Fall Excitement

 We  are quickly striding towards autumn. That means a whole new way of cooking plus using comforting and warm ingredients and flavors. It's a time to cook and bake old favorites while exploring new possibilities.

What am I excited for?  Pasta, as usual but with different spins, namely my sauces.I want to create a spinach and mushroom one with the addition of plant protein based chicken or beef.Pasta dishes are the easiest but also the heartiest dish.Its a quick boil of pasta and creating a rib sticking sauce in the skillet You can also use really chicken and beef.Most recipes do call tomatoes but you can omit them if you want.Many people are getting excited about making all sorts of meat pies.These are great weekend dishes, comforting and fun after a busy Saturday and Sunday. Yes these can be bought but the home made ones are just so much better. Besides home chefs can home their baking shills by making the crust. This is an easy make with only a buttery crust and a creamy mix of meat, sauce and various veggies. Add heavy cream for a richer sauce. Some add a splash of brandy or cognac for a richer sauce,It's added after the veggies are sauteed to deglaze tqwghgbve pan.

Of course this is the season for baking. Many home bakers are stocking up on boiled apple cider. This is when regular apple cider is boiled and the water evaporates to form an intense flavored syrup.Its used un anything apples but especially apple cider doughnuts It s also a great taste booster in apple pie and apple crisp. Pumpkin spice is the other popular flavor  of the season and it;s not relegated to pie.Think a loaf cake which is perfect sliced into mid morning snacks or dessert with vanilla ice cream.Keep in mind it;s also pear season and there are some yummy dishes that can be made with these.Poached pears is a lovely dessert for a small dinner party.They're usually poached in red wine for more flavor but you can also use water too. As for spices think warm fall ones. Add a pinch or cinnamon or nutmeg for more flavor. Some add garam masala or ginger to shake things up but that takes away from the pears fruity sweet flavor. Top with vanilla ice cream or for a more sophisticated twist a puff of marscapone cheese or creme fraiche.

It;s fall. Be excited about cooking and baking. Have joy to use familiar ingredients and spices again.Create something wonderful this autumn,

A Day of Hope A Day of Help

 What happened twenty-five years ago in lower Manhattan cannot even be described.It was horror at the very least, pure evil at it's most intensive. Yet it united this country  - and made the US more caring in those months afterwards.We cared for each other ,for those we knew and didn't know back then. We need to bring that back - especially when feeding America.

There is hope today that we can strive to be better again.We can hope that all this decisiveness ends and we go back to the united country we once were.Yet how -? By the easiest way possible. Food.Eating has always brought us together. We have to have three meals to survive,.We have to have snacks and drinks to enjoy our events. Now we need to think about helping each other. There is so much food insecurity right now. Children and the elderly are going hungry . Students are having their school breakfasts cut. We need to act and react to what is going on. Federal funding is being cut from SNAP - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and families' food supplies are dwindling.Local purchasing programs are also having their budgets slashed which means pantries cannot buy fresh meats and produce.If you can- write to your local congressmen and senators.Participate in protests.Donate to your local food pantry if you can >If you have a bumper crop in your garden  - donate.

Restaurants and supermarkets can also help. Many restaurant owners across the country realize that people can't even afford a slice of pizza or a hot dog. So many of these little pizzerias and Mom and Pop hamburger shacks are allowing for a free meal. It;s a chance for those who are going without to have some kid of treat . Also restaurants can also donate to food pantries as well if they have any overage.Another idea is that churches ,synagogues ,mosques and even schools can have a big pot luck dinner. Everyone is invited and of they want to bring  a dish they can.Emphasize that bringing anything is not mandatory.Families can get their fill of nutritious foods with the possibility of bringing home leftovers. This is a great way too to get to know parishioner s and the community. Colleges can have this as well for both students and locals. It;s a fun way to integrate the town and gown crowd.College cafeterias have big kitchens and these can easily be used to create these dinners as well as using the cafeteria in the off hours and weekends.

