Halloween Cookies

I bought a cookie press thinking ahead to the Christmas cookies I make every year. Lo and behold there was a pumpkin template. With Halloween just around the corner, I was off to the races. I made three batches: one following the recipe that was on the back of the cookie press packaging, one substituting lemon extract for the vanilla and almond extract, and one using maple flavoring. To color the dough I used equal parts of red and yellow food colorings. Somewhere between 1/2 tsp. and a full tsp. They came out of the oven warm and yummy. Susie decorated them with cheery little faces and stems. Little do the happy little cookies know of their fate. I do know. And I know I love my new cookie press.

Bon appétit!

Chicken with Sage & Walnut Pesto

Susie gave me a new cookbook recently. Pestos, Tapenades & Spreads. I made a batch of the Sage & Walnut Pesto. OK, OK. A double batch. I took a couple chicken breasts, dried them well with a paper towel, then spread a thin layer of the pesto on them. Into an olive-oiled pan and into a 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes. About 10 minutes into the baking I thought I could add some reconstituted Italian heirloom tomato slices. A few minutes before removing from the oven, I laid a thin slice of provolone on top and let it melt.


I served the chicken with some domathakia. Dolmas. Canned dolmas. Canned? Yes. Canned. I found them at a Greek deli & grocery in Portland and had to try them. They are delicious.

Bon appétit!

Pulled Pork with Polenta

This will serve two: me and Susie. Take a half pound of pork tenderloin and cut it into 3-4 inch pieces. Boil it in salted water for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Remove the meat and discard the water. When the meat is cool enough to work with, use a fork and shred it into threads. Return the meat to the pan and heat with some mojo chipotle marinade and some pico de gallo.

For the polenta, empty a tube of prepared polenta into a sauce pan and add milk while mashing until smooth but not too thin. Add some thyme, rosemary, thinly sliced leek, and grated manchego cheese, stirring until well incorporated.

To serve, place some of the polenta on a plate and top with the pork. That's all there is to it!

I am serving some mixed vegetables and a side salad with the entree. Just some frozen mixed vegetables to which I add some reconstituted dried tomatoes that I prepared earlier. I am also throwing in a couple cubes of the frozen basil puree.

Bon appétit!

Mexican Chocolate Cake with Nana's Frosting

Another co-worker is moving on to...different things. And that means I had to make something for the going away shindig. Yes, had to. I went with a fairly simple recipe for a Mexican Chocolate Cake. Mix the dry ingredients, add the wet ones, mix until smooth. 25 minutes in the oven and it's done. It was.

The picture doesn't really show the cake part. Just the frosting. And that Dear Reader is the point. The frosting recipe comes from my paternal great-grandmother, known to us all as Nana. She used it on her oatmeal cookies. I do too. And as cake icing. And to make a marvelous peanut butter and frosting sandwich. It is true. A fairly simple recipe. Butter, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and coffee. Caffeine and sugar. This gets one going in the morning. You'll just have to trust me.

I found that the cake, with chocolate and cinnamon, goes beautifully with the cinnamon and the coffee in the frosting.

Bon appétit!

Chicken Pot Pie

Comfort food on a Friday evening. Life is good. I decided yesterday to make a chicken pot pie for dinner tonight. From scratch. Mainly. I was looking for an easy way to put together something that Susie and I would really like. Puff pastry sheets to the rescue. Susie stretched the sheets to fit the pie pan while I cut up onion and potatoes. Adirondack
Blue potatoes. I followed a recipe, loosely, for the gravy: butter, chicken broth, flour, salt & pepper. When it thickened, I added the spuds and onions, some frozen mixed veggies, and a couple chicken breasts that had been diced.

I poured the mixture into the pie pan and turned it back over to Susie to add the top of the crust. Before she covered it, I snapped this picture. Check out the blue potatoes! Although they look more purple than blue. Then into the oven for 30 minutes at 400. Or until the crust was golden.


The verdict was unanimous. We both loved it! But we also agreed that an additional 10-15 minutes in the oven would improve the pie. Next time. And there will be a next time.

Bon appétit!

Rainbow Cake

My grandmothers were my inspiration for cooking. They still are. My mom too, to be fair. All equally. Let's get that straight right away. The recipe for Rainbow Cake comes from my maternal grandmother. Typed with little annotations between lines and in margins. A true heirloom. It is essentially a butter cake batter with a twist. The batter is divided and dyed with food coloring. No two come out the same. Ever. They all come out looking pretty groovy. The picture here is a file photo from my archives. Today's version, still in the oven, has four colors. The pink, green and yellow seen here, plus blue. Blue food intrigues me. As kids we would eat one color, then the next and so on. Technically, we played with our food.

Bon appétit!

Berry Cobbler

Again with the cobbler? Yes. Again with the cobbler. I am becoming convinced that just about any fruit or berry can be made into a cobbler. This time I used something called "Berry Medley" from Fred Meyer. I had a coupon. Blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. The fruit mixture seemed a bit high in the baking pan so I am glad I thought to put a pan under it. Just in case of overflow during baking. It did, but I achieved the same old result: delicious!

Bon appétit!