The end is the beginning is the end …

The end of the year is always an interesting time. People turn introspective, looking back on the past year. Evaluating. Discussing. Hey, I do it myself and usually I write about it too. But this year, I wanted to take a different approach.

See, I could write a week or more of posts looking back. But I didn’t want to do that. Instead, I offer you several lists detailing my favs from the past year. And at the end, I recapped my resolutions — which amazingly I was pretty successful with.

Once you’ve read through my favorites, be sure to share a few of your own in the comments below. I can’t wait to hear about the things you loved in 2009.

Happy New Year! Read the rest of this entry…

Usually, at the end of the year, I do a few year-end wrap ups. I really didn’t want to do days and days of that this year (there will be a fun list post tomorrow though!). So, this year I decided to do it a little differently.

Every year, many publications put out lists of what they think the food trends for the following year will be. I’ve always thought it was an interesting thing … something just out of my reach. But this year, I had a few thoughts on where food is going next. So, why can’t I join in?

Without further ado, these are my very own food trend predictions for 2010. Enjoy!

Fewer Better

The restaurant industry has been hit hard by the recession. People just aren’t eating out as much, since they can’t afford it. That means restaurant closings, layoffs and more. I don’t foresee that stopping quite yet.

In 2010, I think we will see a landscape of fewer restaurants — but the ones that remain will be producing better food with better ingredients. Survival of the fittest and all that.

Slimming Down

Dear Butter and Bacon, We still love you. But we need some time apart. Sorry, but our days of weaving bacon baskets and buttering our butter are over. But, we wish you the best.

In the past few years, there has been what seemed like a disregard for calories and nutrition when it came to good food. High in fat? So what, as long as it’s tasty, right? Not anymore. Documentaries in recent years like Food, Inc. and Super Size Me have bought to the forefront the problems of our food system and eating habits in the U.S. and I think people are finally listening.

In 2010, I think we will see a larger focus on producing not only healthier food (and recipes) but a mainstream push for it. It won’t be a fat-free revolution, but it will be a lightening up of recipes.

More Local

There’s been a brewing movement of local-eating and sustainable growing for quite awhile. The term CSA (that’s community supported agriculture) has entered the mainstream vocab. More people are interested in buying locally, supporting local food systems and even growing their own. Totally a good shift.

In 2010, I think we will see this trend really get a solid footing as a “norm” for more people. Furthermore, I think we will see a great increase in home growing.

More Cook with Kids Resources

People are still being deeply impacted by unemployment and the down economy. As a result, the things families do together have shifted. Less nights at restaurants, more eating at home. Less time spent spending at the local more, and more time on at-home activities … like cooking.

The book world and the internet are noticing. In 2010, I think we’ll see a great increase on resources to help parents get into the kitchen with their kids and spend some good ol’fashioned time cooking together. And really, it’s so fun. You should be doing it anyway. I do!

What do you think the big food trends will be in 2010? Share in the comments!

What do you do on New Year’s Eve? Nearly every year for as long as I can remember, I have stayed home, watched a movie and ate some delicious food. At midnight, I always have some sort of sparkling wine or champagne.

Back when I was a teen, our family tradition was to eat a spread of appetizers in lieu of dinner: ultra-hot buffalo wings, spicy nachos and mozzarella sticks. Then we’d watch a movie that ended just in time for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. These days, I still watch the movie. However, dinner is takeout eaten earlier in the evening with the kids.

But I still love the idea of an apps spread.

Looking for a great appetizer for your New Year’s Eve celebration? These 10 fabulous appetizers (after the jump) are perfect. Read the rest of this entry…

Twas the afternoon before Christmas. No, really. It was.

While Paige napped on Christmas Eve, Will and I set about to make some Oatmeal Scotchies – one of my very favorite cookies. We measured and mixed, and everything was going perfectly … until I discovered that we were out of the rolled oats (as in the canister of unflavored oatmeal). What we did have was a canister of quick-cooking steel-cut oats from Trader Joe’s. Without another thought, I measured and mixed the oats into the dough and we finished making cookies.