THis is a day of hope. This is a day of help .Help those who have food insecurities however you can. Let's be a united states' once more.

Short Ribs With An Asian Vibe

Rosh Hashana has always been about rational recipes. These have been served for centuries >However recipes are meant to be rewritten, shaken up and revived. This  definitely applies to short ribs, long a holiday tradition. It's time to rethink this centuries old recipe.

Regular contributor and cookbook author Joan Nathan wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Short ribs or flanken have always a big part of the New Year;s table. It was a special treat in Jewish homes,It's always been cooked with sweet onions red wine and a savory beef broth . However Ms.Nathan looks to Shaw Fodor for a different spin.She was born Shi Xiatoxia in China;s food capital Chengdu. After moving to Beijing she took a trip to Israel where she met her future husband, Hungarian architect  Thomas Fodor. She took his religion and culture and her kitchen, designed by him is a tribute to both cultures. Her flanken reflects the good luck red of her kitchen.It si filled with warm spices.There are still the spices however they have Asian influence like cumin and a different spin such as jalapeno. There is still red wine and beef broth added to tenderize the meat  along with brown sugar and ketchup. This is just a not too radical recipe. Family and friends will like it.

This is cooked in  the traditional manner. A Dutch oven is still used and olive oil is first heated in it.The meat is seared in it for some color for only three minutes.Take the pieces out and then put the onion in the oil. This is when the "warm" spices such a as cumin curry and cinnamon.Ketchup is also added The meat is the added back along with the red wine and ginger ale(water can be added instead for less sweetness) along with soy sauce ,jalapeno and a large sliced tomato.This is also the time to add the celery ,Bay leaves and carrots.Cook for four hours until the meat is fork tender and falls off the bone .Remove and discard the celery, Bay leaves rosemary and jalapeno.It can be chilled in the fridge  for two days in the Dutch oven.Heat the oven to 150 degrees Farenheit when it;s ready to serve. Remove and discard the solidified fat .Warm for about twenty minutes and take out of the oven. Sprinkle with cilantro or parsley. Ms.Fodor serves her with a side of fiery Szechuan chili oil,. This last can be bought or made with vegetable oil,s spices, ginger and chili flakes. 

Flanken can be livened up with different spices to give out a new Asian vibe. Try it for a different take on this Rosh Hashana classic. It;ll wake up the traditional table.

Tailgate Feasts

It's that time of year when stadium arking lots have tantalizing aromas.It's tailgate season and that means delicious bites .They're always fun to make and just loaded with taste. Yet what's the best? There's is a list.

Regular contributors Ranya Sichynsky and Margaux Laskey compiled two pages of delicious recipes in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Many of their fellow New York Times contributors, like Ali Slagle gave some neat recipes that can be made all year round.Lidey Heuck contributed her turkey Reuben sliders which are also perfect for a wintry weekend. It starts with those honey sweet Hawaiian rolls and they're filled with deli bought turkey  slices,sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. There;s Russian dressing for dipping.Ali Slagle gives chicken wings but baked ones, rich with  a buffalo style hot sauce and a cooling Blue cheese dipping sauce. She also has a Buffalo chicken dip made with two cups shredded cooked chicken(think rotisserie here)To give it creaminess she blends cream and cheddar cheese together. I t can be served with veggies and both potato and tortilla dips.Every meals needs veggies so J-Jaye Shackelford Hurley has her crunchy veggie slaw. What akes it different is the addition of crunchy ramen noodles that will soften thanks to the soy sauce,apple cider and sugar dressing.

