December 28
Kathryn
Sick as a dog on Christmas... woke up to that darned stomach flu that's been beating people up. Put on a game face and went to Gabe's family for brunch. They set out a great spread... scrambled egg burritos with black beans and salsa, a nice bread pudding with bourbon sauce. I brought a simple fresh fruit dish - orange and grapefruit segments in a vin santo/lemon sauce. Its was light and refreshing. Everyone's food was so good... and the thought of it made my stomach lurch. Such a waste... It was a lovely morning, but I was whooped. Came home early and crawled into bed. My mom offered us a raincheck for dinner, and then offered to cook Christmas dinner on the 26th. Heaven sent... She made the roast pork and fresh green beans. We had a cranberry shallot relish I'd made just prior to my malady. And I cannot remember what else. What I remember is how thankful I was that I could sleep and not dream.
November 13, 2006
Donna
My anniversary of 14 years, was Saturday and I decided to make something Jim had never had, quail. Let’s start with how expensive these little birds are--$13.99 a pound. Since they are so small I got 6 at a cost of almost $30. I followed a recipe from the cookbook Entertain by Ed Baines. Whole roast quail stuffed with thyme, garlic and lemon, page 206. I make one substitution; the recipe called for pork sausages and I used turkey. The sausage was mixed with lemon zest, thyme, garlic, olive oil and stuffed in the quails. The birds were rubbed with Dijon mustard, olive oil and cooked at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Staying with the thyme flavor, I made roasted baby carrots with thyme, salt, pepper, drizzled with olive oil and roasted at 400 degrees until tender. I used the same combination with some potatoes. Dessert was pumpkin pie, Jim’s favorite.
Jim thought the dinner was wonderful. (ed note: Because he is such a good guy and Donna is such a good cook!) I felt it could have been better. The sausage filling was outstanding; I could have eaten it without the quail. The flavor of the sausage did get into the quail but for me it was lacking some type of rich sauce. I usually follow a recipe the first time the way it’s written unless I notice in the process that it just isn’t going to work out. So this time I followed; next time, my way.
I mentioned back in July, my Cape May Bed and Breakfast. For the past 5 years I have rented a house in Cape May and invited women to come for the weekend and be treated like royalty. I have just 5 women at a time and, of course, everything is centered on food. We literally spent hours sitting at the kitchen table eating, drinking and talking. I send out a schedule of meals and what will be served. Saturday breakfast I mentioned a sweet treat but I couldn’t figure out what to make. It was making me nuts.
My sister Tinamarie and I went to our favorite store, Pottery Barn, and I found the sweet treat I was searching for and a lot more. Everyday Celebrations by Donata Maggipinto is full of easy, comforting and delicious recipes and ideas. My Saturday treat was huge blueberry muffins. I’m not even going to get into the recipes, get the book, last I checked on Amazon.com it was $3.95. I promise it’s worth it. Aside from the blueberry muffins, there’s sweet and spice nut brittle, which I have used as a give away. The pink grapefruit shortcakes look and sound delicious; I may make those for Christmas breakfast. The velvet birthday cake with vanilla butter cream frosting, the chestnut soup with black pepper cream, the dried apples and pears, the smoky green beans and the roast chicken with Asian flavors. JUST GET THE BOOK and let me know how you like.
October 16, 2006
Donna
Breakfast – The Meal that Starts the Day.
My favorite day to make breakfast is Sunday. During the week I am just making something simple-- wrapping it and running out of the door. Saturday I don’t really bother with to much because I just want to sleep late; so by the time I realize I have not had breakfast, its lunchtime. That leaves wonderful Sunday.
James, when we got together 14 years ago, was not a big fan of French toast. The first time I put it in front of him; he kind of looked at it like,
“I don’t think so.” Of course being the wonderful guy he is, he tried and loved it. He had not really had a good experience with it prior, I thing it was the way his mother made it. I love French toast, but have always had one problem with it myself; it never tastes the same.
My mother made it when we were kids. Don’t get me wrong, it was always tasty… but not always the same taste. So I have developed a standard for what I use every time I make French toast. What also prompted me to come up with a recipes was that James and I had made a bet about something and the loser had to give the winner breakfast in bed. I was the winner and wanted French toast. When will he learn that I never bet unless I am positive I will win? Since he had no clue where to begin, I made it easy for him.
