Gestation, Cross-Country Moving and a promising Christmas feast

In the time between my last post and now, I have conceived another child and moved 2,600 miles away from my home, to Northern California.   Needless to say, I’ve been a little busy. 

May I suggest not getting pregnant and moving across the damn country at the same time?  It’s a little much. 

My husband was offered a killer job in Silicon Valley doing techy, engineering stuff.  It was an offer we couldn’t refuse.  Since he hails from that area, it was a no brainer for us and we decided to make the jump, but not without great sadness.  It happened so fast, I have yet to process it.  About 2 weeks before the offer was made, we were discussing the possibility of another child (the last child, I might add). I have always told my husband that when we were ready for baby #2, I was NOT working.  SO, since I was laid off in September, the husband and I decided “we might as well go and ahead and get it over with!”  I was pregnant on the first try.  I knew I was knocked up the minute I missed my period.  My boobs felt slightly sore and I thought “I know what the hell this is.  I’m fucking pregnant”.  Sounds harsh, I know, you would think I’d be excited considering we did plan this.  But, unfortunately for me, around 6 weeks of gestation, I become viciously ill, and I mean viciously.  And it usually lasts until about 13 weeks.  That’s right, for 2 MONTHS, I am an ever nauseous, puking, crying shell of the woman I once was who can eat nothing but bread only to throw it back up 20 minutes later.   It is most truly the worst I have ever felt in my entire life.  The site, smell and even mere thought of food ignites a gag reflex that may or may not result in vomit.  I had to beg my doctor for meds, so she put me on Zofran, the anti-nausea medication given to chemo patients.  It’s extremely expensive and to be quite honest, it works only about half the time.  When I was pregnant with my daughter, it didn’t work at all.  This time it has taken the edge off just enough so that I can keep food down, for the most part.  I barely have the energy to get out of bed, much less blog……about food.  I can’t even read the blogs I follow.  Why?  Reading actually makes me nauseous.  READING!  It’s a miracle my daughter is dressed and fed every day, but somehow I muster the energy to keep her safe and clean. 

I’m exactly 12 weeks pregnant today.  The pain has started to ease a bit, hence my blogging.  I was able to enjoy Thanksgiving with some food and the company of great friends.  Moving to California has brought us only 3 driving hours from our dear friends Ron and Theresa and we couldn’t be happier about it.  My energy is still really low, but some days are better than others and I have even managed to do a little Christmas shopping and some shopping for myself .  Cooking is still completely out of the question and that really grinds my gears.  Like all domestic goddesses, this is my favorite time of the year for cooking and baking. I’m a freak about the holidays.  I love the decorations and the lights, the food and the parties, the movies on TV and the radio stations that play nothing but Christmas music, the over-indulgence and the spirit of giving.  I love it all.  Since we’ve moved and I had to give up my plans for Thanksgiving at my house (in Virginia), it has been decided that Christmas 2010 will take place in our new abode in Livermore, CA.  This is the first time I’ve ever hosted Christmas Day and I better get my ass together quick, or it will be a culinary disaster.  It will be an all day affair beginning in the morning with my daughter opening gifts from Santa and Grandma and Grandpa and continuing into the afternoon with adult gift time and dinner.  I have begun to formulate a menu (thank you FoodNetwork.com).  It’s ambitious, to say the least, but I’m counting on my second trimester burst of energy, and my husband, who has 2 weeks off for the holidays!  Here it is ………….  What do you think?

Christmas morning:

Sourdough Strata with tomatoes and greens with bacon and assorted fruit

Hot Chocolate (sans the homemade whipped cream, I don’t have time for that!)

Snacks throughout the day

Chex Mix, an ode to my Grandmother.  2 kinds: A traditional, salty mix AND a sweet and sugary mix <– Any suggestions?

Brown Butter Fig Tartlets

Assorted Christmas Cookies

Spicy Sausage Dip

Grilled bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers made by my brother-in-law.  They’re amazing.

