This dish just screams fall to me — so even though there were no Brussels sprouts in my CSA share this week, I couldn’t get these off my mind. When I first wrote about these Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Lemon Vinaigrette, the photos just didn’t do them justice. I mean, when you have a dish this mouthwatering, the photos should make everyone drool. I’ll be the first to admit that the photos from my old post didn’t do that.

Fresh Brussels sprouts are cut into rounds. It really has to be fresh ones — I’ve tried this with frozen sprouts and it just didn’t do the dish justice.

Then they are sauteed until tender and browned in spots. Finally, sauteed garlic is whisked with lemon juice and olive oil. That dressing is tossed with the sprouts and voila! You have this amazing, droolworthy dish of tangy veggies. Read the rest of this entry…

Heirloom Tomato and Provolone Sauce on pasta

Every fall, I make a big batch of Roasted Tomato Sauce (and, last year, tomato paste) and can it for wintertime. Opening up a jar of it in the dead of winter is glorious. It’s like bottling summertime. But this year I just haven’t gotten to it and really am not sure if I will. While I love having my own, fresh, homemade sauce ready to go, I’ve had a lot on my plate lately.

But I still want to make it.

In the meantime, I am small batch cooking with tomatoes. This lovely Heirloom Tomato and Provolone Sauce is a thick, hearty, slow-cooked sauce with a sharp, but craveworthy, taste. It’s enriched with a little butter too, an idea I gleaned from the latest issue of Bon Appetit (it’s in Molly Wizenberg’s column).

From tomatoes to sauce in a little over an hour ...

All in all, this sauce can be made in a little over an hour. You start by chopping tomatoes and crushing garlic. Toss it in the pan with a few other ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for an hour. Then, you puree the sauce, add the butter and cook for a few more minutes. Ready to serve.

Paige helped stir the ingredients together.

Paige and Will helped me make this sauce. Paige transferred most of the ingredients to the pan and stirred it all together. Meanwhile, Will ran the scraps out to the compost pile. They love helping in the kitchen — anyway that they are asked to.

Love that. Read the rest of this entry…

Fried Eggplant, Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Sandwich

Recipe creating is a hard process. It starts with an idea. Then it becomes an attempt at a recipe. Then it must be tested and retested and tweaked until it’s perfect. And sometimes, all the efforts in the world can’t make it right.

This sandwich was fabulous on the day that this photo was taken, back in August. The crispy fried eggplant was a beautiful contrast to the silky fresh mozzarella and the sweet, juicy tomato. Maybe I should I have stopped there, and been happy with it. But I wanted a slightly healthier version with all the flavor, but without frying.

I tried roasting the eggplant, but the resulting sandwich was less than appealing — all the fillings were soft. Too much mush, not enough contrast (or flavor). It was so bad that I haven’t wanted to eat eggplant since.

Now, I am not sure where to go next. Should I be content with the original effort and just perfect that recipe? Should I seek a baked version that has that crispiness? Should I abandon the eggplant or find another crispy element to make this perfect?

What do you think?

This is not your grandmother’s apple (or pear!) sauce. This sassy, sweet concoction is enhanced with ginger and nutmeg — an unlikely combination that totally works.

The creating of this recipe was totally by necessity. I just couldn’t let the fruit in my fridge down …

See, when I opened my refrigerator this morning, I was greeted with some sad produce (has that ever happened to you?). Try as I might, I have fallen far behind on my cooking. We eat veggies nightly, but not as many as I usually cook. We have cabbage begging to be used, corn to feed a crowd and lots of apples.

And then there were these three sad-looking pears. I adore pears, but seldom grab one to snack on. And these three formerly lovely pears were covered in brown spots. If my husband saw them, he would send them straight to the compost pile. But why? Why can’t they be salvaged?

So I set to work, peeling, chopping and mixing. I added a little apple, a touch of honey, some lime … and then the spices. Ground ginger and nutmeg. Finish it off with a bit of water, and we were set to see how this experiment works. Fortunately, it was delicious, and paired nicely with homemade hash browns.

What are you cooking today?

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Apple, Prosciutto and Walnut Salad might just be my official salad of fall 2010. It’s divine.

A few weeks ago, one of my cohorts at Tablespoon mentioned making an Apple Salad for this month’s content. Apple salad, I thought … should I grate it and toss with a little lemon and then add to a coleslaw? Should I do something with beets and apples? But then it came to me: Apples, Prosciutto, Walnuts, Cheddar … these are to-die-for together.

The crispy, sweet apples are a lovely contrast to the salty prosciutto, creamy cheese and meaty walnuts. Heaven on a plate, if you will.

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I’m sitting at my desk eating a turkey sandwich on 7-grain bread with a smear of roasted red pepper hummus and a slice of Swiss cheese. It’s divine. I didn’t bother to cut it in half, though I am a devoted sandwich-cutter (as yesterday’s turkey sandwich, above, shows). The house is quiet, still even. My kids are both in school, and I am here alone, save the two crazy beagles who are taking their mid-day nap.

It’s so quiet.

