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With the cooler weather, I’ve been preparing vegetables in a variety of ways. I pulled from “Charleston Magazine,” issue of February 2023, a recipe for Cauliflower & Goat Cheese Soup from Chez Nous Restaurant. From Melissa Clark of The New York Times, a meatless meal, One-Pot Braised Chard with Gnocchi, Peas and Leeks. My husband loves stuffed peppers; this time I tried a recipe from Lidia Bastianich for Meat-Stuffed Peppers. To use up some of the apples I received in my CSA share, I made a “vintage” recipe for Apple Coffee Ring.
 
The soup recipe is easy to prepare, but I was a little concerned with the amount of cauliflower in conjunction with the amount of liquid. The recipe calls for 2 heads cauliflower (about 2 pounds), 1/2 cup yellow onion, 4 quarts water or chicken stock, 2 tablespoons of kosher salt, a bay leaf, 1-1/2 cups of heavy cream, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 cup crumbled goat cheese and white pepper. The subtitle of this recipe called this an “ultra-creamy bowlful,” but with four quarts of liquid, I thought this was a misprint. I have another cream of cauliflower soup on my website, so I assumed this was an error. I used 1 quart (32 ounces) of boxed chicken stock and started with a teaspoon of salt. I found a head of cauliflower that was just over two pounds which was perfect for the recipe.
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To use up some of the apples I received in my CSA share, I made a “vintage” recipe for Apple Coffee Ring. The last recipe I want to share is for Apple Coffee Ring. I found this recipe in a book from my late mother-in-law called “Grass Roots Cookbook,” by Jean Anderson (©️1977, 1976, 1975 1974.) The recipes in this book are from women across the country with contributions that reflect the flavors of their region. Apple Coffee Ring is from Mrs. Leroy Losey of Yakima County, Washington.
 
As you can see from the copyright dates, this recipe is old. In fact, after preparing this per the recipe, I found adjustments need to be made. The coffee ring is made with a sweet dough recipe that will make two 12-inch coffee rings. The recipe calls for 4 cups of apple that are peeled and coarsely grated. I would change it from grated to a combination of sliced and chunks and 8 cups of apples (4 cups per coffee ring). The recipe mentions that as the coffee ring rises after filling and shaping, juices will seep out. I decided to sauté the apples in the butter and drain some of the liquid before placing the apples on the dough.
 
The coffee rings came out great, but definitely needed more apple filling for more of an apple taste and texture. The dough was tender and had just the right amount of sweetness. The recipe is a keeper. Another note on the apples, is that Mrs. Losey used Golden Delicious apples. In 49 years since this booked was published, the variety of apples has exploded exponentially. Unfortunately, I forget the variety that was in my CSA box, but they weren’t Golden’s and they were extremely juicy when I grated them. 
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The leaves in our area are beginning to reach their peak color. The last few days have brought a touch of warmer weather to be followed by autumn’s chill. My husband and I are trying some seasonal cocktails that use both apple cider and bourbon. After a weekend reunion with college friends and carb loaded meals, my husband wanted some lighter meals last week. I was able to accommodate him with dinners where white beans made for filling meals, but also offered protein and fiber.
 
First up this week was Autumn in New England Cocktail from “America’s Test Kitchen.” For the recipe you’ll need 2-4 fresh sage leaves, 1/4-ounce maple syrup, 2 ounces of bourbon, 1 ounce apple cider and 1/4-ounce cider vinegar. I used apple cider from Melick’s Town Farm that was included in last week’s CSA share. 
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​Thursday was such a beautiful day, that my husband and I decided to go to Asbury Park for dinner and returned to Flavia’s Cucina Romana. We were here during the summer and enjoyed it immensely. We started our dinner with their light and crunchy Carciofi Fritti and served with a lemon vinaigrette. I overheard the owner say to another table that he created this dish and used rice flour for the coating.  They are the best fried artichokes we’ve had.
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​Last week was a slow cooking week for me. My husband was on a short vacation visiting his college friends so I took the opportunity to have some friends over for brunch. I made Sweet and Spicy Bacon and Three-Cheese Baked Eggs with Roasted Peppers from “Gourmet Magazine,” November 2001. To balance the richness of the breakfast, I made a Grand Fruit Salad, a recipe from “Bon Appétit Magazine.”  I had some British-Style Currant Scones and Pumpkin Ginger Scones in the freezer.
 
The egg dish and bacon are both baked in the oven, which makes it perfect for entertaining. For the baked eggs you’ll need three medium bell peppers, all-purpose flour, kosher salt, baking powder, 9 eggs, unsalted butter, 6 ounces grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese, 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese, 1 cup grated Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese and 3 scallions. 
​While you can roast the peppers on the gas burners of your stove, I prefer to cut out the stem end, remove the seeds and white ribs and roast outside on my gas grill. To me, this seems a faster way to roast peppers. You also need a 10-inch (6-cup pie plate). I didn’t think my Pyrex dishes were large enough, so I used a 2-quart Corningware dish.
 
The eggs are beaten until doubled in volume. This is followed by adding a mixture of flour, salt and baking powder and melted butter. Once those ingredients are mixed in, the diced roasted peppers and finely chopped scallions are stirred in. The mixture goes into a buttered dish and bakes for 30 to 35 minutes. At the same time, you can bake the Sweet and Spicy Bacon. The egg dish bakes for approximately 30-35 minutes and the bacon, roughly the same amount of time.
 
