A Very Merry Christmas!

I loved when my children were small and Christmas was totally magical, from the original Christmas story whose focus was, after all, a baby, to the wonder of Santa Claus and how he knew who wanted what. When they were very young we used to minimally decorate and then during Christmas Eve night (and into the morning) the house would be transformed with lights, and candy canes and piles of presents under the tree. Now, at least some of that magic is gone because this is the first year we acknowledged that Molly, our youngest, no longer believes in Santa Claus (Last year she pretended mainly for us!) I have to say that her brothers and sisters were very vested in helping her to believe by playing along, even when friends were telling her that Santa wasn't real. I knew that we had successfully promulgated the legend when one of my children was adamant with her school mates that Santa was real because her parents could not have afforded all the presents!

This is really a new era for us as a family, one between having young children of our own and having young grandchildren, and I was unsure how I would feel about it. A house full of adult children (all 6 were here for the holiday!) and their significant others means that there could be tension (hereditary among Dowds). Lets face it, the "Don't touch me!" and "He pushed me!" does not just go away when siblings grow up. They are just manifested differently. Coming from the different points in their lives, they bring their own stresses, concerns and personalities, and that can cause friction. In our house we had a child between jobs, one away from their significant other for the holiday, one who just graduated from Nurse Anesthesia school, one who is still getting on his feet, one who just finished her first semester of community college, and then, of course, Molly! Among them we have Christians, atheists, and practicing Catholics, lovers of techno, country, and alternative music. And yet, with all of them here, they looked past the differences, crowded around our table (and around the Wii) to laugh and tease, reminisce together to make this one of the best Christmases I can remember.

We had all eight family members, three significant others, and a guest who has lost both his parents and often comes to our house for a dose of craziness and hilarity. There wasn't much elbow room at the table but there was lots of laughter, food passing in every direction (including a roll successfully passed-and caught- across the table!) We had two turkeys, one with oyster stuffing and one with my traditional sausage stuffing, an overdose of carbs, cookies, cakes and eggnog. After opening of stockings (which traditionally comes after dinner at our house) we played several rounds of "murder", a parlor game played in the dark that our neighbors the Calverts introduced us to.

With all their differences of opinions (and those are strongly held), they really enjoyed each others' company, and to me, while that is not the magic of Santa and flying reindeer, that is really the magic of Christmas.

May you and your families experience the joy, shared history and laughter that makes every day magic!

10 ways you know Christmas is coming at the Dowd's

Work... shopping... graduation.... cleaning.....decorating....baking....you notice blogging is squeezed out in all the hectic preparation. But I do want to touch base with all of you who are also in the throes of holiday preparation, and share a recipe that will surely make you much more relaxed at the end of a tough day at the mall or an evening untangling the Christmas lights. It is a recipe for eggnog, that, in our family is legendary and its pedigree is supposedly the recipe used in the White House. I posted this last year, and Epicurious editor Tanya Wenman Steele wanted to make it - I hope she didn't forget, but if she did, here it is for her and any of you who want to taste the very best eggnog there is! But first, here are ten ways you can tell Christmas is coming to the Dowd house:

1) Bags under my eyes.

2) Smell of Pine-Sol everywhere.

3) Bags of packages hidden in every closet and the basement.

4) Lots of whispered conversations

5) Lists everywhere.

6) Dark circles under my eyes.

7) 30 Christmas balls all around in different stages of being painted with a design I do annually.

8) Dowds go to the liquor (ABC) store

9) The "snowman room" is set up.

10) We make the eggnog!!

Dowd "White House" Eggnog

12 eggs, separated (I use pasteurized eggs so I don't have to worry about the dangers of raw eggs)
1 lb confectioner's sugar
2 cups bourbon (nothing from the cheap bottom shelf of the ABC store)
2 cups rum (See above tip)
1 quart heavy cream
1 quart half and half
Freshly grated nutmeg

Beat egg yolks until light in color and slowly beat in the confectioner's sugar. Very slowly, beat in one cup of bourbon and 1 cup of rum. Once liquors are incorporated, let this mixture to stand at least an hour before continuing. This will help get rid of the "eggy" taste.

Next beat in the remainder of the liquor and one quart of half and half, and then refrigerate for at least three hours.

Next beat the egg whites until stiff and beat the whipping cream to soft peaks (This will take longer with the pasteurized eggs, but add 1/4 tsp cream of tartar and keep whipping-it will happen ). Fold egg whites into egg yolk-sugar and liquor mixture until incorporated fully, then fold in whipped cream thoroughly. Grate nutmeg over the top.