Christmas Dinner

London Broil

Pear and Blue Cheese Salad

Spicy Mac & Cheese (because I didn’t get to make it at Thanksgiving and it’s just so damn good!)

Some sort of veggie

Dark Chocolate-Hazelnut truffles

Lara’s Pound Cake (thanks friend!)

I am SO open to suggestions and recipes since food still freaks me out a bit.  Email me!

Here is a scene from my all-time favorite Christmas movie.  Since my time working in a retirement community, it’s even funnier than ever.  Happy Holidays!

More goat cheese and other things

It’s been just shy of a month since I’ve posted. My reason for this is just life, I suppose. I was very recently laid off and am now adjusting to being a full-time, stay-at-home mom, something I really love, although find it surprisingly challenging. This video shared with me by my bff is hilarious.  Competitive parenting is frightening. 

Mompetition

My husband and I are also preparing for another huge change in our lives and as soon as the details are written in stone, I’ll be sharing the big news. AND, I’m fighting a nasty cold after just returning yesterday from an entire week in Corolla, North Carolina where we stayed in the largest house in Currituck County on the 4X4 beaches (that’s right! There are no roads, only beach driving). We ate a TON, saw wild horses almost everyday and celebrated the marital union of our friends, Richard and Abigail (CONGRATS YOU GUYS!). This place is simply beautiful. I’ll be doing a huge post on this adventure very soon. But for now, I’m going to share with you a meal I crave at the moment.  A meal I made for my sick husband a few weeks ago.  A meal that I can only hope he will make for me and nourish my sick, sniffling, NyQuil addicted ass.

Triple Grilled Cheese on Sourdough with Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

I halved this Tomato Basil Soup recipe.  Soups make me nervous, but this was incredibly easy. I forgot to purchase tomato juice, but made some with left over tomato paste.  I simply added 1 can (minus 1 tablespoon) of the tomato paste to 2 cups of water and mixed in the  food processor.  I added a dash or two of onion powder for extra flavor.   It’s also nice to add a little shredded basil for garnish.   AWESOME!

Triple Grilled Cheese on Sourdough:

Sourdough bread slices

Fresh mozzarella, sliced

Fontina cheese, sliced

Goat cheese, softened

Olive Oil for brushing bread

Brush one side of each slice of sourdough for grilling.  On the other side, spread desired amount of goat cheese and add the sliced mozzarella and fontina.  Place the sandwiches on a heated panini maker until golden brown or on a heated pan and grill on both sides.  Gooey, crunchy goodness.  Serve with your soup!

Here’s a few more things on my mind……

Like any woman with even a shred of domesticity, the minute a leaf changes color signifying the onset of fall, I begin to bake.  I also cannot resist a pumpkin, especially at the Culpeper Farmer’s Market.  Try this killer pumpkin bread recipe with your fresh pumpkin!  Making pumpkin puree is really simple. 

Ahhh…… the beach in the fall.  Wild horses and 4×4 beaches rule. Happy Autumn!!!!!

Chicken, Artichoke and Goat Cheese Pizza

Two of my favorite things on a pizza, goat cheese and artichokes, hell yeah!  Like most of my recipes, this one is a variation of another.  I got this recipe out of Self Magazine, because it’s relatively healthy. Of course, that changed when I got through with it.

