The Celebration of Dancing, Drinking and Laughing

One morning years ago, when dropping my oldest off at our sweet Montessori school, I noticed a woman with wavy hair, an inviting demeanor and generous smile.

I knew I wanted to meet her and when I did, I felt an almost instant connection with her especially when she told me her name ... which confused me. Gentil (pronounced: Hen-teal) Weiss Najera. Sometimes the filter between my thoughts and my mouth doesn't work so well and this was one of those times. The questions "How do you spell that? Where are you from?" tumbled out of me before I could stop myself. Luckily, she wasn't offended. We discussed how her name meant "kind" or "nice" in French (in her case, the name really does fit the person) and then she told me of her Puerto Rican mom, her Jewish dad, her step parents and siblings spread between California and the East Coast.

It's been about seven years since that day on the playground and we've been friends ever since. Through the years, I've come to know Gentil as someone who is so generous with her talents, time, advice and willingness to help. Her family is part of a small group of us that get together for Jewish holidays which I hope connects her with that part of her heritage. In turn, she shares lovely stories about her mom, who passed away several years ago, her elderly grandmother, all of her siblings and the rich Puerto Rican heritage and pride that was imparted to her. 

At one of our recent gatherings, she shared an old family recipe and the story for Pastelón (a Puerto Rican style lasagna), that is typically made on a special occasion or holiday.

"Growing up, I heard the stories many times about how my mom would make this tasty dish with her Abuela and mom (my Abuelita)! They would gather all of the ingredients and turn up the music and enjoy their time together. Sharing stories, dancing a little, drinking a little and laughing a lot!!" Now, Gentil makes this with her family and each member takes responsibility for a part of the recipe with salsa music in the background, adult beverages, dancing in between steps (of the recipe) and tasting all along. 

I often think of jewelry being passed down from mothers to daughters. But in Gentil's case, it was a pilón (a wooden mortar and pestle) that started in the hands of her great grandmother (Abuela), passed to her grandmother (Abuelita), then mother and is now in Gentil's kitchen. This is where Gentil's version of  pastelón starts and most of her other Latin inspired recipes. As she describes it's "where the sazon is made ... the garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, olive oil and apple cider vinegar is mashed together into a nice paste and is used for the seasoning of any sauce." It's well worn from years of use and it "holds the flavors and oils from years past." Can't you just imagine the hands of those generations of women encircling the pilón, infusing it with their energy and filling the contents with love? 

"My Abuela's recipe was more traditional even though she never measured her ingredients ... According to my Abuelita, who will be 90 this November, my mom always adjusted her recipe and substituted the meat for soy or vegetables but it always came out amazing and oozed sabor (flavor)." 

You serve this dish with a green salad, bread, wine and the traditional toast "amor y dineró, y el tiempo para gozarlo." (Love, Prosperity and Time to Enjoy them).

I will dance and drink (and eat) to that. 

The family heirloom with four generations -
Gentil at 1 year old, her mother, grandmother and great grandmother. 

Pastelón de León

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

• 6 large ripe plantains (dark spots make it taste better!)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 cups shredded cheese, your choice
• 3 cups dried soy meat substitute
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 cup Recaíto mix (recipe below)
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup sofrito (you can buy the Goya brand in your supermarket but you can also click here for a recipe and here's another variation (I think there may be as many recipes for sofrito as there are people in the Caribbean.)
• 2 eight once cans tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons green olives with pimentos
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup red wine (use the bottle from last night or open a new one and have a glass)
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons water

What to do with the ingredients:

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, combine soy meat substitue, Recaíto, garlic and 3 cups of water. Soak for 1/2 hour
3. Peel and slice plantains, first in half, and each half into long strips giving 6 to 8 slices per plantain. 
4. Heat oil in deep frying pan, and fry plantains until golden brown. Then drain on paper towel.
5. In another deep frying pan, heat sofrito, and add the soy meat substitute (which has soaked for 1/2 hour) with all its water and seasoning.
6. Add tomato sauce, sugar, green olives, capers and wine. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.
7. Lightly grease a 13"x9"x2" pan and place one layer of plantains on bottom.
8. Follow with a layer of soy meat, and then a layer of shredded cheese.
9. Repeat this sequence two more times for a total of three layers.
10. Beat egg with two tablespoons of water.
11. Make knife inserts into pastelón and pour egg mixture into openings.
12. Sprinkle a little more cheese on top and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
13. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. 