I store mine in large plastic pitchers with lids so that each time, you can shake up the eggnog to make sure everything is well incorporated. Makes about 1- 1 1/2 gallons eggnog.

Explaining Kitchen Mysteries with Herve This

Even though my blog is now over a year old (somehow I let the day pass without fanfare), I am still surprised and delighted when someone takes the time to write and ask my opinion about something involving food or cooking. Whether it is trying a new product or looking at a new cookbook, I am always flattered that my blog has become a resource for home cooks and others who love food and use it to bring family and friends together.

So I am sure you can imagine my excitement when I got an email from Columbia University Press asking if I would be interested in reviewing a new book, Kitchen Mysteries: Revealing the Science of Cooking by the father of molecular gastronomy Herve This. I jumped at the chance. I am intrigued by molecular gastronomy, and the idea of a book about the science of cooking really piqued my interest. While I waited for my copy of the book to arrive, I read about Herve This, the author. Hervé This (pictured right, with a young chef) is a physical chemist on the staff of the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique in Paris. He is the author of Molecular Gastronomy and of several other books on food and cooking and is a monthly contributor to the French-language edition of Scientific American, called Pour la Science (Can I tell you how much "street cred" this gig is buying me at a nuclear physics lab full of scientists!?)

I read articles and interviews to better understand a scientist who is dedicated to food, and all the physical and physiological and chemical elements and processes that help us prepare food that will result in tastes that will delight the palate. I was intrigued by the link This was interested in making between science and the home cook, and whether the laws of science and old wive's tales and other food-related sayings related to the science and chemistry of cooking.

I also took the Kitchen Mysteries online quiz, that was quick to show me how much I really did not know about the science of food. It was a fun way to launch into the book once it arrived. Now I have to say that if you are expecting a book full of full-color plates or recipes, this book will not be what you expect. But if you are a home cook, striving to stretch your abilities, Kitchen Mysteries is an invaluable resource. A beginning cook follows a recipe, an intermediate cook knows how to alter a recipe or make changes, but an expert cook understands why foods combined, or prepared this way or that become either delicious or a disaster. That foundation provides the expert home cook with the knowledge that can take them to the next level.

This hooked me right away when he began by explaining why microwaving meat just doesn't work, but knowing how the microwave affects the meat of a duck breast, he develops a method and recipe for a duck breast you can cook in the microwave that will wow the most demanding guests! His book is fascinating, educational, challenging covering topics from how smell and taste interact, to why dough has to rest before baking (besides to give your arms a rest from kneading), and why boiling meat is not appetizing, but braising meat is. Want to know how to approach a bottle of wine, how long to steep tea? Herve This has the answer. While Kitchen Mysteries is not your average cookbook, I highly recommend it, because reading it will help make you more than just an average cook.

While I am not a chemist or physicist, or a world-renowned author, or the mother of a whole field of cooking, I felt a strong kinship to Herve This when I read in an interview in Wired about what he hopes will be his next project. This says that the next big idea he wants to tackle is the role that love — of the cook for the diners, the diners for the cook, and of everyone for each other — plays in determining tastes. "Cooking for someone is a way of telling them, 'I love you.' This has to be understood, of course," This says ...

now that's a molecular gastronomist after my own heart!

Herve This, Photo courtesy of AP

Waiter There's Something in my.... topless tart!

Besides sounding the the punch line of an off-color joke, this is the theme for the monthly WTSIM blog event hosted this month by

Cook Sister! and as usual I am getting in just under the wire. I have not participated in WTSIM since there was something in my Easter Basket, but besides the incredibly rich humor potential in this month's theme, I actually made a recipe that fits in for a Wednesday tapas (no, not topless!) night that is both topless and a tart, and I thought this would be as good a time as any to share.

If you have followed my blog at all, you know that just about every Wednesday night we have a tapas night with our friend "Evil" David, where both of us make several small dishes. It is a time for us to try new things, explore new ingredients or combinations. If they turn out, it is great, but if not, it is a lesson learned, and we move on. Tapas night has included great successes such as a venison backstrap with a drunken dark cherry sauce, grilled sardines, and bulgogi and some real disasters like the time David's watermelon puree for his planned granita was spewed all over my kitchen and cabinets due to an ill-fitting blender lid. It took weeks before things were no longer sticky again.

