Gifts For The Culinary Adventurous Mom

 What's the best Mother's Day gift for the mom who loves her wok and buying escargots? Something fun and adventurous. Gift her with a present that appeals to her culinary wild side.  Expand her repertoire while treating her to something exciting.

Spices are the perfect gift for the culinary wild child. One of the best places to shop is The Online Spice Store. The site has blends from all over the world, from the Caribbean to Asia. They also offer some very nice gift sets. There are such collections that feature curry spices and Middle  Eastern ones. There are also traditional groupings for Italian dishes too. The prices for these range from $35. to $38. A much more cost efficient gift is their  flat packs which are small packets of freshly milled spices. They're great if you  want to give her a sample of any kind of spic.Of course you can just get her a gift certificate from there  along with a microplane spice mill. With this she can grind her own and create her own unique blends.If Mom is into gourmet seasonings then think about some various sea salts from Celtic Sea Salt. They have an amazing array of all sorts of salts. Their best is Flower of The Ocean or Fleur de sel. This is perfect in savory dishes but also great sprinkled on homemade caramels or caramel frosting. Another gift is the Makai sea salt which has both doses of calcium and magnesium in it.

If your mom love international cooking then, think about a crepe pan. Everyone from Williams and Sonoma to Wal-Mart sells them. Keep in mind that they come in a wide range of prices. You can buy one that's as costly as $290 for a Mauviel copper pan, crafted in France at the famed company of the same name to one that's only $24.95 from de Buyer, also French. This last has a simple design and looks like crepe pans from centuries past.  You could also add a container of crepe mix to get her started. Another idea is a wok. This Chinese and Southeast Asian  must have is a fun present, especially if Mom is into stir fries. Like the crepe pan it comes with different prices. Target has several with the least expensive starting at only $19.99 .It's a flat bottom carbon steel wok with wooden handles. Macy's has an inexpensive Kenmore -Hammond for only $33.99 on sale right now. The site Wok Accessories sells items that would make for interesting accessories. Pick up a slotted wok spatula or  stainless steal skimmers. There are also easy to slip on silicon handles that make handling the pot easier.

Give the adventurous cook something fun and exciting for Mother's Day. Mom will love experimenting with spices or creating fancy crepes. Appeal to her wild side with different and unusual gifts.

A Baker's Shortcut Puff Pastry

 One of the tastiest and most elegant of dishes to serve is a puff pastry tart. Savory or sweet, it's a nice classy way to have vegetables, meats or fruit. The only problem is making the crust. never fear. That's where the frozen kind comes into play.

Melissa Clark wrote about the joy of it in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Home bakers can make the crust at home. The basic recipe is just a good French or culture butter, cold water  and flour. However making a dough from these can be labor intensive and time consuming. A store bought one is a godsend. It cuts down on everything and you can concentrate on the fillings. Ms. Clark recommends tracking down a good brand (some swear by Trader Joe's). Most packages of it usually comes out around the Christmas holidays so you could stock up on it then for Spring and summer baking. Once out of the freezer it does need to thaw out for about  three six hours in the fridge where it will keep for a week. If you're pressed fro time. let it thaw out on  a metal sheet and turn it over every fifteen minutes. AVOID the microwave..It will melt some areas of the pastry into sticky puddles while other parts rigid and frozen. Cook all the fruits and veggies before topping. This eliminates moisture from seeping onto the buttery layers and remember to spread only two to four cups of them. 

Ms. Clark gives two fillings, The first is a veggie one with your choice of veggies. For a true Gallic one , thinks leeks and onions. You could also skip the leeks and add sliced and cooked  cherry tomatoes.Broccoli and broccolini also are great toppings. One just with eggplant is another yummy choice or you could go with all root vegetables.There is first a layer of creme fraiche mixed with egg, Parmesan, lemon zest or rosemary and garlic. Shredded Gruyere can also be added. Rosemary springs top it and then it's baked for twenty to twenty five minutes in a 425 degree F. oven. The sweet version can have all sorts of toppings from strawberry and rhubarb - in season right now to any kind of berry. Peaches are also good. Roasted Demerara sugar is used as is the granulated kind. This last is mixed in with cornstarch and salt to be added to the cut fruit along with lemon juice honey and vanilla. The dough should be rolled out on the roasted and cooled Demerara sugar. The fruit should be given one final toss to dissolve any honey that may have clumped. Sprinkled Demerara sugar over the entire filled tart The tart should be baked for thirty to forty minutes or until the crust is golden in a 400 degree F oven . 

A puff pastry tart is the perfect dinner or dessert. Just buy a frozen crust to make it easier. The result is a hassle free taste of classiness.

Trouble In A Culinary Paradise

 Imagine working in the most perfect place one can think up. It has stunning views and comes not just with tantalizing job offers but delicious food. Now imagine it all being a big lie. That's what happened to the workers at the Willows Inn on Lummi Island off the Washington State coastline. The ultimate's chef's dream turned into a worker's nightmare.

Regular contributor Julia Moskin, contributed this eye opening report in today's New York Times Food section. She exposed practices better associated with trendy big city restaurants and crimes  that are not at all uncommon in New York, Chicago, Boston or Los Angeles.It started with the famed chef , Blaine Wetzel falling in love with this tranquil island in the San Juan Archipelago. He was only twenty-four and fresh from a two year stint at the famed Copenhagen eatery Noma. Any restaurant would have wanted this rising superstar in the culinary world. Instead he answered an ad on Craigslist posted by an island chicken farmer who owned the century old inn. Its' isolation appealed to him .It had less than one thousand people living on it. There were unspoiled forests along with local fisheries and farms - all perfect for fresh ingredients. It quickly became a global destination with visitors paying a whopping $500 for a night. The dishes were either foraged or fished not far from it. Yet it was nothing more than a fairy tale.

Ms. Moskin interviewed thirty-five former employees for the article and their stories are horror ones.For one those fresh ingredients weren't exactly fresh nor were they local. They were ferried in from the mainland, namely from distributors and other farms. Pacific octopus came from Spain and Portugal. Chicken was bought from Costco. Venison came from a farm in Idaho. Even more disturbing were the allegations against Chef Wetzel for sexual harassment. Underage teenage girls were given potent alcoholic drinks and drugs. There was inappropriate touching by older male workers while Chef Wetzel himself drove home a drunk underage worker, Sarah Letchworth. He wanted to drive her to his place to do shots. If that wasn't bad enough there were biases against female workers. Jen Curtis was a seasoned chef di cuisine when she joined the restaurant's staff. Chef Wetzel promised her a sous chef position as soon as it became available. She was shunted aside for male sous chefs. Then there was also the racism, with slurs being hurled at Asian American chefs.Interns were also abused, as they were forced to work fourteen hour days. Thankfully the inn's former workers filed a class action lawsuit against the chef who was accused of wage theft and provide rest breaks along with misappropriation of tips. 

