The Month in Review - February 2013

Well, that went fast, didn't it? I know February is a short month but this one just zoomed on by. At least we ate well. Actually, what we mostly ate, it seems, was dessert! And all these sweets don't even include all those chocolates that Brian got me for Valentine's Day and that I've been scarfing down. Oh, well. That whole January diet thing is so last month. ;)

Looking carefully, I see that in between the cakes, pies, cookies, trifles and sweet cocktails, we managed to enjoy some homemade soup and a great scratch-made veal stock. Here's a look back at all our tasty offerings.

Brown Sauce (Veal Stock) and a Bestie

A bestie who can cook!

Today I have a double treat.  I'm going to share a recipe for one of the finest sauces you will ever taste and also introduce you to my oldest and dearest friend.  Denise and I count our friendship in decades and though, I won't tell you how many decades because that will depress me, we've been through it all together.  Schools, homes, new loves, lost loves, births, deaths, heartbreaks, disappointments and joys.  We've walked together for most of our lives and I can't imagine ever being without her.  I am also the reason she is now married to the love of her life and for that, she owes me forever!  Possibly into the afterlife as well...

Tales of the Hamantaschen

Tomorrow is the Jewish holiday of Purim and part of the traditional celebrations is a triangular filled cookie called a hamantaschen (literally, Haman's hat). To say I love them would be a gross understatement! My mother was not much of a baker so our pastries came from bakeries, including my beloved annual hamantaschen. She always worked at a school on the lower east side of Manhattan which was once home to many old world Jewish delis, bakeries, pickle vendors, etc. and that's where she bought them. Those were the days...

Oven "Fried" Goat Cheese

Brian and I both really like salads, especially with interesting ingredients such as roasted beets, walnuts and cheese.  Definitely cheese.  Feta is great in salads but there's a special place in our hearts for goat cheese.  Just plain old crumbled chevre is fine but when it's sliced into medallions, breaded and fried so that the outside is crispy and the inside is gooey...well, that's just a heavenly experience.

Taco Bell's Cantina Steak Burrito

Exhibit A

My kitchen is getting on in years and, as such, has been suffering from some of the problems of the elderly.  Leaking, cracking, arthritis...  So, at the end of last week, several large men in work clothes came by to take it apart (see exhibit A), perform some surgery and Scotch tape it all back together again.  Needless to say, there wasn't much cooking going on.

Creamy Cheesy Cauliflower Soup

I would not be exaggerating if I told you I've been eating a bowl of soup nearly every day since the new year. I can barely stand the thought of it in the summer but, these days, it's cold around here. Windy and snowy and overcast. Ugh. I want so badly for spring to come. But, till then, I need my soup!

Valentine's Day Recipe Round-Up

How will you be celebrating Valentine's Day tomorrow? Is there someone special for whom you will bake treats while they shop for roses and chocolates? Or maybe your special Valentine is your mom or dad, son or daughter. Maybe you'll be baking those special treats for colleagues, seniors or soldiers. Whatever the case, here are some yummy ideas from my kitchen.

And speaking of my kitchen, my own Valentine travels during the week so we will likely celebrate on the weekend. I know he will buy me my favorite chocolates. And I will cook him his favorite meal. I'm grateful every day for the love in my life but it's fun to have a special occasion to celebrate it. So, whatever your plans, have a very happy Valentine's Day filled with love!

Cherry Brownie Trifles

Last summer, my friend Kim from Cravings of a Lunatic, posted a recipe for Black Forest Brownie Mini Trifles and I was instantly smitten. Even though, at the time, Valentine's Day was a long way off, I immediately thought these trifles would be the perfect dessert. So, I pinned the recipe and waited  Fast forward to this past weekend, just days away from Valentine's Day, and I went back to check out the recipe and shop for my ingredients.

