Christmas Cookbook Collection

If you know me well, you know that I absolutely love cookbooks. I find that cookbooks are a great place to get some inspiration and add some variety to our meals. I know so many people who never use their cookbooks and just let them sit on their shelves. I think that is such a waste so I really try to make an effort to use my cookbooks. I hate getting stuck in that routine of making the same dishes over and over so I try to use at least one new recipe from my cookbooks each week.

The holidays are the perfect time to add to my wonderful collection. This year, I really lucked out and got some great new books. I will keep everyone posted as I try each of them out.

These are the cookbooks I received this year:

This cookbook was from my fabulous brother. This book is packed with amazing looking desserts and I can't wait to try the whoopie pies.


This cookbook was a gift from my Mom. I have been dreaming of this book from quite a while and I am glad to finally have it on my shelf. I used this book to make roasted acorn squash as part of our Christmas dinner. The squash was delicious!


This last cookbook was a gift from my Dad, our family cookie maker extraordinaire. This cookbook has been tested and approved by him so I know that there will be lots of yummy cookies at our house in 2011!

Christmas Eve Dinner

One of the best things about the holidays is that there is more time to cook! I made good use of my day off work making a special Christmas Eve dinner for Van and I.

I found a rack of lamb on sale at Whole Foods and decided that was perfect for our dinner. I decided to use Emeril's recipe for mustard crusted rack of lamb. The lamb turned out really well and had a great flavor. The lamb was perfectly cooked on the outside, but the middle was more rare than medium rare. This worked out fine since it was more than Van and I could eat and after we reheat the leftovers they will be fine.

To accompany the lamb, I made Chef Charlie Palmer's Potato and Parsnip Gratin and sauteed broccoli with garlic and red pepper flakes. The gratin was sooo yummy. This was the first time that I have made a gratin from scratch and it was the ultimate comfort food. I splurged and purchased a really expensive Gruyère to use in the dish and I think it really took the dish to the next level.

Browning the Lamb

Lamb before adding the Mustard and Breadcrumbs

Potato and Parsnip Gratin Before Baking

Gratin after Baking

Lamb after Baking

IOTW - Pumpkin

In honor of Halloween, I thought I would focus on pumpkin. There are many great ways to use pumpkin in the kitchen. It is wonderful in desserts such as cakes and cookies and can be used in a variety of other dishes like pasta, soups and scones. Pumpkin is high in lots of vitamins and minerals including: vitamin A, vitamin K and iron.

Every year since I was little, my family has made pumpkin cookies to celebrate Halloween. I have posted about these cookies a few times, but I don't think that I have ever posted the recipe. So here is my recipe for great pumpkin cookies:

Ingredients: (Warning: this recipe is doubled and will make around 3 dozen cookies)
6 cups flour
2 cups oats2 tsp baking soda2 tsp cinnamon1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp of pumpkin pie spice (or use 1 tsp allspice, 1tsp cinnamon, 1tsp nutmeg)
2 cups butter2 cups brown sugar2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups raisins
2 cups solid packed pumpkin

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a very large bowl cream the butter then add the sugar and eggs. Add the dry ingredients alternating with the pumpkin. (Waring: Do not use an electric hand mixer to mix the dough is very thick). Fold in the raisins.

Drop onto a greased baking sheet in the shape of pumpkins. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cookies and decorate.

I normally frost about half the cookies and leave the other half un-frosted. To help set the frosted cookies, I place them on a baking sheet in the freezer for about 10 or 15 minutes. These cookies also keep really well in a freezer.

Delicious Dinner Thanks to Food and Wine

The best part of having a three-day weekend is more time for cooking! Tonight I made the Creamy Chicken-and-Mushroom Fricassee from Food and Wine. The recipe was really easy to make and turned out really well. This is definitely a recipe that I will be making again.

Seasoned Chicken Ready for the Oven

Onions and Mushrooms

The Benefits of Cooking With Wine
Roasted Chicken

Simmering the Chicken

Dinner is Served

Thanks

Yummy Apple Bread

It's officially Fall and to celebrate the season I made a delicious apple bread from Southern Living. This bread was so rich, it was practically a dessert! Of course, that was probably the reason that Van liked it so much.

