Sweet Treats For Mom

Even though you can';t go to the store to pick up candy for mom , you can still give her delicious gems of chocolate . A homemade treat is not only sweet but memorable. It's easy to create something that will highlight her special day. It can be as homey as fudge or as elegant as truffles. Whatever you make is a gift.

One of the easiest candies to make is fudge. It's a simple mix of chocolate chips, condensed milk, butter and if you want chopped walnuts. Everything is cooked in a large saucepan over a low heat and then poured into a prepared pan. A buttered one would add more buttery flavor but parchment or aluminum foil can be used for easy removal. You can add a few drops of mint extract for a chocolate mint flavor. For mom's who live a nutty treat think a peanut butter fudge.Add  two cups of either smooth or crunchy peanut butter along with peanut butter chips to vanilla and confectioners sugar. This is layered onto chocolate fudge for a strata effect. Haystacks are another easy make. This is a two ingredient candy that just needs melted chocolate and toasted coconut. The coconut is first toasted either in an air fryer or toaster oven while the chocolate is melted in the microwave., You can add a small amount of butter for richness. Haystacks can also be made with milk chocolate and white chocolate chips too. Create all three flavors for more choices.

Surprisingly anyone can create sophisticated candies such as truffles. It's really all about the filling which is a rich ganache. This is simply chocolate and cream but it should be good chocolate in the 60 - 70 per cent. Do not use chocolate chips or chopped bars that can have hardening agents.This can ruin the candy's texture.  Baking chocolate works the best. Use a heavy whipping cream so the ganache can develop a thickness. It's then heating it , in the microwave and pouring the hot cream over the chocolate. Stir to  combine. Then it's whisking it until it's smooth and shiny. After pour into a shallow pan and put in the fridge. To shape the truffles, use a melon baller  and then roll them in cocoa powder, chopped nuts  and sprinkles for a candy box variety. You can fill the truffle balls with candied ginger or a whole almond for a different treat. If mom likes spice and chai tea, you can whip up a batch of chai truffles. It's a mix of cinnamon, ginger, cardamon and cloves. along with star anise and black tea. All of this is cooked with heavy cream. The blend is them mixed with good milk chocolate and more spices are added for zing. These can rolled in grated milk chocolate when they're hardened.

Candy for Mother's Day is always a treat. Homemade candy is an extra special one moms will surely enjoy. Whip up a batch today or tomorrow for a truly tasty gift.

A Very Special Mother's Day

This Mother's Day is going to be different. There's no dress up brunches at fancy buffets. No picnics at the beach or the park. We may have to stay in, yet there's no reason why we can't make it a special day with special meals and treats.

Breakfast is always the most important meal on Mother's Day. It can still be festive. Think French toast, always a treat. You could make the usual way with a batter of milk, egg , cinnamon and vanilla but vary the bread. Use Italian or French bread for a denser slice that's perfect drowning in maple syrup and melted butter. Challah and egg bread are also good too, creating a thicker piece that works well with both syrups and jams. A really lush treat is a plate of French toast croissants. These can be split to be stuffed with almond butter or mom's favorite jelly or jam.A French toast casserole is an easy bake.It's an easy creation that's similar to bread pudding. It would be a great dessert after a few mini omelets. A mini omelet is a fun way to add protein to the meal.. Everyone can enjoy a one egg one with different fillings. You don't have to have meat , Fill them with  chopped tomatoes, peppers, and onions along with broccoli and spinach. Add a dash of hot sauce for a huevos rancheros vibe. You can even turn them into sandwiches by placing them on toasted English muffins. Add slices of cheese such as cheddar and Montery Jack for extra flavor.

