A Chicken in Every Pot...

I've gotten sidetracked on a couple of projects today, so dinner tonight is going to be a very simple affair... a few pantry staples... minimal prepping and voila! dinner is served... an oven-roasted chicken accompanied by my Grandmother's thickened tomatoes...

Thickened Tomatoes

28 oz. can diced tomatoes

3 to 4 slices French bread (torn into large pieces)

3 T. butter

2 T. flour

1/2 c. water

salt and pepper, to taste

Combine tomatoes and butter in saucepan; cook over medium heat for 8 minutes. In a small bowl, combine flour, water, salt and pepper; gradually add to tomato mixture. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add bread, folding in gently. Remove from heat. Serve.

Would You Like Fries with That?

...yes ...yes ...yes and YES! Actually, I've been trying to eat healthier... which is causing a little experimentation in the kitchen... first up were some piled-high nachos with organic pinto beans subbing for their refried cousins... ground turkey replacing beef... topped with homemade guacamole. Yum... didn't miss the extra fat one bit. Yesterday, it was stuffed red peppers... ground turkey and brown rice instead of beef and white rice... a little tomato paste added to the ground turkey filling really punched up the flavor... fried chicken and mac and cheese... watch out ... I think you're next...

One Pot Wonder...

New England dinner... boiled dinner... corned beef and cabbage... is a particular seasonal favorite from my childhood...

Take a deep breath and throw caution to the wind... there will be no measuring... a few pinches and handfuls perhaps... but nothing more... it's cooking... it's an adventure ...it's not chemistry... the pot won't explode with one carrot too many...

Into a large, heavy pot with a lid, place a corned beef brisket and a large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped. Add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer all afternoon until tender. Peel and cut in half several carrots. Core and cut a medium head of cabbage into wedges. Add these to the pot. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook until veggies are fork tender... slice the beef and serve with a side of boiled potatoes...

Stevie Meet Cake...Cake Meet Stevie...

At last, flavor has re-entered my life! I think this cold of mine is surrendering to the vitamin and chicken soup onslaught... I could almost taste my lunch today.

Years ago, I read an interview... Stevie Nicks and food... two topics guaranteed to garner my attention...

...The miniature cheesecake sat in front of Stevie Nicks like a cruel temptation, crowned with a glaze of mandarin oranges and skirted with puddles of chocolate sauce. She took a bite, just to test it. Then she put down her fork, deciding the pleasure was not worth the penance. "I'll eat a dessert if it's really good...but I won't waste a carbohydrate." ~ excerpt from New York Times article (Frank Bruni/November 25, 1997)

Finally! ...an approach to eating a foodie like me could wholeheartedly get behind. (Let's face it people... celery stalks and apple slices are rather feeble substitutions for their bake shop big sisters). So, on those occasions when an apple slice just won't suffice... I offer up my recipe for carrot cake... which I cobbled together after months of trial and error and I think is worth EVERY single solitary carbohydrate it possesses. Give it a try and see if you agree.

Old-Fashioned Carrot Cake

2 cups flour

2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 cup vegetable oil

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

3 eggs

1 cup raisins

1 cup walnuts (chopped)

3 cups carrots (grated)

In a large bowl, and by hand, mix together dry ingredients. Stir in oil and vanilla. Add eggs. Fold in raisins, walnuts and carrots. Pour mixture into 3 ungreased 8" round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes; cool before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese (softened)

1 stick butter (softened)

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

16 ounces powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter with mixer. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and mix well. Frost cooled cake between each layer, then sides and top.

Chestnuts Roasting...

We, most of us, have recipes that become holiday standards at our dinner tables, whether passed down through generations (candied Spam skewers, anyone?) or our own takes on the old classics (roast turkey...with a sage foam)... Here's a small sampling of ours...

Holiday Ham Glaze

1 cup mango chutney

1/4 cup dijon mustard

1/2 cup dark brown sugar (packed)

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

juice and zest from 2 large oranges

Combine ingredients and pour over ham prior to baking.

Christmas Cheeseball
2 8-ounce bars cream cheese
2 ounces Buddig beef (finely chopped)
4 scallions (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon onion powder
Combine all ingredients and form into one large, or two small, balls. Refrigerate.

Russian Teacakes
2 sticks unsalted butter
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup pecans (chopped)
powdered sugar
Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt. Add pecans.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes.
Cool slightly and roll in powdered sugar while still warm.
Cool completely and roll again in powdered sugar.