The Willow Inn can be redeemed by a more compatible, caring chef. it is a paradise with fresh ingredients waiting to be turned into delicious dishes. It can overcome this bad period and enter a more understanding, honest one.

A Vegan Greek Easter

 Orthodox Easter is this Sunday , May 2nd and with it comes a wide variety of different dishes. The highlight is lamb, whether a whole roasted one or a leg. Yet what about Greek Orthodox vegans or vegetarians? Can they have a satisfying , holiday meal? The answer is yes.

Baby lamb on a spit is has been one of the traditions in the centuries old meal. Yet this is abhorrent to vegans , vegetarians and any animal lover.A better main dish is spinach pie or spanokopita baked in a phyllo crust. This is sure to be a crowd pleaser, especially with a flavorful crust and filling. It uses one of the staples of Greek cooking - spinach.Mint, parsley and dill enhance the leaves fresh Spring flavor. Leeks onions and nutritional yeast are also added. This pie can be baked in an oblong pan pan and cut into the traditional squares. Another idea is baked tofu marinated in lemon and olive oil,along with a good sprinkle of Greek seasoning. You can buy this last or make it yourself. It's an easy mix of oregano, garlic and dill.parsley marjoram and thyme is also blended in along with cinnamon and nutmeg. This mix works well added to another Hellenic dish gone meatless - moussaka. This is lasagna using with sliced eggplant instead of pasta., Lentils and tomatoes are another tasty and vitamin rich layer, highlighted with onion and garlic. There is a bechamel sauce added , but you can make a non dairy one using soaked and unsalted cashews.

Since it is a holiday dinner, also offer one or two sides. You could just make a simple Greek salad using vegan feta. This can be store bought like Violife that you can find at whole Foods or online at Vegan Essentials. The non-dairy kind can be homemade.It's taking a block of firm tofu and blended with a mix of apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast and miso paste. Lemon  juice, coconut oil and onion powder are also mixed in to give it that unique briny, salty taste. Rice filled dolmades or stuffed grape leaves will pair well with the spanokopita or moussaka These are grape leaves filled with rice , lemon juice , Spring onions and garlic. It's a quick steam in a pot of hot water mixed with olive oil. The last is added to prevent the rolls from breaking or the leaves from tearing. Beet salad is another great side. Dress boiled and sliced beets with just a lemon and olive oil vinaigrette. Spanokorizo is the perfect side to Greek marinated tofu. This is a simple mixture of rice and spinach with tomatoes or tomato paste. Mint and chopped dill are added for more flavor.

It is possible to have a vegan or vegetarian Greek Orthodox Easter. Make the delicious spanokopita or moussaka as the main dish. Try the Greek marinated tofu if you want more protein. Serve with tasty Hellenic inspired sides for the ultimate holiday feast.

Great Combos Part Two The Sweet Side

 Some ingredients are made for each other. Dessert ones are no different. They make for delicious treats of all shapes and forms On their own they're good. Together, they're phenomenal.

We have French chocolatier Henri Roux who combined salt and caramel together in the late Seventies. This Breton candy maker wanted a treat that would stand out among the competition while making use of the local ingredients. Voila! He used a salted butter in his caramel recipe and it instantly became a hit and in 1980 was named Best Sweet In France. Now it's all over the place. A popular fun dessert to make is salted caramel cupcakes. This is making an almost butterscotch batter with the addition of a quarter teaspoon of sea salt. Another idea is salted caramel frosting, perfect for chocolate cakes and cupcakes.  The Two Sisters website - known for their variety of yummy frostings has a recipe for it , creating a homemade stove cooked caramel from butter, milk, brown sugar. It's added to confectioners sugar along with the addition of sea salt. For any salted caramel recipe use a good flaky sea salt like the British Malden or Celtic's Flower of the Ocean.Another good marriage is chocolate and any berry. You can't go wrong with a chocolate cake filled with strawberries and frosted with a strawberry frosting. Another treat is combining chocolate syrup with powdered raspberry for a delicious topping for ice cream sundaes and parfaits.It also makes for a tasty sauce for crepes. 

It's rhubarb season and that means the stalks are out in full force now.It's also strawberry season too. These two balance out each other's complexities while the sweetness of the berries counteracts the stalk's sourness. Another reason for their combo is that they both come into season at the same time.  The combo can be made into all sorts of recipes. For a lovely Spring dessert think a strawberry - rhubarb pie. This is perfect for barbecues , especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You can also put the combo in a rustic galette to bring to a picnic or in a buttery tart for an elegant end to a candlelight dinner. Of course both are perfect in crisps and cobblers. These are easy to make and they easy baked toppings bring out the flavor and juices of both. Strawberries and rhubarb can also be made into a compote. This is incredibly easy to make. Just add half a cup of brown sugar and a pinch of salt to the two. It's then letting the juices flow out and cooking the cut strawberries and rhubarb in them. This ruby red compote is perfect to add to Greek yogurt for a healthy dessert or spooned over pancakes or waffles.

There are some great combos for dessert out there. Try topping a cake with a salted caramel frosting. Top off a parfait with a chocolate and berry sauce. Finish dinner with a strawberry rhubarb crisp or cobbler.These pairings make for a sweet duo.

Great Combos Part 1

 Some ingredients just are great together. They add to the recipe and their combined flavors knock the dish out of the park. what ingredients work together.?There are several great pairings.

Mushrooms and spinach are the perfect pair when wedded together. There's something about combining the two that just works well. It could be the mushrooms' earthy flavor that lets the bright springy  flavor of the spinach shine through. You could easily turn the two into a tasty salad. Just remember to cook the mushrooms first for the ultimate flavor.  You can eat them raw but they're tastier air fried. Add some bacon and a few sliced hard boiled eggs for a filling yet light lunch or dinner. One of my favorite pasta and polenta sauces is a sauteed mix of the leaves with sliced baby bellas. They're first sauteed in a mix of olive oil and I Can't Believe It;s Not Butter.. Sliced garlic is added along with a cup of vegan chicken broth. This is really the best marriage of the two. It's a great flavorful sauce and a nice departure from the traditional tomato ones.Another delicious mushroom spinach combo is Julia Child's famed tart. This has a beef Wellington crust encasing a blend of spinach , mushrooms and  bacon. It's a bit labor intensive but worth it

Potatoes and leeks are another good combo that produces an earthy but flavorsome taste. They work best in a creamy soup.Garlic and butter along with chicken or vegetable broth . These enhance the other two so much. Sub in heavy cream for the butter and then put the pot in an ice bath after cooking and you have the elegant potage vichyssoise. This is the perfect first course for an elegant summer dinner with friends. For a heartier fare think mashed potatoes with cooked leeks. It's a great side for roast chicken or turkey. The leftovers can be turned into puffs that can be air fried for a  side or snack. Potatoes and onions also work well together. A truly yummy side is the two roasted together. Add rosemary and garlic to bring out their flavors. This dish  is  perfect  with any roast ,whether London Broil or chicken. You can easily add onions , whether white or yellow to it to zing it up a bit. A tasty way to repurpose  any kind of potato is slice it and frying in in oil with sliced onions. It's an indulgent snack but oh so tasty.

