Happy Pie Day Recipe: Butterscotch Mousse Pie

State Road Restaurant herb garden

State Road Restaurant on Martha’s Vineyard was one of our favorite go-to spots for a special dinner or fabulous burger at the bar. I would regularly order the smoked butterscotch pudding for dessert. I have repeatedly tried to duplicate the amazing depth of flavors in that treat, to no avail. In honor of International Pie Day, I present a recipe that may get me closer to recreating that unforgettable memory of deliciousness.

Cooking and Computing

Some days I spend hours on my Mac. Between organizing photos, working on my two websites, building my cookbook, reading news and research, I get lost in time sitting in front of my big screen. Experts have warned that prolonged sitting can cause chronic health problems. Making a recipe that requires hours until completion removes the risks of sitting for long periods. This caramelized onion recipe, a family fave, has me up every 15 minutes to stir. It takes almost five hours, but the end result is ahhh-maz-ing! And I'm equally amazed to see a massive pot filled with five pounds of raw onions turn into only two cups of the most flavorful, rich and useful ingredient for pizza, potatoes, pasta, soup, bread etc. Be good to yourself and your dinner guests!

Nine Blonds and a Brunette

A friend from my Wall Street days, Melissa, turned the big 5-0 yesterday. I assembled eight of her friends and hosted a terrific luncheon. It was a relatively easy menu, starting with two of my favorite dips, tzatziti and grilled eggplant spread paired with whole wheat pita triangles.  For the entrée, because it was a Friday in Lent, I roasted salmon and served it with red pepper and corn relish.  I lightly seasoned newly discovered Israeli couscous with pine nuts and parsley (Whole Foods carries the pearl-size morsels in bulk).  Mesculin lettuce with asparagus, chives, grated carrots and honey mustard dressing rounded out the meal.  For dessert, I made the most amazing cake!  What was most amazing is that I made it without the aid of my Kitchen Aid, which after 18 years of regular use had to be sent in for repair.  I pulled together a basic yellow cake with ten eggs and a pound of butter, folded chopped strawberries into a basic pastry cream for the center filling, whipped up some heavy cream with powdered sugar and Voilà!  The best strawberry shortcake ever.

Simple Pleasures: Homemade Tartar Sauce and Mexican Coca-Cola

While not really into capers, if ever I come across the little buds packed in sea salt, I must snatch them up for the cupboard (now there's a curious word,
c u p b o a r d). I found good use for the capers last night while making tartar sauce for Alaskan cod. Homemade tartar sauce is just one of those incomparable culinary sensations. It is unlike any store bought or restaurant quality condiment. It's really delicious, awakens fish with pizazz, and is simple to make. Pair a cod sandwich (on a soft toasted bun, lettuce, tomato) with Mexican pure cane sugar Coca-Cola, and you'll be thanking God you're alive!

Garlic Knots and Tablescapes

Garlic knots are such a nice and fun change from garlic bread.  With pizza dough readily available at most grocers for about $.99, making garlic knots is pretty simple.  My young friend, Bennett, in California, is a big fan of some of my culinary accomplishments, especially this recipe.

Yesterday, while on the elliptical machine watching the Food Channel, I was intrigued by a segment on tablescapes, and thought of Patty, Bennett's mom.  Patty is the tablescape diva, with a wide array of unique and inspiring tablescapes throughout her home.  It won't be long before both of my friends will be moving back east, and we can, once again, have garlic knots over a beautiful tablescape in Sleepy Town.

Vietnamese Chicken Lettuce Wraps

One really can't rest in the family until after the January 11th birthday celebrations.  Wild Willy and young Alexis culminated days of partying with a dinner in Chatham.  We are all big fans of P.F. Changs' famous lettuce wraps, so I set out to make something along those lines.  Among the millions of recipes listed under a Google search, I went with a PERDUE® recipe for Vietnamese ground chicken lettuce wraps to try to create a special appetizer.  I used my Kitchen Aid attachment and ran boneless, skinned chicken breasts through the course grinder (why simplify the process by buying PERDUE® ground chicken?).  While it looks like a long list of chopped and minced ingredients, it's nothing with a food processor.  The wraps were delicious.  I also tried Sophie Brickman's recipe for braised short ribs, but was disappointed with the quality of ribs I purchased.  Her combination of flavors were excellent, but I needed a little more time on the reduction.  I will try the recipe again.  Mashed potatoes, broccoli and two birthday cakes rounded out the meal.  Now I can get on with the year month; the blogmother-in-law turns 95 years old on January 30th.

Friends, Food, Humorous Writing: All Things to Love

Our New Year's Eve wedding was a blast.  An article about the then-soon-to-be newlyweds appeared in The Atlantic today, and was written by Sophie Brickman, a college roommate of the bride.  It is just too cute.  The folllowing paragraph should whet your appetite for the whole piece:

"...When I saw the loving way K looked at L as she began to eat, the whole marriage thing began to lose its scariness. Plus, it was at this moment that I really started getting excited for L: Here was a man who could eat! So sue me--I quickly judge people based on their eating preferences. Anyone who thinks Power Bars or smoothies are meals in themselves, who has done the master cleanse more than once (I allow for one experiment), or turns down bacon for any reason other than religious ends up on my "questionable" list." On the other hand, demanding seconds of short ribs automatically secures you a spot on my "people who get it" list."