Some tips:
*Take the goat cheese out of the fridge and put in a bowl before you begin. It’s easier to mix with the ricotta when it’s soft.
*This pizza is full of stuff!  Toppings are going to fall off of it when you cut it, but that’s okay.  It’s more of a fork and knife type of pizza anyway.
* You can use marinated artichokes or plain artichokes in a can. The marinated gives a little extra flavor. Either way, drain them and put them on a paper towel to blot, getting out excess moisture
* If you do not have an air-bake pizza pan, buy one, NOW! I don’t now how I ever lived without one. http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-Classic-Nonstick-Bakeware-14-Inch/dp/B0000D8CAO

Ingredients

1 store-bought pre-made pizza crust, regular or whole wheat

2 chicken breasts

Chef Paul Seasoning Magic Poultry Seasoning – optional

1 12-14oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

2 Roma tomatoes diced

4 oz goat cheese

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/4-1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese for topping (depends on your taste, I LOVE parmesan, so I use a lot)

Oregano

Olive oil for cooking chicken and spreading on pizza crust
 
Pre-Heat oven to 350. Heat a little oil over medium high heat in a pan. Lightly season chicken breasts on both sides with Chef Paul Seasoning Magic Poultry Seasoning.  If not using, just do salt and pepper.  Sear both sides of the chicken (for a nice golden brown color), then bake until cooked through. You can slice the chicken in thin strips, or wait for it to cool, then pull it apart in pieces. I love the “pulled” effect.  After the chicken is cooked, bump the oven temp up to 450.  Coat top of pizza crust with olive oil.  Mix together goat cheese and ricotta in a bowl then spread evenly over pizza crust.  Spread artichokes, tomatoes, and chicken evenly over cheese mixture.  Top with parmesan cheese and sprinkle with oregano.  Put on your airbake pan and cook for 11 minutes.  The parmesan will start to be golden brown.  Serve.  Delicious!

A Buffett worthy menu

September 3, 2010

As I lay here, nursing my hangover, I reflect on its cause, the event known only as the Jimmy Buffett tailgate party.  This tradition, going on for 20+ years with those wacky fans known as Parrotheads, make it the most fun and entertaining tailgate party ever.  There are many who do not care for Buffet tunes, yet purchase tickets to his show just for the parking lot party itself.  I am not one of those, an acoustic version of Stars on the Water was played after I said “I Do” and walked back down the aisle at my beach wedding.   Anyway, my point is, Parrotheads certainly know how it’s done.

I was first introduced to this Buffett way of life by an ex-boyfriend whose parents were Parrotheads and strapped a large grey fin to the top of their van for every show. My first concert, I marveled at the bed of a pick up truck that had been turned into an erupting volcano and a mini-van transformed into a pirate ship complete with sails and girls flashing party-goers as they stumbled by. Portable bars and inflatable palm trees were at every turn and just about every other person was dressed in some sort of ridiculous costume.  Men wore coconut bras and women wore hats topped with margarita glasses.  It was wonderous…..(Yup, that chick’s boobs are definitely on the internet somewhere.) 

And the booze……. oh how it flowed.(Buffett, circa 2000.  Notice the Abercrombie gym shorts.  How cool was I?) 

I’ve often considered Jimmy Buffett a kindred spirit and feel that his concerts attract the same (for the most part, of course there is always that asshole who can’t hold his booze).  The shows I have seen in my time have been some of the most fun I’ve had in my life.  And last night, was no exception.

My cousin Stephanie  invited my husband and I to the Bristow, VA show.  My husband was a Buffett virgin and it had been in years for me, so I jumped at the chance to go.  Tony and I wanted to be in complete charge of the tailgate party, the least we could do for the free tix.  I came up with a menu that was simple, traveled well and that was suited to the setting.  I thought to myself  “What an awesome blogging opportunity!” It’s always an awesome blogging opportunity except that I get drunk too early and forget that it’s an awesome blogging opportunity.   

A Buffett worthy menu:

Jen’s famous pasta salad

Super cheesy crab dip

Grilled watermelon

Surf & turf kabobs

Drinks: Lime jello shooters, frozen margaritas, madras’, and virgin strawberry daiquiris for the kids

Jen’s famous pasta salad:  I am truly known for this dish.  Honestly, the attention I get for it, although awesome, is undeserving.  It’s the easiest thing to make and I only put the ingredients together because I thought they would look pretty in a bowl.  Little did I know it would become the hit that it is today.  I am requested to bring it to most parties, I have given out the recipe countless times for those needing a dish for a gathering, and I even made 4 batches of it for one of my besties beach wedding in Sandbridge.  And last night at the show, our tailgating neighbor said “Pasta salads are usually so boring, if you’ve had one, you’ve had them all, but this!  I can’t even describe it, it’s just so delicious!”  The secret?  I think it’s the store-bought dressing, but maybe it really is a genius concoction with the perfect pairing of ingredients. Who knows…. 