Chocolate Sweetheart Martini

My chocolate loving sweetheart came home with a bottle of Pinnacle Chocolate Whipped Vodka. He said he couldn't resist. We've tried the regular whipped before and used it to create a delicious Lemon Meringue Martini but the chocolate was a new flavor for us. We poured a little into a glass to taste and, once again, were not disappointed in Pinnacle. It has a good chocolate flavor and does not taste artificial. And, no, the Pinnacle people are not paying me for this post. Although, if they're reading this they should feel free to send me a bunch of money. Or some samples...

Raspberry Heart Shaped Hand Pies

Valentine's Day is just about a week away and my eyes have been drawn to all things heart-shaped lately. And so the little "sweetie pies" on The Farm Chicks blog practically leapt right off the page. Not only for their shape but the fact that they're made with pie dough. I love pie dough and always say it's the best part of whatever pie I've made with it. I absolutely had to make these.

Skinny Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Swirl

The other day I woke up on a cold, rainy morning with two over ripe bananas on my kitchen counter and a craving for something sweet. Bananas in that state are fairly rare in my house because I love them and usually eat them long before they get to that condition. The sweet craving is, unfortunately, an all too common occurrence. But I'm trying to stick to my new year healthy and light eating plan and I already know I'll be doing some cheating on Valentine's Day. So, I decided to make a skinnier banana bread.  I compared the myriad of recipes, did some calculations, flipped a coin and settled on these ingredients and quantities.

Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Bundt Cake

The combination of chocolate and raspberry is part of a romantic tradition in our house. About 2 months after we met, Brian took me out for a romantic birthday dinner at an elegant French restaurant and I was particularly looking forward to a chocolate dessert. Wouldn't you know, they didn't have one! So the following week, when he came over, he brought a gorgeous chocolate cake from a bakery near him. It was several layers of rich chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream between the layers, a chocolate ganache coating and a tall heap of chocolate curls and shavings dusted with powdered sugar over the top. Wow.

The Month in Review: January 2013

Wow, it seemed to me like we were just celebrating the new year and here we are at the end of the first month already!  January is a time of realizations, I think.  All those things you put off during the holidays and said you'd get to in the new year, now have to be gotten to.  All the resolutions you made, either publicly or privately, now have to be acted on or reordered.  It's a time to realize that nothing's really changed except the last digit on the date but that it's up to you to make those changes happen.

It's probably also a time to realize you indulged in a few too many holiday treats and a little light eating is in order.  And that's exactly what we've been doing this month.  No deprivation (well, we are missing those cookies) but just good, healthy food and maybe slightly less of it.  Now we just have to keep it up the rest of the year. :)  Enjoy!

Deep Dish Cheeseburger Pie

There is something so comforting about food wrapped up in dough. Sure, we usually think of these as sweet but I love savory doughs almost as much. And even though it's a rich, buttery dough, for me it takes the place of bread and other starchy side dishes. I just serve this with a salad and/or some other veggies and it's a full meal.

Keeping My Resolutions with Lean Cuisine

As you all know, I've been trying to lose a little holiday weight gain lately. I'm not exactly sure how much I gained because I threw out that evil, lying scale! But let's just say that I'm thinking stretchy pants shouldn't feel that tight. So, we're eating lighter these days and choosing more salads and less desserts.

Crispy Curried Potatoes

Sometimes you just want potatoes! Quinoa is great. Pasta, even better. But potatoes are our first love. French fries, creamy mash, baked, roasted...we love them all. When I was growing up my mother frequently peeled those little baby new potatoes and roasted them with butter and seasoning until they were crispy and amazing. Such a treat.

Spinach Salad with Beets, Bacon, Walnuts and Goat Cheese

We're big salad eaters in our house but an ordinary plate of lettuce and tomatoes won't do.  We like our salads complex and, as Brian is fond of saying, with a lot of "stuff" in them.  To own the truth, Brian has made me a much better salad maker over the years with his insistence that salads mustn't be simple.  Many times during the first year we dated, I'd serve him a salad and he'd say it was good but wonder what else can we put in it.  And in my attempts to please him, I realized how much better salads could be.

