Posts from — November 2008

OK, friends, I’m not really one to do these sorts of things, but Robin Sue at Big Red Kitchen tagged me for this meme, and so how can I say no?

But one more thing before you plunge into the below lists: We are T-1 day to Thanksgiving. As in, it’s tomorrow! Oh. My. Gosh. Something I’ve been meaning to tell you, planning to tell you for the past few weeks is that, this year, I will be doing the family feast. Yes, you read that right. My mom will still be making pumpkin pie, mainly because hers is perfect. But the rest is me. This whole prospect is terrifying and exciting, both, lightened only slightly by the fact that we are trimming the meal down because of location—we’re celebrating at the Wisconsin cabin. In fact, we are driving there right now. When I return, I promise stories, recipes and a full review of everything in between. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!


On with the meme!

7 Things I Did before
1. Went to college in Florida
2. Went to college in Wisconsin
3. Earned a degree—in education!?
4. Worked at an insurance agency
5. Went back to college, this time in Illinois
6. Wrote for newspapers and magazines
7. Edited books as an intern

7 Things I Do Now
1. Read food blogs
2. Feel inspired by food blogs
3. Try new recipes!
4. Fail in the kitchen!
5. Wonder why I even try
6. Succeed in the kitchen!
7. Wonder why everyone doesn’t love cooking!

7 Things I Would Like To Do
1. Try sushi
2. Bake a perfect pie crust (This one was very close)
3. Play with my two favorite kids
4. Conquer souffle
5. Create a delicious Thanksgiving meal (Done! Thanksgiving 2008)
6. Enjoy another food group as much as I do cookies
7. Take a cooking class

7 Things That Attract Me to the Opposite Sex
1. Passion for God
2. Kindness
3. Strength/Courage
4. The ability to tell a good story
5. Intelligence
6. Self sacrifice
7. Sense of humor

7 Foods I Love
1. Neapolitan-style pizza
2. Grandma’s oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies
3. Italian bread
4. Anything with garlic—Lots of Garlic!
5. Warm Cobbler with ice cream on top
6. My dad’s amazing coffee
7. My mom’s fork-tender pot roast

7 Things I Say Most Often
1. Oh my gosh.
2. Interesting!
3. Right?
4. I am so serious.
5. That’s funny.
6. Thank you.
7. I love you.

And if you’ve made it this far, you deserve a prize. How about a photo of one of my mom’s Thanksgiving turkeys from a few years ago?

Yeah. Good thing there’s no pressure.

To tell you about my dad, I could highlight some of the grand gestures he’s made, and he’s made many. He bought me a diesel Volkswagon before my sophomore year of college, for example, which saved me tons of gas money through years of Wisconsin-to-Illinois road-trips and which is the same car I drive today. He had me investing in the stock market at 17; he helped me find my first job; he paid for braces, private schools, vacations and more things than I can remember. He put me through college and grad school.

But to really demonstrate why I love him, I’d rather tell you about simpler, everyday things. Like the other day while he waited for my mom’s car to be repaired, he called to tell me Macy’s was having a 55% off sale. Like every time he notices my gas is low, he quietly borrows my car and fills the tank. When I told him I liked listening to a certain talk radio station, he bought me an XM radio for my car, handed me the box one night like it was the mail. It was a good deal, he said.

My dad isn’t just a good father; he is a true friend, the kind of person I’d like even if we weren’t related. He loves sacrificially, taking the dog out Every. Crazy. Morning. In the cold, dark barely daylight. He always has time for people, whatever the situation or problem. I could call him, any time day or night, to tell him I had a flat tire or was stuck somewhere, and he’d come, no questions. I know because he has. Along with my mom, he has been my biggest fan in every life change, he’s always on my side and he is the person who everyone, not just his daughter, goes to for advice.

So Dad: Thanks for being the kind of man I look up to, love and want to be like. I can never out-give all you’ve given me.

Happy birthday.

In case anyone’s keeping track, I have not given up on pie. No, sir. In fact, since the Great Pumpkin Pie Disaster, I’ve tried again not once, but twice. (And I’ll be darned if I’m not going to find a way to screw up a few more well-meaning crusts, too. My dear friend Kelley sent me her go-to, and my old roommate Sonja teases me with promises that her grandma’s is the best. We shall see.)

Observing these things, my mom, kind woman that she is, went so far as to assure me she’s got Thanksgiving’s pumpkin pie covered this year. This was after my brother begged her to promise not to let me mess it up. This family of mine, they’re cheerleaders, you can tell.

All these things withstanding, no matter how many signs the universe sends that pie crust is just not my thing, along with skiing, swimming or, let’s face it, any sport requiring a level of coordination, I have not given up. Won’t give up. Am determined to get the hang of this stuff if it’s the last thing I do.

(Pie, are you listening? It’s you and me, and it’s war. And I’m winning this one, OK?)

I might need a minute.

Well, in honor of fellow underdogs across the world, I am happy to tell you, I had a small victory this weekend: a battle won, you could say. After reading Pioneer Woman’s promise about a pie crust being fantastic and wonderful and you-can’t-mess-it-up good, after looking through her step-by-step photos and assuring myself I could do what she did, I tried her recipe. And, are you ready? She was right.

