Missing Thanksgiving

     I woke up today wishing I had pictures and stories to share of yesterday's cooking and feasting.  I don't this year, and it feels a bit strange.  Higgins does a big Thanksgiving menu, and this was the first time I have worked on my favorite holiday.  Even though I did provide a Thanksgiving meal to others, it wasn't quite the same as cooking the meal from start to finish for my family and friends. 
     Nevertheless, I'm grateful.  I still spent my day with smells of juicy turkey, stuffing, gravy, and pumpkin soup, nibbling as the hours passed by.  I was surrounded by delicious desserts of pumpkin pie, chocolate pecan tarts, tapioca, and warm gingerbread cake....again lots of nibbling!  I am also lucky enough to work with people who make me laugh and smile.  And at the end of the night, when the patrons were home with full bellies, we all sat down to a Thanksgiving meal of our own.  You might think after 10 hours of working with one another, we would just want to get out of there, but the wine was flowing and the jokes were plentiful.  Indeed, we stayed around for a few more hours.  For all of this, I'm thankful.  I missed my family and our Thanksgiving traditions, but it was still a special day.
     Another thing I'm thankful for is the beautiful and unusually warm day we had here in Portland on Tuesday.  I was able to spend the afternoon wandering around Hawthorne doing a bit of holiday shopping. It was even nice enough to visit The Waffle Window at the back of the Bread and Ink Cafe and enjoy a waffle alfresco. 

     I love waffles, and this waffle was just the right size and price for an afternoon snack.  There are  plenty of sweet toppings, but I opted for a savory one- The Farm House- with spinach, onion, mushroom, roasted red pepper, and topped with lemon thyme chevre.  I could have added bacon to make it The Whole Farm.  It was tasty, and totally hit the spot on that sunny day.  Another touch I loved was the old blue floral print plate, why not still serve food on real dishes from a walk-up window?  I realize that now I'm going to have to investigate the other waffle food carts in Portland to make a fair comparison.  I think I can manage that one! 

Chocolate Babka

    Holiday baking is upon us, and I couldn't be happier.  Every year, my mom and I bake holiday cookies to give to friends and family; I love choosing the assortment.  Twisted candy canes, orange balls, snickerdoodles, hello dollies, nut crescents, iced sugar cookies in holiday shapes, jam filled cookies, cream cheese bars, white chocolate popcorn, peanut brittle, chocolate hazelnut sandwich cookies....the list could go down the page.
     However, this Christmas will be the first year I can't go home to Oklahoma.  Between needing nearly two days of travel and it being the busiest time of year at the restaurant, getting home for the holidays just doesn't work out. I've been feeling pretty down about it.  My family has a lot of Christmas traditions that make the celebration last for days, and I hate thinking about missing it all.  My favorite brunch with Papa's chocolate milkshakes, covering the house with decorations, playing Dirty Santa with 30 people, Christmas poppers with paper crowns, food, food, and more food, candlelight Christmas Eve service, eating grilled cheese and tomato soup in our Christmas Eve pajamas in front of our Christmas Eve movie, kids showing off their new toys, nonstop Christmas music on the radio, my mom's stockings (expertly stuffed, by the way) that she has sewn by hand for all her kids and grandkids, and the soft clicks of my father's endless picture taking. 
     Well, if there is one thing I can do here on my own to make things more festive, it's baking Christmas treats.  I'm working on my list of choices, and I've told my favorite people here to put in their requests.  If anyone has their own favorite holiday cookie or family baking tradition and would like to share the recipe with me, I'd love to try it. Our small kitchen will soon become a cookie factory.  It works out nicely that we have two stand mixers and a hand mixer; I just need some more counter space! 
      No cookie production until after I eat plenty of pumpkin pie, but I kicked off the season o' baking with chocolate babka.  A popular Hanukkah dessert, this yeast dough is rolled out, covered in chocolate and/or cinnamon, rolled back up, twisted, and topped with streusel.  A version came through the test kitchen during my last week at Cooking Light, and I've had a hankering for it since.  It was only right that I give it a go when this month's holiday issue arrived with that chocolate babka recipe among the pages.  Now, I use the term dessert, but the chocolaty bread is perfect warm with coffee, and it is frankly well-suited to all hours of the day.  The chocolate and fat are definitely scaled back in the CL recipe, which is nice considering my lack of self control, but I of course want to make the butter laden, oozing chocolate variety now.
     The way the dough is twisted and shaped in the pan creates an ever-changing swirl of chocolate filling throughout the loaf. Both beautiful and delicious; chocolate babka makes for a great holiday gift.  Mine has stayed at home, but I'll soon have cookies to share!