Light Curried Chicken Salad

The other day I was picking up a few things for my mother, including a stop in her local supermarket. It was nearing lunchtime and I was suddenly struck with an overwhelming urge for chicken salad. I'm not usually felled by random cravings but, for some reason, I just had to have some chicken salad! Because Brian is not a big fan of it, I decided to just go to the deli counter and have them fix me a sandwich but, just my luck, they were out of chicken salad. Well, this craving wouldn't quit so, if I couldn't have it for lunch, I would have it for dinner!

Zesty Lemon Bundt Cake

This past autumn I became the proud owner of my very first bundt pan and began searching around for a great recipe to break it in. As it turned out, I didn't have to go much further than one of my favorite bloggers, Anuradha from Baker Street. I've long been a fan of her tasty looking baked creations and have even tried a few of the recipes. And so, I made her fabulous chocolate pumpkin bundt and it kick-started my bundt baking adventures.

Baked Cinnamon Sugar Mini Doughnuts

Sure, we're focusing on lighter, healthier eating this month but that doesn't mean there's nothing sweet. I need something sweet. No, really. Even the most delicious dinner will disappoint me if there's no dessert. Fortunately, Santa ticked a couple of items off my holiday kitchen wish list and one of them was a mini doughnut pan. Actually, I got both the regular and mini pans so there will be all kinds of doughnuts in our future.

Skinny Chocolate Loaf

Although I never turn down a box of Godiva truffles, I'm not much of a chocoholic when the weather is warm. For some reason, I lose my taste for chocolate cakes and treats when spring rolls around and, instead, I start craving lighter fruit based desserts. But somewhere around the time I'm trying to work off some holiday pounds, the chocolate monster returns. Sigh...

Baked Corn Fritters

Around here, keeping our resolutions to cut calories and eat healthier does not mean munching on celery and rice cakes. OK, I actually do like rice cakes. But the point is that it does not mean the end of delicious foods. A few tweaks here and there, some baking instead of frying and we're still eating well.

Smoked Gouda Macaroni and Cheese

I avoid making macaroni and cheese because Brian and I both really love it and we have a tendency to be a little challenged in the will-power department. That only applies to certain foods, though. We're tough as nails around, oh, say, lettuce. So what happens is that I make a baking dish full of something yummy and we tell each other that it's a treat that needs to be eaten sparingly and we'll save the rest for the next day. Please tell me if any of you have ever been successful at that particular plan because we're clearly still working out the bugs. So the result of being will-power challenged is that we tend to stay mac & cheese deprived.

Broccoli and Slaw Salad (aka Resolution Salad)

Welcome to 2013 which is going to be very good year filled with all kinds of wonderful things that you will make happen by keeping all your resolutions. What do you mean you've already broken your resolutions? I personally, give myself all of January to begin working on my resolutions so there's still plenty of time. But unless you're one of these naturally thin people who never gain any weight no matter what they eat (please go away), I'm assuming that one of your resolutions is to lose some weight...or at least lose the weight you gained over the holidays...or maybe just not gain any more weight. Whatever works for you.

Orange Cranberry Scones

Today is the first day back to "reality" after the long holiday break but it's OK (mostly) and I'm excited to get a fresh start (sort of)...  At least I can say that we relaxed and enjoyed ourselves over the break.  We had that fun Christmas weekend out at Montauk, we visited family and we ate and drank well.  Yesterday was spent vegging out in our jammies and watching movies.  We ate the leftover New Year's Eve brisket, we ate creamy potato soup, we finished off the holiday cheesecake and we ate these scones.

The Year in Review: 2012

Some years seem to go by more quickly than others and 2012 was definitely a fast one. Speed aside, it was mostly a good year. Sure, there were some of the normal difficulties of life but we were fortunate to avoid any personal tragedies. We spent the long, cold winter waiting for the first blooms of spring and then took full advantage of the warm weather. We grilled many steaks and sipped many frozen cocktails on summer weekends. We took an amazing vacation to coastal Maine. We went leaf peeping and pumpkin picking in autumn and we cooked up lots of deliciousness for the holidays. And, throughout it all, we had each other and our beloved pup. Our house is peaceful and full of love and that alone made it a good year.

