The weather finally has the feel of autumn, cold nights and chilly mornings. Now that everyone is into their fall routine, this is a great time for me to have some former colleagues over for brunch.
 
I had eight guests, including myself, so I planned on preparing brunch with the hopes of having everything done ahead of their arrival. With everyone trying to eat healthy, I tried to balance the rich breakfast items with some alternatives. My menu consisted of Grand Fruit Salad, Individual Zucchini Frittatas with Pecorino and Chives, Orange-Vanilla French Toast Casserole with Bourbon-Maple Syrup, Crustless Broccoli Cheese Quiche, Cranberry-Orange Scones, English Muffin Toasting Bread, Bacon and Maple-Brown Sugar Breakfast Sausage. With careful planning, everything was done prior to my guests’ arrival and was kept warm in the oven and my gas grill that I utilized as a warming oven.

My husband was away for a few days last week attending homecoming at his college. Prior to his departure, I made a few meals which resulted in leftovers for my dinner in his absence. In one of the last CSA boxes, my daughter and I split a head of Napa cabbage that I turned into Unstuffed Cabbage. For another meal, I was in the mood for Tarragon Turkey Hash Meatloaf. This meat loaf contains ground turkey and a variety of vegetables such as potatoes, green peas, an onion, red pepper and seasonings. The only thing I needed to add to make this an easy meal was a green salad. These recipes were easy to prepare and made for a tasty dinner and even cold meat loaf sandwiches, which my husband loves.

​Have you ever purchased ingredients for a recipe then find you have a small amount leftover? Such was the case with buttermilk and a small container of whole milk ricotta I purchased. My daughter, who loves Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, turned down my offer to make some for her. Undeterred, I decided to treat myself to a special breakfast. Although I previously made a Williams-Sonoma recipe, I found one by Genevieve Ko on The New York Times/NYT Cooking website that didn’t require whipping egg whites. For Ms. Ko’s recipe you’ll need all-purpose flour, baking powder, fine salt, granulated sugar, a lemon, vanilla extract, eggs, whole milk ricotta, buttermilk and unsalted butter.
 
To make the pancakes, the flour, baking powder and salt are whisked together in a small bowl. In a large bowl, the sugar and the zest of one lemon are added. To infuse the lemon flavor into the pancakes, you’ll use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar. Next, the vanilla is whisked in, followed by the eggs that you’ll whisk until foamy on top. To that you’ll add the ricotta, butter and melted butter and whisk until blended. Finally, the dry ingredients are incorporated and mixed until the flour is fully moistened. Using a 1/4-cup, scoop batter and place on a well-butter griddle. Cook until both sides are golden brown. 

I recently saw an acquaintance and she asked if I was still doing my blog as she hadn’t seen any recent posts on Instagram. I explained that I wasn’t posting until I had the recipe accessible on my webpage. I’m not sure if that’s the way to go, therefore, please weigh in this. Do you prefer to see my posts on Instagram with or without a link to the recipe?
 
I really must get this post done as two of the recipes use cherry tomatoes. Summer tomatoes are slowly going away, however, this recent spate of warm days is probably keeping the tomato plants going. The first recipe involving tomatoes was Dijon Chicken with Tomatoes and Scallions by Yasmin Fahr and the second Tomato Basil Chicken Breasts by Christian Reynoso both recipes were on The New York Times/NYT Cooking website.

I like to keep a tin of cookies on my counter for my husband and I to nibble on. Instead of baking off an entire batch, I’ll bake nine cookies at a time to slow down our sweet snacking. In one of our recent Dreyer Farms CSA boxes, we received a half gallon of Melick’s Town Farm Apple Cider just as I received a catalogue from King Arthur Flour containing a recipe for Apple Cider Snickerdoodle Cookies. I had everything on hand except boiled cider. On their website they gave a recipe on how to make it. A gallon of cider takes six hours to boil down to approximately two cups. As the recipe called for just two tablespoons of boiled cider, I placed a half gallon of cider in a heavy bottom saucepan, brought it to a boil then simmered for three hours. At this point the liquid had a syrup like consistency. 

My husband says that you could probably eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at a different restaurant in Monmouth County for one year and not eat at the same place twice. With that said, I got my husband to recently expand his dining choices in Monmouth County by visiting Skratch Kitchen in Bradley Beach and Mabel at Bell Works in Holmdel.
 
We heard good things about Skratch. Skratch occupies the former space of Citrico’s. My husband and I used to frequent this restaurant when Michael was the owner. The cuisine featured “heavy” Italian dishes sprinkled in with some delicious seafood options.
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Poof, summer is just about over. This week, I popped over to Matts Farm Market in Belmar and picked up a few ears of sweet white corn to prepare Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Corn and Shallots, from Pierre Franey’s “60-Minute Gourmet” column in The New York Times from August 1985. You’ll also need skinless and boneless chicken breasts, salt, freshly ground black pepper, butter, finely chopped shallots, dry white wine, Dijon mustard, heavy cream and either fresh chervil or parsley.
 
The recipe begins by seasoning both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. The kernels of corn are removed from the cob and set aside.

​Well, I’m near the finish line of getting my blog posts up to date. As I mentioned in my last blog, earlier in the week, I’ll be covering Mini Chocolate Chip-Ins, White Wine Lobster Ravioli Sauce, Sheet-Pan Miso Chicken with Radishes and Lime and, finally, Wild Mushroom and Thyme Frittata.
 
My oldest granddaughter is an avid reader. She loves to read, one recently being “Act,” by Kayla Miller. In the back of the book, there was a recipe for Mint Chocolate Chip-Ins and she suggested we bake a batch. For the recipe, you’ll need a stick of butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, an egg, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, green food coloring, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, chocolate chips and sprinkles. The recipe begins by creaming the butter and sugars either in a stand mixer or by hand with a wooden spoon. Next, you’ll add the egg, extracts, and food coloring and mix again. The dry ingredients are sifted together, then added to the wet ingredients. Lastly, the chocolate chips and sprinkles are added. The dough is formed into 1-1/2 tablespoon balls, then rolled in the sprinkles (separate bowl). They’re placed 2 inches apart on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes in a 350° oven. 

Can you believe it, it’s already September. Forget pumpkins, I was at Costco and they have their holiday lawn decorations out. That said, what did I cook those last few weeks of August.
 
I had a few stalks of leeks left from another recipe I prepared. In the cook book “5 Ingredient Fix,” by Claire Robinson, I found a recipe for Potato Bar Soup. I’ve made a few of her recipes and they have been quite good. For this recipe you’ll need strips of smoky bacon, leeks, Yukon Gold potatoes, chicken stock, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and cheddar cheese for garnishing.
 
The bacon is cooked in a large Dutch oven until crispy; it’s removed to a paper towel lined dish to drain. Sliced leeks are added to the bacon fat and cooked until softened and golden. They too are removed and set aside. ​