How I Spent My Summer Vacation

our hungry boys, Alex and Wyatt. So far, they are not picky eaters!so having babies isn't quite as easy as it looks.  The boys are only seven weeks old, but I've already learned quite a bit about cooking with kids:

• I always thought I would love to have big eaters, but boy can these kids eat!  They eat about 10-15% of their body weight every day. just imagine what you would look like if you ate that much....
• I have new respect for cows and goats and any other animals that are milked.  enough said.
• Kitchen helpers!Thank goodness for friends (and daddies, and grandparents, and random strangers on the street who offer to help).  If I could divide myself into three people and grow extra sets of hands, I might be ok.  Luckily I have great helpers since I haven't figured out how to do that yet.
• it is much harder to cook when your day is divided into one hour increments of "free time."
• Cook things ahead of time so you can eat at somewhat normal intervals.  I learned this the hard way.  By the time I finished cooking our dinner after the twins finished theirs, it would be 9:30 or 10:00 at night...just in time for the twins to eat again.  oh the positive side, not eating is a good way to lose all that extra baby weight!
• Making stewed peaches with WyattIt is possible to cook while holding a baby, although it requires extra caution and a warm bath for you and the baby after you finish cooking.

Although I have been delinquent about posting, I actually have been able to spend a decent amount of time in the kitchen.  I love summer cooking.  Simple meals are a great way to showcase the naturally delicious flavors of local ingredients.  We have had lots of salad, grilled corn, and tomato sandwiches.  I have made some more complicated recipes; however, I think the days of spending hours in the kitchen are over at least for a little bit.  and on that note, I am being beckoned.  Check out the recipe page for some updates!

MMMMM......Doughnuts

I don't know if it is my favorite season, but I do love fall.  I made a trip up North to visit my mom.  The pre-trip conversation went something like this.  Mom, "Make sure you pack warm clothes because it's going to be 50."  Me: "at night?"  Mom, "no that is the high."  If she hadn't promised to get me cider donuts, I'm not sure I would have traded in the 70 degree dc Indian summer for true fall. 

It was worth it.  I don't even like doughnuts, with the notable exception of cider donuts.  Cider donuts are (shockingly) made with apple cider.  The donut is only as good as the cider used to make it.  It should be light and fluffy, not greasy, and not too spicy so that you can really taste the apple flavor.  If you are in NY in the fall, I recommend stopping at Golden Harvest Farms for a donut and a glass of cider.  Your waistline will forgive you.

Panko Crusted Veal Medallions with Prosciutto, Tomato and MozzarellaBecause one can't live on cider doughnuts alone (or can they?) my mom and I made Panko Crusted Veal cutlets with tomatoes, prosciutto and mozzarella.  I had seen Panko crumbs used on TV shows before, however I never experimented with them.  What a mistake.  Panko crumbs are Japanese style bread crumbs made from the center piece of the bread so they are bigger and fluffier then normal bread crumbs.  I dredged the veal in a mixture of flour, garlic, salt, and thyme followed by a quick dip in an egg bath and then the panko crumbs.  The crust was flavorful, but the most significant difference was the light yet crunchy texture.  Thanks mom for introducing me to a fun new ingredient!

By the way, I am dedicating tonight and tomorrow night to updating the recipe page! 

Triathalon Food

My husband and brother competed in the nation's triathalon  last Sunday.  I promised both of them I would cook whatever they wanted for dinner the night before the race.  To all of you cooks out there, beware of what you promise.  I ended up making two different meals (meat for my brother, pasta for my husband) and a sweet potato pie for dessert. 

I decided to make a rack of lamb for my brother.  I love lamb.  Rack of lamb is delicious and actually is easy and quick to make.  I rubbed the lamb with olive oil, mint, garlic, thyme and rosemary and roasted it in the oven for 45 minutes until the lamb reached 140 degrees.  I made my favorite pasta with mushrooms (with homemade noodles of course).

