Cooking With My Dad (and the rest of the gang)

Thanks to a communal effort, our Thanksgiving feast was a resounding success. It took a bit of time to get into our groove this year, as my Dad needed to adjust himself to having me in his compact NYC city kitchen. Plus, I started things off on the wrong track when I removed a loaf of his rising bread from the cutting board to chop celery and onions for the stuffing. But once it was clear that his loaf of bread suffered no injuries and was safe and sound in the hot oven, we were side by side again preparing the meal.
This year, my oldest son volunteered to help me make the stuffing, probably because he wanted to snatch a few tastes of his favorite part of the meal. And I’ll take any help I can get in the kitchen, especially when it’s someone from the next generation, as we need to pass the torch of tradition.
There’s no real need to go into detail of our preparations, since I’m pretty sure I’ve written loads on the topic already in past Thanksgiving blogs and history did repeat. But I can assure you it was great fun with a plentitude of memorable moments. Like when I seasoned my Dad’s hands with an ever too generous amount of olive oil, salt and herbs and watched him give his turkey a better full body, deep tissue massage than I’ve ever received. And of course there were the nut versus no nut jokes in our stuffing like there always are.
All in all, it was another delightful Thanksgiving; a bustling day cooking, eating and feeling full, from the meal and satisfying moments together. Of course, I am sad to report that we didn’t have a whole lot of leftovers this years since we traveled by public transport. But I’m looking forward to Thursday, when my parents will tote several quarts of turkey stock over for our Thanksgiving soup, which will allow us to savor the last bit of Thanksgiving 2011.

Turkey Vegetable Soup w/ Alphabets

3 quarts turkey stock
1 medium onion, diced
1 large zucchini (diced)
1 large yellow squash (diced)
4 peeled and chopped carrots in rounds
3 celery stocks diced
2 cups cubed turkey
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. Fresh chopped parsley
1 ½ cups cooked & drained alphabet noodles
Kosher salt to taste

Sauté the vegetables in olive oil. Add stock, let come to a boil and turn down heat to a simmer until carrots are slightly tender. Add pre-cooked alphabets, turkey & parsley. Let cool and transfer to containers and freeze.

Like an Old Married Couple

Cooking with Kathe for Thanksgiving was fun as always. With pots, pans, baking dishes and countless ingredients strewn about the countertops, we were Tazmanian Devils spinning feverishly around the kitchen moving from one prep station to the next, we were making cranberry bread, carrot muffins, stuffing and biscotti. Although we hoped to make pecan pies, we ran out of time. Thankfully though, we did manage to hit pause for a minute to wolf down the salad Kathe made for lunch.

I felt like a professional dishwasher at times, standing over the sink scrubbing and rinsing a never ending tide of dirty items. But somehow I didn’t dread this mundane task as I would have alone in my kitchen. In a bizarre way I actually enjoyed the chore with company. I wasn’t focused on the humdrum of the routine, but rather on the conversation I was having with my friend. We chatted about our kid’s progress in school, gymnastics (we both have gymnasts), what cookie to make for her Holiday Cookie swap and our upcoming family vacation plans.

As usual, when Kathe and I cook, we get started right away with our agendas but with no particular order in mind. At times we’re like an old married couple, bickering and complaining to one another. (Don’t be mad I said that Kathe!) If I snag the baking soda or a measuring spoon from her she’ll pester me when I forget to return it to her neatly arranged display of supplies. (By the way, she’s a professional organizer and a good one if you have the need!) And I know I’ll get on her nerves with my gazillions of questions. But it’s all in good fun. We love each other and have a mature cooking relationship.

Cooking with Kathe reminds me of cooking with my Dad, especially when we discuss nuts versus no nuts in our baked goods. Kathe’s family loves nuts and almost everything she bakes will have them. I on the other hand, do not like nuts in my food and as a result, neither does my family. My Dad and I go through this rigmarole with our stuffing every year, arguing about nuts versus no nuts, always ending up with two batches to please our stubborn selves.

