I had a few zucchinis in the fridge and have been wanting to try to make some crispy zucchini fries.  These were so fun to eat.  Super crispy on the outside (probably thanks to the panko) and super smushy soft on the inside.  AND, Izzy, the 5yo who-used-to-eat-everything-and-now-doesn’t child, LOVED them.

“EW”, she said when they came out of the oven, “I am NOT eating that.  What is it?”

The rule at our house is you have to taste it.  If you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it, after all we should enjoy what we eat, mother nature worked hard to grow it and we take special care to make it, it should be yum to eat, right?

Well after the first one, there was the second one, third, fourth, fifth….she ate these before the raviolis.  We’ll be making these again, and the best part?  These are so easy a 5 year old could totally make them too.  It’s fun, all the dredging and rolling and sprinkling, it’s total tea party time.

Enjoy!

Crispy Yummy Zucchini Sticks

• 4 Medium Size Zucchinis
• 1 1/2 tablespoon flour
• a couple sprinkles of your fave seasoning, I used cajun spices, but Italian or anything you fancy would be nice.
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 cup of plain breadcrumbs
• Olive Oil (spray if you have it)

Preheat oven to 475F -500F depending on your crisp factor (I did 500F)

Prepare a cookie sheet, brush or spray with olive oil, set aside.

Cut the zucchinis lengthwise in quarters, then into 3rds or quarters again.

Mix the flour, seasoning and salt together in a bowl.

Whip the egg whites until they are really frothy, almost until they form soft peaks, almost, in another bowl.

Put the breadcrumbs in another bowl.

Dredge the zucchini sticks in the flour mixture, dip in the egg whites, dredge in the breadcrumbs.

Place on prepped cookie sheet. Repeat until finished. Spray or drizzle sticks with olive oil.

Put in oven for about 20 minutes, turning half way through.

My Notes:

I used cajun seasoning and they were good, I think cumin would be AWESOME, and of course, the old stand by – Italian seasoning.

I used panko, the Japanese breadcrumbs. LOVED them, super crispy.

We really liked the super crispy outside and super soft inside, we cooked them for probably 25 minutes until the breadcrumbs started to turn super dark brown.

I think you could totally make a batch and freeze them after they’ve been coated with the breadcrumbs.  I’m going to add this to my “What to do with all the zucchini” part of the year and freeze a bunch for later.

We were watching a cartoon on some channel, not one that we normally watch, and there were commercials, and one came on for Pop Tarts.  I remember eating Pop Tarts.  We’d occasionally have them in the house growing up, but it wasn’t a normal breakfast for us.  It was a treat.   I know in some cultures or houses, cake or pastry for breakfast is the norm, but not at our house.  That being said, there is nothing more wonderful than the occasional delicious treat.

However, I never thought Pop Tarts were delicious.  I thought they tasted like sugar coated card board.  And, have you read the label?  Totally too many ingredients that I can’t pronounce, or have to look up to figure out what it is.  So here I have to follow some of Michael Pollan’s Food Rules like:

#39 Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.

Amen to that.  Have you made your own junk food?  WAY better than the commercial stuff. And I think you burn all the calories while making it and cleaning up afterwords.

#11 Avoid foods you see advertised on television.

This I learned from my mother, ANYTHING advertised on TV is off limits.  (except the stuff I do for my job, it’s on TV, and well, I’d buy it).

So, literally, I’ve been thinking about it this week.  Totally, sort of obsessing over it, thinking about these big convenience food makers and their role in our lives.  (Ok, that’s for another post, later).  Anyway, catching up on my food blogs, I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen, and well the rest is history.  We made them right away.

We rolled the dough into rectangles.  Don’t you love my perfect rectangle?  Isn’t it AWESOME.  Tip #1, I used my large rectangle cutting board as a template.  I felt so clever.

We made smaller treats (portion control is important, you don’t need big ones to enjoy them and they are treats), and cut the rectangles down to 12 pieces.  I think next time I would cut them into 16 pieces, even the 12 pieces were too big at around 3×4″.

We brushed our squares with egg, then poured our cinnamon filling on top.  There are more ideas at Smitten Kitchen, but I really liked the nutella suggestion.  For Izzy, since she’s not so into sweets, I need to come up with some savory ideas.

We cut up the 2nd rectangle and put them ontop of the first rectangle and pressed down the edges to make little pillows.

Using forks, we sealed the edges.

Izzy added her designs to each one.

I cooked 4 of them, and put the rest in the freezer.

