Cibus Corner: A Rebuttal

Odi et Amo Editor's Note: A few weeks ago two very dear friends of mine (let's call them DK and his lovely wife and sous-chef KK) submitted the following post as a rebuttal of sorts to my sister's Cibus Corner post on her favorite autumn dishes. Given that they're both medical residents in Boston and have approximately 30 minutes (combined!) a week to devote to recreational activities like cooking and blogging, I was beyond impressed that (a) they found time to write a post for Odi et Amo and (b) that they're still managing to cook up amazing, gourmet dinners every now and then. Since their post is devoted to a wonderful fall (vegetarian!) dish that also happen to be healthly, I thought this post would be particularly appropriate this weekend as we head into Thanksgiving and the start of yet another fattening holiday season.

Sous-chef KK and I had been looking forward to the return of Cibus Corner for a very, very long time, and I am sorry to admit that we were a little disappointed in this most recent installment. Namely this is because Chef Babs already gave us the recipe for Grandma Christine’s delicious apple cake several years ago, and it is hard to get excited about being given a recipe for a second time. Maybe the rest of the adoring public won’t follow me on that one; but let me also point out that anyone who knows Chef Babs knows that her claiming to have a favorite cookbook written by someone who isn't Nigella Lawson is a lie. And Averill, those Martha Stewart pictures—how is anybody going to share a meal on that dining room table if it is covered from end to end with giant gourds? I’m just saying.

We therefore undertake it upon ourselves to offer a rebuttal to Chef Babs’ most recent column and propose our own autumn dinner fantasy. It happens to be (mostly/optionally) vegetarian, and this is because I think the most exciting parts of the fall table are the seemingly exotic vegetables that many of us have seen at the table but not necessarily eaten, or at least not often. For example: the gourds on Martha Stewart’s barn-home dining table. I pulled our main course from my favorite New York Times kitchen serial, “Recipes for Health” by Martha Rose Shulman. I find myself turning more and more frequently to this column as the months go on—not because I am trying to cut calories but because Ms. Shulman does such a wonderful job of introducing me to new food items that I otherwise wouldn’t know how to cook. My opinion is that unless you have a medical condition dictating otherwise, one of the most important elements of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is variety in what you eat (and I’m an MD, so my opinion matters).

Winter Squash Gratin

The recipe is called winter squash gratin, and you can find the original here. Meanwhile, this is what I did with it:

Ingredients:

2 acorn squash

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 eggs

½ cup skim milk

½ cup grated Gruyere

¼ cup grated Parmesan

olive oil

salt and pepper

herbes de provence (or mixed herbs of your choice)

1. Cut acorn squash in half, remove seeds/strings and rub with olive oil. Roast cut-side down at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to cool, peel, and then mash with a fork in a large bowl.

2. Cook the onion in 1T olive oil over medium-high heat until soft. Add the garlic and herbes de provence and cook for another minute. Mix into the mashed acorn squash and season with salt and pepper to taste (about 1t salt and 1/2t pepper).

3. Whisk the milk and eggs together and add to the squash mixture. Then add the Gruyere. Pour into an oiled pie-dish and sprinkle with the Parmesan.

4. Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes (should be starting to get brown on top).

When this comes out of the oven, it is a lot like a quiche only with a heavy vegetable element. It would be perfectly reasonable to bake this in a pie-crust (Nigella’s pizza rustica crust being my choice) as if it were a quiche, and in fact it went very well with bread when we ate it. Another good option would be to cook about 4oz of chopped bacon in the pan before step 2 and frying the onions in 1T bacon fat instead of olive oil. This would make this meal a little fattier, but it doesn’t completely undermine the nutritional value of the squash. I also think it might be interesting to use pumpkin instead of acorn squash, add a little more spice to the mixture (cinnamon, chili powder, cumin) and turn this into a savory pumpkin pie. I’ll let you know if I come up with a recipe that works.

On this occasion, we served the gratin with Ina Garten’s cream of fresh tomato soup. The benefit of early- to mid-fall is that you can still find good tomatoes, although this becomes harder as you get closer to winter. The tomatoes we used weren’t perfect, but the soup still turned out great. The croutons are essential, and they have to be home-made—just bake slices or cubes of bread (stale or fresh is OK) brushed with olive oil and salt and pepper (Parmesan and/or garlic won’t hurt) at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. All of this went magnificently well with our house staples of under priced red wine from Trader Joe’s and a few chilled bottles of San Pellegrino.

