Coziness with Oats

 There is something about an airy dish that homey and satisfying. Maybe ti;s because of the grain being the most basic but also the most everyday.It's also lent itself to being good as an ingredientfor baked goods and hearty breakfasts.

Regular author and top baker Genevieve Ko wrote about it and gave two recipes in today;s New York Times Food section As she puts it oats can work miracles. Cooked otameal has a comforting and relaxing scent like clean fresh hay.There's also a natural sweetness to them that regular flour doesn;t have.They add to everything, from creating sweet crunchy toppings to extra chewy cookies like oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Chef Ko gives two recipes with them - honey oat pancakes and oatmeal chocolate chocolate chip muffins. Both are great ways to start a chilly Spring morning. There are so many different typrs of oats to use. What should home chefs use? She recommends quick cooking and instant oats are ideal for the pancakes because they;re small and flat, perfect for cooking. They;ve been finely chopped and steamed before packaging . They;re already made into flakes. Keep in mind that instant oats are going to be thinner than the quick cooking kind. They'll give the finished product s a chewier texture according to Sarina Shatseen , a culinary content specialist at the flour company Bob's Red Mill.

The recipes are perfect for breakfasts(or even for a Sunday lunch). The honey oat pancakes have the oatmeals soaked in buttermilk along with flax, honey and salt for a good ten minute. The longer the mixture sits the creamier and tender the pancakes. Use this time to make eggs and bacon . After the ten minutes add two tablespoons of canola or any flavorless oil. Baking soda and flour are then mixed in . They should be cooked in butter for a richer flavor.. Serve hot with more honey and definitely more butter for the ultimate treat.The oatmeal chocolate chip muffins can be perfect for breakfast or just a mid afternoon snack with coffee or tea. Use quick cooking oats for these along with flour and brown sugar. Cardomon is also added, giving the crumbs a lovely flavor. There is also eggs, butter and whole milk to give the muffins body. After the wet and dry ingredients are mixed the chips are gently added in. They're baked at 400 degrees Farenhit for twenty minutes. Use cupcake papers and bake in a muffin tin.

Oatmeal cna be a great addition to anything for breakfast or sweet. Try it in these pancakes or muffins. They;re a healthy and tasty addition to any recipe,

The Best Gift Homemade Food Baskets

 What do you gift foodies and gourmands for the holiday season? Try a homemade food basket. These are not only fun to give but fun to make. Even better is that they can be tailored to the person's likes.

The first thing to do is figure out how many you;re going to make and what each recipient's tastes are.ONce these are established then head to your local dollar or craft sote and pick up wicker baskets. Buy ribbon to wrap around the baskets and if you want buy some fake holly and berries or put a candy cane or two in front for a more restive look. As for wrapping the entire basket, consider buying holiday Saran wrap that comes in red and green tints.(if you can;t find itat your local grocery store, Amazon has the rolls for fifteen dollars). Now it's time to think about what to put in. Pizza lovers would probably like a bag of bread flour, olive oil , pizza sauce and a pizza cutter. You can add a pack of pepperoni along with a tin of olives or even anchovies. Include a shaker jar of red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese if they like their pizzas extra cheesy. pasta lovers would appreciate a similar basket, but with different kinds of pasta to try a long with a couple of jars of different flavored sauces. Include a pasta measurer and pasta tongs (again Amazon and Target sell these). Add a jar of Parmesan too along with bottles of thyme and oregano for flavoring. A garlic press would be a great addition too.

Barbecuers would love a basket filled with different hot sauces . Get then in varying degrees of heat so the griller can experiment. A pack of homemade or purchased dry rubs would be appreciated. A good dry rub recipe has a blend of brown sugar, mustard powder, ground pepper and onion powder. You can put this in  a mason jar and tied a festive bow around it.Add barbecue mitt too which can be bought at either Home Depot or Sur la Table. Ice cream fanatics would love a basket filled of  extras to make the perfect cone or sundae. Include a package of waffle cone bowls and cones along with both hot fudge and salted caramel syrups. Wet walnuts and a container of maraschino cherries complete it along with a variety of colored sprinkled. Add a bottle of hard magic shell sauce for those perfect Dairy Queen dipped cones.You can  also put in a set of sundae spoons and metal straws for those who loved ice cream sodas. Bakers would love a basket full of different flours along with dry yeast, cinnamon and other spices like nutmeg and cardamon,Add festive cookie cutters along with powdered sugar, food coloring gels and different decorations like dragees and sprinkles. Target has cute Christmas tree spatulas that would go well in this kind of basket.

Creating a holiday food basket is fun. It could be for the barbecuer or the baker in your life. It could be a treat for a pasta and pizza lover or an ice cream fan. Whatever you make will be most appreciated by any food lover.

Easter Ready

 Easter is less than a week away. It;s time to get ready on a nother holiday meal that rivals a CHristmas Day one. Luckily with Easter there is leeway.Norhing has to be set in stone.

One thing to bring into the mix is the main course. This is the time to get the Easter ham. Some stores like Shop-Rite and Stop and Shop have discounts, especially if you've already spent five hundred dollars during the month of Marcn. With the ham,  ake sure you have the ingredients for the glaze.Is there enough brown sugar and honey which serve as the base? You can always buy the extras such as oranges for juice or any kind of soda at the end of the week. Another point to ponder is will there be vegans or vegetarians present. What do you serve them?Start looking at recipes on line and experiment with them. It pays to execute the recipe even once.This way you can adjust the sasonings and cooking time. You can also do this with sides too. If you want to make air fryer potatoes for the first time, then do a dress rehearsal sometime this week. Also check out pots and pans. Get new ones for both cooking and baking if you need them. If you're planning on barbecuing, make sure the grill is clean and you have charcoal for cooking.