I substituted walnuts for pecans since I already had those in the pantry. I also added two teaspoons of cinnamon to give it a little more flavor. The Southern Living recipe can be found here.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts, divided
• 1 (8-oz.) container sour cream
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped, peeled Granny Smith apples (about 3/4 lb.)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake 1/2 cup walnuts in a single layer in a shallow pan 6 to 8 minutes or until toasted, check after 4 minutes.

2. Beat sour cream, sugar, eggs and vanilla at low speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until blended.

3. Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add to sour cream mixture, beating just until blended. Stir in apples and toasted walnuts. Spoon batter into a greased and floured 9- x 5-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle with remaining walnuts; lightly press into batter.

4. Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, shielding with aluminum foil after 50 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack.

5. Bring butter and brown sugar to a boil in a 1-qt. heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly; boil 1 minute. Remove from heat, and spoon over top of bread; let cool completely (about 1 hour).

Helpful How-To - Chicken

Many people, myself included, have felt a little intimidated and grossed out about preparing a whole chicken. I have discovered that it is actually a great way to make chicken and that it is really easy. Usually, a whole chicken costs less per pound and will provide plenty of leftovers that can be used throughout the week - which is great if you are really busy or trying to save money!

Here are some helpful how-to's to roasting a chicken at home.

First, pick up a whole chicken at the grocery store or Farmers Market. This chicken was on sale for $1.29 per pound at Whole Foods this weekend.

I think it is really helpful to gather everything you need before you get started - roasting pan, seasonings, small bowls, chicken. I like to set the roasting pan next to the sink so I don't drip anything on the counter.

Unwrap the chicken and then check the cavity and pull out the packet or any of the organs. These can be cooked or you can get rid of them.


Then clean and rise the chicken. Pull out any remnants of feathers and cut off any excess fat. (It doesn't have to be perfect - Just do what you can!) Then rise the chicken under running water in the sink. Place on the roasting pan and pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.

Now it is time to season the chicken. In order to avoid cross contamination, I separately prepare the seasoning in small containers. I add salt and pepper to one small bowl and herbs and garlic in another. I also cut a lemon in half.

Use the salt and pepper to season the cavity. Sprinkle it around the sides of the cavity and rub it in so it looks like the picture below.


Then begin seasoning the outside with the herb mixture. I use 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped with thyme and parsley. If I have fresh herbs, I will use those and if not I will use dried. I have also used a variety of herbs including basil, rosemary, oregano depending upon what I have on-hand. If you don't feel comfortable coming up with your own mixture, I would recommend taking a look at other recipes for ideas.

Coat the outside of the chicken with the herb mixture and then start by the top of the cavity and gently pull apart the skin over the breast. There will be two separate pockets and it should easily separate from the meat. Add the garlic and herbs under the skin. This really helps flavor the meat. Place the lemon halves into the cavity.



Smear a little bit of butter (less than one table spoon) on the outside of the skin to help crisp and add a little more salt and pepper to the skin. Tie the legs together by wrapping butchers twine around each leg and place in a 400 degree oven for one hour. Tying the legs together helps the chicken cook evenly.

Keep an eye on the chicken and cover with aluminum foil if it begins to get too brown. I usually do this about half-way through the cooking time. Check the temperature of the chicken with a cooking thermometer. The inside temperature should reach 160 degrees. Let the chicken rest before serving.

(My final chicken)

(Photo of Tyler Florence's Chicken from Food Network)

A Bushel Of ...

Aside from a little confusion about a bushel of apples versus a bushel of crabs, our first annual crab feast was AWESOME! We got 8 of our friends together, ordered a bushel of crabs (about 70 crabs) and spent the afternoon on our deck eating as much as possible. It was a perfect Saturday afternoon and it was all thanks to my husband's brilliant idea!