Lunch and dinner can be a restaurant worthy too. A tasty dish  mothers are sure to love is risotto Milanese.This is an elegant meal , great served on fancy china and accompanied by a chilled Chardonnay from Piemonte. Everyone thinks that this type of risotto is a fancy and labor intensive dish, but once mastered, is easily made again.It's sweating a chopped onion and adding arborio rice to the pot Wine is then added and for the color saffron soaked veggie or chicken broth. It does require saffron which is a bit pricey and hard to get however it's really the backbone of the recipe. A simple , yet just as elegant dish is pasta aglia e olio, It's usually angel hair or spaghetti topped with a very easy garlic and oil sauce. It's toasting the garlic in olive oil and then tossing in red pepper flakes for excitement and bite.Sprinkle Parmesan  and parsley on it when served. Have the  barbecue ready if the weather is warm. Even if there is a meat or beef shortage think Gardein Burgers or Beyond Burgers, They taste the same as the real thing, You can even layer them with tomato, onions and lettuce. Add homemade guacamole and special sauce (It's just a mix of relish, mayo and ketchup). As for sides, homemade potato salad is an easy make along with macaroni salad. End with an outdoor movie and popcorn.

Mother's Day can still be special with special dishes. They're relatively easy to make and sure to be a new favorite with the moms in your lives. Try them for a tasty and delicious holiday treat.

Fish Is The New Beef

This quarantine has given us some tough times. Now our food chain is being threatened. Beef and chicken are starting to become scarce. Thankfully there is fish and seafood to provide  us with protein and sustenance. Americans are rediscovering them and becoming adventurous with cooking.

Pete Wells, usually the restaurant critic for The New York Times wrote this informative piece in yesterday's New York Times Food section. he interviewed the Rozzo family , famed for their seafood company F.Rozzo And Sons which goes back decades and generations. Luckily the fisheries haven't suffered like the meat processing plants where whole swaths of workers came down with the Corona virus.Yet the usually $5.6 billion industry has not escaped the fall out. Restaurants and other food service establishments normally amount for about two-thirds of the sale of fresh seafood in the country. When nearly all the restaurants closed save for take or delivery, the entire seafood distribution network froze. Along the Atlantic coast, some fishing boats were dumping fish they couldn't sell. It was also a terrible spring, rife with storms and high winds. Luckily there is a bright spot and that's retail. Home chefs are discovering fish as a great sub in for red meat and poultry. Then there are the seafood lovers who can't dine at their favorite seafood restaurants. They bring that home, as they try new recipes or recreate their favorite ones.

Fish is an easy cook. Many home chefs never want to cook it, because of the smell or they have no knowledge of how to cook it. Then they're afraid it may go bad.Yet any fish is relatively easy to make. What Mr. Wells found out is that a few home chefs are adventurous. It also helps that other fish companies like Pierless FIsh, owned by Robert DiMasco, have begun home deliveries. His new clients are even  buying fish collars which are the area right next to the head. He sold thirty pounds of them in one day , although they are tasty and actually full of fat.They're also versatile which would appeal to the adventurous cook. In addition to the dried anatomical scraps it markets as pet scraps Pierless also offers  Spanish mackerel, skate, silver dory and catfish. All have been sold out. Famed chefs are also big fans of Pierless. Jean-Georges Vongerichten, the famed chef and owner of many restaurants from New York to Las Vegas, raved about the company's squid. Frank Rozzo and Sons are also enjoying the uptick in sales. It sold one hundred pounds of drumfish from the Gulf Of Mexico.

There will always be fish when there is no more chicken or beef. It's tasty and easy to cook. Consider it on your next shopping trip.

The Empire That Is Gaines

Almost everyone knows Chip and Joanna Gaines.They are the mavericks and mavens behind an empire that covers all aspects of home life. They have furnishings, and design , restaurants and cookbooks. They have made a kingdom out of the ordinary and a following that is legendary. Yet a good portion of the population can relate to them. Their advice , especially when it comes to cooking, is , homey and comforting - just what we need right now.

Julia Moskin, chief writer for the New York Times Food section, explored this American phenomena. For those who love HGTV and home remodeling shows, Chip and Joanna are part of their lives. The couple started out renovating homes on their seven year old show "Fixer Upper", then expanded their Magnolia brand to include everything from cookbooks to house paints. They also have a magazine along with a brand at Target (which does have some nice items- perfect for you or gift giving) that covers a gamut of household needs. They also expanded their food and cooking to cool bakery called Silos built in what else - a silo.Their other restaurant, Magnolia Table features classic Texas farmhouse fare as well as trendy new ideas such as avocado toast.. The last caused a debate between the usually copacetic couple. He thought it was too hip, she thought it would fit in perfectly. It did. Magnolia has a following with a menu fans and food lovers can relate to. There are traditional bacon and biscuit breakfasts alongside freshly squeezed juice blends.

