LET THE HOLIDAYS BEGIN: Thanksgiving Pies

Ever since I received Chris's Grandma Barbi's "foolproof" pie crust recipe, making pies has stopped being intimidating and has instead become really fun. I love trying out new fillings and ways to use the easy-to-make dough. This year I was in charge of bringing pies to my family's Thanksgiving dinner. While I knew pumpkin pies were a must-have, I wanted to bring something new to the table, too. After watching the food network on a lazy Saturday morning I decided to make something festive I'd never tasted before: Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie.

It turned out wonderfully-- as did the spicy pumpkin pies I made using a recipe from the Sur La Table cookbook The Art & Soul of Baking. As mostly new-comers to sweet potato pie, my family enjoyed it. Looks like I'll be bringing it next year, too :)

Things to Note:
-With Grandma Barbi's crust, really use Mazola oil. I substituted vegetable oil with two of my three crusts to use up the bottle, and after opening up the Mazola canola oil I realized the purpose of being so specific in the recipe. The Mazola oil made a moister, more pliable crust. It was a pretty amazing realization.
-To make rolling pie crust out as simple as possible, use a pie crust bag. Your dough will be perfectly round and ready to go without any extra effort.
-I chose to bake my own sweet potatoes rather than buy canned, since the recipe didn't clarify, and I didn't want the pie to be overly sweet. Two large garnet yams did the trick! It was easy enough to do the night before, so I'd recommend it.

GRANDMA BARBI'S FOOLPROOF PIE CRUST
recipe from Barbara Garber

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsifted all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup Mazola oil
• 2 tablespoons cold water

Method:

1. Combine flour, salt, oil, and water. Blend thoroughly with a fork. Press firmly into a ball. (If too dry, add a little more oil.)
2. Roll between two sheets of waxed paper on a moistened counter top until large enough to cover a 9-inch pie plate.
3. For a cooked crust, prick with a fork and fill with dry beans. Bake empty shell at 450 degrees F for 10-12 minutes.


OLD FASHIONED SWEET POTATO PIE
recipe from Paula Deen, www.foodnetwork.com
serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

• 2 cups peeled, cooked sweet potatoes
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 stick melted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1-2 tablespoons bourbon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup milk
• 9-inch unbaked pie crust
• 3 egg whites

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the filling, using an electric hand mixer, combine the potatoes, 1 cup of the sugar, the butter, eggs, vanilla, salt, and spices. Mix thoroughly. Add the milk and continue to mix. Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the pie on a rack and cool to room temperature before covering with meringue.

For the meringue, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form; beat in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is glossy and stiff, but not dry. With a rubber spatula, spoon the meringue onto the pie, forming peaks. Make sure the meringue touches the crust all around. Sprinkle with a pinch of granulated sugar. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until delicately browned. Cool and serve.

GREAT PUMPKIN PIE
recipe and related thoughts from The Art & Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet
serves 10-12 (1 10-inch regular pie or 1 9-inch deep-dish pie)

Thanksgiving just may be everyone’s favorite holiday. After all, what’s better than a day completely devoted to a delicious feast shared by family and friends, all giving thanks for their blessings? This recipe takes an American classic to celebration status with a careful blend of spices and heavy cream, outshining the stale spice mix and evaporated milk of less enchanting recipes. Ever notice how spices clump up and don’t blend well when added to a custard? The trick is to blend them first with the eggs, whose fat helps the clumps disperse evenly, before adding any liquid to the custard mixture.

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe Flaky Pie or Tart Dough (see above), prepared through Step 8
• 3 large eggs
• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (about 20 grates on a whole nutmeg)
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¹⁄8 teaspoon salt
• 1½ cups (12 ounces) heavy whipping cream
• ½ cup (4 ounces) firmly packed
• light brown sugar
• ¼ cup (1¾ ounces) granulated sugar
• 2 cups (16 ounces) canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• Softly Whipped Cream, for serving

Method:

1. Bake the shell: Preheat the oven to 375°F and position an oven rack in the bottom third. Line the chilled pie shell with heavy-duty foil, pressing the foil firmly and smoothly into the crevices of the pan. Fill the pan with pie weights (pie weights can be ceramic or steel weights from a cookware store, which last forever, or you can use dried beans or rice from your cupboard, which will need to be replaced when they start to smell funky). Make sure the weights reach up the sides to the rim of the pan (the center does not need to be filled quite as full). Bake the shell for 20 to 22 minutes, until the foil comes away from the dough easily (if it doesn’t, then bake another 5 to 6 minutes and check again). Remove the pan from the oven, close the oven door, and lift out the foil and weights from the shell; set them aside to cool. Return the pan to the oven to continue baking the shell for about 10 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven, close the oven door, and check to see if any cracks have formed. If you see a crack, very gently smear a tiny bit of reserved dough over the crack to patch it (page 171)—you need only enough to seal the opening. Return the pan to the oven and bake 10 to 15 minutes longer, until the crust is a nice golden brown all over. Transfer to a rack and cool slightly. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F.
2. While the pie crust is baking, make the filling: Whisk the eggs in the large bowl to break them up. Add the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and salt and whisk well to blend evenly. Whisk in the cream, brown sugar, and granulated sugar and blend well. Strain the mixture through the strainer into the medium saucepan, pressing on the strainer with the spatula to push through any lumps of brown sugar. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk until the custard mixture is thoroughly blended. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with the spatula and scraping all over the bottom of the pan to prevent the eggs from scrambling, for 7 to 9 minutes, until the mixture feels lightly thickened and registers 150°F on an instant-read thermometer. Do not let the mixture scramble or you’ll have to begin again. Remove from the heat.
3. If the pie crust has cooled, reheat it in the oven for 5 minutes. Scrape the hot custard into the hot pie shell and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the custard is set. Test by tapping the side of the pie pan—the center of the pie should look firm and move as one piece (professionals call this the Jell-O jiggle). Transfer the pie to a rack and cool completely, about 2 hours.
4. To serve, slice the pie with a thin and sharp knife and use a pie server to transfer each slice to a plate. Serve with whipped cream.

Storing: Store at room temperature for up to 8 hours. For longer storage, cover with plastic and refrigerate. Remove the pie from the refrigerator 1 hour before serving. Pumpkin pie is best the first or second day, as the crust begins to soften over time. It will keep, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Getting Ahead: The pie crust can be rolled, fitted into the pie pan, and trimmed up to 2 days before baking the pie and refrigerated, or it may be frozen for up to 1 month. The crust can be baked up to 3 days in advance and stored, wrapped in plastic, at room temperature. The ingredients for the custard can be combined 1 day in advance and kept, airtight, in the refrigerator. Do not warm the custard on the stovetop until just before you bake it.

TOMATO TWIST: Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad

Chris loves mozzarella, basil and Italian food. However, traditional Caprese salad never did anything for him since he doesn't really like fresh tomatoes. When we were served Ina Garten's Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad at our friends' house over Labor Day Weekend, Chris finally experienced his perfect version of the Italian dish. With its concentration of "vinegary" tomato flavor, this appetizer or side dish is so simple to make we've now made it ourselves 5 or 6 times!

The stacked combination of caramelized tomatoes, crisped minced garlic, fresh cheese and basil and burst of balsamic vinegar is unbelievably good. You won’t be able to stop eating them. We can’t…

Things to Note:

-We’ve tried to make it more quickly than called for in the recipe by cranking up the heat of the oven. While it works to some extent, taking the time to follow the recipe exactly is better.

-Same goes with seeding the tomatoes. When I made it the first time, I didn’t pay close enough attention to the ingredients list and didn’t know to seed the tomatoes before roasting. They still tasted good, but they were notably watery and messy, bursting when you bit into them. Seeding them works out much better. That Ina Garten knows what she’d doing :)

ROASTED TOMATO CAPRESE SALAD

recipe from Ina Garten, www.foodnetwork.com

serves 6

Ingredients:

• 12 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeds (not cores) removed
• 1/4 cup good olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 16 ounces fresh salted mozzarella
• 12 fresh basil leaves, julienned

Method:

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Arrange the tomatoes on a sheet pan, cut sides up, in a single layer. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of olive oil and the balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with the garlic, sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 2 hours until the tomatoes are concentrated and begin to caramelize. Allow the tomatoes to cool to room temperature.