Tapas also has become a way to experiment with and use up seasonal bounty- summer's zucchini, tomatoes and corn, fall beets and spinach , venison and winter squash in cold weather- all of these have found their way to the tapas table. And that is how we got to the topless tart that is my entry in the WTSIM...

I came up with this recipe as a way to use the last of the really good locally grown tomatoes and some goat cheese I had to create a light dish. I confess to using an all-ready pie crust for the bottom of this tart, but if you had time you could, of course, make your own. Now that great tomatoes are not as easily come by I would try oven roasting some tomatoes first to sweeten and intensify their flavor. In the summer this is a nice light lunch or a dinner with a big green salad. So give this topless tart a try when you need something light and luscious and hot (okay, okay, enough innuendo!)

Tomato and Goat Cheese (Topless) Tart

1 refrigerated all-ready pie crust

1-2 tablespoons pesto

3 large vine-ripened tomatoes thinly sliced (if tomatoes are out of season, roast sliced tomatoes in slow oven with a drizzle of olive oil for about 30 minutes)

4 ounces goat cheese crumbled

Press pie crust into a tart pan and crimp sides. Brush bottom of crust with pesto, and place sliced tomatoes in overlapping even layers.Slating and peppering each layer. Crumble cheese over top of tomatoes. Bake in 375 degree oven about 20 minutes or until crust is done, tomatoes are bubbly and cheese is soft and brown. Cut in squares or wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

Your Turkey Sandwich

Almost as central to the big turkey dinner for American families is the turkey sandwich, the favorite use of turkey leftovers in the days after Thanksgiving. But just how to make a turkey sandwich seems to be as personal as one's DNA. When I was first married, I thought that a turkey sandwich was white bread (hey, I grew up when whole grain wasn't cool!) slathered with lots of mayo, and sliced turkey, very minimalist. After all, the turkey was the star, no need for distractions. So imagine my surprise when my husband asked me for a turkey sandwich after our first Thanksgiving together, and I found that he had a completely different and more complex expectation for what would be included.

My favorite: one slice of bread or leftover rolls split, small slathering of leftover stuffing, sliced turkey topped with warmed leftover gravy (My name is Deborah and I am gravy-holic...)

My husband's turkey sandwich: White bread spread with a thin layer of butter (or lately, Smart Balance), a light sprinkle of salt, a layer of stuffing, sliced turkey, thin slices of canned jellied cranberry sauce, topped with another slice of white bread.

In our house, some children have followed his lead- Andrew likes the Dowd Full Monty turkey sandwich like his dad, with Bridget simplifying by taking off the cranberry sauce. Young Gavin tends towards my minimalist approach, but with a very large helping of mayo (it has to be Duke's)

In looking around the blogosphere, I can see that there are as many versions of the turkey sandwiches as there are individuals, so tell me- what is your favorite formula for a knock -out turkey sandwich?

Keys to a successful Thanksgiving

Hectic. That is the best way to describe the time since I returned from DC. I am not sure how, but Thanksgiving snuck up on me, And now I am caught in a whirlwind of cleaning, planning, shopping. So many blogs are sources for recipes, how-tos, and tips to help you prepare for the biggest food day in the US, and I had great intentions there too,but alas, even my best advice and recipes are more than likely too late if, like me, you have already planned and shopped for the meal, so I am providing a link to my Thanksgiving post from last year, and taking a different route for this post.


First, here are my tips for a successful Thanksgiving:

1) Plan- it is the one way to make sure that you don't have to run out on Thanksgiving day to find cream or butter or canned pumpkin at the corner 7-11. And don't just do this in your head- write it down!

2)Prep- This is something that professional chefs do all the time and can really be a big help when preparing a big meal. I always chop my onions and celery for the stuffing a day or two ahead, bag in a ziploc and put in the freezer so I am not chopping at 7 AM. Make your fresh cranberry sauce, and your pies the day ahead. Another important thing to me is to clean out my fridges and freezer so that ingredients are easy to find and so there is room for the mountains of leftovers.

3) Don't stress- There is so much pressure around Thanksgiving, sometimes because of the expectations of others, but most often because of the pressure we put on ourselves. Don't try to make a whole Cordon Bleu meal when you have in-laws and cousins coming. Incorporate family favorites and pick one or two new dishes to stretch your culinary muscles (for me this year it is angel biscuits, a ginger-pumpkin cheesecake, and fresh brussels sprouts with chestnuts) Remember that tradition is very important at Thanksgiving, and people gravitate toward the foods that they remember from their childhood, so make those dishes prominent in your menu.