Baking is another Easter must. Do you have the molds to make bunny and chick cakes?What about the fun holiday themed cupcake papers? (although you can use pastel ones if you cant find ones with bunnies or chicks on them)What  flavor cake do you want to make? CHocolate usually sells out faster than vanilla. Also keep in  mind that some mixes like Duncan Hines Dolly Parton mixes require a lot of eggs, butter and milk instead of the usual vegetable oil. Also make sure you have plenty of the last too because other mixes do require vegetable oil in their batters.Scratch cakes, cupcakes and cookies need flour along with different kinds of sugar. Buy now when many stores like Lidl and Aldi have good sales.Make sure there's enough vanilla and almond extract along with orange and lemon ones.Easter cakes always require coconut so buy some. It also has to be tinted green.Did you use all the green food coloring for Christmas baking?If so then you need a new bottle it along with red and blue dyes.. Do you have enough yellow to create cute chickie and duckling treats? Buy it now before it all sells out.

This is the week to get read for the big day ahead. Be prepared.Have everything you need on hand. It'll make for a smooth holiday dinner.

Pudding Time

 Pudding may be old fashioned but it 's still a great dessert. There's nothing like ending a dinner with it or just enhoying a quick sweet. You can go old school and make your own to get that down home flavor.

Puddings are usually sweet recipes in the US .However in Britain you could have savory ones like Yorkshire which is really a popover. and France  meat ones like salmon and foie gras or chicken liver. The ones here though could be custards or mousses. All countries have some form of it and during the Twentieth Century it used to be a popular dessert that was easy to whip up. surprsingly the word comes from the Latin word for sausage botellus and then the French changed it to boudin. it could also be from the German pud meaning to swell. A good homemade pudding has cornstarch in it ,acting as a binder. milk is added for creminess while vanilla and sugar flavor it.It's first boiled and then constantly stirred until the mixture thickens.It can be spooned into individual bowls or into one big one and chilled. for a richer texture and taste , use whole ream instead of milk. One of the best desserts is chocolate pudding.Make a really rich one using whole cream, and one half cup of baking cocoa. Add butter and vanilla for a fudgy flavor. You could add a tiny drop of mint  for  a fancier chocolate mint dessert.

Many go wild for a homemade butterscotch pudding. This is  silken treasure made with brown sugar heavy cream and egg yolks, The egg yolks are blended with the cornstarch for a silky  but thick constistency.  The brown sugar is cooked into a syrup with water along with salt.It's important for it to caramelize for both the color and flavor. Butter and vanilla are added to the finished product . You could add bourbon or brandy for a grown up version of this childhood classic. What about vegans? Can they enjoy a pudding that's as rich as the egg and dairy laden ones? There are vegan puddings that can be made with any kind of plant milk like soy or almond. Vegan butter may be called for for more flavor. The most important ingredient in vegan pudding is the same one in regular ones - cornstarch. This will help in thickening the mix. Add cocoa powder or brown sugar for a chocolate or butterscotch one. You could even toss in peanut butter which will give a creamy texture and a unique flavor.

A scratch pudding is a great dessert or treat. Make a traditional or vegan one for a truly unique sweet.It's the epitome of homemade goodness.

One Steak Many Ways

 Steak is one of the most versatile cuts. It can be smoky, spicy, mellow. It can be grilled or sauteed. It's perfect on the grill or just air fried.It makes for the perfect summer dinner.

Before you buy know the different cuts. There are actually seventeen (!) types of steak.Decide which one fits what you want to do.Rib eye steak is the most famous and well loved.It's marbled with rich fat so all it needs is a good sprinkling of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. It's better cooked om a grill or in a cast iron skillet with some butter.Filet mignon is one of those luxurious cuts. It has a melt in your mouth quality and is usually the most expensive. It's good on it's own but you could add some lemon butter to it. Strip steak is one of the most popular . You can get it with the bone Kansas City style or New York , which is without the bone.This is a versatile  cuts You can grill, pan fry or air fry it. Yes it's good on it's own but you can also add  a spice rub or a marinade. A good spice one has brown sugar mixed with paprika and garlic powder. Some add coffee too , both in wet and dry marinades.It's better in wet marinades because the grounds can be a bit too much (and can give you a really wild buzz). A good coffee marinade has the drink mixed with soy sauce, sesame seeds and Worcestershire sauce.

If you want to treat yourself think a  juicy Porterhouse steak.This thick cut is perfect marinated in a herbal marinade and then grilled. You could also do a wet rub of olive oil and ground black pepper.Another popular cut is the flank steak. It  is served with a salsa verde sauce or chimichurri . This is a mix of fresh oregano, parsley and cilantro mixed with olive oil and red wine vinegar Garlic is also added as is hot pepper flakes. You could also try a blend of olive oil any citrus juice like lemon or lime plus soy sauce.A similar cut is the skirt steak. Thanks to the abundance of connective tissue (it comes from the cow's belly) it can be tough in texture. It needs a good marinade to soften it. Try one with olive oil and lemon juice. Add some herbs like rosemary and oregano for more flavor.One of the most affordable cuts is the flat iron steak. This truly is a versatile. cut.It can be pan cooked, air fried, grilled or even slow cooked. To get the best of its' flavor try a simple marinade of just olive oil , garlic and herbs.It's perfect like this, with a potato and salad but it can also be put into a fajiita too.Two other versatile pieces are sirloin steak and London Broil. These are best oven cooked, with just salt and pepper on them. They're great cold being made into sandwiches too,.

Any cut of steak is great for a warm summer night. It can be cooked any way and is delicious. Get the cut you want and create a tasty meal. 

The Savory And Sweet Side Of Passover

 Like any holiday Passover has a savory and sweet side. The recipes can be classic but there's always room for new ones. They can be for the main course or for dessert afterwards.