1 cucumber, sliced and quartered

1 orange or yellow pepper, coarsely chopped

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1 bottle Girard’s Italian Dressing

1 6oz container of crumbled feta cheese

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Fresh or dried dill to taste (dried dill doesn’t really add flavor, it just looks pretty)

Salt and oil the cooking water and cook pasta al dente, according to package.  While your pasta is cooking, chop your vegetables.  Using a peeler, peel the cucumber on 3 sides only, like so.The purpose of this technique is 1) it looks pretty and 2) it provides just the right amount of crunch.  Then, cut the entire cucumber into circular slices and quarter, like this. 

Toss cucumber pieces into a large serving bowl.  Chop the pepper and half the tomatoes and add to the cucumbers.  Drain the cooked pasta in a colander and toss under cold water until cool to the touch.  Add to serving bowl.  Add the entire bottle of dressing and container of feta and stir to mix.  Add salt, pepper and dill to taste.  Can be served immediately, however, it’s best after it’s been refridgerated for bit.  It’s perfect to make the day before. 

Super Cheesy Crab Dip: I came up with this recipe on the fly.  I love a rich, creamy, cheesy crab dip and the recipes I was looking at either did not have enough cheese or just not enough flavor.  So, I got the general idea of how to make a crab dip and put what the hell I wanted to put in it.  Sweet Success!  It was devoured quickly and the kids really loved it.  I have been requested to make it for Thanksgiving, after it was decided that night that I will be hosting Thanksgiving this year.  AH!  You can either make this right before you leave for your party and as long as it’s kept covered, it will be warm for quite some time.  OR, transfer it to a crock pot and set to low and keep it warm before serving.

1 lb backfin crabmeat, picked through for shells (you can certainly use lump, but for a dip, I go the cheaper route)

2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or mix it up and use 1 cup cheddar and 1 cup pepper jack! yum!)

4 tbsp sour cream

1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire

1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

1/4 cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Juice of 1/2 a lemon ( I used a little more)

Crackers or sliced & toasted french bread for dipping

Pre-heat oven to 350.  In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients until well blended.  Put in casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes.  Serve with crackers or bread. 

Surf & Turf Kabobs:  My husband is solely responsible for this AMAZING dish.  These kabobs could not have been more perfect for the occasion.  Unfortunately for you, I was already enjoying jello shooters and margaritas, so taking pictures of these pieces of art were the furthest thing from my mind. 

1 lb raw, fresh, medium-sized shrimp, peeled and de-veined

1 lb scallops (probably u12-u15)

4 filet mignon (yup, we used filet, but feel free to use any cut you like), cut into squares

2 red bell peppers, cut into 1 inch thick slices

2 red onions, cut into 1 inch thick slices

3 pints of button mushrooms

My husband says you have to soak the mushrooms before you skewer them.  Soak them in what, I don’t know.  We soaked them in water one night but they still split.  This time, he brushed them with an olive oil/balsamic vinegar/garlic combo and left them in the fridge over night.  It worked, no splitage!  Other than that, all he did was skewer all the ingredients the morning of the show, kept them chilled and when we were ready, grilled for about 5 minutes on each side.  Perfectly pink steak and grilled shellfish on a stick?  Hell yeah, it was great.

Grilled Watermelon: Actually, I never got around to grilling the watermelon.  But, I do believe that JB would appreciate a melon that was grilled.  Don’t you?