Crab Apples

About Halfway There

Drink of the Day

IOTW: 8-Ball Squash

I saw these cute 8-Ball Squash at Whole Foods last weekend and couldn't resist. They were locally grown and really inexpensive. The 8-Ball Squash taste like zucchini , but are maybe a little sweeter. I sliced and sauteed them with oregano, thyme and parsley as a side for dinner this week. They would also be great stuffed with rice and other veggies.

A-MAZE-D

I made a quick trip to NYC on Monday to do a site visit for an upcoming event and had the opportunity to try Gordon Ramsay's Maze. The reviews on Yelp were mixed so I wasn't sure what to expect.

The portions were definitely small so my coworker and I decided to do the three course prix fixe option. Everything was delicious except for the sea salt ice cream - that was something I could live without. The service was wonderful albeit a little slow. Overall, a great meal.

Pan fried Tasmanian ocean trout with butternut squash gnocchi
with brown butter vinaigrette

Roasted chicken breast with spring morels
pickled ramps, new potatoes, fiddlehead ferns and thyme jus

Chocolate fondant
green cardamom caramel, sea salt and almond ice cream

Something New - Ingredient Of The Week (IOTW)

One of my recent goals is to make more time in my life to cook and explore new recipes. To help encourage my creativity in the kitchen, I am going to be featuring a new ingredient of the week (IOTW). Hopefully, this will help encourage others to try something new to spice up their kitchen routine.

The IOTW for this week is ..... Fromage Blanc!
I'm sure that you are probably wondering what is fromage blanc. Well, I was wondering the exact same thing when I found it in one of the recipes in my Williams Sonoma Essentials of Healthful Cooking book.

After a bit of research, I learned that fromage blanc is a soft, creamy cheese that has fewer calories and less cholesterol than cream cheese. Thus, the "healthy" part. I was able to find fromage blanc at Whole Foods in the cooler section next to the creme fraiche.

Fromage blanc is a really tasty substitute for sour cream and would be a yummy spread on crackers or on top of a baked potato. The recipe in the Williams Sonoma cookbook creates creates a delicious topping for red potatoes mixing fresh chives, basil and parsley with fromage blanc.

Cookbook Love

I have always loved cookbooks, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed trying to find one that I will actually use on a regular basis. This summer I got lucky and found two absolute must-haves - Williams Sonoma Farmers' Market and Essentials of Healthful Cooking.

I find that I often get carried away eating out or just not eating well and that I forget about things like vegetables. These cookbooks have lots of great veggie options and just plain delicious food.
What I love about the Farmers Market Cookbook is the dedicated page for each fruit or veggie, instructions for how to pick them and ingredient specific recipes. Wondering how to pick asparagus or what to do with the 12 zucchini you just picked from your garden? This cookbook is for you.

What I love about the Essentials of Healthful Cooking book is the variety of recipes, nutritional information and calories for each dish, and lots of tips and techniques.

Fourth of July + Cupcakes

I am a firm believer that nothing screams holiday like cupcakes! For July 4 I made Hershey's perfectly chocolate cakes with homemade butter-cream frosting. YUM!

Sunday Brunch

I decided to do something special for Easter and make eggs benedict from scratch. I have never attempted to poach eggs, let alone make my own hollandaise sauce. I looked at several difference recipes and decided to use a Tyler Florence version I found on Food Network. I used whole wheat English muffins from Whole Foods and smoked salmon instead of Canadian bacon.

This recipe was a total success. I managed to get everything ready at the same time and not ruin the sauce. It was great! Even Van, who typically doesn't like egg dishes, thought it was good.

Orange Cake

During my great blizzard baking extravaganza last week, I made this orange cake for Van. I only had one orange in the house so I topped off the fresh squeezed juice with regular orange juice. I also just used the zest of one orange.

The recipe only made enough for one cake, but in the future I would double it and make a frosted layer cake. This would also be nice change of pace from the usual chocolate and vanilla cupcakes.

Ready for the Oven

The finished product with Hagen Dazs Peach Sorbet.

My Snow Storm Diet

Since the great snowpocalypse started, I have been on a mission to use a lot of the items we've had in the freezer and pantry. Let's face it there's nothing like fresh baked goods on a cold winter day.

