honey pie

This time of year makes me all mushy inside.  The simple thought of sipping hot cocoa by the christmas tree while listening to Pretty Paper by Willie Nelson makes me teary-eyed.  Now, the tree is up and Jeff has declared that this year, we must "maximum Christmas" (this is exactly why I love this man).  We are planning our attack on the holiday fairs, the holiday markets, and more importantly, the holiday goodies...the baked goodies.  Jeff has been meaning to take me to Four & Twenty Blackbirds due to my love of pie and what better time of year to go.  So, this weekend after a trip to the Brooklyn Flea for some new ornaments, we headed in from the freezing cold, warmed ourselves with a cup of hot chocolate, one slice of salty honey pie and one of the salty carmel apple pie.  I took a picture, which I must apologize in advance, is none too appetizing since we just about devoured them.  The honey pie was custard-y goodness and the sea salt on top did me in.  The apple pie was delicious, but I love apple pie with or without salt. 

I found this recipe for honey pie which I plan to try very soon.

PS Jackson picked our Christmas tree this year.  I'll post some pics soon.

busy kitchen

It turns out that Jackson has some mild allergic reactions to cow's milk and goat's milk, so we had to find some alternatives.  We turned to rice milk.  I decided to try to make my own at home and found a good recipe here.  The result is somewhat thicker than the store-bought brand, but I dilute it with some water and breast milk and Jackson seems to go for it so far.  Since home-made rice milk lacks some of the essential vitamins that he needs, like calcium, I breaded and baked up some salmon cakes for him that he really seems to dig (thanks to my mom for the delicious leftover salmon!..).  Mini meatballs and pasta with broccoli have also been on the menu.  Now, we just have to make sure that more of it ends up in his mouth rather than the floor!;)

Oh, but our kitchen has been very busy these days - I love it!  

...hope you have a happy weekend!

kickin' off the fall

Before I leave you all for the big birthday weekend ahead, I wanted to post two recipes made with the loot we got from apple-picking a couple of weekends ago. I made this jewish apple cake with a couple of adjustments that, thankfully, worked out okay. Phew.  It was a hit the very first time I made it was for a friend who has dairy allergies.  No milk or butter in the recipe.  We also made one of our favorite pasta dishes to kick off the fall - spaghetti with tomato-apple sauce. The dish could really be made all year round, but we made it this same time last year and l.o.v.e.d it.  This time we added some sausage.  Yum.  Totally recommend.

...happy weekend everyone!!

low and slow

I wanted to share one of the simplest cooking methods for salmon that I tried on Friday night.  I read about slow-roasting salmon here and here.  I decided to try it with the ingredients that I had on hand.  Here is the gist.  Set the oven at 250 degrees. A little salt, pepper and olive oil on the fish.  Put the two pieces of salmon on top of some sliced fennel and lemon.  30 minutes and done!  I just sprinkled on some fennel fronds for garnish.  

The best part of this cooking method, besides the delicious perfectly cooked salmon?  It's completely fine if you leave the salmon in the oven for longer than the 30 mins. No need to watch over it.  Apparently, there no way to overcook the salmon.  These easy recipes really come in handy nowadays!;)  

yummy lemon bars

How delicious and dainty do these lemon bars look?  I plan to make them this weekend.  We are off to the Hudson Valley today and I am so looking forward to it!  I have thoughts of quiet country roads, picnics, hikes with my boys, farmers markets, Jeff barbecuing, lounging on the porch, and the smell of baked goods on my mind.  Summer, please stay awhile!

My weekend starts...now!

...happy day everyone!  

just like the good ol' days

...when Jeff and I used to make lovely dinners at home and eat together at the dinner table with a bottle of wine.  These days, we are a little busier, of course, and often have quicker meals and plenty of leftovers.  But oh tonight, we had a feast.

Here are some pics of the sweetest heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and delicious lemon chicken that I made.   We picked up the few ingredients that we needed from our neighborhood market and butcher, Marlow & Daughters.  As suggested in The Wednesday Chef, the chicken was accompanied by some rice which worked out nicely as it soaked up the lemon creme-fraiche sauce. Delicious.  It will definitely be a "go-to" recipe in my house.  Jeff got the last licks of the spoon while I got to take the last bit of bread and wipe the platter clean!  As I sit here writing this, I am satisfied.

I hope your weekend offers plenty of delicious food and good company~

...happy weekend!

ps. These great photos were taken by my husband who also had full editing rights;)

the wednesday chef

I love to cook.  I love to bake.  I find that it relaxes me to be in the kitchen.  I must get it from my mom who, when not sleeping, can always be found in the kitchen cooking.  I like getting the list ready, grocery shopping, organizing the ingredients, prepping, chopping, cooking, tasting, and smelling everything.  I especially love to do this with a glass of red wine - that is perfect.

It has been a while since I've done this and made a meal for Jeff.  So, this week, I declared, that I am going to make him dinner.  Chicken.  (This is not a shocker to those that know me.  I do love chicken.)  Another criteria is that it has to be easy and not take three hours to make, simply because Jackson does not have that kind of patience!  I searched for a recipe and found this fantastic blog, The Wednesday Chef (I even love the name)!  This lemon chicken recipe was voted "Best of the Web" on saveur.com.  It only has seven ingredients - five of which can probably be found in your pantry (olive oil, butter, lemon, salt, and pepper).  The kicker is that it is topped with a lemon-creme fraiche sauce!

It looks divine, yet seems so simple!  I am looking forward to making this lovely dish...but not tonight.  So, I guess you are going to have to call me the "Friday chef"...

(Image and recipe via The Wednesday Chef)