Great combos always enhance any dish. They make for yummy, sides or snack along with main dishes. Try them  for a delicious marriage of flavors.

Spring Food Musts

 Spring is the time of longer and warmer days. Gone are heavy winter days and heavy winter food. It's time to celebrate with classics like lamb, asparagus and rhubarb , perfect for dinners and desserts. Think light. Think delicious.

Lamb is usually served all year round but it's most popular in the Spring thanks to Easter and Greek Easter. You could easily make a lamb stew with Spring vegetables. Use a boneless lamb shoulder and cook with, tomatoes carrots and petite pois or pearl onions. Red wine could be added along with the beef broth. The good thing about stew is that it can be made in an Insta Pot or crock pot  which leaves you free for a few hours.Another idea is cooking the meat in  herbs. Garlic and lemon are added for more flavor with such herbs as tarragon, dill and cilantro. Cumin and coriander seeds are also used. Greek Orthodox Easter is next week and there will be lamb served at almost all Greek homes. Try their version which is roasting a leg of lamb. Its first studded with garlic cloves and then generously sprinkled with a mix of  sea salt, pepper and paprika. Olive oil and lemon juice are then drizzled on it and then it's first braised and roasted.if the cut is too much then think about lamb chops. They can be marinated the same as the shoulder and sprinkled with oregano. You could easily serve these with crunchy and lemony Greek style roasted potatoes, 

Of course the best side is asparagus. This is a Spring must have and can be made a variety of ways. The best is with  the classic Hollandaise sauce. Home chefs always feel that this is hard sauce to create but it's really not. It's just combining egg yolks, lemon juice and a dab of Dijon mustard. Cayenne can be added for some heat but it's mot necessary. Melted butter is them streamed into the sauce and it's blended with an immersion blender. (you can use a regular one for it too).Another is Piedmontese style with the spears drenched in melted butter  and topped with sliced hard boiled eggs and Parmesan cheese. You can also grill them as well. Grilled asparagus is perfect with chicken or steak. Rhubarb is another culinary star of Spring. It's usually paired with strawberries but it's great on its' own. Stewing it into a compote is easy and it's a nice topping for vanilla ice cream.It;s slowly cooking chopped stalks with sugar and water. You can add a dash of cinnamon for more flavor. This veggie, similar to celery also makes for a good crisp or cobbler. These are easy desserts with mixing oatmeal, flour sugar and topping to form a tasty crust on top of the rhubarb. Strawberries can be added too for a variation. Serve any crisp or cobbler with freshly whipped cream for a down home but still fancy dessert.

Lamb, asparagus and rhubarb are the stars of the Spring table. They make the season even brighter and sunnier with their distinct flavors. Plan a dinner, make a dessert with these gems for a warm weather treat.

New York Is Back

 One of the cities that took a tremendous hit during the lock down is New York City. Manhattan and its' boroughs  have been struggling.One of the biggest hit was the restaurant industry. Good news!!! Eating out is coming back and with it a slew of must visit places. It's time to get dressed up and enjoy a meal out!!

The New York Times Food critic Pete Wells wrote about this renaissance of sorts in yesterday's New York Times Food section. This is not only great for the inhabitants of the five boroughs but also visitors from out of state and even out of country. Mr. Wells gives us seventeen eateries that have to be tried. They're not solely in Manhattan but scattered around the boroughs so they can be an easy drive from Long Island and New Jersey.Of course the city places have a certain air of excitement to them. Diners can try Blue WIllow, a new Hunanese restaurant in Midtown. Their  whole steamed sea bass is legendary while their longevity chicken soup with ginseng tastes like homemade. Tex-Mex lovers will go mad for Greenwich Village's Yellow Rose, a taqueria that offers chicken stewed so much in salsa verde that it's green and beef cheek barbacoa.A true fusion restaurant is The Migrant Kitchen located on William Street in the Financial District. The menu has carnitas going into a sharwarma sandwich and falafel being turned into a waffle. The hip St. Mark's Place has Mokyo, chef Kyungmin Hyun's second restaurant that features Korean cuisine but also has other Asian as well as Maine or Louisiana dishes. Thai Diner in Nolita offers diner classics like burger and fries but also fried rice with lump crab meat.

The boroughs don't disappoint either.For those who want a French seaside vibe head to Rockaway Beach's Bar Marseille.There is bouillabaisse and pastis scented mussels and olive tapenade. The Bronx gives us Empanology At Bronx Brewery where flaky palm sized empanadas are stuffed with everything from pizza to Bananas Foster. Then there is All Things Good in Brooklyn which features masa or ground corn meal recipes. They serve half moon quesadillas griddled or fried, and triangles of masa that look like mini volcanoes and filled with refried beans, salsa verde and melted Chihuahua cheese. Trendy Williamsburg has the even trendier Kokomo, a fun waterfront eatery that serves wings with a sweet gochujan glaze. There's also chicken and waffles with both whipped coconut cream and a Scotch bonnet hot sauce.  Another win for Brooklyn is Rangoon which serves mohinga,a fragrant fish soup with noodles. Another Thai restaurant is gracing Brooklyn too, It's Tong in the Bushwick section and it features kub klaem or whiskey snacks such as a spicy steak tartare and goong pai, tiny shrimp pancakes along with bite sizes sausages

New York is going to be hopping again with good eateries. Head to the city. See what's in your neighborhood for some tasty bites again.

Vegan Cheese Please

 As any vegan or even vegetarian home chef will tell you cooking without cheese can be daunting. It figures in almost every dish, from French onion soup to pizza. Then there's the charcuterie platter which demands a variety of cold cuts and cheeses. Luckily there are more and more vegan cheeses out there to fill this gap. Better still, they actually taste just like their dairy counterparts.

Regular contributor and California restaurant critic for the New York Times wrote about this in the Critic's Notebook section of today's New York Times Food section. Vegan cheese has undergone a vast transformation in the past decade. Cheese is always the hardest food to give up. There's something about the tanginess of cheddar or the creamy goodness of Brie.At one time those non dairy kinds could not hold a candle to them. However that's all changed. The newer generations of packaged cheese is now more convincing, thanks to being produced in roughly the same way as regular cheese is. They're made from cultured plant based milks that develop texture and flavor. Companies that are leading the way are the smaller, more artisan Blue Heron Creamery of Vancouver, the Herbivorous Butcher in Minneapolis and Vtopian Artisan Cheeses in Portland Oregon. There is also Philadelphia's Conscious Cultures Creamery and the famed nationally known Miyokos.