What a delicious breakfast. The eggs were light and fluffy. You can taste the cheddar and Parmesan cheeses and the richness from the whole milk ricotta. The smoky, sweetness from the roasted peppers added another layer of flavor. The seasonings on the bacon was fantastic, taking the bacon to a different flavor level. The bacon was seasoned with brown sugar, cayenne, and black pepper. By the way, it made for a fabulous BLT the other day.
 
For the fruit salad I used green grapes, strawberries, plums, peach and fresh orange segments. I would have used a kiwi, however, the selection at the food store was less than desirable looking. To keep the fruit from turning brown, I tossed the cut fruit with granulated sugar and orange juice. The recipe called for Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur, however, not knowing if my guests were on any medication, I left the liquor out. The fruit salad was a nice sweet addition.
 
Overall, my guests and I enjoyed the meal. If you’re having company this holiday season, I recommend these recipes for your guests.
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I am sitting in my sunny kitchen this afternoon enjoying the warmth of the sun while I work. The early weather reports are calling for another rainy weekend, yikes! Not to fear, I found some warming meal ideas to chase away the rain. The first recipe is Skillet Turkey Meatloaves with Mushroom Gravy, the next is Mississippi Roast and lastly a lightly rich version of Creamed Spinach.
 
I had a frozen package of ground turkey in the freezer that I wanted to use.  On the “Southern Living” magazine website I found Skillet Turkey Meatloaves with Mushroom Gravy by Lisa Cericola and Patricia S. York. Besides the turkey you’ll need, a yellow onion, panko breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, fresh thyme leaves, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, Brussels sprouts, fresh carrots, unsalted butter, fresh cremini mushrooms, all-purpose flour and chicken stock.
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It’s another Saturday and it’s raining again. I woke up this morning with a list of things to do. After having breakfast and doing my usual morning routine, I decided to replenish my pantry with my Honey Pecan Granola and since the sky was gray and it was a bit chilly, I also made a pot of Butternut Squash-Apple Soup, which was perfect for a dreary day.
 
If you like pumpkin and a little nosh to go with your coffee or tea, you must try Yossy Arefi’s recipe for Pumpkin Crumb Cake. You can either use an 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking pan for the cake. From start to finish, it takes approximately an hour to make. For the recipe you’ll need light brown sugar, all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice blend, salt, unsalted butter, eggs, pumpkin purée, neutral oil, baking powder and baking soda. If you would like to put a glaze on the cake, you’ll need confectioners’ sugar, pumpkin spice blend, salt and milk. 
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After this weekend’s rain, it seems fall weather has finally arrived. It was delightful weather in which to bake two autumnal desserts to bring to a friend’s home for dinner. I decided to make Apple Cider Madeleines and Big Apple Crumb Cake.
 
The first recipe comes from The New York Times, November 2020 article, “Bring the Apple Cider Doughnuts to You.” When reading the recipe online, one of the comments was that someone had decided to make them as Madeleine cookies instead of doughnuts. I thought this would be perfect for a gathering as everyone could have as many small tastes as they wanted. The Big Apple Crumb Cake is from the website “Smitten Kitchen,” by Deb Perelman.
For my apple ingredients, I visited Dreyer Farms in Cranford, NJ and picked up a half gallon of Melick’s Town Farm Apple Cider and a couple of Cortland apples. 
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What a crazy start to October. Between the rain and unusually warm weather, I’m not sure if I should be making fall meals or summer?
 
I’m still catching up from my extra days of babysitting and houseguests that we had recently. The yellow squash I had from my CSA box was starting to see better days and I knew I had to find a recipe soon. My internet search brought me to the website Allrecipes and a side dish called Yellow Squash Patties. For the recipe you’ll need shredded yellow squash, an onion, salt, cheddar cheese, all-purpose flour, cornmeal, an egg, freshly ground black pepper and vegetable oil.
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What a miserable four days we’ve had with all this wind and rain. There’s not much you can do other than read or cook; I went for cooking. I have company coming this weekend and I wanted to stock up on some breakfast treats for my guests. One of the things I made is British-style Currant Scones from America’s Test Kitchen. They are similar to the tea biscuits that were available years ago at a local bakery. I’m not sure they still offer them. I also made Pumpkin-Ginger Oat Scones from Genevieve Ko from The New York Times.
 
Several months ago, I needed crystallized ginger for a recipe. It just so happens that this is the same ingredient needed for these scones and I had just the right amount left. You’ll also need all-purpose flour, old-fashioned oats, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cold unsalted butter, canned pumpkin and eggs. My luck ran out as I only had one teaspoon of pumpkin spice left and I needed 2. Fortunately, one of the comments contained a recipe to make your own mixture. It consists of cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves and nutmeg. I’ll include the proportions below. The recipe takes 45 minutes from start to finish. The dry ingredients are whisked separately in a bowl and then butter is cut into the flour with your fingers or pastry cutter. This is followed by adding finely chopped crystallized ginger. The eggs and pumpkin purée are mixed separately in a bowl then added to the dry ingredients. Make sure not to over mix; mix until there is no dry flour left.


​meet donna

A former teacher, shop-a-holic, empty-nester redefining quick, family approved dinners.

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