For dessert, well, we bought a pumpkin pie. In an ideal world, I think it is better not to have squash pie for dinner followed by squash pie for dessert, but sometimes we don’t plan everything out as we should. At any rate, we heaped whipped cream (Aunt Joe Ann’s recipe, of course, which is still the best I’ve found) on it and were very happy. In fact, we could have foregone the pumpkin pie and just eaten the cream. But if I had to plan it over again, I can't think of any better dessert to go with all of this than Grandma Christine's apple cake.

Photography Credits: Martha Stewart Living and The New York Times.

Cibus Corner: Autumn Culinary Delights

After a summer hiatus, Chef Babs is back with a new installment of Cibus Corner just in time for fall entertaining. As the temperatures in Houston return to hospitable levels, fall is our favorite time for entertaining and cooking warm, inviting meals. To help put you in the mood, I've also included pictures from a rustic barn home in upstate New York featured recently in Martha Stewart Living. In addition to being a lovely example of rustic-meets-modern architecture and design, the rooms also feature wonderful fall touches that could be inexpensively replicated for your next fall get-together. And with that, I'll hand the keyboard over to Chef Babs!

Fall has always been my favorite season. I love this time of year. In Texas, at least, our best weather is often in the Autumn. I also love the culinary delights of the colder seasons. The hot apple pies, the roasts, stews, curries, soups and hot chocolate that people steer away from in the warmer seasons is finally brought back to the culinary forefront. The following is a sprinkling of some of my favorite recipes that are perfect for this time of year.

Chef Babs’s Turkey Meatball Subs

I normally do not spend much time making sandwiches at home. Unless it is tuna, I tend to stay away from making them myself. I am not sure why, but most sandwiches bore me. One night, however, desperate for a new recipe but not wanting to venture to the grocery store, I looked at the contents of my fridge and decided to try my hand at a meatball sub. It is the perfect meal to enjoy in the fall. It is also tasty and impressive enough to serve to guests who come over to watch the football game of the weekend. It would also be a hit later in the winter at a Super Bowl Party.

1.5 lbs Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage (casings removed)

1 egg

½ cup Italian Style Breadcrumbs

¼ c. Olive Oil plus more for drizzling

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Jar of your favorite marinara sauce

¼ c. Fresh Basil

4-6 Large Sub Rolls (I prefer Wheat)

4-6 Slices Provolone Cheese (1 per sub)

4-6 Slices Mozzarella Cheese (1 per sub)

Combine the Italian Sausage, egg, breadcrumbs, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Roll the meatballs in your hand into the desired size (I use about two tablespoons per meatball). Continue to make meatballs until you are out of the sausage mixture. Place the meatballs on a non-stick skillet over high heat on the stove top. Cook the meatballs until they are beginning to brown. Turn them so that they brown on all sides (about 7-9 minutes). Once the outsides have browned, pour the marinara sauce over the meatballs and turn the heat down to medium. Cover and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Turn on the broiler. Drizzle the subs with olive oil and place in the broiler for about 2-3 minutes, until the subs are lightly toasted. Once the meatballs have finished cooking, place them in the subs and place one slice of provolone and one slice of mozzarella on the top of each sub. Place one whole basil leaf in the middle of each sub. Place the subs back in the broiler until cheese is melty (about 1 minute). Serve with a salad and a cold beer or cider.

Grandma Christine’s Fresh Apple Cake

I love apples in the autumn. I eat one for lunch every day from September to December. They are the one food that I never tire of eating. Their hardiness and freshness also makes them a perfect fruit for baking. This cake recipe has been in my family for at least 50 years and is the perfect cake to finish a hearty meal, like stew, but is also great served for breakfast as coffee cake. My father’s mother used to make it every fall, and my Aunt and mother continued the tradition. Now I bake it at least two or three times between September and December. If you want to make it even more special, drizzle with caramel sauce and serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 ½ cup Wesson oil

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups apples, chopped and peeled

1 cup chopped nuts

3 cups sifted flour

1 tsp soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp cloves

¼ tsp All Spice

Sift and measure the flour. Then add the soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice, and cloves and resift. Cream the oil, sugar and eggs together. Add vanilla and beat in. Add the apples and nuts. Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix well. Bake in greased, floured Bundt pan for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, then at 325 degrees for 30-40 more minutes.