Cut the mozzarella into slices slightly less than 1/2-inch thick. If the slices of mozzarella are larger than the tomatoes, cut the mozzarella slices in half. Layer the tomatoes alternately with the mozzarella on a platter and scatter the basil on top. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Serve at room temperature.

PUMPKIN CARVING NIGHT: Beef and Pork Chili

Ever since I was a little kid, I have loved carving pumpkins. Every October we’d pick out pumpkins as a family and carve them with dad, while mom helped with clean up and roasting the seeds. Missing the tradition in college, Chris and I started having my family over for an annual pumpkin carving night in 2006, the fall after I graduated. This year I wanted to make a home-cooked dinner that could be prepared ahead of time and would be easy to serve to a group: chili and cornbread!

I found the following chili recipe on foodnetwork.com, and it was a homerun. It's packed with flavor and has the perfect kick of spice at the end of every bite. It has everything from bacon and beer, to bell peppers, beans, beef and pork. With a squeeze of lime, sour cream, cheddar cheese and green onions to top it off-- well it's over the top :) It was a crowd-pleaser at our house. Hope it is at yours!

PAT'S FAMOUS BEEF AND PORK CHILI

recipe from The Neelys, www.foodnetwork.com

serves 6-8

2 hours

Ingredients:

• 6 slices thick-cut applewood smoked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 cup beer (recommended: Budweiser)
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (24-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (24-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
• Lime wedges, for garnish
• Sour cream, for garnish
• Shredded Cheddar, for garnish
• Sliced scallions, for garnish

Method:

In large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until lightly crisp, stirring occasionally. Once the bacon is browned, add the garlic, onions, bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, chipotle chili powder, oregano, and smoked paprika and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until the vegetables are tender and seasonings are aromatic. Add the beef and break it up with a wooden spoon. Once beef is broken up and beginning to brown, add the pork. Break up with wooden spoon like the beef, and brown, until no longer pink, roughly 4 minutes. Stir in the beer and beans. Toss together, then add the crushed and diced tomatoes. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if necessary. Transfer the chili to serving bowls and garnish with lime wedges, sour cream, shredded cheese, and sliced scallions.

FALL DINNERS: Roasted Pork with Smoky Red Pepper Sauce

Another Saturday night in, another new recipe to try. Chris and I like pork every now and then and had chops in our freezer. Looking for inspiration for a new pork recipe, I went back to a recorded episode of "Giada at Home" that has been waiting for me on my DVR. With most of the ingredients already in the fridge and pantry, we decided to try her Roasted Pork with Smoky Red Pepper Sauce. It sounded like a good hearty dish for a rainy fall night, and let's be honest it- I was super excited to use my Cuisinart hand-blender for the first time.

I paired the pork dish with sweet potatoes to offset it's smoky, pepper flavors, which turned out to be a great compliment. I would definitely recommend it. I just baked the sweet potatoes straight on the metal rack in the oven, alongside the pork. For the vegetable, I made the Brussels blogged about in July.

What I learned:
- The red pepper sauce requires a good amount of salt and black pepper. I seasoned pretty conservatively while making the sauce (not sticking to her measurements), so we had to add it on the plate. More salt made a big difference in how much we enjoyed the pork.
-We used pork chops, because that's what we already had on hand. I would suggest following Giada's recommendation for using pork tenderloin, since thinner slices of meat would be a bit more moist, and tenderloin tends to be more flavorful in my experience. I'll do that next time :)
-I'm not a huge fan of parsley, so I skipped it as a garnish. While I didn't try it this time, I think basil would be a great alternative.

If you're looking to change up your pork routine and like bell peppers, this tasty dish has a unique smoky flavor I think you'll enjoy.


ROASTED PORK WITH SMOKY RED PEPPER SAUCE
recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, www.foodnetwork.com
serves 4-6

Ingredients:

Pork:

• 3 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 medium orange bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Kosher salt for seasoning, plus 2 tablespoons
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/4 cups red wine, such as Syrah or Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato puree
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method:

Pork: Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Rub 1 tablespoon of the oil over the pork and season with salt and pepper, to taste. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over high heat. Add the pork and brown it on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer the pork to a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Roast it until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork registers 165 degrees F, about 25 to 30 minutes. Allow the pork to rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board.