Both Melissa Clark and Joan Nathan had interesting dishes for celebrating in yesterday's New York Times Food section. The holiday starts April 15th,next Friday and ends Saturday April 23rd. These dishes can be made any of the days and even taken to Passover pot luck dinner. Ms. Clark gives the recipe of a pomegranate baked rice and onion casserole in her Good Appetite column. This is huge in the Ashkenazi sector because they were forbidden to eat rice , along with chickpeas, corn, beans and spices.This is the first change in the Passover diet in over 800 hundred years The Sephardic Jewry has always allowed it , with their holiday recipes featuring rice stuffed vegetables. This  casserole comes from Shimi Aaron, an Israeli chef and owner of  EliaMIa, He is more known for his gold dusted babka but this recipe has the same amount of oomph. It's candied onions that have been roasted in a bath of pomegranate juice, laced with honey ,olive oil and dill.It's served on a bed of pine nut speckled rice. The onions are a mix of yeloow, purple and white ones fanned out over the layer of rice. Greek yogurt can be served with it.

Joan Nathan has a sweet Pass over recipe based on the famed Easy Toffee Bars that were reimagined into a Passover treat by Marcy Goldman. The original recipe called for Saltines but as Ms. Goldman found out matzoh also works just as well. It also called for using chocolate .Ms. Nathan subs in kosher for Passover peanut butter for a different spin. These too have been okayed by the Ashkenazi however have been used by the Sephardic for decades.It's first cooking butter and molasses into a syrup and then pouring over a layer of matzohs. This is then baked in a325 degree Farenheit oven for twenty minutes. Warmed  for twenty seconds in the microwave peanut butter is then poured over this,A layer of chopped peanuts and a good sprinkling of flaky sea salt is added. Brittle is best chilled so pop in the fridge right away.It should be there for about thirty minutes or until the peanut butter firms up. This makes for a nice gift if you're invited to someone's house.

Passover has room for both savory and sweet. Make these recipes for the celebration. They are tasty and a new spin on classic dishes that are sure to be favorites.

Passover Sweets

 Passover starts this coming Saturday and with it special dishes and holiday restrictions. One of the highlights of the Seder table is dessert. It can be quite a challenge to home bakers because of the no flour or yeast rule. Yet there are some interesting sweets that are easy to whip up.

Luckily there are other flours other than wheat or chametz to use. Almond flour is perfectly acceptable as is matzoh meal. You can easily make a flourless chocolate cake using almond flour. It produces a dense , packed crumb, perfect for the other ingredients which are chocolate , butter,eggs yolks and sugar to shine. Orange zest and egg whites are added later, the whites to give the cake some lift. It's baked for thirty to forty minutes in a 350 degree Farenheit  oven. It can be served with candied orange zest or whipped cream if you'd like. Almond flour can also go into making blondies, a fun treat for the kids. This again is ground almonds (which you can make yourself using a food processor),l sugar, vegetable oil and eggs. Chocolate chips can be added for more flavor. The batter is poured into a parchment lined pan and baked at 350 degrees Farenheit for half an hour. Keep in mind you can also use the almond flour for cookies. These are almost like a macaroon  in that they use only egg whites and not the yolks along with a cup of sugar. Of course if you want totally vegan you can sub in the egg white with aqua faba, the brine from chickpeas. These make for excellent meringues and macaroons, the last more in the French style.

Matzoh meal can also be used to make an array of delicious Passover cakes. Remember that you may have to buy matzoh meal because the homemade kind is a lot crumbier and grainier than the finely processed store bought one.,Yet, you can use the first if you have a very strong, almost industrial strength food processor. There are a number of different sweets you can bake. Try an apple cake that's more like a fruit filled coffee cake with a walnut streusel topping. The topping has a refreshing blend of cinnamon, ginger,  mace and nutmeg. to keep the cake interesting. You could also make just a simple vanilla cake and top it with frosting made from heavy cream and confectioner's sugar. Matzoh meal can also be used to make cookie dough too. whip up a couple of batches of chocolate chip cookies using it for the week ahead. This is the basic chocolate chip cookie recipe  that has the usual brown sugar, butter, eggs, and chocolate chips for that classic flavor. Yet instead of wheat flour , there's matzoh meal and honey to sweeten it. You could also bake chocolate cookies too with it, using melted bittersweet chocolate and chocolate chips along with egg whites for  a more meringue like texture.

The seder meal and the week following can end with delicious cakes and cookies. Use either almond flour or matzoh meal for the recipes. They'll give you an array of tasty  sweets , perfect for the holiday and beyond.

Marshmallows Those Sweet Summer Treats

Marshmallows are the ubiquitous summer ingredients. They 're in salads, desserts and treats, in pies and on sticks . How did these little puffs become a summer staple? Is it because they're fun  or  because they add a certain sweetness to a variety of different dishes.

Marshmallows have been with us since ancient times.They are derived from the mallow plant that grows in marshy areas - hence the name. The Egyptians used the sweet fleshy roots in both rituals and medicines. The French had the idea to whip the sap into a fluffy candy mold.The molds were filled with starch to give them shape. Then the Americans took over with a way to mass produce them. it involved an extrusion machine which gives uniform , perfectly cut puffs. As soon as marshmallows hit our shores , they were in such desserts as banana fluff, a dish you can easily make today. End a barbecue with this mix of mini marshmallows, banana pudding and Cool Whip.Marshmallows in salads may have come from cookbooks and magazines, maybe in the 1930's. It was a different salad, that could be served as a side or dessert. It was also an easy make during hot summer months spent in  stuffy  kitchens.  You could definitely make as a retro dessert with hamburgers and hot dogs.Mix Cool Whip with sour cream (???), maraschino cherries and mandarin cherries. Mini marshmallows and almonds along with vanilla extract give it flavor. Coconut flakes are added  as well.

This may be a side but what about a summery marshmallow dessert? The most obvious is s'mores. It's  a classic layering of graham crackers, toasted marshmallows and a square of Hershey's milk chocolate. Zing it up by using chocolate graham crackers and a dark rich chocolate such as Lindt's 80 % dark chocolate. It's a more adult spin on the classic kid treat. Of course just plain toasted marshmallows are a nice end to a cook out.You could make them naughty by turning them into shot glasses for different liqueurs like Bailey's Irish Cream or Kahlua.Popcorn and marshmallow are a perfect marriage, and a fun dessert at an outdoor movie party.It's melting eight or nine big marshmallows with half a cup of brown sugar and a quarter cup of butter.Cook for twenty or thirty seconds, stir to make sure everything's melted and then pour over the popcorn (which can be bought or home made. Toss in some peanuts for a Crackerjack kind of crunch.Toasted marshmallow could also top an after dinner iced coffee. Float two or three toasted marshmallows on top of the coffee.

