Easter Brunch

My family and I had Easter Brunch together yesterday. Here's what was on the menu (my mom's ideas!):

• panzanella-stuffed cherry tomatoes
• three grain rye bread squares with salmon and dill cream cheese

• breakfast casserole adapted from this Eating Well recipe
  
• sage breakfast sausages
• roasted asparagus with herbed yogurt sauce
  
• minted orzo with feta

• hot cross buns from Red Hen
  
• blueberry cake
• fresh cantaloupe and oranges
  

Going beyond chocolates & flowers...

Have you ever seen those commercials for Edible Arrangements and wondered if they're really all they're cracked up to be? Let me be the first to tell you, if you're getting one from the Burlington location, they are! I had always wondered what they were like, and I guess at some point I mentioned that while watching their commercial. For Valentine's Day this year, my boy picked me up one of these. The fruit was fresh, perfectly arranged, and overall -- delicious! For a fruithead like me, it really ranks in the top ten gifts.

Stuffed Cupcakes for my Valentine

This year, I made some cupcakes inspired by these, except I made them more Valentine's Day friendly by adding CHOCOLATE!

I stuffed devil's food cupcakes with strawberries, and frosted them with vanilla buttercream.









































A new outlook on chocolate-covered strawberries. =)

Noche Vieja in Madrid

This year, Nat & I spent New Year's in Madrid. For dinner & grapes, we went to a party at a fellow American's house. Her husband, the chef & baker, prepared a delicious feast for all senses.

The theme: Mexican

The drinks: margaritas & sidra (Spanish cider)













On the menu:

• zesty shrimp and whitefish ceviche (tons of lime!)
  
• roasted chicken with a delicious mole sauce
• spicy bean and jalapeno tamales
• saucy ground beef enchiladas
  
• yellow rice
• perfect guacamole

The verdict: AMAZING.

Night Lights in Madrid

In Spain, the Christmas festivities last until January 6th, the Day of the Kings. For the duration of our stay in Madrid, the streets of the center were lit up with lovely white (and sometimes blue) designs.

The first photo is of the Puerta de Alcalá.















This second shot is looking back toward the Puerta de Alcalá (on Calle Alcalá).















This is the Christmas tree in the Puerta del Sol.



















And this is a shot of one of the sidestreets that leads to Sol.

Hola de Madrid!!

Hello, all!
Nat and I are in Madrid -- wasting away endless hours navigating the cobbled streets and enjoying delicious (and some not-so-delicious) international foods. While I have many pictures to share and a handful of restaurant reviews to publish here, I am in a locutorio (aka internet cafe of sorts) and there is no USB port accessible, so my pictures and stories will have to wait.
Heading out to do some gift shopping -- right now in Madrid, the stores have already started with the "rebajas" sales -- post-holiday sales where stores cut back up to 60 or 70%. In addition, tomorrow is the Día de los Reyes (the day the three kings come, bearing gifts for all the children -- a second time!-- and marking the finale of the Christmas festivies). Therefore, eveyone and their mother is carrying around a giant box or two of roscones, the traditional bread eaten on Día de los Reyes. Needless to say, the toy stores are also packed, so if you want that new Caillou doll, you´d better be prepared to fight for it...
The kings´ parade is starting any minute now, then we´ll be meeting up with our beloved maid from last semester for a coffee or a chocolate (can´t wait!!).
Just checking in for now -- back in VT on Sunday!

Housemade gifts :: #1 Pickled Peppers

So, it's really no secret anymore that I give my brother hot pickled peppers. I don't often have luck growing hot peppers, so I buy them from local growers like River Berry and Pomykala. I slice them up and pickle them with garlic, salt, and a mix of white and apple cider vinegars (and a little boiling water, of course). I've also become accustomed to adding a little "Pickle Crisp" to each jar (which is really just calcium chloride)-- it keeps whatever you're pickling crisp through the boiling or steaming process.
I like to layer the pickles by color to give them more of a holiday look.

Tasty bites on T-Day

It seems like every Thanksgiving now, I spend the whole day cooking, standing on my feet, slaving over the stove or chopping things, and I'm sick of it!!!! This year, I had a new plan... On Wednesday, my mom and I spent a few hours chopping and prepping everything, baking the pies, and even canning a few xmas gifts. All that was left to do on T-day was roast the turkey, make the mashed taters, the braised greens, and throw everything else in the oven. Almost no time spent prepping on the big day!