Drinks:  Make it easy on yourself!  I love a “real” margarita, but the mix will do just fine for a tailgate.  For jello shooters, simply follow the directions, except add 3/4 cup of vodka in addition to the cold water, then poor into party cups and chill overnight. If you don’t know what is in a Madras, it’s simply vodka, cranberry and orange juice.  But the most important thing is the umbrella.Notice the table cloth!  I even had themed confetti.  I love confetti. 

I love this guy too.

Fins UP!

Tony Ciccone is the Cheese and Macarone

Making sauces, especially long simmering marinara sauces, have always scared the crap out of me.  For this reason, Tony Ciccone has changed my life. Madge’s dad (yup, he’s Madonna’s father) was recently featured in FOOD Magazine, the same issue with the hilarious Three 6 Mafia spread (if you haven’t read my post about that, read it now!). Mr. Ciccone and his wife own and operate a vineyard in Suttons Bay, Michigan (with a special line of Madonna Wines).  The man already had me in awe  just for being able to grow grapes in Michigan. Then I made his meatballs and marinara sauce and I’m seriously considering sending him a love letter. Holy crap was it good! The marinara sauce has so many great, fresh ingredients with layers of flavor. Really, it could be served on its own with your favorite pasta and red wine, but the meatballs are such a nice touch.  I experimented on my husband and his friend with this dish and they just about gave me a standing ovation.  It’s damn good and I encourage everyone to make it, right now!

Sylvio Ciccone

The Madonna Wine Line

 *Note* I love garlic, but recipes that call for a lot of it frighten me.  The meatball recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of minced garlic. I was running out of time (as usual) and wasn’t about to mince it myself, so I used 1 tablespoon of the chopped garlic I had in my fridge and threw a few shakes of garlic powder in the mixing bowl. 

Ciccone Family Italian Style Meatballs as featured in FOOD Magazine.

1 lb ground beef or pork (or combination of both)

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 large slightly beaten egg

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons of minced garlic

2 teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1/2 cup of milk

1 teaspoon of dried oregano

1 teaspoon of thyme

Preheat oven to 375. Using your hands, mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl until well blended. Shape into 1 inch balls and place on lightly greased baking sheet or casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes.  Add to marinara sauce and simmer until ready to serve with pasta.

Ciccone Family Traditional Italian Homemade Marinara Sauce as featured in FOOD Magazine.

5 tomatoes, chopped

2 cans (15 oz) tomato sauce

1 can tomato paste

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small bell pepper, diced (I used green)

12 mushrooms, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

2 small zucchini, sliced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 cup red wine

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1/2 tablespoon of dried basil

1/2 tablespoon of dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon of dried sage

Add all ingredients together (except for the dried herbs) into a large pot on the stove.  Simmer on low for about 2 hours. Add the dried herbs and simmer another 1-2 hours. Serve with pasta (and meatballs!)

  Look at those beautiful ingredients!

Awe yeah, simmer that sauce!

 With the meatballs!

Man approved!

A Dinner Party with the Fancy Cordon Bleu

I’m not comfortable having “dinner parties”. They’re too formal for me and I don’t have the class to pull it off. My dear aunt gave me an Entertaining  book when I got married and I’ve barely cracked it. Its contents are extremely intimidating with seating arrangement and formal place setting charts, followed by hundreds of gold trimmed pages designed to keep track of your dinner parties’ guest lists and menus.  An entertaining journal, I suppose. My cousin is all over this sort of thing and does it with ease, making each of her guests feel completely comfortable and satisfied, as any proper southerner would do. Not to mention, she’s a fabulous gourmet chef.  I can only aspire to even compete with her (and you better believe I up my game when she’s on the guest list!)  I simply like having people over for dinner and showing off my skills in the kitchen, even though there is usually some sort of disaster that ensues.  I barely have a matching place setting and my silverware is down right embarrassing, but I don’t care.  I love working on a wine buzz and chatting with girlfriends while preparing a meal in my favorite room of the house.