Sauce: In the same skillet used for the pork, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, peppers and garlic and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring frequently until softened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the paprika, tomato puree and the bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Season with 2 tablespoons salt and pepper, to taste.

Slice the pork thinly and arrange on a platter. Spoon the sauce on top, garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

COMFORT FOOD, PART II: Coq Au Vin

Chris was sick last week, and I was being careful not to catch his bug or the germs my little second graders carry... so we settled into a weekend at home free of any plans. After large amounts of vitamin C and liquids, sleeping in, impromptu naps and lots of couch time, we were needing more than rest to feel better. We were craving a really good dinner.

It's times like those when we're under the weather, have chilly weather or are just in a funk, comfort food is all that will do. Something that we always had as a kid, an all-time favorite splurge meal or food we only manage to eat every once in while are the only things we seem to want to eat. Lounging around, I could only think about a French dish my uncle recently reminded me of: the delicious French "Coq Au Vin".

I hadn't had this decadent chicken dinner since we spent Christmas in Paris in 2008, nor had I ever attempted to make it myself. With nothing to do but plan for, shop for and cook dinner for our night in, it was on...

Let me start the recipe-talk by saying that Coq Au Vin (and most French food for that matter) isn't something you try to make healthy. It calls for bacon, bone-in chicken, a little butter and oil. This is comfort food... Go for it! You don't eat it everyday :) I've adapted the recipe below based on the following things I learned while making Coq Au Vin:

-The breast meat wasn't nearly as flavorful as the legs. It also lacked moisture. In the future I'll use thighs and legs.
-I'm not a huge fan of small whole onions. I prefer caramelized, sliced onions. I've changed the recipe to double the sliced onion and skip the frozen small whole onions altogether.
-I paired the chicken dish with mashed Yukon gold potatoes, which I boiled in the leftover chicken stock for added flavor. The buttery texture of the potatoes (without having to add actual butter) and simple seasoning of salt and pepper were a perfect compliment!


COQ AU VIN (Chicken Cooked with Wine)
recipe adapted from Ina Garten, www.foodnetwork.com
serves 3-5

Ingredients:
nocoupons

• good olive oil (~2 tablespoons)
  
• 4 ounces good bacon or pancetta, diced
• ~4 thighs and 4 legs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound carrots, cut diagonally in 1-inch pieces
• 1 yellow onions, sliced (double if desired-- I haven't tried it this way yet)
  
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup Cognac or good brandy
• 1/2 bottle (375 ml) good dry red wine such as Burgundy (I used a French Pinot Noir)
• 1 cup good chicken stock
• 10 fresh thyme sprig
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, stems removed and thickly sliced

Method:

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove the bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Meanwhile, lay the chicken out on paper towels and pat dry. Liberally sprinkle the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. When the bacon is removed, brown the chicken pieces in batches in a single layer for about 5 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Remove the chicken to the plate with the bacon and continue to brown until all the chicken is done. Set aside.

Add the carrots, onions, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac and put the bacon, chicken, and any juices that collected on the plate into the pot. Add the wine, chicken stock, and thyme and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just not pink. Remove from the oven and place on top of the stove.

Mash 1 tablespoon of butter and the flour together and stir into the stew. In a medium saute pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and cook the mushrooms over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until browned. Add to the stew. Bring the stew to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes. Season to taste. Serve hot (over those mashed Yukon gold potatoes I mentioned!).

My curious kitchen assistant

COMFORT FOOD, PART I: Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

Food = Comfort. When I'm not sure what I can do for someone or even say to someone when the words aren't there, I cook or bake. In my family, it's just what we do... Food is our way to say "I'm thinking of you."