Marshmallows are a must have summer cooking ingredient. Try them in a sweet tangy side salad or as a fluffy topper to an icy cup of java. Either way, they're a fun bite.

A Trio Of Goodness

Homemade treats are always welcomed, especially snack cakes. They're a great fix at work or after school, along with being a picker upper on weekends. The problem is that manufactured ones are loaded with all sort's of preservatives and have a plastic-y taste. The solution is three recipes for delicious cakes that can be easily made in a home kitchen.

Melissa Clark gives us these in her A Good Appetite column in yesterday's New York Times Food section. They're easy bakes, with all the ingredients that are probably on the pantry shelf already.
The flavors are on everyone's cake wish list.There's chocolate with a tangerine glaze (!), lemon with a coconut one , a banana one dripping with a salted caramel topping.The first two are made with a neutral oil such as canola or grapeseed while the banana cake has melted butter. The flour used for all three is all purpose  - nothing fancy. The chocolate one has both Dutch processed cocoa and chopped dark chocolate.For a really intense flavor buy the 70 to 80 percent bars as opposed to the chips. The recipe has a hit of hot coffee for a mocha vibe. Sour cream is added for a dense, moist crumb.The icing is a zippy tangerine- lemon fusion that compliments the chocolate.Ms. Clark recommends that if it's too sweet add a extra drop or two of lemon juice.

Lemons are the backbone of the second cake. Three of them give it a burst of tartness thanks to their juice and zests being used. Ms. Clark also adds coconut milk and shredded coconut. Two large eggs and again, sour cream give the cake body and a moist crumb.The glaze is a mirror of it as it , too, as it uses coconut and finely grated zest.The only difference is that it has melted coconut oil which makes for a smoother glaze. The last is a yummy mix of bananas and caramel. The snacking cake has two to three ripe bananas mixed with sour cream and brown sugar. Half a cup of melted butter is added to kind of give it a Bananas Foster flavor.The crumb will be incredibly moist , the perfect texture for a snack cake.It's then topped with a buttery homemade caramel glaze. Half a stick of more (!) butter is mixed with brown sugar and heavy cream.These are cooked in a large saucepan for a minute, cooled and then blended with confectioner's sugar. To cut the uber sweetness flaky sea salt is sprinkled over the icing. It's a nice pop of savory to counterbalance all that sweet.

Happiness is a snack cake that's delicious and filling. The three recipes fit that bill.They are full of homemade goodness and flavor from the kitchen.

The Allergy Free Christmas Cookie

It's the start of the holiday baking season and with that comes a plethora of cookies. However it can also be a dodgy pick and choose game for those with various allergies. what to do? Create bites that are not only tasty and worry free. The end result is still a large buffet of sweet treats.

All baked goods start with flour and that's where the first problem is. Many have gluten which can be lethal to those with celiac disease. A simple spritz cookie can bring on everything from intestinal  distress to vomiting. Instead of forgoing a sweet nibble, incorporate gluten free flours into the holiday baking routine. Many companies like Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur do sell gluten free versions of their regular flours at supermarkets. There are other flours you can use such  almond flour which is perfect for making macarons or light , fluffy cakes.it's would also be good for low carb brownies and holiday breakfast waffles too. Its' coarser cousin, almond meal can be used for quick breads and such cookies as citrussy snowballs, fun thumb prints or almond chocolate chip cookies. Another route is making traditionally flourless treats.  Aquafaba meringues are simply chickpea water, sugar,cream of tartar and vanilla. Make them really festive by adding natural red and green dyes. Rice Krispy treats can be molded into cookie like rounds for fun decorating and eating. Rice Krispy treats can even be molded and cut into larger pieces to create a variation of a gingerbread house.

Holiday cookies are filled with all sorts of goodies, such as nuts and chocolates. Yet they can be sheer horror for those with severe allergies. Substitution is the key here. Don't deprive  family of those peanut butter cookies. Sub in sunflower butter instead. This is sunflower seeds crushed and mashed into a type of  spread that can be a great  fill in for anything that uses  peanut butter. The flavor is a bit milder, tasting like  - what else - sunflower seeds. Yet it's perfect for baking. Unfortunately those with peanut allergies are usually allergy to other nut such as almonds and walnuts. These figure heavily in holiday baking. If you still want crunch, then think seeds. Try the crunchy and delicate Southern treat benne cookies. These are buttery wafers made with sesame seeds, brown sugar, eggs, and a cup and a half of butter. Have these and they're sure to be a holiday classic. Chocolate is another cookie ingredient  that can cause problems for those allergic to it. Switch to carob which is the perfect stand in. Surprise the family with carob chip cookies. They won't know the difference  between them and the real thing. There's also a carob cookie recipe with powdered espresso in it for a mocha latte flavor.

Allergy sufferers and those who bake for them, don;t despair this holiday season. The key is subbing in ingredients that are still tasty but harmless. You can still make your cookies and eat them too,

It's Apple Season

With fall comes apples along with the myriad of recipes. What is great about them is that they can be a snack , a side or a dessert. They're perfect for any meal from breakfast to lunch to dinner.Be creative and brave with autumn's gems!