Making your own Recaíto Criollo

Combine and chop all ingredients in a blender:

5 culantro leaves (this is different than cilantro. If you can't find it, increase the cilantro)

3 cilantro sprigs

1 green pepper 

1 onion

4 small sweet chili peppers (or 1 medium red bell pepper)

1 tomato 

1/4 teaspoon oregano

The Celebration of Bienvenu

The Village of Le Michels

My mother lived the book A Year in Provence years before it was written let alone a destination on any tourist map. Months before my older brother was born, my father (an Algerian born Frenchman) bought a home – sight unseen by my mom (a New Yorker with a knack for languages) – in a small French Village in Provence, France. There were 27, mainly elderly, inhabitants of Les Michels, France when my parents moved into the fixer-upper that predated the French revolution.

My mom tells the story that “The villagers were viticulturist – a fancy word meaning they grew wine grapes.” (Proof that wine is in my blood.) “They also grew table grapes, some fruits and vegetables.  In so many ways the people of the village were directly out of a book by Marcel Pagnol.  They were wealthy but you never could have guessed that fact.  As a matter of fact when we remodeled our house to make it a home, several of the villagers decided to install indoor plumbing!” It was 1966 after all.

I think the prospect of a shared village grandchild to spoil coupled with my mom’s natural gift of language sprinkled with a healthy dose of curiosity sweetened the locals temperament towards my mom.

Once I was born, four years later, it was like we had been there for generations. My earliest memories are of going from house to house in the village and being handed sweets at every door. And those memories are wrapped in a warm, fleece blanket of comfort and safety – her name is Tata Elvire. 

She was our housekeeper/nanny/auntie and became a dear friend of my parents. She took my brother and me to her farm where we ate fresh, hot French bread that created a mountain of crumbs as we bit into it. The bread was slathered with homemade butter and sprinkled with chocolate that was served to us with milk that I watched her heat up on the stove from a cow we milked moments before.

My mom still keeps in touch with Tata Elvire and although my brother and I are grown, and she is in her late 80’s, we will always be “mes petits,” my little ones, to her.  

From left
Yeyette, another family friend, my mom, my husband, Tata Elvire and me (pregnant with our 1st kiddo).
Le Michels, France in 2003.

The village was invited into my parents’ home to share in our celebrations and my mom was invited into their kitchens. In one of the most universally understood languages – that of food grown on their own land and every ingredient prepared by hand – my family was shown hospitality and love. They were farm-to-table before it was a catch phrase used on expensive restaurant menus.

“Late summer would bring a plethora of vegetables. Cases of roma tomatoes were made into homemade tomato sauce, abundance of red fruits were soaked in alcohol from the wine coop to make ratafia and the colorful vegetables were made into Pistou.  In Provençal Pistou means Basil, so you can guess the main ingredient of this soup.” As my mom recalls.

Pistou is a wonderfully simple, fragrant and comforting soup. For my mom, I suspect that a single whiff brings her back to being that late 20-something, very pregnant woman who was far from home with a village full of people ready to welcome her into their homes at their table and in their hearts.  

Here’s the recipe as my mom learned if from Tata Elvire.

Pistou a la Provencal

Ingredients:

*Try to go as organic as possible for the best flavors.

• 4 zucchinis sliced about an 1/8 of an inch thick
• 2 Chinese eggplants diced into bite size pieces 
• About 1 /2 pound flat string beans cut in approx. ¾ inch segments
• 2 -3 small to medium size potatoes cubed
• 3-4 tomatoes peeled and squeezed into the pot (I use a small can of crushed tomatoes)
• 1 small can of Cannellini beans
• 1 small packet of vermicelli
• Thyme (about a teaspoon full)
• Garlic, French bread, Basil, Olive oil, grated cheese preferably Gruyère.
• Salt and Pepper to taste.

What to do with the ingredients:

1. In a large soup pot put in 3-4 diced cloves of garlic and sauté them in no more than 2 tablespoons of olive oil until they start to turn brown.
2. Add the potatoes and stir so they are coated with the oil and garlic.
3. Add 12 cups of water and bring to a boil.
4. Add the tomatoes and eggplant and bring back to a boil.  Then add the string beans, zucchinis, cannellini beans, and Thyme.  The soup should not be watery.
5. When the soup is ¾ of the way cooked, add the small packet of vermicelli.
6. Once the vermicelli is cooked, peel 2 -3 cloves of garlic and crush them with a good size branch of fresh basil using a mortar and pestle if you have it. If not, crush garlic and basil on a cutting board using the side of a chef's knife. Transfer garlic and basil to a bowl and slowly add 2 – 3 soup spoons of Olive Oil to form a liquidy Ailoli. 
7. Cut up the French bread in thin slices.  The soup is served with the French bread in the soup with the Ailoli mixture on top of the bread and the grated cheese on top of it all.

