Cupid's Gift that Keeps on Giving

    So on to Valentine's Day we go. In fact, some stores already began displaying the various candy boxes full of chocolates. Little heart with 5 chocolates, don't like you that much, but feel obligated to get you something. Big Heart with 30ozs of chocolate, I really dig you and want you stick around. Valentine's day for the Gould's are always crazy, my youngest son was born on Valentine's day, so as you can imagine it is one big Chinese fire drill. 

    In fact the day he was born, I was not even remotely ready. I was scheduled for a C-section on the 15th of February, because I did not want my child to have a birthday on a holiday. The best laid plans of mice and men. I spent two hours, the night before helping my kindergartner fill out his Valentines that never were given out. Donuts and plumbing were in store for him. He had more fun with his Uncle than going to school.

    There is one flaw to this otherwise perfect situation, my little Cupid signs me up every year for red velvet cupcakes for his class. Not because it is a Valentiney thing to do, it is because the teachers have gotten a taste of "a good cupcake". In fact, Cupid is a legend in the cupcake arena. For the "Welcome Back picnic", he signed me up for 24 red velvet cupcakes. Apparently the buzz was, the cupcakes were coming, and my sons were sneaking cupcakes out the back to their old teachers. Thank goodness for Jasmine, she has the patience to foo foo up cupcakes.

     I must confess a secret, I don't have the patience for cake decorating. I am used to having a whole lot of stuff going on, and to stop and switch gears, will most certainly give me a migraine. When frosting a cake, I start sweating and get all shaky. I received a degree in Culinary Arts, graduated Summa Cum Laude, worked in REALLY hot kitchens, where it was so hot that your eyelids would sweat. Worked 14 hour shifts with no breaks. Gave birth to two sons, survived night feedings, vomit in the eye and accusations that I am not fair. But, I get twitchy if I have to frost a cake. Go figure?

     My husband is putty in my hands, with a rich Alfredo sauce, and it is very versatile. This recipe is a sure fire way to impress the one that you are sweet on. Who needs cupcakes. Other than me, when I need sugar.

Alfredo Sauce

1 small onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 oz white wine
3 ozs butter
3 ozs flour
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup chicken stock
2/3 cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of nutmeg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons sour cream

In a saucepan, melt the 3 ozs of butter add the onion and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, deglaze with the white wine (deglaze means that the wine is added to pull the flavors from the sides of the pan) add the 3ozs of flour and mix well, turn heat down, just enough to not burn flour and high enough to get the flour taste to disappear. Add the heavy cream stock mixture and cook until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat, add the Parmesan, nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. In a bowl mix the egg yolk and sour cream, this is called the final liaison (a mixture of cream and egg yolks used as a thickening agent, but in this case it makes the sauce very rich) add a little bit of the Alfredo sauce to the egg yolk and sour cream, just enough to get everything about the same temperature ( this is called tempering) add the egg mixture to the sauce whisking quickly. Enjoy with your favorite pasta. My family likes fettuccine with chicken and broccoli, but the possibilities are endless. Good noshings to you.

Winter is nature's way of saying, "Up yours." ~Robert Byrne

Always a Day Late, and a Dollar Short

     The biggest party of the Christmas season is happening at this very moment!, and where am I, you ask? I am sitting at home blogging about it. Bah Humbug!!! I was invited, I was going and it was going to be a blast. Only, I never compensated for Mother Nature. I sit here, with a huge head cold, my sinuses so packed, that even taking in air is rough.

     A little secret about this party, not only was I invited, I also did the food, minus the carrot cake and cookies, that was provided by Barb. What a massive undertaking it was. I knew about this party last year, at the exact same time. So, I had an entire year to obsess about it. June 2010, "no worries I got lots of time", October 2010, "wow, I am a little nervous", Late November 2010 "Holy crap, Bookie is inviting EVERYONE".

     One other little secret about me, I work for the doctor that is throwing this massive shinding. Only I work on Mondays, and only taking phone messages! I have to say my phone skills are wayyyyyy better than they used to be. Especially, when there is a human life involved. You learn to ask the important questions! Anyway, for the last month, every phone call in his massive database of friends, is the same conversation  " Having a party, over at the Eagles, drinks and food at 6pm, and DJ at 8pm, you are cordially invited".