Shortcut: You can use canned apples (found in the baking section with the pie fillings) instead of fresh apples. Rinse them off before using and then chop them up.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cupcakes

I happen to be a big fan of pumpkin and cupcakes, but until last weekend, I had never before combined the two. A few weeks ago, I came across a recipe for pumpkin cupcakes in a new cookbook The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook that my friend gave me for my birthday and is rapidly becoming my new favorite cookbook. Everything that I have made in it is wonderful. The cupcakes are creative, tasty, and easy. The Hazelnut Cupcakes may be the best cupcakes that I have ever tasted (the recipe calls for a spoon of Nutella in the center). Even better, you do not need to be a skilled baker to master these recipes. My other favorite recipe, which is seasonal, is the recipe for pumpkin cream cheese cupcakes. What I like about these cupcakes is that people who do not generally care for pumpkin enjoyed them. Averill, for instance, will not eat pumpkin pie, but happily ate a couple of these delightful cupcakes! They will also make a nice addition to any Thanksgiving feast. Since I do not have permission to publish the recipe, to obtain it you will have to purchase the book. It retails on Amazon for $18.45. I cannot recommend this book enough. It is especially a great purchase for people with children from the ages of 4-11.

All photographs courtesy of Martha Stewart Living.

A New Craving

A few months ago I literally stumbled into Crave Cupcakes while killing time over at Houston's Uptown Park before a dinner meeting. After buying a dozen on the pretense of treating Dave for his birthday back in May, I've been using just about any excuse (baby showers, birthdays, random Tuesdays) to swing by and order two or four...or twelve. As a self-appointed connoisseur of the cupcake (I've had my fair share, believe me), I can honestly say that these are the best money can buy -- and yes, even better than Sprinkles or Magnolia. At $36/dozen they aren't cheap, but boy are they worth it. Moist, flavorful, and with just the right amount of icing. And today, after waking up at 4:30 am to participate in a company charity event, I'm in need of a sweet pick-me-up more than ever. Alas though, Crave Cupcakes don't exactly jive with my recent efforts to eat healthier, so a little day dream eating will have to suffice for now.

Of course it doesn't hurt that they're pretty to look at as well. If you order at least 24 hours in advance, you can even select from an assortment of cute decorations to personalize them further.

While you can take your cupcakes to go (or even have them delivered -- Lord help me!), their storefront is so retro chic it's worth eating one (or two) there to fully appreciate the ambiance. Something about it feels very Southern Californian to me.

Unsurprisingly, I love all of the soft turquoise; it's the perfect counterpoint to the cool whites and rich chocolate browns. Unlike a lot of cupcake bakeries in Houston, this one doesn't look cutesy or overly sweet (thankfully). The large menu board displays the flavors currently on offer that day.

While I highly doubt the dozens and dozens of cupcakes baked here each morning come out of this vintage oven, I absolutely love the retro touch. It also coordinates with a half dozen vintage turquoise mixers on display by the cashier.

While I have yet to have the privilege of sampling every flavor they offer (there are 28 flavors, many of which are only available on certain days), my favorite so far is a tie between the red velvet (shown above left) and the vanilla on chocolate (shown above right).

Two flavors on my "must try" list include candy bar and nutella. Since both are available only Wednesdays and Sundays, it might be worth a drive-by for a little hump day treat.

...All I can say is, as far as my waistline is concerned, I'm very, very fortunate that Crave is a bit out of the way for me.

Happy Mother's Day!

I'm embarrassed to admit that at first glance I thought this cake depicted a badly drawn Texas longhorn. The reality though, is much, much funnier.

Photograph courtesy of Cake Wrecks.

Cibus Corner: Week Night Dinner Party

After a month-long hiatus, Cibus Corner is back. This time, Chef Babs reveals the secrets to a successful week night dinner party.

Chef Babs, age 4

I used to watch Emeril and Mario on The Food Network and try to emulate their intricate recipes. But that was when I was in graduate school and college and had a lot more free time on my hands. Now, when faced with a complicated recipe, I think: “I guess I’ll order a pizza.” With the demands of working full-time, family, and other obligations, few of us have time to cook gourmet meals nightly. Sometimes, recipes that require a lot of ingredients or take an hour or more to cook seem undoable in our fast paced, schedule driven lives. This, of course, is what made shows like 30 Minute Meals, and Everyday Italian so popular. People require recipes that are good, quick and simple, otherwise, they resort to take out.

Recently, my favorite couple was in town. Although they were only in town during the week, I was still determined to make a good meal. It is our tradition that we always celebrate getting together by throwing a dinner party. I must say, it turned out fantastic, and, it did not take much preparation. This dinner party was a huge hit, and all of the dishes were delicious and simple to make.

Pork Loin with Mr. Yoshida’s Sauce

A family favorite for grilling is Mr Yoshida’s sauce. It used to be available at Sam’s, but is now available online HERE. While I do not normally purchase food online, this marinade is the exception. It really is that good. I have also heard that Jack Daniel’s purchased the brand and it now sells in grocery stores under the label “Jack Daniel’s BBQ Sauce", but they appear to have tampered with the recipe and it's just not the same. Moreover, when you order online, you can get 63 oz. for under $15 -- and trust me, you'll be using this a lot, so it's best to buy in bulk.