Conscious Cultures Creamery owner, Stephen Babaki has made Barn Cat , a Camenbert , inoculating the surface with various strains of Penicillium candidum which is typically used to ripen Camembert and Brie. it's then aged for two to three months. Some work , some cheeses take more time to perfect. Miyoko Schinner, who first published  the how to Artisan Vegan Cheese, created her early ones with homemade Rejuvelc - sprouted fermented grains filled with probiotics and lactic acids. She researched her book by taking cheese making classes and studied the ways traditional cheeses were made. She experimented in her San Anselmo California  kitchen , giving her kids samples. She then opened up an alternative dairy business, Miyoko's Creamery that's sold all around the country. she is not without competition but she is a pioneer in the industry. A decade ago she couldn't even get what she called "culture houses" companies that sold cultures to take her seriously. Now there are vegan cheese makers everywhere.Aaron Bullock and Ian Martin started Misha Foods, in part to help African Americans eat healthier. They made alternative cream cheese from cashew milk, one of the most popular milks used by vegan cheesemakers. Denise Vallego makes vegan Mexican cheeses, in part from being inspired by Ms. Schinner. Then there is Kristen Maitland and Frank Zwar of Rebel Cheeses in Austen Texas  who recreate all sorts of cheeses and came up with a Cheddar Brie hybrid.

Now vegans can rejoice because there are actual cheeses for them. They can indulge with Brie smeared on crackers or a grilled cheese. It's time to celebrate again with a big wedge of cheesy goodness.

Strange Wine

 The wine industry surprisingly has some interesting developments lately. It's not just reds and whites with the occasional blush. This is something different. Wine is becoming exciting again, thanks to news ideas and new wine making concepts.

Orange wine is now on oenophiles' radar. I discovered this just yesterday during a pop ad and it intrigued me. Originally I thought it was a fermentation made from orange juice but that couldn't be the case. You can make orange wine at home but there are no wineries that actually do this. Orange wine is actually white wine made by leaving the grape skins and seeds in contact with the juice. This creates a deep orange hue. What about the taste? It has diverse and aromas not usually associated with wine, such as sourdough, jackfruit along with honey, varnish (!!!) and linseed oil (!!!!!). Palate wise they're dry and big , possessing a tannin like red wine with a sourness  that fruit beers have. Orange wine does pack a punch. You may want to sit down after a few sips.Since this is a bold wine, bold foods should be served with it. Think spicy Moroccan or Ethiopian cuisine - like those spongelike pancakes called injara. The wine also is great with Korean and Japanese foods. It's also good with beef and fish thanks to its' high phenolic content. Coppola and Red Hook Wineries sell orange wine.

Then there's Stella Rosa that sells all sorts of fruity wines. I found this out from Mike Colameco's Food Bites on PBS Sunday afternoon. His is just a two minute filler between America's Test Kitchen and Lydia's Family Table. Chef Colameco was mentioning about the billboard ads for Stella Rosa' wine of the month club that he saw on his way to his second home in Cape May. They were featuring a wine of the month club featuring fruity  berry wines. This  deserves some investigating. Stella Rosa does have some odd flavors like watermelon (!) and grapefruit (!) flavored ones.They also have pineapple and mango too as well as cherry , blueberry, peach and even vanilla.Where do these come from? The Ribolo family in Los Angeles where they founded LA's historic San Antonio Winery. Their "regular" wines come from the aromatic grapes grown in their native Asti in Piedmonte and they were the base of the winery's first big seller Moscato d'Asti. They also created Rosso, the first semi sweet, semi sparkling red wine blend.The family also has tasting rooms  and bistros across California.

Wine is becoming exciting again. Try a bottle of orange. Join Stella Rosa's wine of the month club. It'll make for some interesting drinking.

The Master Home Chef

 Prince Harry recently described his grandfather , the Duke of Edinburgh as "a master of the barbecue" This was true of men of Philip's generation. They loved to cook only outdoors while the kitchen remained the domain of the women of the household. Yet as we 've discovered from the last two generations and lockdown that's all changed. Men have become as adept as women and in some cases more so at cooking and baking.

There have been some men who have always loved to cook and bake (namely my grandfather, Poppy, and his son my uncle).it was a chance to get creative and test their skills. High school Home Ec classes even taught what was known as "Bachelor in the Kitchen" where boys learned how to make pizza from scratch and even whip up a buttercream frosting. Now single and stay at home dads are just as enthusiastic at finding the right sourdough starter as moms are. They're getting excited over catalogs from Williams & Sonoma and King Arthur Flour. They're buying air fryers and immersion blenders at Target or Wal-Mart. The best part is they're enjoying it, as they include the kids in various aspect of meal preparation. Kids are learning their their kitchen skills from their fathers as a generation or two ago learned how to throw a baseball or drive a car. Sons and daughters are taking direction from how to make the right pasta dough to basting a turkey. It brings them closer because they can then sit down and eat together and share their day's experience.

What are dad home chefs cooking?Mac and cheese is probably number one on the list. It's a comfort food , harking back to their childhoods. They may have even gotten the recipe from their moms and grannies.Some  are probably putting their spin on it by adding in Gruyere or Parmesan or subbing in rotelli pasta for elbow macaroni. Hamburgers are another must cook. These are not the already made patties but hand made ones, with the addition of  minced onions and bacon bits. The more advanced home chefs may try their hand at Cornish game hens with a wild rice stuffing or a prime rib. Of course the male home chef shines not only at parties but super events like the in house Super Bowl gathering. This is a chance to get creative with those wings, homemade pizza and of course, grilled and smoked meats. They'll probably make all sorts of sauces for the wings like the tangy lemon pepper flavor to four alarm wing marinade. Male home chefs will bake up the kind of guy pizza their friends love with layers of steak and pepperoni topped with mozzarella and Parmesan. Of course they grill. The steaks will probably have a gourmet touch with a medallion of herb butter on top or spiced with chimichurri sauce.

Home cooking concepts have changed from Prince Philip's generations to his grandsons. Male home chefs are expanding their skills and their palates as they claim the kitchen as theirs. They're making  their stand and becoming good at it with time honored recipes.

Sweet Delish Tasty Cupcakes Fun Little Gems

 Sometimes a cupcake is too much, yet you crave the tender cake and buttery mound of icing. No problem. Try Sweet Delish Tasty Cupcakes from Weston Foods. These are perfect for a holiday dessert or just as a sweet snack with coffee or tea.