Skinny Cocoa Martini

It seems everywhere I look these days I see ideas for sweet, delicious looking cocktails. OK, maybe I pay a little more attention than some... :) And, sure, I've indulged. But chocolate syrup and egg nog and cream liqueurs all seem to be attaching themselves to one of my hips. The other hip is doing battle with the holiday cookies! And the thing is...I'm not quite ready to give up on the cocktails just yet. There's New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day and I've-Had-a-Hard-Week Day and Friday and...I'm going to need a cocktail.

The Couple that Freezes Together...and Other Christmas Adventures

Judging by the movies I've seen, normal people spend the holidays gathered around the tree (or menorah, as the case may be), surrounded by their family.  They unwrap presents and eat many cookies while basking in the warm glow of the fireplace.  We, however, are clearly not normal.

Happy Holidays!

Hadley, the furry sous chef, wishes you all a very happy holiday season filled with peace on earth and good will toward men...and doggies.  May there be love in your house, food on your table (don't forget the doggie biscuits) and many belly rubs in your future.  Most of all, she wishes that mommy and daddy would take this silly hat off her head.

Happy holidays from the Hungry Couple!

Rum Nog Cocktail

Eggnog is one of my favorite things ever and, when I was younger, I'd cheer when the first containers appeared in the stores around the holidays. But, for the last few years, the 350 calories per cup it contains seem to want to attach themselves to me. Sometimes a few of them latch on just from walking past the display in the store! Besides, even if I could somehow justify that amount of calories in a cup, I certainly can't justify the amount in the whole container...which I would absolutely inhale. So, the cartons of eggnog remain in the store and I just walk longingly past them when I go shopping. So sad...

Homemade Apple Pie and the Basics of Pie Making

Many people I know are master cake bakers, cookie makers and cupcake decorators and I envy their talent. Me? I make pie. Really good pie. And that is way easier than any of the above, which is why I'm frequently surprised when I hear otherwise accomplished cooks say they fear pie. So today, we're going to talk about pie and when we're done, you'll know how to make really good pie.

Our Weekend

We went about our lives on Friday, working and getting ready for a nice weekend during the holiday season. I made a delicious soup and fun grilled cheese croutons and shared the recipe with you. All was well and life was normal and we were still blissfully oblivious to the tragedy that had unfolded that morning in a Connecticut school. But slowly the news started creeping in and we learned about what happened. We spent Friday evening sadly watching the news.

An overlook across the Hudson River, where we always stop.

On Saturday we headed out for a drive upstate that is usually a Thanksgiving weekend tradition. We'd had to postpone it this year because we'd both been down with flu that weekend. And so we headed out on a nice, clear day. This drive is steeped in romantic tradition for us and we had the Christmas music playing in the car, as we always do and we held hands, as we always do. But we also talked about the tragedy. Trying to understand, trying to make sense of it and maybe holding hands a little tighter.

Grilled Cheese Croutons

Soup and grilled cheese - a pretty classic American combination, right? And you dip the sandwich into the soup, right? But, what if the grilled cheese was made into croutons that you actually put in the soup? Genius, right? I can't take credit for this genius idea because I saw it in several places floating around the web. But the part of my brain that's responsible for recognizing other people's genius ideas immediately knew I had to make this.

Cream of Chicken Soup with Cheddar and Herb Dumplings

When I was growing up, my mother always made chicken soup from scratch. She'd serve it either with noodles or matzo balls and the boiled chicken would be shredded and used to make sandwiches. It was good but if I wanted any other kind of soup, it came out of a can, and my favorite was cream of chicken. I didn't want any visible herbs or chicken pieces in it, either, and would fish those out with a spoon. No, my picky child's palate wanted that smooth, velvety texture. As an adult, I don't mind the additions but the canned variety of the soup has lost its appeal and I haven't had it in a long time.

