As I have said before, one of the main things that drew me to pastry was the artistry of it all.  A butter cookie, although seemingly simple, can be a blank canvas on which to create pretty much anything.  All you need is a fun cookie cutter, now found in such unique shapes from winter sleighs to leaping frogs, some cookie dough, and batch of royal icing.   So grab your favorite cookie cutter and let’s get started.

I love to decorate cookies, (this is where I really let my creativity fly) and it is one of the staples that I offer at work.  To keep it interesting and exciting, I change the cookies seasonally, offering a fun new item in our showcase every couple of months.  In the fall I create maples leaves dusted with red, orange and yellow sugar, winter brings mittens and a version of these snowflake cookies, with spring comes daisies and ladybugs, finished by watermelons slices for the summer.  Really, the sky is the limit.  (more…)

One of my favorite “toys” growing up was a blue and yellow Fisher Price apron and the accompanying kitchen utensils stuffed in the pockets – go figure, huh?  Clearly my passions haven’t changed much since then.  Along with the zig-zag pasta wheel, teaspoons and spatula (all yellow and blue plastic, of course) my apron also held a fold-out recipe card.  All simple kid-friendly recipes, the card included such gems as Ants on a Log,  “Banana Milkshake,”  and Peanut Butter Popcorn.

This is a great “recipe” to teach you kids to encourage them to be creative and healthy when choosing their snacks.  Prepared completely in the microwave, there are no knives, ovens or ranges to worry about. (However the recipe would be best prepared wearing a blue and yellow apron with Velcro strings) A simple recipe like this gives children independence in the kitchen and allows them to  “cook” for themselves.  Even though the recipe did originate from Fisher Price, it has stuck with me all these years.  A sign that sometimes the simplest things are truly the best!

With a subtle sweetness, this creamy topping ups the ante on regular popcorn and creates that wonderful dichotomy of sweet and salty together in a healthy snack.  Whether its a new addition to movie night or a fun twist on an afternoon snack, everyone will love this quick and easy popcorn topper!

Peanut Butter Popcorn

Makes enough topping for 1 regular bag of microwave popcorn

Melt 2 T peanut butter and 1 T margarine in a small bowl in the microwave.  (Depending on microwaves, ~10-20 seconds)

Stir until smooth.

Drizzle over freshly popped popcorn.

Enjoy!

*Chef’s Note : I prefer to drizzle the topping allowing some extra gooy bites, while my husband prefers to mix the topping in to ensure an even coating…you can choose what works best for you*

Yes, I am still on a soup kick – and I don’t intend to stop any time soon.  And what soup repertoire would be complete without a good wholesome tomato soup?  Here are my two favorite recipes for tomato soup: a summer recipe that calls for fresh tomatoes, and a winter one that uses canned tomatoes.

There are few things more comforting than a big bowl of tomato soup served along side a grilled cheese.  The trouble is, tomatoes are only good once a year, in the summer, when you don’t necessarily crave hot soup.  How do you make great tomato soup in the middle of winter when the tomatoes are pink and tasteless?  I found the solution in one of my favorite cookbooks, The New Best Recipe, a compilation of Cook’s Illustrated’s recipes.  If you are not familiar with Cook’s Illustrated, it is a food magazine based on thorough recipe testing.  Extensive time spent in the kitchen tweaking all kinds of basic recipes from tomato soup to creme brulee, I always consult this cookbook when starting to develop a new dish.  My favorite aspect of the book is that each recipe is accompanied by a page long explanation of their trials and tribulations during the testing process.  Describing what worked and what did not, the explanations give further insight into not only the particular recipe, but the food science behind it as well.