I discovered these while looking for an Easter dessert at my local Stop & Shop (who is the only store that carries them in northern New Jersey), Their parent company Weston, is a family owned company from Toronto and has been in business since the 1880.s  Surprisingly they also produce the American classic Wonderbread as well as the D'Italiano brand. The company is also known for their artisan breads, doughnuts and cookies too. Yet it's these mini gems that really shine,

These were so good that they were gobbled right up. The cupcakes come in either chocolate or vanilla cake.

They both have the same puff of yummy buttercream and are sprinkled with candy stars and sprinkles. They were perfect for the holiday and soon became a household favorite. They do come in pumpkin spice for the fall. I love these. They're just a great bite and I don't feel guilty after eating one. Another plus is that the frosting is similar to homemade  - namely mine  with a buttery richness. Hopefully they'll come out with red velvet ones with cream cheese frosting and chocolate with mint frosting.

If you want a cupcake, without the guilt then try Sweet Delish Tasty mini cupcakes. These are the perfect dessert or snack in just a bite or two. They may be small but they're big in flavor.

Burst Tomatoes And Gnocchi My Version

The New York Times Home section had an interesting recipe for gnocchi in a a burst tomato sauce last Sunday. it was too good to pass up and it did sound yummy. Besides the burst tomato part sounded like fun.

The recipe  required  grape or cherry tomatoes. I used Cherub grape ones which produce a more intense flavor than their bigger beefsteak cousins.As for the gnocchi , Dececco works the best. Their potato dumplings are soft yet chewy and they work very well with the sauce. Basil is a must. I miss just plucking off leaves fresh from my garden but that's a couple of months away. Groceries such as Stop & Shop have little packages of picked leaves. Don't worry if they're wilted. They will cook up in the sauce.

The recipe calls for baking the gnocchi in the oven for a few minutes. I went the traditional route and boiled them in salted water. 

As for the sauce. it was six tablespoons of I can't Believe It's Not Butter melted with a good glug of olive oil.

                  This makes for a really rich, buttery base . Four cloves of thinly sliced garlic are also added .

                                   Along with a quarter of a teaspoon of hot pepper flakes.

                                                    Then there are the tomatoes  - pre-burst.

 The basil was also added. I should have cut or shredded it into smaller bits  but it did cook quickly despite being uncut. The tomatoes were ready to burst after eight minutes  of sauteing. Some had to be helped along with a quick squash from a spatula.

                                                

 The sauce is a thick buttery one.It just needs a small pinch of sugar or a drop of honey to take out the slight bitterness from the tomatoes. They burst nicely , leaving a pulpy texture which is perfect for  gnocchi or   any kind of chunky pasta as well.

The original recipe has the gnocchi placed in the sauce and then topped with torn mozzarella pieces for two to four minutes. I thought this would be too much so I just topped the gnocchi with the sauce and then sprinkled shredded vegan mozzarella on top. The effect is more or less the same. The taste was good  although I will probably omit the hot pepper flakes the next time. The bite was a bit too strong and kind of muted the tomatoes. Still it was delicious and definitely will be made many more times. It's an easy cook, and great to make for  a summer dinner.

Gnocchi and burst tomatoes are a tasty way to try grape tomatoes. It's a quick cook up in a pan , ending with a rich sauce that works with gnocchi or pasta. Try it today for a different kind of Italian meal.

Kunan Gyada A Sweet Ramadan Treat

Ramadan is a study in contrasts. There's fasting and then there's eating. A way to ease from hunger is a warm cup or bowl of kunun gyada a Nigerian type of porridge.It's a nice first course for the feasts to come.

Yewande Komolafe, a food writer contributed this recipe to yesterday's New York Times Food section. She previously gave the section 10 Essential Nigerian Recipes. Make this one her eleventh. Kunan gyada is a warm porridge drizzled with tamarind for iftar , the daily breaking of the Ramadan fast.It's a welcome offering to guests visiting for the holiday and a precursor to the evening meal. It is West African from the Hausa tribe from northwestern Nigeria,Cameroon and southern Niger. The dish , though transcends nations and national identities. It's an easy dish with exotic spices like selim which has a nutmeg like flavor. Ms. Komolafe recommends buying  this any African market or online. Nutmeg is also used as is the fiery cayenne along with cloves. Tamarind is used and you can buy it as whole pods or pulp to create your own pulp or concentrate.There is also cinnamon plus a cinnamon stick added  and ground ginger for more heat . Keep in mind that it can also be made for breakfast and served with fresh fruit, homemade preserves or even dark buckwheat honey.  Granulated sugar and lemon juice are also added for sweetness and a pop of tartness.

Making kunan gyada is simple so novice chefs can easily try it. You will have to soak the peanuts and rice needed beforehand. Fine grinding the rice produces a silkier effect while keeping some grains coarse give the porridge a thickness and body. Both have to be soaked for at least one hour and up to four hours at room temperature. After the peanuts are drained and then transferred to a blender  The liquid is then strained through a fine mesh sieve. The solids are then returned to the blender with two cups of water  and then strained again. Add the liquid to the milk and discard the solid part.The cooked rice is then drained and added to the blender. All the spices are added to the peanut milk as it it cooks over a medium flame. Whisk until the mixture becomes thick and then add the rice . Stir frequently until it has a porridge like consistency.

You should warm the bowls or leave them out at room temperature before pouring in the kunan gyada. Top with a spoonful of tamarind paste and sweeten with granulated sugar or honey. Ms. Komolafe also suggests adding dates too.If you want to make it a drink add a cup of water to the rice and then mix it with kefir or drinkable yogurt.

Kunan gyada is perfect for starting Ramadan's sundown feasting. It is also a nice and different way of breaking the morning fast too. Try it to experience the warm blend of spices and the creamy porridge.

A Second Look At The Staff

 Workers of all kinds  are really the backbone of the restaurant industry. How they're treated and in return treat us is crucial to an eatery's life and future. The mass close downs illuminated the fact that chefs waiters and busboys have hard lives , in and out of a restaurant.

Cookbook, author , chef and regular contributor Tejal Rao wrote about the industry in today' New York Times Food section. Hospitality is really an intangible concept. A diner might have it. A fancy restaurant may just miss at it.It all depends on how well the staff , from the busboys up to the chefs are treated and treat not only the customers but themselves as well. Danny Meyer, a New York restauranteur has talked about measuring the hospitality or HQ of his staff. It's a way of measuring aspects of a worker's emotional intelligence as well as his or her kindness, optimism, curiosity and empathy as well as self awareness and integrity. It makes for a feel good atmosphere, one of relentless positivity.This has been the heart of the American restaurant for over one hundred years.people who serve and cook for us as well as clean up after  should approach the table with a kind of joy. After all that's what we're paying for.An attitude from any restaurant worker could ruin a place's reputation which will lead to less diners and less money made.