What you pick decides what you make,If you bring home baskets of Golden Delicious apples, then realize that they're best for apple sauce while Honey Crisps are better for eating fresh and to put into salads.Most of the varieties are good for snacking. Think about pairing slices with peanut butter or even better pair it with slices or cubes of sharp Vermont cheddar. A fun snack or dessert is the tart Granny Smith slices with a caramel dip. You can buy it or make your own using brown sugar and sweet cream. Some recipes call for cream cheese for extra creaminess along with a dash of brown cinnamon for extra bite.You could also just microwave caramels such as Kraft' s with a spritz of water added in for smoothness.Fresh apple slices are also perfect added to any breakfast. Slip them in to hot oatmeal or cold rice puffs for more flavor and fiber.A fun weekend breakfast or brunch dish is a Dutch baby. This is a giant (think skillet size) pancake baked in the oven and then sprinkled with a dusting of powdered sugar. Apples can even be added to French toast as a topping or baked inside a French toast casserole.

Of course apples can also liven up a lunch too. A few crisp slices in any salad makes it special. Use two different types such as the sweet Golden Delicious and the crunchy Roma, Try one that just has apples and cherry tomatoes. Spike it up with chilis and peppery mesclun greens.  Think of adding slices to a chicken salad, whether it's made with greens and last night's leftover roaster or one with mayo and raisins. Apples can be used as a side dish for a dinner as they are in Germany. Many German pork dishes comes with a side of sauteed apples. The apples' sugars break down the complex proteins of the meat, making it easier to digest. It also is a great foil for the pork's distinct flavor. You can easily make an applesauce in your crock pot or pressure cooker and use it for roasted pork or pork chops. An easier spin is sauteed apples. This is just simply sauteing the slices with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar. Add cornstarch to thicken it. Sauteed apples are even good reheated with the pork as the meat's savory juices mix with the apples. Of course , anything with apples is the perfect dessert. Think an untraditional one with a cheddar crust. This is a bit more flavorful than the average crust. Or go sweet with a caramel walnut loaded apple pie. Baked apples are another great dessert. Go elegant with ones poached in a sweet red wine or fun with ones stuffed with caramel, butter and chopped nuts.

This is apple season. Use them in any recipe or as a sweet , fiber filled snack. They 're delicious any way you serve them.

A New Take On Pork Shoulder

If it's August , that means one thing - you've exhausted grilling every type and cut of meat available.However there's a cut of meat you may not have tried yet - or at least over an open fire. It's pork shoulder - usually a cut reserved braising on chill fall or freezing winter days. Surprisingly it's also perfect for summer eating too,

Alison Roman explored this new side of pork shoulder in yesterday's New York Times Food section.
Shoulder is usually reserved for braising in a Dutch oven.It's one of those cuts that gets retired during the warm weather, only to become popular in the fall when cool days arrive. Yet , this cut can be sliced into pork chop like pieces and grilled. They should be cooked hot and fast - not the typical one hour in a Dutch oven.This makes the fatty bits char and crisp, which only add to the flavor. Some may worry that this won't thoroughly cook the meat and make one sick. Not to fret.According
 to USDA, United States Department of Agriculture, pork can have an internal temperature of 145 degrees F to be considered safe. (have a meat thermometer handy to gauge the temperature). This should give you medium rare meat, perfectly pink and juicy.Flavoring them is a cinch. Try a sprinkle of sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Another variation is citrus juice, chili paste and fish sauce. They can be marinated for up to twenty-four hours in advance.

Preparing the meat may be a  bit more labor intensive . The pork shoulder should be cut crosswise into one inch thick steaks, Ms. Roman cautions that some pieces may not stay in the steak shape, depending on the cut and shape of the shoulder bought). Season with salt and pepper, place in either a shallow baking dish or resealable plastic bag. You can just leave it at this if you want just the pork flavor. For Ms. Roman's marinade combine fish sauce, light brown sugar and sambal -  hot chili paste, garlic and half a cup of lime juice, Mix in a bowl to dissolve the sugar.Pour half  the mixture over the chops and let marinate for fifteen to twenty minutes while the grill is being fired up. You don;t have to worry about leaving it out. That's fine. The grill at this point should be "screaming hot" as Ms. Roman puts it.Once on the grill, the pork should be a deepened brown color and lightly charred on both sides. Each side should be grilled for only two to four minutes each. Let stand in a  shallow baking dish and pour the rest of the marinade. Serve with rice noodles or rice. Top with lettuce , shallots and mint. Serve with grilled citrus for squeezing.

Try a pork shoulder chop for a new grilling experience. It's get you out of the barbecue doldrums  and into exciting new territory. Don;t wait for fall to eat it. It's perfect now for a summer meal.

The New Must Have - The Quarter Sheet Pan

Sheet pans are now  must have items.They're used for cooking whole dinners which unfortunately means overcooked meat or sides. However a smaller version is out , the quarter pan, and it's making waves in the home cooking society.

Melissa Clark wrote about them along with giving some good recipes in today's New York Times Food section.A sheet pan is ubiquitous kitchen necessity these days. Many home chefs swear by it , loving the fact they can cook any meat and veggies together. There's a problem with that. The meat , especially if it's a roast can take longer. Veggies then burn or dry out which ruins the meal. An easier solution would be having two separate pans in which the foods can cook at their different rates. Two different sheet pans means also taking one out when it's done and turning up the oven temp for the other , without worrying about over cooking. Also meat fat won't run onto the vegetables, making them safe for vegans and vegetariansThey're basically a thin but sturdy tray about 9 by 12 inches as opposed to the full sheet pan's 13 by 18 inches. Four can fit comfortable in any oven as well as the dishwasher. Another plus is they're only ten dollars so buy a couple and if you're worried about them not fitting, they're stackable. Again, they'll come in handy for the holidays when they're doing double duty as cookie sheets.

