if life gives you lemons

or even if it doesn't... make limoncello. this is going to be a gift for lots of lucky people this holiday season.

using this recipe.

you may have also noticed our favorite drink, whiskey (and coke for me). zesting all these lemons gave me lots of injured knuckles, so you all better appreciate this :-)

pappa al pomodoro or delicious tomato soup

i have this recipe book that i LOVE that friends of mine got us one year for christmas. it's called seriously simple by Diane Rossen Worthington. and look, i just did a google search and she has lots of recipe books HERE.
believe it or not, I actually made dinner the other night. well, not completely by myself, dave chopped the onions and garlic, but i did the rest! shocking, i know.

so this is the recipe, adapted from the recipe by Diane Rossen Worthington, from seriously simple.

i'll just call it:

seriously delicious tomato soup (with the optional sausage addition)

ingredients:
-1 28 ounce can san marzano tomatoes (splurge on these, they are worth it)
-a few tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (eyeball it, this isn't rocket science)
-a small onion chopped
-4 garlic cloves minced
-1/2 cup fresh basil chopped, plus garnish if you want to be fancy
-1/4 cup fresh sage chopped, plus garnish if you want to be fancy
-4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
-a loaf of delicious bread, italian, or a baguette, cubed (whatever you have around, stale bread works too)
-salt and pepper to taste
-parmesan cheese
-sausage (optional, we used turkey sausage)

directions:
1) in a medium soup pot, saute the garlic and onion in olive oil for a few minutes
2) add the fresh herbs and continue to saute for a few more minutes
3) add the tomatoes and broth (crush the tomatoes up in your hand before hand, in a large bowl, this part is fun and messy.)
4) bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 min.
5) if you want sausage involved in this recipe (it really is just as good without it), fry up some sausage in a separate pan, then add it to the simmering soup.
6) season with salt and pepper
7) ladle the soup into bowls, and add the cubed bread. toasting it first is nice too. garnish with herb leaves and parmesan cheese.


it is SO GOOD!!!

getting ready...

we've been cooking and cleaning all day to get ready for our mother's day brunch tomorrow.

here's the menu:

-peach bellini's
-bloody mary's
-cranberry orange scones (recipe below)
-plain scones (recipe below)
-lox and bagels
-mushroom and leek quiche
-ham and asparagus quiche
-waffles with a berry compote
-tiramisu trifle (recipe below)




i plan on using lots of vintage to decorate and serve (these snack trays are available here).


this scone recipe is amazing. i made them one day with week for work and everyone raved. i have to admit that the only reason i have plain and orange cranberry scones is that the first batch i made last night i forgot the orange and cranberry... i amaze myself sometimes, not in a good way.

orange cranberry scones (recipe available at allrecipes.com here.)

ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
1/2 dried cranberries
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg
zest of 1/2 orange

directions:
adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.

in a medium bowl, mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in butter (mixture should resemble coarse meal), then stir in dried cranberries.

in a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth, add orange zest.

using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (the dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)

place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7- to 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. sprinkle with a couple tbsp sugar. use a sharp knife to cut into 12 triangles; place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper), about 1 inch apart. bake until golden, about 15 minutes. cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.




tiramisu trifle (based on recipe from allrecipes.com here) i was going to make the cake, but they didn't cooperate and come out of the pans nicely, so i made it into a trifle.

ingredients:
CAKE
vanilla cake mix (i used trader joe's brand) and ingredients from box
about 1/2 cup espresso

FILLING:
1 (8 ounce) container mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons coffee flavored liqueur

FROSTING:
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons coffee flavored liqueur

GARNISH:
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate

directions:
preheat oven to 350 degrees F. grease and flour 2 (9 inch) pans.

prepare the cake mix according to package directions and bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. brew about 1/2 cup espresso and set aside.

filling: in beat the mascarpone, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur beat until smooth.

frosting: beat the cream, 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur until stiff. fold 1/2 cup of cream mixture into filling mixture.

assembly: tear apart the cake (or chop) and place 1/2 of it in a trifle bowl. add the layer of filling. add a layer of 1/2 the frosting. add the rest of the cake and then top with the remaining frosting. run a vegetable peeler on the edge of a chocolate bar to top with chocolate curls. refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

and this is what punch was doing all day...

chicken soup for the soul

i made some chicken soup last night for my sick husband. it was delicious.
the main recipe was this one by rachel ray, except i made some changes and it took way longer than 30 minutes. i used a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, it was only $5 and came with a free side, thanks to the lovely cashier that told me about the coupon special.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
Salt and pepper
2 cartons good quality chicken stock (about 8 cups or so)
1 rotisserie chicken
1/2 pound wide egg noodles
A handful fresh parsley, chopped
A handful fresh dill, chopped
Directions

Pick apart the rotisserie chicken and set aside the meat. Wrap all of the skin and bones in cheese cloth.

First chop all your vegetables, I usually forget this part. Place a large pot over moderate heat and add extra-virgin olive oil. Add chopped veggies and saute.

Add bay leaves and season vegetables with salt and pepper, to taste. Add stock and cheese cloth to the pot and raise flame to bring liquid to a boil.