Sorry, when they came out of the oven, they were gone right away, no photo of the finished product.  Next time.

This was so easy peasy.  Seriously an awesome project.  SO EASY A 5 YO COULD MAKE THEM!!  We now have a bunch in the freezer for treats and I think if I can find a savory filling, these would be an even bigger success at our house.

Recipe at Smitten Kitchen, Enjoy!

It was so stinkin’ easy.

Fluffy pillows of lemony goodness…

Boiled….

Then pan fried….

Gone in 60 seconds.

Recipe is from EveryDay Food (and of course, I’ve been carrying this issue around with me I LOVE IT and can’t find the magazine to share the recipe, I’ll post it when I can find the link or the magazine.

In our never ending quest to make as much of our food from scratch, we made marshmallows today.  I don’t think I’ll ever be able to buy them again.  Fast and easy.  Enjoy.   Martha Stewart Marshmallow Recipe. Turn them into Bunnies.

Izzy hand picked a big pile for our tart.  She carefully checked each one, turning it around and around, making sure they were the right ones, red and delicious.

We poured our cut strawberries onto the rolled out dough.  She folded the edges of the dough over the strawberries. And we popped it in the oven.

This was totally delicious, and so easy a 4 year old could make it (with a little help from mom).

Rustic Strawberry Tart

Tart Crust

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 egg separated
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4-5 tablespoons ice water

Filling

• Lots of fresh strawberries, sliced

Preeat oven to 400F.

Put flour, butter, egg yolk and sugar into the food processor and pulse until the mixture turns into little balls, like course meal.  Slowly add the cold water until the mixture forms one big ball.  (Watch the amount of water you put in, too much and the dough gets too wet).  Remove ball, wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

If you don’t have a food processor, you can do this by hand too! Make a mound of flour on a work surface, then make a well in the center of the mound and put the butter, egg yolk, sugar, and 3 tablespoons of the cold water into it.  Mix the ingredients in the well with your fingertips, then begin incorporating the flour in until the mixture has the consistency of coarse meal. Add 1 tablespoon water and continue to blend, adding water 1/2 tablespoon at a time as needed to form a workable dough, gathering it into a ball. Add a little flour to the work surface and knead the dough two or three times with the heels of your hands. Take care not to over knead. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Remove the chilled dough and place on a floured work surface.  Roll out to desired thickness and size.  Brush egg white over entire dough surface.  Pour cut strawberries onto the center of the dough.  Fold edges up over strawberry hill.  Brush egg whites over the dough edges. *Optional, sprinkle entire tart with sugar (we did not and it was just fine!)

Place tart on flat sheet.  I lined mine with parchment paper.  Cook for 30 mins until crust is a golden color.  Let cool for about 15 minutes before cutting.

We used just plain fruit for the filling, nothing else, and it was perfect for us, not too sweet.  We’ll be making these tarts with the fruit we get each week from our Farmer’s Market, and it’s something Izzy can do a lot of by herself, pick the fruit, pour the ingredients, pulse the food processor, roll the dough, brush the egg whites, fold over the dough, and of course, eat it.

I remember the large black wood cook stove in our kitchen in our farmhouse growing up.  It heated our whole drafty 200 year old log cabin farmhouse throughout those cold Bucks County winters.  It kept us warm and cozy.  Mom also cooked on it. And in it.  One of our most favorite treats was beer bread.  OH MY GOODNESS.  It smelled so good, it just filled the house with bready sweetness.  We’d stand there and wait for a whole hour, checking on it constantly.  Finally, it would be done and come out of the stove.  I’m sure we had to wait 15 minutes before we cut into it, but I remember the hot slices all steamy, in my hands, then gone!  The bread never made it to the table.  The butter was close by, and spread on each slice.  HEAVEN.

If you haven’t made beer bread before, you are missing out.  Seriously.  It is a simple and amazingly delicious treat.  You will eat it standing up at the oven hoping it has had enough time to cool off so it doesn’t burn your mouth. Super delicious alone, but some butter makes it even more delish!

Aunt Ellie’s Beer Bread

3 cups Self Rising Flour*

3 tablespoons Sugar

12 oz beer

pad of butter

sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 375F.  Put a healthy pad of butter in a 8″ loaf pan and place in the oven so the butter melts in the pan.  Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl.  Pour in the beer.  Mix together so dry ingredients are no longer dry.  Carefully remove hot loaf pan, sprinkle sesame seeds over the melted butter.  Pour in the dough.  Bake for 45-60 mins.  Bread should be crispy on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside.