4) Enjoy- Thanksgiving is about family and friends first, and then food. Let people help by bringing sides or desserts or wine. If you have a huge crowd, get really nice seasonal paper plates so you are not spending hours on cleanup after the meal. Play games like Spoons or Apples to Apples while the turkey roasts to raise the hilarity factor. Pull a simple craft from the internet to keep children busy or set up holiday movies or video games in a room away from the adults so they don't get bored.

I hope to post at least once more before Thanksgiving, but I will be following my own advice and realizing that I can't do everything, so in case I don't get back to you before Thursday, my Thanksgiving wish for all of you is a day full of great food, and the people you love to enjoy it with!

Calling all DC bloggers...

There is training money this year at Jefferson Lab and so next week I will be attending a class sponsored by the folks at Congressional Quarterly November 14-16, and so am looking for recommendations on places to eat that I can afford on federal per diem (preferably without a drive-thru!) or at least that won't break the bank. I will be staying with friends in University Park and my class is in the Hall of the States. I am really looking forward to the trip since besides learning some new tricks of the trade, I get to visit with Linda, a good friend who helped me get my current job at Jefferson Lab, and I will get to visit with my son Gavin who moved to Rockville in early summer and works near Dupont Circle. So if you have some great little places frequented by natives, or great ethnic foods, or any little shops I should check out, please let me know, because all work and no play... well, you know!

Surf to Find your Real Age

This post is not directly related to food, but to helping all of us have more years to enjoy our food (and other things too!) You know that I am pretty brave, at 51 and with 6 kids, two jobs (that I get paid for), a blog, and assorted other responsibilities to go to a site called Real Age, a site that claims to help you decrease your age (biologically, not on the calendar, of course). I was intrigued by this site and went there to take the test, a series of questions about your health, lifestyle and habits that then spits out your Real Age. I was very relieved to find out that I was a few years younger than my biological age, and the site then provides some friendly advice on how I can become younger still. At this point, this site is no different than many other internet sites that test this or that for your entertainment.

But Real Age is more than that. Based on the profile information you enter during your test, it periodically sends you emails related to lowering your biological age or specific to any health issues that you may have identified. As a migraine sufferer I have received several emails related to that issue, as well as healthy recipes, reasons to eat pomegranate, reasons to pass up the french fries, and various other practical and some little-known tips regarding exercise, diet, and healthy lifestyle choices. They even have a new blog, Food Bites, specifically targeted to healthy eating.

The site has updates on the latest health-related findings and tips, recipes, and even a list of wellness centers in case you need help in reducing your biological age. Even though this is not directly food related, I found it very interesting, and I thought many of you would be interested in checking this out and taking advantage of yet another resource to live younger longer!

Halloween Swap!

Elizabeth of MommyChef hosted a Halloween Swap. Bloggers who wanted to participate sent Elizabeth a brief description of themselves and then Elizabeth matched us up. Participants were to plan, assemble and send a package of Halloween-related items and recipients were to post about their packages. Well, since I love Halloween, this was a no-brainer for me. I sent Elizabeth my info and waited.

It wasn't long before I got my assignment, a young (probably young enough to be my daughter) mom in Utah, Kristen of One and Two Make Three. Already I was excited, since the Wintle family includes a little girl, Allyson, meaning I got to factor her in while putting together a package. Since my youngest child is now a preteen, this was a definite plus for me. I began checking in with the Wintles and really enjoying the pictures of Ally and reading about their family life.

I began planning what I wanted to send, some things that the Wintles could incorporate into their Halloween traditions, and and something that they could pull out on subsequent Halloweens that would remind them of me and the rest of the Dowd family. I wanted to include something that would be unique to our region, and something that captured the fun and flavor of the season. In the midst of this preparation and planning, Molly broke her leg at school and besides my full time job, part-time consulting, blog, and just being a mom, suddenly my life was full of ortho consults, x-rays, crutches, wheelchairs, icepacks, and tons of make-up schoolwork.

As we finally started to get back into somewhat of a semi-normal routine, we took our last-of- the-year camping trip with our friends Julie, Anthony and Lilly, and when we returned, there was a box from the Wintle family waiting for us.

The girls were so excited, that they wouldn't even let me finish unpacking the car before we had to open the package. Seriously, it was just like Christmas! After I found the scissors and cut the tape that held the seams of the box together, we opened the flaps and there was a rolled up scroll nestles in a bed of shredded paper that directed us to read it first.