This soup is thick and hardy and served with a salad makes a lovely meal.

The Celebration of Motivation

I’m not going to lie – I use food to motivate my children. And, as I write this, I realize I better start putting money aside for a future therapy fund.

Several years ago, we took the kiddos to Paris with the primary purpose of visiting my family but we also had several great days of sightseeing. We aren’t from a part of the country where people walk (I mean we drive to our neighbors house). So, we had to invent a few ways to motivate the kids so they would propel themselves on their own two feet throughout a city that’s best loved when walked. And, that’s where food for motivation comes in.

“If you walk to the end of this block, we’ll get a croissant at the next Patisserie.” “Oh, if you walk without complaining for 30 minutes, we’ll get you the biggest damn hot chocolate you have ever seen.” “In the next 2 blocks, I know there’s the best crepe maker in the entire city but he only makes crepes for kids who walk.” You get the idea.

Now, I use food as a motivator to get my kiddos out of bed and ready for school. I wish I could be one of those moms that’s perfectly showered, coiffed with freshly applied make up all before I wake the children with the smell of eggs and turkey bacon (no bacon in our house). That fantasy disappeared on the first day of pre-k. 

Most mornings, I’m lucky if I can wake up in time to change out of my pj's and find matching shoes before starting the yell-and-repeat we’re going to be late let’s get out the door morning routine.

The truth is, I can yell all I want but nothing gets the kiddos out of their rooms (with clothes and shoes on – teeth brushing is still questionable) more than hearing these words as they open their eyes “do you want a crepe with Nutella or one with banana and sugar for breakfast?”

Now, I know to most that sounds as complicated as the eggs and bacon routine but it really isn’t. The kiddos can grab their crepes either at the counter or on the run. Getting crepes ready just takes a little planning and preparation (that happens on Sunday’s in our household) with ingredients you probably have in your pantry already.

Starting our mornings with rich, velvety and indulgent crepes motivates all of us to walk out the door, conquer our day and with a little reminder of family and Paris folded up in our hands.

The recipe:
(adapted from The Paris Cafe Cookbook, Daniel Young)

I make the crepes ahead of time (Sunday evening) and put them in the fridge until breakfast. In the morning, I do a quick reheat in the microwave, put the desired toppings and off we go.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (this is an addition by me)
• 2 tablespoons sugar (for sweet crepes only)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• Pinch of salt
• Pam or other spray (recipe calls for 1 tablespoon vegetable oil)

What to do with the ingredients:

1. Put the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center.
2. Break the eggs into the well in the flour. Add 1 cup of the milk to the eggs and stir in a circular motion with the wooden spatula, gradually widening the circle to incorporate a little flour at a time until all the flour is absorbed by the liquid.
3. Add the remaining ½ cup milk and the water, sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract and salt and beat with a whisk until all the lumps have disappeared. (If you can’t eliminate them all, pour the batter through a strainer.) Let the batter stand 1 hour in the refrigerator.
4. The recipe calls for vegetable oil but I use Pam. Spray a 9-inch crepe pan or skillet and heat over medium heat. Ladle ¼ cup of the batter into the pan, the quickly tilt the pan in all directions so the batter spreads into a thin layer covering the bottom of the pan. Cook the crepe until the bottom is lightly browned and the edges lift up easily from the pan, about 2 minutes.
5. Slide a spatula under the crepe and, grabbing the opposite side with your fingers, flip it over. Or if you are feeling adventurous, you can try the air flip. Also, know that at least one crepe will be sacrificed to the pan because the batter didn't reach all edges or you want to taste test them. 
6. Spread the desired fillings over the center of the crepe and cook the underside until it becomes brown spotted, about 1 minute. To finish, fold it three times into a rounded triangle: First fold it in half over the fillings, then folks the resulting semicircle in thirds, making two creases with the side of the spatula to ease the folding. 

Flour in the bowl

My daughter helped me crack the eggs so we crack them in a different
bowl to prevent shell in our batter.