Gingerbread Loaf with Ginger Glaze

I've been in a gingerbread kind of mood lately, buying fresh ginger, buying grated ginger, perusing gingerbread recipes and pinning up a gingerbread storm. But, when all is said and done, what did I really want to make? I was tempted to make the lebkuchen of my youth but that may have to wait for a bit since I also had to balance the treat with all the heavy Chanukah foods we've been consuming. A sweet ginger tea bread seemed the most appealing since we could have it in the morning with coffee or as a light afternoon treat with a cup of tea.

Oven Baked Potato Pancakes (Latkes)

This weekend Brian and I are headed to my mother's for a traditional Chanukah dinner. And, in my mother's house, that means latkes and lots of them. I know some families make a brisket and maybe some veggies but my mother always wisely felt that these foods would just interfere with your ability to stuff as many potato pancakes into yourself as possible. And considering how perfectly she made them, I would have to agree. She is a purist who wouldn't dream of any kind of machine grating or shredding. A box grater and lots of arm strength is what's called for here! She fried them with generous amounts of canola oil and served them hot and crispy with apple sauce and sour cream on the side. I'm drooling in anticipation!

The Month in Review: November 2012

I hope everyone had a very happy November and maybe one of you can explain to me where it went. Looking back on it, I realize it was quite busy but, for the life of me, I can't fathom how quickly it disappeared.

It's always been one of my favorite months for the crisp weather and my most beloved holiday, Thanksgiving. And although it ended with nasty head colds for both of us, we still had a delicious month and lots to be thankful for. So let's look back at all the yummy treats we cooked up. Enjoy!

Baked Jelly Doughnuts (Sufganiyot)

Speaking strictly from a non-religious perspective, I've always enjoyed the spectacle of Christmas. The lights, the beautiful decorations, the wonderful music and delicious baked treats. But I wonder that the reverse is not true of Chanukah. Consider that this holiday includes lighting a beautiful candelabra for 8 nights, playing dreidel games with chocolate coins, receiving a gift for each of the 8 nights and feasting on oil fried foods such as potato pancakes and jelly doughnuts. You really have to wonder why this hasn't caught on more in popularity...

Lemon Meringue Martini

So, we finally broke down and bought a bottle of Pinnacle Whipped Vodka. We scoffed at first at all those commercials but they wore us down. Even other vodka brands started getting themselves whipped and fluffed and goodness knows what else. We couldn't take it anymore. So when we were browsing around the liquor store (yes, we are the kind of people who browse in liquor stores) we saw the Pinnacle bottles, noted that they were reasonably priced and put one in our basket. Back home we approached the blue bottle with doubt. But, you know what? It's good. Really good. Sweet but not overly so and not at all artificial tasting which we had assumed it would be. We...um...may have gone through a few more bottles since then...

Moist Pumpkin Cornbread

Just because the onslaught of pre- Thanksgiving pumpkin recipes has wound down doesn't mean we've stopped cooking with it. Far from it, in fact. Pumpkin puree (yes, even the canned) is a terrific source of nutrition and it adds a delicate taste and moistness to lots of recipes. Cornbread, in particular, can get dry and so I've had my eye on a pumpkin cornbread recipe for quite some time.

Baked Pumpkin French Toast Sticks

I hope everyone had a very happy Thanksgiving weekend. As much as I have to be thankful for, I must say that coming down with the mother of all head colds the evening before the holiday is probably not at the top of my list. By Thanksgiving morning I was in bad shape. Fortunately I had already prepped, cooked or baked almost everything so all I had left was to wrestle the bird out of its brine and into the oven.

Happy Thanksgiving Round Up

The day before Thanksgiving is always a happy and busy one for me as I get the house and the food ready for company and a lovely long weekend. For us, this holiday is not about shopping or gifts. We won't be dashing off at midnight for any sales nor getting up at 4:00 am to get in store lines. We'll sleep late, have a leisurely breakfast (maybe something a little special) and head out to enjoy the day with our pup. On Saturday we'll get in the car and take our annual drive. It's a romantic tradition that I look forward to each year.

