Fall Excitement

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

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

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

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

Holiday Fun At The Olive Garden

My family cashed in on the Olive Garden gift certificate they received on Christmas. Although I had been to one already it was fun to rediscover the fun and delight of going there and ordering. The Olive Garden may be a chain restaurant but it offers good quality food - similar to what a family owned

The restaurant is known for its' generosity. There is a huge bowl of salad that's almost served before you order along with their famed basket of bread sticks. The salad is the e Italian restaurant would.The food is plentiful and not badly priced - which explains its' popularity. We started with a complimentary salad, the size of a punch bowl and has every kind of veggie from hot peppers to olives and tomatoes in it. This on its' own is actually good lunch . The bread sticks are these wonderfully fat mini loaves of bread coated in garlic and oil. We ordered the bruschetta appetizer ,although to be truthful , it was like gilding the lily.It was a huge plate of toasted Italian bread accompanied by a large bowl of the tomato basil mix.

The Olive Garden serves such huge lunch portions you have to wonder what their dinner ones are like.There is a lot to choose from and meat lovers won't be disappointed.There are even some heart healthy dishes like the chicken with apricot sauce. Others include pastas with fresh pomodoro sauce which is what I had. I also tried their lasagna which was as good any any homemade one.The Olive Garden has a cooking school in Tuscany where it sends it's chefs on a yearly week long sabbatical which shows in their cooking. Unlike other chain restaurants, it really cares what it sends out to diners and also doesn't rely on prepackaged sauces or dishes that just have to be reheated. Everything is freshly made to order. We were all too stuffed for dessert however I am making a point to go back just to try their zeppolis with chocolate dipping sauce.

if you received an Olive Garden gift card this holiday season, cash in on it. The food is a great treat and the whole dining experience is just plain fun. Even if you didn't get one, go. Spending a meal at this restaurant is a great way to experience Italian classics such as pasta and lasagna at good prices.

Budget Foodie Gifts

Last week I covered both high and mid priced foodie gifts. Today it's going to be all about completely affordable presents for your favorite food lover. The best part of this is that you can create your own or even just go to your local supermarket. Even better is that you can come up with a wide variety that suits every taste and passion.

Themed food baskets are always fun to give and receive.Your local grocery stores can make them up for you whether they 're cookies and brownies or fruits. However you can be equally creative as well. Buy baskets at your local craft or dollar store and start piling in all the good stuff. Soup lovers may appreciate the colorfully packaged bags of dry soup ingredients along with a variety of crackers such as Oysterettes and Ritz. You can even add bowls and spoons too. A variation of this is with chili. Create a basket full of different chilis along with cans of different beans. Toss in a bottle of water for some laughs too. A pasta lover could have a goodie basket with both regular and whole wheat pastas along with fancy jarred sauces. Toss in some inexpensive pasta tongs and some cheese to give it some polish

For sweets lovers think about holiday baking or even candy making. You can come up with some lovely cookie trays, interspersed with candy canes and Hershey's holiday wrapped kisses.Luckily even packaged cookie mixes can be turned into a variety of different treats. Chocolate chips can be dipped in chocolate and simple sugar cookies can be turned into snickerdoodles or almond twists. A fresh made batch of fudge or haystacks, coconut mounds are another present worth thinking about giving as are chocolate dipped pretzel rods. Another easy treat is chocolate bark. Just melt either white, dark, or milk chocolate chips , add nuts and other candies such as M&M's, peppermint shards and toffee. Let set and then break into pieces.Put into a festive tin or on a tray.

You can still give a lovely foodie gift for pennies. All it takes is creativity to come up with baskets or freshly made treats. These will make any food lover smile .

Pecans Nuts For The Holidays

Pecans are the perfect nut for the holiday season. They're great in salads, main dishes and most appropriately in pie. These crunchy gems are easy to incorporate into any festive feast or just on their own as a snack.They have a rich earthy taste that works well with sweet or savory.

Pecans are a truly all American food, having been eaten by the Indians for centuries.It comes from the hickory tree (and that itself is named after the Indian word for pecan based alcohol powcohicora) and was found along waterways. It is indigenous to North America and it's the only tree that the Native Americans cultivated.The name derives from pacane, meaning a nut that be hit with a rock. Colonists fell in love with the easily shelled nut and it was a great favorite of both Washington and Jefferson. Pecans were one of the first cash crops coming out of New Orleans and it was a Southerner, Abner Landrum of South Carolina who grafted wild buds onto domesticated branches, producing one of the first commerical hybrids as early as 1822.

Pecans have been loved ever since. The most famous dish is , of course, the downright, sinful pecan pie. This is a recent creation brought to life by Karo Syrup in 1940 although it supposedly goes back to the 1600''s in Louisiana. However pecans make a neat addition to salads, bringing crunch and a butteriness to any creation from Caesar to Waldorf. You can also grind them up and use them as a coating for chicken or fish dishes. Pecan also work with vegetables. Try them with string beans instead of almonds or in a broccoli gratin for some crunch. They can also be added to pasta or risotto for texture and added flavor.

Pecans are a wonderful nut to have during the holiday season. Have them in the traditional pie or as part of dinner. They're just a delightful flavor and a great addition to any dish.