What was on the menu?

- Willow Hill cheeseplate with Red Hen bread
- Feta and roasted garlic spread & crudites
- Maple and sage roasted turkey
- Potato, celeriac, and roasted garlic puree
- Roasted butternut, delicata, and red kuri squashes
- Apple, cranberry, and mushroom stuffing
- Roasted roots (carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, onions, and celeriac)
- Braised kale and swiss chard
- Turkey gravy
- Nana's biscuits (a family tradition)
- Spoonbread (brought by my great aunt)
- Cranberry and orange relish (also a family tradition, made by my grandma)
- Apple pie, made with Rhode Island Greening apples
- Pecan Squash pie (maybe a new tradition?) -- See recipe here.

Biscotti Time!

Every year, my mom and I spend at
least a day baking biscotti, Italian twice-baked cookies. They're perfect for dipping in coffee, hot cocoa or tea. There are some flavors that we make every year, and we usually add a few new ones. This year's flavors are:

Cranberry Almond / Apple, Nut & Spice / Cranberry Walnut
Anise / Citrus Poppyseed / Cherry & Chocolate Chip
Mocha Almond / Double Ginger / Cranberry Pistachio
Chocolate & Peanut Chip / Tropical Trail Mix
Super Nutty (Almond, Walnut & Hazelnut)
Lemon Rosemary (savory)

T-day Menu

This is the first official release of my Thanksgiving menu. As is customary for me when it comes to holidays, this menu has been in the planning stage for weeks already. Here it is:

Turkey, roasted and stuffed with Citrus and Herbs
Sage Gravy
Stuffing with Chestnuts, Apple, Celery & Onion
Roasted Local Winter Squashes
Green Beans, roasted with Shallots and Hazelnuts
Potatoes, mashed with Roasted Garlic and Fresh Herbs
Biscuits or Rolls
Cranberry Orange Relish
Pecan & Squash Pie
Cranberry and Apple Crisp

Life of Pi(e)

Ok, it's inevitable -- as soon as I can smell fall in the air, I start to plan my holiday menus. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday, and for a few years, I have been preparing the meal for my family. Of course, my mom and my grandma help, but I have somewhat (ok, mostly) commandeered the holiday kitchen.

Let's just say that I already have a planned menu for T-day. I'm even testing recipes. I really do spend quite a bit of time thinking these things through...

So the last week has been all about pie. I've actually only produced two pies, but hey, they were both good. The first pie was a "harvest" pie, with apples, walnuts, dried cranberries, and a crumble topping. The second was an old favorite -- revamped. I'd been thinking about this pie that I made for Thanksgiving last year-- a double-layer pumpkin and pecan pie. It was good enough, but I had some minor issues. The pecan layer was pretty sweet, and the pumpkin layer was pretty boring (texture-wise). I felt that the overall concept was a good one, but that the details needed some updating.

My pie makeover:

1. Drop the canned pumpkin. Switch it out for some squash. I chose buttercup and roasted it myself, then mashed it with a fork but didn't puree it. I only added one egg, a little sugar and cinnamon, and then poured it into the crust. I par-baked it before adding the pecan layer.

2. Only use one egg for the pecan layer, and drop some of the corn syrup. I used less syrup, margarine, and a sprinkle of cinnamon for some spice. Overall, the pecan layer came out much thinner than usual, but that was fine with me. I'm not a big fan of custard-y pies anyway.

After baking and tasting the pie, I came to the conclusion that I had made all the right choices. The pie was not too eggy-tasting or heavy. The thinner top layer became a sort of candied nut topping, and the squash still looked (and tasted) like it was squash. Just what I had hoped.

The somewhat-Official Pecan Squash Pie Recipe:

1 pie crust
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 1/2 cups roasted squash (mashed with a fork)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp margarine or butter, softened
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup pecan halves or pieces

1. Pre-heat oven t0 350.
2. Drizzle maple syrup over crust and set aside.
3. Whisk together squash, 1 egg, and half of the cinnamon, then pour into crust.
4. Par-bake the pie for 10-15 minutes.
5. Whisk together the other egg, the other half of the cinnamon, the margarine or butter, and the corn syrup.
6. Add pecans to the corn syrup mixture.
7. Add pecan filling to the pie carefully.
8. Bake the pie until the pecan layer is set and top is golden brown.