Congratulations David!

David Baldacci's newest book, Stone Cold, debuts at #1 during its first week of release in the following publications: The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly!!! Why do I mention this, you might ask? I am a close personal friend of David's and I used to do research for him- in fact, if you look in many of his books, you will see me in the acknowledgements. I try to follow the progress of all of his books, but I think this acheivement is unprecedented, at least by him. Oh, he has been at the top of the lists, but number one the first week?? That merits mention, as well as many congratulations!!! Here are some of the books on which I worked.





After all that Thanksgiving cooking, I have taken a short break from the kitchen. We have house guests coming and going during the holidays- starting this weekend. Several of them are bakers and passionate cooks, it promises to be a season filled with many, many blog posts...and the eggs.

Bunny Moon!

Some shots of last night's scenery...and the eggs!

Thanksgiving 2007

Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, corn casserole, green beans and gravy.

Ethyl Moore's Pumpkin Pie Recipe, as baked by her granddaughter, TLMM. Custardy, smooth, pumpkiny. The perfect end to a perfect meal.

I recommend frying a turkey- it's unbelievable. It is moist and the flavor of the rub and injected marinade are consistent throughout its meat. The fried turkey skin is honestly too good to even try to put into words. We had a ham for Plan B in case there was a fried turkey mishap, but all went well. I basted the ham with Bobby Flay's ancho chili maple glaze and it was the perfect thing for it. I have been reading The Pioneer Woman Cooks, and used her recipe for mashed potatoes since it was something I could make a day ahead, and also used her sweet potato casserole recipe, but instead of the pecan mixture, I put baby marshmallows on top for a more kitschy Thanksgiving dish.

The corn casserole is also a TLMM family dish, and I will make this again for Chanukah or Christmastime- if love corn, you will love this! The fresh green beans are my own creation. We used another The Pioneer Woman Cooks recipe for the stuffing, using a combination of corn bread and white bread. It was the ultimate in stuffing as far as we were concerned, and is now our own family tradition.

As usual, we cooked for 25 instead of for 4, but that gave us plenty of leftovers. I can hardly wait until July to do it all again. In between all that cooking, parade watching, swimming and wine sipping, I kept looking around and taking it all in. It was a beautful day and our first Thanksgiving in our new home. We wore aprons over our bathing suits - in November! We hope that more of our family visit next year- the only thing that would make it more perfect...and the eggs.

Giving Thanks Every Day

I'm thankful for so many things- most importantly I try not to take those things for granted. In fact, I give thanks for them every night before I go to sleep.

I am thankful for my family and my extended family of friends, and for how generous they have been with their time over the last few years. We have a renewed bond which has only grown stronger with time. I'm so thankful for my nieces and nephews and how they make me laugh and remember what it was like to be a kid!!

I am thankful for my home, I am thankful for a bunch of things I have, some make life easier and more comfortable and some are just for fun- and thankful that I realize that those things are only things.

I am thankful for my animals, who, down to the little bird Hedwig, show me unconditional love every day, and I am thankful for my partner who loves me the same way. I am thankful that my family loves her, and that our families have so much in common, both personally and professionally.

I am thankful that the gym is 10 steps away from my office door!

I am very thankful for artichokes, butter, the perfect steak, hash browns, stone crab claws, cabbage rolls and birthday cake.

I'm thankful that my little brother is in town for one day and I will see him at lunchtime!

I'm thankful that my sister, Muffin face, was the 10,000th visitor on my blog, and will receive an official ...and the eggs t-shirt with "10,000th Visitor" on the back. Congratulations and mazal tov, Muffin Face.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Enjoy the holiday, and enjoy the food! Most importantly, appreciate what you have...and the eggs.

Fire-Roasted Veal Chops with Horseradish Glaze

This was my first test recipe from Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook. The glaze used to brush on the veal during the last few minutes of grilling is genius- the syrup, chili powder, horseradish and mustard makes an incredible glaze. I will use the leftover glaze on pork chops, as Bobby suggests. The smoked red pepper sauce gives a potent kick, and I like spice! I used only a few pours on my plate pictured above and it was more than enough.