Here is a recipe from another blog I enjoy:
http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/09/mmm-bab-bee-bab-ka/

Cereal Salad

       I need to personally thank my Aunt Lisa for teaching me the way to eat cereal properly-mixed.  Cheerios, Life, Grape-Nut Flakes, Honey Bunches of Oats, Frosted Flakes... you name it, all mixed together.  Back before Aunt Lisa had her own kids, and I was still her only niece, I was lucky enough to get some quality play time with just the two of us.  She came home to Oklahoma from Dallas, or she and my mom coordinated to send me there for visits.  Our time together was full of scavenger hunts, peel-off face masks, baking cookies, sneaking cartwheels in the grocery store, making crafts, and eating cereal salad.  We ate our cereal out of brightly colored pedestal ice cream bowls, and we even got to eat on the floor in front of the TV.  What a treat!  Aunt Lisa has a talent for making the little things special.  
     I've always loved eating cereal for breakfast, but my mother (and I truly thank her for this) purchased cereals of the healthy and non-sugared variety for our pantry.  So going to Lisa's was like hitting the cereal jackpot.  She kept quite a few options on hand, and not only did she have more exciting "healthy" cereals, aka, Cracklin' Oat Bran, but also several frosted or sugary choices. This selection is the proper starting point for good cereal salad...balance. I think its also nice to have a mix of shapes and sizes- flakes, crunchies, O's, etc.  I don't overload on the sweet cereal, just a touch in each spoonful.  Who wouldn't like their cereal to change a little everyday?  No sense in getting bored with the most important meal of the day.
     So, imagine my delight when I got to the dorm cafeteria in college and discovered the 20 bins of various cereals at any given time.  The ultimate cereal salad experience.  Needless to say, I ate a lot of cereal that year. And given the less than mediocre casseroles, fried chicken, and cheeseburgers often available, my enthusiasm for cereal worked out pretty well. 
     I'm an aunt now and I just learned that my first niece shares my affinity for mixing her cereals together.  Good girl.  Even though I'm not the one who taught her to do so, I can't help but feel proud. I'm looking forward to sharing a bowl of cereal salad with my pretty girl when I'm back in Oklahoma.  Maybe I can get Aunt Lisa to come too.  


Note: A few cereal-related sites for other junkies:  
http://www.lavasurfer.com/cereal-guide.html
http://www.retroland.com/retrotalk/viewtopic.php?t=16615
What's your favorite?


Note 2: Know the history of cereal?  Funny accident, check it out: 
http://www.mrbreakfast.com/article.asp?articleid=13


Note 3: (My excitement is growing embarrassing)  Anyone seen the retro boxes of several Post cereals out now? Fun! 

Wickles Wickles Wickles

      When I moved to Alabama my coworkers at Cooking Light gave me a gift I'm forever grateful for. They introduced me to Wickles.  A spicy sweet pickle that I can only find in the southern states. Check it out:  http://www.wickles.com/  Gotta love the dancing cucumber and pepper.
       Thick slices of crunchy pickles that are a perfect balance of super spicy, sour, and sweet.  They're addictive.  I've always been a pickle lover (pickle bar at Goldie's anyone?), but these take the cake.  Too many times have I stood at the fridge with the door wide open popping them in my mouth.  I look down and realize I've eaten 10 rather than the one I went to the fridge for.  Oops!
       I have revealed this treat to friends and family who find themselves exhibiting similar behavior.  Before I moved from Alabama I bought multiple Piggly Wigglys out of their Wickle stock. And at a particular gift shop in Apalachicola, Florida I found a gallon jar of them! You better believe I didn't think twice about purchasing that quantity of pickles.  I dread the day I run out.
       My most recent jar is suddenly empty thanks to a snacking episode yesterday afternoon.  But I'm going to keep the liquid and attempt to reuse the brine by adding in some dill pickles from the store.  The liquid would also be great to use in a dressing, perhaps for some 'tater salad? With some chopped Wickles and hard boiled eggs? Yes, sir!
       In the meantime, I've just done my 1st round of experimentation to recreate these crazy good pickles.  Notes:  not using brown sugar next time and using more sugar period.  The heat, sour and garlic flavor is great, but not sweet enough yet.  Keep ya posted on this endeavor!