Corn Chowder

I'm sure you remember reading about my complete cold weather soup dependency and secret stash of canned soups. And also my promise to tackle my fear of soup making this winter. Well, it's November, it's cold and I've already successfully tackled potato and leek soup and light and creamy pumpkin soup. Soup making, as it turns out, is not a difficult undertaking and I'm happy to say that the stash of cans has gone untouched. Somehow they no longer appeal to me.

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Casserole

Sometimes it's not all pot roasts and boeuf bourguignon around here. Sometimes, when Brian's away, I just throw something light together for myself. I used to make a quick omelet with toast but now I much prefer to bake it all together in a little, individually sized casserole. All the flavors meld together into one, yummy meal. Add a side salad and my dinner is served.

Skillet Whole Wheat Cheesy Cornbread

Confession time. I have never made cornbread. Well, except from a box mix, I mean. The box is OK but it never made me lust after it. When I've eaten corn bread at restaurants and various other places, sometimes it's amazingly good and sometimes it's no better than my box mix. Maybe those people are using the same box mix? So the result is that sometimes I have a huge craving for cornbread but I don't make it because I know the box mix will disappoint me. So why, you ask, don't I make my own? I have no earthly idea.

Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna)

Brian and I both really like Greek food and, whenever we find ourselves in a Greek restaurant, we peruse the menu with great interest. We point out this dish and that as delicious choices and make plans to share different options. And then, we both order pastitsio. We love pastitsio! If you've never had the pleasure, pastitsio is a lasagna-like dish with layers of noodles, spiced meat sauce and bechamel topping. It doesn't taste anything like typical lasagna, though. Interesting and mysterious spices waft up from beneath the creamy sauce and all you can think to yourself is that this is Greek comfort food.

Wheatberry, Wild Rice and Butternut Squash Salad

When I think about healthy food that's completely delicious, without any compromise in flavor, this is one of the recipes that comes to my mind. I've been making this salad, and its variations, for about five years and it never ceases to amaze me that something so good is so good for me. I keep the base ingredients of wheatberries and wild rice the same but vary other ingredients based on season. In autumn, this salad plays beautifully with one of my favorite seasonal veggies, roasted butternut squash.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Crunch Cake

Recently I was invited to enter a recipe challenge sponsored by the folks at Walkers Shortbread. And, since shortbread is my favorite kind of cookie, I was pretty excited about it. To jump start our creativity, Walkers sent each of the entrants a sample box with many of their flavors including some that I'd never seen before. Chocolate and vanilla and lemon and orange and ginger...oh, my... So Brian and I sat down to sample all the flavors. Some we had to sample several times due to...um...complex scientific research needs. And while we were stuffing our faces with shortbread scientifically researching, my mind was racing with all the possible recipe options.

Light and Creamy Pumpkin Soup

Hey, who turned on the cold?? We seemed to have gone from jacket weather to winter coat weather in a big hurry around here! For me, cold weather brings on major soup cravings. A nice, steaming hot bowl (or two) with some crusty bread and I'm quite happy to call that dinner. For years I got through winters with my, somewhat hidden, stash of canned soups but this year I decided it was time to tackle my lack of soup making skills.

The Month in Review: October 2012

Every month, when I finish my round up, I think to myself that next month can't possibly be as busy. But somehow, they just get busier. October, in fact, was a whirlwind. We so looked forward to beautiful foliage and were rewarded with some amazing color. And, oh, so many delicious pumpkin recipes. I was practically giddy when I opened my first can of pumpkin puree for the season. And let's not forget the apples and all the lovely things I created with those.

October also brought me some terrific sponsors, whom I featured, and a detailed article on photo sharing sites that I was asked to write. Sadly, just as we were getting ready for the month's crown jewel, Halloween, we were faced with a dangerous hurricane and one of the worst storms in history. Hurricane Sandy brought devastation to so many. We were very fortunate to escape the worst of its wrath and we remained warm and safe and dry. Our hearts go out to those less fortunate. Perhaps this sense of gratitude is the perfect way to begin our countdown to Thanksgiving but for now, let's recap all the fun of October. Enjoy.