Ms. Clark gives two very tasty recipes. One is cumin roasted pork chops and Brussels sprouts. The chops are smeared/rubbed with a fiery sweet mix of cumin,brown sugar , black pepper and red pepper flakes. It should then sit for at least twenty minutes and then refrigerated up until overnight. The Brussels sprouts only have to be tossed with sage along with extra virgin olive oil with just salt and pepper. The other recipe is sausage with broccoli accompanied by homemade tomato sauce and ricotta. This is a little more labor intensive because you have to make the sauce on the stovetop. The meat and broccoli are cooked in a 450 degree Farenheit oven. The sausage should be laid out on the pan after its' been pricked with a fork (use the sweet or hot Italian kind). The broccoli is tossed with red pepper flakes for heat and bite along with olive oil. Flip the sausages and remove the broccoli after fifteen minutes of cooking. The broccoli is then tossed with sliced garlic. Return them to the oven for five minutes until the sausages and broccoli are browned and the second is tender. Serve with ricotta and tomato sauce. Ms. Clark recommends serving with a crusty Italian bread to sop up the sauces.

Sheet pan dinners are the recipe of choice nowadays. Make it easier by using two quarter sheet pans. It gives  a tasty full cooked meal with two perfectly cooks dishes.

The Joy Of Canadian Cooking

Mexican cuisine usually gets all the attention when it comes to North American cuisine. Yet Canada also has a varied and interesting culinary heritage that marries native with European traditions. The result is a  meld  that  should make Canadian cuisine interesting and exciting.

Today's New York Times Food section is devoted to all things Canadian. One of the most interesting articles came from Dan Bilefsky, a long time Times writer and native Canadian living in Montreal. He interviewed First Nation chefs, Cezin Nottaway and George Lenser, both responsible for taking back an important part of their heritage. For centuries the Canadian government tried to erase the various tribal customs and languages. They were successful in that but not in taking away foods the Kitgan Zibi and Nisga'a nation that the two chefs represent. Chef Nottaway not only cooks native meat such as moose and beaver , she also hunts them too. She believes what her grandmothers taught her. - that animals will become lonely and suffer if they're not hunted. She does give a prayer of thanks to their spirits. There has been some uproar when to comes to seals. Even though the indigenous have special hunting licences to obtain their meat, the seal killing has rightly brought about protest from animal rights groups. The killings were very violent and traumatic, drawing six thousand names on a petition.Still Canadians are embracing the native dishes, as food trucks featuring them pop up in the major cities.

Another Canadian tradition, the butter tart was also featured. Sara Bonisteel,a freelance writer and first time contributor to the Food section wrote about these treats. They are the most simplest of bake goods to make. The filling is nothing more than brown sugar,butter and egg. Raisins are added along with vanilla extract.Other Canadian bakers ave tossed in toasted coconut , chocolate chips and nuts.It's orgins are murky,It could have evolved from the Scottish border, Bakewell tarts and the Quebec sugar pie.It's a pretty easy bake. with a simple butter crust and a custard filling.Maple syrup can be drizzled over them after baking. Canadians love their whiskey and there is also an article on it along with wines from the Lake Ontario region. For a while Canadian whiskies were dismissed as being bland and bottom shelf. That's all changing thanks to Davin de Kergommeaux, a whiskey writer from Ottawa.His articles are  introducing a new generation to peppery one hundred percent rye grain or ones finished in port and rum barrels. As far as the wine, Ontario was once known for ice wines, wines made from frozen on the vine grapes. It is changing thanks to vingerons such as Francois Morrisette who guide the grapes from infancy to fermentation.

Canada is a country  full of interesting cultures and cuisines. It's time for them to be acknowledged and tried. The Great North is full of great food and drinks.

Gathering And GIving

One of the hallmarks of Southern cooking is feeding others, and providing them with comfort. A new cookbook emphasizes this with a variety of sweet and savory recipes. It's perfect for the cooks who love to cook and give.

This great cookbook is Love, Welcome, Serve- Recipes That Gather And Give (The Hachette Book  Group 2017) written by Amy Nelson Hannon, the owner of Euna Mae's Kitchen Shop and   food blogger. She is a Southerner, straight from the heart of the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas and that homey hospitality shines in her recipes. There's even a section at the back of the book that tells home chefs what recipes gather people together and which ones give. Since Ms. Hannon is deeply religious and a preacher's wife, every section begins with a quote from Brilliant Saverin to Mother Teresa about opening up one's home to others/ The book opens up with a parsing out of kitchen ingredients, and true to her Southern roots, recommends using Hellman's mayonnaise along with full fat ingredients. Other recommendations include using richly flavored Vietnamese cinnamon, freshly squeezed lemon juice and the more expensive Neilsen-Massey vanilla extract.There is a handy must have list of equipment that every home chef must have as well as what foodstuffs should be in the fridge, freezer and pantry.

The recipes themselves are cozy, ribsticking ones.The book is divided into different sections from Bites That Welcome To Meats, Mains And Hearty Stews and finishes with For The Love Of Sweets. This is a Southern cookbook so there's a lot of cream cheese , butter and sweet tea used. Still, the book has a huge swath of Mexican and Italian dishes too.There are also regional ones such as Texas Firecracker a marinated Saltine, zinged up with red pepper flakes and garlic.She also gives a tasty pulled pork recipe, loaded with spices, perfect for a Saturday night get together with friends.Her Easy Mozzarella And Meatball Bake is kind of lasagna minus the pasta and would be a great weeknight meal. The sides cover everything from Roasted Honey Balsamic Brussels Sprouts to bacon and brown sugar collards. Southern baking is also represented. Home bakers will love Ms. Hannon's biscuits as well as her scratch pie dough recipes.Another plus of the book is that it has recipes for homemade chicken stock,tomato sauce, whipped cream and even hard shell chocolate sauce.

Love, Welcome, Serve, Recipes That Gather And Give is the perfect holiday gift for the home chef  and baker that open their kitchens.it has yummy recipes that can feed a whole table of guests or as a comfort to those in need. it shows that love not only comes from

Hot Fall Days

Thanks to climate change , we tend to have summer well into fall. Gone are all those autumnal dreams of Sunday roasts and freshly picked apple treats. It's time to get back into that summer mode of easy cooking and easy eating.