*Don’t have self rising flour? You can make your own: for this recipe:

3 cups of Flour, 1 teaspon Baking Powder, 1 teaspoon Salt

Notes:

3 tablespoons of sugar makes this bread pretty sweet.  If you want a less sweet bread, try 1 tablespoon of sugar.

That’s not to say that Autumn doesn’t have a wonderfulness that I love. I love the changing of the leaves, the crispness in the air, the smell. I’m excited about my sweaters and thinking of making a new poncho (LOVE THEM). And well, the food is of course, fantastic.

I got very excited about a Pumpkin Soup recipe I found, and turned it into my own.

(adapted from SmittenKitchen – be sure to click over, the pictures are so beautiful)

I think making this the day before you want to eat it really makes it a more flavorful soup.  I had to change this from my inspiration, as I didn’t have the same ingredients on hand.  The pumpkin (the variety escapes me!), is not a pie pumpkin and has green seeds.  I was really worried that it was not the “right” kind, but was actually perfect!  When I picked these up at the Farmer’s Market, she told me she’d actually never cooked this kind before!

1 small pumpkin (with nutmeg and olive oil)  or you can use a can of pumpkin puree
1lb dry beans, soaked and boiled until ready to eat
1 28oz can plum tomatoes
1 red onion, sliced into smiles
8 garlic cloves chopped
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup dried mixed mushrooms (I used the wild mix from Found and Foraged Edibles, which I can get at my local farmers market)
3 to 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Garnish: sour cream or greek yogurt and coarsely chopped lightly toasted pumpkin seeds

Make the Pumpkin Puree. Wash the pumpkin, slice the top and bottom off, cut into quarters, scoop out the guts (save these). Sprinkle with nutmeg and olive oil and place in a pan on one side.  Place 1/2 the red onion and chopped garlic under the pumpkin slices.  Sprinkle with Olive Oil.  Roast at 400F until tender, about 45 mins.  Remove and let cool slightly.  Scrape the roasted flesh off the skin.  Combine the pumpkin flesh, roasted onions and garlic in the food processor.  Puree.  Pour into another bowl.  Set aside.

Chop mushrooms into bite sizes. Put into a bowl, cover with boiling water.  Let sit for about 10 minutes.  Set aside.

In a food processor coarsely puree beans and tomatoes. Set aside

In a soup pot cook onion, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper in butter over moderate heat, stirring, until onion is softened and beginning to brown. Stir in bean and tomato puree. Stir in broth, pumpkin, mushrooms, and wine until combined and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 30 mins, until it thickens up.

Just before serving, add vinegar and simmer soup, stirring, until heated through. Season soup with salt and pepper.

Serve soup garnished with greek yogut or sour cream and toasted pumpkin seeds.  (To toast your pumpkin seeds, preheat oven to 375F, rinse and remove all the pulp.  In a bowl pour a bit of olive oil and some salt.  Spread mixture out in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  (I did this, but on top of parchment paper).  Sprinkle with a little bit more salt.  Put in the oven.  After 10 minutes, stir up the seeds.  Cook for about another 10 minutes.)

(photo taken by Michelle Taylor)

It’s been a while, but we finally got around to celebrating Rob’s birthday.  I missed his 39th, I was in NYC for work.  I missed his 40th (YES  I KNOW…I AM TERRIBLE!!)  I had just moved to Seattle a few days before.  I returned from China the morning of his 41st (and he worked that night anyway…)  But with our BFFs and family in town, we decided to do it right.

So, well, you know me, I searched and searched for a cake recipe.  Now, if you have been to The Old Creamery Grocery in Cummington, MA, then you are familiar with Perry’s AMAZING CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES.  Sheesh, I sure do miss them.  This recipe comes close, but not quite the same.  It will do, now that I’m over 3000 miles away.

Chocolate Cake Recipe

(from Epicurious.com)

• Shortening, as needed
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for the pans
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Lightly grease the bottom of each cake pan, then line it with waxed paper or parchment paper and grease and lightly flour the bottom and sides. If you are making cupcakes, line the cups with paper liners.  (I highly recommend lining the pans with parchment paper.  I was amazed how easily the cakes came out of the pan).

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the 2 cups flour, the cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

4. Using an electric mixer on medium to high speed, beat the butter in a large bowl for 30 seconds. With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add the sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating each addition 3 to 4 minutes or until well combined. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl; continue beating on medium speed for 2 minutes more, until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.

