It's Festival Season

 September does mean the return to school but it also means festival season.This means parks and city blocks are going to be filled with all sorts of yummy foods and drinks along with games and fun vendors. What;'s going on where? Find out!!!

New York City of course has the San Gennaro festival in lower Manhattan;s Little Italy. There you can find everything from puffs of hot and sugary zeppelin to hot from the oven pizza slices. Stop in the many cages and finish the pizza a long with arancini, rice balls stuffed with seasoned ground beef , with a cappuccino and the many Southern Italian pastries. This is from September  17th to the 27th.This year celebrates its' one hundredth anniversary. so there will be extra treats and celebrations going on. Earlier in the month, this weekend the city hosts Egyptian Day where you can enjoy such treats as shawarma and tabouli Right across the river in New Jersey the state has a variety of festivals also going on. Head over the the near the shore town Manalapan where the Happy Day Farm has the famed tribute to Dolly Parton - a corn maze dedicated to her along with food stands that feature fresh apple fritters, funnel cakes, gyros and fresh squeezed lemonade to name a few. Up north Bergen County has the Fall Festival in Overpeck Creek Park in Leonia (right off ROute 80. It;s September 18th to the 19th and there will be a variety of different food trucks for all sorts of taste.

See Boston , not just for it's Revolutionary War History but for the festivals there .It is a foodie town ,catering to all sorts of taste. Try the Caribbean Rum and Food Festival held on September 12th at Roxbury College. This is a boozy get together where you can sample different rums along with such Caribbeans favorites as jerk chicken and  conch fritters.There's sure to be slices of rum cake too. There is also the Boston local food festival September 26th at ROse Kennedy Greenway.The best of New England is there, Try blueberry crisps from a blueberry farm and Mexican street corn where the corn is locally grown. Get a taste of the early Oktoberfest in California's Big Bear Lake, in Southern California. It;s starts on September 12th and ends on November 8th . They have everything from bratwurst to spaetzles and  of course, giant, pretzels along with apple strudel with caramel sauce. Up in Northern California by San Francisco there is the Pacifica Fog Festival the weekend of September 26 and 27th. Try the famed Fog Cutter cocktail -  a Heady mix of rum, gin and brandy are splashed with lemon juice and stirred.There;s also Witch craft cookies and Shire shack dishes there too.

It;s festival  time thorughout the US. Go to one of these or one in your neighborhood.Enjoy the good weather and good food.

Is The Dixie Lee Bakery Gone

 The Dixie Lee Bakery was on e of those must stops along the Raritan Bay area of New Jersey People went to Keansburg Amusement Park and Water Park and then the bakery for cookies.Locals bought their famed onion rye bread that was even good hard and stale.It lasted with the original family then sold them closed just recently.

I found out about its' closing  yesterday aduring a day at the shore.I wanted to see if their quarter pound of their yummy chocolate dipped butter cookies had gone up in price. Imagine my surprise when I read that the bakery closed in June. There was shock and surprise. The Dixie Lee has been a staple of the area since 1937 meh the original owners opened it in 1937.The Slovenc family started it , naming it after Bing Crosby's wife at the time Dixie Lee. For decades and generations family went there after mass at nearby St Ann,.s Kids love the Cookie Monster cupcakes while adults loved the checkerboard cakes and croissants.Dixie Lee was responsible for cakes from birthdays to probably weddings. They were there. Always. They caught the eye ,including myself , of visitors to the Bayside city.I fell for the butter cookies dipped in lush dark chocolate and  covered in sprinkles. The big cookies were excellent too, every bite buttery and sugary - and satisfying.I bought my Mom's graduation seven layer cake along with that incredibly delicious onion rye bread. That last made for excellent sandwiches and was great slathered with butter.

