Oui, Chef

Blueberry Streusel Cake

 

I know this cake is a touch out of season but fact is we've been drowning in blueberries lately, so much so that I felt compelled to create this little beauty as a means to help work through our overstock.  

You see, Muppet's been on a bit of a blueberry bender as of late, begging for them at every turn.  Shocked by the fact that one of our kids was (no-kidding) ASKING for fresh fruit, and not wanting to blow a food-hero opportunity while actually buying something healthy for them, my wife and I each purchased mondo boxes of the lovelies last week.  As fate would have it, the day after we presented our young berry fiend with her fruit-booty she had upper braces slapped on her teeth and promptly lost her taste for just about everything....well, except maybe for chocolate.  Poor child.

Breakfast Cookies That Will Make Your Kids Think You've Gone Crazy!

 

 

Hey Dad, what's in the container on the counter?

Oh, those are some breakfast cookies I made today.

Say what?  Did you just say breakfast cookies?

Yeah, I thought they'd be great for a breakfast on the fly, they're sort of like a portable bowl of oatmeal.

Shut Up!

No really, they're loaded with grains and nuts and dried fruit, just like a bowl of oatmeal.

So you're telling me that tomorrow morning I can eat cookies for breakfast?

Uh...yeah, I guess that's what I'm saying.

SHUT UP!

Hey relax, will you.  

How come I never hear you get this excited when I offer you a bowl of oatmeal?

Oh....and stop saying shut up or I'm giving your cookies to Muppet!

Meatless Monday - Baked Eggs with Spinach, Artichokes and Leeks

 

I'm a huge Paul McCartney fan, in fact I'm a Beatles freak.  While I'm a touch too young to have seen the Beatles perform live, I've been fortunate enough to see Paul a few times over the years and I am so grateful to have had the chance.  As I sat the other day thinking of performers I REALLY want my kids to see before they retire (don't ask me why I was thinking this, but I was), Paul McCartney topped the list.  I mean, can you think of anyone (still alive) that has influenced the music we all listen to today in such a profound way?  Yeah....me neither.  I could go on for days about what it is about his songwriting and singing that moves me, but much of it you've probably heard before, or even feel yourself.  

Almost Teddies Apple Cake and an OXO Egg Beater Giveaway!

A few weeks back I had the good fortune to attend the Boston book launching party for the The Food52 Cookbook .  My friend Emily (fiveandspice for all you Food52ers) and her husband hosted a pot-luck gathering where each guest made a dish from the book to bring, it was great fun and a delicious afternoon.  As you might imagine from a gathering of such food fanatics, we brought way more food than we needed for the gang assembled.  In fact, as the afternoon wore on I started to get a little concerned that we had not properly paced ourselves and would be unable to have a go at the beautiful desserts decorating the sideboard in their dining room.

A lesser group would have called it a day I’m sure, what with the sheer volume of savory tarts, salads, dips, breads, and charcuterie that we all consumed.  Many would have slipped into a food coma and curled up in the corner for a little snooze, but not this stalwart group.  No, the siren’s song of cakes and cookies took care of that, and as we emptied the last bottle of wine, our hostess took her leave and retired to the kitchen to gather things for dessert.

Pumpkin Spiced Steel Cut Oats

If any of you are like me you won't need to eat for at least a week following the massive Thanksgiving food-fest you just enjoyed.  But, when your hunger returns, you've worked your way though all your left-overs and you finally need to start cooking again, this is a bowl you'll really enjoy.

This dish is my adaptation of a recipe I recently found on The Kitchn, and is exactly the type of thing I like to make on a Sunday night to provide us a quick and nutritious hot breakfast over the course of the week.  It is also the kind of dish I encourage my students at Cooking Matters to consider making for their families as well because it can be made ahead of time in bulk, is really tasty, and SO good for you.  Many with younger kids might want to pass on the pumpkin puree and spices here as they may appeal to a more sophisticated palate, but the idea of having a batch of pre-made oatmeal in the fridge that requires little more than 40 seconds in the microwave, some dried fruits and nuts, and a drizzle of maple syrup to start your day on the right foot, is a great one.

Apple and Cranberry Crisp

HA....we're on a roll now.  This tasty treat turned out to be the perfect foil for a 1/2 used jar of Trader Joe's  Apple Butter hogging space in our fridge, and as easy as that the inventory of our refrigerator condiment museum took another hit.  Perhaps we should craft a song for the occasion...."50 bottles of condiments in the fridge, 50 bottle of condiments....you take 1 out, and put it to use, 49 bottles of condiments in the fridge"  Ugh, with 47 bottles left, this could take a while.....

Rugelach

These rugelach are a terrific cookie to add to your holiday dessert platter, though we like them so much we serve them year-round.  Rugelach generally come in one of two forms, either shaped like a crescent roll, or prepared the way we have here, like a strudel.  I've always liked them this way because it's easier to get a thicker layer of filling using this shape (hey....who are you calling a pig?), but if you prefer the look, or dough to filling ratio of the crescent shape, then by all means roll them that way.

Chard and Jarlsberg Soufflé

How many of you tremble at just the thought of making a soufflé?  

I know,  I know....I used to too.  

But you know what?  Of all the things in this world that you might legitimately fear, making a soufflé shouldn't be one of them.  Really.... all the stories you've heard about having to tip-toe around the oven, or the need to speak in whispers when a soufflé is baking are all ridiculous.  I'm not sure who started these nasty rumours, but I guarantee you that with just a little attention paid to timing, you too can deliver delicious and ethereally light soufflés to the table without breaking a sweat.

Plum and Ginger Jam

A couple weeks back my wife bought some lovely looking plums at the farmer's market, they looked so meautiful in their little wooden panier.  Sadly, they didn't taste nearly as good as they looked.  Actually, to be fair, they tasted just fine, it was their texture that was all kinda funky.

Now, I am not a big fan of plums, love prunes, but fresh plums....not so much.  

Not sure why, but plums (with the exception of the Mirabelle's that I fell in love with in France) have never done much for me.  That said, if we've got some nice fresh ones in the fridge I'll be a good little soldier and eat them.

Unless, of course, they have a mealy-nasty texture that makes me want to gag.  If that's the case I'm not touching the buggers.  Not surprisingly, everyone else in the family felt the same way about the poor little fellas, and they sat forlornly in their cute woven basket for about a week before I finally decided that I had to make a project out of them or throw them away.

Cherry Clafoutis

I had never had a clafoutis before living in France, but once I had my first bite, I couldn't get enough of them.  Perhaps my favorite was one made with golden Mirabelle Plums, which are fabulous little things that are a bit tough to find here, but are found EVERYWHERE in France during their short harvest season which runs from July to mid-September.