However the pandemic made it extremely tough to maintain any kind of positive attitude. Chef Minh Phan, owner of Los Angeles' Porridge and Puff  saw her staff crumble during the pandemic. There was staff burnout, who were worn down by the physical and emotional labor  of cooking and serving during lockdown.She blames herself for pushing them so hard. Then there was the mask enforcing when some restrictions were lifted.  Diners didn;t want to wear them and even resorted to chilling threats upon restaurant owners. Pico's a family owned Mexican restaurant  in Houston enforced the mask regulation only to be met with  being threats of calling in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport workers. The incident points to the deep dysfunction at the heart of this industry. Cooks are constantly at risk thanks to the nature and they can't really leave. Their health benefits are often tied to their jobs. Many dish washers and busboys are illegal immigrants who need a job that exposes them to customers finding out about their status. Some eateries are being equal. Be U,a tiny Vietnamese restaurant in LA has the workers start at eighteen dollars an hour and everyone shares in the tip jar, from cooks to servers Uyen Le, the chef and owners feels American workers are ridiculously underpaid and wants to do something about it. Another restauranteur , Adrian LIpscombe  gave free food certificates to her restaurant Uptowne Cafe and Bakery, which bolstered the morale for her staff.

This pandemic has exposed the disparities of many restaurant workers. It's hard for everyone to be happy and in sync when their lives are being threatened on all levels. Hopefully it will all change as we all get vaccinated and then hospitality comes back.

Back To School Lunches

 Kids are finally getting back to the classroom. That means some schools will allow lunches which can be daunting to parents. The main question is what to pack? Sandwiches or a Bento box full of cut veggies and fruits. 

Keep in mind the little ones have been eating what you've been eating for the last year. That may be fast food , leftovers or freshly made hot lunches. Grade schoolers may not like the idea of a sandwich after a year of chicken nuggets and Happy Meals. They will warm to fun shaped sandwiches and fun snacks. Think about buying sandwich shapers that comes in such molds as trains, cats, flowers and hearts.As far as snacks , try to get healthy ones instead of potato chips. If they do insist on chips then try Sensible Portions Sea Salt veggie chips. These look like Pringles but are a bit healthier being made with spinach , broccoli and peas in a potato based chips. These tasty chips can only be found at Target although you can find their veggie straws in your local grocery. These also come in different flavors like ranch, barbecue and sea salt. The company even makes apple straws which make for a nice dessert instead of cookies.  Should you send leftovers to school?  Yes, if there's access to a microwave. Just keep the portions manageable.

A healthy lunch is always a good idea too. Bento boxes work well for this.if you're new to them, you can buy them at your local Target.Amazon has a wide selection too. They are microwavable and usually come with a spork.  What to put into them? Nut butters are a great idea but be careful with these. Your kid may not suffer from nut allergies but their friends could have them.If that's the case then think of cream cheese with riced veggies like cauliflower and broccoli mixed in.Half a bagel with cream cheese is another good idea. Mini sandwiches are also good. Use whole wheat or whole grain bread filled with turkey or chicken. Manageable cut veggies like carrots or celery sticks are a crunchy fun side that kids will like. As far as sweet nibbles, toss in a few grapes or sliced strawberries. You can also give them some blueberries and for an absolute eye opener gooseberries. These last are becoming popular again and their tart unusual flavor will definitely make them the talk of the classroom. You could throw in some chocolate for a sugar burst. Two or three Hershey Kisses are always a nice end but you could also M&M's or Andes Mints too.

Schools are reopening again. It's time to hone those lunchbox skills with interesting sandwiches and sides. make them fun. Make them tasty. Make them desirable so that kids will gobble them up.

Bursting and Smashing

 There seems to be an aggressive way of cooking these days. Ingredients are somehow mangled or exploded. Is this a new trend or are we just bored with the usual slicing and dicing .

The New York Times Sunday Home section had a recipe for crispy gnocchi and burst tomatoes. This is a must make which I'll probably be creating tomorrow. It's the sauce that's intriguing me. The tomatoes can be either cherry or grape, They're better in flavor than their bigger cousin, the beefsteak. They're cooked in a mix of  browned butter, pepper flakes and garlic. Heat splits the skin and they burst. it's then smashing them with a spoon to help that bursting along.Why burst them? They instantly release the juice into the butter  sauce. it seems that there are other recipes for burst tomatoes , namely with shrimp.It's an easy summer sauce for those future sweltering days. Tomatoes can also be smashed. Martha Stewart has a recipe for these that involves just smashing cherry tomatoes seasoned with salt and pepper. These make a great side but add some olive oil and they make a nice topping for crostini or spooned on top of sliced and split Italian and French breads. It could also be one of the layers in pain bagnat, that tasty Provencale layered sandwich of tuna, anchovies , veggies and eggs.

Smashing isn't just relegated to tomatoes. Smashed potatoes are a popular side and many love their crispy , crunchiness. New potatoes work best for this because they're easily smashed. Recipetineats has a good recipe for them.It's boiling them until ty're soft for about thirty minutes. It's then draining them in a colander and then using a large fork or potato masher to smash them. The thinner they're smashed, the crispier they'll be while thicker means fluffier insides. leave on a tray to steam dry. Drizzle with both melted butter - for flavor and olive oil to get that crispy texture.Bake them in 390 degree F oven for forty-five minutes. You can also use your microwave and air fryer to get a similar taste and texture. Melted butter or ghee is brushed on each side and the potatoes are then air fried  at 400 degrees F for ten to twelve minutes.  Flip them halfway through so they're equally crisped on both sides. You can also dust them with garlic and onion powder for more flavor or dried herbs. You can also smash Brussels sprouts in the same manner too, save they're smashed with a glass' bottom. 

Cooking seems to be getting a bit violent, with bursting and smashing veggies. However the methods produce some of the most flavorful sauces and crispiest sides. Take your frustrations out on tomatoes, potatoes and Brussels sprouts,. Burstt them Smash them. The end result is a delicious dish.

Auga A New Kind Of Soup

 Everyone thinks soup are the most mundane food on the planet. Yet a new company is shaking up that belief. The Baltic area company Auga is creating interesting ones , full of good ingredients and flavors.  They're not the traditional canned ones. They're not even canned.

This is one of the soups that caught my eye at Stop & Shop. One it comes in a bag. You can reheat the soup in it if you';re in a hurry or don't want an extra pot to clean. It comes out very thick so it does need to be thinned out with about half a cup of water.

I tried the carrot soup first.

This was before I added the water. It looked like mashed squash and a bit too thick texture wise.. Adding water or even any kind of milk will make it silky and also reduce the intense carrot taste. There is coconut milk in it along with rice flour for thickening and sea salt and spices.  It just takes three  minutes to cook in the microwave.