Then The Slovenc's retired with he kids and grandkids not wanting to take over. In 2022 the famed New Jersey chef David Burke took over. He created restaurants throughout the state , New York and Floritda, I had hoped that he would continue on with the Slovenc';s recipes and charm. I had met him during a visit there.He was in the middle of a tantrum , going on about his pastry chefs. His assistant ,Jake, was much more helpful even agreeing to an interview for this blog.. The brownies and breads remained the same, along with the butter cookies. He did add the fancier macarons which would probably would have been better off in a little shop at Long Branch or in a fancy French bakery in Red Bank.There were also tee shirts and baking lessons offered.Is this part of a typical bakery ?No.  That probably was his first mistake. The second was changing recipes people grew up on. That;s when many, according to their  Facebook posts went to bakeries in nearby towns. Customer traffic dwindled. There was slowly no more trade. Chef Burke's possession lasted  only four years. There is hope with Anthony Rotondo , from Plainview who wants to buy the bakery and return the Dixie Lee to its' former glory.

Is the Dixie Lee poised for a resurrection. SO many hope so. Bring back this grand bakery and all the great recipes with it.

Desserts for Still Hot Weather

We're still in summer .That means a hot kitchen. Yet many are craving desserts , sort of an upcoming nod to fall where home baking resumes. The best bet is go the easy route.Don;t heat up the kitchen too much,

Again Dave Tanis tapped into this in Wednesday;s New York Times Wednesday Food section.He create a blackberry napoleon iwt fresh blackberries and easy to defrost frozen puff pastry. The puff pastry is put into the oven while a lemon curd for the filling  is made on the stove top.This is an easy cook, similar to sabayon where eggs sugar and salt are remixed together with lemon zest.Once this is cooked this is blended with whipping cream and confectioner's  sugar.Its the layered on the cooled and split puff pastry along with the blackberries to create a sandwich.You can do the same with ice cream and any kind of sauce, Think chocolate ice cream with strawberries and a bit of chocolate sauce or vanilla ice cream with caramel and  air fried toasted almonds. The puff pastry can also be the base for a fancy strawberry shortcake,Just layer the berries with whipped cream(or even Cool Whip) if you don;t want to fuss.You can also create a quick chocolate mousse with Cool Whip and chocolate pudding mixed together. Layer this on puff pastry for an elegant quick dessert.

Ice cream pies ,cakes and cupcakes are all still great right now.They're the perfect send off party cake too, for kids heading off to college . Have a good silicone pan that's easy to take the cake out of. (Amazon has a good array of them)It starts with a good crust - name Nabisco chocolate wafer cookies These are crushed and mixed with melted butter or margarine. The crust can be layered two or three times throughout the cake.Then add whatever flavors the future college student's favorite flavors. Think a mocha latte  pie or cake.Start with the chocolate crust. Then add a layer of chocolate fudge and fill in the mold with softened coffee ice cream.Layer with more chocolate crumbs and then spread a layer of whipped cream or Cool whip on top. You can just add puffs of Reddi Whip too for a fancier cake or pie.This can  be done with ice cream cupcakes too. Use silicone cupcake molds (again you can get these on Amazon). Use the same technique that you would for the pies and cakes. You can also do a fun surprise layer of M&M's chocolate chips or even crushed toffee.Top with a swirl on Reddi Whip and top with sprinkles or cherries.

Desserts can still be made.Yet make them easy during these still hot days. It;s a simple way to enjoy having a sweet treat 

It's Still Hot Take It Easy

 No matter what the ads and stores say  it's still summer. That means there are still hot muggy days and nights. What does that mean - don't go wild with cooking  Take it easy with easy recipes that require zeo or little cooking,

This is what Dave Tanis write about in the Wednesday Food section of the New York Times.His recipes inclice deviled eggs ,shrimp cocktail and potato salads but there are many more recipes t make when the temps are still high.Mr. Tanis has his devilled egg recipe with serrano chilis and lime juice along with softened butter instead of mayo for the stuffing. You can easily make traditional ones, with just mayo egg yolk, and a bit of paprika. Some recipes call for pickled juice or pickle relish , but that's up to you. If you're hard boiling eggs then also make them for a simple egg salad. Most people think that egg salad  makes for a great lunch but you can also use it for dimmer. Stuff it between a croissant or brioche for an fancy meal . It can as be used for stuffing tomatoes . Egg salad is usually made with just chopped hard boiled eggs and mayo. You can add mustard and scallions for color and variety too. Sliced hard boiled eggs are great in salads ,especially salad Nicoise  where you can also put tuna, green beans grape tomatoes and anchovies. Omit the lettuce if you're leery about using it.