Recently, when I wanted to say just that, I went back to a delicious scone recipe I tried a year or two ago that I remembered to be fairly easy to make. The scones are a perfect combination of sweet and tart, with blueberries in the dough and a lemon glaze on top. Having a pastry blender makes this recipe a snap, but forks could work, as well. I chose to make many more scones than the recipe suggested by cutting the dough into more pieces, but you can choose to make larger scones if you like. For a great finishing touch and sweet crunch, I sprinkle raw sugar on the scones before baking. I hope you enjoy them-- or someone you care about does :)


BLUEBERRY SCONES WITH LEMON GLAZE
recipe adapted from Tyler Florence, www.foodnetwork.com
makes 8 large scones or 16 petite scones

Ingredients:
Blueberry Scones:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks
• 1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing the scones
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• raw sugar crystals for sprinkling
  

Lemon Glaze:

• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 lemon, zest finely grated
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Sift together the dry ingredients; the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Using 2 forks or a pastry blender, cut in the butter to coat the pieces with the flour. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream. Fold everything together just to incorporate; do not overwork the dough. Fold the blueberries into the batter. Take care not to mash or bruise the blueberries because their strong color will bleed into the dough.

Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 by 3 by 1 1/4 inches. Cut the rectangle in 1/2 then cut the pieces in 1/2 again, giving you 4 (3-inch) squares. Cut the squares in 1/2 on a diagonal to give you the classic triangle shape. Repeat for smaller scones.

Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet. Brush the tops with a little heavy cream and sprinkle with raw sugar crystals. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until beautiful and brown. Let the scones cool a bit before you apply the glaze.

Mix the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar together in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon zest and butter. Microwave it for 30 seconds on high. Whisk the glaze to smooth out any lumps, then drizzle the glaze over the top of the scones. Let it set a minute before serving.

PASTA LIGHT: Homemade Turkey Spaghetti

I had a craving over the weekend: good ol' spaghetti and meatballs. Doesn't that always sound good? It seemed like a heavy dinner for July so I thought of ways to lighten it up: use ground turkey instead of ground beef and incorporate the meat into the sauce rather than make big meatballs. You could also substitute regular pasta with whole wheat pasta if you like.

I like a lot of chunky foods: chunky salsa, chunky peanut butter, chunky cookies... So the spaghetti sauce below has delicious chunks of cooked tomato, onion and turkey. However, if you're not a "chunky kind of person," feel free to substitute the diced tomatoes with tomato sauce and chop your onions as finely as you can. This easy spaghetti sauce recipe has simple ingredients sure to amount to a lot of flavor. I'm hoping you won't want to go back to the jar.

Twirl, savor and enjoy!


Things I've Learned:

• Grate fresh garlic. It's so much easier than chopping, mincing and pasting! Just peel the garlic and grate it with your zester right into the pan. You won't have to worry about anyone chomping into a big piece of garlic, and you get all of the flavorful juices!
• You can't beat fresh Parmesan. Use a vegetable peeler to shave it right off the block, and those thin slices give the perfect saltiness to each bite of your pasta dish.
• Waste no more! Always have a tube of tomato paste in your refrigerator. In the past when a recipe called for a tablespoon or two of tomato paste, I opened a can and always had at least half of it left. I'd try to figure out ways to use it before it went bad, but more times than not it ended up in the garbage. The tubes makes it so you can use what you need without worrying about wasting.

HOMEMADE TURKEY SPAGHETTI
recipe from Trish Garber
serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
  
• 1 package ground turkey (1.25 lbs)
  
• 1 big can (28 oz) Italian style peeled tomatoes
• 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning (usually a combination of marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, oregano and basil)
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
  
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1 box/bag spaghetti
• fresh Parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic until soft. Add the red pepper flakes.
2. Put the ground turkey directly in the pan with the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes. Salt, pepper and brown the ground turkey, breaking it up as it cooks.
3. Open the can of peeled tomatoes. Take out and dice the whole tomatoes. Pour the remaining juice from the can, as well as the diced tomatoes, into the pan.
   
4. Add the Italian seasoning, sugar, tomato paste, salt and pepper to the sauce. Once the mixture bubbles, turn the heat to low/medium-low and cook down (20-30 minutes or so).
5. If you like to drink wine while you cook or plan to have it with your pasta dinner like me, add a splash of red wine to the sauce and let the sauce cook until it thickens back up. It adds another layer of flavor. If you don't have it on hand, that's ok. Think of it as a bonus :)
   
6. Cook the pasta according to the box/bag.
7. Serve the pasta with the homemade sauce and shaved Parmesan on top.

TAPAS FOR DINNER: Roasted Peppers

Background Story:
One of my husband's and my favorite restaurants in San Francisco and tapas places outside of Barcelona is Iluna Basque in North Beach. Beside their delicious sangria, their roasted pepper tapas dish is a must-have every time we go. We've yet to order something there we didn't find delicious.

