, until tender and slightly browned on the edges the other day. Just popped it into the fridge for easy access/quick dinners.

Place stock in saucepan over med-low heat. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until softened and just beginning to brown. Add rice and stir to coat rice. Usually recipes say to cook until rice is translucent, this time I let it go a little longer (stepped out of the kitchen to do something else...) and I think it only added to the flavor of the final dish.

Add white wine (I didn't measure, just poured a bit around the pan), stir the rice, this cooks off pretty quickly. Add stock, ~1/2c or so at a time (a little more/less won't hurt it), stirring after each addition and then letting it absorb the liquid. i think it was around 2 1/2c that I noticed it was taking longer to absorb, and it looked quite thick, so at this point I added the chives, parsley, Parm, and roasted squash and stirred to combine. I let this cook a minute or two to make sure the squash warmed up (I let it sit out while making the entire dish to take the chill off the refrigerated chunks). Transfer to serving dish, top with ricotta salat, and serve!


Served up with some grilled chicken kebabs-- a winner of a dinner ;-) Grilled onions are da bomb, I could eat a whole onion or two that way... would that be bad? Hmm... Oh, the chicken I pulled out of the freezer was already cut into kebab-sized chunks and marinated in Speedie's (I have no idea what this is... :-P), so mom just cut up a vidalia, pepper, and white eggplant to join the chicken and button mushrooms on skewers. I'd never tried a white eggplant before, they sure are gorgeous!! And sweeter than the gigundo eggplants I've eaten. Need to try one of the skinny kind... japanese I believe, I wonder how they compare. Did you know eggplants are "aubergines" in french? A much sexier word, maybe we should ban the name eggplant, who's with me??

Until my next trick, thank you all for reading and commenting, I smile every time I see a new comment and this has been a fun experience! Happy Monday :)

A Simple Side

Phew, what a day! An early morning Bodypump class to start the day off, then a hike with dad and rounded out with some lawn mowing. Despite feeling pretty exhausted right about now, I pulled together a pretty good take on rice and beans for dinner tonight, if I do say so myself :)

Brown Rice w/Black Beans and Squash
Serves 4

2c cooked brown rice
1/2 delicata squash, cut into 1/2" cubes and roasted (425deg for ~30min)
2-3 scallions, sliced on the bias
~2/3 can of black beans
ground cumin, corainder, s/p to taste (I eyeballed these)

Combine in a large bowl and mix well.

I had roasted the squash the other day, and used the brown rice that cooks in a bag in 90seconds, so it really couldn't have been easier. Just what I was looking for tonight! I thought about adding some sort of liquid, but couldn't figure out what, so I just let it be. A little harder to load all the little bits on your fork, but that's ok. The brown rice (which I had intended to be kasha... but the kasha gods were against me last night) went really well with the squash and beans-yum!

I'm all out of words, and wish it was bedtime (it's only 6:47)... Hoping I'll stay awake for American Gangster at 8, we'll see! I'll leave you with one picture from this afternoon's outing, looking out from a tiny waterfall that must've been a whole lot bigger at some point to form that sort of striations in the rock! (I don't know what the appropriate terms are here, and feeling a bit lazy, so i'll leave it at that!) Have a great weekend :)

Plotter Kill Nature Preserve

A Fungus Among Us

Yup, had to be done! For this week's secret ingredient, Rose chose (ha, that rhymes!) mushrooms. You can check out the details of the challenge here. Fun fact: While I knew these gems were high in B vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, they are also high in protein. (although when I looked up the nutrition facts, I think you'd have to eat alot of mushrooms to get a substantial amount of protein) Regardless... I also learned that Shiitakes are actually chinese (not japanese) in origin, and they grow on trees! kinda neat. oh, and did you know that mushrooms double in size every 24 hours?!? wowsa! Oh, you wanted a recipe? Here's what I came up with...


Lemon Pasta w/Asparagus & Mushrooms
Serves 3-4

1 1/2-2c lemon pasta (or your favorite pasta)
5 crimini mushrooms, sliced
5 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1/2 bunch of asparagus, cut into ~1" pieces
~2oz goat cheese
s/p, thyme to taste
(If not using lemon pasta, I'd go with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice or some lemon zest)

Ahead of time: Saute mushrooms in about 1/2T butter and 1T EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil, another RR reference, which I love b/c I get to type less, until I try to explain it... oh well; i'm sure you could get away with just EVOO, or use more if you wanted but I'm usually stingy) until brown and umm, cooked. (They looked nice and toasty, I wouldn't say 'soft' since they already are kind of soft...) I also steamed the asparagus pieces until tender, but still had a little crunch (but do them however you like!)