Mr Tanis also has a green shrimp salad. His is made with salsa Verde, His sauce has tomatillos , cilantro and a crushed jalapeno for color and flavor. There also red onion and red pepper to spike it. Yet cold shrimp is just good with a simple shrimp cocktail sauce. You can buy it or make it . The recipe calls for ketchup, horseradish, hot sauce and lemon juice blended together.A Japanese shrimps sauce is a different way of enjoying cold shrimp.Mix mayo with white sugar, melted butter  and rice vinegar with paprika and garlic powder.It'll be a light orange color (sort of resembles French dressing. A shrimp salad  sandwich is also an easy way of making a light yet delicious dinner. Again like the egg salad mayo binds it together. Add minced bell pepper, green onion and celery for crunch and flavor. Lemon juice gives it a bright tangy under flavor  You can also stuff tomatoes with it. Mr. Tanis also has potato salad.This is much more filling thanks to the addition of tomatoes The potato salad is made first then the cherry tomatoes are added. Cumin and nigella seeds are added for flavor. Keep in mind that avocados also work in  this kind of salad. They make a creamy counterpart to the potatoes.

It' s still summer. It;s still hot. Take it easy when you cook. 

Budget Shopping Budget Eating

Grocery shopping is hard these days. The prices are still soaring.People are going without. Sometimes a ,guide is needed and luckily there is one. Can it help? Possibly ,

New contributor and NBC food reporter Kevin Pang wrote about saving money in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday section.He is a Chicago reporter living in the suburbs there with his wife and  their twn year old son. He and his wife Anne looked to the US Department of Agriculture for help.Their thrifty option, is the least expensive and is what SNAP benefits are based on.They also cut out their usually eating out twice a week, It was time for home cooking.There was also no impulse buying and cheaper options were taken.Their son Liam likes peanut butter and  jelly sandwiches. They had to switch out his favorite strawberry jam for the cheaper grape jelly.The $4.35 baba ghanoush for the $3.77 hummus. They did stick with their organic staples such as eggs cream milk and certain vegetables that are hard to wash.The Pangs chose wisely with the high price paid for meat was pork shoulder at $14.98.Dairy was a variety of different products but all were relatively inexpensive The same for bread and baked goods with a sourdough baguette for only $2.99.They sort of splurged on cheddar Sun Chips at $4.99 a bag..

Mr Pang and his wife also contributed recipes which are perfect for any kind of dinner. There are the tasty bacon cheeseburger meatballs It's a fun way to use chopped meat along with adding favorites like crispy bacon and shredded cheddar.The sauce is a blend of condiments and sounds like McDonald;s special sauce with its' mix of ketchup ,mayo mustard  Worcester sauce and relish. There is also chorizo amatriciana that has the zing of spicy sausage. The sauce also has onion crushed tomatoes olive oil and red pepper. Garlic also gives it flavor.Everything is finely diced and sauteed until the onion turns translucent. The sauce is added  a long with a pinch of sugar. Bucatini, that thick chunky pasta is used but try anything that was on sale.There were also dinners of fava beans with ricotta on a toasted baguette,There were also carnitas and  sesame soy chicken. One dinner was Japanese curry with a fried pork cutlet. Lunches were mostly leftovers from the night before while breakfasts were granola and yogurt or scrambled eggs.There was a breakfast tortillas which is always fun. There was enough variety that no one became bored with the menu.

Follow this guide for some ideas for low budget shopping and cooking. It won;t be limited.There is variety and fun recipes. It's a good way to save money and be creative.

A Great Cookbook Survives

 Many think that Julia Child brought French cooking to the American table.She did but it was a Frenchman who broke the recipes to make them easier to understand.The Frenchman was the great chef Jacques Pepin and his books La Methode and complete Techniques. is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary in print.