Kristen had clearly taken as much time packaging as she had selecting, with each item having its own note, and contained in a Halloween-themed bag, which made each item like a seperate gift. We pulled out our treasures one by one, with everyone ooh-ing and aah-ing.

There were Kristen's favorite sugar cookie recipe and a pumpkin cookie cutter (I didn't have one!) and some black annd orange sprinkles that we put to work that very evening, decoration Bridget's birthday cake!

The girls' favorite was a terrific CD of Halloween themed music and sounds which we promptly listened too, and were so excited to use on Halloween night!

Kristen also included some really cute decorative items that are now part of our Halloween tradition. I show a picture that we took when we unwraped them and then another picture to show you that these items immediately found a home in our house!

This swap was so much fun and I hope that Kristen and the Wintle family enjoyed the items that we all selected for her, and the next time you see the opportunity to participate in a swap, grab it! It really is as much fun to give as to receive! P.S. Kristen, your package was boo-tiful!

Curses.... Tagged again!!

I have probably shared more than anyone wants to know about me, but I am a sucker for memes, and I was tagged by Kristen at to share 6 things people don't know about me. The trick is thinking of things I haven't already shared, but here goes:

1) I am an amateur songwriter. I don't actually write any music, but I write words to common tunes for birthdays in our office or by request for other occasions. It is a fun outlet,but the funny part is that I have never written one for any of my family members (I am not sure why)

2)I was a pre-med major in college. I really wanted to go to med school or become a nurse-midwife, but my second year I got math burnout (love science, math... not so much, calculus... not at all!). I took a non-fiction writing course, and the rest is history!

3) Over twenty years ago, I delivered a neighbor's baby (this was the incident that made me want to be a midwife). I was only home with my own baby about 2 weeks when she went into labor. I heard her screaming and ran over (we were in opposite sides of a duplex). Her husband called the paramedics while I delivered the baby! It was an awesome experience!!

4) I have been insulted because I have six children. I once had a person in a grocery store when she saw me with four small children ask me if I had heard of birth control, and once during a job interview, a female interviewer asked me if I believed in birth control and whether I was planning to have any more children(I had 5 at that time). My Response? I told her that I thought that these days the wrong people believed in birth control. I got the job.

5) I can't stand licorice. I can't even stand the smell of it. I have only recently tried (and liked) fennel.

6) I am a Christmas season addict. I make no apologies. I love everything decorated, lighted, fragrant. I am always the last person I know to take down the Christmas tree because I hate the end of the season so much. My husband considers it a victory if he gets me to take down the tree in time for the Super Bowl!

This meme has been around quite a bit so I won't tag anyone, but if you have not participated before and would like to, consider yourself tagged!

Fall Butternut Squash Fries

The calendar says October, but still, Indian summer continues to hang around here in Tidewater, no matter how much I am craving chilly nights, and hearty foods. The challenge? Finding ways that incorporate fall favorites that are not too heavy for these still-warm and muggy evenings. That is how I came to find Butternut Squash Fries. Now first I have to say that peeling a butternut squash is a b*@!ch, and if anyone out there has some quick tip that will keep me from feeling that at any moment I might lose an appendage while trying to cut it, I would be eternally grateful, because I love butternut squash. It has a sweet/savory richness and a color that, to me, personifies fall. It can be used in a variety of ways- in pies, rolls, caramelized, roasted, in creamy soups, and now, in a delicious and healthy alternative to french fries.

For those of you who have never bought or made butternut squash, it is nutritionally superior to summer squashes and zucchini. Its deep-orange flesh is richer in complex carbohydrates and beta-carotene and is a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, and a good amount of potassium. They are available all year around, with peak season starting in late summer and running through fall and winter. An average butternut squash is between 2-4 pounds and should have a uniform tan color. The rind should be smooth and dry and dull; if the rind is shiny, the squash may have been picked too early, and will not be as sweet as a mature squash.

So if you are ready for butternut squash or are just looking for a healthier substitute for conventional french fries, give these a try. Your taste buds (and your waist) will thank you!

Butternut Squash Fries

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/4-1/2 inch matchsticks

non-stick spray

kosher salt

Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Place squash fries on sheet, not touching, in a single layer. Spray fries with non-stick spray and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes until fries are light brown on the edges and cooked through.

