Category Archives: Recipes

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12 Favorite New England Comfort Food Recipes – New England Today

08 Thursday Nov 2018

Posted by in Connecticut, Epicurean, Maine, Massachusetts, New England, New Hampshire, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vermont

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Fall foliage tree pictureTis the season for comfort food and I thought it would be apropos to share food from my neck of the woods.  Funny thing is, however, I only recognized three of the recipes — American Chop Suey, #ick; Yankee Pot Roast, #willdo; and Blueberry Crisp, #Yummy.  Obviously, with blueberry crisp on the list, I’m operating under the assumption that this is not a seasonal list.  So, if you’re looking for a really satisfying and comforting meal, check these out.

via 12 Favorite New England Comfort Food Recipes – New England Today

* Full disclosure, I’m really just testing the ‘press this’ functionality…move along if you’re not interested.

Acorns & Acorn Squash…

05 Monday Nov 2018

Posted by in Epicurean, Holidays, Recipes, Travel, Vegetables

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Here in the Rivera household, we’re all aflutter for Thanksgiving.  I’m not sure if it’s the time away, Tony’s cooking over an open fire, or spending the week in the Massachusetts’ countryside. While we don’t have a standard menu, my brother and his family usually come with the entire dinner in tow and its epicurean creativity is less than stimulating.  So, for the ‘traditional fare’ we’ll nibble on their reheated canned goods; however, we’ll also make a few more adventurous sides of our own which I curated from one of my more trusty cookbooks, Gatherings & Celebrations by Burt Wolf. Wolf picture

Recipient of the first James Beard Award ever given for Best Television Food Journalism, Wolf has made television programs and written, edited and published books among his many successful pursuits. He’s produced segments for CNN, ABC, The Discovery Channel, and for Public Broadcasting in the United States. And that, Public Broadcasting, is where Gatherings & Celebrations comes in.  First published in 1996, the book is a ‘companion to Burt’s first prime-time documentary television series’ and features 20 ‘occasions for celebrations’ throughout the world.

The recipes I’m using, and which we’re hoping will turn into must haves are Stuffed Acorn Squash with Apple, Onion, & Spinach from ’Thanksgiving in Colonial Williamsburg’ and Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Lemon & Pepper featured in the ‘Formal Dinner in the Loire Valley’ sections of the book.   I’m including the recipes below with full credit going to the folks at Colonial Williamsburg and to, I believe, the Chateau du Nozet and the family of Baron Patrick de Ladoucette, and, of course, Burt Wolf himself for securing and publishing them.

Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Pepper (Chateau du Nozet; again, I believe):

1 lb small brussels sprouts, out leaves and bases trimmed

1.5 teaspoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons water

Pinch of sugar

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • Cut the sprouts in half, through their base and keeping leaves intact. Boil until tender, not mushy, in a pot of water (obviously, boiling water) with approximately 1 teaspoon of salt, approximately 5 minutes.
  • When ready to serve, heat the sprouts in a medium pan with the butter, lemon juice, water, sugar, remaining salt and pepper. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes, turning gently until the sprouts are lightly glazed and heated through.  Serve immediately.

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Apple, Onion, & Spinach (Colonial Williamsburg):

2 cups pearl or small boiling onions.

2 acorn squash

1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt

1/3 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ cup apple cider

½ cup water

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 golden delicious apple, peeled and diced

1 ½ pounds spinach, stems trimmed, washed and drained.

Preheat oven to 350

  • Peel onions; bring medium pot of water to boil, trim the ends of the onions, make a small X in the root end and boil for 5 minutes to loosen the skins and partially cook them; drain and set aside. When cool, press the onions out of their skins.
  • Quarter the acorn squash, scrape the seeds out. Season the flesh of the squash with ½ teaspoon of salt, 1/8 teaspoon of pepper, and the coriander.  Pour the cider and water into a roasting pan.  Place squash, cut side down, in the pan and scatter the onions around the squash.  Dot with 1 ½ tablespoons of the butter.  Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.  Remove foil and continue to bake, basting with the juices for 30 to 40 minutes, until the onions and squash are tender.
  • When ready to service, heat the remaining butter in a skillet and saute the diced apple until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the pan juices from the squash, the spinach leaves and remining salt and pepper.  Cover over medium-high heat for 3 – 4 minutes, until the spinach is wilted and tender.
  • Arrange the squash on a platter and spoon equal portions of the spinach mixture into each section of the squash, top with the roasted onions and serve.