3 lb. Pork Tenderloin (1/2 lb. per person)
2 cups Mr. Yoshida’s sauce
1/2 stick butter, melted
salt and pepper to taste

First, prick the pork tenderloin all over with a fork. This allows for the marinade to sink into the pork. Next, place the tenderloin in a zip lock bag and pour in the Mr Yoshida’s sauce and the melted butter. Place in the refrigerator until ready to grill. You can even do this in the morning before work and leave it to marinate all day. Allow to marinate at least 1-2 hours. After it has marinated, place the tenderloin on the grill, and cook until done. Cooking time will depend on the hotness of the grill and the size of the tenderloin. For a 3 pound tenderloin, cook at least 20-25 minutes. Place the remaining sauce in a saucepan on the stove top. Boil for 10 minutes and serve as a reduction sauce for the cooked pork tenderloin.

Chocolate Marsala Cake

Ingredients:

scant 1/3 cup unsalted butter

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken up

4 large eggs

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar

1/3 cup self-rising cake flour, sifted 3 times

3 tbsp Marsala wine

Preheat oven to 350 F. Melt the butter and chocolate together in the microwave and set aside to cool. Beat eggs and sugar together until thick and tripled in volume. Gently fold the sifted flour into the egg mixture. Fold butter and chocolate very carefully into the cake mixture. Pour into 8-inch springform pan [Note: We just used a regular 8-inch pan and had no trouble getting it out.], greased and floured [Note: We used cocoa powder, which ensures no white mess on your lovely cake!]. Cook for 35 minutes. Cool on the rack for 5 minutes and then pour Marsala over the cake. Let cool completely before releasing from the pan.

Icing:

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate

1 tbsp Marsala

1/3 cup + 2 tbsp. heavy cream

Melt the chocolate, Marsala and cream in a saucepan over gentle heat. Remove from heat and whisk until smooth and thick (but not solid). Pour over cake and serve.

This cake was easy, required few ingredients and was a hit with the people at the party (even my boyfriend P.W., who isn’t even that crazy about chocolate). It's also not a fussy cake and I assembled it while chatting with my guests. Again, it is a recipe from Nigella Lawson’s How To Be a Domestic Goddess. The cake is similar to a torte, and the chocolate ganache provides the finishing touch. Due to the richness of this cake, it would also be great to serve at a shower or around the holidays. It appears simple and elegant, and everyone will be surprised at how little time it took you to make. As I've noted before though, I highly recommend the book as so many of the recipes in it are absolutely fantastic. It is also a great gift!

To say the Marsala chocolate cake was a hit would be a gross understatement. We were left fighting for the last bite and scraping the ganache off the plate.

Whiskey Sours

We finished the evening off with whiskey sours, courtesy of Ina Garten. Whiskey sours are an excellent cocktail to serve at dinner parties because men and women both tend to like them. Men like that you serve them whiskey, and women are pleased that they are still sweet. Ina Garten's recipe for whiskey sours is the best one I have found. She made them on her show entitled “Jeffrey’s Treat,” because they are her husband’s favorite drink. Go HERE for the recipe. I am also a huge fan of amaretto sours, but the whiskey sours definitely appeal to a broader audience, so I tend to save the amaretto sours for girls’ nights.

Cibus Corner: Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, American Style

My sister's and my ancestry can very roughly be split into quarters: German, Scots, English and Irish. Our Irish side comes from my father's father, whose great-grandfather before him emigrated from County Cork, Ireland, to the Midwest in the mid-19th century. Like many Irish who came over at that time, Patrick Harrington (I swear that's not a pseudonym) was poor and uneducated. In fact, I believe he was illiterate. In but a few short generations, my Irish lineage has come a long way, and I often reflect on the opportunities that Patrick gave not just his children or grandchildren by leaving Ireland and come to the United States, but his great-great-great grandchildren (among them, me). But for Patrick's determination to flee the crushing poverty of his Irish homeland, I would most certainly not have had the opportunities that I was born into. Patrick's story -- and the Harrington story more generally -- is the classic American story of an immigrant family who made good.

In honor of our Irish heritage (which in many ways is our American heritage), Chef Babs and I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with some good old fashioned Irish-American food. I'll hand the keyboard over to Chef Babs to kick is off:

Every St. Patrick’s Day, I like to celebrate with my favorite thing: food. This is my version of an Irish meal, and, yes, I am aware that it is not entirely authentic. If you prefer, think of it as inspired by Irish cuisine and traditional Irish ingredients. This meal includes potatoes, oatmeal, and soda bread, so I think that it comes close enough. If you feel like it is not Irish enough for you, feel free to serve it with a side of kale.