 My latest “dinner party” was this past Friday when my bff Janette came to visit me from Charlotte on her way to see family in Northern Virginia. Her friends Jack and Katie, whom I recently met at Janette’s pre-wedding festivities,  live in Fredericksburg. I took the opportunity to invite them over for dinner, for one, to see Janette, and for two, to make some friends!  What better way to make friends than to feed them?  The company was great, not a single awkward moment and there was lots of laughter. See what good food can do?  While I was cooking, Katie asked me what I was making. Not having a name for my main dish I said “Well, I’m rolling chicken with prosciutto, spinach and goat cheese then frying it in Captain Crunch.”  “It’s like a fancy cordon bleu!” she said.  YES! It is! And so it shall be named! Overall, dinner was a success, despite my catching a wine buzz too early and burning the oil, making half of my chicken rolls less than perfect. AND not buying enough prosciutto and making my husband go to the store, which delayed dinner by an hour and a half. And since I’m criticizing my work, I also think there was a little too much oil on the menu. I didn’t need to roast everything! If I had to do it over again, I’d probably prepare a nice fresh salad instead of the broccolini. See the menu below.

Here are a few of my tips for throwing a “dinner party”: #1) When it comes to the main course, serve something you’ve served before that you know is fantastic.  Feeding guests is never the time to experiment. HOWEVER, there’s no harm in experimenting with a small side dish. As long as it’s not the main focus, it really won’t matter too much if it’s a disaster. #2) Appetizers are key, even if it’s chips and dip.  You never know when you’ll get delayed in the kitchen.  I just feel that it’s polite. I completely overlooked this for my last party and felt terrible! #3) Use your stuff!  That’s what it’s there for! Don’t worry if it’s old or new or not part of a set.  It will look great on your table anyway. I buy all of my serving dishes separately and I stick to all white or glass pieces (check out this bowl from Target, it’s one of my favorites).  Paired with the awesome crystal pieces my grandmother gave to me, my serving ware collection is a lot of fun to use.

Janette, Jack and Katie’s menu for 7/2/10

Fancy Chicken Cordon Bleu

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Balsamic Broccolini

Honey Thyme Cornbread

Key Lime Cheesecake

Fancy Chicken Cordon Bleu (for 4)

TIP: If you can’t find thinly sliced chicken, do it yourself.  Lay the chicken between two pieces of parchment paper and smash with a meat mallet or a frying pan until desired result. 

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Captain Crunch, smashed into crumbs

4 thinly sliced chicken breasts

4 slices prosciutto

small bowl fresh spinach leaves

2 oz goat cheese

vegetable oil for frying

Pre-heat oven to 350. Lay flat 1 piece of prosciutto on top of each chicken breast. Place enough spinach leaves on top of the prosciutto to cover. Take a 1/2 oz slice (or more if you like!) of the goat cheese and place in the center of the chicken.  Take the end of each chicken breast and make a roll, securing with a toothpick. Heat vegetable oil over medium high heat. Mix the flour and Captain Crunch crumbs together in a bowl. Dip the chicken rolls in the egg, then roll in the Captain Crunch mixture.  Fry on all sides until golden brown. Place on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

1 box of fingerling potatoes

1/2 tbsp butter, melted

1/2 tbsp olive oil

kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

1 tsp fresh rosemary (1/2 for dried)

1 tsp fresh thyme (1/2 for dried)

Pre-heat oven to 450. Wash potatoes and cut the larger ones in half, leaving the small potatoes whole.  Put potatoes, butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs in a bowl and mix with your hands until potatoes are evenly coated.  Place in casserole dish and bake for about an hour. Potatoes will be golden brown and crisp.  Yum!

Balsamic Broccolini

1 bunch broccolini

olive oil

kosher salt

1 (or more, to taste) tsp balsamic vinegar

Pre-heat oven to 450. Lightly coat the broccolini with olive oil.  Spread evenly on baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt.  Bake for ten minutes.  Place in bowl and toss with balsamic vinegar. Serve immediately.