Kathe had a hard fought nut victory this past Wednesday when my healthy carrot muffins seemed to be missing something. Although I’m sure an extra stick of butter would have made a difference I needed to keep them low-fat. Suddenly, I blurted out that my muffins needed nuts! I’m not sure how that happened, perhaps it wasmy alter ego taking over for the moment. But Kathe was elated with my suggestion and after high-fiving one another, I began chopping walnuts. With a handful of cranberries and a cupful of nuts, our second batch of carrot muffins was just perfect. We talked about adding cream cheese frosting to jazz them up but that’s up to you!

Carrot Muffins with Cranberries and Walnuts
Makes 70 mini muffins

1 stick butter, softened
1/4 cup canola oil
1 ½ apple sauce
2 eggs
¾ cups white sugar
¾ cups light brown sugar
2 cups white flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
3 cups shredded carrots
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Using a stand or hand held mixer, cream together the butter, oil and apple sauce with the sugars. Add the shredded carrots and mix slightly. In a separate bowl, mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet. Mix in the cranberries and walnuts. Spoon the batter into well-greased mini muffin tins and bake until firm to the touch, approximately 12 minutes. Serve with a dollop of cream cheese frosting if you desire.

Lobster Empanadas with a Smokey Lime Dip and an Amazing Giveaway Opportunity

I’ve been asked by Macy’s to help them with their Mblog recipe showcase. Check out their Facebook page for details:, where Macy’s fans can submit their favorite holiday recipes for a chance to win a dinner with a renowned Macy’s Culinary Council chef, including Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Cat Cora or Todd English. Although I am not being compensated, my recipe and story have a chance to be featured in Macy’s new Mblog . Since I love the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade and always get to see it in person, I wanted to show some support.

There’s also something in it for you if you are the lucky winner! Tell me what your favorite holiday dish is by commenting on my blog on the CWFC website and you will have the chance to win this beautiful 15" Stainless Steel Martha Stewart Collection Roaster, with Roasting Rack: http://tinyurl.com/6onqzgf

It’s Christmas Day at my friend Debbie’s house, an extravagant food-filled event with family and friends. The hors d’oeuvres start early in the day, with delectable nibbles served one after the other, preceding an elegant sit down feast. My friend is dressed to the nines and unruffled as she proudly heats and presents an assortment of lovely homemade appetizers to her guests. You may wonder how she does it! The answer is simple: “With a little help from her friends.”

It’s been years that we’ve been cooking together for our holidays and often our friend Jackie will join our fun tradition as well. We’ve made Asian crab cakes, spiced lamb meatballs, lobster and corn empanadas, pork and bok choy dumplings, cheese crackers, caramelized blue cheese squares, blue cheese stuffed dates, Swedish butter cookies, chocolate truffles – you name it! We carve out several dates in December to start cooking, baking and freezing together.

There’s a lot of laughter in our kitchens as we splatter, sizzle and mix in large quantities together all while sharing stories and keeping in touch with each other’s lives. While the outside world bustles about in shopping malls and traffic jams, it may be messy, but all’s calm and quiet in our kitchens together. Last year, Debbie was so dreamy talking to us that she accidentally put an extra three cups of flour in her cookies. We were hysterical, adding more eggs, sugar and vanilla to get the consistency right! Alas, we did and the cookies -- many of them -- tasted as good as usual. We ended up having more fun as a result of our merry little mishap. There’s no holiday stress in our time together; just the simple enjoyment preparing for our respective gatherings.

As we serve our food to guests, each and every course we present is infused with meaning and the fond thoughts of cooking together.

Lobster Empanadas
Makes 24

These two-bite empanadas make an extraordinary appetizer for a holiday cocktail party. Puff pastry dough is a fine substitute for flaky empanada dough. They can be made ahead of time and frozen.

