VOTE for me!

Please!

Yes, election season is here. And I encourage everyone to vote. But before the real election on November 6th, there’s another one to consider.

It’s like this: I entered a Mobile Skillet recipe contest and if I win, I will have a cooking App developed for me! Is that sensational or what!

Anyway, I became a semi-finalist the other day and I have to ask everyone I know to vote for me, because the finalists are chosen by how many votes you get.

So, please please vote for me! It’s easy to do by clicking here.

You must join Pinterest to vote, but that’s easy to do. If you aren’t on Pinterest, let me know and I will send an invite.

Thanks for your vote. 

Btw, you are only allowed to vote/repin once.

Fanny's or Fannies or Just Butter Cookies

I will watch the presidential debate tonight. Because I am completely engaged in this election, following it with more than the usual interest. And anyway, I think it is important to listen to what the candidates have to say.

But I think this particular debate is going to be a nail biter. Every word, every gesture, every tic and drop of perspiration, every hanky, every downward look looms large.

Is that because we have stopped listening to what they are really saying and let punditry and distractions influence us?

Is it because we really don’t trust anything any politician says so we are guided by body language?

In any event, as I said, this is going to be a nail biter. Or at least a big munchtime. I’ll probably nibble excessively.

I need popcorn.

And cookies to get me through the night.

These:

Mom’s Butter Cookies

• 1/2 pound unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 large egg yolks

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• jam, preserves or lekvar (about 1/2 cup)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium speed. When the mixture is well blended, beat in the flour, egg yolks, salt and vanilla extract. Mix until the dough is a uniform color. Take off small pieces of dough and shape them into balls about 1-inch in diameter. Flatten the balls and press the center to make an indentation. Place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet leaving a small amount of space between each cookie. Fill the indentation with jam, preserves or lekvar. Bake about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes about 60

Cooking Tip: Waste Not, Want Not

culinaryconfessional:

Not sure what to do with leftover brownies or other baked goods, especially when they’re a couple of days old?  Try putting them in a food processor and hit Pulse to create crumbs.  


Save the crumbs for a crunchy layer in a fabulous parfait—layers of pudding, your crumbs, and a little whipped cream, then voila.  You’ve got a creative, delicious, and EASY dessert in just a few minutes.  


Or you can just sprinkle your crumbs over ice cream for an extra treat. 

Excellent tip! I do this all the time. I save the crumbs in a freezer bag or plastic container. Labelled, of course (challah crumbs, rye bread crumbs, etc). I still have those honey cake crumbs to deal with. People have sent me suggestions which I will be testing out in the weeks to come.

Roasted Chicken with Apples, Shallots and Mushrooms

Do you think Adam and Eve would have been tempted by an old, supermarket Red Delicious apple left over from last year?

I doubt it.

But a fresh, crisp, juicy apple is one of life’s sweetest gifts. And far from ordinary.

At least they’re not ordinary at this time of year, when the new harvest is in full swing. You can get new crop apples at a farm stands now, and some supermarkets have them too. And even though we can buy apples any time, they are like all other seasonal foods: best eaten in season. 

I bought a bushel of apples plus several bags of different apple varieties recently. Most went into pies, some cakes, baked apples, apple crisp and some snacks and stuff. But I still have some left over. 

These are for cooking with savory dishes like this Roasted Chicken with Apples, Shallots and Mushrooms.

Roasted Chicken with Apples, Shallots and Mushrooms

1 roasting chicken, about 5-6 pounds

2 tablespoons olive oil, softened margarine (or butter)

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

8 medium shallots, peeled

8 cloves garlic, peeled

1 cup apple cider

10 ounces fresh mushrooms, cleaned

3 tart apples, peeled and cut into large chunks

1/3 cup chicken stock or white wine

1/4 cup coconut milk (or cream)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Wash and dry the chicken. Rub the skin with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired. Place the chicken, breast-side down, on a rack in a roasting pan.

Add the shallots and garlic to the pan. Immediately reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees and roast for 45-50 minutes, basting occasionally with the apple cider. Turn the chicken breast-side up. Add the mushrooms and apple chunks to the pan. Continue to roast until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 160 degrees (45 minutes plus, depending on the size of the chicken). Baste occasionally with the pan fluids until 15 minutes before you expect the chicken to be done. Remove the chicken to a carving board, and let rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Reduce the oven heat to 140 degrees. Remove the vegetables and apples with a slotted spoon, and keep them warm in the oven. Add the chicken stock to the roasting pan, stir, and bring the liquid to a boil. Cook over high heat for about 2 minutes or until sauce has reduced to the consistency of heavy cream. Add the coconut milk, stir, and keep warm over low heat. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

Carve the chicken, and place the pieces on a serving dish surrounded by vegetables and apples. Pour the sauce over the sliced meat and vegetables (or serve separately), and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Baked Kuri Squash

Yesterday I sang the praises of kuri squash, a large, hard-skinned winter squash that is exceptional for its flavor and texture. I buy this variety whenever I see it, usually during the autumn, because it isn’t around for very long. I roast the vegetable, scoop the flesh and freeze it in portions (lasts a couple of months).