When thinking about dinner: Boil some water and cook pasta al dente. BEFORE draining, steal some pasta water--I just took a measuring cup and took some out. Drain your pasta and put it back into the pot. Add cooked asparagus and mushrooms, add goat cheese and season with salt, pepper, thyme (s/p=salt and pepper). Add enough cooking liquid to make a sauce that will coat the pasta ever so nicely.

Note: The pasta water has some starch from the pasta, so it adds some thickness that regular water or veggie stock wouldn't have, but if you forget as I often do, either of these would work!

Served up with some Tilapia

I guess by now you have probably figured out that I *heart* goat cheese, and will put it in almost everything. And that I like doing things ahead of time so the right before dinner cooking time is minimal. [I know I'm not supposed to start a sentence with and, but it seemed like a run-on if i kept it together...] If I come home late and am starving, I will eat half my kitchen while cooking and be full by the time dinner's done, so this works for me :)

Oh, the tilapia? I just sprinkled some of this awesome spice blend from Penzey's (If you've never heard of them, I highly recommend checking them out). It's called Sunny Paris, it's got shallots, chives, green peppercorn, french basil, tarragon, chrvil, bay leaf and dill weed. Smells amazing. So I cooked up in a nonstick skillet with a little EVOO. Just when they were about done, I added ~1/4c white wine (I almost spelled that with an h;-)), squeeze of lemon juice, and some capers. That cooked off quickly, leaving the fish nicely flavored. Very quick!!

I'll stop rambling now and hope you all have a great friday!

Easy-to-Make Rotisserie Chicken and Roasted Vegetables

I haven't been home for the last three weekends and I'll be traveling the next two as well, but I'm not complaining. It's been good to get out of Los Angeles and break my routine. But traveling means eating out and even if the food is great, I miss home-cooking.



When I got home I wanted to make a meal but I needed to cook something that didn't take too much effort. A rotisserie chicken definitely fit the bill. With only a couple of minutes of prep, I could walk away and let the chicken cook itself. The skin seals in the meat's delicious juices while it crisps on the outside. You get the best of both worlds: moist and crisp.



Whenever I've seen rotisserie masters like Thomas Odermatt of RoliRoti, they always put potatoes and onions in the drip pan at the bottom of the rotisserie. The vegetables soak up the drippings and fry crisp-on-the-outside from the indirect heat. I correctly assumed that a lot of other vegetables could be added to the drip pan and gain a flavor advantage.



If you don't have a rotisserie, no problem. You'll get a similar effect if you roast the chicken in the oven. Just turn the chicken every 30 minutes so it cooks evenly. About the vegetables, I used potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms, and Brussels sprouts but you can add just about any you like--eggplant, squash, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, turnips...



Chicken-Roasted Vegetable Soup



And there's a two-fer here: save the bones and make stock, then chop up the left over roasted vegetables or sauté new ones, and make a chicken-vegetable soup. Top with homemade croutons and you have a second easy-to-make home cooked meal.



Rotisserie Chicken and Roasted Vegetables

Yield: 4 servings

Time: 2 hours

Ingredients

1 farm fresh 3 1/2 – 4 pound chicken ( washed, pat dried, legs and wings trussed)

2 carrots (washed, ends trimmed, peeled, cut into 1/4" thick rounds)

1 yellow onion (washed, ends trimmed, peeled, roughly chopped)

1/2 pound Yukon (washed, cut into pieces 1/2" square) or fingerling potatoes (washed, cut in half, lengthwise)

1/2 pound mushrooms (washed, dried, quartered)

1/2 pound Brussels sprouts (washed, root end trimmed, quartered)

Olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves

Sea salt and pepper

Method

Rub olive oil on the trussed chicken, season with rosemary leaves, sea salt, and black pepper. Put onto the rotisserie spit being careful to tighten the wing nuts so the chicken doesn’t slip during cooking. If a rotisserie isn’t available, roasting the chicken in a 350 degree oven and turning every 30 minutes will have a similar result.

In either case, put the vegetables into a roasting pan, toss with olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. If using an oven, put the chicken on a roasting rack over the pan. If using a rotisserie, position the chicken on the spit so its juices will drip onto the vegetables.

Every 30 minutes, toss the vegetables for uniform cooking.

Cook for 2 hours or until the legs move easily, remove, lay a piece of aluminum foil over the chicken to let it rest 5 minutes. Put the vegetables on a plate and either lay the whole chicken on top or, what I prefer for ease-of-serving, cut apart the chicken and slice the breast pieces.

Meme

Kinda seems like I'm saying Me, Me :-P What follows is probably much more than you'll ever need to know... but that's ok :) I've been tagged by Esi, so I figured I'd share the wealth

Meme from Esi of Dishing Up Delights

The rules of this one are: answer the questions, tag some other people, link to me and them, tell them about it.