I didn’t question the plan until I slid the first tray into the oven. Would the oats cook enough not to have that raw, crunchiness? Would the flavor be off? Would they totally flatline in the oven?

Twelve minutes later, I had my answer. These cookies are dense, with a slightly different texture that mimics the oatmeal that you make with this cut of oat. The flavor is rich, though less buttery than the traditional recipe, and dotted with the sweet little hints of butterscotch. They were good. Very good.

But the true test is what everyone else thinks, right? Will and Paige enjoyed them, and Shawn raved about them.

These get better with age, so make them a day ahead and store them in an air tight container. Also, you should know that these are more filling than your average cookie, so don’t be surprised if your kids only eat half of one. With the size of the batch, you can easily freeze some to have on hand when the sweet tooth strikes.

You may also like:

• Peanut Butter Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
• Chocolate Chip Cookies with a Hint of Oats
• Blueberry Oatmeal Cake

Read the rest of this entry…

The wrapping is nearly done. Seventeen gift bags and baskets of cookies and other confections have been made and delivered. The tree is lit, the outdoors decorated. Butter is softening for a few more batches of cookies. The stockings are hung and the milk is chilling for that big guy in the red suit. All of this can mean only one thing: It’s Christmas Eve.

This evening, we will don our finery and head to a beautiful Christmas Eve service. Then we will pick up Chinese food and head home. We’ll change into our PJs, watch a Christmas movie and eat. It’s going to be grand.

The kids are excited beyond belief. This is the first year that they’ve both shared in the excitement. It’s a wonderful, wonderful thing. I cannot wait to see their faces tomorrow morning …

From all of us here in the Sarah’s Cucina Bella household to all of you, have a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Holidays and a joyous weekend.

When the air hits that certain cold temperature and you can see puffs of breath whenever you go outside, you know it’s time for hearty meals. You know, ones that will warm you from the inside out like stews, roasts, chowders … and also chili.

I love chili. It reminds me of ski lodges, chair lifts and snow covered mountains. When I was younger, I was an avid skier and loved to fold into the lodge between runs for a hot lunch. Among my favorite bits? You guessed it – Chili. I haven’t skied in years, though I would love to.

Anyway, back to the chili. For me, it has to be topped with cheddar cheese and, if it’s spicy, it needs some avocado too.  Shawn likes his with a dollop of sour cream and a big sprinkle of cheddar. Paige isn’t yet a big fan of spiciness, but Will loves it, so he gobbles chili right up. Gosh, I hope Paige discovers a love of spiciness soon.

This chili is beanfree and ultra meaty. It has the glorious smokiness of the chipotle peppers, with the slight sweetness of the red onion. When you take a bite, you are hit with those flavors first, and then a hearty sting of spiciness. It’s divine. If you like chili, that is.

What’s your favorite cold-day meal? Share! Read the rest of this entry…

Our massive lawn is buried deep beneath snow. Our driveway is still white, though passable even with my little Civic. And those big C9 lights that I rushed to put up a few weeks ago really glisten against the wintery backdrop. It’s a winter wonderland out there.

For the first time in years, Will got on a sled this weekend. It was a big thing. See, as a toddler, he tried sledding once and went flying. He wasn’t injured, but he was frightened by it all. So, this is the first year in years that he actually gave it another try. As it turns out, he now absolutely loves the rush of it all. Heck, so do I. Paige tried sledding too and liked it … until she started to get cold. And that was that.

It’s been hard to get fully into the Christmas spirit this year. It seems like in a blink of an eye we went from Halloween to the week of Christmas. I’ve barely had time to stop and enjoy it along the way. And since I did most of our shopping online this year (free shipping really does rock!), I wasn’t as exposed to the carols and hustle-bustle of mall shopping. I know most people hate it, but I kind of like it myself.

Anyway, don’t take any of this the wrong way–I can’t wait for Christmas to come.

