YOur Fave Snow Day Foods

 A walloping great blizzard is going to hit the East Coast this Sunday night into Monday morning. That means one thing - (well besides shoveling) - a day in to eat favorite foods. will it be a gooey grilled cheese? Home baked chocolate chip cookies Or a pit of spicy crock pot chili.

To be honest I am going to be making a big pot of veggie strew in Sunday that will take us into the next day. There will be a warmed baguette to go with it, along with plenty of oil and COuntry Crock Plant butter.  This will be perfect on Monday too. I will be shopping at Lidl for treats such as their sandwich cookies and salty snacks to get us through the day There's also going to be Lidl's hot cocoa aplenty too.

So what is your snow day favorite food? Let us know. Stay warm and keep full.⛄⛄☃

Your Best Holiday Baking Guide

 Baking is going to be an important aspect for home chef during the next two months. Luckily The New York Times dropped their baking issue in Sunday's papers. There is everything here, from cakes, to cookies to even muffins. These are all perfect for the dinners and parties ahead.

This is a pretty substantial issue and definitely a keeper for all sorts of bakers from experienced to novice ones. Keep in mind that these are not your typical sugar cookie and vanilla cake with chocolate frosting recipes. These have interest. These have spice. These have even fire. There are caramel cookies heated with the Korean gochujang, a red chili paste usually used with veggies or meat..Miso gives layers of unami to pecan banana bread. Again it's used mostly in soups to bring out the flavor.Candied ginger give zing to ordinary marbled shortbread cookies.Lemon bars are given color and tanginess with cranberries. Even a simple apple crunch cake is boozed up with half a cup of bourbon. Even sugar cookies are not the typical holiday recipe. The New York Times recipes gives them color and an earthiness by the addition of freshly ground  Earl Grey tea leaves cooked with butter.

There are some traditional flavors used but not in the way you'd think. The highlight of the issue is a peanut  butter and jelly pound cake. This is a peanut butter rich cake marbled with raspberry jam. The icing is from the jam being mixed with confectioner's sugar.Imagine this finishing a holiday brunch. There's also s'mores brownies and pumpkin brownies ,perfect t for both Halloween and Christmas tree trimming parties. There's also a sweet potato and brown butter snacking cake - just great for those weekends in with family.Yes, every fall baking issue has a doughnut recipe and this one is no different. Home bakers will appreciate the baked apple cider doughnuts , baked in the oven for a lighter taste instead of deep fried. Cheesecake also makes an appearance but it's the Basque kind with a deeply caramelized top. There are also maple pecan sticky buns amongst others for a a lazy morning in.

Go through your Sunday papers for this issue if you haven't already saved it. It;s chock full of great recipes. Bake these for the holiday season and beyond.

Sunday Dinner Monday Leftovers

 One of the best aspects of a Sunday dinner is that it can stretch into Monday. Tose roasts and sides can d double duty on a busy first day back to the office. It's amazing what a little stretching can do.

Of course one of the easiest leftovers is a hot sandwich. This is great if you have turkey or roast beef. It's just slicing what's left  and serving it with gravy on any kind of bread. You could even get  fresh dinner or kaiser rolls and split them. This makes for a satisfying meal , especially on a cold night. The same is true if you have leftover stuffing.Keep in mind any meat chopped up , which includes leftover ham or chicken can go into a salad too. This is even easier and quicker  than  sandwich , but just as satisfying. Another idea is chopping  up the roast and serving it with pasta. Many make turkey tetrrazzini after Thanksgiving but it's also good on a Monday night. This is simply blending the leftover bird with mushrooms, cream cheese and chicken broth and already cooked spaghetti ( you could also try fettuccini or angel hair for different textures). It's then baking i the tettrazzini in a greased casserole dish for a good forty five minutes. Another idea is devilling ham or chicken It's shredding the meat in a food processor ro chopper and then  adding a tablespoon of  mayonnaise to get that creamy texture. For the ham you could add some celery salt for more flavor while the chicken gets a pinch of tarragon. Serve on toasted bread for sandwiches.

Sides can also get a make over and even turn into the main course itself. Salads can be revitalized with more veggies added or evne cheese rounds or croutons. Leftover Idaho potatoes can be sliced and turned into air fryer chips . Spike them with some lemon juice and oregano for Greek style fries . These would be perfect if you're having hamburgers.If there are a lot left over then mash them. It's just adding milk or cream along with butter and seasonings. Again these are good with any leftover gravy. As for mashed potatoes themselves. think colcannon.It's taking the mash and frying it up with any leftover spinach , scallions and leeks plus a mashed up clove of garlic if you want more flavor.  You could also make another traditional Irish dish -, boxtie or potato pancake. This time combine the mashed potatoes with flour , one egg and a tablespoon of milk. The pancakes are just seeasoned with salt and pepper but you could add chopped onions or scalllions to them for color and taste . The pancakes are then fried in olive oil or butter. These can be made large and served like a crepe with mushrooms or tomatoes inside and a mushroom gravy on top.

Yes you ca stretch that Sunday supper into Monday's dinner. It's a quick and economical way of repurposing delicious food. Try it and create an enirely new meal.

Your Fall Pantry Guide

It's time to rethink and restock your pantry and fridge now that fall is just around the corner. What do you need for cooking and baking? What  veggies should you be buying right now

? There's a whole list of ingredients that you'll need as the temps drop.

Of course pumpkin spice is everywhere, from lattes to even dish washing soap. It's basically a mix of the spices used in pumpkin pie - ground ginger and cinnamon. Each on their own is vital to fall cooking. Ground ginger can be used to give zing to pork chops and roast chicken. It can be used as a rub or part of one for wings and drumsticks and even part of breading for cauliflower. Ground ginger can also be used in sweet recipes and elevates ordinary muffins , cakes and cookies. Cinnamon is the quintessential fall spice. This ground bark from the canella tree graces everything during the cooler months.It's a must for autumn baking and you should be buy a larger containers that hold 8.75 ounces (McCormick sells these in all the grocery stores). You'll definitely use it for at home baking but it will also probably be used to make cinnamon rolls and spices cookies for school bake sales. Another fall must have is the herb sage. It's used in homemade dressings along with flavoring for chicken. Combine it with browned butter for a sauce for pumpkin or squash ravioli.

As far as veggies, what should you stock up on? The aforementioned pumpkin and squash.It pays to have one or two cans of pumpkin puree(don't confuse it with pumpkin pie filling which has sugar an all those spices in it).Yes, it can be used for pies and even tartlets, but the mash has a savory side too. Combined with chicken or vegetable broth and sauteed onions, it's the Piedmontese zuppa di zucca. This is a great soup to make on a Saturday or Sunday night. Remember that pumpkin puree can be used for ravioli filling too if you're into making homemade pasta. You could buy fresh pumpkins too but there's a lot of work involved gutting them and making your own puree. Sub in those summer zucchinis now with acorn and butternut squashes. These are easy to make and one half of one makes for an excellent, filling side. Acorn squash can also be mashed similar to potatoes. Turn the leftovers into puffs or croquettes.Brussels sprouts are on the scene again. Home  and commercial chefs alike love them. They can be turned into crispy chips or served whole, parboiled, topped with melted butter and Parmesan cheese.

These are some of the more vital ingredients you'll need this fall. Stock your pantry and fridge with them. They're important in autumn cooking and baking.