Irish Soda Bread

Irish soda bread is actually a very easy dish to make, and, is quite good. You do not need to be a baker to make this bread. Irish soda bread does not need yeast, instead, it uses baking soda and buttermilk to rise. Another bonus of this bread is that it does not have to be kneaded. Simply mix the ingredients and throw it into the pan and into the oven. This is actually a very traditional recipe, the only twist in it is the dried cranberries. Feel free to use a cup of raisins if you would like to keep it traditional. In my opinion, the cranberries add a nice flavor and join an Irish tradition with an American ingredient. This bread is best served cold the next day with butter and jam.

3 cups flour ½ c. raisins
1 tbsp. baking powder ½ c. dried cranberries
1/3 c. granulated sugar 1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. salt 2 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda 4 tbsp. butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9x5” loaf pan. Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, baking soda, cranberries and raisins in a bowl. In another bowl blend egg and buttermilk and add all at once to the flour mixture. Mix until barely moistened. Stir in the butter. Pour batter into pan. Bake 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Baked Potato Soup

This is one of my favorite soups and I eat it all winter long. It is also popular with everyone that I have served it to, and while they may not eat it in Ireland, what is more Irish than potatoes? I like making it in mid-March because the weather is beginning to warm up and it is probably the last time I will make it until the fall.

4 large baking potatoes 2/3 c. butter
2/3 c. flour 6 c. milk (may use skim)
¾ tsp. salt ½ tsp. pepper
4 green onions, chopped 12 slices bacon (may use turkey bacon) divided
1 ¼ c. shredded cheddar cheese 18 oz. carton sour cream (may use lite or non-fat)

Bake potatoes, cook and scoop out pulp. Discard the skins. Melt butter and add flour – cook 1 minute then add milk and stir until thickened. Add potato pulp, salt, pepper, 2 tbsp. green onion, ½ c. bacon, 1 c. cheese – then stir in sour cream (DO NOT let mixture boil after adding sour cream. Serve with additional cheese, bacon and green onion as garnishes.

Oatmeal Cookies

To be honest, I have no idea if oatmeal cookies are served in Ireland, but I know that when I was in Dublin I ate oatmeal everyday for breakfast. I could not escape it! This recipe I received from a past roommate. These cookies are very crisp and are not as soft and chewy as traditional American cookies, but I think they are a nice change of pace. European cookies tend to be thinner and crispier, so these cookies definitely get their inspiration from Irish tea-time treats.

10 tbsp. butter
½ c. sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp. almond extract
3 c. rolled oatmeal (not instant)

Lightly butter cookie sheer and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Combine the above ingredients in a bowl. Use fingers to press oatmeal into butter until it just holds. Roll dough into balls and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Press balls down with fork ends.


Happy St. Patrick’s Day! -- and, as the Irish say:

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Cibus Corner: Shower Food

Baby Shower Invitations by annacote

($15/set of 10 fill-in-the-blank invitations)

To make up for the belated posting of the weekly Cibus Corner (last week/weekend was rather hectic for me), Chef Babs and I have made it extra helpful. If you're like my sister and I, you're smack in the middle of planning the umpteenth baby shower or wedding shower for a friend or family member and you've had it up to here with shower games and finger foods. Well, we feel your pain and we're here to help with some fresh (and easy)food ideas along with some sophisticated (no storks or hokey rhymes in sight!) invitations from our favorite Etsy sellers.

Bella Donna Shower Invitation by MewPaperArts ($70/set of 20 personalized cards)

Chicken Salad
I have found that more often than not (and especially in the South), chicken salad is the cornerstone at any wedding or baby shower. My family has a recipe for chicken salad that we have used for years and no shower would be complete without it. Serve it chilled on a bed of lettuce with strawberries as a garnish and I promise, your guests will love it! The almonds and the grapes elevate the flavor of the chicken, and the sour cream provides a nice depth of flavor and enhances the mayonnaise. The result is a chicken salad that is elegant enough to serve at a wedding or baby shower!

Ingredients:

6-8 Chicken breasts washed, cooked, skinned and de-boned (cook with salt and white pepper)
3/4-1 c. seedless green or purple grapes cut into small pieces
1/2 c. chopped celery
1 c. sour cream
1 c. mayonnaise
2 small packages slivered almonds
1-2 tbsp. butter

Mix sour cream and mayonnaise together and pour over chopped up chicken, celery, and grapes. Mix well. Saute slivered almonds in the butter until golden brown and add to mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Yellow Poppies Baby Shower Invites by Michelle Brusegaard

($43.75/set of 25 personalized invites)

Lemon Bars
Lemon bars are an excellent dessert to serve at a shower, especially a baby shower. Lemon bars are easy to eat and they are more unexpected than a traditional brownie and more adult than a chocolate chip cookie. Here is my favorite lemon bar recipe, courtesy of Mrs. B.