Tomato season may be over in some parts of the country, yet there are some plants that are still producing. If you're sick of of tomato salad, then think about using them in a salsa crudo.  This is where tomatoes are chopped and then marinated in  fresh basil, olive oil, and chopped garlic. It's then left to stand for a half hour as any type of pasta is cooked. The heat of the pasta is what cooks the sauce. Serve it with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and toasted and oiled Italian bread. You could also use that bumper crop of tomatoes in a cooling pan bagnat, the Southern French sandwich also consisting of tuna, anchovies, and  hard boiled eggs .Olives, peppers, and cucumbers are also added along with Dijon mustard and olive oil. Use a large round loaf of Italian bread for this. It's the perfect sandwich for an early fall day at the beach. Served with chilled cider .If the temps are still too unbearable, then go back to that hot weather fall back - salads. Create hearty chef salad ones for those busy weekends filled with soccer games and chores. Keep the barbecue out for those roasts.London Broil can easily be adapted for grilling. Slice and butter baste for a tasty spin on a Sunday roast . You can even grill new potatoes too, in foil packets.

What about all those apples you picked, anticipating cooler temps for baking? Use them. They make a nice snack , especially when you're trying to wean yourself and the kids off candy and cookies. They can also be baked in the microwave.I'ts just coring them , filling them with butter and red wine or caramel and baking them for three to four minutes. Serve with whipped cream or for a more refreshing vibe, vanilla ice cream. Another idea is just slicing them into wedges and serving them with an already made caramel dipping sauce such as the one from Marzetti. If you still are hungering for some kind of apple dessert, then think about the super easy microwave apple crisp. This only takes ten to twelve minutes  and there's no need to heat up an already hot kitchen with a hot oven.It's just sliced apples with a crisp topping of flour,melted  butter,  brown sugar and a combo of allspice and cinnamon. Again serve with vanilla ice cream for a cool treat.Apples can also be used in a salad. too. They are great with chopped celery and walnuts or with romaine lettuce, pecans and raisins. This is the perfect side for any early fall barbecue or tailgate party.

Don't let those hot fall days faze you. Adapt a summer mode of cooking and enjoy these balmy times. You'll feel better and eat better too.

Brisket For The Holiday

With the holidays coming up within the week, it's a good time to look at what to serve. One of the staples of any Rosh Hashanah  table is brisket. This classic cut is versatile and can also be made for any fall dinner. Make it in a variety of ways.

What is brisket exactly? It's breast meat from the cow and it can be tough. The reason why is that the meat  serves as the cow's collarbone - mostly comprised of muscles and connective tissue. This does make it ideal for barbecuing and many home chefs only cook it this way. However, it is also ideal for a slow cooker and of course, braising. Before doing all this the perfect cut needs to be bought. What should a home chef look for? A really white layer of fat. The whiter the better because it indicates that the cow has been grain  fed.Stay away from any that have yellowing fat. A dark butter hue  means that the meat is older along with indicating  that there is more gristle to deal with when cooking and eating. The meat should be a dark red color. Another must is good marbling . Look for a cut that has an equal amount of fat and flesh  veining it. The last thing to do is picking up the meat  and its' package and bending them. The cut  should be flexible and the plastic wrap should not have any tears, rips, or holes. The ideal place to buy a brisket is the local butcher's however if there's none within your area, then go for the supermarket. Most groceries usually have pretty good cuts and a variety of sizes to choose from too.

Now what to do with it. David Tanis gave an excellent recipe for it in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. He first rubs it with a fiery mix of cayenne and paprika blended with salt and  pepper. After doing this, wrap it in Saran wrap and then refrigerate preferably overnight but it can also sit for a few hours too.It is then cooked in a 300 degree F oven . Pour a cup of either red or white wine over it  then add cloves, garlic bayleaf  and  allspice berries. Mr. Tanis scatters sliced onions over it and bakes it forth ree hours until tender. He also caramelizes more  onions  and ladles them over the brisket once its' sliced.. If this is too "onion.y" for you, then omit them.Scallions can be sprinkled on top for more flavor.  For a different taste try a sweet and sour version in which ketchup and brown sugar is used.Cook the brisket in a Dutch oven or skillet and then adding the two along with water, cider vinegar, and two sliced onions. This last  creates a sauce that's then ladled over the brisket slices.It can be refrigerated and reheated  too., although eating it freshly cooked is preferred. Serve any brisket with carrots, celery and potatoes.

Brisket is a nice way of welcoming in Rosh Hashanah. It is the centerpiece of the holiday table and works well with any cooking method. Celebrate with a good  cut ,delicious on its' own or with onions ad other vegetables./

The Scoop On Ice Cream Creations

Now that's it's officially summer  it's time to get out the ice cream.Most people are happy with just a scoop of  vanilla i a waffle bowl/ Yet ice cream begs to be turned into something a bit more extravagant. Get out the scoop and get creative.

You 'll need ice cream, whether home made or store bought. If you're cranking it yourself, then go wild with different flavors. Mix rosemary and honey . Try cheesecake with pistachios.  Toss in Raisinets or Milk Duds in a homemade chocolate ice cream.  If you're buying it then stick strictly with ice cream.it holds up better ,  I think, with hot fudge and caramel. It's not as intense and works well with any add ins. One of the easiest ice cream creations to make is the sundae. It's usually just two or  three scoops , drenched in some kind of sauce  and then topped with whipped cream. For a different spin use  a homemade salted chocolate sauce  which is easy to make. It's just taking salted butter and a scant pinch of sea salt to  chopped dark chocolate  and brown sugar. Sundaes are sometimes layered with fruit. For a truly lush creation. have the first layer of strawberries or raspberries , then the ice cream. Top with the chocolate sauce and mounds of homemade whipped cream. Reserve some of the chocolate bar , and using a hasp, shave off  light puffy shards of it to decorate. You can sub in salted  caramel too for the chocolate sauce and topped with chopped  salted caramels .