Inspiration:
Just this past weekend, one of my best girlfriends and I were walking around the farmers' market in downtown Palo Alto. There we found a table of peppers that immediately caught our eye. It was a rainbow of vegetables made up of bell peppers in a variety of beautiful colors. Of course there were green, red, orange and yellow peppers-- but there were purple, chocolate, white and tie-dyed peppers, too! We had to know what a purpley pepper tasted like.

It had me thinking: what special dish could I make with this purple, yellow, tie-dyed pepper? What's the best thing I've had involving a bell pepper? Of course! The tapas dish at Iluna Basque. Mission: Recreate that Dish!


ROASTED PEPPERS WITH MUSHROOMS AND MANCHEGO CHEESE
recipe from Trish Garber
serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 bell peppers (red or purple variety)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
  
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  
• 1 lb fresh brown mushrooms, sliced
  
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  
• 1/3 cup parsley, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/3 lb manchego cheese
  

Method

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Wash, halve and seed bell peppers. Lightly coat the peppers with olive oil and salt and pepper on both sides. Put the peppers (inside facing down) on a sheet pan and roast in the oven for 18-20 minutes. Set aside.
   
3. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Mince the shallot and thinly slice the garlic cloves. Cook the shallots and garlic until soft.
4. Slice the mushrooms and add them to the shallots and garlic. Cook down. Right about when you think they're done, add the vinegar. Cook until the vinegar is absorbed.
   
5. Chop and add the parsley, salt and pepper and cook another 3 minutes. Turn off the heat.
   
6. Place each pepper half into a ramekin or individual baking dish if you want to serve them as tapas. Otherwise, any baking dish will do. Top each pepper with 1/4 of the mushroom mixture.
   
7. Cut the cheese into 1/8 - 1/4 inch slices. Place 1/4 of the slices of cheese on top of each pepper's mushrooms, covering them as much as possible.
8. Broil until the cheese bubbles and browns.

LOVE, DON'T HATE: Brussel Sprouts

I understand how scary brussel sprouts can be. Cooked the wrong way or barely cooked at all, brussel sprouts make you want to say, "Blech!" Brussel sprouts just steamed or boiled leave a lot of flavor to be desired-- and if cooked too long a lingering sulfurous stench. My dad, who isn't a picky eater at all, once told me, "Life is too short to have to eat brussel sprouts." With that I really hadn't tried them until one fateful day at Google.

One of the best perks of working at Google is the food. Having several cafes at work to choose from for breakfast, lunch and dinner is something I really miss-- but that's another story. Let's talk brussel sprouts. I didn't grow up eating them and was warned against them. But as I walked down the buffet line one lunch at work, I was curious about the browned brussel sprouts. I love cabbage, so could they be that bad? They were halved, browned, lemony and spicy. They were delicious! I went back for seconds.

I started experimenting with cooking them at home, knowing there were very few ingredients in the brussel sprouts our chef made. I've perfected my inspired recipe to the right amount heat, salt and lemon flavor for Chris and I. They're a vegetable side I rotate into dinners regularly, and I definitely crave them when it's been a while. Truth be told, Chris has to remind me to get my hands out of the pan once they're done so that there are some left for dinner!

If you've been a brussel sprout hater in the past, I dare you try these. They just might convert you :)


SPICY LEMON BRUSSEL SPROUTS
recipe from Trish Garber
serves 2-4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (more or less to your taste)
• ~20 brussel sprouts
• 2 lemons
  
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Wash and halve the brussel sprouts.
2. Heat olive oil and red pepper flakes over medium heat in a large pan.
3. Place all of the halved brussel sprouts inside/light-side down. Zest one of the lemons on top of the brussel sprouts. Cook them facing down this way until browned.
4. Pour the juice of both lemons on top of the brussel sprouts and immediately cover to steam the brussel sprouts. Shake the pan around occasionally to prevent sticking and burning. If you find they are still sticking or burning before cooked through, turn down the heat a bit and add a little more lemon juice.
   