For the glaze:

1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, drained
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder (I ordered it online - see below)



4 (14-ounce) bone-in veal chops
2 tablespoons canola oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper





Whisk together the syrup, mustard, horseradish and ancho powder in a medium bowl and let sit for at least 15 minutes. This can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in fridge- but bring to room temperature before you use it. Bring grill to high heat or a grill pan over high heat.



Brush the chops on both sides with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the chops on the grill and cook until golden brown and slightly caramelized, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, turn them over, and close the lid of the grill or tent with foil. Continue cooking to medium- about 7 to 9 minutes more, brushing with the glaze during the last couple of minutes of cooking. Remove chops from heat and let them rest for 5 minutes. You can serve the remaining glaze on the side, or make smoked red pepper sauce.

I opted for the pepper sauce since chipolte peppers were an ingredient!

4 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped (I used a jar of roasted red peppers)
1/2 small red onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves roasted garlic, peeled
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chipolte chile puree (a small can of chipoltes in adobo sauce, blended until smooth)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup canola oil



Place all ingredients except canola oil in blender, season with salt and pepper and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil and blend until emulsified. Strain the sauce into a bowl. The sauce can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated.




After emulsification!



Delicious- extra spicy, smoky. Use with caution! This recipe makes a lot of sauce- probably 3 cups, so you will have a lot left over. I plan on using the leftovers as crab cake sauce. I usually blend mayonnaise and chipoles in adobo sauce but this is even better.

This meal was thoroughly enjoyable despite the fact that I didn't take the time to prepare Flay's suggested side dishes (see my last post). This is the first time I have used a glaze during the last few minutes of cooking and it both enhanced and complimented the flavor of the veal (the flavor of the meat, especially near the bone, was mouth-wateringly good). It has given me the incentive to find a glaze to jazz up foods that I have grown tired of preparing, like chicken. I enjoyed my new experiences with Southwest cuisine, and, as soon as the stagehands' strike is resolved, I will add Mesa Grill to my next NYC trip itinerary...and the eggs.

Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook

I have to fess up! When given the prospect of reading and reviewing two new cookbooks (see my review of Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food, here), I was certain that Bobby Flay's new book, Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook: Explosive Flavors from the Southwestern Kitchen (Potter, 2007), would be the hands-down favorite. I love to grill. Bobby loves to grill. I love meat. Bobby loves meat. It's as easy as 1-2-3, or so you would think. Before I read the book, I perused the recipes and chose two to test, and then I went about reading. The Mesa Grill opened in New York in 1991, and now has two other locations- one at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and the other at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas.

As Bobby tells us in his Introduction, the menu has evolved over the years but has stayed true to its Southwestern roots. In the next section, The Southwestern Pantry, Bobby lists the building blocks of flavor for Southwestern cooking, most of which you will recognize as being available at your market, like avocados, but other things like cajeta (found in Latin markets) might be harder depending on where you live. For example, the first recipe I tested, Fire-Roasted Veal Chops with Maple-Horseradish Glaze, called for ancho chile powder. Despite living in Miami, I had to order it online.

The next section, Mesa Kitchen Basics, details cooking techniques mentioned later in the book. Very helpful for the novice. The next section, Drinks, is one not often found in cookbooks- this section is necessary here because certain drinks go particularly well with Southwestern food- and one of Mesa Grill's signature drinks is a Cactus Pear Margarita, which sounds like a good way to start to me! This section even includes a recipe for Mesa Grill Pretzels, which look deliciously spicy, and are on my list of recipes to try.

Soups are next- although Mesa Grill's recipes change seasonally, these are good, solid choices from across the board- Black Bean Soup with Toasted Cumin Crema and Three Relishes, Chicken and Mushroom Posole Soup and Pumpkin Soup with Cinnamon Crema and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds are in the array. After the salad section (Sophie's Chopped Salad is named after Bobby's daughter and looks like a great option for a dinner party) is an appetizer section, and then come the proteins.

One of the differences between this cookbook and others is that the name of the recipe reads just like it might on Mesa Grill's menu instead of a recipe in a cookbook. That might be the point of the book. For example, the first recipe I want to test is Fire-Roasted Veal Chops with Maple-Horseradish glaze. If I wanted to make veal, I would just go to one of my trusted cookbooks and search the index for veal. Instead, I want to review Bobby's book. I read the ingredients and saw that side dishes are recommended based on the restaurant's menu (in this case Mesa Grill Spinach, page 210 and Wild Rice Tamales with Sage Butter (page 207), but I only want to make the veal. The spinach sounds good (and is the simplest recipe in the book) but the tamales sound too complicated for a regular dinner (dried corn husks, a steamer- you get the point). Bobby recommends smoked red pepper sauce for these chops, and I think that sounds great. O.K., page 230 for that. On page 230, the list of ingredients for the sauce refers you to both page 18 (twice) and page 19. All that flipping gets messy while you're cooking (take my word for it).