Rainy Night Dinner

     Val and I were considering going out to a movie tonight on our days off, but we started chatting about food (as usual) and suddenly cooking dinner at home sounded like much more fun.  We wanted quick and easy, warm and hearty.  Mussels fit the bill.  Just had to make a quick stop at the grocery for a bit of veg, mussels, and some crusty bread. After just a bit of chopping and prep, our dinner took only minutes to cook.       I definitely recommend mussels as a satisfying weeknight meal. The great thing is that anything goes.  The extra veggies in the pantry, fridge, or freezer... perfect time to use stuff up.  And easy to adjust to every season.  We used potato, carrot, mushroom and a can of San Marzano tomatoes tonight.  Finished off with a bit of cream, lemon, thyme, and crushed red pepper. As the rain fell outside on this windy evening, we sat down to a steaming bowl of perfectly cooked mussels.  Plenty of fall vegetables with each tender mussel and a nice lingering heat from the red pepper, plus a touch of saltiness from freshly grated Parm-Regg over top.  We sopped up every last drop of the creamy tomato broth with our baguette.  We ate till we were stuffed; it was the kind of dish you just keep going back for more of.


Mussels in Creamy Tomato Broth
Serves 2

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 small shallots, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup San Marzano tomatoes and juice, crushed
2 small Yukon gold potatoes, boiled and diced
1 tablespoon thyme
1/2 lemon, zest and juice
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1/4 cup cream 
20 mussels, debearded and cleaned
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided

 Heat olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Saute shallot and garlic until golden brown. Add carrot and mushroom; saute until tender. Add wine and next 6 ingredients.
Bring to a boil; cover and cook 5 minutes. Season broth to taste with salt and pepper.  Add cream, 2 tablespoons parsley and mussels; cover and cook 5 minutes or until shells open.  Discard any unopened shells.

Ladle mussels, vegetables and broth into bowls. Sprinkle remaining parsley and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the top.  Serve with a great crusty baguette for dipping!

Birthday Smiles

The cheesecake was indeed a success.
His eyes lit up when he realized what it was, and he loved every bite. So did I...  We thought we would start by sharing a piece after our dinner, but who am I kidding?  We definitely went back for more.  Smiling and giggling at each other like kids eating their Halloween candy.  I'm looking forward to enjoying more of it over the next few days. Well, if he'll share.

The slices are beautiful with a hunk of toffee on each one, and I served it with more warm caramel sauce drizzled over.  It wasn't overly sweet like so many commercial varieties.  Just the right amount of rich and tangy sweetness that I crave in a cheesecake.

Birthday Cooking

     I'm currently making a cheesecake for a special someone in my life and I'm a bit nervous.  Considering I've made countless cheesecakes for various jobs and many more at home for cheesecake-loving pals, being nervous seems silly.  But this is no ordinary cheesecake recipe.  The handsome chef I'm dating was gracious enough to let me peruse his late mother's enormous recipe book of desserts.  She was known for her desserts about town.  Her recipes are dotted with sauce and fingerprints and covered in her lovely handwriting of tasting notes, measurement changes, and pricing. Her recipes had become a diary of sorts, and I as I looked through them I couldn't help but picture my own future children cooking from my recipes and scribbles.

     These desserts are big memories for him and now I've taken on the challenge of recreating one of his favorites for his birthday.  Well, that's some pressure.... But I was incredibly touched that he shared this part of his life with me, and I'm excited to be making his birthday cake.
     Toffee Crunch Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce. What more do I really need to say about that?  Lots of things to love!  Buttery graham cracker crust, rich cheesecake with bits of crunchy toffee in every bite, all covered in caramel sauce, more toffee, and lovely dollops of whipped cream.
      I think we often eat to reminisce and relive the little moments.  I hope this cake is as sweet and delicious as the birthday boy remembers.  I can't wait to taste it with him and celebrate his day.