P.S. In looking for information about butternut squash, I found the RJW automated butternut squash peeler. Check it out, it is really cool!

A beautiful Wedding.... of flavors!

As a food blogger, you are always looking for a subject to blog about, and it is sometimes hard just to enjoy a new place or experience without trying to "mine" it for material. However, when I went to my niece's wedding nearly two months ago, blogging or blog material was the last thing on my mind. For awhile in our family, it seemed that the only time we got together was for a uneral, but over the past two summers we have had two weddings, and they have been wonderful events, a chance to bring together cousins, aunts and uncles, from the West Coast to New York from Virginia and as far away as Ireland to celebrate whole new branches of the family tree. For the aunts and uncles, to see the children that all played together as toddlers all grown up, the young adults they have become, and to see them laughing and enjoying each others' company like they had not been states or countries or oceans apart, well, that is really special. The point is , when I went to my niece's wedding, all I really hoped to do was to catch up with the cousins, dance with my kids, toast the bride and groom(see the wedding party, left!), and just generally have a great time.

So why am I blogging about the wedding - was it the food ? Well, though the food was very good, good food in and of itself is not necessarily fodder for a blog post. What piqued my interest was when I saw guests trawling tables to see if other guests (their relatives and friends no less) had left their favors on the table so that they could scarf them up. It made me curious as to what was in the little bags on the table at each place. In the coveted bags were generous servings of Taylor's Toffee, chocolate-covered toffee that is handmade in small batches by Marilyn Taylor, a Coast Guard wife who is also a friend of the mother of the bride. Marilyn's recipe has been perfected from a family recipe, and she keeps it a secret, even today. I figured that since my nieces and nephews knew Marilyn, they had probably had this confection before, and since they were encouraging everyone to take the unclaimed bags, it must be something special, and when I tasted it, I knew why. The chocolate was creamy and had just the right balance of bitter and sweet, and the toffee center was sweet and crunchy with the rich flavors of pure ingredients shining through. I love toffee and this was one of the best I have ever had.

I asked Marilyn about her toffee (after I sent my kids trawling for unclaimed bags) and found that she started making her toffee as gifts for friends and neighbors along with cookies but after awhile, people only requested the toffee, so she abandoned the cookies and began making toffee for gifts and special occasions, and now she fills orders for weddings, Christmas lists, and other special occasions with her sweet treat. She still makes the confection in her own kitchen in small batches to maintain quality control, with the Christmas season being her busiest time. If you are looking for a special treat for your employees, something unique for a wedding, for a gift, or just to enjoy yourself or impress your guests, you can order your own Taylor-made toffee by contacting Marilyn at ttoffee@comcast.net, and have the benefit of really homemade taste without the work (at least for you!). Marilyn asked me to warn you, though, that her toffee is so addictive, you might have to enroll into TTA (Taylor's Toffee Anonymous)!

Need an idea of something to do with toffee (if you don't eat it all immediately)? Try this elegant but simple dessert for your next dinner party, it is sure to be a hit!

Adults-Only Toffee Sundae

For each sundae:

1 scoop of premium coffee ice cream or gelato

1-2 tablespoons Kahlua, Creme de Cacao, or chocolate flavored liqueur

2-3 tablespoons crushed toffee bits

Place scoop of ice cream in a dish, drizzle with liqueur and sprinkle top with toffee bits. Serve and collect the compliments!

My (Bridget's!) picture on Tastespotting!

Just a quick note because I am so thrilled that the picture that Bridget took of the cheeseball from Simply Cheddar that we discovered on our recent trip to the mountains, sitting on a log is posted on Tastespotting! In case you didnt see it, it was on this blog on our our camping post and now on Tastespotting at #4773! You go, girl!

Time to get out the Fall...foods!

With cool nights finally upon us, and even the drought-stressed leaves beginning to turn and fall, and my closets over-run with both summer and fall clothes needed to get through the transition, it seems that Autumn is finally here! And just as sure as it is time to pull out the sweaters, and the fleece and the knee socks, the change of seasons signals a change in what is in our fridge and pantry as well as what hangs in our closets. The sight of your breath on the morning air, the smell of wood smoke in the evening, pulling out the gourds and Indian corn, these are some of my favorite signs that we are headed for the season of comfort food.