I did make both the recipe for the chops and for the sauce, and they were amazing, and will be detailed in my next post. Especially yummy was the glaze for the chops-- a totally different taste than my usual repertoire. His instructions are clear and easy to follow.

This cookbook would be the perfect holiday gift for anyone who loves the Mesa Grill. Want to create a dinner based entirely on the Mesa Grill's menu? This book is for you! I have never had the pleasure of dining at any of Flay's restaurants, but would jump at the chance. I would love both making and eating black bean soup- but I would love Black Bean Soup with Toasted Cumin Crema and Three Relishes much, much better if I didn't have to make it myself.

Thanksgiving Luncheon for 100

Each November, the Miami office of the law firm where I work holds a Thanksgiving luncheon. The basics are catered (turkey, ham, potatoes, stuffing), but the rest is up to us. Some people cook and some people purchase food to bring in. Here are some shots from this year's extravaganza!



From the caterer. Basics foods of Thanksgiving. Basically good.



The dessert table!



The committee gave the conference and dining rooms a perfect Autumn holiday backdrop!



Hilarie's cranberries and sultanas with bourbon sauce. It was all the rage at this shin dig! I heard several comments about enjoying consuming alcohol at lunch during work. This was the crowd favorite as evidenced in the "after" shot at the end of this post.




I made traditional ambrosia. Coconut optional!



Another crowd favorite was Karen's pineapple upside down cake. Might have contained alcohol.



This was the best banana pudding I have ever had in my life, and I love the serving dish, too. I will have to ask Bertha for the pudding recipe!



The "after" shot of Hilarie's cranberries and sultanas.

As I was eating, I quickly realized that the food was excellent. There were many hot dishes made by my co-workers, the recipes were varied - some were a little sinful like loaded mashed potatoes, and some were decadent and fancy like Kim's Roquefort shiitake scalloped potatoes- and all were really wonderful. I was toward the end of the hot food line so I couldn't get pictures of that table before it was molested. It was impossible to sample everything, so I tried what I thought looked the best. I didn't know all that talent was walking around our firm. I will have to start talking about cooking more often and maybe I can find some guest blog volunteers!

Now, on to planning my own Thanksgiving dinner for 4...and the eggs.

Homemade Matzo Ball Soup (Good For What Ails You)!

It's that time of year again. I am down to very few vacation days, but today I woke up feeling like I was coming down with a cold. The last time I had a cold was almost 10 years ago- and that's no accident. I have a secret to share with you: Every time I get this feeling, I stay home, make matzo ball soup and rest. This stuff is magic. Just smelling it cook for the few hours it takes starts the body a-healin'. Let's hope this is the case today.



1 cut up chicken, salted and peppered
1 onion, quartered
1 turnip, cut in half
1 parsnip, cut in half
1 sprig fresh dill
1 piece of leafy end of celery stalk



Put everything in a stockpot and cover with a mixture of chicken broth and water - I use 2/3 broth. Turn it almost to high heat until it gently boils, and then turn it down to keep it at a strong simmer for 2 1/2 hours.

Just before the 2 1/2 hour mark is a good time to prepare your matzo ball mixture because it should sit in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

1 cup matzo meal (unsalted)
4 large eggs
1/4 cup oil (schmaltz will also work)
1/4 cup water or seltzer
1 teaspoon salt (OR to taste)
Pinch of Ground Pepper

Beat eggs. Add water, oil, salt and pepper and mix well. Add matzo meal and stir thoroughly. Refrigerate for 1/2 to 1 hour.



Back to the soup! At this point, get another large pot and through a colander, strain the soup over it, so that all that is in the new pot is broth. Shred some of the chicken and add to broth. Some people don't put any shredded chicken in their soup, but I do. Also, at this point, add carrot and celery - one stalk of each, sliced thinly. Taste broth and add salt if necessary. Leave broth with shredded chicken and carrot and celery on the simmer for another 1/2 hour or so, until vegetables have softened. Time to make matzo balls!