Of course I use some immediately too. Like in this side dish, which is a terrific accompaniment especially to roasted chicken or turkey.

This recipe is really easy. Not too many ingredients either. And you can make it ahead, leave it in the fridge for a day or so and pop it into the oven to heat up.

Baked Kuri Squash

1 large kuri squash

1-1/2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

salt to taste

3-4 tablespoons orange or mango juice

2 tablespoons chopped toasted almonds, optional

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash into quarters; scoop and discard the seeds (or roast them separately to nibble). Wrap the quarters tightly in aluminum foil, place in the oven and roast for 50-60 minutes or until tender. Remove from the oven and let cool in the aluminum wrapper. When cool enough to handle, scoop the squash flesh from the shell and place the flesh in a bowl. Discard the shell. Add the butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and juice to the bowl. Mash and mix the ingredients until smooth and well blended. Spoon into a baking dish. Scatter nuts on top if used. Baked for 10-15 minutes or until hot. Makes 4-6 servings

For The Vice Presidential Debate

Yesterday I mentioned that I was hosting a Vice Presidential debate night dinner and wanted to make foods from each of the two states of the two men running for the office. And that I went to a website that listed the Official foods of various states and then said that there was no official food from either Wisconsin (Paul Ryan) or Joe Biden (Delaware).

Well, I was WRONG!

And, I have to say, it was my daughter Meredith, a super-smart, super-researcher who told me so. She read the blog and actually went to that site and saw right there that there WAS an official food for Delaware. Peach pie. 

She offered me an excuse. She said that I must have been so excited by the Indiana Sugar Cream Pie that I chose for the evening that my eyes went right by the Delaware option. 

Well, that’s very generous.

Truth to tell, when I saw Meredith’s reply online I thought, “that can’t be” and then I went to the website and sure enough, there it was, Peach pie as the official food for Delaware.

And I thought “did they put that there overnight?” I would have sworn it wasn’t there the day before.

But it must have been. And I missed it!

And really, maybe that Sugar Cream Pie option just distracted me! I have to say, it was so good that my practice pie is ALL GONE thanks to my husband mainly, who usually doesn’t eat dessert. 

Meredith suggested I make both another Sugar Cream Pie and Peach Pie for tonight. But the peaches are no longer as wonderful as they were just a few short weeks ago. So I won’t. But if anyone out there can get a hold of good peaches and would like to make one, here’s the recipe I posted just a few short weeks ago.

Kuri Squash with Tangerine

These are Kuri squash and if you see them in a store near you be sure to buy some because — in my opinion — there is no other variety that tastes as good. Also, they’re not around for long, so you have to get them while the getting is good (usually during October and November). 

Look for Kuri near the overflowing acorn and butternut squash bins. There may only be a small basket of them. 

But do look. They’re worth the time and yes, they are more expensive than the others, but it’s a treat, even if you only cook it once a season.

Kuri are hard shelled, which makes them difficult to peel. You’ll do best with roasting. Cut the squash into quarters, scoop the seeds, wrap the halves in aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 50-60 minutes, or until the flesh is tender. 

Kuri flesh sweet, like all winter squashes, especially when you roast it. The texture is soft and velvety in a way, like chestnut. You don’t need to add any sweetener, but if you must, a tablespoon or two of brown sugar or honey for an entire squash is sufficient.

To make a quick casserole side dish, scoop the flesh from the shell, put it in a bowl and mash it with juice — maybe tangerine or orange juice or apple cider. Add a sprinkle of one spice or another: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, allspice, and so on. If you like it richer, whip in a small amount of butter.

I buy several kuri squash when I see them and pack away the cooked flesh in small freezer packages. Then I have what I need to make a vegetable side dish or soup or muffins, quickbread and so on. 

You can freeze the cooked Kuri squash for about 2 months. I froze a few batches yesterday and also made this side dish, which got terrific reviews:

Kuri Squash with Tangerine

1 large Kuri squash

salt to taste

1 large tangerine

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash into quarters and remove the seeds. Sprinkle the quarters with salt. Wrap them in aluminum foil and close the foil tightly. Roast for 50-60 minutes or until tender. When cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh from the skin and place the flesh in a bowl. Grate the tangerine peel into the bowl. Cut the tangerine in half, scoop the seeds and pour the juice from one half into the bowl. Add the honey, butter, cinnamon and cayenne pepper and stir until well mixed. Taste for seasoning and add salt to taste. Makes 4-6 servings

Indiana Sugar Cream Pie

Ed and I are hosting a Veep Debate night at our house tomorrow so I wanted to find some foods from both Delaware and Wisconsin, the respective home states of Joe Biden and Paul Ryan.