Let simmer for about an hour. In the meantime, boil water and cook noodles until almost fully cooked. Remove the cheese cloth of bones and add cooked noodles, chicken meat and herbs until heated through (about 5 minutes.)

Remove bay leaves and serve.


i wish i could send some to you mom!

amazing peanut butter, chocolate chip, oatmeal cookies

these are my favorite cookies ever. and the best part is that they are so easy to make. it's the only recipe i haven't ever screwed up ('overcooking' one sheet doesn't count.)
i can't remember where i got this recipe, i wish i would have written it on the recipe card! the name of it is Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Rounds, which i don't like, so i will just call them...

the amazing peanut butter, chocolate chip, oatmeal cookies

makes approximately 4 dozen cookies (48)

ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup chocolate chips

directions:
in a large mixing bowl beat butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer until combined. add sugar and brown sugar, baking power and baking soda . beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl. beat in the eggs and vanilla. stir in flour. stir in oats and chocolate chips. drop by rounded teaspoons on an ungreased cookie sheet. bake at 375 about 10 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. let cool for a couple minutes, then transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool completely. store in an airtight container.




what cookies are you making this holiday season?

root vegetable pot pie

i rarely make dinner and when i do dave is usually there to help along the way and answers a million questions, which is great. so far i haven't met a root vegetable that i didn't like. last week while away at a seminar for work, i had a root vegetable pot pie for dinner that was delicious. i tried to recreate it sunday. i started with this recipe from epicurious.com and made some changes.



ingredients:
-couple tablespoons of butter
-large onion
-bunch of golden beets
-a couple potatoes
-a few carrots
-large parsnip
-butternut squash
-baby portabella mushrooms
-1/2 tsp cumin
-1/2 tsp cracked peppercorns
-1 tsp salt
-bunch of fresh thyme
-a combination of approx 4 cups chicken broth, or veggie broth and water (mostly broth). use enough to cover vegetables about 3/4 of the way
-1/4 cup heavy cream
-1 tablespoon butter
-1 tablespoon flour
-salt and pepper to taste
-store bought pie crust (or even better, make it yourself)

directions:
1) before you start anything, clean, peel and cut up all vegetables to approximately 1/2" cubes. you can use any vegetables that you like or have on hand.
2) saute onion in melted butter until onions are golden. add a bit of salt at this step (about 1/4 tsp).
3) add vegetables (except mushrooms) and stir for a minute or two.
4) add cumin, pepper, thyme and remaining salt (1/4 tsp).
5) add broth and bring to a boil. reduce heat and let simmer until vegetables are tender. (approx 30 min) add mushrooms about 2/3 way through the cooking time.
6) add heavy cream and stir.
7) bring back to a boil and in the meantime, mix together 1 tbsp flour and butter to make a paste. once boiling, add to pot and stir, this will thicken the soup.
8) it's delicious at this point. serve as a soup or continue to make a pot pie.
9) i cheated and bought pie dough, but it would be much better homemade. pour mixture into any combination of casserole dishes, pie plates or anything that you have that you can bake in. (i froze 1/3 of it to save for later) let sit until it cools a bit.
10) cover with crust. i made a basket weave type crust, but you can do whatever you'd like. brush crust with melted butter.
11) bake at 450 for about 30 minutes or until crust has baked properly.
12) let stand for 10 minutes to cool a bit and thicken


enjoy!

apples and more apples

have i mentioned yet how much i love the fall? i finally did something with all of the apples we bought at the apple festival. made applesauce! it was super easy. i used a recipe from allrecipes.com and used some freshly ground cinnamon.


8 apples - peeled, cored and chopped
1.5 cups water
1/2 cup white sugar
freshly ground cinnamon stick (as much as you'd like)

Combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft. Allow to cool, then mash with a fork or potato masher.

apple cider:
i've been addicted to apple cider lately. i had one from starbucks saturday and it sucked. homemade is so much better.
all you have to do is: buy apple cider at the store, add about 1/4 tsp orange zest and spike the orange with cloves, add cinnamon and brown sugar to taste. heat all ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. you can also add some spiced rum or jack daniel's.

delicious scones

this recipe from allrecipes.com makes the best
scones
on friday i made a batch of orange cranberry scones and this morning another batch of lemon blueberry. the orange cranberry is the best.


simple scones recipe

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
1/2 cup raisins (or dried currants)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg


DIRECTIONS
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in butter (mixture should resemble coarse meal), then stir in raisins.
In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth.
Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)
Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7- to 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. of sugar. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper), about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.
FOOTNOTES
Cranberry-Orange Scones
Follow the recipe for Simple Scones, adding a generous teaspoon of finely grated orange rind (zest) to the dry ingredients and substituting dried cranberries for the raisins.
Lemon-Blueberry Scones
Follow the recipe for Simple Scones, adding a generous teaspoon of finely grated lemon rind (zest) to the dry ingredients and substituting dried blueberries for the raisins.
Cherry-Almond Scones
Follow the recipe for Simple Scones, adding 1/2 tsp. almond extract to the sour cream mixture and substituting dried cherries for the raisins.
This recipe was originally featured in the USA WEEKEND article Simply Perfect Scones on December 19, 2004.