Baked Lemon Glazed Mini Doughnuts

So, I was browsing around Sur la Table a few months ago, minding my own business, when suddenly, through no fault of my own, a jar of bright pink baking decorations grabbed me by the sleeve and demanded that I purchase it.  I tried to explain that I don't usually do much with cute, sprinkle-laden sweets but it would not hear it and forced its way into my cart.  So I brought it home and parked it in my little baking cupboard to cool its heels over the winter while I wondered what on earth I would do with it.

Almond Frangipane Tart

I've always had a love of almond flavored sweets. It started when I was very little and my father would sometimes come home from work with a little mazipan treat for me. Sometimes on the weekend he would take me to the Elk Candy Company on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It was an old world, European style confectioner with all kinds of lovely sweets to choose from. But I always chose one of the tiny cakes with layers of marzipan and chocolate. Elk Candy is long gone but I've found bakeries with more adult style almond and mazipan pastries to replace them.

Happy Passover!

This evening is the first night of Passover and the time when Jewish families will gather for a Seder. Some can be long and quite formal but, since there won't be any young children at our table, we'll do a simple celebration. The traditional requirement to avoid regular flour and leavening means there will be matzo instead of bread and dessert will be a rich, chocolaty flourless souffle cake. We'll also be serving some light and fluffy matzo balls and we'll take advantage of the matzos in the house with breakfasts of sweet matzo brie. But whether you celebrate Passover or Easter, we wish you a very happy holiday filled with family, friends and love.

Minty Pear Mojito

So, according to the calendar, it is now spring. Yay!  I love spring! OK, technically it's still snowing in New York but we're going to pretend. We're going to turn on the heat and sit under a bright lamp and pretend that mother nature is not currently being a heartless bitch. And we're going to drink a warm weather cocktail while we pretend. Actually, if we drink enough of them, we'll start to believe it.

Chickpea Burger with Israeli Salad

For the past few days I've had the biggest craving for some Middle Eastern food. Hummus, falafel, tahini...I love them all. Chickpea burgers combine a lot of those flavors and are wonderful, versatile foods. Apart from the basic ingredients, you can customize them by adding in whatever you have on hand. Grated carrot, zucchini, peppers or mushrooms would all be great. The chickpeas are also loaded with protein and fiber and I just love it when healthy food is so delicious.

Cream Cheese Crumb Cake

If you read this blog on a regular basis then you know by the now that there are some twists I just can't resist adding to desserts. For example, if it tastes good on its own then it's bound to be better with a crumb topping. And, if there's a way to get a layer of cheesecake swirl into it, I will do so. But considering all that, I just don't understand why I needed someone else to show me that adding a cream cheese layer to my beloved crumb cake would be a good idea. I'm going to have to go see a doctor or something.

Sweet Irish Soda Bread Biscuits

Last year, an Irish-born colleague introduced me to my favorite version of soda bread. Simple and sweet, almost like scones but baked into a loaf. It was delicious! I said I wouldn't wait until next St. Patrick's Day to make it again but, somehow the time got away from me. Oh, well. I baked up a loaf last weekend and the delicate aroma made me fall in love with it all over again.

Creamy Broccoli and Cheese Soup

You may have heard me mention, several dozen times, that I don't like winter. Technically spring will arrive at the end of this month but you'd have trouble believing that lately. Oh, I know, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. But we're still very much in lion mode around here. We had snow, then torrential rain, then more snow than more rain. Sigh...  This past weekend we got a tiny little taste of what's to come. Not that it was warm but at least we could walk from here to there without risking frostbite.

Bailey's Irish Cream Cheese Trifle

With St. Patrick's Day a week away, a group of my fellow food bloggers and I are taking this opportunity to share some Irish inspired recipes. Now, technically I'm not Irish in the technical sense, if you're going to be all technical about it. But I do live in New York, a giant melting pot of nationalities, religions and cultures. Every year we have a huge St. Patrick's Day parade and our Jewish mayor and Italian governor proudly march. Besides, how technically Irish do you need to be to appreciate delicious food?

Bananas Foster Bundt Cake

For most of my life, if you'd asked me my favorite flavor, I would have said banana. As a kid, I loved banana flavored anything and I didn't care much if that flavor was natural or artificial. As an adult, I've gotten much more discerning and the fake, extract flavors found in most commercial products just won't do. So I eat a banana every day and periodically bake the over-ripe ones into a banana bread. There are always bananas on my counter and bananas in my freezer (for smoothies).

Cheesy Quinoa and Asparagus Bake

Today I'm joining a group of bloggers to help raise awareness of heart disease. The group was organized by Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic and Jen of Juanita's Cocina, both of whom have parents personally touched by the disease. Jen's stepfather suffered a heart attack and Kim lost her mother to the disease when she was only 15. In memory of Kim's mother, she and Jen asked that we share our own personal stories as well as a heart healthy recipe.

Asparagus, Feta and Oregano Pasta (plus a tasting box and discount coupon from Gourmet Spotting!)

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Gourmet Spotting, a subscription service that sends out monthly curated tasting boxes. Each contains between 4 and 6 gourmet products sourced from eco-friendly, organic and fair trade companies. In addition, every time they ship out a box, they donate a meal to charity.

Cheese Stuffed Brussels Sprouts

I think Brussels sprouts must be the most maligned vegetable because all I see are recipes that promise to turn their haters into fans. Granted there are good and bad ways to prepare these little cabbages but even the best way still leaves you with... well... Brussels sprouts. I happen to like them and have since I was very young but they do need to be prepared correctly in order to taste good. Undercook or overcook and you get an unpleasant bitter taste which is what, I think, most non-likers have against them. The overcooking places them in the "lunch lady" group of foods that were boiled to death by school cafeteria workers. Asparagus was a frequent victim as well.

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!