     That is not even the funny part, I am trying to keep a running total in my head of the phone calls and the face to face meetings. While trying to file information into patients files, that are not always in the place that you expect them to be. The phone is ringing, and Bookie comes in and says, "stop what you are doing, that is not priority". "Here fax these to the pharmacy, they are priority", oh boy, I was absent for faxing?  God Bless, Linda and Gerry they are truly medical office angels, so patient with me, even though I could have killed someone. Surgeons have lots of paperwork, a single mishap in allergies and it could be all over.

    Well here I sit, wondering if the food will last past 7pm, because last I heard the expected total was 250 people with an open bar. My head hurts a little. In my humble opinion, the food was spectacular, I personally oversaw all that I was responsible for. This party, took months of planning, a week of execution, and minutes to eat? Wow, that somehow is anti-climatic. Oh well, I hope that everyone has a good time, as I stuff TP wads in my nose to save time. One part of the menu that I was super proud of was a mayonnaise that I made:

Caramelized Onion, Horseradish Mayonnaise

2 sweet onion, julienned
4 ozs butter
1/2 cup beef stock
1 tablespoon sugar
4 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup prepared horseradish
1 tsp garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Cut onions and set aside. In a wide mouthed saute pan melt butter and saute onions on low heat, until the color of the onions is similar to straw. Add the sugar and beef stock and cook until liquid disappears. Cool onions to room temperature. In a food processor combine onions, horseradish and mayonnaise and season. Chill and serve with roast beef.

Cocktail party: A gathering held to enable fourty people to talk about themselves at the same time. The man who remains after the liquor is gone is the host.~Fred Allen 

Here come the Holidays!

     Here it is a week from Thanksgiving, and I am doing exactly what I do every year, and that is waiting until the very last moment to buy the makings for Thanksgiving. You would think that I would be more organized. Not a chance, I have been operating by a organizational shoestring for many years. Someone yesterday, was sharing about how at their home, mixed nuts are set out during the long waiting period, one must endure for the turkey. That jogged a memory, my house had the same mixed nut bowl, with the little shiny nutcrackers. I remember they were my Dad's favorite thing to do during the "Wait". I liked the walnuts and the pecans, those were in my opinion, the best nuts. I avoided at all costs the Brazilian nuts, and the filberts. Little did I know then that a filbert, was in fact, a hazelnut. I had no idea back then.

   I have begun noticing that the fever is starting to rise, the Thanksgiving fever. I was very proud of myself, I actually bought pie crust early. Now, I know that some of you are scratching your heads and asking "why is a chef buying pie crust?" Well, it is easy, there is nothing wrong with it, and it tastes good. Pillsbury is a great company, and they take a lot of headache out of a hugely detailed dinner. The supermarkets are starting to look a little full, and the people a little less patient. Just as I always tell you, supermarkets are a socializing tool. I ran into my sister-in-law, my niece and nephew. It was really nice to see my niece, she is in her first year at UVM in  Burlington, Vermont. I remember these kids  when they were like three years old, now they are driving and living on their own.

 

     My sister-in-law has hit that "No more cooking wall", that is understandable. She has hosted a lot of parties in the red kitchen. I am not sure, how I will feel when my kids venture out on their own. Kinda scary to think, that I will not have a Thanksgiving mission.  I have a tradition in my house, that on Thanksgiving and Christmas, I roll out the red carpet for breakfast. This is hands down, my most favorite meal period to cook. I secretly loved it every holiday, when I was working in a restaurant. There something so awesome about plating the most visually perfect Eggs Benedict, but I digress..
     Since I favor Southern food (love ya Paula Deen ;) ), I prepare a southern breakfast. Poached eggs, sausage gravy, fresh buttermilk biscuits, bacon, home fries cooked in liquid gold(bacon grease), grits and cinnamon rolls. After a spread like that, nobody is ready for food until about 4 or 5 pm. That is a sure fire way to keep the Turkey Skin Bandit out of your kitchen. Hey, men you know who you are?! I thought I would share my sausage gravy that I make religiously every Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is rich, savory and satisfying, just ask my family.