Katherine Hepburn’s Brownies (AKA, the easiest, most delicious brownies you’ll ever make)

I’m shamelessly stealing this recipe from Lori Longbotham’s Luscious Chocolate Desserts. Or, according to the Food Blog Alliance-Recipe Attribution (see my blogroll), I’m adapting it.  Ms. Longbotham adapted the recipe from Katherine Hepburn’s recipe published in Family Circle many years ago. Upon doing a little research, I found that Mrs. Hepburn’s brownies are quite famous and this recipe is everywhere including epicurious, saveur, and the joy of baking. Well, Katherine, these brownies are indeed deserving of the attention.  I actually keep the ingredients for them in my kitchen at all times. I really love salty sweets, so I use Kosher salt in this recipe so that every now and then I get that perfect salty sweet bite.

Katherine Hepburn’s Brownies

1 stick unsalted butter

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 cup of sugar

2 eggs slightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped walnuts

Pre-heat oven to 325. Butter and flour an 8×8 glass baking dish. Melt the butter and chocolate together  in a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water, stirring until smooth.  Remove from heat and add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla and stir until well blended.  Add the flour and salt and stir until blended.  Fold in walnuts and transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes (or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out not wet, but sticky, with only a few crumbs).  Cool completely in the dish on wire rack. If you’ve got time, chill and then slice!

Mrs. Hepburn, baking extraordinaire

Chicken Pot Pie, Minus the Pie

This recipe is one of my best. It’s modified from Rachel Ray’s recipe.  This dish is definately best served in the winter, but it’s so fun to find fresh peas and lima beans at your local farmers market. How fun! It’s perfect for out of town guests on their first night in your home because it’s serves easily and is very welcoming (and they’ll think you’re the best cook ever after their long drive). AND, my 16 month old daughter, Maggie, loves it, and that’s saying something. I serve them with Paula Deen’s Sour Cream Muffins (a triple bypass in a muffin tin). Salty, savory, comforty goodness!

Sour Cream Muffins (I usually bake these first because they’re so easy and have to bake for 30 minutes)

2 cups self-rising flour

2 sticks melted butter

1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and spoon  into ungreased muffin tin (there’s plenty of grease in these babies so they’ll pop right out of the tin).  Bake for about 30 minutes

Chicken Pot Pie, Minus the Pie

3 chicken breasts, seasoned with poultry seasoning and cooked, then pulled apart (with your hands!) into a seperate bowl

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

2 medium size potatoes (I like yukon gold, but any will work) skins left on, diced

2 carrots peeled and diced

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (recommended Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Seasoning’s Blend. Don’t get the grocery store brand! It’s green and terrible!)

onion powder to taste

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

1 cup dry white wine

5 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup or generous handful fresh or frozen green beans

1/2 cup or generous handful fresh or frozen lima beans (I bet speckled would be really fun!)

1/2 cup or generous handful of fresh or frozen corn

1/2 cup or generous handful of fresh or frozen peas

couple pinches of tarragon (optional)

Heat large soup pot over medium-high heat and add olive oil and butter. When the butter melts, add the potatoes, carrots, bay leaf, onion powder, and poultry seasoning and season with salt and pepper. Cook 5-6 mintues to soften.  Add flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in wine and cook 1 minute (wine will bubble and ingredients will get gooey!). Add chicken stock and put a lid on the pot, raise the heat, and bring to boil. Add chicken and simmer for 5 minutes. Slide in the green beans, and lima beans and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in corn and peas and simmer for about 3 minutes.  Stir in tarragon, season with salt and pepper (if necessary) and let sit for just a couple of minutes. Serve with sour cream muffins by placing them in the bottom of your bowl and ladling this soup over top.  Maggie says “Delicious!”