Wisconsin was easy. Cheese. Cheese anything. It’s a no brainer. I could make Cheese Soup or Mac and Cheese or Grilled Cheese. So many choices.

But Delaware.

What?

Delaware cuisine?

So I went on the internet to find some inspiration and found a site that said it listed the Official Foods for all the states.

Official!

That sounded promising, but when I got there I saw that there was no official food for Wisconsin (but everyone knows it’s the cheese state). And there was nothing official for Delaware either.

In case you’re interested, Massachusetts has FIVE official foods.

Oklahoma has an official meal.

And then, as I was looking down the list of official foods of the other states my eyes zeroed in on —— Indiana! Because its official state food is Sugar Cream Pie!

Sugar Cream Pie!

Ohmyohmyohmy. Doesn’t that sound unbelievably wonderful? Sugar. Cream. It doesn’t get much better does it?

It’s really too bad no one from Indiana is debating because this sure sounds like a winner.

And that’s what I am serving for dessert. I made one for practice and you know, it tastes as good as it sounds.

Indiana Sugar Cream Pie.

Who knew?

Sugar Cream Pie

half recipe for pie dough

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups half and half (or heavy whipping) cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Place the dough in the pie plate and make a fluted rim around the edge. Set aside. Place the brown sugar, flour and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk the ingredients thoroughly to form a uniform mixture. Mix the cream and vanilla extract together and pour it into the brown sugar mixture. Whisk ingredients to blend thoroughly. Pour the mixture into the pie plate. Mix the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the surface of the pie. Bake the pie for about one hour, or until browned on top and set in the center. Look at the pie about halfway through baking. If the crust seems to darken too much, place some aluminum foil loosely around the edge for the remainder of the baking time. Let the pie cool in the pan. Serve at room temperature or cool.

Makes 8-10 servings

Squash Bread with Kefir

When my kids were little we had lots of books in the house. There were favorites of course, like “Come Over to My House” by Theo LeSieg (aka Dr. Seuss). We’ve kept some of them (that particular one has been read so many times that it is falling apart).

But there was one book, whose title I can’t recall (and I can’t find the book) that ended with a recipe for pumpkin bread.

If anyone knows the title/author — I would surely appreciate if you could tell me.

Anyway, at the time I’d never heard of pumpkin bread, which became increasingly popular as the years rolled by. But the idea of such a thing intrigued me, if only because I was familiar with other quick breads like cranberry-orange and banana.

So I tried the recipe and liked the result.

But it was only a beginning. Over the years I’ve made dozens of versions of pumpkin bread.

Including this one, using kefir because I happen to have some in the house. 

You can substitute buttermilk of course, or yogurt. And use more vegetable oil if you don’t like or have coconut oil. Also, use any kind of winter squash, pumpkin or otherwise.

Squash Bread with Kefir

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted, or vegetable oil

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 cup mashed cooked squash

3/4 cup raisins

1/3 cup kefir (or buttermilk)

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9”x5”x3” loaf pan. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a bowl and set it aside. Beat the brown sugar, coconut oil and vegetable oil with a handheld or electric mixer set at medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the squash and raisins and beat the mixture to blend the ingredients thoroughly. Add the flour mixture, stirring only enough to blend in the dry ingredients. Add the kefir and vanilla extract and stir them in. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for one hour or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan 15 minutes, then invert onto a cake rack to cool completely. Makes one loaf. 

Pear and Green Tomato Chutney

I goofed. Really, really goofed.

This past summer I decided to plant tomatoes. Just one plant, because in years gone by the deer came and ate everything, flowers, tiny green fruit and all. So I gave up for a while, but this year risked it with one plant.

But I did it too late. So in late August when everyone was harvesting gorgeous red fruit from their vines, my plants were flowering. I got some lovely green tomatoes by mid-September and thought I had a chance to get some good red ones — if only there was time and temperature. Well it got colder at night. And the earth is in a different place with respect to the sun (thanks Galileo!).

The tomatoes were getting bruised looking and ratty. Some had soft spots. 

I realized I would not get one red tomato this year.

Never mind. This became the perfect opportunity to make green tomato chutney, don’t you agree?

Next year I’ll start earlier. The deer have found greener pastures than my back yard.

Btw, if you prefer, make this with apples instead of pears.

Pear and Green Tomato Chutney

• 6 medium pears, peeled, cored and chopped

• 2 pounds green tomatoes, chopped

• 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped

• 2 small chili peppers such as serrano, deseeded and chopped

• 1 large clove garlic, chopped

• 1-1/2 cups chopped dried apricots

• 1 cup golden raisins

• 1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger

• 3 cups apple cider vinegar

• 2 cups brown sugar

• 1-1/2 tablespoons curry powder

• 1 tablespoon mustard seed 

Place the pears, tomatoes, onions, chili peppers, garlic, apricots, raisins, ginger, vinegar, brown sugar, curry powder and mustard seed in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 2-1/2 hours or until very thick.

Makes about 2-1/2 quarts