2 dozen mini empanada dough rounds (or 3 inch circles cut out of puff pastry)
2 tablespoons butter
2 shallots, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 2 ½ pound steamed lobster, meat removed and cut into small chunks
1 cup sweet corn kernels, blanched slightly
1 cup béchamel sauce (see recipe below)
1/8 cup cilantro, chopped finely (If you don’t like cilantro, use can parsley.)
1 egg, plus a bit of water for egg wash

In a medium sized skillet, melt the butter on a medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook for five minutes until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add the corn, lobster, béchamel sauce and cilantro. Stir well and set aside to cool.

To assemble the empanadas, spoon a small amount (1 teaspoon) of filling into the center of each empanada wrapper. Fold the dough in half over the filling and crimp the edges together by using a fork or your fingers and twisting like a rope. Repeat until all the filling is used.

To cook, pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the tops of each with egg wash. Bake on a cookie sheet until golden for approximately 20 minutes.

Béchamel Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup hot milk
Pinch of nutmeg (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a saucepan and stir in flour. Whisk together and stir for several minutes. Gradually add the hot milk. Stir constantly until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg if desired.

Smokey Lime Dip

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl and serve with the empanadas.

1/8 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chives, chopped
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Juice from ½ of a lime

Wonton Fun

I never knew it could be so fun to stuff and fold Chinese wontons until Christina, Suzy and I had our wonton making date.

Suzy came a few hours early to make a batch of homemade chicken stock, which she planned on serving with the wontons. She arrived ready to go, a huge stock pot in one hand and an overstuffed grocery bag in the other. She marched right into my kitchen, unloading not just her stuff but some guilt as well, apologizing for taking over my kitchen every week. She even threatened to stop our regular Tuesday gig. I quickly interrupted her purge, reminding her that we’d be cooking every week regardless of her kitchen renovation like we’ve done for years. Plus, I reminded her, these cooking dates benefit me as much as her. What better way in my busy life to get dinner on the table than to spend a blast of a time with a friend?
So, she settled comfortably in and started her chicken soup, throwing veggies, herbs and chicken into her pot to boil and simmer. Her original intention was to leave and let the soup slow cook while I worked. But as she settled in, a magazine in hand, she decided to hang out and wait while I worked. It was fantastic for me since she soon dropped her magazine and began helping me make pizza and soup for our pre-wonton making lunch. Plus, I really like when people make themselves at home in my kitchen.

Christina arrived a tad late but we greeted her with a cup of a hearty squash soup, which Kathe and I made the day before and a delicious flatbread Zucchini and parmesan cheese pizza. This was designed to provide energy to twist and seal her 60 wontons and some of mine too. Since there’s no room in my small kitchen for three bowls, trays and grown-ups, we spread out into my dining room.

I got teased a bit for my wonton folding ability (or lack there-of), requesting that Christina demonstrate several times in slow motion. As Christina’s wontons remained upright neatly lined on her baking tray, mine just lay down, relaxed and ready to take a nap. Suzy, who laughed that she usually isn’t that coordinated with crimping other foods like empanadas, proudly got the hang of it, cranking out a good bunch herself. As usual, I set out to make double everyone else since it’s not that much more work and I’ve got a wonton loving bunch in my house. I made two fillings, a pork and chicken. The only difference: scallions were added to the chicken.

Here’s the recipe, guided by an expert Chinese cook, my pal Christina.

Enjoy!

Wontons
Makes 60

1 pound ground chicken (or pork)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
A few pinches of salt
Several splashes of soy sauce
Several splashes of sesame oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
Corn starch
Handful of chopped scallions
Package of wonton wrappers (60)

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together. Stuff, twist and fold the wontons: place a teaspoon of filling into the wrapper, facing point side down. Moisten the edges and fold over the filling into a triangle. Twist on corner under the other and seal. Repeat. Lay on parchment paper lined baking sheet until hardened, freeze until hard and then transfer to freezer bags. Boil in water (or chicken stock) for about 7 minutes. Serve in homemade chicken soup with chopped chives and steamed spinach.