Sweet Potato PieThe highlight of the meal was probably the sweet potato pie.  I was actually going to make a spiced pear crisp for dessert, but I bought local sweet potatoes at the farm market and the boys were carbo loading.  I use a Culinary Institute of America recipe, with a couple of modifications.  I added a Tbs of vodka to the pie crust.  The alcohol evaporates and makes the crust incredibly delicate and flakey.  The key to a good sweet potato pie is of course delicious sweet potatoes.  This may seem obvious, but it is important that you use real sweet potatoes and not yams. Sweet potatoes and yams look similar but they are not related.  Sweet potatoes are starchier, but not as sweet (and most importantly not as watery) as yams.  I also modified the recipe by using maple syrup instead of sugar and fresh ginger.

After all the calories I consumed, I need to run a couple of triathalons.

Making Leftovers New Again

With a few notable exceptions (turkey after Thanksgiving, cold roast chicken which sometimes tastes better than hot chicken, leftover macaroni and cheese) I really don't like leftovers!  However if you can figure out how to make one dish into a new dish, technically the resulting creation is no longer left over.

I had a lot of leftover roast goat (See "Mary Had a Little Goat" for that recipe).  It has been living in my freezer for over a month.  I was thinking about making "pulled goat sandwiches" by reheating the goat in bbq sauce and serving it on rolls with homemade coleslaw.  I still think that would have been good, but instead I decided to make goat curry.

Enjoying some Goat CurryThere is a curry plant, but what most of us think of curry is a mixture of spices, usually with coriander, cumin, and turmeric as a base.  I also added fresh ginger, Chinese five spice powder (cinnamon, cloves, star anise, ginger, and something else, but I forget what spice).  The curry blend I used was kind of mild, so I also added garam masala, another pungent blend of spices.  I always cook my spices before adding the liquid.  I find it reduces any bitterness in the spice and enhances the flavor.  I love coconut milk in curry--it adds some sweetness to this savory dish--so I used light coconut milk as a basis for the broth.  To offset the sweetness and the spice, I added the fresh grated peel of one lemon and about a cup of low fat plain yogurt.  The yogurt increased the viscosity of the sauce and the depth of flavor of the curry.  I served the curry over homemade pasta, but rice of course would have been delicious.

Now what to do with all of this leftover curry...

Looks Can Be Deceiving

ok, I'm not talking about myself here folks.  I really am talking about food.  But sometimes "fancy" food, really isn't that fancy.  I made two meals recently that look time consuming, but truly weren't.

paellaWe had some good friends over on Saturday night.  I wanted to make a dish that didn't require too much work while my guests were here so that I could entertain.  Paella requires some attention while the guests are here (about 15 minutes), but you can do all of the prep work beforehand.  I based my paella after a Culinary Institute of America recipe.  The Spanish probably wouldn't consider it "real" paella because you cook the dish in a Dutch oven, not a traditional paella pan, and in a regular over rather than an open flame.  It really is delicious, however.

The theme Saturday was Spanish Tapas, so I also made "Pisto and Anchovey Bocadillos"--little crosatinis with ratatuoille and anchovies on top--and sweet filo crisps with manchego and blue cheese.  I made way too much ratatuoille and I had leftover filo dough, so I decided to experiment.  I went a little overboard in the fish market--by overboard, I bought so much fish it wouldn't fit in my very larget dutch oven-- so I also had left over sea sea bass in a packetbass (As a side note, if you live in the DC area, go to Slavin and Sons.  The sea food is top quality and a wide selection.  It's not cheap, but I always think that high quality seafood is worth paying for.  A lot of the local restaurants get their fish from Slavin's its both a retail and a wholesale fish market) so they turn over the fish quickly). 

Only a crumb was left!I layered the sea bass with fresh tomatoes, ratatouille, basil, and triple cream goat cheese (I was going to use regular goat cheese but my husband came home with the triple cream instead.  It was a great mistake.  I would use it again). I then wrapped the stacks in filo dough, brushed the layers with butter, and baked the packets in the oven for 18 minutes.  Sea bass is a rich fish and it stood up to the filo dough, sauteed vegetables, and melted deliciousness of the goat cheese.  It was easy, elegant, and incredibly delicious.