Ok, back to tomato soup…

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My love of baking started  with cakes (well in truth it started with an Easy Bake Oven, but that is a whole other post).  I first experimented with cakes in high school – mix from a box, frosting from a can. One night I remember toiling for hours creating a “Bon Vonage” cake for French class. Decorated with fresh carnations, I was very impressed with how “professional” my masterpiece looked. On display on the kitchen table, the cake unfortunately became a mid-night snack for our cunning dog, Napoleon, instead of my intended classmates. After a few tears and some encouragement from my mother, (and of course a trip to the grocery store for another box and another can) I headed back into the kitchen for round two. (more…)

I realize that when most people think of the holidays, they usually do not think of the official state nut of Ohio.  Yes, that is right, nothing says Christmas to me like Buckeyes.  My buckeyes, however, are a little tastier than the nut version.  A sweet confection of peanut butter and chocolate, these creamy, yet crumby treats are a true delicacy.

Buckeyes are a tell tale sign for me that Christmas is just around the corner.  Why my mother chose Christmas as a time to showcase these delicious little candies, I will never know, but her decision to devote some cold afternoons to making these sweet confections made them a holiday staple for our family.  As a child, I would always look forward to “Buckeye” time each year.  With a lackluster attitude towards cooking, my mother did not make many exciting or special dishes during the year.  At Christmas, however, she pulled out all the stops with these candies.  Not only were they special because of the time of year, they were special because mom was making them.  Always willing to help in the kitchen (my love of cooking seemed to be born with me,) I would especially enjoy helping with the buckeyes.  A very simple recipe, the only “difficulty” is rolling the “dough” into 1″ balls – this is where my mother was quick to enlist the help of her children.  My brother, mother and I would line the dinning room table with wax paper and she would set a large bowl in the center.  I would prop myself on my knees on a chair and dig in.  While I think I was aware of the mundane task  even at an early age, the anticipation of the first buckeye of the season was enough to keep me rolling! (more…)

Cider Braised Pork Tenderloin

with sauteed apples and roasted potatoes

My mother in law is the inspiration for this post. Not very confident in the kitchen, she tends to stick with a simple repertoire. She is recently making an effort to try new foods and cook meals completely out of her comfort zone. She says I am her inspiration, but I attribute all the success to her willingness to try. Encouraged by her new found kitchen courage, I keep an eye out for the simple recipes I prepare to pass along. Everyone can use another quick weeknight meal to add to the rotation, right?

For weeknight meals, I really try to cook out of my pantry or at least plan my meals to limit daily trips to the grocery store (yes, I am one of those people who used to visit the market every day). Luckily I have wised up and found ways to still create fresh, flavorful meals without buying my meats and produce each day. Here’s a quick and easy fall classic…mostly made from ingredients I had on hand.

Recipe: Cider Braised Pork Tenderloin

Read part one here.

Ok, I feel the need to update you on the stock situation, and yes, it is now a stock situation.  After my first attempt at stock, I made a chicken tortellini soup.  The soup was great, exactly what you crave when its cold and rainy outside.  The next soup I tried was a beef barley and mushroom.  My in-laws were coming for an impromptu dinner and so I opted for store-bought beef stock.  I have to admit, the soup was really nothing special.  It tasted flat – flavorless, even though there were plenty of vegetables and seasoning.  I concluded that my lacking soup was a result of using store bought stock.  Unfortunately, now I know what homemade tastes like – and I tell you, there is no going back.

So, while I suggest you make your own stocks to really create some amazing and show-stopping soups, be ready to be hooked.  I have made two large batches of chicken stock since last week and I just finished my first batch of beef stock.  With my second batch of chicken, I followed the “traditional” stock recipes that use raw chicken parts (and yes, I actually bought chicken to make stock – but in my defense, I didn’t have any left-overs hanging around).  I found that a “bought bones” stock was not as rich and flavorful as my first using the left overs of a grocery store rotisserie chicken.  So, if you do have to buy chicken bones, roast them first before you start the stock process.   This will create the same deep, dark flavor of the rotisserie chicken stock.

I know stock seems like a large undertaking, but once you try it – you will never go back.  Luckily, it is easy to make large batches and then freeze for later use.  For easy storage, ask your local grocery store or deli for plastic quart containers.  Usually sold for cents, these containers are a great way to store your stock, without monoploizing all your tupperware.

Happy stocking!