Joanna Gaines also has an interesting background. Her mother is Korean while her father is Lebanese American. The couple met when her father was stationed in South Korea in 1969. They married in Las Vegas in 1972 and settled in Wichita, Kansas where Ms Gaines was born. Her mother Nan, who was 19 when she moved here didn't know much about cooking , even her own kind, and began cooking with ground beef. There was beef Stroganoff and meat sauce. It was only after her mother came did Ms. Gaines finally eat bulgoki and homemade seaweed soup. She tried mandoo, kimchi dumplings when she lived in New York City. She enjoyed being there, working at CBS and sharing food with Korean friends. Yet she wanted to cook the dishes her childhood friends ate. She perfected the recipe s for chocolate chip cookies (which you can buy at Silo) and buttermilk biscuits, Her cookbooks are not as aspirational as they are inspirational. Her recipes in the article are homey  - perfect for now. There are scratch brownies with a peanut butter and marshmallow fudge icing along with sour cream enchiladas. A tasty bake is her kale and bacon hash brown casserole that has both fresh ingredients - kale - and frozen  - hash browns. All of her recipe books have good homey recipes - great for the whole family cooking and eating together.

Chip and Joanna Gaines have an empire. Yet that empire is relateable , with cookbooks that feature comforting and rib sticking dishes. They're what we need right now, both the Gainses and their idea of a cozy home and kitchen.

The Joy Of Portabella Mushrooms

There is a threat of meat shortages. May steak lovers are worried about that , afraid they may not get a juicy bite. However they can go the vegan steak route. Try portabella mushrooms. They're the perfect sub in and much more humane alternative to a T-bone.

I recently discovered how delicious air fried portabella mushrooms are. In fact, I'm now thoroughly addicted to them.I  don't know why it took me almost a year and a half to discover that they and my air fryer are a perfect match. Not only that , they're easy to prepare and cook up.I was kind of leery about washing them and the amount of dirt that would come out of them. That was wrongful thinking. Not much sand or grit comes out of them and washing them again is simple. It's taking a paper towel and wetting it.Wring it out thoroughly and then gently clean the mushroom top or cap. Some of the "skin" will rub off, Not to worry : this will happen. Then turn the mushroom over and clean the gills, those divisions under the cap. You can run warm water on them to get rid of anything between them. Again gently rub the gills clean. Use a fresh wet paper towel  for each one. You can then pat them dry again with a new paper towel. I usually leave mine  wet. The better to absorb the spices and oil.

You can leave the mushrooms plain however spicing and flavoring adds to them. I usually first brush both sides with olive oil.It's then a liberal sprinkle of both onion and garlic powder and a sprinkle of dried oregano. A light pinch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper can be added too. It's then air frying them on one side for eight minutes at 370 degrees F. After the first eight minutes, flip them over and air fry for another eight minutes at 370 degrees F. If you 're cooking a bigger portabella, then cook at 400 degrees F. Another idea is to stuff them with a variety of different ingredients. One recipe calls for cream cheese, frozen spinach and bacon along with Panko breadcrumbs and sliced cherry tomatoes. Keep in mind that these are baked and not air fried. They're  placed on a grease cookie sheet and put into a 400 degree F oven for ten minutes. A lusher version subs in crab meat for the bacon. You can also slice the mushrooms and put them in tacos and burritos for a fun bite.

Portabella mushrooms are the new steaks. They are delicious air fried  or stuffed, served with spices or crabmeat. Try them and be addicted to their delicious flavor and meatiness.

There's Always Online Stores

It's a pain and a chore to go grocery shopping these days. There's shortages galore and you have to be savvy when a particular store stocks up. If worse comes to worse  there is online shopping and the various stores that can offer salvation.