Eggs in the flour well

Finished batter. In the fridge now for an hour (or longer).

Cooking in the crepe pan. I put my batter in the Tupperware overnight
until I was ready to make the crepes.

The Air Flip. 

The Celebration of Apples and Honey

My daughter – for a Sunday school assignment – was asked to draw a picture representing her favorite holiday. Much to my surprise, she drew a picture of apples and honey. She loves the combination so much that she asks for it as a snack, in her lunch for school and all other times of the year. But, for some reason, we only dip the apples (and challah) in honey once a year.

This week, Jews around the globe will be wishing each other a sweet New Year, coming together to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. In this New Year of 5775, we rejoice in another year of Jewish continuity, survival and the yearly door opening to a string of high holy days.

Like most holiday menus, looking at the dishes on the Rosh Hashanah table is a lesson in symbolism and culinary anthropology. Apples and honey are an amuse buche at the beginning of the Rosh Hashanah meal symbolizing a wish for sweet New Year. Recipes are passed from generation to generation, certain ingredients become symbols of the celebration and over time, the dish becomes synonymous with the holiday. The holiday without the dish – and vice versa – is unthinkable.

I grew up with Sephardic (North African descent) and Ashkenazi (Eastern European descent) Jewish cultural and food traditions. Translation? Our holiday tables were a hodge-podge of foods (think North African Mezze salads with Matzoh Ball soup) and therefore no brisket recipe that’s been passed down and is now the centerpiece of our holiday meal.

But, a few years ago, a family friend, Michele, was with us for Rosh Hashanah and she made her grandmother Nanny Frieda’s brisket. I was struck by the sheer joy on her face when she served it to us. Our appreciation brought her Nanny into the room and injected her memory into each of our hearts, at least for one meal. When Michele sent me this recipe, she told me about her Nanny - a story that’s echoed in countless Jewish American families. Her Nanny was the youngest of 13 children, “a fieisty redhead with bright blue eyes who traveled to America alone at 13 years old.” Michele was the youngest of six grandchildren and at 15, Nanny Frieda taught Michele all of her recipes.

For Michele, the joy is in making the dish because well ... she hates brisket. The brisket is a physical connection to a woman who lives in memories of love, warmth and security. An opportunity to share it with her children, friends and others is another moment to keep that memory as sweet and vibrant as the dish.

Before the brisket recipe was shared. Michele w/ her Nanny Frieda.

Nanny Frieda's Brisket with Onions, Carrots, Raisins and Apricots

The Ingredients:

• 4-6 pounds of beef brisket, trimmed
• 6 -10 cloves garlic
• 2 -3 large yellow onions
• I package baby carrots 
• 1 package (6-8 ounces) dried California apricots
• 1 cup yellow raisins
• 1 1/2 cups white wine or beef broth or a combination of both (I usually combine)
• 2 Tablespoons Ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 pkg Lipton's dried onion soup
• garlic and onion powder
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• white pepper

What to do with the ingredients:

1. Prepare brisket a day in advance. 
2. In a large baking pan (I often use disposable foil ones), cut 2-3 onions in slices. Place on bottom of the pain with chopped garlic cloves.   Place the meat on top of the onions and garlic.  sprinkle, sprinkle liberally with garlic and onion powder, a pepper.   
3. Place the carrots, apricots and raisins around and on top of the meat.   
4. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour evenly over the entire concoction.   Cover pan tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for three to four hours, or until meat is tender.  Remove from the oven, allow to cool, then refrigerate.  
5. When the meat is cold, remove every trace of fat that has congealed on top.  slice the meat and return it to the pan with the fruit and vegetables.   When ready to serve, heat in a 350 degree oven, covered with foil, until heated through, about half an hour.  Serve on a large platter, surrounded with fruit and vegetables. 

There is one brisket recipe I’ve used from Joan Nathan’s Jewish Cooking in America. This is a more savory recipe than the one shared above. I’ve made this recipe in my crock-pot – I think I just increased the cook time. Also, I serve it with couscous (as I said, a hodge podge of dishes at my table).

