Hey fig. Yeah you. Hey fig figgy fig fig fig.

(Apologies to Nine Inch Nails. I just couldn’t help myself.)

When my shipment of figs arrived last week, I quickly got to work eating, preparing and cooking them. Figs have a ridiculously short lifespan, so I had to while they were fresh. My first recipe for figs was so simple, just prosciutto, figs and balsamic vinegar. It was a great way to ease in. But after that, I wanted more. Next up was a fresh fig tart.

Creating this recipe for figs was all about balance. It had to be sweet, tart and rich, without being too much of any of these. Super-sweet figs are baked into a flaky crust with tart marmalade and creamy brie cheese. The cheese, which isn’t a star here, plays a supporting role adding richness and a binder that bulls everything together. And the orange marmalade is a perfect contrast to the sweet fig slices.

This recipe for figs really isn’t complicated to make. But you’d never know that from the sophisticated fig tart that it produces. It’s the kind of thing that you’d share with your best girl friends with a glass of wine. Who can say no to that?

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When I went into the kitchen this afternoon, Paige came running in, dragging a chair behind her. “Mommy, I want to help.” I was there to clean, and told her so. “Then I’ll watch.”

And she did, waiting patiently until the counters were wiped clean and the dishes in the sink were washed or transferred to the dishwasher. She knew what was coming when I was done: cooking.

Paige and Will both revel in helping me in the kitchen. Even if it’s as simple as washing basil at the sink or transferring chopped veggies to a bowl, they’re happy to be involved in any way. And as a result, they know the difference between kale and lettuce, eggplant and pepper, and so many other foods.

It’s a good thing too. Whereas some foods do give me pause, the kids are unaffected. Eggplant in this dish? Yum. Mushrooms? Paige’s favorite. Peppers? Oooh. This rice dish could have been a hard-sell, but it wasn’t.

Will and I really enjoyed the flavors and textures of this Tomato Basil Veggie Rice. Really, anything with the vibrant combination of tomatoes and fresh basil is a favorite for me, but this rice also had that richness that you want with fall and winter foods. Paige wasn’t as into it though … but that’s okay. She ate quite a bit anyway.

This is a one pot dish that takes a little more than 30 minutes to whip up (most of it is hands off time), which makes it totally weeknight friendly. The rice cooks in a bath of vegetable stock and the juices from a can of diced tomato, rendering tender grains with a hint of sweet gravy. It’s a complex, contrasting story of flavors and textures: sweet and savory, meaty without meat, substantial without heaviness. The bits of diced tomato are a shock of sweet next to the meaty mushrooms and eggplant bits.

We eat this as a side dish with chicken, but the recipe could be a meal in of itself too.

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Last weekend, I was thinking up new recipes to work on when this idea for a veggie-filled chili came to mind. I’d almost call it a girl’s chili, but I truly hate when people refer to certain dishes as “man food,” so I surely shouldn’t be hypocritical and call this “girl food.”

It’s anyone who loves veggies food.

Really, this chili is all about fall produce. It begins with peppers, eggplant, leeks and kale — all from the farm where I get my CSA box … but you could easily find these in the grocery store or at the farmers market. The veggies, which are plentiful, bulk up the chili and make it feel substantial as you eat it. Once the veggies are all softened, you add in the (antioxidant-rich) tomatoes and beans … oh and the seasonings too. Then it just has to simmer.

You’ll notice that in the recipe, I am decidedly vague about the seasoning amount. Seasoning chili is a hard thing for me. While I love knock-your-socks-off hot chili, my husband and kids don’t. Not even close. So I always have to go mild for them. For myself, I and then doctor mine so that it has that bite that I crave.

Maybe someday we can be on the same page about the heat? Maybe? Eh, who am I kidding …

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When I first started freelancing, Will was an infant — one who didn’t cry a lot but who was still vocal. Very vocal. Back then, I freelanced mostly for a local newspaper and my work required me to conduct phone interviews often with Will playing in a baby gym or Exersaucer nearby. Sometimes, I took him with me on assignments too. Fortunately, everyone I dealt with was understanding when our interviews were punctuated by yells of Ah-GOOOOOOOO.

That’s what made working online so alluring. Will could make as much noise as he wanted, and it was fine. I could cook, blog and later even photograph things and noise was a non-issue. And the freedom of it all? It made everything so worth it.

These days, with two kids I’ve learned that noise can get a whole lot bigger than baby coos. Also, I’ve grown accustomed to having the sounds of play around almost constantly … except with school back in, they aren’t so constant anymore. Several afternoons each week, I am all alone at home while both kids are in school. And instead of savoring the silence, it’s deafening. I find myself turning on music or the television for background noise. Go figure.

As much as I appreciate having those hours alone to work, it’s just different — and that can put me a little off-kilter. While I am still adjusting to the new school year, I find that a little comfort food (and of course background noise) helps.