One of the best places is Amazon. There has been some negative criticism regarding how the company treats their workers during this time and the heavy amount of  work  allotted to them. Yet it has a wide array of foodstuffs and items for any home chef and kitchen.I have been buying kitchen wares from them for years. The company has a very good selection of silicon bakeware .There's a wide variety of that , from loaf pans to smaller ones for decorative cakes and candies.  The company is also great for appliances. Air fryers are big and a godsend. Amazon has a wide assortment of different brands and they have their choices as to what's the best. You can always something that suits your needs. The same goes for toaster ovens - which they have many , from simple ones to ones with convection ovens included. If you want fancier gadgets like sous vides and immersion blenders, them Amazon, is the place to go for them. (but you can  also go to Target and Wal-mart too)  Another plus about Amazon is that they do have a wide variety of hard to find and unusual foods. I recently bought Berbere spice there, something I know I couldn't get in my local grocery store. I've also bought clotted cream from them, something I can only get at British specialty stores in Manhattan.

There are other places to go to for specific foods. The Carmel Honey Company is one of my favorites. I buy their wildflower honey for my tomato sauce and chili (yes, I use it for those. It's better than sugar). it was started by teenager Jake who wrote about honey bees for a school project. He became so involved that he started his own honey company  - lucky for us. It's a great source of natural honeys that can be used for everything from sauces (yes again) to cakes and muffins.  For vegan, Vegan Essentials has all sorts of foodstuffs from faux seafood to Beyond Burger if you can't get those at your local supermarket. The company also has Miyoko's  vegan cheeses and butters. These taste like the real thing and the website has a variety of different cheeses like scallion flavored cream cheese and cultured butter. It's hard to get any fancy loaves for family celebrations but Vegan Essentials does have tofu loaves like Field Roast squash stuffed tofu.  Flour is supposed to be up next when it comes to shortages. Not to worry. King Arthur has a wide variety of different flours (along with bakeware and baking gadgets). They also sell gluten free flours which is great for those with celiac disease.  Another good site for flours is Bob's Red Mill which also has nut flours as well along with all natural sugars.

If you can't find it in your local store, then go on line. It's an easy way to shop with out all the worry and the fretting.It';s just point, click and buy without the hassle.

Missing My Take Out Food

After their lockdown was lifted New Zealanders were asked what they missed the most. Many said McDonalds's, namely the Chicken McNuggets and malteds. That's true . We're all missing our fast foods. Yet there is take out. We can still support our favorite eateries and the people working in them.

Quarantines are being lifted  slowly  but surely throughout the country and the world. That means you can return to your favorite chains and mom and pop restaurants. Yet, as here in New Jersey our ban will be lifted in less than two weeks. There's still no eating in restaurants or mall food courts. However we  can still order out from our favorite places. Why not? If you're really craving burgers and fries then head to your local McDonald's or Wendy's. Some places only have drive through with the indoor counter and seating area closed. if that's the case then bring the food home.  Some experts recommend taking the food out of the paper bags and Styrofoam containers them microwaving it for thirty seconds. However there are some that say food containers are safe, especially the plastic containers and cups. It's safe  to eat in your car (although always keep a bottle of hand sanitizer and paper towel in your car for a quick wipe down). It's really the staff that has to be watched with a wary eye. Call and speak to the manager and ask if the employees have been sick lately and what are they doing to monitor their employees health.

What about the larger restaurants? You can still order take out and curbside at such places as Texas Roadhouse and B.J.'s Roadhouse. Family owned ones such as Bahr's in the Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey will bring a tray with your food and drink to your car.  They still give you their great dinners of steamed lobster or sauerbraten along with a side and favorite cocktail. It's like eating inside. You can also get takeout to bring home  also from them. Diners can also give you those home cooked meals too. If you're craving really well made French toast or chicken salad sandwich then head to your favorite one. It's also a boost to the diners that had to scale back their twenty-four hour around the clock hours to only three or four a day. More orders mean more work and that could bring back sous chefs and assistant cooks now on furlough. What about the meat shortages that are hitting some parts of the US? Order your favorites when you can . Prices for burgers and chicken dishes may go up at national chains like Burger King and Checkers.  You could also switch to vegan alternatives found at Dunkin Donuts and Burger King. Beyond Burger is at such chains as Hardee's and Carl Jr's as well at Subway's.

Fast foods and restaurant fare from our places are sorely missed right now. Yet you can still get the dishes and drinks that make you happy. Take out today. Support your local eatery. Support the workers there too,.