1 ½ cups milk or half and half
4 large eggs
¼ cup sugar
Splash of vanilla
Zest of 1 lemon
Sprinkling of allspice
Beat well, you don’t want to see any egg floating around or your French toast will have white egg spot and it’s not attractive. Dip your favorite bread, coating both sides and place in hot buttered frying pan. Brown both sides, trying to only turn once. And please serve with warm syrup.
The hint of the lemon zest makes the French toast amazing. Your friends and family will ask, “what is that I taste?” You will be quite the gourmet saying, it’s just a little lemon zest. Cold syrup is ok if that’s what you prefer, but warmed syrup makes it all the more delish.
October 2
Kathryn
Autumn Harvest
Saturday next we are supposed to be catering a reception for the opening of an art show in Marlton. The gallery is in a restored colonial farmhouse... gorgeous old plank floors and deep window sills. Alice - the artist in question - is part of our Sept 07 Umbrian Adventure. I suppose she was impressed with our joie de vivre... our sheer enthusiasm for all that is food related.
Everyone is doing a little something. Donna will be in Cape May doing her bed and breakfast, so she is making roasted vegetable foccaccia (which freezes and reheats well). Renee is going with sesame drumsticks. Min is reprising her scrumptious spring rolls. Dana is handling dessert. I am making a brie iced with an autumn fruit confit and fresh herbed goat cheese. I'll be filling in with fresh fruit, flowers and herbs and decorating with autumn foliage, flowers and berries. Should be a lovely, low key event.
September 29, 2006
Kathryn
What’s in a Name?
The Food Group is trying to come up with a name… something that captures our sense of fun and our commitment to the creation, the consumption and the ceremony of food. Gathering suggestions and making a decision has been a long and winding road. A bit like herding cats. Maybe it’s that we all have very specific likes and dislikes. And, of course, we do not want to offend or hurt another foodies’ feelings if they’ve put forward a name we are not sold on. But most definitely, we are alpha females with strong opinions. Not taking the lead and making the decision is hard… so we hang back and wait. Some of our suggestions included:
- Sauce ca (pronounced Sauce cau)
- Soiree (pronounced (swah-ray)
There were thoughts about how a foreign name might sound pretentious, concerns that a specific language might pigeon-hole us as “Italian’ or “French” specialists… and the practical worries about intuitive pronunciation…
Where did we end up? Well, my thought is that nothing is set in stone. We’re not getting cards made or hanging a sign anywhere. At the moment – for our catering job this weekend – we will be Forking Delicious. If another name suits another venue better… or if we get something through Donna’s catering business, then our name may change again. But for now, we are truly Forking Delicious.
August 20, 2006
Donna
Let’s talk cookbooks. Cookbooks are one of my most favorite things and treasured possessions. I won’t let a friend or even a family member borrow one. I will get one for you or tell you where to order it. I get most of my books from Amazon.com. Being a cookbook junkie can be expensive so I have to cut cost where I can.Amazon.com is the best place I have found to do so. I onve bought a $35 book for $ 2.50.
There are so many celebrity chefs with cookbooks these days--the very Italian Giada, the very southern Paula Dean, the always laughing Barefoot Contessa and cutie Tyler Florence. Like most I have fallen prey to their cookbooks, which for the most part are wonderful. But I don’t forget to look out for the folks that have not yet reached celebrity, which brings me to Susan Spungen. Her book is called Recipes – a collection of the modern cook.
Susan worked here in Philadelphia at the Frog Commissary, if anyone remembers that. She has also worked for Martha Stewart and at Coco Pazzo in New York. Her book forward is by Martha Stewart, which I guess gives her a little celebrity. It’s wonderfully written; easy to understand and gives you the feeling Susan is someone you know. I also like beautiful pictures in cookbooks and her pictures leap off the page saying, “make me now, I taste as good as I look.”
The picture of the baby back ribs with coffee bbq sauce on page 101 looks so delish, I’m making those this weekend. The grill-roasted lemongrass chicken on page 109, the thyme-roasted carrots on page 140, the table setting on page 162, the caramel apple tart on page 224 and last but by no means least, the lemon curd cheesecake on page 228.
I’m waiting for the cooler weather of fall to arrive, so I can make such dishes as the Sunday chicken with couscous stuffing on page 129, the roast filet of beef with mushroom sauce on page 138, the honey-roasted squash on page 145, and the beef bourguignon on page 196.
At last count I had over 140 cookbooks and no plans to stop. There are lots of dishes to make and tell you all about.