5. Once tender, uncover and salt and pepper to taste. I recommend fresh-cracked salt if you have it.
   

TWICE IS NICE: Grilling

TWICE the meat:
Without major fourth of July plans this year, Chris and I thought we'd treat ourselves to a nice home-cooked dinner. Not having cooked lobster before, I was inspired to make a surf and turf dinner by Giada De Laurentiis while watching Giada at Home. We grilled a beautiful Ribeye with fresh-cracked sea salt, grilled Giada's Lobster Tails with Clarified Lemon Butter, and made her Corn and Black Bean Salad with Basil-Lime Vinaigrette. The lemon zest made the butter sauce, and the salad was so refreshing. It was a deliciously light summer meal made easy with the grill.

The long and short of the matter is that I've never cooked a Giada recipe I haven't loved. I own three of her cookbooks and constantly watch/look up her recipes online, and all I've cooked have reasonably small ingredient and procedure lists to follow. She has a way with getting the most out of simple flavors. She's my go-to lady for cooking for guests.

TWICE the salad:
That leads into this past Friday; we had family guests for dinner and knew who to look to for menu inspiration. Having loved the fresh corn, mango and vinaigrette from her Corn and Black Bean Salad with Basil-Lime Vinaigrette, we manipulated the ingredients a bit for its second time on our table: double the fresh corn, minus the garbanzo beans. The combination of corn, black beans, and red bell pepper, plus the sweetness of the mango and freshness of lime and basil-- yum!

TWICE the grilling:
We partnered the mentioned salad with her Grilled Chicken with Basil Dressing from Giada's Family Dinners cookbook and a simple butter lettuce salad. Instead of using chicken breasts we substituted chicken thighs for added moisture. Having poured the basil dressing over all of the grilled chicken, a few cuts into the meat we realized it needed a few more minutes on the barbecue. It turned out that grilling that dressing into the meat was perfect. I'd recommend twice-grilling on purpose-- once to cook through without the dressing and once after coated with her fresh basil dressing to bake in the flavors. It's some of the best grilled chicken we've had: well-seasoned, zesty and juicy.

Recipes:
Lobster Tails with Clarified (Lemon) Butter
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/lobster-tails-with-clarified-butter-recipe/index.html
Corn and Black Bean Salad with Basil-Lime Vinaigrette
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/corn-and-black-bean-salad-with-basil-lime-vinaigrette-recipe/index.html
Grilled Chicken with Basil Dressing
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/grilled-chicken-with-basil-dressing-recipe/index.html

HOMEMADE ICE CREAM

"If I had my life to live over I'd like to make more mistakes next time. I'd relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans." Nadine Stair

Chris and I got an ice cream maker as a wedding present. For a little over a year now it sat in its box on the top shelf of our closet. To be completely honest, I forgot about it for the most part. Then when we were watching "It's Complicated" with Steve Martin and Meryl Streep this past weekend, I was inspired to make Lavender Ice Cream like the main character in the movie-- silly, I know :) Anyway, talk of making ice cream led to Chris's idea of recreating the Olive Oil Ice Cream he had at a restaurant in San Francisco. Sure enough, we made both.

Making ice cream for the first time sounds easier than it proved to be. You have to make a custard, which is a little tricky. It took two tries to make both recipes (that's two tries each).

Things we learned:
- If you heat the custard mixture too much, too fast you get a gross surprise that resembles scrambled eggs.
- A good way to know if your custard mixture is cooked enough/ready is when it covers a spoon so much so that you can draw a line down the back of the spoon and see a line. It works with a wooden spoon and a metal spoon. An easier way is to buy a candy thermometer-- what I will do next time:)
- If you don't chill the final mixture long enough, it won't freeze in the machine. Even though the honey lavender recipe didn't call for sticking it in the fridge, we found that we had to (the hard way).

I liked the Honey Lavender Ice Cream best, but the Olive Oil Ice Cream was definitely interesting and I'm glad to have tried it. If you haven't had Lavender Ice Cream, you MUST try it. It's surprisingly delicious!

Recipes:
Honey Lavender Ice Cream (by Martha Stewart)
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/honey-lavender-ice-cream
Olive Oil Ice Cream (SeriousEats.com)
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/06/cook-the-book-olive-oil-ice-cr.html