First, on the snowpocalypse diet was banana bread. I have been using this recipe consistently and always have the best results. Sometimes I add a quarter cup of chopped walnuts if we have them on hand.

Next, I made Paula Deen's Garlic Cheese Biscuits. I used bisquick instead of the Paula Deen biscuit mix. The biscuits still turned out very well and were buttery deliciousness. Seriously, Paula is the queen of comfort food and they were a great compliment to the shrimp chowder Van picked up for lunch.

Then I made brownies from scratch using this recipe. This was the first time that I have attempted to make brownies without a mix and I was pretty pleased with the result. They weren't overly sweet and were really cakey. I especially liked them with the Ben and Jerry's S'mores ice cream Van picked out.

I'm really hoping the snow ends soon. My snowpocalypse diet isn't exactly helping on the weight loss front.

Thanks, Giada!

I made Giada's Spaghetti with Pinot Grigio and Seafood from the Everyday Pasta cookbook last weekend. It was awesome and as you can tell it made way more than Van and I could eat in one sitting. I substituted fresh baby spinach for the arugula, but otherwise kept everything the same. I will definitely make this again.

Blog Backlog

Two weeks ago, I made a quick day-trip to NYC for work. I had two free hours before I had to catch the train home. How best to use my free time? A quick stop for cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery and dinner at Les Halles.

Escargot - OMG so good!!

Chicken Sandwich and Frites

Cupcakes - My Favorite!

Mexican Lasagna

I made this Mexican Lasagna by Rachael Ray for dinner yesterday and it was a big hit. The dish was well flavored and wasn't too spicy. Although, it would be really easy to add more heat.

I did make my usual substitutions and used 2 percent cheese and low-fat sour cream. I also added chopped fresh tomatoes (they were as fresh as you can get this time of year) and black olives.

The best part of this dish was definitely that the left-overs were really good. Van and I both had it for lunch today and there was still enough left for dinner tonight. It is so nice to start the week without worrying about what to cook for dinner.

Paula Deen Dinner Night

Okay. I love Paula Deen. She is the grandmother that everyone wants. (I still heart you too Nana) I love watching her shows on Food Network. She just seems like so much fun be around. I usually try to avoid her recipes because of the butter/fat content. Not that I am the healthiest eater in the world, but I do try to avoid recipes that feature butter as the primary ingredient.

Last Sunday, I splurged and had Paula Deen dinner night. I made Chef Jack's Corn Chowder and Paula's Garlic Cheese Biscuits. I did make several attempts to try to make the recipes a little better. I used fat-free reduced sodium chicken broth instead of regular and fat-free half and half instead of regular. I also substituded heart smart bisquick and cheddar made from 2 percent milk in the biscuits. Everything was worth the effort and the result was true comfort food. Van especially liked the biscuits and they were super easy to make. Both recipes ended up being keepers.

Fall, Football and Food

The summer flew by with a storm of wedding activities and now that everything is over I have landed right at the start of my favorite season. I love Fall. I live for the football games, holidays, spices, cooler weather, sweaters and comfort foods that come with this time of year.

During the summer, it often seems unbearable to stand in front of the hot stove as you spend hours working on a dish. In the Fall, the warmth of the stove or oven seems like a cozy place to spend a Saturday. Last weekend, I completely indulged myself by watching the Ohio State game and cooking a fabulous chicken.

I decided to start working my way through the new cookbooks we received as wedding gifts. I picked up Kylie Kwong’s Simple Chinese Cooking and found the soy sauce chicken recipe. Using light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Chinese rice wine, spring onions, orange peel and cinnamon, I made a stock that I used to cook a 3 lb free-range chicken.

The slow-cooking process (3 hours) made the chicken extremely tender and flavorful. Not too mention how fabulous our kitchen smelled as the stock simmered away. The stock was awesome on our jasmine rice and all together it was an excellent meal. I even attempted to chop the chicken in the Chinese-style demonstrated in the book. I definitely need more practice, but it wasn’t bad for a first try.

I definitely earned the good wife award for this dish so it comes highly recommended.

The Assembled Stock

My Attempt at Chopping the Chicken Chinese-Style