Crust:
3/4 c. (1.5 sticks) softened butter
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. powdered sugar

Mix above together and press into 13x9” pan and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until light brown in color. Cool.

Filling:
1 1/2 c. sugar 3 tbsp. flour
3 tbsp. juice of lemon 1 tbsp. lemon pulp
3 eggs 1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together ingredients for filling by hand and pour into cooled crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cut warm and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Shower the Bride Invitation by armatodesign
($14/pack of 6 fill-in-the-blank invitations)

Lime Melt-A-Ways
Cookies are an excellent choice for shower food: they can be eaten in a few bites and, while simple, are still elegant. Thank you Aunt Joe Ann (yet again) for this recipe!

Ingredients:

3/4c. butter at room temperature 1 tbsp. vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar, divided 1 3/4c flour
grated zest of two limes, plus 2 tbsp. lime juice 2tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt

Cream butter and 1/3 c. sugar until fluffy, then add lime zest, juice and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to butter mixture; beat on low-speed until fluffy. Place half of the dough on waxed paper and form into log (about 12” long and about 1” in diameter ). Repeat with other half of dough. Refrigerate both logs for at least one hour, or until firm. Once chilled, slice dough into slices about 1/4” thick and place on lightly greased cookie sheet.

Heat oven to 350. Bake 12-15 minutes until barely brown. Transfer to pan that you have sifted the other half of the remaining powdered sugar into and carefully coat the cookies with the sugar while they are still warm. The cookies are fragile so use a light touch. Let cool completely before storing.

"Baby Makes 3" Shower Invitation by InvitaPaperStudio
($39/set of 20 customized invitations -- see decor8 for a special 20% discount offer)

Tea Time Tarts
These tarts are worth making and keeping around even if you're not hosting a shower anytime soon. But if you do, guests will not be able to stop eating them! They are light, delicious and look fancy on any dessert tray.

Crust:
3 oz. Philadelphia Cream Cheese Package
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter
1 c. sifted flour

Let cheese and butter soften to room temperature. Blend flour into cream cheese and butter and chill for one hour. Once chilled, press dough into bottom and sides of small, un-greased muffin tin (1 tsp. each).

Filling:
1 egg 1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. brown sugar dash of salt
1 tsp. soft butter 2/3 c. finely broken pecans

Beat egg, sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Divide half of the pecans among the pastry lined tins, then add egg mixture and top with remaining pecans. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes or until done. Remove from pans when cooled.

Cibus Corner: All About Baking

As promised, this week's Cibus Corner is focused on my favorite meal: dessert. Jane, the keyboard is yours!

Chef Babs, aged 2

Like many cooks, my favorite thing to make is desserts. I am not sure why, as I refuse to keep them around my own apartment, but I love to see people’s faces light up as they dig into a fresh pie or a warm piece of chocolate cake. I just love how homemade desserts can perk up a slow evening or a long, hard day at work. I also find baking very relaxing, which may be why I had the Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe memorized at 16...seriously. For me, baking is therapeutic, and I enjoy how it makes an evening at home a bit more special. I also love how over time a family recipe becomes comforting and a tradition in itself. The following are my favorite desserts that are always welcome, no matter what the occasion.

Italian Cream Cake

This first recipe has been in my family for many years now and again, comes courtesy of Aunt Joe Ann. My aunt thinks that she cut it out of the Houston Chronicle sometime in the 1970s. This is bar-none the best Italian Cream Cake recipe ever. My aunt and I even made it as the groom’s cake for my friend’s wedding. The only thing tricky about it is the fluffing of the egg whites (it helps to have a cold metal bowl). Other than that, the recipe is fairly fool-proof.

Ingredients:

1 tsp. baking soda 5 eggs, separated

1 cup buttermilk 2 cups flour, sifted

1/2 cup butter 1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup shortening 1 cup pecans, chopped

2 cups sugar 1 can flaked coconut (3.5oz)

Preheat oven to 325F. Combine baking soda and buttermilk. Let stand for a few minutes. Cream butter and shortening with sugar. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add buttermilk alternately with flour to creamed mixture. Stir in vanilla. Beat egg whites until stiff; fold in egg whites. Gently fold in pecans and coconut. Divide cake mixture between 3 (9-inch) greased, floured cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until cake tests done.