The recipe makes three crusts, which you can freeze or use right away. That’s right. Could it be better?

The first, I made a variation on Emeril’s pumpkin custard pie—key word being variation. Not. Good. The lesson from that disaster was that molasses is rip-your-tongue-out disgusting in pumpkin pies. But also, that the crust wasn’t half-bad. With a decent filling, we might be on to something.

Sunday, I used the other two, one becoming a spinach quiche and the other housing yet another pumpkin pie (if you’re counting, that’s pumpkin-pie try #3). These turned out perfect: flaky, not-too-thick, ideal with both the savory tart/quiche and the sweet pie.

You can’t see me right now, but I’m practically punching the air with my fists in sheer joy. It’s Rocky Balboa meets Michael Phelps at the Olympics. Success at last! The recipe for the pumpkin filling comes right off the pumpkin can, so I’ll leave you to find that for yourselves. My only exception was using milk and corn starch instead of evaporated milk, which just made the custard need more time in the oven. Otherwise, it’s a classic. It’s tasty. It’s the one to try.





Now, the quiche? That was my real masterpiece. I didn’t even know I liked quiche. It’s not at all eggy—much more savory and filled with bursts of chopped spinach, cheddar and parmesan cheeses and chopped green onions. It’d make a happy breakfast, a satisfying lunch, maybe even a dinner—or, as I like it, slices for snacks all day long.

In my opinion, the mark of a good pie crust, beyond my being able to create it, is versatility. I’d like it to be simple, yes. Tasty, of course. But what’s really fantastic is a pie crust you can use when you want to—freeze it today and make it Thanksgiving or next week or whatever—and fill with what you want—be it pumpkin pie or spinach quiche.

I made these Sunday afternoon, around 4:30 PM. By 9:00, they were already more than half gone. In my book, that’s a victory. Hear that, pie? One point for me.

Spinach Quiche
Adapted from Bon Appetit, October 1991

Ingredients:
Crust recipe from Pioneer Woman Cooks
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 eggs
10 ounces fresh baby spinach, washed, drained and chopped
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F. After defrosting the pie crust (15 minutes if it’s been frozen), roll it out on a flour surface to about 11 inches in diameter. Transfer to 9-inch tart pan. Push and trim edges to fit pan neatly.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a medium bowl), beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in cream and eggs. Mix in remaining ingredients. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is set, about 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

*Becky & Pumpkin Pie: For those of you who are curious, very ironically, no-pumpkins Becky tried her first Sunday, the same day I made this pie. And this is worth saying: she liked it.

Every now and then, it’s good to be reminded of one’s relative unimportance, I think. To say to yourself: I am just one of the many __________, for heaven’s sake! (Insert your title there, be it waitress or lawyer or salesperson or, well, you know, copywriter.) In the grand scheme of things, life will go on without me, and everyone will be fine. What seems so important in the light of a few angry exchanges today won’t matter a bit in a few years (Or months! Or days!) from now. In fact, some time all too soon, I probably won’t even remember it.

Do you ever have days like that? Days where you are repeating to yourself handy little sayings like, “You aren’t a brain surgeon, you know?” (Unless, of course, you are a brain surgeon, in which case I don’t know what you say to yourself when having such a day. But, on second thought, you probably don’t even get that luxury, and you’re definitely not reading my little blog. My outlook is improving already.)

Well, here’s what I suggest next time it happens to those of you who understand, right after you tell your best friend or closest family member the whole story and listen to them tell you they still like you even if you do make mistakes once in a while: go to the kitchen.

I know, I know, this is sort of my end-all solution for things, and that can seem a little false. But don’t knock it until you try it. Pick something you want to make—something delicious and sugary and with a wow factor if possible—and see if there’s a way to have the kitchen to yourself. Then, with nothing but some music or even total quiet if you’d like, focus on nothing—nothing!—else but putting ingredients together and watching the outcome.

I did this the other night with pumpkin soup, the recipe for which I got out of my friend Alicia, after her Facebook status referenced it, and I said I had to have it. That Alicia, she’s a nice one. In college, when she was a professor and my brother and I were students, she had us over for spinach-artichoke dip, and I knew I liked her.

Her soup, as easy as it is perfectly delicious, is a warm, creamy mixture of pumpkin, spices, onions, garlic and milk and cream. It feels comforting on your throat, with the kick of curry and coriander, and is so tasty, you’ll be saying things like, That Alicia! She’s really something! too.

Alicia’s Pumpkin Soup
Halved Recipe

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onions, chopped
1 teaspoons minced garlic
1/16 to 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
Pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)
1.5 (each 15-ounce size) cans of 100 percent pumpkin, or 6 cups of chopped roasted pumpkin*
2.5 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup of milk
1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:
Melt butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add spices and stir for a minute more.

Add pumpkin and chicken broth; blend well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Transfer soup, in batches, to a blender or food processor. Cover tightly and blend until smooth. Return soup to saucepan.

With the soup on low heat, add brown sugar and mix. Slowly add milk while stirring to incorporate. Add cream. Adjust seasonings to taste. If a little too spicy, add more cream to cool it down. You might want to add a teaspoon of salt.