These Rich Chocolate Toffee Brownies, served with a cold glass of milk, are perfect for that. These fall more towards the cake-y end of the spectrum, baking up moist and dense. Bits of toffee dot the batter and bake into it, a secret surprise that sneaks up on you. It’s delightful.

Besides the secret bits of toffee, these have another secret ingredient: Starbucks VIA. I use Decaf Italian Roast in them to really bring out the chocolate flavor. It makes them irresistibly rich (as instant coffee does for any chocolate baked good). Thanks to Starbucks for the VIA to make these, and be sure to scroll all the way down to the end of this post to learn about the giveaway.

Tell me, do you find the adjustment to a silent house hard when kids are in school?

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When you mention figs, many people hesitate to answer. There’s this pause, a long trying-to-find-the-most-non-offensive-thing-to-say pause. And then, there’s an “Eh … ”

Except most often, when you press those same hesitant people, they admit that their exposure to figs has been limited to a certain cookie and other baked goods. They haven’t experienced a delicate fresh fig, and they don’t know what a fig really tastes like.

So, I want to ask you all: Do you like figs? Have you had fresh ones?

Honestly, I fell into the hesitant category of people until a few years ago when I tasted fresh figs at an event held at Tom Colicchio’s Craftbar. A black mission fig was served with a piece of Olive Oil Cake and Rosemary Ice Cream … and though I was skeptical at first bite, I quickly discovered that I loved figs.

What are figs? Figs, pictured above, are a teardrop-shaped fruit with a smooth, edible skin, sweet flesh and tiny seeds in the middle. They can be eaten raw or used in fig recipes like fig jam, fig tarts and fig bars. I’ve also had figs on kabobs with Halloumi cheese – delish.

Figs are also rather good for you. According to the California Fig Advisory Board, figs are high in dietary fiber and have a good amount of calcium, iron and potassium too. They’re a total eat-without-guilt food.

The California Fig Advisory Board recently sent me a generous package of California Fresh Black Mission (top), Sierra (middle), and Brown Turkey (bottom) figs to experiment with in my kitchen.. Since this was the first time I used figs in my home cooking, I decided to ease in with a really simple fig recipe that I’ve been eying in a cookbook for years. This recipe with figs comes from Curtis Stone’s Cooking with Curtis.

Although the cookbook suggest this as an appetizer, it also makes a really easy lunch. It was the perfect re-introduction to figs. The salty prosciutto, sweet figs and sweet-tart balsamic with the crunchy grissini have all the right contrasting flavors and textures. It was amazing … and perfect for a quiet lunch while the kids were at school.

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Ahoy, me hearties. Today be buccanneer tide at me office. Me work shipmates an’ I dressed up like sea dogs. Thar be sea dog foods, games an’ treasure. It be a great, grand day.

I’m a big, huge, gigantic pirate fan. After hearing legends as a child of Captain Kidd allegedly burying treasure off the New England coast, I just fell in love with the lore and romantic pirate histories. Of course, the reality was far less romantic. My interest is more Captain Jack Sparrow than real-life pirates. (And for the record, I know that real life pirates are nasty … nothing like Jack.)

When my editor suggested we have a pirate party to celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day this week, I was all for it. I might have yelped in glee, but who’s counting? Today was our party (though the actual day was Sept. 19).

This was our treasure chest — filled with a few fun prizes for the pirate trivia game (I won!) and the hook game (we had to use a homemade hook hand to pick up five pretzels. That takes skills. Did I mention that my coworkers are awesome?

Oh, and of course we dressed up. Why would anyone skip the opportunity to dress like a pirate? Arggggg!

For my contribution to lunch, I brought a plate of Chicken Daggers, a fun take on skewers that’s fashioned after daggers (as in the knife). My coworkers brought fun pirate foods like anti-scurvy fruit salad and walk the plank cookies.

Making them is simple – you marinate strips of chicken (I cut mine from chicken breasts) until they are filled with flavor. Then you thread the chicken onto skewers with a thick slice of pepper and a pineapple chunk (the dagger handle). Once that’s all done, all you need to do is cook them.

Fun, right?

And hey, these aren’t just for Talk Like a Pirate Day. They’re allow a perfect food for a Halloween party. Think how awesome the daggers would look on a spooky buffet.

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When my husband and I heard that a macaroni and cheese place was opening nearby, we were psyched. Macaroni and cheese — the good homemade kind — is something we can all agree on and the idea of a place that does many varieties was totally alluring. Of course, it took months before we got to go there. When it finally opened this summer, we were so there.

MacDaddy’s in Monroe, Connecticut, is a smaller eatery set in an L-shaped strip mall. From the outside, you see the sign and the darkened windows. Yes, the windows have a dark coating to them. I don’t know why … maybe because some of the dishes are practically addictive?

Anyway, onto the macaroni.