Remove mixture from refrigerator. Partially fill large pot with water (I use some more chicken broth and mix it with the water) and bring to a boil. Moisten palms with cold water. Form mixture into balls about 1" in diameter, and drop matzo balls in boiling liquid. When all the matzo balls are in the pot, reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 30 or 40 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon to a large bowl.

If you are ready to eat, it's time to serve up bowls of your wonderful matzo ball soup. This soup also freezes well, but freeze the matzo balls separately on a flat sheet, and then place in a heavy duty freezer bag. Whenever you defrost the soup, and it's in the pot getting hot, you can put the frozen matzo balls right into it and let them heat up in the soup.

A little extra advice: don't freeze the soup with the matzo balls in it- the soup gets cloudy in the process. It tastes the same, but it won't look nearly as nice so you won't want to serve it to company.

I have to admit that I have smelled this soup cooking all morning and I already feel better. No more aches, scratchy throat or all-around yukky feeling. It's only 12 noon, so maybe I should have a bowl of soup and drive into work after all. On the other hand, I should probably just take it easy- the hammock would be a nice place to nap. The dogs are happy I'm home and I wouldn't want to disappoint them...and the eggs.

Papaya Salsa and Balsamic Pearl Onions with Rib-Eye Steak

We had a ripe papaya and pearl onions which needed to be used, and planned this meal around them. It was easy as soon as I found this recipe for papaya salsa:

1 ripe papaya
1 jalapeno pepper- seeded and chopped
1 cucumber- peeled and chopped
1/4 cup red onion- finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime peel
1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Cut the papaya into small cubes and put in bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to mix. I saved a little bit of the parsley to throw on top to garnish.



For the onions, I used Melissa's Pearl Onions, they came in a large package and I used the first half of the package the other day in my beef stew. I did a little research and learned that they are much easier to peel if you blanch them in boiling water for 3 minutes and then drain.

In a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over a rather high heat, but not smoking. Saute onions until browned, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup water, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender, about 15 mins. Turn heat down for this process- mine burned a bit, but still tasted good.




Rub just a scant bit of olive oil into steaks, and season to your liking. Sometimes we use Montreal Steak Seasoning and sometimes just plain old salt and fresh ground pepper. Grill the steaks as you normally would, letting them rest for 10 minutes.

TLMM made her famous garlic bread for this dinner. She'll have to do another guest post one day to tell you her ancient garlic bread secret, but for now, pictures will have to suffice!



To borrow my nephew Harry's adjective for his favorite chicken fingers, this dinner was exquisite. The steak with the papaya salsa was to die for! I have never seen TLMM enjoy steak that much! The fruitiness in the salsa was balanced beautifully by the jalapenos, cucumbers and citrus. This would probably be good with any meat or fish, and we plan to try it with all of the above. Doesn't the addition of fruit to any meal make it healthier?...and the eggs.

Robert Is Here!

In the early 1950's, when Robert was 7, his dad had a crop of cucumbers to sell, so he stood Robert on the corner of a field and propped up a sign by him that read "Robert is Here.'' It's 2007, and Robert is still there. Look at what the cucumber stand has turned into!



Located in Homestead, FL, Robert is Here sells smoothies of every imaginable type, most made with unique tropical ingredients. Ice cream with exotic tropical fruit on the side- there are many offerings at Robert's. Everyone recommends the key lime milkshake. There is also beautiful produce - much of it grown on Robert's land and what isn't is grown locally.






We bought one of these, and are waiting for it to ripen!



We bought two of these, one has ripened. Delicious, sweet, creamy inside!



We sampled this, wasn't bad but didn't have much taste- but beautiful fruit!



I found a spot to buy nice tomatoes almost all year round! You'll never hear me whining about the tomatoes in Florida again!!




Avocado honey was our fave!



I am a mustard connoisseur, and bought several varieties!



TLMM, Robert himself and a Mamey Sapote fruit!...and the eggs.

The Rib Recipe from the Lady at Fat Fred's!!!

This is exactly what the rib lady told me to try at home for the best ribs I will ever have in my life!