My First White Halloween

My first white Halloween came with strange and eerie consequences. Heavy snow settled on leaf-filled branches, the weight of which caused many downed limbs and uprooted trees. People lost power and still haven’t gotten it back even six days later. For the lucky few (like my family) who lost power for a mere 13 hours, our homes have become makeshift support centers where friends and neighbors can eat a good meal, take a shower, do laundry and let their kids spend a night with the luxury of heat and a TV show. It’s a bizarre reality that is affecting people’s moods during an otherwise glorious fall season.

When my power first when out, I was terrified that I would lose the food I’d been cooking and freezing for several upcoming events. (I even began questioning the purpose of cooking and freezing food at all!) I immediately had to find a house with a generator to transfer the 18 quarts of turkey chili Liz and I had made for the upcoming Election Day bake sale and the dozens of pumpkin and banana breads I baked for an impending healthy breakfast at school. Once I had successfully found a freezer for my donated food, I worked on saving my own family’s food by transferring wontons, dumplings, and tomato sauce from my freezer to Christina’s down the street.

Cooking With Friends soon came to the rescue as I fed my powerless hungry neighbors. Banana muffins and breads became a quick breakfast and pesto was a delicious vegetarian dinner. And the big beef burritos stashed in my freezer (that I had made with Suzy) came in handy as a quick meal for my friend CJ, a fireman who had no time between emergencies to eat. For many days and still continuing, friends and neighbors are coming and going, using my house as theirs. My friend Kathe settled in on Halloween with her family, helping me make huge batches of meatballs, sauce, corn bread and chili to feed neighbors after trick-or-treating. Thankful to have a kitchen to cook in, Kathe even made a delicious apple crisp for dessert.

My friends keep saying they “owe” me for my hospitality, which is kind but completely ridiculous. Here on the bright side of the street looking over at my neighbors’ dark homes I feel bad and want to help in any way I can. I am thankful to have power and can’t think of a better way to use it than to help my friends. The only thing my friends owe me is continued friendship. And when the power goes out on my side of the street I’m sure there will be a place for my family!

Big Beef Burrito
Makes 8 Big Burritos

Kids and adults all love the Big Beef Burrito. And it’s Homemade Take-out at its easiest. The burritos are simple to make in large batches and take only minutes to warm up for lunches, snacks, or dinners. This is definitely a dish to experiment with-try pulled chicken, ground beef, all veggie, or rice and bean. The recipe below is our favorite Big Burrito basic. Make sure you offer a toppings bar of sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, and include your own guacamole and salsa.

1 pound lean ground beef
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and minced
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup cooked rice
8 Flour Tortillas (10’’ large size)
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, or a blend)
½ cup cilantro, chopped

In a large saucepan, begin to brown the beef for a few minutes while seasoning with chili powder, salt, cumin, onion powder and chili powder. Add the onions, garlic and jalapeno peppers and cook for 7 minutes. Add black beans and heat through. Add rice and mix well.

Warm the tortillas slightly so that they do not break apart when folding. (The microwave works well. Simply place the tortillas on a plate, cover with a damp paper towel and heat for one minute.) Keeping the tortillas covered so that they don’t dry out, remove one at a time and begin filling. Spoon about ¾ cup of filling into each tortilla and follow with ¼ cup of cheese on top of each, followed by a sprinkling of cilantro.

Fold in two edges and roll burritos carefully making sure to enclose all filling. To freeze, wrap each individually in plastic wrap after you fold each one so they don’t dry out. Then, place in freezer bags and lay flat in the freezer. To reheat the burritos, unwrap, place burrito on a plate and microwave on high for 1 ½ to 2 minutes on each side, checking to make sure edges do not become hardened.