I’ve worked at home for more than two years, since I left my wonderful staff job to freelance full time. And for the past two years, I have almost constantly had my kids underfoot. It was what I left my job for. But right now, I am grateful for the quiet.

Two years ago, I would rush and rush to drop Will off to school in the afternoons and hope that Paige would remain asleep long enough for me to get a little work done before she needed her afternoon dose of eat, play, diaper change, nap, repeat. Last year, we made it out on time to get to school more often than not, but after drop off would be a rush to get Paige into bed for her nap and prayers that she actually would take one.

But now it’s quiet, and I really like it — despite how unnerving it is. Today, I ate a whole turkey sandwich without anyone asking for a bite, or a glass of water, or cookies for dessert. Shortly, I might pick up and run to the store, just because I can. Or, perhaps I will clean (that doesn’t sound as fun though) or even kick back for a little relaxation. (More likely I will just keep working …)

Whatever it is, it feels so nice to have this little spot of time to myself. Although I love the happy chaos of my kids being constantly underfoot, I also need the quiet moments to recharge. That turkey sandwich was phenomenal … not necessarily because it was the best one ever (though it was really very tasty), but because it’s something I got to do on my own. And that is very good for everyone.

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At a family party this weekend, my cousin made a beautiful salad of heirloom tomatoes, red onions, herbs, nectarines and a light vinaigrette from a local farm. It was brilliant. The sweetness of the nectarines are a lovely contrast to the onions and tomatoes. And the vinaigrette really brought it all together. It was absolutely amazing.

This salad is inspired by hers. I’ve switched up the herbs a bit and left out the red onions, though they would be a welcome addition. I’ve added a cucumber for crunch as well. And instead of the local vinaigrette, I made my own lime-walnut one. It light and complimentary for the flavors in the salad.

Paige and I made this salad this morning. The herbs came straight from our garden, picked minutes before we used them. Then, she feasted on it for lunch, asking for seconds. I daresay she loved this Heirloom Tomato and Nectarine Salad.

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Every Wednesday since the beginning of July, I’ve headed to a local organic farm where I belong to a Community Supported Agriculture program and picked up a box of fabulous, fresh veggies. We’ve feasted on fresh greens, tomatoes, squash and more this season. Oh, sweet joy. I’ll be so sad when the CSA is over, but thankfully I have stored many veggies for wintertime.

This week’s basket was overflowing with goodies. Tomatoes galore, corn, potatoes, eggplant, greens and several large delicious apples.

Apples are one of those fabulous signs that fall is here. The season is ushered in with cooler temperatures, and lingers until just about when we light the pumpkins on the front porch. I can hardly wait to head out and pick apples with the kids, a tradition we’ve upheld for years.

Last week, I made some delicious Homemade Cinnamon Applesauce. It’s a rich, sweet applesauce, perfect for any time of day. If you are looking for something to make with your apples, that’s my best suggestion.

As for the rest? Here are a few ideas:

• Tomatoes and Eggplant – Grilled Ratatouille
• Tomatoes – Gazpacho
• Potatoes – Beef Stew
• Greens – Swiss Chard with Garlic and Bacon

For the last five years or so, I have been a full-fledged, card-carrying member of the Cupcakes-Are-Easier club. Obviously, the small size — perfect for portion control (unless, of course, you eat several of them instead of just one), perfect for little hands, etc, etc …

But you know what? After making a cake for the first time in close to a decade, I recant. Cupcakes are cute, for sure, but they are not easier. All those little tins to fill with liners and batter. It’s a lot of work. Seriously. But cakes? Cakes are pretty simple.

You start by baking the cake and letting it cool completely. This one was a chocolate one, from a boxed mix. Sometimes I bake from scratch, other times I don’t. In this case, since I was working on the frosting recipe for Tablespoon, the cake wasn’t my primary focus so using the boxed mix let me focus right where I needed to.

Then, you level the cakes. And yes, this is a must-do. Basically, leveling the cakes is nothing more than cutting off the bulge on top of the cake, so that both layers have a flat top. Save the remnants — they are perfect for making trifles. You can even freeze them for later use.

Next, you fill and frost the cake. You can use a pastry bag or go ultra simple with a plain ol’ storage bag with a corner cut off. I have a few pastry tips that I use, though I only use one for any given project, so fancy decorating? Not here. In any case, it takes all of 10 minutes to level, fill and frost a cake in a rush, if that. And there is something so inviting, so decadent about a layer cake.

Color me a convert. Forget cupcakes — I am all for the full-on cake.

How about you? Are you still mad for cupcakes, or are you ready for a return to the real-deal cakes?

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Will is totally enthralled with those pre-packaged lunches at the supermarket that come with a few bits of meat, cheese and crackers in a shiny yellow container. I never buy them — honestly, I think they are gross. The meat is slimy, the cheese is mediocre … they look a lot better than they are.

But I am all for making my kids happy, so I decided to make my own for Will’s school lunch. It’s really just a fun combination lunch, which gives several tastes in a cute package, so it’s pretty easy to create yourself. How?

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