Two racks of baby back ribs. Rub them with dry rub and put them in the oven at 250 degrees for a few hours. When I think they are nearly finished, mop them with the BBQ sauce of my choice, put them back to back (bone to bone), wrap them in aluminum foil and put them in a styrofoam cooler - cover with a tight-fitting lid. Do not open cooler. Do not use any other type of cooler. Leave them in there for 30 minutes. Then they're ready. She promises these will be the best ribs ever.

We'll try that recipe as soon as we can even think about eating ribs again...and the eggs.

Rib Fest 2007!!

How lucky we were the the 4th Annual Ribfest was almost in our own backyard! We arrived at 11:00 AM with empty stomachs and a master plan: go to each booth and get ribs, only ribs. No cole slaw, no corn bread, no potatoes. Nothin' but ribs. Fortunately, each vendor sold a 3-rib taster.





First stop- Desperado's. Despite their banners and trophies, the ribs were a little tough and not particularly memorable for flavor. On to the next!





Blazin' Bronco was the next stop. These ribs were much more tender than the first, but the best thing about them was their flavor! Not too smoky- the flavor was just right. Good sauce!





Porky-N-Beans' ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender (which won big points from my partner), -but- the flavor wasn't as right-on as the last tested ribs. Too much sauce, too.




Fat Fred's won major points for being the first to offer moist towelettes, we were already a mess from using only the cheap napkins from the other vendors. We were also slipping into such a food-induced haze that I forgot to snap a picture of these before we sampled them. The nice lady who waited on us gave me a Fat Fred's sticker, a string of green beads and shared the secret to making the best ribs in the world at home. She explained that Fat Fred's can't make them that way because it's impossible to make thousands using the secret method, but that she makes them that way herself. Fat Fred's ribs were very tender, but much too smoky. Some people like a heavy smoke taste... we aren't those people. On to the next!




Smoke'n Dudes Barbecue Co. hails from Bensalem, PA, just North of Philadelphia. Their ribs were so average that we started wondering if we were getting "ribbed out"- would any ribs taste as perfect as the ones we tasted at the second vendor? Smoke'n Dudes does win kudos for offering moist towelettes. Incidentally, I did buy a dry rub from this company- not that I think they used it on these, but because I want to make ribs with a dry rub when I make the "secret weapon" rib recipe shared with me by the Fat Fred's lady.





Next stop, the Australian BBQ Team. We expected big things from these ribs because this tent had the longest line and the most trophies! As I stood in line for 30 minutes (TLMM went to get the beer), I was hoping these ribs would be worth it. The way the sauce was baked into the rib was nice, it wasn't messy. The ribs had a sweetish taste with a little spicy kick which we didn't care for, but which might appeal to someone else. Not our favorite. Also, the bones of these ribs were a little different from all the other vendors. Were they spare ribs instead of baby backs? We didn't really take the time to ponder that, there were more ribs to be tested!



I forgot to take a picture of the ribs from Hillbilly's, they were tender and very flavorful. Nothing bad about them, just not the best. Were we losing it? Could we recognize a good rib at this point in the day, after having tried so many? We weren't sure, but we did know one thing- we weren't giving up yet!





Sonny's had the best selection of sauces- we tried a key lime sauce, a mild and a hot sauce. All were good, but these ribs were just too smoky for us. We had more to try and our eyes were nearly glazed over as we waddled to the last booth, Pig In or Pig Out. They do their cooking in this locomotive-shaped cooker - pretty neat- huh?

Finally, the last booth was a small and inconspicuous, without banners and trophies. Pig In or Pig Out is a Florida business based in Palm Beach County. They offered ribs, just ribs, not drenched in sauce or cooked in any rub that masked or detracted from the flavor of the meat. These ribs were plan as day, tender and perfect. The pork flavor was all you could ask for from a rib. You could have picked a favorite sauce from that booth, or from any other, dipped these ribs in it and had a winner. We both agreed that these were, hands down, the winners of the day- and, thankfully, the last stop!

Luckily there were other things to walk around to see at the Ribfest- tables of crafty things, t-shirts, a horse show, an antique car show- and walk is what we needed to do. We walked, and walked until.....finally....we decided to have just one more thing that would make the perfect end to the perfect day.



Watch for my next post, "Lady from Fat Fred's Secret Rib Recipe"...and the eggs.