The first time we went, we collectively tried the Mac U.S.A. (traditional mac and cheese with cheddar sauce), the Mac Doggy (with American and cheddar cheeses and sliced hot dogs) and the Mac French Onion (Gruyere cheese, caramelized onions and applewood bacon), which is pictured. Everything was served in cast iron skillets, which are sizzling hot when they arrive with an orange handle cover. (They have since started bringing separate cool dishes for kids — which is a great move. Those skillets were dangerous for the little ones.)

The kids enjoyed their Mac U.S.A.s, but more so when I salted their dishes. The sauce is okay, but nothing to phone home about. The addition of a little ground mustard and a little more salt would go a long way. My Mac French Onion also needed a little more salt. Shawn was happy with his — but thought that the salty dogs probably helped. Overall, it was okay — and okay enough that I was willing to give it a second shot. Read the rest of this entry…

There’s been a serious and welcome chill in the air the past few days. It’s allowed the kids and me to crawl into our flannel pajamas and pull on our favorite socks (mine are fuzzy!). These things – these garments – are a lot like comfort food: something that’s both calming and familiar. It’s been nice.

All this coolness has me thinking about Fall and winter veggies — the winter squashes, potatoes, apples and of course Brussels sprouts. Oh, Brussels sprouts, they are definitely a comfort food for me.

You all know how much I adore Brussels sprouts. Or, if you didn’t, now you do. I am always on the hunt for new ways to make them. For awhile, I was obsessed with Roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon and shallots, then Sauteed Brussels sprouts with lemon vinaigrette became my bff and last year it was Brussels sprouts with bacon and melty blue cheese.

But this year? It’s all about the braising, baby.

This recipe produces tender, toasty, slightly caramelized Brussels sprouts with a killer sweet-savory-sensational flavor. They’re warm, fast and easy … and the shallots, which totally caramelize during cooking, are a nice supporting note. These are easy enough to make on a busy weeknight. And the recipe is so simple that it can easily be doubled or tripled.

What’s also great about these is that the sprouts develop that sweet whisper and shed any bit of bitterness during cooking. So they’re savory … but have that little inkling of sweet too.

Did I mention fast? One thing I have learned over the years is that I like my Brussels sprouts to cook pretty fast and without a lot of hands-on time. This recipe does that with its sear and braise method. And despite cooking them in liquid, the Brussels sprouts don’t end up mushy or flavorless. I can’t tell you how much I detest mushy Brussels sprouts. It’s a waste.

The recipe serves four as a side dish … unless you adore sprouts like me. Then it might feed fewer people. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.

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Oh, brownies … served warm or cold, with ice cream or not, they are such a super treat. These ones, from an old family recipe, are thin but super fudgy brownies with a light, crackly top. Heavenly!

This recipe, called Agnes’ Brownies, is adapted very slightly from my handwritten and bound family cookbook. Agnes wasn’t a family member (or, at least I don’t think she was) — she was the local reverend’s wife and probably lived somewhere nearby my family (the church was walking distance from the family homestead).

These were part of last weekend’s bake-a-thon (but don’t worry … this isn’t turning into a sweets or baking blog. It’s just been that kind of week. We’ll be back to savory foods on Monday).

Back to the brownies …  If you are shy about homemade brownies made with melted chocolate, you aren’t alone. I was too. But you can’t beat the flavor of a really good unsweetened chocolate (I used Ghiradelli’s Bittersweet Chocolate for these) and the ensuing fudginess.

And here’s a little tip I learned recently: If you want your brownies to look as fudgy as they are, cut them using a plastic knife. It totally works.

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When it comes to desserts, my sweet tooth knows no bounds. It’s something that Will inherited from me. That little guy loves cookies, cakes … anything sweet. Paige, on the other hand, is less sweet-addicted. Sometimes she wants dessert, other times she simply says “No, thank you.” Now, offer her some fresh mozzarella and she’s a happy girl. It’s kind of amazing, shocking and unbelievable all rolled up together — at least to this sweets lover.

This little, easy dessert? It’s a fabulous dreamy thing for this sweets lover. It starts with soft, lightly sweet madeleine cookies. They are bathed in a layer of caramel. Then, they’re sprinkled with freshly toasted coconut, which is a little nutty and has a nice crispness to it. Finally, milk chocolate is drizzled on top adding a glorious richness.

For the base – the madeleines – I used ones made by the company Donsuemor, which were a perfect introduction to this French confection. They’re available online or can be bought in stores like Fairway (Connecticut and New York).

The flavors are a riff on my favorite Girl Scout Cookie – Samoas. Oh, my kryptonite. I’ve been known to eat whole boxes without sharing. In a couple of sittings, of course. Not recently, of course. Honest. Really.

Anyway, once you’ve glazed, sprinkled and drizzled, you can either eat these babies hot or chill then until you are ready to eat. Either way, they are divine. And easy. Did I mention easy?

Oh, how cookies tempt me.
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