Flat Belly Diet Cookbook

Thanks to the blogfriend, Patty in CA, for introducing me to this great cookbook.  The diet looks interesting, too, but the recipes offer a healthy and delicious variety for those serious about weight loss.

Best Margarita Ever

Photo credit

Many people prefer the convenience of bottled margarita mixer, which is readily available in stores, to fresh squeezed lime juice when making this Mexican cocktail. While certainly not as fast and easy as pouring the pre-made beverage over tequila, fresh lime juice and Cointreau is the key blend to a perfect Gold margarita. It's this simple and delicious:

1 1/2 oz. Cuervo Gold tequila
1/2 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice

Cheers!

Avocado Spring Rolls for the Start of Spring

We're going to a Thai themed dinner party this evening. I am bringing avocado spring rolls with sweet Thai dipping sauce for an appetizer and mango sherbet with a tropical fruit medley for dessert. Such an adventure in culinary preparation! I felt like I was transported to the Far East for the grocery shopping excursion. Happy Spring!

Time for a "Sully" Cocktail

Two shots Grey Goose vodka and a splash of water.
H/T bobpick on Twitter

Pomegranate Cosmopolitan

After a cold snow day there's nothing like a yummy pomegranate cosmopolitan cocktail by the fire.
2 shots Vodka
.75 shot Cointreau liqueur or triple sec
1.5 shot POM pomegranate juice
1 shot fresh lime juice
Lime wedges, optional for garnish
Combine vodka, Pom juice, Cointreau and lime juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake or stir mixture, then strain into chilled cocktail glasses.
Garnish with lime twist, if desired.
CHEERS!
Thanks to Jeffrey for the inspiration! And add 1 shot of cranberry juice to make it even better.

Fat Tuesday

Eat, drink and be merry, it's Fat Tuesday, or as they say in French, Marti Gras. In Polish communities, it's Paczki Day. It's the last day for sinners to sin. So use up that lard and sugar in the house and make some donuts. Tomorrow begins the fasting.

Healthy Breakfast Recipe

Steel cut oatmeal (must be steel cut variety)
frozen wild blueberries
slivered almonds
cinnamon

Prepare oatmeal as instructed on container. During the last few minutes of cooking, lightly toast slivered almonds in toaster oven or in a pan on the stove top. While the almonds are toasting, add frozen blueberries to the oatmeal, stir. Toss the toasted almonds and cinnamon into the oatmeal. Voilà! A healthy, delicious and filling way to start your day. Be good to your body today.

You can determine the quantities of the ingredients according to taste. I usually prepare a 1/4 cup oatmeal, 1/4 berries. 1/8 cup nuts and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.

Gordon Ramsay's Perfect Scrambled Eggs

via videosift.com

Squirrel Stew

Who isn't trying to save a few dollars these day?

INGREDIENTS
- 10 squirrels.
- 11/2 cups lean ham (diced).
- 3 large potatoes (chopped into 3/4″ dice)
- 2 medium onions (chopped)
- 1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes (chopped and drained)
- 1 16-oz can whole kernel corn (drained)
- 1 10-oz package of baby lima beans (frozen)
- 1/2 bay leaf
- 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup K.C. Masterpiece barbecue sauce (original)

DIRECTIONS
Salt and pepper squirrels. Place in large soup pot, adding enough water to cover them. Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook it for 45 minutes or until meat begins to fall off the bone. Remove from stock. Allow to cool and remove meat from bone. Add all ingredients to the stock (leaving out the squirrel). If it’s a little thick just add water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add squirrel and simmer for 30-45 min, stirring occasionally. To thicken, mix 1/4 cup of flour with 1 cup of cold water and add to stew. Serve with corn bread.

Ruby Red Vodka

Mixed with club soda and a splash of cranberry juice, ruby red (grapefruit infused) vodka is going to be my drink in 2009.  What's your drink going to be?

Slow Roasted Pork for a Crowd

Goodwill cooking is one of my favorite ways of helping people in need. Tonight I am roasting 30 lbs. of pork shoulder for a friend's Christmas holiday party. Here's the recipe. After a simple prep, the meat cooks overnight in a 250 degree oven. Easy.

Whole Fish Baked in Salt

Many months ago, the Blogsister, Nancy, sent me a recipe for baked fish in salt.  I filed the recipe in that pending file, with hopes of one day having the time and inclination to bake fish in salt.  Earlier in the year, we tried the baked fish in salt on the menu at the Rome Cavalieri. It was one of the best meals ever. So, last night we had the time and inclination to make the fish in salt. It couldn't have been easier. It was absolutely delicious, too. The most challenging part of the recipe is removing the salt crust after baking. It gets rock-solid hard, and one needs to exercise care and precision cracking and removing the crust. A fun dish to prepare with a guest or two.

Cooking Enroute

It's been a busy week in the kitchen.  Here's a few of my favorite creations from the week:

-Apple torte

-Chocolate pudding cake

-Black Dog's Clam Chowder

-Lemon mayonnaise served with chilled lobster meat and fondue butter (OMG!)

Tonight for dinner I'm going to try a whole fish baked in rock salt.  I'll keep you posted.