Eggplant Caviar

The second recipe I tested from The Art of Simple Cooking was Eggplant Caviar. Very much like baba ganoush, sans tahini and olives. This would make a great appetizer, it has a super fresh taste with just a hint of garlic.



Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut 2 medium eggplants in half lengthwise. Sprinkle the cut surfaces with Salt, Fresh-ground black pepper and olive oil. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and roast until soft. Test for doneness at the stem end; it should be very soft. (This took me a good hour and 15 minutes). Remove from oven and let cool.





Scrape the flesh out of the skins into a bowl and stir vigorously to loosen into a puree. Add:

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt
Fresh-ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, peeled and pounded into a puree
2 to 4 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro (I used 2 of chopped parsley)

Mix well and taste, adding more salt and lemon as needed. (Mine needed no more lemon, but I did need to adjust the salt).

Variations!

Use 2 tablespoons chopped mint in place of parsley or cilantro.

Add 1/2 teaspoon crushed toasted coriander seeds. To toast, heat whole coriander seeds in a heavy pan over medium heat until slightly brown. Crush in a mortar and pestle or under a heavy pan.

Add a pinch or two of dried chile flakes **(I did this one- recommended!)

For a smoky flavor, keep one eggplant whole and char it over hot coals or the open flame of a burner until tender. Cut in half, scrape out the flesh, and combine with other ingredients.

Serve it with pita wedges or pita chips, or just about any type of cracker. It's different, it's tasty. You can make it a little spicy with the addition of some chile flakes. I would put this out as an appetizer with other middle eastern style snacks like hummus or stuffed grape leaves. Mmm. Now I'm making myself hungry, I'll have to go try a bite...and the eggs.

Beef Stew!

It's a chilly 75 degrees today in South Miami, making beef stew the logical choice of recipes to test from Alice Waters' cookbook, The Art of Simple Food. This was the best beef stew I have ever tasted. It's also the first time I took the time to do it right, and I was surprised at how well that paid off!

Season generously, a day ahead if possible, 3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes with fresh ground pepper and salt.

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a heavy-bottomed pan (I used my cast-iron skillet) over medium-high heat. Add 3 slices of bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Cook until lightly brown but not crisp. Remove the bacon. Add the meat, browning well on all sides- do not overcrowd the pan, do as many batches as necessary (I did 4 or 5).



Put the browned meat into a heavy pot. Pour off most of the fat, lower the heat, and add:

2 onions, peeled and cut into quarters (I found fresh pearl onions at the market and used those)
2 cloves (stick them into onions)
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks (I used baby carrots)
2 sprigs each of thyme, savory and parsley (I couldn't find savory so I left it out)
1 bay leaf
A few peppercorns



Cook until slightly browned and add to the beef in the pot.



Return pan to the stove and raise the heat. Pour in 3 tablespoons brandy. This step is optional, but I never miss an opportunity to add liquor to my food). Add 1 3/4 cups red wine. Cook that until it has reduced by 2/3, making sure to scrape up all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour this over the beef and vegetables. Add:

3 diced tomatoes, fresh or canned (I used canned)
1 small head of garlic, separated into cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 thin strip of orange zest
2 cups beef stock (or chicken broth)





Check the level of the liquid; it should be at least 3/4 of the way up the cubes of beef. Add more if necessary. Cover the pot tightly and cook at a bare simmer on the stovetop, or in a 325 degree oven for 2-3 hours, until the meat is tender. Turn off the heat and let the stew settle for a few minutes and skim any fat off the top. Discard the bay leaf, cloves and peppercorns (or just caution your dinner companion as I did since I was unable to find the spices). Taste and adjust for seasoning. Waters suggests to serve the stew sprinkled with a mixture of 1 tablespoon chopped parsley with 1 or 2 garlic cloves, chopped fine. I didn't use a garnish.

Now, my favorite part of her recipes.... the variations! Here are Waters' suggested variations for Beef Stew:

Stir in 1/2 cup small black olives with their pits 30 minutes before the stew is finished. If using pitted olives, add them after the stew has finished cooking.

Use 3/4 cup white wine instead of red. Only reduce by half.

To make pot roast, keep the meat whole- bottom round or brisket can be used as well as chuck. The liquid should come only halfway up the roast. Increase cooking time by 1 hour.