5. With the mixer on low speed and beating until just combined after each addition, beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of the milk. With the mixer on medium to high speed, beat the batter for 20 seconds more.

6. Using a rubber spatula, spread the batter in the prepared pans. Unless your project directions indicate otherwise, fill round, square, rectangular, or shaped pans two-thirds full; fill cupcake cups two-thirds full. Bake the cake(s), 350 for 25 -35 minutes; each cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. Transfer the cake in the pan to a wire rack. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto the rack, lift off the pan, and peel off the waxed paper. Let the cake cool completely on the rack. Remove cupcakes from the pans after cooling for 15 minutes.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing

(from Epicurious.com)

• 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar

(photo taken by Michelle Taylor)

I really can’t remember the first time I ate gazpacho.  But I feel like I’ve loved it for a long time, and when I see lovely ripe tomatoes at the Farmer’s Market and it’s so stinkin’ hot, I have to make gazpacho.

I love it for a bunch of reasons.  I love being able to taste every single vegetable in each bite.  I love how it chills me right to the core.  And I love when it’s so spicy my eyes water.

After looking through a bunch of recipes, I made my own.  Mind you, this is not traditional, so you won’t find bread in this soup, but you will find seasonal ripe veggies.  If they aren’t ripe or local, they just aren’t worth eating.

Enjoy!

4-6 large tomato chopped  – 1 cup put aside

1 large cucumber – peeled and chopped – 1 cup put aside

1 large red onion – chopped

3 large stalks of celery – chopped – 1 cup put aside

1 yellow pepper – chopped – 1 cup put aside

Cilantro (amount to your liking) – chopped

1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1/4 cup Lemon Jiuce

4 cups Tomato Juice (I use V-8, seems to have the most real food ingredients)

Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

Hot Sauce

Makes about 8 servings.

Put chopped veggies and cilantro in a blender or food processor and pulse to desired consistency.  I do it just a wee bit of processing, I like to chew this soup and taste each vegetable in each bite.

Pour into a non-reactive bowl, add the Red Wine Vinegar, Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Tomato Juice, salt and pepper / hot sauce to taste and mix together.  My blender and food processor aren’t big enough to hold it all, but if they are, you can put it all in and blend away.

I’m thinking about other gazpachos.  I’ve had a beet gazpacho that was so amazing I just can’t forget about, and it might be my next gazpacho….

I first saw this in the fabulous food site – PlatetoPlate.com.  Then I saw a version in The Kitchn and thought, this must be a SIGN!  And I had to make it!

This whipped up nicely.  The blackberries were picked on the way to school yesterday, surprisingly they made it another day, and I thought this would be the perfect ending.

It was much lighter than I thought it would be, and the hard crust was nice and chewy.  And the whipped cream and berries, my, oh, my.  We all loved it.

I was so excited to try this.  I was completely inspired by Plate to Plate’s version, but didn’t have enough ingredients on hand, so The Kitchn version worked nicely. I am looking for an excuse to make this again, I think it’s the perfect dessert.

Here’s how I made it: (from The Kitchn)

4 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

big bowl of the freshest (and most local) berries or fruit you can find

Preheat your oven to 275F.  Line a cookie sheet with a sheet of parchment or one of those fancy silicone cooking sheets.

With a hand mixer, beat the egg whites, when the egg whites get a little bubbly, mix in the cream of tartar.  When the egg whites firm up a bit more to soft peaks, add the sugar in slowly.  When you’ve got firm peaks, you are done.

Pour the meringue onto the parchment.  You can do one big one, or a bunch of little ones.  I made just one and it was about 3-4 inches high and just shy of the width of my sheet.

Bake for 45 minutes.  Turn your oven off and let the meringue sit in the oven until it is completely cool.

Right before serving, whip up your heavy cream.  Spread onto the cool meringue, cover, with berries.

My notes:

• We ate this the same day I made the meringue, while it is hand downs one of  the most delicious things I’ve made, I think another day hardening up would have been better.
• I’m glad I didn’t add any sugar to the whipping cream, the meringue is pretty sweet.
• For just the 3 of us, this was too much, so the next time I make it, I’ll make 2  or more, so I can store what we won’t eat in one sitting in an airtight container.
• I think next time I’ll try 1/2 granulated sugar and 1/2 confectioners sugar.  Just wondering how it would be different.
• I love it with the berries, and I’m trying to think of ways to make it every season.  I love Plate to Plates toppings that include hazelnuts, berries, caramel and mint.  YUM!
• This also totally reminded me of Angel Food Cake, glad I can make something like it without the pan.