                                It becomes lighter in color and thinner  even though it looks custardy, 

As for the taste, it tasted like steamed carrots with garlic. I add a huge tablespoon or two of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter since I'm used to cooking my carrots with butter. It tasted better and was a nice lunch. I also have the tomato but would like to try Auga's champignon or mushroom flavor along with their minestrone. The company has all natural "canned" (meaning plastic bagged) beans and veggies which also look interesting and healthy along with their organic eggs and milk. The company also produces breakfast products such as oatmeal cups.

Auga is shaking up the natural food market. Their soups are a nod to the traditional yet a departure . Try them for a fresher tasting bowl of soup.

Oh Gooseberries!

 These golden orbs stood out yellow and shiny on Easter morning. They were nestled between the strawberries and blueberries at Stop and Shop. What are they? Gooseberries or Cape gooseberries.

They truly intrigued me. I've heard about them as many other people have, yet I thought they were just wild growing somewhere. It turns out they're from originally from England but also thrive in Peru , Columbia and even Hawaii. That may explain why they're mentioned in  some Nineteenth Century  British novels and stories. Their Latin name is Physalis Peruviana and the fruit grows inside a  calyx, or petals, producing a small tomato like fruit. They have a sticky exterior, Imagine a grape tomato covered in honey or maple syrup. You have to wash your hands after eating them. Their flavor is a strange mix of sweet and tart. Think pineapple married to peach while the texture is like that of a tomato. The skin is thick with a pulpy , seeded inside. They  have Vitamin K - good for blood clotting and beta carotine.

The question is what do you with them? The Brits turn them into pies and crumbles along with soaking them in gin and turning them into jam. You could put them into a cake. The recipe that I think would highlight them best is the classic English fool. This  was found on the Good Food section of the BBC. Fool is usually made with freshly whipped cream but this one has Greek  yogurt added. You could just make it with the heavy cream and confectioners sugar, along with vanilla extract. You do have to smash them  until they become pulpy. I'm also thinking salads. They're like tomatoes and would be an interesting change up from orange or apple slices. They'd be great in a grilled chicken one dressed with a light vinaigrette. You could also add some slices to fruit salad to for some tang and color.

Those golden robs have a lot of potential. Buy them if you see them at your local grocery. Gooseberries are an interesting fruit, a neat snack and addition to desserts and salads.

Nafas That Special Sense

 The  phrase "It tastes like it was made with love" may have some truth in it. Middle Easterners call this nafas - a kind of energy transmitted through ones' cooking and baking through the vibes the home chef gives out. it definitely affects the taste and flavor of whatever dish is being made.

Reem Kassis, a Palestinian cookbook author who also writes about history and politics explored this in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Nafas is an energy that some people possess that make their meals not only good but exceptional. This is seen in other cultures too.(and I've witnessed it first hand with my Mom's amazing cooking). In Korea it's known as sonmat or hand taste. Across India it's both known as haatachi chav - hand's taste in Marathi while in Hindi  nafas is called maza haath mein hota hai or the taste that comes from the hand. Some like Palestinian Labiba Halloun is known for it as people ask for months in advance for her kubbeh niyah , a tartare of bulgur and ground lamb for wedding feasts/ Yet there could be something scientific in it as well. Rob Dunn a professor at North Carolina State University studies the biology underlying differences between sour dough starters. He claims that the microbes in our hands  and in our environments lead to variations in our dishes. He has experimented with exact same doughs but kneaded by a variety of people. The common taste is there but each varies slightly. Researchers in his lab also discovered that sourdough breads tasted weird when they were made strictly in a lab environment while those made at home has a "home flavor". 

Ms Kassis also includes her grandmother recipes for carrots maqliba a kind of rice cake and another Middle Eastern dish narjissiya with asparagus and Halloumi and sumac. The first is rib eye steak cut into cubes and sauteed with onions. Carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks are then added as is basmati rice spiced with ,pepper, cinnamon, turmeric and cumin. This layered cake is cooked for ten minutes more with a plate on top to keep in the steam. The  whole mound is then inverted on the plate and decorated with fried or  toasted slivered almonds. The narjissiya has the best of Islamic cooking, starting with sunnyside up eggs and halloumi, a Middle Eastern cheese made from a combination of goats and sheep's milk.Asparagus is also added. The cheese is first cooked until browned in olive oil, then set aside while the eggs and spears are sauteed together with garlic. Pita croutons which are easily made by baking them in a 350 F degree oven for ten to fifteen minutes, and sumac oil  - just a mix of olive oil and this - are placed on top of the cheese, eggs and asparagus, along with plain yogurt. You could probably sub in the sumac oil with za'atar to really make it flavorful.

Nafas , which could translate to the love of cooking and the love of the ones you're feeding - is not only prevalent in Middle Eastern cooking but around the world. Love can come through what you're cooking. A good home chef always shows it. 

The Golden Unicorn The Home Baked Croissant

 Is there such a treat as the home baked croissant? After all this is one of the hardest and most complicated breads or rolls to make. Surprisingly the answer is yes - and even better home bakers can make chocolate, almond and even ham and cheese ones. You don't have to go to a fancy bakery anymore to get these gems.

Claire Saffitz, a  well known pastry chef who both writes for Bon Appetit and appears on their You Tube channel, pondered this and wrote a very detailed how to. Croissants are tough to create. There's that crisp brittle egg washed crust with layers of flaky , buttery bread underneath.  Keep in mind that the bakery made ones are rolled out by slab rollers in temperature controlled rooms. The dough is laminated quickly meaning  flattening the butter out between rolls of dough  which produces light flaky  uniform crescents. Home bakers can do this but this has to be done by hand, making it slower, harder and much more variable. Chef Saffitz encourages though, stating that once you master the dough you can then master  adding those delicious  fillings like ham and cheese, chocolate and almond. Keep in mind that not only baking croissants is labor intensive it's also time consuming. Most of the active works takes place on the first day. Also the kitchen temp has to be cool. Keep it at seventy-six degrees or lower . Make room  in both the fridge and the freezer for the dough or detrempe as the French call it. All the ingredients must be weighed too. The liquid to flour ratio has to be perfect too or you'll wind up with either too dry or too soggy croissants.

The ingredients are just as important. Look for a high protein flour which can support all that butter as well as being a high gluten flour. Chef Saffitz recommends the classic King Arthur all purpose flour; It has a relatively high protein content of 11. 7 and it contains a small amount of malted barley flour. This last gives the crust a crispier cracklier exterior. Yeast is another important factor. Use fresh or baker's yeast.It is more reliable than active dry yeast however the last is easier to find. Make sure it's alive and it's well before its' expiration date.  You can also proof it by adding warm milk in the base recipe and then adding the yeast to proof that. One of the most important ingredients is the butter. Please use European ones like Plusgras or Kerrygold.It's eighty two percent  butter fat at least  where as American butters top out at that . The high fat content lends to the flavor and also makes the butter more "plastic" or malleable. Kerrygold is the best for this because it maintains a waxy malleable texture while resisting cracking or splitting when its' being rolled inside the dough. Then there's the egg wash. Just go careful with this. Use a mix of the yolk and heavy cream for a glossy bronzed crust and wipe the drips off the baking pan. They can burn while the croissants bake.