I'm tagging:

1. Heather (HangryPants)

2. Sabrina (RhodeyGirl Tests)

Last Movie I Saw In A Movie Theater?
The latest Batman

What Book Are You Reading?
East of eden (never read it in skool)

Favorite Board Game?
I loved monopoly as a kid, and scattegories is always fun

Favorite Magazine?
I’ve taken a hiatus, but: The Week, Women’s Health, Runner’s World, Bon Appetit were frequent reads

Favorite Smells?
Vanilla… or Aqua di Gio ☺

Favorite Sounds?
nature

Worst Feeling In The World?
Letting someone down

First Thing You Think of When You Wake?
What time is it? (no, I don’t usually need an alarm clock…)

Favorite Fast Food Place?
I try and avoid them… does Panera count?

Future Child’s Name?
Hmmm, we’ll see

Finish This Statement—“If I Had a Lot of Money,”
Nothing would change! (except I’d be able to give a little more)

Do You Drive Fast?
They say a lead foot runs in the family…

Do You Sleep With a Stuffed Animal?
Not unless you count the two dogs… but they’re just stand in’s until I can get real ones ☺

Storms—cool or scary?
Cool

What Was Your First Car?
A very old mercury cougar

Favorite Drink?
Stumped me, I think it depends on the situation—is it cold or hot out? What have I been doing?

Finish This Statement—“If I Had the Time, I Would…”
Travel, maybe train to be more competitive in sprint tri’s (that could be fun!), and how about volunteering my time to help others?

Do You Eat the Stems on Broccoli?
Not the whole stem… but I don’t really know why

If You could Dye your Hair Any Other Color, What Would It Be?
Purple? Kidding. I like my hair color!

Name All the Different Cities In Which You Have Lived
In NY: Scotia, Clifton Park, Rochester, the Bronx
In PA: Philadelphia

Favorite Sport to Watch?
Are you ready for some football? Yes!!! Go G-men☺

One Nice Thing About The Person Who Sent This To You
Only one? Well, I just love the simplicity and ingredients in everything Esi makes!

What’s Under Your Bed?
My bed is currently disassembled… But my mom keeps wrapping paper under the one at home!

Would You Like to Be Born As Yourself Again?
Who else could I be?

Morning Person or Night Owl?
Morning, no doubt about it!

Over Easy or Sunny Side Up?
Scrambled, it’s easier!

Favorite Place to Relax?
In the woods

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor?
Umm, maybe moose/pb tracks? No, watermelon sherbet. Or… my my, there is no favorite!

A Chef's Gathering in Support of Foie Gras

Last week I was in London and Paris, writing an article for Peter Greenberg's travel site. In Paris my friend Randa was my guide, taking me to her favorite markets and shops. My trip was a whirlwind of activity, walking miles every day, taking photographs, eating wonderful meals, tasting chocolates, cheese, and wines, and catching up with Randa.

Paris was wonderful, but I was there such a short amount of time, I didn't have the

time to sit in a cafe, enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee and while away the day talking.

I knew I was going to bring back food that would memorialize the trip. Stopping in Randa's favorite cheese shop, I wanted to take arm loads of cheese, but I consoled myself with large pieces of Comté and Gruyère. From Le Bon Marché I bought two jars of Rillettes de Canard aux Olives and a large bottle of duck confit. From Goût, Thé et Chocolat near the Marché d'Aligre, a box of handmade chocolates.

Back in Los Angeles, it took me 3 days to get over a debilitating case of jet lag and when I did our friend and neighbor Norm invited me to join him at the Chef Gathering & Tasting Event.

Set up in the open-air courtyard of the Bel-Air Bay Club, the gathering was a celebration of fine food and wine. A who's-who of LA's gourmet chefs were there to taste generous offerings of foie gras from Rougié, Gourmet Imports amazing selections of cheese, smoked salmon and caviar from Universal Seafood, wines from W.J. Deutsch and Sons, Pommery champagne, and Yvan Valentin's petit fours and hand-made truffles.



Following Norm's lead, I filled my plate with foie gras in every form imaginable, duck prosciutto, smoked salmon with caviar, a piece of Puits d'Astie (a sheeps milk cheese from the Auvergne that Gourmet Imports ha

s just recently imported) and a slab of the very runny Snowdrop (a goats milk cheese from Boulder, Colorado

made by Haystack Mountain), petit fours, and handfuls of Yvan Valeni's truffles.

After we found a place to sit, Norm and I had the chance to enjoy the food, drink a glass of Pierre Sparr

Pinot Blanc from W.J. Deutsch and Sons, return for more samples of the foie gras and cheese, and because his good friend Pierre Sauveget (Executive Chef, Bel-Air Bay Club) had joined us, a parade of chefs stopped by to chat. Finally I was enjoying my Parisian experience, albeit only half a mile from our house.