Moroccan Brisket with Olives

(10 – 12 servings)

The Ingredients:

• 1 5-6 pound beef brisket (I like to trim it of fat)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
• ¼ c olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric or a few strands of saffron
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 2 large onions, diced
• ¼ cup chopped celery with leaves (I hate celery and always leave this out)
• 1 small carrot, peeled and sliced in paper thin rounds
• 2 large fresh tomatoes, peeled and diced, or a 1 lbs can of stewed tomatoes
• 1 lbs green olives (I liked to get pitted ones)
• ½ cup water if needed
• Juice of 1 lemon 

What to do with the Ingredients: 

1. Sprinkle the brisket with salt and pepper and rub in the garlic. Sear the meat on all sides in a little bit of the olive oil in a heavy roasting pan with a cover. Remove.
2. To the same pan, add the remaining olive oil, turmeric or saffron, and ginger and saute the onions until limp. Then add the celery and carrots and saute a few minutes more. Add the tomatoes and mix. Remove a third of the onion mixture and place the brisket in the onions in the pan. (This is where I put it in the crock-pot). Cover with the remaining onions and bake, covered, in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 3 hours or until the fork goes in and out easily. Remove and refrigerate.
3. Meanwhile, pit the olives (the entire reason I buy ones that are already pitted). Put them in a pot, cover with water, and boil a minute or two. Drain the olives and cover again with water, Drain Again (this is done to remove some of the saltiness).
4. Take the brisket out of the refrigerator, remove any fat that has congealed, and slive against the grain. Return to the heavy pan with the reserved onion mixture. Add the olives and sprinkle over the sliced brisket. Add water and lemon. Reheat in a 350-degree oven for a half hour and serve. 

The Celebration of Another Year

I celebrated my birthday last week – my 44^th turn around the sun. But from about ages 31 to 40, I took a break in birthday celebrations because I just couldn’t celebrate the day when it fell on THE day – 9/11.

On THAT 9/11, we were living in DC and I walked home, with 2 work colleagues, from Capitol Hill to Dupont Circle.  Instead of the fancy dinner my husband had planned for us, we ended up at a Vietnamese restaurant, which served as a reminder that we were no longer fighting the wars our parents fought. That night – and for the next 9 years – it felt vulgar to even think about my birthday on such a horrific day. I was even hesitant to celebrate my 40^th but a mentor/friend advised me that those are the milestones in life that need to be celebrated and remembered, so I made an exception.

So, fast forward 4 years to last week. My 5^th grade son is doing a lot of school reading about people who make a difference in other people’s lives. He told me he was reading about Malala Yousafzai  - the young woman who at 15 was shot by Taliban fighters in the Swat Valley, Pakistan because she was fighting for educationand women’s rights after the Taliban banned girls (including herself) from going to school.

We talked about Malala and watched her interview with JonStewart on the Daily Show. As I was thinking “it’s incredible how well spoken, composed and impressive she is, given her age and life experiences,” my son said “what’s the big deal?” Her story captured his attention but he just didn’t get it. To him, being denied an education is unimaginable and even more so to be denied just because you’re a girl. Yes, school is a nuisance that takes away from weekends and playtime but it’s something you JUST HAVE TO DO. And because HE HAS TO DO IT and it’s taken so for granted, he doesn’t see the celebration in it.

With our conversation still fresh in my mind, I woke up on 9/11 to an NPR story remembering the tragedy, but also shining light on the hopeful developments, like how many of the children of 9/11 victims are now starting college. Family and friends called, texted and Facebooked from around the globe – many of whom I heard from 13 years ago – sending me their birthday wishes.

“We’re a pretty resilient bunch,” I thought to myself.  Yes, there is – and will always be – tragedy, injustice and sadness in this world.  But as humans, we are meant to push forward. 

A girl in Pakistan can survive and thrive after being shot in the head and go on to ignite people globally for her cause (and for a moment, have my son focus on her and not MineCraft). Kiddos whose worlds forever changed on THAT day are living their lives – but with the wispy memories tattooed on their souls. As the years go by, the jagged edges of pain are softened a bit, survival becomes a little easier and hope illuminates the dark spaces. And in that, there is celebration.

The Recipe

Birthdays in my household are synonymous with chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting (and cakes made by my Aunt but that’s another blog post). Here’s a cupcake recipe I’ve used so many times and chocolate smudges are on the page to prove it. I can’t even remember where I dug it up but as always, I’ve changed it up a bit.

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cupcakes

• cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup cocoa (use high quality cocoa powder)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon espresso powder (my husband HATES coffee but he doesn’t taste the espresso. It lends a richness to the chocolate but not much overall flavor)
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla (I’m always super generous on the vanilla.)
• ½ cup boiling water

I added about 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to the batter. 