Yes you can bake buttery,. crisp croissants at home. It's a labor intensive process but once you get the hang of it , it'll be easy. The result is a golden unicorn with flaky layers and a heavenly rich taste.

Picnic Days Are Here Again

 The rough winter is over.  The temps are rising. The parks and seaside are open again. That means one thing - picnics. It's time to pack our favorite foods and head to wide open spaces.

Before you go , check to see what you have as far as essentials. Do you have a picnic basket? Or a cooler for storing drinks and salad?. Some fancier baskets come with china or melamine plates along with utensils.  You don't have to have this, Paper plates and bowls along with plastic cups work just as well. The same for plastic knives, forks and spoons. Have wet naps and napkins on the ready because eating can be messy along with being dirty or sandy. The next step is deciding if you want to have grilled food or just sandwiches. Having a cook out at a park or beach is a more complicated affair. You'll have to have coolers to transport the raw meat along with charcoal ,lighter fluid and some way to light the grill. There is another way to go if you want hot  food. Pick up a few rotisserie chickens at your local supermarket  or hot dogs that are usually in every park.  You could also stop at a fast food joint like Wendy's or Mc Donalds' Just be mindful of the waste afterwards Pick up wrappers, straws, and cups afterwards.

The second part is what foods to bring. If you decide to go the barbecue route, decide what works better. Many just like drumsticks while other families want nothing but wings. Then there's the marinade. Do you want to go extra spicy or Oriental with scallions ginger and soy sauce. Of course hamburgers and dogs are always welcome, They always taste good outside  with a bag of chips or some homemade cole slaw on the side. You can even go vegan with soy dogs and Beyond Burgers.A true picnic has sandwiches. The entire family can make their own. Plain white bread is always a good choice but you can also toast it first. Then the fillings. If you have any leftover Easter ham slice it and put it on mayo slathered slices. You can also get chicken and turkey along with different cheeses too. Heroes are always a good picnic bring along. Again make what the family likes., with provolone , mozzarella, capicolla and salami. You could bring a variety of fun snacks. from bags of popcorn and pretzels or traditional sides like macaroni and three bean salads, along with broccoli and string bean salads. Bring another container with water bottles and juice boxes.

It's picnic season. Plan a lunch  out for a fun time in the park or the beach. Enjoy the good weather with good food and drink.

Those Bunny Bits

 Everyone knows what to do with Easter leftovers. Make ham sandwiches and serve them with the leftover potato salad. Reheat the asparagus with butter. Slice the lamb for stew. Yet what do you do with all that leftover Easter candy? How much chocolate can one family eat? Luckily there are a few fun recipes to deal with those bunny bits.

All kinds of chocolate can be meted down and refashioned into bark. Think of melting those leftover  milk chocolate bunnies and hollow dark chocolate eggs to create a two tone or truffle bark. You can add the leftover over coconut from those bunny and lamb cakes , nuts and pretzels. You can also roll pretzel rods in the chocolate for dipped ones. A second roll in pastel colored sprinkles lends a festive air.Another idea is chopping up the chocolate and adding it to any ice cream. Think of a strawberry or raspberry gelato chock full of chunks or create you own version of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia by combining cherry vanilla with cut up chocolate eggs or Kisses. What about those  solid creme, nougat and coconut eggs? Slice those and put a scoop of chocolate ice cream on top for a kind of Easter egg sundae. It's a fun way to get rid of those giant eggs that always seem to last forever.  If you were lucky to receive those huge Perugina eggs with the toy inside. then they're a double bonus. The halves make for excellent cups for ice cream, puddings, custards or mousses. Add whipped cream and some sprinkles for a truly decadent treat or dessert.

Easter candy can also be baked into sweet treats too. You can take all that leftover chocolate and turn it onto a decadent mousse pie. This is perfect for any milk chocolate (although you can do the same with dark too ).It's  melted  and mixed with mini marshmallows, milk and whipping cream, then poured into an already made pie crust. The entire pie is refrigerated for about three hours in the fridge.  Of course you can also add the chopped bits to cookies and brownies. Try a chocolate chip recipe but sub in sliced solid or Krispie  eggs. You could also sub in pastel M&M's too for a festive looking cookie.Brownies can also be stuffed with chopped candy too. You can use a scratch recipe or just a box of any brownie mix. Even marshmallow eggs can be used for a creamy chewy middle. Peeps can even be repurposed. Think fun Rice Krispie bars decorated with whole chick or bunny Peeps. You can also cut these up (if you can bear tearing up all that cutemess) and put them into the treats. The results are pretty rainbow colored bites. Chocolate can also be thrown into the recipe too.

Don't worry about all that leftover Easter candy. It can easily be repurposed into fun treats everyone will like. It will be like finding that candy all over again!!!

A Happy Easter

 A happy Easter full of happiness and sweet treats. Enjoy the foods of the season ,from ham to asparagus.

Nibble those bunny ears, munch on those Peeps and chew on some jelly beans, including the black ones!!!

A Giving Good Friday

 It's Good Friday and all Christians are observing this holy day of observation. We think of Christ and His sacrifices but we should also think of His generosity. Planting a Spring garden for not just yourself but for others exemplifies this .

Think of others as you plant. Aim for overage where you can donate your harvest or give to neighbors or family in need. It's a good thing because everyone loves fresh fruit and veggies. It's also good for kids to show them that there's a world beyond processed food and sweets. They can even help in picking tomatoes and strawberries. If you're turning that bounty into pickling and jams , remember to make a few jars extra too. They make nice gifts for any essential workers you may know.

This is a day for reflection and sacrifice. It's also a day of planning and how you can help your community. Think about this when you start planning your Spring garden.

Easter Givings

 Today is Holy Thursday and it starts the beginning of the four day Easter holy days. It's a time of celebration but also reflection too. Think about those who don't have what you have and those who don't have your bounty. 

We are getting vaccinated at astonishing rates yet there is still so much to do for a safe recovery. Try to help those in need. Share your Easter dinner with  them or treat them to groceries so they can have a sumptuous meal too. Bake extra cupcakes or cookies and bring them over along with candy for the kids. If everyone has been vaccinated , then think about a socially distanced barbecue. Throw in an Easter egg and candy hunt too.

We may not be able to go to church to celebrate but we can celebrate each other. Start with generosity. It will go a long way and brighten up Easter for everyone.