Regular contributor and Times Food critic Pete Wells wrote about this great chef and the book in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section.The books were unusual for the time,giving exact step by step instructions with pictures to show what to do in every stage. The books may not be for some who just want to cookComplete Techniques  has seven hundred pages but only one hundred and sixty recipes. There is a lot of attention to making butterflies out for carrots and swans out of apples.These were already on their way out of the culinary scene in 1976. Some of the pictures are horrorfically graphic.He de=fleeces a dead baby lamb and then severing its' knee joint and also packing its' shoulder joint with mushrooms, herbs and mushrooms. (it must have been awful for his then nine year old daughter Claudine who brought him  thecooler with the little lamb) The picture taking was also a bit gruesome for the photographers. They had to climb above Chef Pepin and photograph every step,

Th ebook was reflective of the times. Fifty years ago there was a DIY movement in publishing from Our Bodies Our selves  and The Whole Earth Catalogs. Therese were books with tons of drawings and how tos. Even Chef Pepin did this .,building his own kitchen , from the marble countertops to painting fish and radishes on the kitchen tiles to star in the many pictures through out the books.. Family and friends were roped in to help with the bare bones of cooking. There was a lot of chopping,slicing and cooking for the whole year the book was being written.The techniques were broken down into manageable blocks to read alongside the pictures.It proved to be a boon to a young chef like Tom Collicchio who had ADHD .Chef Pepin;ss tyle appealed t him and eh could easily read the recipes.The same for another chef Chris Cosentino who also had ADHD as well as dyslexia. Regular cookbooks were not for him. These were different and easy to follow. The recipes still hold up. Mr. Wells includes a banana flambe recipe.This is cooking roasted bananas in a brown sugar ,butter and rum sauce and igniting them, much like Crepes Suzetttes/ It's is an impressive dish for ending a meal.

Chef Pepin's books are still going strong after half a century. They are easy to follow.Modern chefs can learn a lot from them

Honoring A Great Down Home Chef

 Dolly Parton was incredibly unique.She was a talented songwriter and singer, penning two of the music era's great hits Jolene  and I Will Always Love You in one session.She was also an amazing philanthropist , donating books to children around the world. Yet she was true to her hillbilly roots and was a great cook and baker. She could create some of the best sweet and savory dishes.

In the last few years she created cakes mixes that were part store bought and mostly homemade. There had to be a stick of really butter added for that homemade buttery taste. There were homey flavors like strawberry and caramel, along with chocolate and coconut.There were buttery already made frostings to add too so there was no need to whip up a bowl. Her Tennessee roots shone through with her buttermilk biscuit and cornbread mixes. Try her banana nut muffin and cinnamon swirl crumb cake - perfect for late summer desserts. There is also a pancake mix with maple syrup in a guitar shaped bottle! There are frozen dessert cups too. She created dessert cups in such yummy combos as banana cream cookies and custard,vanilla shortbread in custard and chocolate mud pie cups.There is also an original whipped cheesecake with a bit of buttermilk added and a molasses graham cracker crust. There is also a decadent chocolate pie with a flaky crust and a dusting of confectioner;s sugar on top. Families will love her peach cobbler with its' brown sugar soaking the fruit,.Serve this for holiday desserts to remember this down home baker.

 Dolly also gave her savory recipes too.The single serve dinners are perfect for someone with a busy lifestyle but craves good old fashioned dinners.  You can buy her shrimp and grits along with her chicken fried steak.The first is a perfect blend of spicy seafood and creamy grits. The chicken fried steak is batter dipped and served with green beans and homestyle mashed potatoes. Many love her  fried chicken and baked Mac. This combo has a cheese sauce infused with buttermilk for a nice tang while the chicken is really tender nuggets.There is a following for her  beef pot roast that has equal amounts if beef and veggies in a tasty gravy.Of course you have her chicken and dumplings.This is creamy gravy covering chicken and homemade dumplings for a tasty hot lunch  or dinner. Her beloved DOllywood also featured some of her favorites too.The parks Front Porch Cafe features  breaded pork chops smothered din bacon and served with succotash and mashed potatoes. Aunt Granny's Cafe offers fried catfish and friedn okra along with black eyed peas and turnip greens.

Dolly Parton devoted her whole life to music.Yet she could have easily devoted her life to cooking and baking. Her recipes, like her songs will live forever.