Sausage Gravy

1# Jimmy Dean Country Mild Sausage
1 onion diced finely
3 ozs butter
4 ozs Flour
1 cup chicken stock
3 cups milk
1 tsp butcher grind black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp spicy mustard
few shakes hot sauce
salt to taste

In a saucepan cook the sausage until crumbly, add the diced onion and cook on low heat, until the onion is sweet smelling and translucent. Add the 3 ounces of butter and melt, add the flour and cook on low heat for a few minutes. Add the chicken stock and milk cook until the gravy is thickened. Season with black pepper, fresh sage, garlic, mustard, hot sauce and salt. Serve over fresh biscuits.

Coexistence: what the farmer does with the turkey-until Thanksgiving.~Mike Connolly

The times, they are a changing....

     Just like that and Halloween is over. I survived, however this morning my stomach was a little icky, and I really don't care if I ever see another candy bar. I didn't even eat as much as I potentially could have. Perhaps it was the order in which I ate the chocolate, or adding random bites of pizza between Milky Ways. Either way, the mere thought of chocolate sends my stomach into orbit.
     Now we trudge on in search of the perfect turkey to adorn my otherwise cluttered dinner table. I can say this, we always buy enough turkey to feed 3 families. I am not sure why my husband and I, feel the need to get a 20 pound turkey every year, but we do. The last six years of Thanksgivings, I actually was home for the whole event from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to the Football games that lull our overstuffed families to sleep.

     I used to always leave around 6 am to open the kitchen for those that spent their Thanksgivings on the road. When my children were little, it was easier to justify leaving to go to work. In my mind, I believed that they could not yet, understand the concept of holidays. Somehow, that made feel better about the choices, I had made. One thing that I can say, is that you miss so much, like the parade. It is a tradition for us now, and I am like a kid in a candy store waiting for Santa to make his debut on Macy's Herald Square. After all these years, the kid in me still believes in the magic of Santa.
     Now that I am home to cook Thanksgiving, I get excited trying new things. I would love to deep-fry a turkey, however my husband is a traditionalist and his nose crinkles up even at the mention of it. One year, I wanted to try a Turducken, but with everything to do, my feet got cold thinking about it, plus not being fond of the flavor of duck, helped sway me in the traditional Roast Turkey lane again.

     I was born to two foodies, that exposed me to the delightful pleasures of good food early in life, perhaps that is why I pursued a career in cooking. I love nothing more tahn to fill my kitchen with the aromas of Thanksgiving. Throughout the day my boys and husband wander in for samples and critiquing. This was the way I envisioned a holiday of my own to play out. Life is not about the destination but rather the journey. It is the journey we need to pay attention to.
      I come from an Irish family, with a great sense of humor, and during holidays, I can remember sitting around laughing at ourselves and each other. All of my family gatherings had a healthy serving of humor.

     The temperature is dropping everyday , and my son came in last night in the midst of his trick or treating schedule to tell me, that it was snowing...WHAT??? I am not a snow person, although I enjoy it right up until December 26. Then it is out with prancing in the snow, and in with sitting by the pool. Oh well. This year I am going to brine my turkey, something that I have never done. But I am told that it results in a juicier, bolder more flavorful turkey. Brining is the process of submerging your turkey in a solution of salt and water for several hours.

My Brine

1 gallon Kitchen Basics Vegetable Broth(about 4 of them)
1/2 gallon of Cold Hollow Apple Cider
1 cup kosher salt
1 bunch rough chopped rosemary
1 bunch rough chopped sage
1 bunch rough chopped thyme
1 bunch rough chopped savory
1 bay leaf
2 oranges cut in half
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns,crushed
1 tablespoon allspice berries, crushed
4 whole cloves
2/3 cup molasses
1 14-18 pound turkey
1 gallon ice water

In a stock pot combine all ingredients except for the ice water and turkey. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 5 minutes. Cool liquid to room temperature. Remove innards of the turkey and rinse with cold water and pat dry. Combine the brine, the ice water in a 5 gallon bucket or anything that will hold the turkey. Place the turkey into the brine breast side down and weigh it down to ensure that the bird is completely submersed in the liquid. Cover and refrigerate or store in a cool place overnight. Turning the bird over halfway through the brining process. Remove turkey from brine and rinse well. Preheat oven to 350F and roast 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Important, don't add any additional salt to your bird as it has been brined in salt.

Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence.~Erma Bombeck

See you Marinara!!!

I adore a good Marinara sauce, and I will follow you anywhere, to find it.  I am on a constant quest to sample a full-bodied sauce of freshly picked summer tomatoes, onions, and fresh herbs.
Marinara translated means "sauce of the sailors."It is said that the sauce originated in Naples in 1600's when the Spanish introduced Italy to tomatoes.   In the 1600's this sauce was easy to make and without refrigeration it resisted spoiling due to high acid content in tomatoes.  Italian Americans refer to marinara as "gravy" or "Sunday gravy" because the sauce was simmered with large quantities of meat.  The gravy usually consisted of pork butt, chuck roast, meatballs, braciole(thin slices of meat rolled with cheese and bread crumbs) and Italian sausages.  The name conjours up large family gatherings of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends crowding around tables sharing the tradition of community.
Most foods with any ancestral history have become altered, misrepresented and twisted, but, maybe in the case of sauce sugo(meatless tomato sauce) the simplicity of its pure ingredients have made it impossible to deviate from the original plan. One thing I swear to you though, Marinara was born to meet pasta, and I believe that it transformed the face of pasta forever. Marinara sauces vary from neighborhood to neighborhood and from family to family. Here is a basic recipe from Sheila Watson Kraklow, that I feel sums up Marinara, the recipe is just a guide and can be altered to suit the maker.

Basic Marinara Sauce

6 lbs. fresh off the vine tomatoes
2 large yellow onions, diced
6 large cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp. each sea salt, black pepper and sugar
2 tbsp. dried oregano
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil, I like to add some white wine here and let it sweat out of the onions, then I would add the peeled, cored tomatoes , sugar(in my humble opinion, you don't need it but, I digress) basil, and here I love to add some red wine and let it get all cozy with the tomatoes.  Turn the heat down next to nothing and let the heat do its magic.  Now you have sauce, go forth and make "Sunday Gravies", and memories with your family and friends.

 

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.~J.R.R. Tolkien(1892-1973)

I've got the Gravy Blues.

One Thanksgiving, I can say I made the worst gravy ever. One because I forgot the rules to making a spectacular gravy, that keeps your family

• asking for the recipe. The best gravies are made from the pan drippings, quality stock, milk or meat juices, flour to thicken and your own special blend of herbs and spices to marry it all together.

This recipe is a good base to start from:
2 tbs meat drippings
2 tbs flour
1 cup broth
season to taste
So how do we get there from here? When your roast is done, pour the pan drippings through a sieve into a bowl. Next add one cup of water or stock and mix until all the stuff stuck to pan loosens up, pour that through the sieve into the same bowl. Let it sit for awhile, this allows the fat to rise to the top. Then you can skim and keep the fat for the amount of gravy you plan on making. Remember 2tbs fat, 2tbs flour:1 cup liquid, you can increase the ratio as needed. In a saucepan heat the reserved fat over a medium heat and add equal parts of flour. Whisk the butter and flour until it has turned golden, this is done to prevent your roux(fat+flour) from having a raw flour taste. Slowly add your meat drippings/stock into the pan and cook. Bring to a slight boil, at this point you will notice that it has thickened. With all good intentions we should have the perfect gravy.

But what if things happen along the way?.The gravy is too lumpy: one quick way is to whip the lumps out with a whisk, or strain though a sieve. The gravy is too salty: you can add several slices of raw potato, and cook over low heat until the potato is soft but not falling apart, discard, or add a pinch or two of light brown sugar, or if both fail and salt is severe make another batch of gravy with no salt at all, and blend the two gravies together. The gravy is not dark enough: add some instant coffee less than a teaspoon. The gravy is not thick enough:while the pan is still on the heat simmering, in a bowl mix 1 tsp cornstarch with 1 cup cold liquid(water,stock) and slowly stir into your simmering gravy. The gravy is too thick: add more broth until it is at the thickness you desire. The gravy is too greasy:add a bread slice to the top to soak up the fat. Or if time permits, cool down the gravy until the fat solidifies and skim off. Then heat as usual.

Now if I would only follow my own advice, I would be all set. I tend to rush the process instead of realizing that good gravy takes practice.

Do vegetarians eat animal crackers? ~Author Unknown