Random Musings for a Friday Night…Rabbit Edition

26 Friday Oct 2018

Posted by in Epicurean, Friday Night, Holidays, Massachusetts, Recipes, Travel, Uncategorized, Weekend

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I need to be better in marking down the meals I create and recipes I’m riffing off of (I’m sure there’s an app for that, any suggestions?).  I go through phases where I’ll create a meal completely out of my culinary comfort zone.  These meals are cobbled together from the numerous cookbooks gracing my shelves, focus on a particular region of the world, and often call for about $100 worth of ingredients that I most likely will never use again — turmeric powder for a Mexican meal; fenugreek seeds for my Mediterranean meal.  Past highlight include a random rabbit recipe and a wonderfully flavorful Italian soup.  The reality is I wanted to make both this weekend but, for the life of me, I can’t find the recipes.  Other random thoughts for this Friday evening:

woodland cabin

Woodland Cabin, Warren, MA

Thanksgiving with Marley & Co: Last year Tony and I realized, on Nov 1st, that we had no plans for Thanksgiving.  With some fancy, yet furious, finger work (OK, Airbnb has eliminated that last minute booking panic), I found and secured a cabin in Warren, MA for the holiday and am tickled that we’ll be returning this year (I think we’ll be doing this for as long as Mary Jane will have us).  Woodland Cabin is a fabulous get-away in the southwest region of Worcester County, MA that serves up freshly laid  eggs from the on-site hens each morning; has three wonderful goats, Marley being the most playful, that will go on walks with you; and offers up approximately 80 acres of hiking trails for one’s enjoyment.  Tony is salivating at the prospect of cooking our meals over the open fire — they have a fireplace that’s large enough for me to walk into. We’ll blog throughout the weekend providing blow-by-blow run downs on Tony’s open-fire cooking.

Seasonal Things to Do:  I have two master “Things to Do” lists that I update annually with current year dates (another app I need). The lists — one for summer and another for the holiday season.  I need to update the Christmas list which will, of course, commence with the Cabin.  I’m feeling giving this year and will share some of my favorite must do’s throughout the season.

German Christmas Markets:  Speaking of a favorite thing to do…the market at Lake Mohawk in Sparta, NJ is worth the drive.  To be fair, last year was the first year I attended and I’ve only seen one other advert, just this year, for another local market.  But, one of my bucket list items is to do the whole, proper German/European Christmas Market thing. Until then, I’ll be satisfied with the Northeast’s markets.

Boozy Burbs: This is fun.  Thanks to my good friend Nancy, I’m now hip to Boozy Burbs, Greater Bergen County’s ‘not-so-secret ingredient’ to discovering all things culinary in the area, including Rockland, Hudson, Essex and Passaic county bordering towns. Check it out, it’s well curated and will answer most of your ‘where am I going; what am I eating this weekend?’ questions.

Restaurant Week:  Featuring Hudson Valley – Sometimes they’re in the spring, sometimes the fall.  In NYC, I believe, it’s in the dead of winter. But Hudson Valley’s Restaurant Week kicks off on Sunday.  I like these weeks, wherever they may fall, as they give you the opportunity to experience a new restaurant or revisit a perennial favorite at a rate tolerable for most pocketbooks.  Featuring both lunch and dinner meus, restaurants can be booked in advance on OpenTable (another great site that answers the ‘what’s going on?’ question). 

Chicken Stock Ice Cubes: And, for a Fun Tip, when making chicken stock, freeze cubes of the stock.  This will enable you to grab as many as you might need for smaller batch cooking — i.e. replacing water when making rice, using broth vs. water to steam vegetables, or to enhance the flavor of a canned soup.  Whatever your desire having cubes to work with is an easily wonderful way to pretend you’re an epicurean maven.

This weekend’s adventures may or may not entail a rabbit, if it’s to be Peter, we’ll definitely make note as to where the recipes are housed and will let you know all about our culinary adventures. Until then, happy trails and bon appetite …

 

 

My Italian Grandma’s Cookies…

18 Sunday Dec 2011

Posted by in Cookies, Epicurean, Holidays, Italian, New Jersey, Recipes

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I’m not Italian and have no right headlining this post as ‘My Italian Grandma’s’ anything.  However, I think it fair to say that we all have that one little ole Italian lady that strikes a sweet chord within us.  Mine is Annie, a lady, at least 75 years old, that I worked with for ~ 9 years.  She truly believed that she was the glue that kept her department together and that no one else could figure out the computer system.  She was always ready with a kind word, a random pill from the bottom of her purse, and, the wonders of home-made Italian food — whether it be a main meal or a random selection of desserts.

Smiling right back at yah...Annie's Cookies

Without fail, Annie would make her Italian cookies at Christmas and, after the first bite, I believe it fair to say that I was addicted.  It took me many years to work up the courage to ask her about them, and a few additional years before I became so bold as to ask for the recipe; something she more than happily gave up.   I’ve probably had the recipe for 5 years or so, and this is the first year I pulled it out in an effort to liven up my holiday selection, of, well nothing but monster cookies (when a recipe makes ~ 400 cookies, do you really need any other?). Annie’s cookies have been yanked from the oven and will be frosted/sprinkled tomorrow, but according to the look on my Italian husband’s face, I believe, I found something good.    I have no idea as to where Annie got this recipe, I fantasize that it’s been handed down from generation to generation, and, for all I know, it could be from a book or the back of a bag of flour, but it is with the most heartfelt and warmest of thoughts that I share it with you today:

Annie’s Italian Cookies:

Melt 3 sticks of margarine; add one cup of sugar and cream together (Note, I, personally, use butter).