Apples and cinnamon, gingerbread, butternut squash, pumpkin... all signal the coming of fall for me. Most of my mobile garden has gone to seed, or has started to fade, Tractor Joe's fresh corn and tomatoes have been eaten, and fresh strawberries and peaches have given way to apples and pumpkins. The lemonade mix in my pantry has been replaced with cocoa mix. Sangria is out and Port is in. I have pulled out my crockpot and my fondue pot, and bought flavored decaf coffees (for after dinner on cold evenings). I search through blogs and cooking magazines for new crockpot recipes, soups and stews, and my family starts craving some of our family favorites like meatloaf and pumpkin soup, and shepherd's pie, bread pudding and chocolate pudding cake.

Even my freezer begins to look different with more chuck roasts than flank steaks, stew meat, kielbasa and chorizo. The bounty of summer that has been lovingly frozen and stored has a place of honor, to be pulled out and used in the cold gray winter.

At our house, the Halloween decorations come out, along with fall leaves and the cornucopia to be filled with gourds, mini pumpkins and the bounty of fall. Sundays mean dinners centered around the Redskins games, and soon, our round table will be moved to the living room in front of the fireplace to provide a place for a weekend game of Monopoly or our family's new favorite card game, Spoons.

It doesn't make sense, but it takes me less time to change out my pantry and prepare my house for cold weather than it does to change out my closets as the seasons change.

Maybe because the foods and decorations and the traditions that they bring with them provide comfort against the chilly days to come.

How about you? How do the seasons change your pantry, and what do you most look forward to as the temperatures begin to slide?

... And pictures to prove it!

Some of my proudest moments as a mom are when my kids cook, but when they do the whole thing, from planning to cooking, to serving, now that's something special! After the last time my daughters cooked and I mentioned them on this blog, they decided that they would not only cook, but they would take pictures of their culinary adventures as well so that I would have good pictures of the food (and them) to post. Frankly, looking back at the pictures they took after the meal was almost as delicious as what they cooked.

They started the meal with an appetizer that I absolutely love - Bremmer wafers topped with goat cheese and red pepper jelly. I normally made this with cream cheese, but the girls saw this done with goat cheese, and it was really delicious. This was Molly's dish, and she took care of the assembly and serving.

Molly concentrates on making it perfect!

I could tell that the girls had looked through the cooking magazines, since Bridget picked an entree that we had seen in The Best of Fine Cooking 101 Quick and Delicious Recipes.

Hoisin-Glazed Flank Steak Spirals with Carrot, Red Pepper and Scallions sounds like an ambitions project but according to Chef Bridget, the most difficult thing was slicing the flank steak thinly for the rolls. Her advice? Slice while the steak is still partially frozen (Fine Cooking did not include that bit of advice in its recipe!) Since this dish included lots of veggies, the girls served it on its own as an entree, but if you needed a side dish either wild rice or potatoes would be good.

For dessert we had Molly's Magic Bullet Chocolate "Mousse'' (previously posted) which was a light and creamy (not to mention chocolate) way to end a fabulous meal. And I didn't have to do a thing... and I actually think they took better pictures than me!

Hoisin-Glazed Flank Steak Spirals with Carrot, Red Pepper and Scallions

From Fine Cooking's 2006 101 Quick and Delicious Recipes

1 lb flank steak, sliced thin against the grain (best done while meat is partially frozen)

kosher salt

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

2 tsp asian chile sauce (like Sriracha)

2 medium carrots shredded and squeezed dry

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin 2 inch long strips

1 bunch scallions (dark green parts only) halved lengthwise and cut into 2 inch strips

Position a rack about 6 inches from broiler and heat broiler on high. Season slices beef with kosher salt. Mix hoisin sauce and chile sauce and brush on both sides of beef. Sprinkle veggies with salt. Arrange pepper and scallion down the length of the beef slices. Sprinkle carrots over the scallions and peppers and roll the slices into tight spirals and place seam side down on broiler pan. Brush the tops with reserved hoisin sauce and broil until beef starts to brown and is firm (4-6 minutes), being careful not to burn. Turn off the oven and let spirals stand in oven for another 3 minutes, until cooked through but meat is still pink. To serve, insert toothpicks evenly down the length of the roll and slice between them to make bite-sized pieces.

Bridget makes it look easy!

But that apron will need some Tide!