For the frosting:
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 box powdered sugar
1 cup pecans, chopped

Mix cream cheese and butter (both at room temperature) until creamed; add vanilla. Beat in sugar a little at a time until frosting is at the desired consistency (spreadable but not stiff). Frost completely cooled cake and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Here are some tips that Joe Ann doesn't clue you in on to make the cake go from great to extraordinary: double the icing, toast your pecans in the oven, and substitute cake flour for regular flour. If you do those things and otherwise follow the recipe to the letter, your guests will definitely be blown away. Since it's a three-layer cake, I suggest reserving this dessert for larger gatherings.

Nigella's Triple Chocolate Brownies

The next recipe comes from our favorite British cook and glamazon, Nigella Lawson. Her brownies are so good that they're worth the gazillion calories that they contain. If you are a chocolate lover, then these brownies will definitely satisfy your cravings! My sister -- yes, the mistress of this blog -- once doubled the butter (they already start with over three sticks!) and we all still gobbled them down; however, I don’t recommend trying this yourself...the side effects were not desirable. These brownies are great for children. They are also perfect for wedding and baby showers, as well as a night in. I would suggest pairing them with a light meal because these will truly be the bulk of your dinner! To enjoy, just click here for the recipe.

Next Week: Wedding and Baby Shower finger-foods

Cake Wrecks

Are you familiar with the blog Cake Wrecks? If not, you need to be. My mother (Quotidian Grace) alerted me to the blog some time ago and some of the cakes (all made by so-called professionals) the author manages to find are absolutely hilarious.

Here's a round up of a few of my favorites:

I wonder if the bride and groom who ordered this cake also registered at Orvis and Gander Mountain.

The perfect cake for your nihilist friend's next birthday. I love the ironic tension created by the message and the rainbow as well. I'm not sure I'd describe this cake as a "wreck"; in fact, it might just be the work of a genius.

I'm pretty sure this one speaks for itself, though I think the red flowers are a tad too optimistic for the message this cake is conveying.

Quite possibly the best use of the international "no" sign that I've ever see. Do you suppose Sexual Harassment Panda got to deliver this cake?

Quite possibly my favorite. Is that message supposed to be comforting (as in, "a cold sore isn't so bad, sweetie") or insulting (as in, "get over it and stop your whining you weenie -- it's just a cold sore!")? I also wonder if the person giving the cake is the same person who managed to give the receiver the cold sore. Either way, I'm pretty sure a cold sore never deserves a cake.

This cake decorator got this one wrong on so many levels. I don't even know where to begin: The misspelled words? The inappropriate use of opening quotations? The slavish and literal following of directions? The bizarre "ET" initials in each corner? I just hope the customer got a refund on this one.

Horrific lettering aside, I'm not entirely sure what the quotes on this cake are supposed to imply -- do you not actually read the blog? Is it not really a blog anyway? Confusing...and quite possibly insulting. Either way, please don't send me this.

Be sure to click on over to Cake Wrecks to see more baking disasters (and all the accompanying witty commentary).

Cibus Corner: Comfort Foods

Back again this Friday with another installment of Cibus Corner, courtesy of my sister Jane (aka Chef Babs). This week, she's talking comfort food, which is food I can always get behind.

Chef Babs, aged 2

As promised this week's meal is delicious and good for you -- but since it's "comfort food", no one has to know that it's healthy. I've always been a fan of comfort food. To me, there is nothing better than a biscuit and mac-and-cheese. Fried chicken is also very hard to beat, as well. The only problem with eating the full-fat version is that you find that your pants are a little tighter the next day. For those of you that long for comfort food but still want to look good in skinny jeans (okay, any pair of jeans) this meal is ideal for you. It's low in calories, tasty, and will please the entire family!

Oven Friend Chicken with Almonds

This recipe comes from my aunt Joe Ann. It is easy, kids love it, and it stays good in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. In fact, I have to confess that these chicken fingers taste pretty good cold. Even better: they're lower in fat because they are baked, not dredged in flour, and use crushed almonds to add flavor, and cuts down on the amount of bread crumbs needed to make the coating. I have made these for everyone from boyfriends to roommates, and I must say no one has turned them down yet. Another version of this recipe is to use chicken breasts rather than the chicken fingers. I find that if you are serving adults, they'll prefer full-sized breasts. Hmm...that didn't come out right...okay, moving on! The recipe:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 cup finely chopped almonds
1/2 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp dried thyme
pepper (to taste)
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. chicken tenders

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine bread crumbs, cheese, almonds, garlic, salt, thyme and pepper together in a large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. Place oil in a shallow dish. Dip the chicken tenders into the oil one at a time and then dredge tenders into the crumb mixture. Place chicken tenders in a shallow baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes, or until juices run clear.