Add three eggs, mix thoroughly and then add 4 teaspoons of baking powder to mixture, one teaspoon of flavoring — organe, anisette or whatever you prefer, mix again.

Add 3.5 cups of flour or more and mix again (I wound up using about 5 cups of flour).

The doug should be pliable, not stiff.  If too soft, add more flour until the dough can be worked and is not sticky but very, very soft.  Make round balls, about 1 inch round, bake at 375 for about 15 minutes or until you see that the cookie looks whole and not soft.

Icing:

After the cookies have cooled, make a mixture of 1.5 cups of confectionery sugar, add 1 teaspoon of flavoring (to complement the flavoring used earlier, if not the same one); and 1 teaspoon of water to the sugar.  Mix together ( it should be thick, like cream.  If too loose, add more sugar), then dip the cookie into mixture and put round, colored sprinkles on top.

I also made pumpkin cookies tonight (a favorite), but alas, feel woefully inadequate as my aunt had a cookie party recently and wound up with ~1200 cookies.  I think I made all of 100 cookies today…oh well, c’est la vie.

Monster cookies to follow tomorrow (a half batch…) in between stuffing sausages…

Random Musings for the Weekend…

04 Sunday Dec 2011

Posted by in Connecticut, Cookies, Cooking Schools, Holidays, Massachusetts, Recipes, Travel, Vegetables

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Procrastination. So much to do and this the only weekend we have to do it, We’ve been decking the halls, only using real greenery, and attacking the Christmas Cards all weekend…laundry be damned!  If time allots, I’ll make cookies for Tony’s students. However, the recipe I use, the famous Stifter Monster Cookies, makes a boat load of cookies and even when making half a batch you’re still baking 2 – 3 hours later. Also will be attempting to finish bunch of things that absolutely must be done — switching the clothes, winterizing the back yard, etc. While I continue hiding from the inevitable, a few thoughts:
Route 2, Massachusetts

The Mohawk Trail

The Mohawk Trail: Next weekend we’re going to Massachusetts to see our nieces in a Christmas Pageant (unbeknownst to my sister.  Note to self, must tell her…). Figured we could do a leisurely drive home along Route 2, aka the Mohawk Trail, with a stop for shopping/lunch in Deerfield. As we frequent New England on a somewhat regular basis, we tend to do ‘hit and runs’. Especially this spring, my driving has always been geared toward ‘how can I get to where I need to go the quickest and with the least amount of headaches.’ As things have quieted down, we’ve begun taking leisurely rides home, usually stopping at least once or twice along the way. In September, as we were coming home from the Cape, we stopped in Groton, Connecticut, just south of Mystic, at the Submarine Force Library and museum.  Personally, my interest was less than enthusiastic, but Tony was thrilled. And, thankfully, his enthusiasm was contagious. Apparently, there’s a replica turtle thing there and we were able to board the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear powered sub that, back in 1958, crossed the North Pole, the first ship to do so. 

The USS Nautilus

The USS Nautilus

 

2012 To Dos: I’ve committed to do numerous epicurean things in 2012 and will compile a list, at some point soon, to share. The good thing is that I’ve started researching some of my ‘to dos,’ (did you know there’s a cooking school in Cresskill, NJ?) and am plotting out how I’ll spend Q1 of 2012 taking classes and traveling the Northeast, visiting friends and family and enjoying the fare along the way. I guess my only concern about this is that I’ve always wanted to take technique classes, as it takes me about a 1/2 hour to cut an onion, prior to taking formal cooking classes. Apparently, the two will be inter-mingled and I’ll keep you update on how that’s works out.

Roasted Butternut Squash

Roasted Butternut Squash from Simple Speedy Snacks

Recipes: A quick survey of my reader revealed that recipes would be welcome. In 2012, I vow to post recipes, from cookbooks on the shelf, to the family trove of recipes to recipes I find from fellow bloggers and classes I may take along the way.  Actually found a really nice, fall recipe for roasted butternut squash from Simply Speedy Snacks and am excited to try it over my extended holiday at the end of the month.

If eggnog weren’t completely gross, I would have stocked up for the ‘deck the halls’ weekend. But, alas, we found other liberations that helped us us out along the way.  We’ve been local this weekend, enjoying each other’s company and taking care of Christmas business (for the record, our tree, tiny though it may be, fell over on me last evening). Next up, researching and organizing 2012 cooking classes,epicurean adventures, and unknown areas to explore throughout the year. We’ll keep you updated on our adventures and promise to, soon, very soon, start posting recipes.