Banana splits are the height of cool decadence.It's taking three scoops of the same ice cream or three different ones (usually, vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry) and placing them on a long oval dish or banana boat. Slice a banana lengthwise and place on each side of the scoops. Top the vanilla with pineapple , the chocolate with chocolate sauce  and the strawberry with strawberries or strawberry topping. Generously cover with whipped cream, wet walnuts and maraschino cherries.  You can also create a Bananas Foster split too. with vanilla ice cream for a truly decadent dessert or snack. Another fun treat is the classic ice cream sandwich. Moms across the world usually plop ice cream between two giant cookies and then roll them in sprinkles or chopped nuts. Make it  bit more sophisticated. by using pound cake, (it can be store bought) Slice a slice in two and layer softened ice cream on it. It can be placed in a puddle of sauce or coulis and topped with either whipped cream or creme fraiche. For a fancier spin cut  the slices into quarters to make ice cream petit fours. Add a  puff of whipped cream, then top with chocolate shavings, sprinkles or even edible flowers.

It is summer and that means ice cream. Go all out and create something wonderful, cool and tasty . Then enjoy!

Valentine's Day Candy Anytime

Valentine's Day is known for its'  lush boxes of chocolate cremes, caramels  and nuts.. They're wonderful to nibble on but there's that "Aww " moment when you run out.  Yet ,you can have them any time of the year.It all starts with a bag of chocolate chips.

Many home chefs balk at candy making and understandably why. It does require a candy thermometer  and it's tough to discern when the candy goes from the soft ball. to hard ball stage.It can also be dangerous because sugar burns can be serious enough for a visit to the ER.  Some recipes , though, don't require a lot or any cooking. Chocolate covered cherries is just mixing and blending.It's blending butter and corn syrup together , and then adding confectioner's sugar.It's kneaded until it becomes a kind of dough and then chilled. A teaspoon of it is wrapped around a maraschino cherry and then each is enrobed or dipped in either melted milk or dark chocolate. You could use chocolate confectioners; coating but the chips are also acceptable too. What about those luscious caramels? Those, too, can easily be whipped up in any home kitchen. You could make your own which would be a mix of butter, brown sugar cooked with corn syrup and condensed milk. If you're still leery about making it , buy caramel sauce, sea salt and again, chocolate chips,It's making chocolate cups first, then filling them with the sauce and salt , Afterwards, pour more melted chocolate on top as the cover.

The marriage of peanut butter and chocolate, light or dark is heavenly. Many love Buckeyes,, those peanut butter filled bonbons, named after the nuts from Ohio's state tree. Creamy can be used, but for more texture and fun, use the crunchy kind. The recipe involves mixing peanut butter, butter and , vanilla together as a paste. These are then rolled into marble-like balls to be chilled in the fridge. The coating is chocolate chips with shortening added to ensure a satiny, glossy finish. The balls are then dipped into this and left to harden until firm.  You can also chocolate dip nuts too, such as peanuts, or cashews as the candy companies do.The highlight of any candy box are the coconut cups. These are nothing more than molded haystacks, those tasty domes of toasted coconut and chocolate. It's just toasting shredded coconut on a cookie sheet for five to ten minutes in a 325 degree F oven . Melt the chips in the microwave or in a saucepan, then thoroughly blend. Instead of using a spoon to drop onto a greased cookie sheet. , spoon into a greased candy mold.Coconut can also be used in a coconut creme candy. It's mixing it with confectioner;s sugar and condensed milk to form a paste. As wth the other cremes, form into small marbles shaped balls and chilling for twenty minutes. They can be then dipped in melted milk or dark chocolate  mixed with shortening for glossiness.

You can have Valentine's Day candies all year round. Make the entire box or just the ones you love. Either way , it's a sweet treat not just reserved for the day of love but for every day.

Breakfast Of Love

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and .although, it's on a Tuesday, you still can create a romantic breakfast for too. It's a nice way to start the day and to chase away a chill winter morning. Just add love.

Eggs are always a good way to go. It's a plus if you have a heart shape egg mold to make a romantic  looking sunny side up egg. It can be served with buttered toast, but think lusher with an English muffin, croissant or even a sliced brioche. The last two would be wonderful to soak up that rich yolk. Another perfect egg dish for your valentine is Eggs Benedict. You can make the original with Canadian bacon but if you want some variety, try chopped chorizo or maple infused pork sausage. Vegetarians would enjoy the florentine version , made with spinach.If you feel the Hollandaise sauce may be too much - especially on a work day, skip it. You could sub in cheese for a breakfast sandwich. Omelets are another sweet way of celebrating the day. Try the original French style that has a  crepe-like texture and shape.It's more the execution than what's in it. It's taking one tablespoon of butter and melting it into an omelet pan or skillet. It's then mixing the eggs in the pan and folding the solidifying mass into the shape of a business envelope. Fill it with either savory or sweet. The best is with fine herbs, a mix of tarragon, chives, parsley, dill and tarragon.

Of course,Valentine's Day is always about the sweet -and sometimes naughty. What better way to say  "I love you" or "You're special" than a homemade waffle. This is an easy recipe. It's basically a cup and a half of flour mixed with baking powder , eggs and a cup and a half of milk.Fresh waffles are great but if you don;t have the time, there are always Eggos. These can be jazzed up with a bourbon or brandy laced maple syrup or a maple butter. This last is super easy to whip up. It's just mixing unsalted butter with maple syrup, brown sugar ,and pumpkin pie spices. Make it half an hour before you  toast  or make the waffles . It can also go on another sweet breakfast treat  - French toast. This too is simple to make, yet sinfully good. It's just dipping sliced bread into a mixture of eggs,  milk and some spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. The best French toast comes from baguettes or Italian bread. These loaves yield nicely chewy and dense toast, perfect for syrup and butter. Heart shaped pancakes are another perfect dish to wake up to. Serve with sliced strawberries and strawberry syrup. You could even spell out your initials in chopped strawberries.

Start the day of love off with a breakfast your sweetheart will surely love. It can be Eggs Benedict or waffles , drenched with bourbon maple syrup. Anything served will end in sweet romance.