Vanilla Buttercream

• 8 tablespoons butter, 1 stick, softened. Use a fresh stick – don’t make the mistake I did – using some butter that was opened and sitting in the fridge. The buttercream tasted like garlic. Ordinarily not a bad thing but not so good on chocolate cupcakes.
• 1 cup cream cheese
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (I still think this is too sweet so taste as you go)
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream or half-and-half (but be ready to use more depending on the consistency you want of your frosting)
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla (you can always add more – I do)
• Pinch of salt

What to do with the Ingredients:

1. Preheat oven to 325
2. Place cupcake liners in muffin tin. Spray lightly with cooking spray. I like to use the butter flavored Pam Cooking Spray.
3. Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bow or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until well combined.
4. Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well comined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute to add air to the batter.
5. Evently distribute cake batter. I like to use an ice-cream scooper. Each cupcake liner should be about ¾ full.
6. Place in the oven and bake 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven and allow cupcakes to cool completely.

For the frosting:

Creaming the butter.

After the food coloring has been added. 

1. Place softened butter into the bowl of a stand mixer (or big bowl and use a hand mixer). If using a stand mixer, use paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on  medium setting and cream the butter until it is smooth and has lightened in color, about 3 minutes.
2. Add powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time. After each cup has been incorporated, taste it to test sweetness. You might also need to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add vanilla while still mixing.
4. Add the half-and-half or heavy cream and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy. Add more half-and-half or cream to reach desired consistency.

Tint the frosting with food coloring. Remember, one drop (literally) goes a long way in coloring the frosting!

I don't really have piping tools (as I said, I'm not a baker).
I put the frosting in a Ziplock baggie, cut a tiny bit
off the bottom corner and frost away. 

 

The celebration of (the end of) summer

We had a busy summer – from sending kiddos to overnight camp, to 50^th Wedding Anniversary Celebrations (not ours), to the Parade of Family Visits through our house and a last minute trip to New Orleans.

It’s been about a week since Labor Day – representing the last gasp of summer freedom – and we spent the weekend at my in-laws lake house where we spend many of our summer weekends. Labor Day is usually our last weekend at the lake before we truly settle into the school year routine (and that school year routine is worth celebrating after a busy summer).

There’s a certain rhythm of being at the lake. The mornings start slow but every day crescendos with cocktails/wine on the deck followed by slightly tipsy people cooking an over-abundance of all things meat on the grill.

I always struggle with what sides to make on hot summer days (and at the lake) that please varied taste buds, dietary restrictions, are healthy, easy and tasty. As a side note, I had a family dinner party this summer and my vegan sister-in-law was there with my nephew who eats “kosher style,” my aunt who can’t eat cheese and my uncle who is offended by any meal that doesn’t include a slab of meat with some form of starch. When I say varied I really mean TOTALLY OPPOSITE.

So … below are a few recipes I used a lot this summer as side dishes and sometimes a main meal. They can be modified without losing flavor, are delicious and healthy. Chances are, I’ll be eating all of these things into the Fall and the flavors, colors and smell will remind me of the Celebration of (and the end of) Summer.

Spicy Grilled Mango with Chiles and Crema (Taken from Cooking Light, March 2014)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided

1 thinly sliced green jalapeno pepper

1 thinkly sliced red jalapeo pepper

2 ripe peeled mangoes, cut into 1/3 inch thick slices

Cooking spray

¼ teaspoons kosher salt

¼ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

3 tablespoons Mexican crema (I think you could replace this with coconut milk to make it vegan friendly)

¼ c cilantro leaves

What to do with the ingredients:

1. Combine 2 tablespoons juice and jalapenos in small bowl.
2. Coat mango slices with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt, black pepper, and ground red pepper. Heat grill pan over high heat until smoking hot. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add mango to pan. Cook without moving, 4 minutes or until well marked. Turn and cook 2 minutes; place on platter.
3. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon juice and crema in a small bowl, stirring with whisk until smooth. Spoon jalapenos over mango. Drizzle with crema mixture; sprinkle with cilantro leaves.

Green Mango Salad – adaptedfrom Bon Appetit, March 2014

I know there are a lot of ingredients here but pulling it together is super easy AND totally worth it! If you can’t find green mango or green papaya, do what I did. I used cucumber, julienned carrots and red pepper and added Boston leaf lettuce. I don’t have a mandolin so I do everything by hand.  Also, I make extra salad dressing and use it for a similar salad for my lunch the next day. I know this sounds like a lot of work but it’s super easy – don’t let the ingredient list intimidate you!