The best news? This week things have started to fall mentally into place. A family holiday party this weekend was filled with laughs and the joy of seeing all the kids running around together. Then the Sunday snowstorm sent us outside to play. We’ve finally trimmed the tree and begun wrapping presents. Although I said I wouldn’t, I made some holiday treats too. We have more baking planned for later this week … and I think I might take the kids to their first ever Christmas Eve service. It is my favorite of the year.

Now, for Christmas Eve, I don’t cook. It’s a night for takeout in this house. However, if I were to cook Christmas Eve dinner, this recipe would be on the menu. These delicious shrimp are cooked in a rich sauce of butter, garlic, shallots and a hint of lemon (yes, it seems like a lot of lemon when you add it, but the flavor mellows during the cooking process). I just love these, and so did the kids.

I also love that they are easy and fast to make.

So, tell me, am I the only one who’s felt like the last few months have flown by? Have you had a hard time getting into the spirit too?
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Peppermint. Dark chocolate. White chocolate. Those flavors together just scream winter and holidays and good times. It’s hard to believe that I went so many years without tasting this delightful combination, but ever since I did, I’ve been hooked. Love it.

In the past few years, I’ve made a delicious (and easy!) Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark, created some simply irresistible Deconstructed Peppermint Bark Cookies and a decadent Chocolate Peppermint Pie. There was also a chocolate peppermint roulade, which I must have never blogged about. In any case, I wanted one more to my chocolate peppermint list: Peppermint Bark Coated Pretzels.

Oh, these are divine. They take all the goodness of regular peppermint bark and wrap it around a small, salty pretzel. A little crunch, a little sweet, a little salt … oh what a combination.

Make up a batch of these babies and give ‘em away this week. Or, maybe just eat them yourself. They are amazing.
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Some foods you grow up with, so they naturally become a part of your adult eating repertoire. Other foods you discover as an adult and fall in love with. Flank steak falls decidedly into the second category for me.

Honestly, I hadn’t even heard of flank steak until a few years ago when I spied it on the meal plan at a weight-loss site that I frequented. Having never heard of it, it piqued my interest, so I kept my eye open for it. When I finally found it at Costco, I bought some to try. I am so glad that I did–the whole family loves it.

Flank steak is a lean meat, which is really good if you are watching your weight or fat intake. It’s also naturally boneless. According to The Food Lover’s Companion (Deluxe Edition), flank steak comes from the lower hindquarters of a cow. And broiling? That’s the usual method of cooking (and what this recipe uses).

What I love about this recipe is that it makes a flavorful flank steak that can easily feed my family for two meals. The marinade imparts a nice tang with accents of garlic and herbs. Be sure to buy about two pounds if you want to do that too — so that you have enough. Paired with macaroni and cheese, some corn and a salad, this is warming and comforting. But, served with roasted broccoli and rice, it’s a whole other meal. Love that.

Do you have a food favorite that you discovered as an adult? Share!

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Do you have a sweet tooth? My kids and I do. Seriously. So does Shawn. We could eat cookies and cakes and pies all day long. But, indulging that sweet tooth daily with cakes and pies and cookies and brownies … well, that wouldn’t exactly be good for us, right? So we don’t. Instead, we have sweets once in a while and in moderation. When you eat like that, you don’t want to settle for just any sweet treat. It has to be breathtaking. Magnificent. Mouthwatering.

This pie? It’s all that and more. Heck, it’s positively craveworthy. The rich and creamy chocolate filling is enhanced with the addition of instant coffee making it absolutely decadent. And it’s so ultra smooth, just like a perfect, wonderful chocolate truffle. In a word: amazing.

But seriously, don’t take my word for it. Just make it yourself. You’ll thank me.

Another fantastic pie? The Chocolate Peppermint Pie that I developed for SheKnows. It’s also amazingly smooth and creamy and will leave you drooling for more (or clamoring for more, if you prefer). What makes it just a bit different is that it has a twist of cool peppermint, like a wonderful peppermint hot chocolate … mmm. I’m making both of these pies for Christmas. I can hardly wait.

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