Ellie Krieger's Mac-and-Cheese

There's nothing I love more than mac-and-cheese. I still eat it about every other week (only now I have traded in my Kraft for Annie's Organic). So when I saw this recipe from Elle Krieger, I had to try it (click here for the recipe). The secret is using pureed butternut squash (which you can purchase already pureed in the frozen food aisle at most grocery stores) for the base of the cream sauce. For those of you who don't like butternut squash, don't worry, you won't be able to taste it. I promise: the squash simply acts as the creamy agent to make the sauce smooth and, in this case, a lot less fattening than traditional mac-and-cheese. I used pipe shaped pasta rather than elbow macaroni. I encourage you to experiment with the pasta shape, like fuselli, in order to make it more fun and appetizing.

I served this meal with a side of French green beans garnished with lemon. Altogether, a great family meal that is perfect for large gatherings or weekend dinners in.

Next Week: Divine Desserts.

Cibus Corner: Delectable Brunch Ideas

Back again from jury duty, which pretty much entailed me sitting around all morning -- the wheels of justice turn ever so slowly. As promised, here's another installment of "Cibus Corner", hosted by my sister and chef extraordinaire Jane.

Chef Babs, aged 9*

I have always been a big fan of breakfast. Indeed, I really can't go a day without it. Breakfast is a wonderful way to kick off the morning and I always look forward to my first (of three!) cup of coffee. Normally, I eat a bowl of cereal and a banana, but on the weekend or when I have guests staying the night, I like to do something a little more special. The following recipes are delicious and easy. For those of you that do not cook, but are faced with a weekend with the in-laws or friends who have high expectations about your culinary abilities (a certain med school couple springs immediately to mind), I highly recommend trying these recipes. They are simple and definitely have the big "wow" factor.

This first recipe comes from Paula Deen. In general, I like Paula's food, but I usually only cook her dessert and breakfast recipes since her dinner entrees are rich enough to raise my cholesterol level well above 300 at the tender age of 26. I have to say though, when it comes to desserts and breakfasts, Paula is hard to beat. This recipe that my sister's sister-in-law (not sure what that relationship would be with respect to me) made over the Christmas holidays really blew everyone away. It is simple but does require some prep the night before, which does have the benefit of making things really easy and quick in the morning -- all you have to do is pop it in the oven! For those of you that don't normally bake, you can definitely master this one. All you do is throw some frozen dinner rolls (dough, not already cooked) into a bundt pan and top with pudding (not instant) mix, sugar, and nuts. I recommend using frozen yeast rolls, and Paula calls for butterscotch pudding mix, but we used vanilla and it turned out great. Serve with some hot coffee, orange juice, and a side of fruit, and you have a breakfast that kids, spouses, and guests will love! Again, rather than copying it here verbatim and to give proper credit to Paula, you'll have to click on over to her recipe here.

If you are looking for a more traditional breakfast, or perhaps one where the kids can get involved, then pancakes are always a winner. My favorite pancake recipe is definitely Nigella Lawson's "American" pancakes (recipe here). The ingredients are simple, and her tip to just put all of the ingredients in a blinder, whirl, and pour directly onto the griddle could not be easier! For a more sophisticated pancake, add blueberries, bananas, or strawberries. I prefer to eat my pancakes with jam on top (kind of like a crepe) rather than with syrup. I recommend stacking the pancakes high and offering a variety of jellies, real maple syrup (for the adults) and the Aunt Jemima for the kids. In addition to pancakes, I would offer some scrambled eggs whipped with a touch of milk or cream and a side of fruit.

My other favorite morning breakfast recipe is also a Nigella Lawson recipe, but sadly I could not find it posted on either her website or the Food Network's. It's published in her book How to be a Domestic Goddess (which should be on every cook's shelf) in the kids' section -- yes, they are that easy. Plus, no special equipment is required: you don't even need a hand-mixer to make these muffins. All you need are two ripe bananas and some honey. The other ingredients are basic baking fare (flour, salt and baking powder/soda). Whenever I have two extra bananas I whip these up for breakfast. A bonus with these muffins is that they have no added sugar (just the honey) and the only fat in them are two tablespoons of butter for the whole batch. I throw in some chopped walnuts for some added texture. These are great to keep around all week and will last up to four days when stored properly.

Next Week: A classic comfort food dinner made healthy! So good, that your Alabama boyfriend will not notice that he is not eating fried chicken.

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* - Editatrix's Note: This photograph was reproduced here without the prior written consent of its subject, Chef Babs. However, since an image's copyright is in the ownership of its maker and not its subject, Editatrix avers that she is well within her right to do so. Besides, she who owns the blog calls the shots, and the Editatrix maintains the photo is cute.