Ingredients:

2 Thai green or red chiles, with seeds chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

½ cup (or more) fresh lime juice

¼ cup fish sauce

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

2 tsp. palm or light brown sugar

4 green mangoes or 1 green papaya julienned on a mandolin.

2 medium shallots, thinly sliced

½ cup unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

½ cup fresh cilantro leaves

¼ cup fresh mint leaves

2 Tbsp. toasted dried shrimp (this is TOTALLY optional. I’ve never used it and didn’t miss it. Although some nice grilled shrimp would round out this salad as a full meal).

2 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

What to do with the ingredients:

1. Puree chiles, garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, oil, and palm sugar in a blender until smooth.
2. Toss mangoes (or other veggies), shallots, peanuts, cilantro, mint, dried shrimp, if using, sesame seeds, and dressing in a large bowl. Season with salt if needed. 

Wow, it's been a while since I last posted. Not that I ever posted that often! But, after some discussions with  Richard, I've realized that he's right. Take note - I've now said that multiple times this year and the year is still young. He insists that I should just post quick notes, thoughts, recipes, new organizations and not worry so much about bundling it all together in a creative writing package that my college professors would use as an example of great writing (not that this ever happened).

So ... here it goes.  After 9 years of having kiddos, I've realized that a well choreographed evening routine  - from after-school to bedtime - is key to a happy family. The first steps in that dance actually start on Sunday when I create our shopping list and Richard does the grocery shopping. I often lose sight of this (or honestly, get lazy and think we'll figure it out) and half way through the week, can't figure out why every thing feels off kilter, why we've spent so much money going out to dinner and why we're getting the kiddos to bed later than necessary. Oh, and why I eat like crap for most of my meals. It all comes down to skipping the Sunday step.

When I have the time - especially helpful when the kiddos have a play-date - I also try and prepare a few things on Sunday that will make meals easier throughout the week. I might make a tomato sauce that does double duty for pasta (pasta is for the kiddos - I use spaghetti squash as a delicious alternative) and a "make your own pizza" night. Or, I'll roast a bunch of veggies for nibbling, tossing in salads or sandwiches. If I'm feeling really ambitious, I'll make salad dressing (I hate the bottled, pre-packaged stuff), too which usually lasts more than a week.

This week, I'm going to follow a Bon Appetit recipe for chicken cutlets that I've re-posted below. Tuesday evenings are particularly frenetic for us because of the time the kiddos get home from after-school activities. I'll get everything prepped tonight on this recipe leaving the final cooking step for Tuesday evening. I'll serve this with some of the roasted veggies for Richard and me and for the kiddos, I'll serve pasta with tomato sauce (see how all the prep pays off - just have to keep reminding myself). Just as quick as going through the drive through at P. Terry's and hopefully, a little healthier.

Enjoy and here's to your evening dance!

Parmesan Chicken Cutlets (Bon Appetit, March 2013)
3/4 cup all purpose flour (note: I'm going to use a whole wheat flour)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 c panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan (note: I'll use a Parmesan/Reggiano blend)
1 Tbsp. mustard powder
salt and pepper (Ok, people, one of my BIG food pet peeves are people who just pour salt on their food before they even taste it. Use salt sparingly - the salt shaker is not a Maraca).
4 small skinless, boneless chicken cutlets (about 1 1/2 lb. total), pounded to 1/4" thickness
8 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 lemon, halved

Place flour in a shallow bowl. Beat eggs in a second shallow bowl. Combine panko, Parmesan and mustard powder in a third shallow bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour, shaking off any excess. Transfer to bowl with beaten egg and turn to coat. Lift from bowl, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Coat with panko mixture, pressing to adhere. DO AHEAD: Chicken can be breaded 3 month in advance. Place between pieces of freezer paper or waxed paper and freeze in resealable freezer bags. Thaw before continuing.

Heat 6 Tbsp. oil in a large heavy skillet or a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, cook cutlets, adding remaining 2 Tbsp. oil to pan between batches, until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer cutlets to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt. Serve with lemon.

* So, here are a few of my variations. In the past when I've made similar dishes, I've also used turkey cutlets. I think there might be too much salt in this recipe so I probably will exclude it from the panko mixture. Finally, I've done this type of recipe in a non-stick pan using cooking spray or olive oil in the stainless steel sprayers (we have a Misto which works great).