What's a tailgating party without nachos? The great chef Pati Jinich gives her bricklayer nachos which are also perfect for any holiday party this is rich in bacon and chorizo along with all sorts of spicy chilis.It's topped with a variety of gooey cheeses like Montery Jack and Mexican cheeses like Oaxaca and Asadero. Sue Li gives a nother fun nibbles dish.Her Taiwanese popcorn chicken with fried basil has the bite of Chinese five star spice powder which has clove and Chinese cinnamon mixed with Szechuan pepper. More Szechuan peppercorns are added to tapioca flour.This is used to give the chicken a crispy layer of batter. There is more chicken in Millie Pear Tree;s sweet and savory chicken meatballs what makes these so unusual is the addition of Jamaican jerk seasoning such as Grace or Walker wood.To container act this si the glaze, a blend of pineapple juice dark brown sugar, Worcester sauce and ketchupGarlic is added for more zing as is a pinch of red pepper flakes and onion powder. Yes there is dessert. Lidey Heuck gives the basic brownie recipe, made with rich cocoa powder and semi sweet chocolate chip cookies. She recommends adding sprinkles  on top in your teams favorite colors for a more festive look.

It;s tailgating season.Have a good party with these yummy recipes..They;re perfect for the stadium parking lot but also perfect for any party at any time of the year.

Grilled Cheese AN Easy Sandwich For Any Night

 Nowadays weeknights and weekends are busy. After hard days of work and school along with chock full of activity weekends trying to make a hot meals seems impossible.Yet there's one that's a classic and easy to make.It's grilled cheese and it can be made any way you want.

I made the vegan version the other night. It was the perfect Saturday hot meal. 

Violife Cheddar is the best Vega cheese.It actually gets melty and oozy;Is lathered Melt plant butter on rye bread and then fried it in a skillet until the bread was golden and toasty.

It was the perfect bite however it did need more.

Morningstar Farms came out with  their extra thick cut Apple wood  pepper laced bacon slabs. You could also add sliced tomato this for a diner style grilled cheese. However this sandwich calls for variation. Use pepper jack or a Gouda for something different and tasty.

The perfect hot and easy dinner is the perfect hot and easy grilled cheese.It;s a simple cook no matter what night you make it. Just enjoy it with its' gooey texture and rich cheesy flavor.

:Labor Day Hopes

 Labor Days brings American to not only thinking about their jobs but other people's jobs as well. Some of the most grueling jobs are in the food industry, especially the produce industry. This is the time to think of them.

A lot has been made about American produce in these past few months.Keep in mid though that workers have some of the worst conditions. They are regularly denied meal breaks along with they and their families being put up in squalid "housing" Think shacks with no indoor plumbing.Then there's the threat of immigration and ICEready to take them off to detention camps heaven only knows where.

What we can do  - not just for Labor Day but for all year round - is stand by them. They;re doing jobs no American would want to do. Protest.Bolster.Supprt.

Make Labor Day not just a once a year remembrance. Make it all year round.Think of those who pick your fruits and veggies.

Jack And Annie's Nuggets Not The Usual Ones

 Vegan nuggets can basically  be - well boring.They kind of taste like chicken while being chewy like it. Unfortunately there's no tenderness to them - unless they're Jack and Annies ones.

I tried these the other night . Jackfruit has always held an exotic hold on me. After all it supposed makes for good vegan bacon. What is it like as a nugget.

It was very good and a lot more lobster than the regular vegan nuggets It was made from jackfruit an large green squash- y type of veggie found in southern India. It 's didn't;t have the usually dry mouth feel and was really delicious. 

I like this brand and was excited to find out that the founder, Annie , has several variations.What excites me is their shaved steak perfect for Philly steak sandwiches along with their burgers and chicken patties that make excellent meals with a side of flavored rice. They also offer breakfast sausage patties and links, perfect for those Sunday brunches. Another plus about eating jackfruit is that it is high in iron ,Vitamin C and potassium, all vital nutrients. Yes its' also low in calories but the nutrition is perfect, especially in the busy weeks ahead.I definitely plan on getting more of the brand for quick weeknight meals and big Sunday brunches. What is also nice is that the company's site offers suggestions and recipes for the products to create yummy meals.

If you;re looking for tasty moist vegan nuggets, look no further than Jack and Annies. This is the perfect meal and the perfect nugget,It's not only high in nutrition but high in taste.