The Best Laid Plans... Camping : Day 2

Part of the fun of vacation is having choices to either do something or do nothing but relax, and that is never more true than when we go camping. And so after breakfast (which Bridget did not get up for, even after three attempts saying she didn't feel well) we were discussing our options for what to do. Molly and I were swinging in the hammock, and my husband was teasing her betting her $5 that she could not be quiet for 20 minutes. About 11 minutes into the bet (and the resulting silence), all of a sudden Molly started screaming, saying that a bee stung her in the eye. Gavin ran to the camp store to find out where the nearest doc in the box was and I grabbed some ice for Molly's eye and tried to calm her down.

Gavin ran to us and said we needed to get in the car because the clinic at the bottom of the mountain closed at noon. It was 11:30AM. Bridget, pale herself, climbed into the car and we headed down the mountain at breakneck speed. Molly had never been stung before and since I have a brother who is very allergic to bee stings, we were very concerned that she may have a reaction. Besides, we were not sure yet where, exactly she had been stung. Her eye was already swelling shut and she had what looked less like a sting and more like a scrape about an inch from her right eye.

After what seemed like an eternity, we pulled into the (very full) parking lot at the Blue Ridge Medical Center, a sight for sore eyes, literally as well as figuratively. We walked in and there were people waiting in chairs and a line at the in-house pharmacy, two phones were ringing and people came in behind us. We decided since Bridget was not feeling well and we had risked our lives, we would see if they could see her as well. Luckily for us, the fast-thinking Sue Mathes, CTF Campground owner had called ahead, but there were two sets of paperwork to fill out, and while I was pulling out insurance cards and filling out forms they were ready to take Molly so Gavin went with her and I stayed with Bridget who was frantically looking for a bathroom. After she retched on their carpet (still looking for the bathroom), they also took her back. I cannot say enough about all of the staff at BRMC. From the people at the front desk to the nurses, to the doctors who saw the girls to the pharmacist they were all about helping our daughters. Even another lady in the waiting room (a patient) helped her when she was sick! The attitude there was more like the country doctors of old than the medical mills we so often have today. With six children, I am sure you aren't surprised that I have spent my share of time in hospitals, urgent care facilities and doctor's offices, and from the beginning to the end of this experience, I was incredibly impressed with their patient-centered approach.

I wish I had the name of every person who helped us that day so I could thank them, but I have to thank Dr. Lois Alderfer who treated Molly - she gave her Benadryl right away and sent us on our way with an epi-pen and by the time I saw her Molly's eye was already looking much better and she was even cracking jokes! Bridget was seen by Dr. Stephen Willing, who diagnosed her with strep throat, and worked around her recently discovered allergy to penicillin. When we were leaving, the nurse told us that he had been in the movie Evan Almighty, which was filmed in nearby Crozet (we are definitely renting that movie!) Over an hour and a half after their normal closing time, we headed out to pickup some OTC medicine the doctors recommended and to grab some Gatorade and soup for Bridget who was still feeling very puny.

So what to do? Pack up and go home or stay and let everyone take the day to recover? We left it up to the patients, and they voted to stay (Bridget didn't think that she could take the car ride without being sick), so we pumped their medicine in them, gave them both cold drinks, and fussed over them. Bridget retired to the tent to sleep and I read in the hammock (Molly would not get back in) and played a speed card tournament with Molly and Gavin. Bridget finally emerged from the tent at about 5:30 to have some Gatorade and crackers, which I took as a good sign (especially since she had thrown up her first dose of zithromax) and we even played a game around the campfire. I did make my venison stew, but I still won't share the recipe since I was too distracted to write down ingredient amounts or preparation steps, however I will give you a tip for some great and easy dumplings that I used in the stew.

So of all the things that we had planned to do, there was some relaxation (before and after the adrenaline rush), some good food, beautiful scenery (even if some of it went by really fast!), and an experience that demonstrated to us the kindness of strangers as well as the flexibility and adaptability of our family under pressure. We had a great meal, we shared the birthday of little Jonathan at the campground whom we have known since he was a bump on his mom's belly, I finished a book, we made a reservation to stay in one of the cabins in two weeks (a miracle in itself, since October is prime leaf season, but a cancellation came in while we were there) and we even met a movie star ! All in all, still not a bad weekend in the mountains!

My "Prescription" for Easy, Delicious Dumplings

1 small box or bag of biscuit mix (Jiffy or Martha White)

1/2 cup milk2-3 ounces crumbled goat cheese with herbs

Stir together the mix and milk, until just combined. Stir in crumbled cheese until just combined. Drop by tablespoons into simmering stew and cover. Let simmer with stew for 10-15 minutes and serves. These dumplings are light and flavorful, a great compliment to any fall soup or stew.