Soak 1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms in 1/2 cup hot water for 10 minutes. Drain, chop coarsely, and add to the stew along with 2 1/2 tablespoons of tomato paste instead of tomatoes. If the mushroom liquid isn't too sandy, substitute some of it for the broth. Omit the orange zest.

A good tip: Thicken a thin sauce with a mixture of one part flour stirred together with one part soft butter. Whisk this into the boiling sauce bit by bit, cooking each addition for a minute before going on to the next; you want just enough to give the sauce a little body.

As this stew cooks, you won't believe the wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen. When it's finally time to eat, sit down, dig in and enjoy. If it's the best beef stew you have ever tasted, I'll try not to say I told you so...and the eggs.

Congratulations Caroline, Jon and Lesley!

This is my niece, Caroline. Today she got a new baby brother (pictured above)!! My brother and his wife had a little baby boy today! Charles Griggs Steinberg, born at 12:47 PM, was 6 pounds and 19 inches long. We can't wait to meet him!!

A Taste of the Tropics! (Pictorally speaking!)

Now, for a little something different! Saturday morning, we woke up to sub-70 degree weather, and these new blossoms in our yard.



These orchids, which had been dormant since we moved in (in March), and...

these blooms on a bonsai! Every time something new blooms, we get vibrant color and an exotic type of flower. I really should take the time to learn about what some of these things are, and take care of them. I don't think they need much, but I do need to know the basics, i.e. when and if to feed and fertilize. Here are some of the other plants that are unique or that have bloomed recently.

I took pictures for a couple of reasons- in case I am not able to keep them up as nicely as the previous owners did (I'll have pictures of how they were meant to look) and to entice my friends and family to visit! My partner does a one heck of a job keeping things weeded and raked back there. We have so many plants and trees- Myra and Lou must have spent most of their free time working on it. They made it a little tropical paradise. I just thought I would share a little bit of our backyard with you...and the eggs.

The Art of Simple Food

Alice Waters' new cookbook, The Art of Simple Food (2007, Clarkson Potter), is plain, indeed simple, and a must-have for any passionate amateur cook. The title isn't flashy and the cover doesn't feature the toothy smile of a celebrity chef. This book catches the eye in another way, with calmness and sophistication. Inside, it is almost more like a textbook than a cookbook, complete with black and white illustrations which look like shaded pencil drawings. It's a welcome change from some of the other cookbooks on my shelf, which are either more like encyclopedias or more like coffee table books, complete with photos of perfectly plated food and are certainly taken by a professional food photographer.

Waters' book opens with a chapter entitled Getting Started- in which she recommends pantry staples and perishable staples. After she lists them, she includes a short paragraph discussing and describing each. In the next section, she lists (on two pages in double columns) some of the dishes you can make with just those ingredients, including everything from red rice pilaf to creme caramel! Next, a short but necessary lesson on equipment and tools, providing readers with a solid knowledge base of essentials and then (bonus!) two pages on cutting techniques.

The recipes that follow are easy to read, well explained and are based on cooking from scratch. My favorite section of her recipes is at the end of each one- she gives several variations for each dish, making this book the ultimate in user-friendly for those of us who are adept at taking a recipe and tweaking it to our liking, but need a little guidance as to what goes well with what! She leaves room for your own creativity, and after reading some of her variations, it's obvious to me that she loves to cook, loves flavors and is encouraging us to go out on a limb and try new things.

The short chapters that follow are broken up by cooking methods or categories of foods, for example Out of the Frying Pan contains recipes for Pan-Fried Pork chops, Sauteed Cauliflower and Fish in Breadcrumbs. Other categories include Slow Cooking (the beef stew from this section is on the stove now, and will be my next blog entry) Sauces, A Little Something (I am making the eggplant caviar from this section soon), Simmering, Tarts (savory and sweet), Fruit Desserts, Pasta, Fish and Shellfish... the list goes on. As you can see, she gives necessary basics for each category and a few example recipes. There are so many recipes in this book I want to make, I see that my partner already dog-eared the recipe for bolognese sauce.

If you are looking for a great gift for a fledgling cook or a little something for yourself, look no further. It might not be the one that jumps out at you from the bookstore shelf, but give it a second look, it will become a treasured reference for years to come...and the eggs.